memeorandum: How Barr and Trump Use a Russian Disinformation Tactic (Asha Rangappa/New York Times)

8:45 AM ET, April 20, 2019

Top Items:

Sohrab Ahmari / New York Post:

Top 10 things the media got wrong about ‘collusion’ and ‘obstruction’ — The prestige press has some explaining to do — for subjecting the nation to a long, cruel ordeal named “collusion” and “obstruction.” Almost two years and millions of column inches later, special counsel Robert Mueller …

Discussion: The Federalist, Washington Post, McClatchy Washington Bureau and Vox

Chris Kahn / Reuters:

Trump approval drops 3 points to 2019 low after release of Mueller report: Reuters/Ipsos poll — NEW YORK (Reuters) - The number of Americans who approve of President Donald Trump dropped by 3 percentage points to the lowest level of the year following the release of a special counsel report …

Discussion: Mediaite

New York Times:

Mueller Report Likely to Renew Scrutiny of Steele Dossier — WASHINGTON — The 35-page dossier, spiced up with tales of prostitutes and spies, sketched out a hair-raising story more than two years ago. Russian intelligence had used bribery and blackmail to try to turn Donald J. Trump …

Katie Galioto / Politico:

Romney says he is ‘sickened’ by Mueller report — Sen. Mitt Romney said Friday that he was “sickened” by President Donald Trump's actions described in special counsel Robert Mueller's report. — In a statement, the Utah Republican said that while it was “good news” there was not enough evidence …

Discussion: ABC News, What The Fuck …, No More Mister Nice Blog, Fox News and Axios

David French / TIME:

Donald Trump Is Weak and Afraid. The Mueller Report Proves It — French is a TIME columnist. A lawyer and senior fellow at the National Review Institute, he is a best-selling author whose next book will be The Great American Divorce. — We now know for sure what kind of man Donald Trump is.

Allan Smith / NBC News:

GOP Sen. Richard Burr apparently briefed White House on FBI's Russia probe, Mueller report says — Burr's spokesperson told NBC News that his “stewardship over the Committee's bipartisan and fact-based investigation over the last two years speaks for itself.”

Bloomberg:

Trump's Post-Mueller Euphoria Gives Way to Anger and Recrimination — President, aides said to be particular angry at McGahn, Porter — On the White House's South Lawn on Thursday, a mob of reporters waited to question Donald Trump about Special Counsel Robert Mueller's report …

Discussion: Raw Story

Asha Rangappa / New York Times:

How Barr and Trump Use a Russian Disinformation Tactic — They were able to define “collusion” to benefit themselves. Don't let them twist meanings again with their “spying” investigation. — Ms. Rangappa was an F.B.I. special agent focusing on counterintelligence investigations.

Discussion: Raw Story and FactCheck.org

Ronald Brownstein / The Atlantic:
The Mueller Report Could Alienate the Voters Republicans Need

Discussion: Raw Story

Scott Jennings / CNN:
Mueller's report looks bad for Obama

Discussion: The Gateway Pundit, NB Blog, Mediaite, Daily Kos, Conservative Tribune, USA Today and GOP.com

Yuval Levin / National Review:
Another Warning Sign

Discussion: Mother Jones

Nikki Schwab / New York Post:
Trump campaign rakes in $1 million after Mueller report release

Discussion: Daily Caller News Foundation and Townhall

Ronald A. Klain / Washington Post:
Robert Mueller failed to do his duty

Discussion: Quartz

Ken Dilanian / NBC News:
The counterintelligence investigation of the Trump team and Russia hasn't stopped

Discussion: Raw Story, Washington Monthly and New York Times

Byron York / Washington Examiner: Mueller: Michael Flynn was under FBI investigation before transition calls

Masha Gessen / New Yorker: The Hustlers and Swindlers of the Mueller Report

Julia Davis / The Daily Beast:
Russia's Mueller Report: If Putin Did It, He Did It for You

Discussion: Radio Free Europe/Radio … and Raw Story

Nancy Cook / Politico:

Trump campaign punishes Don McGahn's law firm — The Trump campaign has hired its own in-house attorney for its 2020 reelection bid — shifting future business away from Jones Day, the law firm, that has represented Trump since his first run for president. — Campaign officials and advisers cast …

Discussion: Raw Story, twitchy.com, Axios and Law & Crime

Washington Post:

Trump blames McGahn after Mueller paints damning portrait with notes from White House aides — President Trump seethed Friday over the special counsel's damning portrayal of his protracted campaign to thwart the Russia investigation and directed much of his ire at former White House counsel Donald McGahn …

Discussion: New York Times, Raw Story and Mediaite

Jordain Carney / The Hill:

Collins: Mueller report includes ‘an unflattering portrayal’ of Trump — Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) said Friday that special counsel Robert Mueller's report gives an “unflattering portrayal” of President Trump, including an effort to oust the former FBI director from his special counsel role.

