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- May 07, 2020 at 11:40PM
Justice Department moves to drop case against Michael Flynn
Click on this headline to read the full story at Jamie Dupree - Washington Insider
In an extraordinary about face, the Justice Department has moved to dismiss a criminal case brought against President Donald Trump's first National Security Adviser, saying that Michael Flynn's statements - while they were false to FBI agents - were not materially related to the investigation of Flynn. 'Based on a careful assessment of the balance of proof, the equities, and the federal interest served by continued prosecution of false statements that were not “material” to any bona fide investigation, the Government has concluded that the evidence is insufficient to prove its case beyond a reasonable doubt,' the new motion stated. The 20 page submission to a federal judge on Thursday was made by the acting U.S. Attorney in Washington, D.C., Timothy Shea, but not by any of the federal prosecutors who had handled the Flynn case. Shortly before the motion to dismiss was formally put on the Flynn docket, prosecutor Brandon Van Grack gave official notice to the court that he was withdrawing from the Justice Department legal team handling Flynn's prosecution. Any move to drop the charges would still have to be approved by the U.S. District Judge Emmet Sullivan, who has twice given Flynn more time to consider his original guilty plea before sentencing. At the Justice Department, spokeswoman Kerri Kupec said the Flynn case had been reviewed by Jeff Jensen, a federal prosecutor in Missouri. “Through the course of my review of General Flynn’s case, I concluded the proper and just course was to dismiss the case,' Jensen said in a statement. 'I briefed Attorney General Barr on my findings, advised him on these conclusions, and he agreed,' Jensen added. The move drew sharp attacks from critics of the President. 'Attorney General Barr has consistently acted for the personal and political benefit of President Trump, rather than fulfilling his duty as chief law enforcement officer of the United States,' said Noah Bookbinder, the head of the ethics watch dog group Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington. 'AG Barr’s politicization is destroying the credibility of the Department,' said Rep. Ted Lieu (D-CA). At the White House, the President said it was the right choice. 'He was an innocent man,' President Trump told reporters in the Oval Office. 'Now in my book he’s an even greater warrior.” That was a different tune from what Mr. Trump said in December of 2017, when Flynn plead guilty to lying about his contacts with the Russian Ambassador, during the transition period between President Trump's victory, and taking the oath of office. The dispute stems from a January 24, 2017 interview with Flynn at the White House, in which FBI agents asked whether Flynn had urged the Russian Ambassador to the U.S. to not respond to sanctions levied by the Obama Administration over election interference in 2016. 'During the interview, FLYNN falsely stated that he did not ask Russia's Ambassador to the United States ('Russian Ambassador') to refrain from escalating the situation in response to sanctions that the United States had imposed against Russia,' the plea bargain states, which Flynn agreed to. Flynn was later fired from his post as National Security Adviser for lying about the matter to Vice President Mike Pence.
(Feed generated with FetchRSS) - May 07, 2020 at 11:40PM Justice Department moves to drop case against Michael Flynn Click on this headline to read the full story at Jamie Dupree - Washington Insider
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With more GOP lawmakers in Congress joining Democrats in calling for a dramatic expansion of Coronavirus testing in the United States, a top federal health expert told Senators Thursday that unprecedented efforts are underway to forge a partnership with private companies to produce large scale efforts on virus tests. 'In 27 years at NIH, I honestly have never seen anything move this quickly,' said Dr. Francis Collins, the head of the National Institutes of Health. At a Senate hearing, Collins described breakneck plans to figure out how to ramp up testing, which the NIH chief acknowledged may be an overreach. 'I have encountered some stunned expressions,' Collins told the Senate's top health committee, as he explained doing something on wide scale rapid testing - in months - might be difficult. 'I must tell you Senators, that this is a stretch goal, that goes well beyond what most experts think will be possible,' Collins added. The hearing began with a bipartisan plea for action on testing, as more and more lawmakers express the concern that by drawing Congress back and forth to Washington each week, members of the House and Senate could be spreading the virus all over the country. 'All roads back to work, and back to school, lead through testing,' said Sen. Lamar Alexander (R-TN), who earlier this week described the Congress as a possible 'virus spreading machine.' While Alexander praised the growth in testing - soon expected to reach two million per week - he joined with Collins and other experts in saying that's nowhere near enough. 'We will need tens of millions of tests, many more than our current technologies can produce,' Alexander said. Senators also raised examples back home, whether small fishing villages in Alaska, or towns with meatpacking plants hit by the virus. 'On a rapid test, this is the kind of situation that demands an answer now,' said Sen. Pat Roberts (R-KS). 'It shouldn't be lost on us how far behind we are on testing,' said Sen. Chris Murphy (D-CT), who directly criticized President Trump, noting this NIH effort only began last week - instead of earlier in the virus outbreak. As the hearing was taking place, news was breaking from the White House that a personal aide for President Trump had tested positive for the Coronavirus. One reason that may have been discovered is the White House might have the best testing regimen available anywhere in the United States, with rapid test used on those visiting with the President, or working for him. Mr. Trump had offered similar tests to lawmakers earlier this week, but leaders in both parties suggested those rapid tests be used for medical professionals instead.
