memeorandum: Exclusive — Low Level White House Staffer Inflates Credentials to Lie About Dr. Sebastian Gorka's Resignation to Press (Matthew Boyle/Breitbart)

12:35 AM ET, August 27, 2017

Top Items:

House Speaker Paul Ryan Criticizes Donald Trump's Pardon for Joe Arpaio — Republican joins two GOP senators from Arizona in opposing the move — House Speaker Paul Ryan on Saturday criticized President Donald Trump for pardoning a former Arizona sheriff, Joe Arpaio, becoming the highest-ranking Republican to object to the move.

Discussion: The Gateway Pundit, The Hill, IJR, Talking Points Memo, Axios and Mediaite

Washington Post:

Trump asked Sessions about closing case against Arpaio, an ally since ‘birtherism’ … As Joseph Arpaio's federal case headed toward trial this past spring, President Trump wanted to act to help the former Arizona county sheriff who had become a campaign-trail companion and a partner in their crusade against illegal immigration.

Discussion: Axios, New York's PIX11, Business Insider, The Atlantic, Raw Story, Joe.My.God., Mediaite, Political Wire, Refinery29, Weekly Standard, CBS San Francisco and Infowars

Francisco Chairez / Washington Post:

The year I spent in Joe Arpaio's tent jail was hell. He should never walk free. — I was born in Mexico, grew up in Tijuana, and moved to Arizona when I was 14. I went to high school in a small town called Holbrook, then went to Phoenix to go to Arizona State University.

Discussion: ThinkProgress

mccain.senate.gov:

STATEMENT BY SENATOR JOHN McCAIN ON PRESIDENT TRUMP'S PARDON OF JOE ARPAIO — Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senator John McCain (R-AZ) released the following statement today on President Trump's pardon of former Sheriff Joe Arpaio: — “No one is above the law and the individuals entrusted …

Bbauer / Lawfare:

The Arpaio Pardon — Joe Arpaio speaks at a campaign rally in Arizona in October 2016. (Photo: Wikimedia Commons) — President Trump issued his pardon of former Sheriff Joe Arpaio apparently without a Justice Department recommendation or even consultation, according to various outlets citing unnamed officials.

Discussion: Washington Post, New York Times, CNN, New York Magazine, BuzzFeed, The Guardian, WREG-TV, The Strident Conservative, NPR, Geller Report, Mediaite, Outside the Beltway and Vox Popoli

Joe Arpaio / Arizona Republic:

Our View: Donald Trump just resurrected Joe Arpaio from irrelevance … CONNECT — While America was talking about tearing down monuments that offend historically oppressed people, Donald Trump effectively erected yet another one. — His pardon of Joe Arpaio elevated …

Discussion: Raw Story, Talking Points Memo, Outside the Beltway, Mediaite, Politicus USA, Daily Kos, Joe.My.God. and The Hill

David Frum / The Atlantic:

Trump Won't Back Down — At 11:46 a.m. on Friday, August 25, President Trump issued the first of what would become a sequence of 12 tweets that day about the government's readiness for Hurricane Harvey. — Seldom if ever before in his tenure has this president so publicly performed the role …

Discussion: The Independent, The Guardian, The Root, ThinkProgress, Washington Post, Outside the Beltway, Conservative News Today, Talking Points Memo, Political Wire, Mediaite and Business Insider

Jacqueline Thomsen / The Hill:

Obama adviser: Trump asking to drop case against Arpaio could get him impeached — President Obama's former communications director Dan Pfeiffer blasted President Trump over a report that he had asked Attorney General Jeff Sessions — to drop the federal criminal case against Sheriff Joe Arpaio …

Discussion: Raw Story

Julia Manchester / The Hill:
Schiff: Trump pardon sends message to Russia investigation witnesses

Discussion: Raw Story and Mediaite

Charles Kaiser / BillMoyers.com:
Arpaio Pardon May Be Opening Act of a Constitutional Crisis

Discussion: emptywheel and The Guardian

Dan Desai Martin / Shareblue:
Top Intel Dem says Trump's pardon sends message to targets of Russia probe: “I have your back”

Discussion: Washington Post and Wall Street Journal

YouGov US Opinion Center News:
The Politics of Pardoning Sheriff Joe

Discussion: Washington Post, Los Angeles Times, The Mahablog and FiveThirtyEight

Margaret Talbot / New Yorker:
Why Donald Trump Pardoned Joe Arpaio

Discussion: New York Times, John Hawkins' Right Wing News, Lawyers, Guns & Money and The Week

