memeorandum: Trump taps fierce ally Grenell as top intelligence official (Politico)

8:55 AM ET, February 20, 2020

Top Items:

Despite His Billions, Bloomberg Busts — His rivals were ready. He was not. — You can buy ads and saturate the airwaves with them. You can buy allies, especially with the right budget. — But you can't buy a debate performance, and that's why Mike Bloomberg's on Wednesday night mattered so much.

New York Times:

6 Takeaways From the Democratic Debate in Nevada — Bloomberg was on the defensive, Warren carved up her opponents and Klobuchar and Buttigieg tried to take each other down. The fiery debate signals a harsher campaign as Super Tuesday looms. — LAS VEGAS — Phew. That was a debate.

Discussion: Politico, Washington Post and The Week

NBC News:

Live Blog / Las Vegas Democratic debate live updates: Six candidates face off in Nevada — Former New York City Mayor Mike Bloomberg will take the stage for the first time. — The ninth Democratic presidential debate kicks off Wednesday night in Las Vegas, with five veteran debaters and one newcomer facing off on the stage.

Discussion: The Dispatch, New York Times, The Hill, Fox News, New York Times and Breitbart

Robert A. George / New York Daily News:

Woman with a plan: Elizabeth Warren mounts a comeback — at Mike Bloomberg's expense — “I have a plan” was Elizabeth Warren's rallying cry for the better part of 2019 when she rose to the top of the Democratic primary. For a variety of reasons, her campaign faltered as the year drew …

Paul Steinhauser / Fox News:
Warren mocks Klobuchar over ‘Post-it Note’ health care plan

Discussion: NBC News, Breitbart, Axios and New York Times

Politico:
Bloomberg takes a beating, Sanders defends socialism in fiery debate

Discussion: The Hill, IJR, Axios, Slate, Breitbart, The Daily Beast, AGR Daily News and The Daily Caller

Politico:
POLITICO Playbook: The Dem ad campaign aimed at taking down Bernie

Discussion: One America News Network, New York Times, Breitbart, Washington Post and NB Blog

John Podhoretz / New York Post: Nevada Democratic debate was the greatest debate in human history

Josh Greenman / New York Daily News:
With the exception of that one exchange, Bloomberg's debate performance was good enough

Discussion: NBC News, CNN and Vox

CNN:
6 takeaways from Democrats' Bloomberg pile-on in Nevada

Discussion: ImmigrationProf Blog, BuzzFeed News, KTLA and The American Spectator

Associated Press:
Questions about Sanders' health linger after heart attack

Discussion: Politico, Axios, The Hill, Breitbart, Talking Points Memo, Daily Kos, PJ Media Home, The Daily Beast and NBC News

Mike Allen / Axios:
Bloomberg's rough debut

Discussion: Politico and Breitbart

ABC News: Here are the five takeaways from the fiery Las Vegas debate

Nicole Narea / Vox:
Why Klobuchar and Buttigieg fought over the Mexican president's name

Discussion: The Week and Breitbart

Vandana Rambaran / Fox News:
Klobuchar asks Buttigieg at debate: 'Are you trying to say that I'm dumb?'

Discussion: The Morning Dispatch, NBC News and The Hill

Andrew O'Reilly / Fox News:
Warren unloads on Bloomberg: ‘A billionaire who calls women fat broads’

Discussion: Politico

New York Times:

Trump Names Richard Grenell as Acting Head of Intelligence — The move places a loyalist atop the intelligence agencies that the president has long battled. — WASHINGTON — President Trump on Wednesday named Richard Grenell, a vocal loyalist who quickly antagonized the German establishment …

Washington Post:

Trump to name Richard Grenell, U.S. ambassador to Germany, as acting head of intelligence — President Trump plans to name Richard Grenell, the U.S. ambassador to Germany, as the next acting director of national intelligence, according to three people familiar with the matter.

Discussion: Fox News, UPI, TheBlaze and Associated Press

Axios:

Trump to install loyalist Ric Grenell as acting intelligence chief — President Trump confirmed in a tweet Wednesday night that he will install Richard Grenell, the current U.S. ambassador to Germany and a staunch defender of the president, as the acting director of national intelligence.

Discussion: National Review, Queerty, Financial Times, The Daily Beast, Radio Free Europe/Radio …, Washington Blade and One America News Network

Grant Stern / Occupy Democrats:
Trump names unqualified far-right political hack to nation's top intelligence job

Discussion: The Week

Politico:
Trump taps fierce ally Grenell as top intelligence official

Discussion: Redstate

CNN:
Trump names staunch loyalist and current US Ambassador to Germany Richard Grenell as acting intelligence chief

Discussion: The Gateway Pundit, The Daily Caller, The Week and The Hill

Washington Post:

White House assembles team of advisers to guide clemency process as Trump considers more pardons — The White House is moving to take more direct control over pardons and commutations, with President Trump aiming to limit the role of the Justice Department in the clemency process as he weighs …

Discussion: Just Security

Politico:

Republicans plead with Trump to leave Barr alone — Senate Republicans are mounting an urgent campaign to save Attorney General William Barr's job — fearful that his dismissal or resignation would deprive President Donald Trump of an effective enforcer of his agenda and hand the Senate a vacancy that's nearly impossible to fill.

