memeorandum: Trump's week of feuds with Bannon, Pakistan, marijuana smokers, and ocean waters, explained (Matthew Yglesias/Vox)

6:05 PM ET, January 5, 2018

Top Items:

Republican Senators Recommend Charges Against Author of Trump Dossier — WASHINGTON — More than a year after Republican leaders promised to investigate Russian interference in the presidential election, two influential Republicans on Friday made the first known congressional criminal referral …

Discussion: Mother Jones, Shareblue Media, New York Magazine, National Review, CNBC, Axios, CNN, Talking Points Memo, The Last Refuge, The Federalist, Washington Press, Politicus USA, Breitbart, Daily Kos, Raw Story and IJR

Jennifer Rubin / Washington Post:

Senate Republicans become Trump accomplices in manipulating the system — The Post reports: … This is an outrageous political stunt, one with no legal ramifications and obviously designed to take the heat off the White House as damning reports bolstering an obstruction-of-justice claim …

Washington Post:

Senior Republican refers Trump-Russia dossier author for possible charges … The Republican chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee recommended Friday that the Justice Department investigate for possible criminal charges the author of the now-famous “dossier” alleging the Trump campaign coordinated …

Discussion: Politico, Little Green Footballs, HuffPost, Vox, Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion and Political Wire

Natasha Bertrand / Business Insider:
Senate Judiciary Republicans refer dossier author Chris Steele to DOJ for criminal investigation

Discussion: RedState, New York Post and The Week

Jordain Carney / The Hill:
GOP senators request criminal investigation of Trump dossier author

Discussion: Chuck Grassley, Power Line, Weekly Standard and The Gateway Pundit

Sara Carter / Sara A. Carter:
Mueller's “Pit Bull” Andrew Weissmann under scrutiny as Rosenstein agrees to turn over documents to Nunes

Discussion: The Gateway Pundit and Front Page Magazine

James Bovard / USA Today: Cliven Bundy-FBI debacle: Another example of why the feds need to be leashed

The Guardian: Republican senators want ex-British spy behind Trump dossier to be investigated

Anna Claire Vollers / al.com:

Roy Moore accuser's Gadsden home burns; arson investigation underway — Roy Moore accuser Tina Johnson lost her home Tuesday in a fire that is now under investigation by the Etowah County Arson Task Force. — Tina Johnson, who first came to public notice for accusing Senate candidate Roy Moore …

Discussion: Talking Points Memo, Axios, The Gateway Pundit, Splinter, Washington Press, The Daily Caller, Political Wire, Raw Story, thecut, Mediaite and The Stranger …

Mike Allen / Axios:

The Wolff lines on Trump that ring unambiguously true — There are definitely parts of Michael Wolff's “Fire and Fury” that are wrong, sloppy, or betray off-the-record confidence. But there are two things he gets absolutely right, even in the eyes of White House officials …

Discussion: Hit & Run, New York Magazine, Shareblue Media, New York Times, Mediaite, Washington Press, Hullabaloo, RedState, Politicus USA and Raw Story, more at Mediagazer »

Eun Kyung Kim / TODAY.com:
Michael Wolff says he ‘absolutely’ spoke to President Trump for his tell-all book

Discussion: The Hill, Washington Examiner, Washington Post, USA Today, Townhall.com, IJR, Roll Call, TheBlaze, Vox, Breitbart, Washington Press and Axios, more at Mediagazer »

Kieran Corcoran / Business Insider:
The author of the explosive new Trump book says he can't be sure if parts of it are true

Discussion: New Republic, RedState, The Rush Limbaugh Show, AOL, Bloomberg, CBS News, CNNMoney, Daily Wire, New York Times, IJR and Right Wing Watch

Kimberly Leonard / Washington Examiner:
Michael Wolff: Trump had little interest in repealing Obamacare, floated ‘Medicare for All’

Discussion: NewsBusters, The Week and Common Dreams

Peter Baker / New York Times: For Trump, Book Raises Familiar Questions of Loyalty and Candor

Natasha Bertrand / Business Insider:
Trump campaign digital director: ‘Not one person made a decision’ without Kushner and Eric Trump's ‘approval’

