NEWS BRIEFING
Trump wanted to prosecute Clinton, Comey, report says
Then-counsel Don McGahn told the president he had no authority to order such a prosecution, and he had White House lawyers prepare the memo arguing against such a move, The Associated Press confirmed with a person familiar with the matter. McGahn said that Trump could request such a probe but that even asking could lead to accusations of abuse of power, the newspaper said.
Trump has continued to privately discuss the matter of prosecuting his longtime adversaries, including talk of a new special counsel to investigate Clinton and Comey, the newspaper said, citing two people who had spoken to Trump about the matter.
Trump has repeatedly and publicly called on the Justice Department to investigate Clinton, and he has tweeted his dismay over what he saw as former Attorney General Jeff Sessions’ reluctance to go after Clinton.
Trump’s former lawyer, John Dowd, urged Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein in a memo last year to investigate Comey and his handling of the Clinton email investigation.
The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the report. McGahn’s lawyer, William Burck, also did not respond to a request for comment.
May gets reprieve on Brexit, but faces warning from allies
Northern Ireland’s Democratic Unionist Party struck a deal last year to back May’s Conservatives on major legislation.
But the Protestant, pro-U.K. party opposes the Brexit deal’s plans for keeping the border between Northern Ireland and EU member Ireland open, saying it weakens the ties binding the U.K.
In a warning to May, DUP lawmakers abstained or opposed the government during several votes on a finance bill Monday.
Ex-MSU president accused of lying to police about Nassar
Simon, 71, who stepped down under pressure in January, spoke with state police investigators May 1. She is accused of making two false and misleading statements — that she was unaware of the nature of a sexual misconduct complaint that sparked the school’s 2014 Title IX probe of Nassar, and that she only knew a sports medicine doctor, not Nassar himself, was under investigation at that time.
Her attorney Lee Silver called the charges “completely baseless.”
Fudge abandons quest for House speaker, backs Pelosi
Fudge, D-Ohio, said she wanted to “ensure diversity, equity and inclusion at all levels” in the House and she’s “now confident” they can “move forward together.”
Also Tuesday during an interview, former President Barack Obama praised Pelosi as one of the most effective legislative leaders in the country’s history.
Pelosi named Fudge the incoming chairwoman of a revived elections subcommittee. The panel will delve into voting rights issues that are a priority for Fudge and Democrats. Fudge’s decision is a blow to the group of Democrats trying to block Pelosi.
Probe sought of acting AG’s White House contacts
Sen. Chuck Schumer wants the Justice Department’s inspector general to look into Whitaker’s communications beginning in 2017, when he was named chief of staff to then-Attorney General Jeff Sessions. Whitaker was elevated to the top job after Sessions resigned this month.
In a letter to Inspector General Michael Horowitz, Schumer, D-N.Y., said he wants investigators to look into whether Whitaker had access to confidential grand jury information in special counsel Robert Mueller’s Russia investigation, and whether Whitaker shared any information with Trump or others in the administration.
Facing barbs, Trump says he’ll visit GIs in war zone
Responding to questions from reporters Tuesday before leaving Washington to visit his private club Mar-a-Lago in Florida for the Thanksgiving holiday, Trump said, “I’m going to a war zone.” He did not say when he would be making the trip or to which conflict area.
Trump addressed criticism on “Fox News Sunday” this week that he has not yet visited American troops in Afghanistan or Iraq. He said, “I think you will see that happen,” adding, “there are things that are being planned.”
An administration official said a White House team has recently begun planning for a visit.
The joint operations command said in a statement its F-16 jets firing across the border Tuesday destroyed a base and an arms warehouse in the Syrian villages of Sousa and Baghous.