| | | | Donald Trump doesn't know nothing about nothing... |  | | We know that President Donald Trump and lawyers submitted their written responses to special counsel Robert Mueller's questions this week. And now, thanks to the one and only Dana Bash, we know how Trump answered two of the most critical questions of the investigation.
Those questions are these:
1) Did Roger Stone tell Trump about WikiLeaks and its plans to release emails stolen from the Democratic National Committee and Clinton campaign chair John Podesta?
2) Did Trump know in advance of the June 2016 Trump tower meeting between Russian officials and his tops campaign brass -- including his son, Don Jr., and his son-in-law, Jared Kushner?
And the answers to the questions are (seemingly) simple and short: Nope!
Here's Bash: "President Donald Trump told special counsel Robert Mueller in writing that Roger Stone did not tell him about WikiLeaks, nor was he told about the 2016 Trump Tower meeting between his son, campaign officials and a Russian lawyer promising dirt on Hillary Clinton, according to two sources familiar with the matter."
But remember that I said Trump's answers were seemingly simple. Because Bash adds this line (bolding is mine): "One source described the President's answers without providing any direct quotes and said the President made clear he was answering to the best of his recollection."
Which is, um, interesting. Especially when you consider that lying to a federal prosecutor could be a federal offense. In light of that reality, what Trump is doing is the only plausible thing he can do from a political standpoint -- deny he had any knowledge of events that would suggest collusion between Russians and the candidate was happening -- while also preserving some level of legal deniability too. (I didn't say these things never happened, I simply said they didn't happen to the best of my recollection.)
The "best of my recollection" case is an ironic one for Trump to make given his much-touted memory. "Right from the beginning, there's no hesitation, one of the great memories of all time," Trump said in 2017, pointing to his brain. In 2015, as alleged evidence for his false claim that he saw Muslims celebrating on new Jersey rooftops on September 11, 2001, Trump said: "I have the world's greatest memory. It's one thing everyone agrees on."
This isn't the first time Trump's memory has failed him in regard to the Russia probe. In 2017, Trump said "I don't remember much about that meeting" about a 2016 gathering in which one-time adviser George Papadopoulos floated the idea of a meeting between Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin.
The Point: Trump is hedging here -- to preserve his political and legal liability, when both are in significant peril. Sometimes forgetting is the only way out.
-- Chris | | "Life is about leverage. And legislative life is mostly about leverage."
-- Rep. Brian Higgins, one of the anti-Pelosi Democrats who is now supporting Pelosi, explaining the policy commitments he got in exchange for his support. | | | 🚨 POINT SCOOP: THERE'S A NEW DRAFT BETO PAC 🚨 | | Some New England Democrats think Beto O'Rourke is Democrats' best chance at winning the White House in 2020, and they're making it official.
Tonight, Draft Beto 2020 is going live (at least the website), the organizers tell Lauren.
O'Rourke is not involved with the political action committee, which is co-chaired by New England-based Democratic strategists Lauren Pardi, Will Herberich and Adam Webster.
"Beto hasn't decided whether he's running for President," the group writes in an email that will be sent to followers on Thursday morning -- an email list they say is thousands strong. "However, we believe strongly in Beto's potential candidacy and think it's critical to start organizing now. In a field that could include more than a dozen candidates, there's not a moment to waste.
"Make no mistake about it," they add, "Beto can win. A recent Politico poll showed that among the field of potential Democratic candidates, Beto was third – behind only Vice President Joe Biden and Senator Bernie Sanders. ... Our goal is to show Beto that there is support for his candidacy, starting here in New England."
Their first steps will be a digital push on social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter and Instagram to convince the Texas Democrat to run for President -- plus a campaign kick-off conference call on December 9.
The group plans to formally file with the FEC before the end-of-year deadline. They are also swearing off big money donations: "We're simply looking to build a grassroots movement of people who believe in Beto like we do," the PAC's website says.
"Draft Beto 2020" is unaffiliated with the "DRAFT BETO" PAC already registered with the FEC.
Though he swore off a 2020 run during his Texas Senate race against Republican Ted Cruz, O'Rourke this week changed his tune, saying that he and his wife "made a decision not to rule anything out." | | | Chris l-o-v-e-s Christmas music. And there is SO MUCH good Christmas music. So from now until the big day, we'll be featuring some great and obscure tunes to celebrate the holiday season. We kick it off with The Ramones' "Merry Christmas (I Don't Want To Fight Tonight)." | |  | John Kerry could get the band back together for 2020.
The former Democratic presidential nominee, who lost to George W. Bush way back in 2004, said he is "going to think about" a presidential run in 2020.
"I've said I'm not going to eliminate, I'm not taking anything off the table," Kerry said at an event at Harvard's Institute of Politics. "But I'm not sitting around -- I haven't been running around to the most obvious states, laying any groundwork or doing anything. Am I going to think about it? Yeah, I'm going to think about it, I've said that point blank." | |
🎄 IT'S (GOING TO BE) LIT! 🎄 | | Consider it the best-connected tree in Washington.
Tonight the White House Christmas Tree will be officially lit by the first family -- this is the 96th year the celebration has taken place.
Visitors tonight will see the tree inside the Ellipse at President's Park near the White House, but you won't actually be able to see the lighting on TV until Sunday, December 2. | | Massachusetts Rep. Seth Moulton is one of Nancy Pelosi's most vocal detractors, but he's having a hard time recruiting his colleagues to oppose a Pelosi speakership.
In fact, one of Moulton's Bay State counterparts, Rep. Joe Kennedy III, has been a fierce supporter of Pelosi and formally nominated her for speaker in today's closed-door Democratic caucus.
Pelosi overwhelmingly won over the Democratic caucus today, but Moulton maintains she won't have enough votes come the formal floor vote in January: "Right now, Leader Pelosi will not have the 218 votes necessary to become Speaker." | | | | | | |
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