Discussion: The Daily Beast and Law & Crime

Carlos Lozada / Washington Post:
The Mueller report isn't just a legal document. It's also the best book on the Trump White House so far.

more at Mediagazer »

Mark Penn / The Hill:
Mueller's done, and Dems should be too — because Trump is no Nixon

Discussion: Liberty Unyielding

Michael Daly / The Daily Beast: Robert Mueller Made One Mistake: He Trusted Bill Barr

New York Times:

Sanders's ‘Slip of the Tongue’ Would Be a Problem in Some White Houses. Not Trump's. — PALM BEACH, Fla. — After admitting to investigators for the special counsel, Robert S. Mueller III, that she delivered a false statement from the White House podium, Sarah Huckabee Sanders …

Discussion: Raw Story

Bonchie / RedState:
CNN's April Ryan Says Sarah Sanders' Head Should Be “Lopped Off”

Discussion: Raw Story, The Gateway Pundit, Contemptor, Mediaite, TheBlaze, IJR, TIME and NB Blog

PDF Association:

A Technical and Cultural Assessment of the Mueller Report PDF — What can we learn about the Mueller Report from the PDF file released by the Department of Justice on April 18, 2019? — This article offers two things: — a brief, high-level technical assessment of the document, and

Discussion: Outside the Beltway

Adi Robertson / The Verge: The PDF Association thinks the Mueller report sucks

Washington Post:

Congressional Democrats examine Erik's Prince statements on 2017 Seychelles meeting for possible perjury — Nine days before Donald Trump took the oath of office, Erik Prince, the billionaire founder of the private military contractor Blackwater and a Trump ally, met in the Seychelles islands …

Discussion: Mercury News

Mark Hemingway / New York Post:

New York Times hits new low with mortifying Notre Dame correction — Just in time for Easter, The New York Times has been forced to run yet another correction that speaks to the paper's profound ignorance regarding the basic beliefs of Christianity. — In a Thursday report on the fire at Notre Dame …

Discussion: NPR, New York Times, GetReligion, Daily Wire, The Daily Caller and Conservative Tribune

Astead W. Herndon / New York Times:

Elizabeth Warren Calls for Impeachment Process Against Trump — Senator Elizabeth Warren on Friday called for the Democratic-led House of Representatives to begin impeachment proceedings against President Trump, making her the most prominent Democrat to move toward ousting the president …

Discussion: Mother Jones, Raw Story and Boing Boing

Rebecca Shabad / NBC News:
Warren calls on House to begin impeachment proceedings against Trump

Discussion: Slate, BostonGlobe.com, The Week, Vox, The Guardian and Vanity Fair

Adrienne Mahsa Varkiani / ThinkProgress:
Warren, Castro are the first 2020 candidates to call for Trump's impeachment

Discussion: Raw Story, Hullabaloo, The Daily Caller and Joe.My.God.

New York Times:

A Darker Portrait Emerges of Trump's Attacks on the Justice Department — WASHINGTON — Rod J. Rosenstein, the deputy attorney general, praised President Trump last spring for backing the rule of law and commended the Constitution and American culture for protecting lawfulness.

Betsy Woodruff / The Daily Beast:

White House and Congress Set to Spar Over Kushner Security Clearance — The White House would like to be in the room when Congressional investigators grill Carl Kline, the official who green-lit Jared Kushner's security clearance. — Betsy Woodruff — The White House would like to be in the room …

Discussion: Raw Story

Griffin Connolly / Roll Call:

Rep. Hunter pretends to cross the Mexico border and gets called out for violating ‘parole’ — California Republican Rep. Duncan Hunter and his Democratic challenger Ammar Campa-Najjar traded Twitter barbs Thursday over a video Hunter posted in which he appeared to suggest he was crossing the southern border into Mexico.

Discussion: Daily Kos and Washington Monthly

Ken Stone / Times of San Diego:
Rep. Hunter Hops Border Barrier — But Not Into Mexico as Video Suggests

Discussion: Shareblue Media, CNN, Splinter, IJR, Talking Points Memo, Raw Story and Joe.My.God.

Jerry Iannelli / Miami New Times:

South Florida Man Arrested for Threatening to Kill Democratic Lawmakers, Including Ilhan Omar … Lately, Donald Trump fans have enjoyed attacking left-leaning Americans. Last year, for instance, Miami-area resident Cesar Sayoc sent pipe bombs to prominent liberals around the country and went to jail.

Discussion: Jezebel, Contemptor, Joe.My.God., Mediaite, Raw Story, Daily Kos and Talking Points Memo

Eli Rosenberg / Washington Post:
Man arrested after allegedly making racist death threats against Omar, Tlaib and Booker

Discussion: The Root

Eric Connor / Greenville News:

Bernie Sanders offers 3 ideas to help battle gentrification while in Greenville — The West End is Greenville's epicenter for the pressures of gentrification, and it was from that platform Friday that Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders spoke on what he considers solutions …