(Feed generated with FetchRSS) - May 07, 2020 at 11:40PM NIH chief: effort underway to develop wide-scale rapid testing Click on this headline to read the full story at Jamie Dupree - Washington Insider
With the White House refusing to allow Dr. Anthony Fauci to testify before a House spending panel which focuses on medical matters, lawmakers were told Wednesday by disease experts that the U.S. government and private sector must engage in more substantive measures to restrain the virus outbreak. 'The very best way to get our economy back is to control the virus,' said Dr. Tom Frieden, who headed the Centers for Disease Control during the Obama Administration. 'Good public health is good business,' Frieden said before a panel of the House Appropriations Committee, as he bluntly reinforced the gravity of the Coronavirus situation. 'In my 30 years in global public health, I've never seen anything like this,' Frieden said to a small group of lawmakers on Capitol Hill. While Frieden is certainly an expert, the absence of Dr. Fauci loomed over the hearing, and was noted by the top member of each party. 'I think it would have been good testimony, useful to this committee,' said Rep. Tom Cole (R-OK). 'The White House said no, leaving no doubt it just frightened of oversight,' said Rep. Rose DeLauro (D-CT), the chair of the spending panel. At the White House, Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany said there was a specific reason why Fauci was not allowed to testify. 'We don’t have time in the middle of a pandemic for publicity stunts,” McEnany said, as she said Fauci would take questions from Democrats in the Senate, but not Democrats in the House. Democrats had said much the same about the White House refusing to allow Fauci to testify. 'These partisan games in the middle of a pandemic are the worst of politics, and they should alarm every American,' said Rep. Nita Lowey (D-NY), the chair of the House Appropriations Committee. Asked a day earlier why he wouldn't let Fauci testify before House members, the President made clear it was for one simple reason. 'Because the House is a setup. The House is a bunch of Trump haters,' the President said. 'But Dr. Fauci will be testifying in front of the Senate, and he looks forward to doing that,' even though Mr. Trump did not mention there are also Democrats on that panel. The Senate Health committee will hold a hearing next Tuesday on the Coronavirus, as Fauci will join the head of the CDC and FDA for questions on the U.S. response. As for how Americans should look at the current situation, former CDC Frieden made the following points in his testimony: 1) The US needs widespread testing for the virus 2) Isolate those who test positive 3) Use contact tracing to warn others 4) Quarantine those contacts 5) Find the balance in a re-opening 6) Protect health care workers 7) Better protections in nursing homes 8) Government and private sector must join on testing and vaccine 9) Must insure non-COVID health issues are not ignored Along with Frieden, Dr. Caitlin Rivers of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg Public School of Health said testing needs widespread improvement. Currently, Rivers aid the U.S. is conducting about 1.6 million tests a week - but she estimated about 3.5 million are needed, and many more in the months ahead. “We urgently need a national plan for how we will close that gap,” Rivers told lawmakers.
(Feed generated with FetchRSS) - May 06, 2020 at 11:10PM Minus Fauci, House panel searches for next steps on virus Click on this headline to read the full story at Jamie Dupree - Washington Insider
The third day of the U.S. Supreme Court conducting oral arguments by telephone because of the Coronavirus outbreak brought another piece of history for the High Court - as the live broadcast seemed to feature one of the participants flushing a toilet. The sound came out as Roman Martinez, counsel for the American Association of Political Consultants was making his arguments in the second case of the day before the U.S. Supreme Court. 'What the FCC has said is that when the subject matter,' Martinez said - as one can hear what seems to be the clank of a toilet flush, followed by the sound of rushing water. The discovery was first noted by Nicole Ninh, a producer for C-SPAN. And sure enough, that's what seems to have happened. Jeremy Art of C-SPAN swiftly got the potty audio uploaded on Twitter. The toilet audio starts at about the seven second mark of this tweet. Luckily, there does not seem to have been any audio of the actual use of the bathroom by the unidentified person. Those with the ability to have their voice heard on the oral arguments would seem to be limited to the nine Justices, the attorneys on each side, and maybe some Supreme Court officials.
