memeorandum: If Rosenstein Is Fired, This Is Who Will Be in Charge of Robert Mueller (Colin Kalmbacher/Law & Crime)

6:25 PM ET, September 22, 2018

Top Items:

Heidi Przybyla / NBC News:

Spokesman for GOP on Kavanaugh nomination resigns; has been accused of harassment in the past — An adviser for the Senate Judiciary Committee has resigned amid questions from NBC News about a previous sexual harassment complaint. — WASHINGTON — A press adviser helping lead …

Discussion: New York Times, CNN, Politico, ThinkProgress, POLITICUSUSA, Joe.My.God., CNBC, Raw Story, Balloon Juice, Mother Jones, Talking Points Memo, Reuters, The Week, Axios, Political Wire and Mediaite

Jessica Contrera / Washington Post:

Kavanaugh accuser Christine Blasey Ford moved 3,000 miles to reinvent her life. It wasn't far enough. — When Donald Trump won his upset presidential victory in 2016, Christine Blasey Ford's thoughts quickly turned to a name most Americans had never heard of but one that had unsettled her for years: Brett M. Kavanaugh.

Washington Post:

‘Incredibly frustrated’: Inside the GOP effort to save Kavanaugh amid assault allegation — Just as he did several weeks ago to prepare for his confirmation hearings for the Supreme Court, Brett M. Kavanaugh was back inside a room at the Eisenhower Executive Office Building …

Wall Street Journal:

The Presumption of Guilt — The new liberal standard turns American due process upside down. — The Editorial Board — “As Judge Kavanaugh stands to gain the lifetime privilege of serving on the country's highest court, he has the burden of persuasion. And that is only fair.”

Discussion: The Other McCain and The Daily Caller

Washington Post:

Lawyers for Christine Blasey Ford say she has accepted Senate Judiciary Committee request to testify against Kavanaugh — The Senate Judiciary Committee and lawyers for Ford have been in negotiations for days about whether she would appear before the panel.

Discussion: Political Wire and Daily Kos

Bret Stephens / New York Times:

G.O.P. Leaders Can't Even Fake Respect for Christine Blasey Ford — They are struggling to pretend they will fairly weigh her accusations against Brett Kavanaugh. — The editorial board represents the opinions of the board, its editor and the publisher. It is separate from the newsroom and the Op-Ed section.

Discussion: The Daily Beast, Los Angeles Times, The Hill, IJR, France 24 and RedState

Javier E. David / CNBC:

Christine Blasey Ford, accuser of Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh, agrees to Senate testimony about sexual assault claim — Christine Blasey Ford, a California professor at the center of a sexual assault accusation against U.S. Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh …

Discussion: National Review, Power Line, Breitbart, LifeZette, twitchy.com and New York Times

Bret Stephens / New York Times:

This I Believe About Blasey v. Kavanaugh — I believe Blasey deserves to be fairly heard, not automatically believed. — I have absolutely no idea what, if anything, happened between Brett Kavanaugh and Christine Blasey Ford at a party in Maryland in the early 1980s.

Discussion: No More Mister Nice Blog

Seung Min Kim / Washington Post:
Lawyers for Christine Blasey Ford say she has accepted Senate Judiciary Committee's request to testify against Kavanaugh

Discussion: Lawyers, Guns & Money, Washington Monthly, Mediaite, East Bay Times, Q13 FOX News and ThinkProgress

Deirdre Shesgreen / USA Today:
Kavanaugh accuser Christine Blasey Ford agrees to testify about sexual assault allegation

Discussion: RedState

Trish Turner / ABC News:
Kavanaugh accuser accepts request to testify before Senate committee next week

Discussion: ThinkProgress, Axios, CNBC and Politico

Seung Min Kim / Washington Post:
Grassley adviser resigns after sexual harassment accusation

Discussion: New York Times, NPR, HuffPost, Joe.My.God., Bustle, POLITICUSUSA, Raw Story, Politico and Booman Tribune

Paul Kane / Washington Post:
Senate's seniority rules raise questions when presidential succession is at stake

Discussion: Outside the Beltway

Michael Dresser / Baltimore Sun:
Gov. Hogan rules out state police investigation of Kavanaugh allegations

Discussion: Raw Story, ThinkProgress and The Intercept

Harry Enten / CNN:
Brett Kavanaugh is the least popular Supreme Court nominee in 30 years

Discussion: The Guardian and The Week

Washington Post:

Former top White House official revises statement to special counsel about Flynn's calls with Russian ambassador — A former top White House official has revised her statement to investigators about a key event in the probe of Russian interference in the 2016 election, after her initial claim …

Discussion: CNN, Splinter, The Hill, emptywheel, Axios and Mediaite

Isaac Chotiner / Slate:

The New York Times Stands By Its Rod Rosenstein Scoop — In a blockbuster story in Friday's New York Times, Adam Goldman and Michael S. Schmidt reported that Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein suggested covertly recording President Donald Trump's conversations in 2017.

