memeorandum: Trump signs executive order creating voter fraud commission (Louis Nelson/Politico)

3:10 PM ET, May 11, 2017

Top Items:

Corky Siemaszko / NBC News:

Trump Interview With Lester Holt: President Asked Comey If He Was Under Investigation — President Donald Trump, in an exclusive interview Thursday with NBC News' Lester Holt, called ousted FBI chief James Comey a “showboat” and revealed he asked Comey whether he was under investigation for alleged ties to Russia.

Discussion: Vox, Mother Jones, CNBC, Daily Mail, Raw Story, The Root, CBS New York, Daily Kos, AOL and The Week

Washington Post:

How Trump's anger and impatience prompted him to fire the FBI director — Every time FBI Director James B. Comey appeared in public, an ever-watchful President Trump grew increasingly agitated that the topic was the one that he was most desperate to avoid: Russia.

Wall Street Journal:

Rosenstein Pressed White House to Correct the Record on Comey Firing — Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein pressed White House counsel Don McGahn to correct what he felt was an inaccurate White House depiction of the events surrounding FBI Director James Comey's firing.

Discussion: Talking Points Memo, Political Wire and Raw Story

Ali Watkins / Politico:

Rosenstein meets with Senate Intel leaders after Comey firing — Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein was seen arriving at the Senate Intelligence Committee's secure office spaces Thursday afternoon. Sources told POLITICO Rosenstein had requested to meet with the Intelligence Committee leaders …

Discussion: Talking Points Memo, Washington Post, Axios, Hot Air, ThinkProgress, Raw Story, Mediaite, Daily Kos, IJR, Just Security, AOL, Shareblue, RedState, CNN, The Week and The Daily Caller

Zack Beauchamp / Vox:

Experts on authoritarianism are absolutely terrified by the Comey firing — “Trump has talked like a would-be authoritarian since day one. ... This is the first clear warning sign that he's attempting to [act like one].” — Those are the words not of a Democratic political operative …

Discussion: CNBC and Shareblue

Jennifer Jacobs / Bloomberg:

Trump Considering Ex-Congressman Mike Rogers for FBI Director, Official Says — President Donald Trump is considering Mike Rogers, a former congressman and FBI agent from Michigan, to replace James Comey as FBI director, a White House official said. — Rogers, 53, a former chairman …

Discussion: Politico, ThinkProgress, Axios, New York Magazine and Political Wire

New York Times:

An Open Letter to the Deputy Attorney General — Dear Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein: — It's rare that any single person has to bear as much responsibility for safeguarding American democracy as you find yourself carrying now. Even before President Trump's shocking decision …

Discussion: Washington Monthly, RedState, Conservative News Today, Raw Story and The Atlantic

New York Times:

Acting F.B.I. director contradicts White House. — The unfolding story over Mr. Trump's abrupt firing of Mr. Comey hung over the hearing, infusing political theater into annual testimony by the nation's top security officials about the biggest threats facing the United States.

Discussion: Politicaldog101.Com, Mashable, Joe.My.God., The Week and Washington Free Beacon

Wall Street Journal:

As the FBI Reels, Candidates Emerge to Run Agency — The Justice Department moved on Wednesday to find a temporary successor for fired FBI Director James Comey, as Attorney General Jeff Sessions and his top deputy interviewed five candidates amid continuing fallout over the controversial dismissal.

Discussion: Mediaite, Talking Points Memo, Raw Story, Politicaldog101.Com and The Week

McClatchy Washington Bureau:

Sources: Comey sought to expand Trump-Russia probe of former campaign officials — WASHINGTON — The FBI-led probe into whether Russian influence operations helped put Donald Trump in the White House is on a knife's edge and could easily veer into either of two distinct directions.

Discussion: Washington Post, Hot Air and Mother Jones

Brian Beutler / New Republic:

Our Rendezvous With Authoritarianism Has Arrived — Comey's firing should be a frightful awakening from complacency. If Trump gets away with it, he will read it as permission to run amok. — The firing of James Comey has restarted a conversation about the vulnerability of public institutions …

Discussion: Washington Post and The Week

Mike Allen / Axios:
Trump puts agenda, presidency at risk

Discussion: Politico, Raw Story, CNN and The American Conservative

Jeremy W. Peters / New York Times: For Trump Supporters, the Real Outrage Is the Left's Uproar Over Comey

patribotics:
EXCLUSIVE: Comey Day: ‘First Trump Russia Arrests Possible’ Thursday

Discussion: CANNONFIRE

Edward Morrissey / The Fiscal Times:
The Comey Firing Proves We Need Two Special Counsels, Not One

Discussion: US News, National Review, Hot Air and Washington Post

Uri Friedman / The Atlantic:
America Isn't Having a Constitutional Crisis

Discussion: The Hill, Washington Examiner and CNN

Shane Savitsky / Axios:
Acting FBI Director: Trump-Russia probe “highly significant”