(Feed generated with FetchRSS) - May 06, 2020 at 11:10PM Another Supreme Court first - toilet flush during oral arguments Click on this headline to read the full story at Jamie Dupree - Washington Insider
A day after telling reporters that it was time to phase out the White House Coronavirus task force and have others in government focus on issues related to the virus outbreak, President Donald Trump on Wednesday pulled a 180 and said the task force would go on 'indefinitely.' 'Because of this success, the Task Force will continue on indefinitely with its focus on SAFETY & OPENING UP OUR COUNTRY AGAIN,' the President said in a series of posts on Twitter. 'We have now a different - it’s sort of a combination of safety and reopening,' the President had said on his Tuesday trip to Arizona when asked about the task force. 'So we'll have something in a different form.' While meeting with a group of nurses in the Oval Office on Wednesday, the President told reporters he did not realize the task force had been so well received. “I had no idea how popular the task force is until actually yesterday,” Mr. Trump said, saying he had received phone calls urging him to reverse course, and keep the task force operational. “It is appreciated by the public,” the President added. On Tuesday, Mr. Trump rejected any assertion that he was declaring victory. 'Are you saying “mission accomplished”?' one reporter asked. 'No, no. Not at all. The mission accomplished is when it's over,' the President replied. 'No, I wouldn’t say that at all.' In his tweets on Wednesday, the President said the task force - in whatever form - will focus on a variety of needs, in terms of public health and opening up businesses and schools.
(Feed generated with FetchRSS) - May 06, 2020 at 11:10PM Task force whiplash - Trump says it will live on 'indefinitely' Click on this headline to read the full story at Jamie Dupree - Washington Insider
Vice President Mike Pence confirmed to reporters on Tuesday that the White House is looking to wind down the special Coronavirus task force which has met in recent weeks about the virus outbreak, as the death toll went over 70,000 Americans. The story was first reported by the New York Times. “I think we’re having a conversation about that and about what the proper time is for the task force to complete its work,” Pence told reporters in a discussion in his office on Tuesday. Pence indicated the 'ongoing efforts' against the virus outbreak would continue, but at individual agencies, rather than a task force anchored at the White House. 'But it’s - it really is all a reflection of the tremendous progress we’ve made as a country,' Pence said. Speaking in Arizona, President Trump echoed that assessment. The news came as President Trump publicly refused to have Dr. Anthony Fauci - a key member of the White House task force - testify publicly before any House committee about the virus outbreak. Speaking to reporters before leaving on a day trip to Arizona, the President accused Democrats in the House of creating political trouble by inviting Fauci for testimony. 'Because the House is a setup. The House is a bunch of Trump haters,' Mr. Trump said on the South Lawn of the White House. 'I will tell you, the House, they should be ashamed of themselves,' the President added. President Trump did not explain why it would be okay for Fauci to testify before committees in the Senate which have Democrats serving on them, but not okay in the House. A new poll out on Tuesday from Monmouth University again showed the President's job approval ratings far behind those of most Governors. In the Monmouth poll, the President stands at 43 percent approval, and 51 percent disapproval. 'The month to month shifts are well within the poll’s margin of error, but the overall trendline suggests that the public is growing less satisfied with Trump’s response to the pandemic,” said Patrick Murray, who heads the Monmouth University Polling Institute. The poll had one very interesting nugget - that when there is a difference between the President and Fox News - Republican viewers are much more likely to believe Mr. Trump than Fox.
