May 31, 2017

NJ Sen. Cory Booker reportedly received past campaign donations from Jared Kushner

Source: AOL News

New Jersey Senator Cory Booker, a Democrat, is facing increased scrutiny for his response to allegations against President Trump's son-in-law and senior adviser Jared Kushner after reports emerged that Kushner and his family have reportedly donated generously to Booker's campaigns in the past.

During an interview with CNN on Sunday, the lawmaker was asked about his view on the DNC, or Democratic National Committee's call to suspend Kushner's security clearance amid a report that he tried to create a back-channel of communications with Russia.

Booker eventually said, "I think we need to first get to the bottom of it, he needs to answer for what was happening at the time."

He then added, "It raises very serious concerns for me. And that could be a potential outcome that I seek, but I want to understand, at least hear from Jared Kushner, as well as the administration, about what was exactly going on there."

Read more: https://www.aol.com/article/news/2017/05/31/nj-sen-cory-booker-campaign-donations-jared-kushner-ivanka-trump/22118536/

May 30, 2017

Congress expands Russia investigation to include Trump's personal attorney

Source: ABC News

One of President Donald Trump’s closest confidants, his personal lawyer Michael Cohen, has now become a focus of the expanding congressional investigation into Russian efforts to influence the 2016 campaign.

Cohen confirmed to ABC News that House and Senate investigators have asked him “to provide information and testimony” about any contacts he had with people connected to the Russian government, but he said he has turned down the invitation.

“I declined the invitation to participate, as the request was poorly phrased, overly broad and not capable of being answered,” Cohen told ABC News in an email Tuesday.

After Cohen rejected the congressional requests for cooperation, the Senate Select Intelligence Committee voted unanimously on Thursday to grant the chairman, Sen. Richard Burr of North Carolina, and ranking Democrat, Sen. Mark Warner of Virginia, blanket authority to issue subpoenas as they deem necessary.



Read more: http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/russia-investigation-expands-include-donald-trumps-personal-attorney/story?id=47646601

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EDIT: Title changed.

May 25, 2017

My Montana prediction: Rob Quist - 49%, Greg Gianforte - 47%.

I base this on the polling, and Gianforte's performance in the 2016 Governor's race.

How do you think the race will shake out?

May 25, 2017

Who wins in Montana today?

What's your gut feeling? Rob Quist (D) or Greg Gianforte (R-Bodyslammer)

May 21, 2017

House Inquiry Turns Attention to Trump Campaign Worker With Russia Ties

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/05/20/us/politics/michael-caputo-house-committee-russia-trump.html

Michael Caputo, who served as a communications adviser to the Trump campaign, has been asked by the House committee investigating Russian election meddling to submit to a voluntary interview and to provide any documents he may have that are related to the inquiry.

The House Intelligence Committee, which is examining possible collusion between the Trump campaign and Russian officials, made its request in a letter on May 9. Mr. Caputo, who lives near Buffalo and spent six months on the Trump team, worked in Russia during the 1990s and came to know Kremlin officials. He also did work in the early 2000s for Gazprom Media, a Russian conglomerate that supported President Vladimir V. Putin.

Mr. Caputo has strongly denied that there was any collusion between him or anyone else on the campaign and Russian officials. He has also accused the committee of smearing him.

A Democratic member of the panel, Representative Jackie Speier of California, raised Mr. Caputo’s name during the March 20 hearing where James B. Comey, then the F.B.I. director, testified on Russia’s interference in the election. She noted Mr. Caputo’s work for Gazprom, and the fact that he met his second wife, who is Ukrainian, while working in 2007 on a parliamentary election in Kiev.

Mr. Caputo is the latest in a string of Trump campaign officials who have been approached by the committee. He is a protégé of Roger J. Stone Jr., one of President Trump’s longest-serving advisers and one of the people who has been a focus of investigators’ interest. Mr. Stone has also denied having any contact with Russian officials.

May 20, 2017

TRUMP Poll Averages: RCP - 39.6%, 538 - 38.8%, Pollster - 39.4%

http://www.realclearpolitics.com/

President Trump Job Approval

Approve 39.6
Disapprove 54.7

Disapprove +15.1

https://projects.fivethirtyeight.com/trump-approval-ratings/

How popular/unpopular is Donald Trump?

Approve 38.8
Disapprove 54.9

http://elections.huffingtonpost.com/pollster/trump-job-approval

Trump Job Approval

Approve 39.4
Disapprove 55.5

May 19, 2017

Trump approval rating average, Pollster: 38.9%, RCP: 39.7%

And that's before these new stories hit...

May 19, 2017

Trump Told Russians That Firing Nut Job Comey Eased Pressure From Investigation

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/05/19/us/politics/trump-russia-comey.html

WASHINGTON — President Trump told Russian officials in the Oval Office this month that firing the F.B.I. director, James B. Comey, had relieved “great pressure” on him, according to a document summarizing the meeting.

“I just fired the head of the F.B.I. He was crazy, a real nut job,” Mr. Trump said, according to the document, which was read to The New York Times by an American official. “I faced great pressure because of Russia. That’s taken off.”

Mr. Trump added, “I’m not under investigation.”

May 19, 2017

EXCLUSIVE: Female Ex-Russian Spy Was Appointed to Trump Organization to Launder Money

Elena A. Baronoff was listed as the VP of Customer Relations at Trump Grande, and was considered the “International Ambassador for Sunny Isles Beach,” an exclusive strip of land that was reserved for the richest of the rich. Everyone knew her in the enclave, and a profile of her even called her the “face of Sunny Isles Beach and the real estate industry.” She was close to millionaires, billionaires, designers and moguls — and even was quite wealthy herself.

The problem is that, despite being a well-known socialite, she was also a former Spy. She had originally come to America as a “Cultural Attaché in Public Diplomacy for the Russian Government,” a title almost exclusively used by spies of the Russian government trying to infiltrate business circles in the 1980’s. She was one of perhaps hundreds of women that Russia used over 40 years including the famous and beautiful Anna Chapman to influence business on behalf of Russia and it’s business interests.

http://ania.com/2017/05/19/exclusive-female-ex-russian-spy-appointed-trump-organization-launder-money/

May 19, 2017

If you have a REPUBLICAN Senator, call and tell them NO to Joe Lieberman for the FBI.

Democrats already don't want him, but he might get through based on Republican support.