| | | | Anyone else feel the 2016 déjà vu? |  | | In a moment that felt familiar, President Donald Trump seemed to appeal directly to foreign powers for help investigating his political rivals -- publicly saying that both China and Ukraine should investigate corruption claims he has repeatedly pushed regarding Joe Biden and his son Hunter.
"Well, I would think that if they were honest about it, they'd start a major investigation into the Bidens. It's a very simple answer. They should investigate the Bidens," Trump told reporters at the White House.
"Likewise, China should start an investigation into the Bidens because what happened in China is just about as bad as what happened with Ukraine," Trump added. "So, I would say that President Zelensky, if it were me, I would recommend that they start an investigation into the Bidens."
(For the record: There is no evidence of wrongdoing by Joe or Hunter Biden in Ukraine. There's also no evidence that the former vice president received any money from China, and a lawyer for Hunter Biden pushed back on this characterization, calling it "a gross misrepresentation.")
If all of this sounds familiar ... it is.
Recall that in July 2016, amid the heat of the presidential race, the President made an appeal to another foreign power for dirt on a political opponent.
"I will tell you this, Russia: If you're listening, I hope you're able to find the 30,000 emails that are missing," Trump said at a news conference in Florida, in reference to his opponent, Hillary Clinton. "I think you will probably be rewarded mightily by our press."
Trump later sought to pass it off as a joke, meant to rile up his audience.
"If you tell a joke, if you're sarcastic, if you're having fun with the audience, if you're on live television with millions of people and 25,000 people in an arena," Trump said, before re-enacting his 2016 comments. "If you say something like, 'Russia, please, if you can, get us Hillary Clinton's emails. Please, Russia, please. Please get us the emails. Please!' "
But as we now know, not long after Trump made his initial query, Russians began trying to "spearfish for the first time email accounts at a domain hosted by a third-party provider and used by Clinton's personal office," according to the Mueller report. "At or around the same time, they also targeted seventy-six email addresses at the domain for the Clinton Campaign."
The Point: It's déjà vu all over again!
-- Lauren | | "We ought to start our own network and put some real news out there."
-- President Trump, frustrated with news coverage, is apparently suggesting launching his own news network. "We really are, we are looking at that," he added. "We should do something about it too." | | |  | The anatomy of a Trump smear | | Donald Trump's presidential candidacy was born of a false conspiracy theory, and he's only embraced more since he took office. Chris walks us through a step-by-step guide to a Trump conspiracy theory news cycle.
Stay in step with The Point on YouTube. | | The White House lawyer is ready to tangle
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Never underestimate young women! | | | It's not new but it's always a classic: LCD Soundsystem's "I Can Change." | | There's a new Lieberman on the ballot, but this time it's in Georgia.
Matt Lieberman, the former VP candidate Joe Lieberman's son, announced his hopes to follow in the footsteps of his father in a Senate announcement video today.
"To me it's personal. In 2000 I watched as the Supreme Court stole the election and changed the course of history. We need a Voting Rights Act for the 21st century,'" Lieberman says in his announcement video referencing the Florida recount battle that ensued following the 2000 presidential election in which his father was on the ticket.
Lieberman is the first major Democrat to jump into the race for an open seat, vacated by retiring Republican Sen. Johnny Isakson. | |
LAUREN'S CAMPAIGN TRAIL LATEST | | Bernie Sanders: Is still in the hospital recovering from his heart procedure. But he plans to attend the next Democratic debate on October 15.
Joe Biden: Pushed back on Trump and the Ukraine controversy in his strongest remarks to date.
Beto O'Rourke: Stepped up his criticism of Pete Buttigieg's gun control policies, saying Buttigieg "represents a kind of politics that is focused on poll-testing and focus-group-driving and triangulating and listening to consultants, before you arrive at a position."
Kamala Harris: Has dropped in her home state's polling. Her California poll position slid from first place to fourth in a new poll.
Marianne Williamson: Will participate in a Goop wellness summit in a fireside chat with founder Gwyneth Paltrow. | | | Let pictures say 1,000 words with this collection of CNN's photos of the impeachment inquiry. | | | | | | |
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