Top Items:
CNN:
Exclusive: Former FBI lawyer under investigation after allegedly altering document in 2016 Russia probe — Washington (CNN)A former FBI lawyer is under criminal investigation after allegedly altering a document related to 2016 surveillance of a Trump campaign adviser, several people briefed on the matter told CNN.
RELATED:
Washington Post:
Justice Dept. watchdog is said to have found evidence an FBI employee altered document in Russia probe — The Justice Department inspector general has found evidence that an FBI employee may have altered a document connected to court-approved surveillance of a former Trump campaign adviser, according to people familiar with the matter.
Discussion:
Talking Points Memo and The Week
Peggy Noonan / Wall Street Journal:
Trump's Defenders Have No Defense — Witnesses were uneven, but even his closest allies don't try to deny he did what he's accused of doing. — Look, the case has been made. Almost everything in the impeachment hearings this week fleshed out and backed up the charge that President Trump muscled Ukraine for political gain.
Discussion:
Raw Story
RELATED:
Adam Serwer / The Atlantic:
Trump's Crime Against America — Over the past two weeks, a parade of sober and coldly furious civil servants has come forward to testify before Congress about President Donald Trump's decision to withhold congressionally approved aid to Ukraine. — Acting U.S. Ambassador …
Discussion:
The Daily Beast
Julie Pace / Associated Press:
Analysis: Mountain of impeachment evidence is beyond dispute
Analysis: Mountain of impeachment evidence is beyond dispute
Discussion:
The American Independent, KTLA, Reuters, Axios, The Daily Beast and Florida Politics
Greg Sargent / Washington Post:
In Fiona Hill's powerful testimony, a disturbing glimpse into Pompeo's mindset
In Fiona Hill's powerful testimony, a disturbing glimpse into Pompeo's mindset
Discussion:
Hullabaloo, The Mahablog and New York Times
David A. Hopkins / Honest Graft:
This Week in Impeachment: The Most Important Republican on the House Intelligence Committee Speaks — There are nine House Republicans on the House Intelligence Committee, but only three of them have received extensive media attention during the public hearing phase of the committee's impeachment inquiry.
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Kyle Cheney / Politico:
Questions over next steps as Judiciary moves into impeachment spotlight
Questions over next steps as Judiciary moves into impeachment spotlight
Discussion:
Fox News, Axios and Joe.My.God.
Greg Miller / Washington Post:
Impeachment witness warns that conspiracy theories advance Russia's agenda as they divide Americans
Impeachment witness warns that conspiracy theories advance Russia's agenda as they divide Americans
Discussion:
Outside the Beltway, Slate and New York Times
Andrew McCarthy / New York Post:
Fiona Hill (and Dems) ignore the serious evidence of Ukrainian 2016 meddling
Fiona Hill (and Dems) ignore the serious evidence of Ukrainian 2016 meddling
Discussion:
Politico
Grant Stern / Occupy Democrats:
Out of options in the face of damning testimony, Republicans stopped asking Fiona Hill questions
Out of options in the face of damning testimony, Republicans stopped asking Fiona Hill questions
Discussion:
Raw Story, PBS NewsHour and The Guardian
Peter Baker / New York Times:
The Impeachment Witnesses Not Heard
The Impeachment Witnesses Not Heard
Discussion:
Politico and Washington Post
David Harsanyi / National Review:
The Impeachment Hearings Have Been Useless
The Impeachment Hearings Have Been Useless
Discussion:
BizPac Review
Gabby Orr / Politico:
'He cares about his grievances and his reelection, and that's it' — President Donald Trump was supposed to offer a White House plan to protect Americans from gun violence. — He was supposed to achieve historic immigration reform, crack down on flavored e-cigarettes …
Discussion:
Raw Story, The Hill and Washington Post
RELATED:
Darren Samuelsohn / Politico:
Impeachment is about to get a Robert Mueller reprise — Right now, impeachment is all about Ukraine. But after Thanksgiving, prepare for a Robert Mueller reprise. — Now that House Democrats have wrapped up public hearings on President Donald Trump's pressure campaign to get Ukraine …
Discussion:
Reason and Raw Story, more at Mediagazer »
Michael Balsamo / Associated Press:
AG Barr: Epstein's death was a ‘perfect storm of screw-ups’ — 1 of 6 — ABOARD A US GOVERNMENT AIRCRAFT (AP) — Attorney General William Barr says Jeffrey Epstein's death was the result of a “perfect storm of screw-ups.” — Barr's comments in an interview Thursday with The Associated Press come days …
Discussion:
National Review, Axios, Political Wire, The Hill and Joe.My.God.