Discussion: Associated Press and NBC News

Associated Press:

Trump ally Roger Stone to be sentenced as case roils DOJ — WASHINGTON (AP) — Roger Stone, a staunch ally of President Donald Trump, faces sentencing Thursday on his convictions for witness tampering and lying to Congress. — The action in federal court comes amid Trump's unrelenting defense …

Darren Samuelsohn / Politico:
The Roger Stone pardon saga

Discussion: emptywheel

Nico Hines / The Daily Beast:

Trump Offered Assange Pardon if He Covered Up Russian Hack, WikiLeaks Founder's Lawyer Claims — Lawyers acting for the WikiLeaks founder said Dana Rohrabacher, a former Republican congressman, had brought the message to London from Trump. — LONDON—President Trump offered to pardon Julian Assange …

Discussion: The American Independent, Raw Story, CNBC, New York Times, Law & Crime, Mediaite, The Last Refuge, POLITICUSUSA, The Verge, Twitchy, The Week, The Daily Caller and Mother Jones

Washington Post:
Assange lawyer claims congressman offered pardon on behalf of Trump in exchange for absolving Russia …

Discussion: Letters from an American and Vanity Fair

Owen Bowcott / The Guardian:
Donald Trump ‘offered Julian Assange a pardon if he denied Russia link to hack’

Discussion: The Week, Mother Jones, Talking Points Memo, The Mahablog, РБК, The Hill, IJR and VICE

Jonathan Mattise / Associated Press:

Bolton: Testimony wouldn't have changed impeachment outcome — NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Former national security adviser John Bolton on Wednesday denounced the House's impeachment proceedings against President Donald Trump as “grossly partisan” and said his testimony would not have changed Trump's acquittal …

Discussion: National Review, ABC News and The Week

Reed Richardson / Mediaite: Bolton Rips House Impeachment as ‘Grossly Partisan,’ Claims Testimony ‘Would Have Made No Difference’ in Acquittal

Louis Casiano / Fox News: John Bolton pressed by Susan Rice on impeachment testimony at Vanderbilt event

Associated Press:

Democrats won't commit to same-day release of Nevada results — LAS VEGAS (AP) — Democrats won't commit to releasing the unofficial results of Saturday's Nevada caucuses on the day of the vote, as they emphasize accuracy over speed in the aftermath of the chaos surrounding the Iowa caucuses.

Associated Press: Harry Reid: Brokered convention ‘not the end of the world’

Nihar Kabinittal / ABC News:
Former Nevada Sen. Harry Reid says ‘not a chance in hell’ Medicare for All would pass

Discussion: The Hill

Josh Dawsey / Washington Post:

In speech, Mulvaney says Republicans are hypocritical on deficits — Acting White House chief of staff Mick Mulvaney said Wednesday night that the Republican Party is hypocritical when it comes to deficits, according to audio of an overseas speech obtained by The Washington Post.

Discussion: CNN

Josh Rogin / Washington Post:

Mike Pompeo and lawmakers spar over ‘deep state’ attacks in private Munich meeting — Congressional frustration with the perceived failure by Secretary of State Mike Pompeo to defend State Department personnel from political attacks spilled over during a “heated” private meeting last weekend in Munich.

Discussion: Business Insider

Jeffrey M. Jones / Gallup:

Trump Job Approval Steady at 49% — WASHINGTON, D.C. — President Donald Trump's job approval remains elevated at 49% in the latest Gallup poll, the same as in the previous poll and up five points from an early January poll conducted before Trump was acquitted by the Senate in his impeachment trial.

Discussion: CNBC

Charlie Warzel / New York Times:

Twitter Is Real Life — Elites just pretend it's not. — Mr. Warzel is an Opinion writer at large. — For the better part of a year I've been hearing the same refrain. Friends, colleagues, peers, respected pollsters have cautioned: Twitter is not real life.

David M. Drucker / Washington Examiner:

The Republicans' 2020 plan to turn every Democrat into a ‘Bernie Bro’ — The Republican Party is putting Bernie Sanders at the center of every 2020 campaign, with senior GOP strategists confident the socialist front-runner for the Democratic nomination is the ticket to a November sweep, whether he is the nominee or not.