memeorandum: Not just misleading. Not merely false. A lie. (Glenn Kessler/Washington Post)

10:40 PM ET, August 22, 2018

Top Items:

‘How Did We End Up Here?’ Trump Wonders as the White House Soldiers On — In the hours after two of President Trump's former advisers delivered his administration potentially grave legal setbacks, the mood inside the White House was grim, a return to a trench-warfare mentality borne out of muscle memory.

Discussion: CNN and KTLA

Wall Street Journal:

Why Michael Cohen Agreed to Plead Guilty—And Implicate the President — Prosecutors had reams of evidence and a long list of counts, which also could have included the lawyer's wife — Michael Cohen had many reasons to play ball last weekend when his legal team sat down to talk to federal prosecutors.

Discussion: electionlawblog.org and Glamour

Christina Wilkie / CNBC:

Michael Cohen paid a mysterious tech company $50,000 ‘in connection with’ Trump's campaign — President Donald Trump's former lawyer, Michael Cohen, made a previously unreported payment of $50,000 to a tech company in connection with Trump's 2016 presidential campaign.

Discussion: USA Today, New York Post, Raw Story, Talking Points Memo, Law & Crime and Mediaite

Glenn Kessler / Washington Post:

Not just misleading. Not merely false. A lie. — The first denial that Donald Trump knew about hush-money payments to silence women came four days before he was elected president, when his spokeswoman Hope Hicks said, without hedging, “we have no knowledge of any of this.”

Discussion: CNNMoney, The Western Journal, CNN, HuffPost, Daily Kos, Law & Crime, Roll Call and The Week, more at Mediagazer »

Chuck Ross / The Daily Caller:

Lanny Davis: Michael Cohen Never Went To Prague As Steele Dossier Claims — Michael Cohen's lawyer dropped a bombshell on Wednesday, saying that Cohen has not been to Prague — The Steele dossier alleges that Cohen traveled to Prague during the campaign to collude with Russians

Discussion: ABC News, The Gateway Pundit and Vox

John Podhoretz / Commentary Magazine:

10 Things I Hate About What's Just Happened — After “the information” regarding Michael Cohen's guilty pleas stated flatly that Cohen had been directed to violate campaign finance law by Donald Trump, you can put the Russia probe aside for a moment and consider the many possible meanings of what Cohen has done:

Discussion: Bloomberg, Politico, Washington Monthly, WORLD, BloombergQuint, Fox News Insider, IJR and Booman Tribune

David Klepper / Associated Press:

New York state subpoenas Cohen in Trump Foundation probe — ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) — Investigators in New York state have issued a subpoena to Michael Cohen as part of their criminal probe into the Trump Foundation. — A spokesman for Democratic Gov. Andrew Cuomo's tax department confirmed …

Discussion: CNBC, The Week, Hill Reporter, CNN, CBS Baltimore, TheBlaze, Axios and Political Wire

Politico:

‘It is what it is’: Republicans shrug off Trump's legal meltdown — GOP senators are tuning out the legal crisis enveloping the White House and are instead focusing on legislating. — Twenty-four hours after one of the most damaging days for Donald Trump's presidency …

Discussion: USA Today, The Hill, ThinkProgress, Outside the Beltway and Washington Free Beacon

Michael Burke / The Hill:

Cohen's lawyer on Trump Tower meeting: Cohen was ‘present at a discussion with’ Trump and Trump Jr. — Michael Cohen's attorney Lanny Davis on Wednesday claimed Cohen witnessed a discussion between President Trump — and Donald Trump, Jr., that was apparently related to the 2016 Trump …

Discussion: Washington Post

Caleb Howe / Mediaite:

MSNBC Trounces Fox News in Ratings on Manafort-Cohen Day, Knocking Hannity to Third — On Tuesday's big news day, following a plea deal for former Trump attorney Michael Cohen and a conviction for former Trump campaign chair Paul Manafort, the ratings crown went to MSNBC during prime time.