Matt Wilstein / The Daily Beast:
Sacha Baron Cohen Uses ADL Speech to Tear Apart Mark Zuckerberg and Facebook — Accepting an award from the Anti-Defamation League, the comedian called Facebook “the greatest propaganda machine in history.” — Sacha Baron Cohen accepted the International Leadership Award …
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Betsy Swan / The Daily Beast:
Parnas Attended Giuliani's Madrid Meeting With Zelensky Aide — Parnas was at the table for a meeting where Giuliani pressured a senior Ukrainian official to investigate a company linked to the Bidens, the official told The Daily Beast. — When Rudy Giuliani met with a senior Ukrainian official …
Discussion:
The Hill, Raw Story, Joe.My.God., Mediaite and DCCC
Michael M. Grynbaum / New York Times:
Shepard Smith Uses a Post-Fox Spotlight to Defend Freedom of the Press — The former anchor made his first public appearance since his abrupt departure from Fox News, where he faced taunts from colleagues and President Trump. — In his first public remarks since abruptly resigning …
Discussion:
The Wrap, The Hill, USA Today, BizPac Review and Raw Story, more at Mediagazer »
Paul Krugman / New York Times:
Trump and His Corrupt Old Party — For Republicans, there is no bottom. — Formally, the House of Representatives is holding an inquiry into the question of whether Donald J. Trump should be impeached. In reality, we've known the answer to that question for a long time.
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Michael Gerson / Washington Post:
Republicans' motivations are all out in the open
Republicans' motivations are all out in the open
Discussion:
Crooked Media, New York Magazine and HuffPost
David Lynch / Washington Post:
Trump says he might veto legislation that aims to protect human rights in Hong Kong because bill would impact China trade talks — The legislation easily passed Congress with a veto-proof majority — President Trump suggested on Friday that he might veto legislation designed …
Jim Geraghty / National Review:
The Road That Brought Conservatives and Republicans to This Point — At some point in your development, probably in your younger years, you stepped into the world of politics out of curiosity and it lit something within you. While lots of your peers found it boring, you started to feel like it was grand crusade in the best sense.
David G. Savage / Los Angeles Times:
House attorneys say Trump's tax returns are needed for impeachment inquiry — Lawyers for the House, citing the “rapidly advancing impeachment inquiry,” urged the Supreme Court on Thursday to reject President Trump's bid to shield his tax returns and financial records from congressional investigators.
Discussion:
Talking Points Memo, Political Wire and Townhall
Byron York / Washington Examiner:
Ambassador Sondland's slick move — By many accounts, Gordon Sondland delivered the most consequential testimony of the House Democrats' rushed public impeachment proceedings. Sondland, U.S. ambassador to the European Union, testified in the impeachment hearings Wednesday.
Discussion:
Twitchy
Nick Miroff / Washington Post:
Right-wing group continues to build private border wall. It lacks permits, but not official praise. — A right-wing group led by Stephen K. Bannon and prominent allies of President Trump has been bulldozing the banks of the Rio Grande to erect a privately funded border fence along …
Joshua Goodman / Associated Press:
Colombia ambassador criticizes State Department in recording — SANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic (AP) — Colombia's ambassador in Washington was embarrassed Wednesday by publication of a recording in which he trashes the State Department as a feckless institution subjugated to the whims of the White House.
Kansas City Star:
Trump says Pompeo would run for Senate if GOP in danger of losing Kansas seat — President Donald Trump acknowledged on Friday that his secretary of state, Mike Pompeo, is mulling a run for Senate in Kansas next year. — In a live, extensive phone interview with Fox & Friends …
Discussion:
Raw Story
David Ignatius / Washington Post:
Trump's meddling in a SEAL disciplinary case risks a collision with the Navy — Navy Secretary Richard Spencer was traveling in California on March 30 when he received a 4 a.m. phone call from President Trump. The president demanded that the Navy release from the brig a SEAL named Edward Gallagher …
Discussion:
Navy Times and New York Times
Elaine Godfrey / The Atlantic:
Democrats Know Trump Isn't Going Anywhere — The first sound that greeted me, rounding the corner outside the hearing room in the Longworth House Office Building, was the eerie echo of Representative Adam Schiff's voice emanating from the several dozen cellphones blasting live-stream footage of the testimony going on inside.
Discussion:
NBC News and Media Matters for America