memeorandum: Romney says he is ‘sickened’ by Mueller report (Katie Galioto/Politico)

6:45 PM ET, April 19, 2019

Top Items:

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: Axios, ABC News, One America News Network, Political Wire, Breitbart and IJR

Yuval Levin / National Review:

Another Warning Sign — The Mueller report is of course about Russian interference in the 2016 election and about the White House's interference in the resulting investigation. But I couldn't help also reading the report as a window into the manner of administration that characterizes the Trump era …

Discussion: Mother Jones

Caleb Ecarma / Mediaite:

Screaming Mark Levin Leaves Fox & Friends Speechless with 8 AM Mueller Rant: ‘Ed, You Have No Idea!’ — Conservative talk radio host Mark Levin stunned the hosts of Fox & Friends this morning after a particularly unhinged rant, in which Levin screamed and cursed about claims of obstruction against President Donald Trump.

Discussion: Vanity Fair and Washington Times

ABC News:

5 key takeaways from special counsel Robert Mueller's report — The report is a trove of information about the current presidency. — While there will be no legal case brought against President Donald Trump by special counsel Robert Mueller's team, the much-anticipated redacted report …

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

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

Discussion: Raw Story

Jonathan Swan / Axios:
Scoop: Trump suspected that former White House counsel Don McGahn wore a wire

Discussion: Washington Press, New York Times, Law & Crime, Townhall, Raw Story and Mediaite

Nancy Cook / Politico:
Trump campaign punishes Don McGahn's law firm

Discussion: Law & Crime and Axios

Cheyenne Haslett / ABC News:
Sarah Sanders grilled on her contradictory statements highlighted in Mueller report

Discussion: New York Post, TIME, USA Today, IJR, ThinkProgress, New York Times, Sunlight Foundation, The Guardian and Breitbart

Timothy O'Brien / Bloomberg: Does Mueller Think Trump's Guilty? Read Closely

Renato Mariotti / Politico:
The Obstruction Case Against Trump that Barr Tried to Hide

Discussion: Washington Post, What The Fuck …, The Daily Beast, Raw Story and Vanity Fair

Michael R. Bloomberg / Bloomberg:
Mueller Did His Job. Now It's Our Turn

Discussion: The Hill, Vox, New York Times, New York Post, Los Angeles Times, BostonGlobe.com, Politico and DCReport.org

Susan B. Glasser / New Yorker:
The Mueller Report Won't End Trump's Presidency, But It Sure Makes Him Look Bad

Discussion: New York Times, Vox, NB Blog, Outside the Beltway, CNN, The Week, Columbia Journalism Review, Washington Post, Reason, The Intercept and Wired, more at Mediagazer »

New York Times:

Mueller Hints at a National-Security Nightmare — The missing piece of the report is a counterintelligence investigation that should set off alarm bells about our democracy and security. — Mr. Geltzer is the executive director of the Institute for Constitutional Advocacy and Protection at Georgetown Law.

Discussion: CANNONFIRE, Washington Monthly, Raw Story, NBC News, Just Security and Washington Post

Charlie Savage / New York Times:

Comparing Barr's Excerpts With Mueller's Report — Attorney General William P. Barr sent a letter to Congress last month citing brief fragments from the Mueller report. Now that the document is public, his selections are coming under scrutiny. — When Attorney General William P. Barr sent Congress …

Discussion: Washington Monthly, Vox, Washington Post, Daily Kos, New Republic and Raw Story

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. — Review of “Report on the Investigation Into Russian Interference in the 2016 Presidential Election” by Special Counsel Robert S. Mueller III — The Mueller report is that rare Washington tell …

Ken Dilanian / NBC News:

The counterintelligence investigation of the Trump team and Russia hasn't stopped — Officials say they're still looking into whether any Americans helped the Russians interfere in the 2016 election, or are still compromised by Russia. — WASHINGTON — Special counsel Robert Mueller's …

Discussion: Raw Story

Scott Jennings / CNN:

Mueller's report looks bad for Obama — Scott Jennings, a CNN contributor, is a former special assistant to President George W. Bush and former campaign adviser to Sen. Mitch McConnell. He is a partner at RunSwitch Public Relations in Louisville, Kentucky. Follow him on Twitter @ScottJenningsKY.