Brandon Carter / The Hill:
McCain blasts Trump over Arpaio pardon

Discussion: Washington Post, Politico, John Hawkins' Right Wing News, Axios, IJR and RedState

Jayme Fraser / Billings Gazette:

Zinke's veteran daughter excoriates Trump in response to transgender military ban — The daughter of Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke, like her father a Navy veteran, appears, in the rawest of terms, to have excoriated President Donald Trump in a social media post after the announcement …

Discussion: The Hill, Raw Story and Political Wire

Matthew Boyle / Breitbart:

Exclusive — Low Level White House Staffer Inflates Credentials to Lie About Dr. Sebastian Gorka's Resignation to Press — Kelly Sadler, a low-level staffer in the White House, lied about her credentials to push inaccurate leaked information to the press about the resignation of Dr. Sebastian Gorka from the administration.

Discussion: John Hawkins' Right Wing News, Conservative News Today, Raw Story and TheBlaze

Cristiano Lima / Politico:
Gorka says he's heading back to Breitbart

Discussion: The Hill and Balloon Juice, more at Mediagazer »

Ben Kew / Breitbart:
Sebastian Gorka Resigns from Trump Administration

Discussion: FiveThirtyEight, Mediaite and John Hawkins' Right Wing News

Washington Post:

At least one dead, buildings destroyed as Hurricane Harvey drenches central Texas coast … ROCKPORT, Tex. — Hurricane Harvey flattened buildings in the small city of Rockport and slowed to a crawl Saturday, losing hurricane status but remaining strong, with torrential rains that could linger for days and cause catastrophic flooding.

Discussion: Slate, The Daily Caller, TheBlaze, The Atlantic and Grist

CNN:
Latest developments — Harvey's impact will be devastating …

Discussion: New York Times, San Antonio Current, ABC News, Shareblue, Q13 FOX News, myfox8.com, The Daily Caller, FOX2now.com, WHNT-TV, IJR, KTLA, The Atlantic, CBS New York, AOL, Mediaite, Talking Points Memo, FOX6Now.com, Politicus USA, The Week, CNNMoney, USA Today and WGN-TV

Houston Chronicle:
Hurricane Harvey downgraded further, spawns tornadoes

Discussion: Grist, NPR, Mother Jones and IJR

David Caplan / ABC News:
Hurricane Harvey bashes Texas coast, leaving thousands without power, homes damaged, residents injured

Discussion: Gizmodo, NBC News, IJR, myfox8.com, CBS Dallas, Refinery29, FOX2now.com, The Guardian, KTLA, WKRN-TV, Joe.My.God. and Associated Press

Meghan Keneally / ABC News:
Mayor tells those not evacuating for hurricane to put Social Security numbers on arms

Discussion: TheBlaze, Althouse and The Hill

Paul Farhi / Washington Post:

Sarah Huckabee Sanders says she'll get back to you on that. Chances are she won't. — It's a stock response of every White House press secretary who's either caught off guard or is trying to dodge a sticky question. When a reporter asks a tough question during a briefing …

Brandon Carter / The Hill:

Mattis to US troops: ‘Hold the line until our country gets back to respecting each other’ — gave a pep talk to U.S. troops stationed abroad during his trip to three countries last week. — In a video that has recently surfaced on social media, Mattis is seen speaking to U.S. troops in an unknown location.

Discussion: ABC News, Raw Story, New York Magazine, Axios, Mediaite, The Week, The Daily Caller and U.S Army W.T.F!

Matt Taibbi / Rolling Stone:

The Media Is the Villain - for Creating a World Dumb Enough for Trump — Yet another TV executive says Trump is “good for business.” Is sudden good fortune of news media by accident or design? — The craziest part of Donald Trump's 77-minute loon-a-thon in Phoenix earlier this week came …

Discussion: Raw Story

Julianne Herrera / KRON4.com:

KRON4 speaks to Patriot Prayer organizer — SAN FRANCISCO (KRON) — San Francisco Police Department is gating off Alamo Square Saturday morning, hours before a nationalist group was to hold a controversial press conference. — Organizers of the “Patriot Rally” cancelled their original event scheduled …

Discussion: SFist