Discussion: Washington Press

Adam Edelman / NBC News:
‘Fire and Fury’ author Wolff calls Trump least credible person who has ever walked on earth

Discussion: Washington Post, Vox, Roll Call, RedState, The Nation, IJR, CBS Baltimore, The Guardian, ABC News, TODAY.com, BBC, Breitbart, NPR, Business Insider, France 24, KOIN-TV, Talking Points Memo, bizpacreview.com, The Big Lead, CNBC, NBC News and The Daily Caller

Kevin Johnson / USA Today:

FBI documents: Andrew McCabe had no conflict in Hillary Clinton email probe — WASHINGTON — FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe, whom President Trump has blamed for influencing the decision not to criminally charge Hillary Clinton for her use of private email server, did not oversee that inquiry …

Washington Post:

The FBI is investigating the Clinton Foundation … The FBI has been quietly investigating the Clinton Foundation for months, reviving a probe that was dialed back during the 2016 election amid tensions between Justice Department prosecutors and FBI agents about the politically charged case, according to people familiar with the matter.

Discussion: Mediaite, TheBlaze, FOX2now.com, twitchy.com and Pacific Standard

CNN:
Feds actively investigating Clinton Foundation

Jgoldsmith / Lawfare:

Why Hasn't Rod Rosenstein Recused Himself from the Mueller Investigation? — One puzzle that deepens with Mike Schmidt's New York Times story on “Trump's Struggle to Keep [a] Grip on [the] Russia Investigation” is why Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein has not recused himself from overseeing the Mueller investigation.

Discussion: Instapundit, Politico, Washington Post, Just Security, ACS Blog, Washington Monthly, New Republic, Shareblue Media, Talking Points Memo, Washington Examiner, FOX2now.com and The Hill

Jennifer Rubin / Washington Post:

Why Trump and Sessions are now in a heap of legal trouble — Michael S. Schmidt's report in the New York Times contains so many blockbusters that it's hard to know where to begin. Here are the most critical claims: — Special counsel Robert S. Mueller III has evidence …

Discussion: The Moderate Voice, Just Security, Washington Examiner, Talking Points Memo, New Yorker, New York Times, Hullabaloo, ThinkProgress, NBC News, Daily Kos and Raw Story

Andrew Restuccia / Politico:
EPA chief Pruitt is said to be eyeing attorney general job

Discussion: The Hill, Washington Monthly, Axios, RedState, Breitbart, Mother Jones, fox13now.com, Salon, Hullabaloo, Media Matters for America, TheBlaze, Common Dreams and ABC News

Greg Sargent / Washington Post:
Schiff: The case that Trump obstructed justice just got stronger

Discussion: The Hill, ThinkProgress, Politico, IJR, Power Line, theGrio, Washington Free Beacon and No More Mister Nice Blog

Max Greenwood / The Hill:
GOP lawmaker: Sessions ‘betrayed’ Trump

Discussion: RedState, Shareblue Media, ABC News, The Root and Raw Story

Jonathan Swan / Axios:

Steve Bannon was warned — Friends and allies of Steve Bannon had been warning him for weeks to lay off Jared Kushner — telling him that President Trump would turn against him if he kept publicly attacking the son-in-law. — What we're hearing: Tommy Hicks, a Trump campaign fundraiser …

Discussion: The Daily Beast, RedState, Business Insider, The Gateway Pundit, Politico, Breitbart, The Hill and ABC News, more at Mediagazer »

Matthew Yglesias / Vox:
Trump's week of feuds with Bannon, Pakistan, marijuana smokers, and ocean waters, explained

Discussion: Washington Post, Politico and CNN

Jonathan Swan / Axios:
Steve Bannon's strange “obsession” with Andrew Weissmann

Discussion: Mediaite

Rick Wilson / The Daily Beast:
Bannon Banished for Telling Truths About Trump as MAGA Monsters Turn on Each Other

Discussion: Washington Post, The Daily Caller, Daily Kos, Washington Press, The Gateway Pundit, Raw Story and TMZ.com, more at Mediagazer »

