| | Here's one more indication the White House's infrastructure proposal is stuck in a ditch: D.J. Gribbin, the National Economic Council's point man on the project, is leaving the administration—for "new opportunities" as a White House official put it. The official added Gribbin does not have a set date for his departure. His boss for most of his time at the NEC, outgoing chairman Gary Cohn, issued a statement praising Gribbin for helping craft the administration's big infrastructure proposal. "Since he joined the team early last year, D.J. has played an important part in coordinating the Administration-wide process behind the president's infrastructure initiative," Cohn said. "I am grateful for his service and fully believe that the plan President Trump delivered to Congress, combined with the work we are doing administratively, will have a transformational impact on our economy." And Cohn's successor, Larry Kudlow, who started at the White House on Monday, had this to say: "D.J. was a key part of the team that turned the president's ambitious vision for rebuilding America's infrastructure into the policy proposal the president released in February. His expertise has added tremendous value to the administration. We thank him for his hard work and dedication, and wish him well on his future endeavors. The NEC will continue to push the president's infrastructure initiative as part of his pro-growth economic agenda." The NEC may continue to push, but there's been practically no movement in Congress on anything like a big package. Republicans on the Hill talk vaguely about addressing certain regulatory ideas, but the big spending package President Trump has discussed? They say it's pretty much a no-go, particularly in an election year. Gribbin's exit is more proof of that. |
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Mueller Watch—From the Washington Post: "Special counsel Robert S. Mueller III informed President Trump's attorneys last month that he is continuing to investigate the president but does not consider him a criminal target at this point, according to three people familiar with the discussions."
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| McMaster Unleashed—My colleague Jenna Lifhits reports on outgoing national security adviser H.R. McMaster's appearance Tuesday night at the Atlantic Council: Speaking at an Atlantic Council event celebrating the U.S.-Baltic partnership, McMaster listed a string of recent Russian malign activities, including hybrid warfare efforts: the early March poisoning of a former double agent on British soil, cyber-attacks worldwide, and intercepts of aircraft and vessels. "Mr. Putin may believe that he is winning in this new form of warfare," he said. "He may believe that his aggressive actions in the parks of Salisbury, in cyberspace, in the air, and on the high seas, can undermine our confidence, our institutions, and our values. Perhaps he believes that our free nations are weak and will not respond." "He. Is. Wrong."
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| President Trump said Tuesday he plans to deploy the U.S. military to secure America's southern border until America strengthens its border security laws. During joint remarks offered before a lunch with the heads of the three Baltic states Tuesday, Trump said that military action was necessary to secure a border whose protections had been gutted by President Obama.
"We have very bad laws for our border, and we are going to be doing some things—I've been speaking with General Mattis—we're going to be doing things militarily," Trump said. "Until we can have a wall and proper security, we're going to be guarding our border with the military."
Tuesday was not the first time Trump has urged military involvement in securing the southern border as he has grown frustrated with Congress's inability to address the purported threat. In a March 25 tweet, Trump argued that building a wall on the southern border should be seen as a matter of national security, "with drugs (poison) and enemy combatants pouring into our country." | |
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| Mark It Down— "Last week, the president received a briefing from senior administration officials on the growing influx of illegal immigration, drugs and violent gang members from Central America, and directed a vigorous administrative strategy to confront this threat and protect America's national security.
"Today, he received a follow up briefing to discuss his administration's strategy, which includes the mobilization of the National Guard. President Trump and senior officials present also agreed on the need to pressure Congress to urgently pass legislation to close legal loopholes exploited by criminal trafficking, narco-terrorist and smuggling organizations." —White House statement, April 3, 2018 | |
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| One More Thing—Trump also took time Tuesday to mention another of his pet themes: America's awful trade deals with China and Mexico.
"I have to say this: China. I have great respect for President Xi. Two of the most incredible days of my life were spent in China, and many of you were with me. He's a tremendous person. But we have a problem with China," Trump said. "Our relationship is very good with China, and we intend to keep it that way. But we'll have to do something to seriously relieve that trade deficit. We can't have a $500 billion-a-year trade deficit."
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| Mueller Watch II—The special counsel won its first sentencing Tuesday, after a federal judge handed Dutch lawyer Alex Van Der Zwaan 30 days in prison and a $20,000 fine for lying to investigators about his connections with Russian intelligence and former Trump associates Paul Manafort and Richard Gates.
Van Der Zwaan, a lawyer formerly at international firm Skadden Arps who worked with Manafort and Gates while they were advisers for the pro-Russian Ukrainian government, pled guilty in February to giving Mueller's team false information about his communications with Gates and an individual linked to Russian intelligence in late 2016. His lawyers argued that Van Der Zwaan's detainment in America during legal proceedings and the damage the case had done to his legal career should be considered sufficient punishment. The judge, however, agreed with the government's case that Van Der Zwaan's deliberate falsehoods merited at least some time in prison.
Paul Manafort's own trial begins July 10, where he will attempt to fight charges for crimes including conspiracy against the United States, failure to register as a foreign agent, bank fraud, wire fraud, and money laundering. | |
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Republican Primary Watch—Here's the state of the GOP primary for U.S. Senate in Indiana: Congressman Todd Rokita, in his newest ad, dons a "Make America Great Again Hat." And that's . . . pretty much it. Watch it here.
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