(Feed generated with FetchRSS) - May 05, 2020 at 10:59PM Pence confirms Coronavirus task force may end work Click on this headline to read the full story at Jamie Dupree - Washington Insider
In a second day of historic oral arguments conducted by telephone because of the Coronavirus outbreak, the Justices of the U.S. Supreme Court again encountered few procedural hiccups in conducting their business, as the live broadcast of the proceedings almost seemed like it had been happening for years. For a second straight day, Justice Clarence Thomas - who once went more than a decade from 2006-2016 without asking a single question in oral arguments - was instead a veritable legal chatterbox by phone. 'What has changed since this case was here last?' Thomas asked attorneys, in a case about rules related to federal funding for HIV/AIDS relief by overseas affiliates of U.S. non-profit groups. Questions from Thomas on Monday broke an over year-long silence by the Justice during oral arguments. In arranging arguments by phone, Chief Justice John Roberts has acted like a moderator, calling on justices by seniority to ask questions. That is different than during normal arguments in the courtroom, where the Justices jump in at a time of their choosing, sometimes talking over each other in a bid to enter the fray. While Thomas surprised court-watchers by again fully participating in the phone arguments, Justice Sonia Sotomayor for a second straight day seemingly had issues with something that's very familiar for people who do conference calls on the phone - the mute button. 'Justice Sotomayor?' Chief Justice John Roberts said, indicating that Sotomayor was next up for questions. After eight seconds of silence, the Chief Justice repeated himself. 'Justice Sotomayor?' There was a noise on the line, and an apology. 'I am sorry, Chief,' Sotomayor said, sounding a bit sheepish. 'Did it again.' For years, the Supreme Court has stubbornly resisted calls by members of Congress to allow for live broadcast of oral arguments - whether with television cameras, or just live audio from the courtroom. In two days of arguments so far, there have been no instances of grandstanding by any of the counsel making the arguments, or the Justices.
(Feed generated with FetchRSS) - May 05, 2020 at 10:59PM Day 2 - Thomas speaks again, Sotomayor once more on mute Click on this headline to read the full story at Jamie Dupree - Washington Insider
An influential scientific model often cited by the White House regarding possible deaths from the Coronavirus dramatically increased its forecast on Monday, now estimating the virus outbreak will result in the deaths of over 134,000 Americans by early August, up from a prediction of 74,000 deaths at that point just a week ago. The Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME) at the University of Washington has often been held out by the White House Coronavirus task force as an important forecast, is now estimating another 47,000 Americans will die in the month of May from the virus. While that's less than the over 60,000 in April - such a figure would bring the death toll over 100,000, higher than President Donald Trump's most recent public guess. 'I used to say 65,000,' the President told Fox News on Sunday. 'And now I'm saying 80 or 90, and it goes up and it goes up rapidly.' In a written statement, the IHME said the reason for the increase in possible deaths was simple - states are loosening restrictions which had kept many businesses shuttered, and many Americans social isolated. 'These projections reflect increased human mobility and the easing of social distancing measures in many US states,' the group noted. The projected deaths through early August from the group range from a low of 95,092 to a maximum of 242,890. 'The revised projections reflect rising mobility in most US states as well as the easing of social distancing measures expected in 31 states by May 11, indicating that growing contacts among people will promote transmission of the coronavirus,' the institute added in a statement. The revisions in the IHME model came as the number of US deaths edged over 68,000 - though it was one of the slowest days for reporting of deaths since April 1, the last time the daily death toll was below 1,000.
(Feed generated with FetchRSS) - May 04, 2020 at 09:59PM Key Coronavirus model now predicts 134,000 deaths in US Click on this headline to read the full story at Jamie Dupree - Washington Insider
For the first time, the U.S. Supreme Court on Monday heard oral arguments by telephone, and allowed those arguments to be broadcast live by the news media, a pair of historic firsts all because of the outbreak of the Coronavirus, which had forced the Justices to postpone scheduled arguments in March and April. For those listening to the arguments about a trademark case involving the website Booking.com, the proceedings were no different than if the Justices had convened in their historic, high-ceiling marble courtroom, as Chief Justice John Roberts banged the gavel, and convened their session. 'We'll hear argument this morning in case 19-46,' the Chief Justice said in his normal introduction. 'Mr. Chief Justice, and may it please the court,' said Erica Ross, an Assistant to the U.S. Solicitor General arguing the government's side. With the Justices and the attorneys not in the same room, the Chief Justice acted as sort of a moderator on the line, interrupting the counsel to allow different Justices to speak. 'Thank you counsel, Justice Ginsburg?' the Chief Justice said. “Again, a few points on that Mr. Chief Justice,” Ross said. At one point, the Chief Justice said Justice Sonia Sotomayor was next - but there was silence. After a few seconds, Justice Sotomayor was on the line - maybe having forgotten to un-mute her phone. 'I'm sorry, Chief,' Sotomayor said. The same thing seemed to happen to Ross for her final wrap up. “Thank you Mr. Chief Justice, sorry about that,” Ross said, after a few seconds of silence. In the past, the High Court has allowed news organizations to broadcast audio of high-stakes proceedings before the Justices, like the arguments on the Obama health law in 2011 and 2015. But never before had the Supreme Court allowed for live coverage of arguments - that changed with the Coronavirus. This historic day was also marked by a rare series of questions from Justice Clarence Thomas, who has marked his career on the High Court mainly by his silence on the bench. It was only the third time in the past four years that Justice Thomas had asked a question during oral arguments - that last time was March 20, 2019. Nearing the end of the arguments, the Chief Justice was trying to speed along the arguments. “Briefly, Miss Blatt,” he told Lisa Blatt, the counsel for Booking.com, who spoke to the Justices in a conversational tone like she was calling in for a weekday chat with one of her friends. For the most part, the telephone audio was fine, though the Justices and counsel at times spoke over each other, causing some audio breakup like you might experience on a conference call or cell phone call. Today's case was the start of six days of arguments by telephone spread over two weeks. The biggest cases come next week over subpoenas issued to banks and accounting firms which have done business with President Donald Trump, as Congress and prosecutors in New York seek his tax and business records. The President has lost in every state and federal court on the way to the U.S. Supreme Court.