Twitter:

World Leaders on Twitter — There's been a lot of discussion about political figures and world leaders on Twitter, and we want to share our stance. — Twitter is here to serve and help advance the global, public conversation. Elected world leaders play a critical role in that conversation …

Discussion: Politico, The Guardian, CNBC, New York Magazine, BGR, Business Insider, IJR, Gizmodo, The Verge, Washington Times, Axios and Mediaite, more at Mediagazer »

CNN:

Exclusive: Top Pence aides quietly depart in new year — STORY HIGHLIGHTS — (CNN)Vice President Mike Pence's chief lawyer and domestic policy director are leaving his office at the beginning of the New Year, according to four sources familiar with the staff turnover.

Scott Wartman / Cincinnati.com:

Republican U.S. Senate candidate Josh Mandel drops out of U.S. Senate race — Republican U.S. Senate candidate Josh Mandel quit the race Friday, citing his wife's health. — He hoping to unseat U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown, a Democrat. The Enquirer will update this story.

Discussion: Shareblue Media

Ben Kamisar / The Hill:
Top GOP candidate drops out of Ohio Senate race

Discussion: Politico and The Federalist

Matthew Gertz / Politico:

I've Studied the Trump-Fox Feedback Loop for Months. It's Crazier Than You Think. — On Tuesday night, I, along with many Americans, was shocked when President Donald Trump tweeted that his “Nuclear Button” is “much bigger & more powerful” than North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un's.

Discussion: Washington Post, No More Mister Nice Blog, Media Matters for America, Raw Story and Shakesville, more at Mediagazer »

ESPN:

For Kraft, Brady and Belichick, is this the beginning of the end? — THE PROBLEM WITH living your life under the spotlight is that the camera captures only the public eruption, not the months of silent anger. On Dec. 3, when the New England Patriots played the Buffalo Bills …

Discussion: Awful Announcing and AOL

Wall Street Journal:

Trump Nominee to Lead Indian Health Services Faces Claims of Misrepresentation — Former workers at a Missouri hospital question leadership roles claimed by Robert Weaver, a 39-year-old member of Quapaw tribe, who says he is qualified to lead agency — President Donald Trump's nominee …

Discussion: Shareblue Media, CNBC and The Week

Associated Press:

4 women accuse filmmaker Paul Haggis of sexual misconduct — LOS ANGELES (AP) — A civil lawsuit charging Oscar-winning filmmaker Paul Haggis with raping a publicist has prompted three additional women to come forward with their own sexual misconduct accusations, including another publicist …

Discussion: Washington Post, The Guardian, Deadline, thecut and The Week

Ciro Scotti / The Daily Beast:

The Trouble With Kirsten Gillibrand … Back when she had an A rating from the NRA, Kirsten Gillibrand used to brag that she and her family shot their own turkeys for Thanksgiving. — But in her relentless positioning for a possible presidential run in 2020, was she too quick on the trigger …

Discussion: thecut, ThinkProgress, Lawyers, Guns & Money and Balloon Juice

Amanda Terkel / HuffPost:

Wisconsin Is Quietly Becoming The Top Senate Race Of 2018 — Sen. Tammy Baldwin is battling more outside spending by conservative groups than all of her Democratic colleagues. Combined. — Ask a Democrat what Senate races worries them this year, and Missouri, Indiana, West Virginia and North Dakota will likely be near the top.

Discussion: madison.com, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Axios and Washington Free Beacon

David Remnick / New Yorker:

The Increasing Unfitness of Donald Trump — The West Wing has come to resemble the dankest realms of Twitter, in which everyone is racked with paranoia and everyone despises everyone else. — What made the Emperor Nero tick, Suetonius writes in “Lives of the Caesars,” was …

Kira Lerner / ThinkProgress:

Kobach is prosecuting this confused senior with four counts of felony voter fraud — For the past few years, Que J. Fullmer has split his time between Kansas and Colorado. He owns a cattle company and roughly 1,000 acres in Syracuse, Kansas, and his wife lives in Brighton, Colorado, where the couple owns a home and 300 acres.