| | | | All the President's lawsuits | | Lawsuits. Lawsuits. Everywhere, lawsuits.
WAY back in June 2016, President Donald Trump -- who was then candidate Donald Trump -- bragged about how he handles lawsuits. He wins them, he said. And that helped qualify him to be President.
And the pace of lawsuits involving Donald J. Trump doesn't appear to have slowed much since he took on the added responsibilities of being the President of the United States.
He's been sued over business matters: The news Wednesday evening is that a federal judge will allow a lawsuit to go forward that alleges possible illegal gifts or payments from foreign and domestic governments were made to the President.
He's been sued over harassment: The news last week was that a state Supreme Court judge in New York would allow the defamation suit brought by Summer Zervos, who says the President sexually harassed her, to go forward.
He features in lawsuits concerning multiple alleged affairs: Seems like everyone, at this point, should have a grasp of the case of Stormy Daniels, who is locked in a legal battle with the President's personal attorney, Michael Cohen. Her attorney, by the way, is bent on deposing Trump, and he's using the Bill Clinton deposition of 1998 as precedent. Trump also features in the lawsuit brought by Playboy model Karen McDougal against the parent company of National Enquirer. She wants out of the agreement she signed to sell the story of her alleged affair with him.
Who knows if Robert Mueller's special counsel investigation will ultimately directly involve the President, but the shadow it has cast over his tenure at the White House so far has been long and dark.
For a man so used to lawsuits and so happy with his pre-presidential winning record, however, it is this story by CNN's Katelyn Polantz that is really eye-catching. The headline: An unheard-of problem: The President can't find a lawyer. She's writing about the Mueller probe and not the other lawsuits, but it's still an incredible thing to read.
The money paragraph:
Well-known Washington lawyers cited several reasons for declining the President in recent weeks, according to multiple sources familiar with their decisions. Among them, Trump appears to be a difficult client and has rebuked some of his lawyers' advice. He's perceived as so politically unpopular he may damage reputations rather than boost them. Lawyers at large firms fear backlash from their corporate clients if they were to represent the President. And many want to steer clear of conflicts of interest that could complicate their other obligations.
The Point: It feels like too many lawsuits and not enough lawyers, which is a new problem for a US President to have. And with so many of them amping up on so many different topics, it's a state of legal affairs that isn't going anywhere anytime soon.
--Z. Byron Wolf | | "Look, the President has denied the allegations. We've spoken about this issue extensively and I don't have anything else to add beyond that. Anything beyond that I would refer you to the outside counsel."
--White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders on whether President Donald Trump was aware of a $130,000 payment made by his personal lawyer, Michael Cohen, to porn star Stormy Daniels | | | | President Donald Trump announced Wednesday he will replace Veterans Affairs Secretary David Shulkin with Ronny Jackson, who currently serves as physician to the President. Read more in CNN's story here. | | ICYMI: WHAT EVERYONE WAS TALKING ABOUT TODAY | | President Donald Trump's lawyer, John Dowd, floated the possibility last year with lawyers for former national security adviser Michael Flynn and former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort that the President might issue pardons for both men, The New York Times reported on Wednesday, citing three individuals with knowledge of the discussions.
The news comes about a week after Dowd resigned from the President's legal team. In a statement to the Times, Dowd denied the report. "There were no discussions. Period," he said, according to the Times. "As far as I know, no discussions."
Read more in CNN's story here. | | | The soundtrack for Steven Spielberg's new movie "Ready Player One" has a lot of fun '70s and '80s hits, including "One Way Or Another" by Blondie and "You Make My Dreams" by Daryl Hall & John Oates. | | CNN's Caroline Kenny reports: "Former Vice President Joe Biden has made combating cancer a primary focus of his post-White House time. And he recently made one particular cancer patient's day by giving her some words of encouragement via video call to her hospital bed in Idaho.
"Cierra Shaffer is a 17-year-old battling leukemia at St. Luke's Children's Hospital in Boise. She's about to graduate from Fruitland High School and wanted one of her idols to come watch her cross the stage in May. ... Biden called her. The two spoke for about 15 minutes."
Read more here. | | FEMALE SENATORS SHARE DISAPPOINTMENT OVER 'INACTION' | | CNN's Sunlen Serfaty reported Wednesday: "All 22 female senators -- from both parties -- have written a letter to Senate leadership expressing their 'deep disappointment' in the Senate's 'inaction' in moving sexual harassment legislation forward. They are calling for a vote on the legislation that would overhaul how sexual harassment claims are handled on Capitol Hill.
" 'We write to express our deep disappointment that the Senate has failed to enact meaningful reforms to the Congressional Accountability Act of 1995,' the letter says. 'We urge you to bring before the full Senate legislation that would update and strengthen the procedures available to survivors of sexual harassment and discrimination in congressional workplaces.' "
Read more here. | | WHEN POLITICS MEETS ENTERTAINMENT | | Susan Rice is headed to Hollywood.
CNN Money's Danielle Wiener-Bronner reported Wednesday that Rice, a former UN ambassador and national security adviser under President Barack Obama, has joined Netflix's board of directors. From her story:
"Netflix CEO Reed Hastings said in a statement that Rice 'has tackled difficult, complex global issues with intelligence, integrity and insight.' Rice said she is 'thrilled' to join the board, and described Netflix as a 'cutting-edge company.'"
But some Netflix users weren't happy with the move, CNN's Andrew Dunn writes.
BTW, in case you forgot: Rice's old boss -- Obama -- is discussing a production partnership with Netflix, a source confirmed to CNN earlier this month. | | SANTORUM CLARIFIES COMMENTS | | Former Sen. Rick Santorum said Wednesday he misspoke when suggesting earlier this week that students should learn CPR instead of advocating for gun control.
"I did misspeak in using the term CPR," the Pennsylvania Republican and CNN commentator told CNN's Chris Cuomo on "New Day."
His initial comment -- which made headlines -- came just one day after the students of Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School led a historic march for gun control, called March for Our Lives. | |  | | H/T Brenna | | | Happy Wednesday to us all. Just your midweek reminder 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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