NBC News:

The party of ‘Lock her up!’ faces a choice: Defend Trump or investigate? — First Read is your briefing from “Meet the Press” and the NBC Political Unit on the day's most important political stories and why they matter. — WASHINGTON — For a candidate whose supporters cried, “Lock her up! …

Discussion: Washington Post, New York Times, Weekly Standard, Daily Kos and MSNBC

Tamar Auber / Mediaite:

Trump Considering Pardon For Paul Manafort, Fox News' Ainsley Earhardt Says — Fox News' Ainsley Earhardt said on Hannity Wednesday night that President Donald Trump will consider pardoning Paul Manafort. — Sean Hannity — interviewing Earhardt after her interview with the president …

Discussion: BloombergQuint, Joe.My.God. and Raw Story

Matthew Yglesias / Vox:
In Fox interview, Trump seems to confess a campaign finance violation while trying to deny it

Discussion: Washington Post, Weekly Standard, Toronto Star, Lawyers, Guns & Money, Big Think, Right Wing Watch and The Week

Shannon Pettypiece / Bloomberg:
Trump Didn't Consult McGahn About Hush-Money Payments, Source Says

Discussion: Political Wire

Max Boot / Washington Post:
Trump is an illegitimate president whose election is tainted by fraud

Discussion: New York Times, Salon, Hot Air, The Guardian and Raw Story

Associated Press:
The Latest: Trump says hush money ‘not a campaign violation’

Discussion: The Hill, Chicago Sun-Times, Breitbart, National Review, The Western Journal, Politico and The Daily Caller

John Harwood / CNBC: GOP congressman says it's ‘too soon’ …

Robert Costa / Washington Post:
‘How do you spin a fact?’: White House grapples with response to Cohen, Manafort convictions

Discussion: The Daily Banter

Rosalind S. Helderman / Washington Post:
After fast turn against Trump, Michael Cohen threatens to leverage secrets against the president

Discussion: Politico, Axios and Washington Free Beacon

Wall Street Journal:
Trump Denies Directing Cohen to Break Campaign-Finance Laws

Discussion: Politico, The Globe Post, The Intercept, Axios, Mediaite, Washington Post, Fox News Insider and NY State of Politics

Garrett M. Graff / Wired:
Six Big Questions After the Cohen and Manafort Bombshells

Discussion: National Review, Conservative News Today, VICE News, The Western Journal, DCReport.org and Shareblue Media

Ken Dilanian / NBC News:
The nightmare is just beginning for Paul Manafort

Discussion: Shareblue Media, MSNBC and Conservative News Today

Margaret Sullivan / Washington Post:
This is the moment all of Trump's anti-media rhetoric has been working toward

Discussion: The Federalist, more at Mediagazer »

Lanny Davis / gofundme.com:
Michael Cohen Truth Fund

Kenneth Lovett / New York Daily News: Cuomo tax department subpoenas Michael Cohen as part of probe into Trump foundation …

Axios:
GOP fears Cohen set road to impeachment

Discussion: Politico, Breitbart, 1A, ABC News, The Daily Banter, VICE News, The Daily Beast, One America News Network and Raw Story

Jonathan Chait / New York Magazine:
Trump Tries to Deny His Crime With Cohen, Confesses by Mistake

Discussion: The Daily Caller, Deadline and TheBlaze

Jason Clayworth / Des Moines Register:

Mollie Tibbetts' accused killer is in Iowa legally, his lawyer says, calling Trump ‘sad and sorry’ for weighing in — A court document filed Wednesday morning states that the man accused of killing Mollie Tibbetts was working legally in Iowa. — Cristhian Bahena Rivera was charged Tuesday …

Discussion: Axios, Vox, Reuters, Associated Press, Fox News, Splinter, USA Today, HuffPost, Hill Reporter, Law & Crime, Balloon Juice, Politico, Spectator USA, The Gateway Pundit, TheBlaze, Townhall, CBS Baltimore, twitchy.com, New York Post, NewsWars and The Gazette

Jalyn Souchek / KWWL-TV:

Aunt of Mollie Tibbetts makes statement — One of the aunts of Mollie Tibbetts has made a statement per her Facebook page following the news of her death and the arrest of a murder suspect in the case. — On Tuesday, authorities arrested Christhian Bahena Rivera for the murder of Tibbetts.

Discussion: CNN, New York Times, Splinter, Vox, Media Matters for America, Law & Crime and New Republic

Taylor Telford / Washington Post:
‘Stop being a ... snake’: Distant cousin of Mollie Tibbetts tells partisans not to politicize her death

Discussion: The Root

Katie Mettler / Washington Post:
Mollie Tibbetts's suspected killer, in the U.S. illegally, told investigators about her final moments

Discussion: The Right Scoop, American Greatness, National Review, Breitbart, Des Moines Register, IJR, Conservative Review, Shakesville and Law & Crime

Des Moines Register:
Cristhian Rivera, charged in Mollie Tibbetts' death, worked at a farm owned by a prominent Iowa Republican family

San Francisco Chronicle:
The Latest: Experts say legal status system easily exploited

Discussion: The Daily Caller

Carrie Dann / NBC News:

Poll: Democrat O'Rourke trails Ted Cruz by just four percentage points in Texas — O'Rourke has 45 percent support among registered voters compared with Cruz's 49 percent; Abbott leads governors' contest by 19 — WASHINGTON — As Texas Democrats attempt to win a major statewide contest …

Discussion: Hot Air, Talking Points Memo, POLITICUSUSA, Splinter, Axios and Political Wire

Dana Blanton / Fox News:

Fox News Poll: Democrats maintain lead in race for House — Democrats are in a strong position for the midterms, according to the latest Fox News poll. — Several findings point to the potential for a blue map in November: — President Trump's job rating remains underwater.

