| | | | Debunking 'single greatest Witch Hunt in American history' | | President Donald Trump has spent much of the last year running down special counsel Robert Mueller's ongoing investigation into Russia's attempted interference in the 2016 election.
His favorite term to describe it is "witch hunt" -- as in "the single greatest Witch Hunt in American history."
Of late, Trump has tried to nuance that blunt-force rhetorical point by insisting that his name-calling only applied to the idea that he or someone within his campaign colluded with the Russians to ensure his election.
But his past rhetoric belies that "fact." Simply put: Trump has engaged in an aggressive effort to discredit Mueller, his team and the investigation more broadly.
On Friday, that effort got even more difficult. Rick Gates, Trump's one-time deputy campaign chairman, pleaded guilty to two criminal charges and agreed to cooperate with Mueller's broader investigation.
That makes three former Trump campaign officials -- Gates, former national security adviser Michael Flynn and ex-foreign policy adviser George Papadopoulos -- to plead guilty and agree to cooperate with Mueller.
A fourth, former campaign chairman Paul Manafort, faces a bevy of charges from Mueller of money laundering and bank fraud, but continues to maintain his innocence.
And then there are the 13 Russian nationals the special counsel's office charged last Friday for their alleged involvement in a massive scheme designed to influence the 2016 election to help Trump and hurt Hillary Clinton.
Those are all facts. Neither the media nor Democrats forced Gates, Flynn and Papadopoulos to plead guilty and cut deals to cooperate with Mueller. Ditto the charges against Manafort and the Russians.
The Point: Trump can claim the Mueller investigation is a "witch hunt" until the cows come home. Some people will believe him. But the mounting charges and guilty pleas suggest otherwise.
-- Chris | | CNN's Gregory Krieg reported from the Conservative Political Action Conference, where President Donald Trump addressed attendees on Friday.
Krieg reported: "From well before President Donald Trump arrived on Friday morning, the main ballroom was his, and one only needed to glance at the roster of speakers on tap to confirm it. His Cabinet secretaries shuffled on and offstage, but the buzz belonged to a new crop of invitees, like the heiress to the French National Front's far right-wing political dynasty, Marion Maréchal-Le Pen, who warned on Thursday that her country "is in the process of passing from the eldest daughter of the Catholic Church to the little niece of Islam."
As far as what Trump said, here are some highlights: Check out Chris' take on the speech here. | | Another must-read dispatch from Krieg: Grading the CPAC merch tables (using MAGA hats as a rating indicator!). Here are some of the free things he spotted: - "A Covfefe Table Book"
- "Build The Wall" with Legos, spotted at the Secure America Now table
- A Trump inaugural egg ornament
- "Socialism Sucks" T-shirts
And many, many more items from the wide array of vendors at the conference. | | "I try like hell to hide that bald spot, folks."
-President Donald Trump at CPAC
(see today's GIF for more) | | | The Department of Homeland Security announced Friday afternoon that Deputy Secretary of Homeland Security Elaine Duke is retiring this April. She was confirmed by the Senate and sworn in as the seventh deputy secretary in April of 2017.
As Chris previously noted: People are leaving the Trump White House in record numbers. In our February 7 edition of The Point, we also outlined the growing list of people who have left the White House. | | From CNN's Pam Brown, Noah Gray and Shimon Prokupecz:
"A passenger vehicle hit a security barrier near the White House on Friday, according to the Secret Service, though it didn't breach the secure complex that surrounds the executive mansion.
The Secret Service said the driver of the vehicle was female and was immediately apprehended by uniformed officers. A law enforcement source said the female driver in custody intentionally drove the car into the barricade. The woman is known to the Secret Service, and is believed to have mental health issues. The source said it is not believed it was directed at the President or anybody at the White House." | | CNN's Maeve Reston traveled with Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti to South Carolina this week, where the potential #2020 presidential candidate met with Democrats. From Maeve's story:
"He also asked South Carolina voters to look past the Los Angeles stereotype, telling predominantly black voters at a town-hall-style session in lower Richland County on Wednesday, 'Yes, it's true, I come from Los Angeles, and we have a few more Kardashians than you do, but we are mostly not Kardashians.'
"The 47-year-old Democratic mayor — a Jewish Mexican-American and the youngest mayor in LA's history — traveled more than 2,000 miles cross-country to the Palmetto State officially as part of the job policy work that he is doing with the nonprofit group that he chairs, Accelerator for America.
"But at events in the state Wednesday and Thursday, Garcetti, who has acknowledged he is considering a 2020 White House bid, also appeared to be testing out a national message in a state which will help choose the Democratic Party's next presidential nominee." | | CNN's Elise Labott and Laura Koran reported Friday that "the Trump administration is expected to move the US Embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem sometime in May, according to a senior State Department official. While symbolically important, the move is likely a preliminary step in a broader relocation effort initiated by the administration in December, which Secretary of State Rex Tillerson has said will take 'years.'
As CNN reported in January, the embassy will first be set up in an existing US facility that is 'making room for the Ambassador and a small team,' according to the official. This facility will function as the official embassy, while plans to secure a permanent location and design a building are drawn up."
Read more here. | | | Click on CNN Politics' Instagram story every Monday through Friday afternoon for more #content, courtesy of Chris and CNN's Brenna Williams. | | | TGIF. We hope you have a great weekend, and remember to tell people you know to subscribe to The Point. | | We'd love to share our other newsletters with you. Follow this link for daily coverage of the world's top stories, savvy market insights, an insider's look into the media, and more. Our authors for The Point are Chris Cillizza and Saba Hamedy. Send your tips and thoughts via email to Chris or Saba. Follow on Twitter: Chris and Saba. | | | | | | |
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