memeorandum: Why Hasn't Rod Rosenstein Recused Himself from the Mueller Investigation? (Jgoldsmith/Lawfare)

4:45 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, CNBC, Axios, Talking Points Memo, The Federalist, Breitbart, The Last Refuge, 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, TheBlaze and Political Wire

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

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: The Gateway Pundit

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

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

CNN:
Ryan backed Nunes in spat with Justice Dept. over Russia documents, sources say

Discussion: ThinkProgress, New York Times, Daily Kos, Salon, Hullabaloo, Talking Points Memo, Raw Story and The Week

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

Discussion: 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 and Washington Examiner

Michael S. Schmidt / New York Times:

Obstruction Inquiry Shows Trump's Struggle to Keep Grip on Russia Investigation — WASHINGTON — President Trump gave firm instructions in March to the White House's top lawyer: stop the attorney general, Jeff Sessions, from recusing himself in the Justice Department's investigation into whether …

Greg Sargent / Washington Post:

Schiff: The case that Trump obstructed justice just got stronger — THE MORNING PLUM: — The New York Times's blockbuster new report last night adds extensive new detail to our understanding of just how far President Trump and the White House went to try to derail the probe into Russian sabotage …

Discussion: The Hill, The Guardian and Politico

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

Discussion: fox13now.com and Political Wire

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

Discussion: ABC News, RedState and Raw Story

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: Hit & Run, New York Magazine, Shareblue Media, Washington Press, New York Times, Mediaite, RedState, Hullabaloo, Politicus USA, Raw Story and Washington Free Beacon, 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, Bloomberg, CBS News, CNNMoney, Daily Wire, New York Times, AOL, IJR and Right Wing Watch, more at Mediagazer »

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: Washington Examiner, Townhall.com, USA Today, IJR, Roll Call, TheBlaze, Washington Press, Washington Post, Vox, Breitbart, AOL 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, ABC News, The Nation, IJR, Breitbart, The Guardian, Boing Boing, TODAY.com, BBC, The Daily Caller, Business Insider, Fox News Insider, France 24, CNBC, The Big Lead and NBC News

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

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

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

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

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, AOL and Associated Press

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

Liz Moyer / CNBC:

Black unemployment rate falls to record low — The Bureau of Labor Statistics reports 6.8 percent unemployment rate for black workers in December, the lowest in the 45 years the data has been tracked. — Unemployment among black workers is at its lowest since at least the early 1970s, when the government began tracking the data.

Discussion: theGrio, The Daily Caller, The Rush Limbaugh Show, Washington Post, Breitbart and Daily Wire

Natalie Kitroeff / New York Times:
U.S. Added 148,000 Jobs in December; Unemployment at 4.1%

Discussion: The White House, Politico, Washington Press, The Stream, Outside the Beltway, Althouse and New Republic

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: The Guardian, Deadline, thecut and The Week

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.

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