memeorandum: Exclusive: Top Pence aides quietly depart in new year (CNN)

5:15 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, National Review, CNBC, Axios, Talking Points Memo, New York Magazine, The Federalist, Breitbart, Washington Press, Politicus USA, IJR, Daily Kos and Raw Story

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 and TheBlaze

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:

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: Vox, HuffPost, Political Wire and The Gateway Pundit

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

Discussion: The Gateway Pundit

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

Jennifer Rubin / Washington Post:
Senate Republicans become Trump accomplices in manipulating the system

Discussion: The Guardian

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

John Solomon / The Hill:
FBI launches new Clinton Foundation investigation

Chuck Grassley:
Senators Grassley, Graham Refer Christopher Steele for Criminal Investigation

Discussion: Weekly Standard, Power Line and The Last Refuge

Kyle Cheney / Politico:
GOP senators recommend FBI probe of Trump ‘dossier’ author Steele

Discussion: Washington Post and Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion

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: Politico, Just Security, ACS Blog and Washington Post

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: New Yorker, New York Times, Shareblue Media, Talking Points Memo, Washington Examiner and The Hill, more at Mediagazer »

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

Discussion: The Hill, ThinkProgress and Politico

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

Discussion: Axios, fox13now.com, Hullabaloo and Political Wire

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

Discussion: ABC News, RedState and Raw Story

Michael S. Schmidt / New York Times:
Obstruction Inquiry Shows Trump's Struggle to Keep Grip on Russia Investigation

Josh Delk / The Hill:
Pruitt wants to be Trump's attorney general: report

Discussion: RedState

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

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

Discussion: NewsBusters, The Week and Common Dreams

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, Bloomberg, CBS News, CNNMoney, New York Times, AOL, Daily Wire, IJR and Right Wing Watch

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

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, Townhall.com, USA Today, IJR, TheBlaze, Roll Call, Vox, Breitbart, Washington Press and Axios

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

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

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: Washington Press, The Daily Caller 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, The Hill, Politico, Breitbart and ABC News

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

Discussion: Mediaite, more at Mediagazer »

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, Washington Press, Daily Kos, The Gateway Pundit, Raw Story and TMZ.com, 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

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.

Discussion: Political Wire

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

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

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, Business Insider, Gizmodo, The Verge, Mediaite and Axios, more at Mediagazer »

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: No More Mister Nice Blog, Media Matters for America and Raw Story

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

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: The Guardian, Deadline, thecut and The Week

Daniel Strauss / Politico:

Cummings hospitalized as wife suspends campaign for governor — Rep. Elijah Cummings (D-Md.) is currently hospitalized after a procedure to drain an infection, three sources told POLITICO, the latest setback in a string of health issues that have plagued the longtime lawmaker since last year.

Discussion: Talking Points Memo, Baltimore Sun and Washington Free Beacon