(Feed generated with FetchRSS) - May 04, 2020 at 09:59PM Supreme Court makes history with live arguments by phone Click on this headline to read the full story at Jamie Dupree - Washington Insider
The U.S. Senate comes back into session Monday for regular legislative business after most Senators stayed away from the U.S. Capitol for over a month because of the Coronavirus outbreak, but as lawmakers in both parties return to Capitol Hill, the Legislative Branch does not have the resources to test every member of Congress for the virus. “If some of my colleagues in the Senate are really concerned that they won’t survive the process of doing what they were hired to do, then perhaps they should consider another line of work,” said Sen. Mike Lee (R-UT). This weekend, Congressional leaders jointly rejected an offer of testing help from the White House. 'Congress is grateful for the Administration's generous offer to deploy rapid COVID-19 testing capabilities to Capitol Hill, but we respectfully decline the offer at this time,' wrote House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell in a rare joint statement. 'Congress wants to keep directing resources to the front-line facilities where they can do the most good the most quickly,' the two leaders wrote. The decision came as the top doctor on Capitol Hill has told leaders that there are limited tests available to see if any lawmakers have the virus. But while Pelosi and McConnell were in agreement on their testing statement, the two leaders were taking their chambers in different directions - the House staying away from Capitol Hill, while the Senate will convene Monday afternoon. The GOP move has drawn fire from Democrats. 'He would bring 100 senators and many more staff members and reporters into close proximity while Washington itself remains under a stay-at-home order,' Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) said last week in a statement urging McConnell to cancel his plans. 'There is no way to do this without increased risk,' Feinstein added, calling it the 'wrong example for the country.' Unlike at the White House - where visitors coming to see President Donald Trump are given a quick test for the Coronavirus - those facilities are not in place for either the House or Senate. 'It's May 3rd, and President Trump still doesn’t have an adequate national testing strategy,' said Senate Democratic Leader Charles Schumer (D-NY). Regardless of the testing situation, much of the actual Capitol is not exactly suited to social distancing, as Senators, staff, police, security personnel, and reporters will return to work in a Capitol building which features a labyrinth of narrow corridors, cramped elevators, and tiny offices. Up in the work space for Radio and Television reporters - some of it stuffed into the attic of the Senate side of the Capitol - journalists are supposed to maintain six feet of separation, even though they work in small booths which are barely three feet wide. Not only is there concern about what's happening in House and Senate office space, but lawmakers say the Trump Administration needs to do more to help regular businesses deal with the uncertain future ahead. The guidance for lawmakers from the Attending Physician of the Congress, Dr. Brian Monahan, has been basic. 'Minimize the number of staff,' starts a seven page batch of guidelines for dealing with social distancing and daily health screening in Congressional workplaces. 'Visitors should use hand sanitizer upon entry and prior to departure, and utilize a face covering for the duration of their visit,' the recommendations state. 'Use of a face cover is voluntary but highly recommended.' The guidelines will get an immediate test on Monday as the Senate holds its first roll call vote since March 25. The week will also bring a series of high profile hearings - like one on the President's nominee for Director of National Intelligence - where Senators will use a large committee room in order to sit far apart from each other.
(Feed generated with FetchRSS) - May 03, 2020 at 09:29PM Senate returns to work amid Coronavirus uncertainty Click on this headline to read the full story at Jamie Dupree - Washington Insider |
Jamie DupreeJamie Dupree is the Washington Bureau Chief for Cox Communications. He writes and produces radio reports with the aid of digital reconstructions of the voice he lost in 2012.. Archives
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