Discussion: New York Times, Fox News, Lawfare, NPR, Joe.My.God. and Vox

Colin Kalmbacher / Law & Crime:

If Rosenstein Is Fired, This Is Who Will Be in Charge of Robert Mueller — Solicitor General Noel Francisco is next in line if President Donald Trump decides to fire Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein. Eyebrows were raised on Friday when the New York Times published …

Discussion: Mediaite, Weekly Standard and Vox

Emily Stewart / Vox:

Hannity's surprising advice to Trump on Rosenstein: “Under zero circumstances should the president fire anybody” — The Fox News host thinks the New York Times' story on Rod Rosenstein is part of a “deep state” maneuver to set up Trump. — Sean Hannity has a perhaps surprising take on a report …

Discussion: The Guardian, Politico, Fox News Insider, ThinkProgress, Joe.My.God. and Breitbart

Politico:
Trumpworld divided on Rosenstein — not whether to fire him, but when

Discussion: Daily Caller News Foundation, FRONTLINE and WRAL-TV

CNN:
Smears of Robert Mueller are baseless

Discussion: Common Dreams, Fox News Insider and Outside the Beltway

Alexandra Hutzler / Newsweek:

Former Trump Aide Jason Miller Accused of Secretly Administering Abortion Pill — Former Donald Trump aide Jason Miller has been accused of secretly administering an “abortion pill” to a woman he got pregnant during an affair, new court documents show. — The court filing …

Discussion: Hollywood Life, Bustle, Law & Crime, Political Wire, Raw Story, Joe.My.God. and Splinter

Ben Brody / BloombergQuint:

White House Considers Draft Order to Look Into Google, Facebook — (Bloomberg) — The White House is considering a draft executive order for President Donald Trump that would instruct federal antitrust and law enforcement agencies to open probes into the practices of Alphabet Inc.'s Google …

Discussion: Raw Story, LifeZette, Your News Wire and Washington Times

Washington Post:
White House distances itself from reports that Trump could target Facebook, Google and Twitter …

Discussion: The Verge, more at Techmeme »

Jim Edwards / Business Insider:
The White House is considering an antitrust investigation into ‘online platform bias’ …

Discussion: Conservative News Today, CNBC, Gizmodo, The Gateway Pundit, TheBlaze and AOL

New York Times:

Trump Administration Aims to Sharply Restrict New Green Cards for Those on Public Aid — WASHINGTON — Trump administration officials announced Saturday that immigrants who legally use public benefits like food assistance and Section 8 housing vouchers could be denied green cards under …

Hot Air:

New Cruz Ad: Can You Believe O'Rourke Is Siding With The Guy Who Got Shot By A Cop In His Own Home For No Reason? — He's getting creamed for this, justifiably, and not only by liberals. The best part is the presented-without-comment framing, as though O'Rourke had been caught denying …

Wall Street Journal:

No Sex Please, We're Apple: iPhone Giant Seeks TV Success on Its Own Terms — The tech giant wants to make scripted shows for streaming, only without violence, politics and risqué story lines — Tim Cook sat down more than a year ago to watch Apple Inc.'s AAPL -1.08% first scripted drama …

Discussion: Mashable and The Verge, more at Techmeme »

Eli Rosenberg / Washington Post:

These six — yes, six — siblings of a Republican congressman just endorsed his opponent — Families are complicated, their private tensions and political disagreements often kept under wraps. — That's not the case with Rep. Paul Gosar (R-Ariz.), whose opponent in the midterm election just got a boost from Gosar's siblings.

Discussion: Joe.My.God., Talking Points Memo, Mashable, RedState, The Slot and Phoenix New Times

Richard Pérez-Peña / New York Times:

Attack on Military Parade in Iran Kills at Least 25 — Gunmen killed at least 25 people and wounded 60 on Saturday in an attack on a military parade in a restive Iranian province that is home to most of the country's Arab minority, state media said. — The Islamic Republic News Agency reported …

Discussion: Wall Street Journal, Vox, BBC, Al Arabiya and NPR