| | | | The 5 key takeaways from the Justice Department IG report | | On Thursday afternoon, the Department of Justice's Inspector General released a 500+-page report detailing the conduct of then-FBI Director James Comey -- among others -- during the 2016 investigation into Hillary Clinton's private email server.
The report, which had been eagerly awaited by President Donald Trump and a number of Republican members of Congress as proof positive that the FBI had been biased against him, was less a bombshell than a confirmation of what we already knew (or suspected) -- sprinkled with a handful of interesting revelations.
Here are five key lines from the report that you need to know:
1. There was no evidence that the investigation into Clinton's email server was influenced by political calculations.
"We found no evidence that the conclusions by the prosecutors were affected by bias or other improper considerations; rather, we determined that they were based on the prosecutors' assessment of the facts, the law, and past Department practice."
2. Comey broke with protocol by publicly announcing that Clinton would not be prosecuted.
"We found that it was extraordinary and insubordinate for Comey to do so, and we found none of his reasons to be a persuasive basis for deviating from well-established Department policies in a way intentionally designed to avoid supervision by Department leadership over his actions."
3. There's no evidence Comey's protocol breaks were driven by politics or partisanship.
"While we found no evidence that Comey's statement was the result of bias or an effort to influence the election, we did not find his justifications for issuing the statement to be reasonable or persuasive."
4. Peter Strzok's texts were worse than we thought.
We knew that Strzok, an FBI agent who was involved in both the Clinton investigation and the FBI probe into Russian meddling in the 2016 election, had engaged in an extramarital affair with an FBI lawyer named Lisa Page. And that the two had exchanged texts mocking Trump. But, in texts released Thursday, Page asks Strzok whether Trump might actually win the White House. Strzok responds: "No. No he won't. We'll stop it."
5. The IG report couldn't say whether Strzok's texts biased him in the investigation.
"Under these circumstances, we did not have confidence that Strzok's decisions to prioritize the Russia investigation over following up on the Midyear-related investigation lead discovered on the Weiner laptop was free from bias."
The Point: The IG report is, largely, a confirmation of previously known information. But Strzok's text message will give Trump fodder for his case that the "deep state" was out to get him all along.
-- Chris | | "It's a common courtesy when a military official from another government salutes, that you return that."
-- White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders, when asked by CNN's Jim Acosta why the President returned a military salute from a North Korean general during Tuesday's summit in Singapore. Read Chris' thoughts on the salute here. | | | ⚾️ BATTER UP: CONGRESSIONAL BASEBALL GAME IS TONIGHT | | Take us out to the ballgame! On Tuesday, members of Congress are descending upon Nationals Park to partake in the annual bipartisan Congressional Baseball Game, a competition that first began in 1909.
This year's game falls on the one-year anniversary of the shooting at the final GOP practice before the 2017 congressional baseball game. House Majority Whip Steve Scalise was among the handful of people who were shot during the baseball practice, and plans to return to the field tonight. "To be able to go back out on that field, in a major league ballpark, play the game, especially to be able to go back out in uniform and actually get an opportunity to go out on the field -- that's going to be real emotional," Scalise told CNN.
From CNN's story by Phil Mattingly today: "At a time of intractable political differences and extreme partisan divides, the annual Republican vs. Democrat game is more three hours of levity and gamesmanship than solution to any grand problems. The ideological and political battles run up to the first pitch and restart as soon as the last out is recorded. Even in the heady moments and bold proclamations of reconciliation, pragmatism and better angels that came with Scalise's return to the Capitol three months after he nearly died have long since left the building -- or at least been relegated to some corner basement office space. Midterm election season is in full gear, of course."
If you're in DC, tickets to the game are $10-$15. For those of you who aren't in the DMV area, you can stream the game on Facebook. | | | Drake's new music video for "I'm Upset" is a "Degrassi" reunion(!) and Saba's inner teen is freaking out. For those of you who never watched the Canadian teen drama, Drake -- aka Aubrey Graham -- played a character named Jimmy. | | GOP 'COMPROMISE' IMMIGRATION BILL DRAFT RELEASED | | CNN's Tal Kopan reports: "House Republicans revealed their DACA discussion draft on Thursday -- the culmination of weeks of negotiations -- and there's plenty in there for Democrats and conservatives to attack. Already some conservatives are expressing concern that once DACA recipients become citizens, they can sponsor their (presumably undocumented) parents for legal status. Democrats, meanwhile, have plenty to dislike: - It punishes sanctuary cities/requires them to cooperate with ICE
- It reverses settlement that kids can't be detained indefinitely (how families are kept together)
- It raises asylum threshold
- It allows the United States to immediately return children from non-neighboring countries (e.g. Central American countries)
- It raises the threshold for qualifying for a visa for at-risk children
- It proposes $25 billion for a border wall
Read more in Tal's story here. | | 🚨 POLL ALERT: NORTH KOREA SUMMIT REACTION 🚨 | | | Most American adults say that the meeting between Trump and North Korean Leader Kim Jong Un was a good idea, according to a Monmouth Poll released Thursday. The seven in 10 who say it's a good idea is up from 63% in late April, including 93% of Republicans, 74% of independents, and 49% of Democrats. Only 20% say it was a bad idea. Read more in CNN's story by Grace Sparks here. | | | President Donald Trump celebrated his 72nd birthday on Thursday. Messages poured in on social media from family members, lawmakers and Trump administration officials. Trump is the oldest president ever sworn in for a first term. Before Trump took office in 2017, Ronald Reagan was the oldest person to take the presidential oath of office. He was 69 years old at his first inauguration in 1981. Reagan marked eight birthdays during his time in the White House, including his 72nd. | | | From Brenna: "It kind of looks like House Speaker Paul Ryan spent his weekly presser saying everyone should subscribe to The Point. He didn't say that, but you should!" Tell people to subscribe by clicking here. | | 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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