memeorandum: Spygate: The Villains Aren't the Victims (Thaddeus G. McCotter/American Greatness)

9:45 AM ET, February 16, 2020

Top Items:

Katie Benner / New York Times:

Former Justice Dept. Lawyers Press for Barr to Step Down — More than 1,100 former prosecutors and officials who served in Republican and Democratic administrations signed an open letter condemning the president and the attorney general over the Stone case.

Discussion: The Guardian, Raw Story and RealClearPolitics

Washington Post:

Barr's internal reviews and re-investigations feed resentment, suspicion inside Justice Dept. — The Justice Department in the Trump era has repeatedly tasked U.S. attorneys from far-flung offices to parachute into politically explosive cases in Washington, raising concerns among current …

Discussion: POLITICUSUSA, The Gateway Pundit, Raw Story, Power Line and Mother Jones

DOJ Alumni Statement / Medium:

DOJ Alumni Statement on the Events Surrounding the Sentencing of Roger Stone — We, the undersigned, are alumni of the United States Department of Justice (DOJ) who have collectively served both Republican and Democratic administrations. Each of us strongly condemns President Trump's …

Discussion: Axios

George Conway / Washington Post:

There is no one to stop Trump now — When the subject of Attorney General William P. Barr comes up these days, it's hard not to think of John S. McCain. Not the late senator, mind you, but the USS John S. McCain, the naval destroyer named after his father and grandfather.

Discussion: Althouse and Raw Story

New York Times:
Fearful of Trump's Attacks, Justice Dept. Lawyers Worry Barr Will Leave Them Exposed

Discussion: American Greatness

CNN:
Attorney general's actions spark outrage and unease among US prosecutors

Discussion: Law & Crime, Mother Jones, emptywheel, New York Times and Washington Post

Trevor Hunnicutt / Reuters:

Sanders says presidential rival Bloomberg will not excite voters — LAS VEGAS - Democratic U.S. presidential candidate Bernie Sanders said on Saturday Mike Bloomberg would not generate the “excitement and energy” needed to win the White House, focusing on a rival still not fully participating in the race.

Discussion: Axios and The Hill

Associated Press:

Sanders attacks moderate rivals as voting begins in Nevada — LAS VEGAS (AP) — Progressive firebrand Bernie Sanders jabbed his more moderate rivals on Saturday for taking campaign cash from billionaires as Democratic officials at some sites across Nevada were overwhelmed by long lines …

Discussion: The Hill and Washington Post

Karen Tumulty / Washington Post:
Bloomberg should face a reckoning on his treatment of women

Discussion: TheBlaze

Isaac Chotiner / New Yorker:
Why D.C.'s Mayor Endorsed Michael Bloomberg

Discussion: CNN, Talking Points Memo, Fox News, Common Dreams and Washington Post

Garrett Haake / NBC News:
Klobuchar declines to set expectations for New Hampshire

Discussion: Fox News

Dan Balz / Washington Post:
The Democratic nomination contest doesn't look like any from the past

Discussion: NBC News and The Hill

Associated Press:
Sanders' bond with Latinos gets first test of many in Nevada

Discussion: Axios and Associated Press

Evan Semones / Politico:

Drudge floats the implausible: A Bloomberg-Clinton ticket — Matt Drudge, the famous news aggregator and internet provocateur, shattered the lull of an otherwise calm Saturday morning with a big-if-true bombshell: “EXCLUSIVE: BLOOMBERG CONSIDERS HILLARY RUNNING MATE.”

Discussion: Political Junkie, CANNONFIRE, Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion and Fox News

Anita Bennett / Deadline:
Bloomberg Campaign Shuts Down Report He's Considering Hillary Clinton As Running Mate

Discussion: Spectator USA

Rachel Sharp / Daily Mail:
BREAKING: Mike Bloomberg ‘wants Hillary Clinton as his running mate’, sources close to his campaign tell Drudge

Discussion: JONATHAN TURLEY, Breitbart, New York Post, Power Line, TheBlaze and Twitchy

Yanan Wang / Associated Press:

Xi's early involvement in virus outbreak raises questions — BEIJING (AP) — A recent speech by Chinese President Xi Jinping that has been published by state media indicates for the first time that he was leading the response to a new virus outbreak from early on in the crisis.

Amy Qin / New York Times:
China's Leader, Under Fire, Says He Led Coronavirus Fight Early On

Discussion: The Week and Bloomberg

CNN:

Mike Bloomberg in 2010 called Obamacare legislation ‘a disgrace’ and 'another program that's going to cost a lot of money' — (CNN)Former New York City Mayor Mike Bloomberg said the final Obamacare bill would do “absolutely nothing to fix the big health care problems” and also called the program …

Mike Memoli / NBC News:

Biden calls on Sanders to take accountability for supporters' threats — The message comes after the powerful Culinary Workers Union said supporters of the Vermont senator had “viciously attacked” its members. — LAS VEGAS — Joe Biden called on Bernie Sanders to accept greater accountability …

Discussion: Newsweek, The Hill, Politico and Axios

Zeeshan Aleem / Vox:

A new report raises more questions about Bloomberg's alleged sexism and sexual harassment — Former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg speaks at an event at Texas' Buffalo Soldier National Museum. Mark Felix/AFP /AFP via Getty Images — Bloomberg faces these questions …

Discussion: Washington Post, The Guardian, The Hill, Raw Story and NBC News

Washington Post:
The Portable Bloomberg: The Wit & Wisdom of Michael Bloomberg

Discussion: The Hill, The Daily Beast, HuffPost, Raw Story, CNN, Redstate, Vanity Fair, Law & Crime, POLITICUSUSA, The Guardian and Mother Jones

Cameron Peters / Vox:

Why there aren't more polls about the Nevada caucuses — Nevada is hard to poll, and new caucus rules are only making it harder. — With less than one week to go until the Nevada caucuses, it's not clear whether any of the eight remaining Democratic presidential candidates has a distinct advantage …

Discussion: The Atlantic and Politico

Philip Rucker / Washington Post:

‘Something has to be done’: Trump's quest to rewrite history of the Russia probe — The U.S. intelligence community long ago produced evidence of Russia's illegal interference in the 2016 presidential election to try to boost Donald Trump's candidacy. Then the special counsel investigating …

Mike DeBonis / Washington Post:

Ted Cruz once called Trump ‘utterly amoral’ and a ‘sniveling coward.’ Then he worked to save his presidency. — Donald Trump called him “Lyin' Ted” Cruz, mocked his wife's appearance and falsely suggested his father was involved in President John F. Kennedy's assassination.

Discussion: Raw Story

The Guardian:

'The only uncertainty is how long we'll last': a worst case scenario for the climate in 2050 — The Future We Choose, a new book by the architects of the Paris climate accords, offers two contrasting visions for how the world might look in thirty years (read the best case scenario here) — It is 2050.