Discussion: NB Blog, USA Today, Conservative Tribune, Mediaite and GOP.com

Tom Nichols / USA Today:
Mueller report: Donald Trump failed us as commander-in-chief

Discussion: Lawfare, Washington Post and Outside the Beltway

David French / National Review:
The Mueller Report Should Shock Our Conscience

Discussion: Washington Post, CNN, Townhall, Conservative Tribune, Raw Story, The American Conservative, wabe.org, BuzzFeed News, NPR, Quartz, Mediaite, The Week and Shakesville, more at Mediagazer »

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

Greg Sargent / Washington Post:

Democratic equivocation over impeachment is a moral and political disaster — As the political world digests the shocking scale of corruption, misconduct and skirting of criminality detailed in the Mueller report, Democrats have been pushing back on the idea that it's time to initiate an inquiry into the impeachment of President Trump.

Discussion: Rolling Stone, NBC News, Vox, Crooked Media, Salon, No More Mister Nice Blog and Roll Call

Alex Pareene / New Republic:
Democrats Are Hoping You Don't Understand What “Impeachment” Entails

Discussion: Vox, Hullabaloo, The Federalist, Raw Story, Daily Kos, The Daily Caller and The Week

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

Discussion: Quartz

Eric Levitz / New York Magazine: If Impeaching Trump Is Pointless, Then Bipartisanship Is Worthless

Lisa Mascaro / Associated Press:
Democrats subpoena Mueller report amid calls for impeachment

Discussion: FOX6Now.com, Fox News, The Crime Report and WGN-TV

Bill D'Agostino / NB Blog:
Terms of Impeachment: Media Mention The I-Word 309 Times in One Day

Discussion: Townhall, The American Mirror and Fox News

Jonathan Allen / NBC News:
Mueller didn't charge Trump — but his report is a brutal indictment

Discussion: Media Matters for America, The Guardian and Fox News

Li Zhou / Vox:
Democratic presidential candidates urge Congress to keep investigating Trump

Discussion: Washington Post, Breitbart, GOP.com and Raw Story

Kyle Cheney / Politico:
House Dems in talks with DOJ for Mueller testimony

Discussion: The Gateway Pundit, Joe.My.God., Daily Kos and Washington Post

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: Washington Monthly and Daily Kos

Ken Stone / Times of San Diego:

Rep. Hunter Hops Border Barrier — But Not Into Mexico as Video Suggests — Rep. Duncan Hunter posted a video Thursday showing himself at the “grand border wall in Yuma, Arizona.” He says: “It looks pretty tough to cross. Let me see if I can do it.” — He swings his legs …

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

Simon Romero / New York Times:
Militia in New Mexico Detains Asylum Seekers at Gunpoint

Discussion: Alamogordo Daily News, BuzzFeed News, CNN, Slate, Raw Story, TheBlaze, The Stranger, Boing Boing, The Daily Caller, The Guardian, Fox News and Daily Mail

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: Daily Kos, Contemptor, Joe.My.God., Raw Story and Mediaite

Nicole Lafond / Talking Points Memo:
FL Man Arrested For Threatening To Murder Several Dems, Including Omar And Tlaib

Discussion: CNN, KTLA and WSVN-TV

Michael Hirsh / Foreign Policy:

How Trump Practices ‘Escalation Dominance’ — “You have restraint on your side. He has no restraint. So you lose,” says outgoing French Ambassador Gérard Araud. — Following in the footsteps of Alexis de Tocqueville, Gérard Araud has made a study of the United States …

Discussion: Fox News, Raw Story, Joe.My.God., Shareblue Media and Mediaite

Julian Borger / The Guardian:
‘Whimsical, uninformed’: French ambassador's parting verdict on Trump

Discussion: Washington Press, IJR and The Local

Yara Bayoumy / The Atlantic: The French Ambassador Is Retiring Today. Here's What He Really Thinks About Washington.

New York Times:

Pete Buttigieg Fired South Bend's Black Police Chief. It Still Stings. — SOUTH BEND, Ind. — Pete Buttigieg had been mayor just 13 weeks when he faced a leadership crisis. — It was March 2012, and 300 residents of South Bend, Ind., solemnly marched to the Martin Luther King Center …

Discussion: The Atlantic

New York Times:

Joe Biden Begins Taking Money for a 2020 Presidential Campaign — Former Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr. has begun accepting financial donations for a 2020 presidential campaign, an unambiguous sign that he intends to begin his challenge to President Trump within days.

Discussion: Political Wire

Dave Gershgorn / Quartz:

Microsoft staff are openly questioning the value of diversity — Some Microsoft employees are openly questioning whether diversity is important, in a lengthy discussion on an internal online messaging board meant for communicating with CEO Satya Nadella. — Two posts on the board criticizing …

Discussion: The Verge