memeorandum: Iran, Burisma and Hunter Biden: The Democrats' terrible decision to go all in on impeachment (Hugh Hewitt/Washington Post)

3:50 PM ET, September 29, 2019

Top Items:

Justin Baragona / The Daily Beast:

Trump-Supporting Lawyers diGenova and Toensing Teamed Up With Giuliani to Dig Up Ukraine Dirt on Biden: Report — According to a top U.S. official, all three were working off the books apart from the administration, Fox News reported on Sunday morning. — In a bombshell report Sunday morning …

Discussion: Politico and Vanity Fair, more at Mediagazer »

Lucien Bruggeman / ABC News:

Rudy Giuliani fires back at former White House aide who accused him of spreading ‘completely false’ theory — Rudy Giuliani, President Donald Trump's personal attorney, defended himself Sunday on “This Week with George Stephanopoulos” from accusations lodged by a former White House official …

Discussion: Vox, POLITICUSUSA, Occupy Democrats, Daily Kos, Axios, The Week, HuffPost, New York Post and Mediaite

The Daily Beast:

Biden Campaign Demands TV News Execs Stop Booking Giuliani — In a Sunday letter, the former vice president's aides say that it is editorially irresponsible to book the president's personal lawyer. — Joe Biden's presidential campaign made an extraordinary request to executives …

Discussion: Politico

Los Angeles Times:

Former Ukraine prosecutor says he saw no evidence of wrongdoing by Biden — Ukraine's top law enforcement official repeatedly rebuffed President Trump's personal lawyer's demands to investigate Joe Biden and his son, insisting he had seen no evidence of wrongdoing that he could pursue despite Trump's allegations.

Chris Francescani / ABC News:

President Trump's former national security advisor ‘deeply disturbed’ by Ukraine scandal: ‘Whole world is watching’ — President Donald Trump's first Homeland Security and counterterrorism advisor, who resigned after a year in the office, said on “This Week With George Stephanopoulos” …

Discussion: Raw Story

Zachary Basu / Axios:

Schiff says House Intel has reached agreement for whistleblower testimony — House Intelligence Chairman Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) said on ABC's “This Week” that he's reached an agreement with the Trump-Ukraine whistleblower to come before the committee as soon as the acting director …

Discussion: Politico and Breitbart

Ronn Blitzer / Fox News:
Giuliani was not working alone in Biden Ukraine probe

Discussion: Talking Points Memo, Politico, HuffPost, Townhall, The Guardian, Splinter and New York Post

Kat Tenbarge / Business Insider:
Trump reportedly worked with 2 ‘off the books’ …

Discussion: The Daily Beast

Rishika Dugyala / Politico:
Giuliani says Trump ‘framed by the Democrats’

Discussion: Breitbart

Zachary Basu / Axios: Ex-Trump adviser: The best way to self-impeach is to hire Rudy Giuliani

CNN:
Volker plans to appear before congressional committees next week

Discussion: Lawyers, Guns & Money

CBS News:

CBS News poll: Majority of Americans and Democrats approve of Trump impeachment inquiry — More than half of Americans — and an overwhelming number of Democrats — say they approve of the fact that Congress has opened an impeachment inquiry into President Trump.

Discussion: CNN, No More Mister Nice Blog, Rolling Stone and The Week

Kendall Karson / ABC News:

Only 17% of Americans surprised by Trump's actions tied to Ukraine: POLL — Nearly two-thirds of Americans believe President Donald Trump's encouragement of a foreign leader to investigate Trump's political rival and his family is a serious problem, but only 17% said they were surprised …

Discussion: POLITICUSUSA, Washington Post, NB Blog, Pirate's Cove, Slate and Axios

Chris Jackson / Ipsos: Ipsos - News & Polls : News - Americans believe Trump's Ukraine Call Is A Serious Issue …

Hugh Hewitt / Washington Post:

Iran, Burisma and Hunter Biden: The Democrats' terrible decision to go all in on impeachment — When Britain, Germany and France issued a joint statement blaming Iran for the attack on the Saudi Arabian oil refinery this week, it represented a major shift in the world's approach to the rogue regime in Tehran.

Discussion: Outside the Beltway

Washington Post:
The gas tycoon and the vice president's son: The story of Hunter Biden's foray into Ukraine

Discussion: New York Post, Politico and Breitbart

Jacob Knutson / Axios:

Without evidence, Stephen Miller claims whistleblower is a “deep-state operative” — White House senior adviser Stephen Miller claimed on “Fox News Sunday” that the whistleblower who filed a complaint about President Trump's interactions with Ukraine is a “deep state operative” …

Discussion: Politico and Breitbart

Andrew O'Reilly / Fox News:
Stephen Miller says Trump is ‘real whistleblower’ and calls complaint ‘partisan hit job’ in contentious interview

Discussion: Politico

Ivan Nechepurenko / New York Times: Kremlin Says It Hopes Putin's Calls With Trump Won't Be Made Public

Andrea Jefferson / Political Flare:

How Melania Obtained Her ‘Einstein Visa’ Under Scrutiny After She Lied About Having University Degree — Back in 2000, Melania Knauss, a Slovenian model dating Donald Trump, began petitioning the government for the right to permanently reside in the United States under a program reserved for people with “extraordinary ability.”

Elizabeth Vaughn / RedState:

Nancy Pelosi's December 2018 Rule Changes Block Republicans From Participating In Impeachment Process — In December 2018, the soon-to-be Speaker of the House, Nancy Pelosi, was busy making changes in the House rules for the incoming 116th Congress. She was actually setting the stage …

Discussion: The Last Refuge, The New Neo and ABC News

Eli Saslow / Washington Post:

'Out here, it's just me': In the medical desert of rural America, one doctor for 11,000 square miles — VAN HORN, Tex. — He woke up to the sound of an ambulance's siren, knowing that the ambulance would soon be delivering another patient to him. Ed Garner, 68, changed into medical scrubs and walked out to his truck.

Gregory W. Meeks / Washington Post:

Dear anonymous op-ed writer: Your plan didn't work — Gregory W. Meeks, a Democrat, represents New York's 5th Congressional District in the House of Representatives. — Dear anonymous: — This month marks a year since you published an op-ed in the New York Times claiming that within …

Alex Seitz-Wald / NBC News:

A cold call from someone she never met changed Elizabeth Warren's life. It was Harry Reid. — The ex-Senate majority leader boosted the 2020 contender's career at key points. Even she's not quite sure why. — WASHINGTON — Elizabeth Warren was a professor at Harvard Law School …

CNN:

CNN Poll: Democrats knotted in Nevada while Biden leads South Carolina — Washington (CNN)Joe Biden holds a wide lead in South Carolina, while the former vice president, Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders and Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren are knotted up in Nevada, according to new CNN polls conducted …

Discussion: New York Post and Common Dreams

New York Times:

The Internet Is Overrun With Images of Child Sexual Abuse. What Went Wrong? — Online predators create and share the illegal material, which is increasingly cloaked by technology. Tech companies, the government and the authorities are no match. — Last year, tech companies reported …

Michael S. Rosenwald / Washington Post:

‘A very bad blow’: The GOP lawmaker who turned on Nixon paid a price for it — On July 23, 1974, as an impeachment vote against President Richard M. Nixon loomed over Washington and the country, Maryland Rep. Lawrence J. Hogan — a Republican — purchased airtime on television networks across his state.

Discussion: CBS News