Discussion: POLITICUSUSA and Political Wire

Steven Shepard / Politico:
Poll: Trump trails several Democratic prospects in 2020 match-up

Discussion: Morning Consult, Common Dreams, The Daily Caller, The Week, AOL, twitchy.com and Political Wire

Aaron C. Davis / Washington Post:

Trump called this White House defender ‘wonderful.’ He was fired from his previous job for alleged sexual harassment. — A conservative commentator who was lauded by President Trump this week as “wonderful” and who has argued that past sexual indiscretions should have no bearing on Trump's presidency …

Discussion: Raw Story, Contemptor and Mediaite, more at Mediagazer »

Sarah Ellison / Washington Post:

Kimberly Guilfoyle was once half of a liberal power couple. Now she's basically a Trump. — In the summer of 2004, the new mayor and first lady of San Francisco were photographed for an eight-page spread in Harper's Bazaar. Gavin Newsom wore a thousand-dollar tuxedo …

Discussion: East Bay Times

Carl Hulse / New York Times:

As Bad News Piles Up, Republicans Hardly Flinch — WASHINGTON — For those wondering if the latest disclosures from the Trump legal file are finally weighty enough to cause top congressional Republicans to break from the president, the answer is no. — Twenty-four hours after President Trump …

Reuters: Democrats seek to make Republican scandals an election issue

Shirley Halperin / Variety:

Steven Tyler Demands Trump Stop Playing Aerosmith Songs at Rallies — Aerosmith singer Steven Tyler is demanding President Donald Trump stop using the band's songs at rallies, like the one held at the Charleston Civic Center in West Virginia on Tuesday (August 21).

Discussion: HuffPost, Fox News, Breitbart, IJR, twitchy.com, The Daily Caller, CNN, Mediaite, Daily Wire and CBS Philly, more at Mediagazer »

TMZ.com:

Asia Argento and 17-Year-Old Boy in Bed in Sexual Encounter — Asia Argento says she did not have sex with then 17-year-old Jimmy Bennett, but a photo and various text messages between Argento and a friend tell a very different story ... she flat-out says she had sex with him.

Discussion: Hot Air, smokeroom.com, Hollywood Reporter, AOL, TheBlaze, New York Times, The Guardian, NPR, WTVR-TV, Daily Wire, Breitbart, Vox, Jezebel, Page Six and The Western Journal

John Ziegler / Mediaite:

The Top 10 Reasons Why Most Trump Supporters Will Never Care About the Russia Investigation — For the past three years, I have been engaged in an informal, involuntary, and extremely painful study of Donald Trump supporters, with a special focus on those which I have come to describe as “Cult 45.”

Alex Stamos / Lawfare:

It's Too Late to Protect the 2018 Elections. But Here's How the U.S. Can Prepare for 2020. — In the swirl of news this week, it would be easy to miss recent announcements from two of America's largest and most influential technology companies that have implications for our democracy as a whole.

Discussion: The Verge, New York Times and Boing Boing, more at Techmeme »

Jermaine Ong / KGTV-TV:

San Diego Congressman Duncan Hunter addresses federal indictment in 10News interview — SAN DIEGO (KGTV) - Rep. Duncan Hunter (R-CA) told 10News that he's innocent of accusations of campaign funding misuse one day after he and his wife Margaret were indicted by a federal grand jury.

Discussion: sandiegouniontribune.com, The Hill, Military Times, ABC News, The Intercept, Raw Story, Shareblue Media, Mother Jones, CNN, Roll Call, The Right Scoop, Daily Kos, KTLA, fox5sandiego.com and Talking Points Memo

Donie O'Sullivan / CNN:

DNC calls FBI after detecting attempt to hack its voter database — (CNN)The Democratic National Committee contacted the FBI on Tuesday after it detected what it believes was the beginning of a sophisticated attempt to hack into its voter database, a Democratic source tells CNN.