Discussion: Politico, Washington Post, Talking Points Memo, The Hill, Political Wire, RedState and Lawyers, Guns & Money

Ed O'Keefe / Washington Post:
Senate Democrats demand answers from Rod Rosenstein about involvement in Comey firing

Discussion: Talking Points Memo, Politico, Outside the Beltway, Lawyers, Guns & Money, Raw Story and The Week

Chuck Grassley:
Grassley discusses Comey and Russia Investigation at Executive Business Meeting

Discussion: Talking Points Memo and CBS Los Angeles

Nolan D. McCaskill / Politico:
Sen. Mike Lee tweets Trump: Nominate Merrick Garland to replace Comey

Discussion: Washington Free Beacon

Jonathan Karl / ABC News:
Deputy AG Rosenstein was on the verge of resigning, upset over WH pinning Comey firing on him

Discussion: Politico, Axios, Washington Post, JONATHAN TURLEY, ThinkProgress, New York Magazine, Vox, The Daily Caller, No More Mister Nice Blog and IJR

Lucian K. Truscott IV / Salon: Americans are witnessing a slow-motion coup

Clare Foran / The Atlantic:
Outraged Democrats Have No Clear Plan to Deal With Comey Dismissal

Discussion: Daily Kos, The Nation, New York Times, CBS Philly, Business Insider, Mediaite, TheBlaze and IJR, more at Mediagazer »

Jonathan Easley / The Hill:
Dem reps: Trump is ‘moving’ toward impeachment

Discussion: Balloon Juice

Brett T. / twitchy.com: WaPo story on Trump and Comey cites more than 30 officials but can't beat this one editor's note

National Review:
The Comey Ouster — A combination photo of James Comey …

Discussion: Fox News, The Atlantic and Mediaite

United States House Committee on Oversight …:
Chaffetz Statement on Comey Firing

Discussion: Politico, The Hill, John Hawkins' Right Wing News, TheBlaze, Talking Points Memo and Washington Free Beacon

Economist:

What is Trumponomics and how does it differ from standard Republican economics? — Well it's an interesting question. I don't think it's ever been asked quite that way. But it really has to do with self-respect as a nation. It has to do with trade deals that have to be fair, and somewhat reciprocal, if not fully reciprocal.

Sarah Kliff / Vox:
Donald Trump has no idea what health insurance costs

Discussion: Axios, The Daily Caller, AOL, bradford-delong.com, Politico, CNBC, The Week and Eschaton

Jonah Goldberg / National Review:
Prime Time — The Donald Trump interview with The Economist is ....interesting.

Discussion: Mother Jones, Vox, Joe.My.God., Talking Points Memo, Washington Post, Eschaton and The Week

Mallory Shelbourne / The Hill:
Trump tells The Economist he invented the phrase ‘priming the pump’

Discussion: Economist, Hot Air, Washington Post, Mashable, Refinery29, AOL and Axios

TIME.com:

From where the 45th President works, eats and sleeps, everything is going just great. Now if only everyone else would see it that way. A TIME exclusive — PHOTOGRAPHS BY BENJAMIN RASMUSSEN FOR TIME — In a few minutes, President Donald Trump will release a new set of tweets …

Discussion: The Hill, RedState, Washington Post, Talking Points Memo, theGrio, Politicus USA, Eater, The Verge, Mediaite, Gizmodo, The Week, AOL and New York Magazine

Katherine Faulders / ABC News:

President Trump expected to launch commission on ‘election integrity’ — President Donald Trump is expected to sign an executive order today establishing a commission to review alleged voter fraud and voter suppression in the American election system, multiple senior administration officials tell ABC News.

Discussion: Mother Jones, Talking Points Memo, Associated Press, New York Magazine, electionlawblog.org, Conservative News Today, Daily Kos, IJR, Axios, Common Dreams, Mediaite, Take Care Blog, TheBlaze, The Daily Caller, Political Wire and The Week

Ari Berman / The Nation:

Trump's Commission on ‘Election Integrity’ Will Lead to Massive Voter Suppression — It will be led by Mike Pence and Kris Kobach, who have a very long history of making it harder to vote. — Two days after firing FBI director James Comey and creating a full-blown constitutional crisis …

Discussion: ThinkProgress, Kansas City Star and Media Matters for America

Louis Nelson / Politico:
Trump signs executive order creating voter fraud commission

Discussion: Vox, CNN, Talking Points Memo, Washington Free Beacon, FiveThirtyEight and electionlawblog.org

Roxana Hegeman / Associated Press: Kansas' Kobach Told to Disclose Voting Plan He Took to Trump

Olivia Beavers / The Hill:

Conway links Anderson Cooper's eye roll to sexism … White House counselor Kellyanne Conway on Thursday appeared to accuse CNN's Anderson Cooper of sexism for rolling his eyes during an on-air interview with her. — “I face sexism a lot of times when I show up for interviews like that,” Conway said on “Fox & Friends.”