Rep. Mark Walker, chair of the Republican Study Committee, is looking beyond Trump and building a GOP on the 2012 "autopsy report" recommendations. USA TODAY

President Donald Trump listens as Rep. Mark Walker, R-N.C. speaks during a meeting with the Republican Study Committee, Friday, March 17, 2017, in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington.(Photo: AP)

WASHINGTON At an elite gathering of Republicans in the resort town of Jackson Hole, Wyoming, this month, Rep. Mark Walker gave a speech urgingthe party to do more to reach out to African-Americans, Hispanics and other people of color.

At the forum attended by influential conservatives such as House Speaker Paul Ryan andformer presidentialadviser Karl Rove, Walker elaborated on a message he has delivered inother private conversations with Republicans. Walker's message resonated enough with the audience that after the event, Rove reached out to talk further.

But the next morning, Walker's party wasdealing with fallout from adifferent message on race, when President Donald Trump called his former aide Omarosa Manigault Newman, a black woman, adog.

"That would not be my terminology, Walker said of Trump's comment during a telephone interview late last week with USA TODAY.

The uproar over Trumps comment highlighted a central challenge for Walker, who leads the Republican Study Committee,the largest group of conservatives in the House. Hesaid he is intent on building bridges between the party and African-Americans. But many of Trump's remarkscould help to energize black voters to go to the polls to vote against the GOP in this year's midterm elections.

Walker, an affable former pastor, represents a North Carolina district that is one-fifth African-American. He is championing criminal justice reform andadequate funding for historically black colleges and universities, issues that are high priorities for many African-American voters.

Walker spokesman Jack Minor saidthe lawmaker is working on legislation that would allow student athletes many of whom are black to be compensated for their publicity rights. Walker also has hosted two Washington summits with HBCU leaders, meetings that helped pave the way for year-round Pell grants for HBCU students. He teamed up with North Carolina Democratic Rep. Alma Adams to establish an internship program for students from HBCUs.

Walkeralso was the first Republican in years to give a keynote address at the North Carolina Legislative Black Caucus Foundation dinner in June. All of the group's members are Democrats.

But Walkers quest is an uphill battle given the antipathy toward Trump among black voters and the fact that they overwhelming identify as Democrats.

According to Pew Research data, African-American voters are overwhelmingly Democratic, with 84% identifying or leaningleft. Only 8% of black voters identify with the Republican Party.

Were in a place where we are kind of in a hole digging out when it comes to how we deliver our message, Walker told USA TODAY, acknowledging the challenges for his party. While Walkers district has a larger proportion of African-Americans than those of many other GOP lawmakers, he said thats not the only reason he cares about the outreach.

This is much larger than my district.Im trying to lead by example, he said. Walker won his last election by 18 percentage points and is heavily favored to winre-election in November.

Walker is not the first senior Republican to call for reaching out to minority communities, which are a growing share of the population. Following Mitt Romneys defeat in the 2012 election, the national party commissioned the Republican National Committees Growth and Opportunity Project, also known as the autopsy report." Its findings showed the GOP needed to diversifyto survive.

Walker took the findings to heart during his first run for Congress in 2014, when he sought the support of a local Democraticleader, theRev.Odell Cleveland. It took three meetings for Walker to win over the pastor, includinga chat in Cleveland'soffice, coffee together atMcDonald's and a small group lunch they attended together.

Im a lifelong Democrat and proud of it, but I just believe we have to find common ground, Cleveland said. He added he still vehemently disagrees with some of Walkers votes, like one to repeal the Affordable Care Act, but he likes him.

The Rev. Odell Cleveland, left, and Rep. Mark Walker, R-N.C.(Photo: Handout photo from Odell Cleveland)

Trump won big among white working-class voters in the 2016 presidential election. But even before his campaign began, he had angered many people of color with his effortto prove President Barack Obama was not born in the United States. Then during his campaign he made racially charged comments, such as suggesting that Mexican immigrants were rapists.

Since taking office, the president has further fanned racial flames by questioning why the U.S. would let in people from shithole countries,referring to Haiti and African countries, and said that "many sides" were to blame after a white supremacist rally turned deadly in Charlottesville, Virginia, last year.

Arizona Sen. Jeff Flake a frequent Trump critic who is retiring was the only Republican to immediately speak out about Trump's dog remark about Manigault Newman on Tuesday.

Television personality and former White House staffer Omarosa Manigault Newman listens during an interview with The Associated Press, Tuesday, Aug. 14, 2018, in New York. The president called Manigault Newman "a dog" on Aug. 14.(Photo: AP)

Walker weighed in later in the week during the USA TODAY interview but said he didnt think it was the responsibility of Republican lawmakers to criticize every comment the president makes.

I think on a lot of racial things, a lot of us have pushed back, but is it a member of Congressresponsibility to re-correct and address every statement the president makes? Walker said. I dont know if thats part of our responsibility, especially when there are enough things that have come out of the White House.

Some African-Americans say that unless Republican lawmakers strongly disavow Trumps comments about minorities, their efforts to reach out will go nowhere.

We have a commander in chief that is clearly racist, said Avis Jones-DeWeever, a Democratic consultant who works on minority outreach. Were not seeing Republicans in Congress through very critical moments like these stand up and say anything."

Jones-DeWeever said Walkers biggest problem is that his party has a lack of credibility on whether it truly wants to do what it takes to attract black voters.

Ari Fleischer, who co-wrote the 2012 GOP "autopsy" report and served as President George W. Bushs press secretary, told USA TODAY he was heartened to hear about Walkers work. Fleischer said "it is vital that the party grow its base to include blacks, Hispanics and other minorities.

Right now, he said the party isnt doing a great job. Trumps election expanded Republican voters, Fleischer said, but it was in a different direction. The president brought in whiteblue-collar voters, but that boost doesnt negate the need to also bring in minorities.

Fleischer said despite record unemployment for African-Americans and Hispanics, the presidents rhetoric has not been helpful. (Part of the reason for the drop in the unemployment rate is thatsome people have stopped looking for jobs.)

Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Steele makes his remarks during the group's meeting in Oxon Hill, Maryland, on Jan. 14, 2011.(Photo: AP)

Michael Steele, former chairman of the Republican National Committee and an African-American, said he admires what Walker is doing, but he still doesn't have much hope his party will improve relationships with minorities.

Since Trump stepped all over that document in 2016, you havent heard boo-hiss about it, Steele said about the GOP autopsy" report.

You have guys like Mark and others who take it uponthemselves to try to exemplify those values and back them up with action ... but thats not something that is a concerted push by the party as a whole, and it wont be in this particular era at this particular time, Steele said.

Walker and other Republicans may find an opening with African-Americans who feel the Democratic Party is taking their vote for granted and parachuting in at the last minute to get their support.Sabrina Singh, a spokeswoman for the Democratic National Committee, said the party learned in 2016 that itneeds to startorganizing in minority communities earlier and has been since.

For her part, Anita Estell, head of CELIE, a nonprofit focused on civic engagement, said she didnt think the focus on Trump should prevent people from listening to Walker. Estell said shed be happy to engage with Walker on diversity.

I come from an era where Democrats and Republicans worked together, Estell said. If Mark Walker is trying to be a public servant for all of the residents of North Carolina, God bless him.

Contributing: Deborah Barfield Berry

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MSNBCs Joe Scarborough accused President Donald Trump of declaring war on facts and Americas intelligence community Monday on Morning Joe.

The intel community has proven itself time and time again to put America first, Scarborough said.You look, what Donald Trumps own appointees are saying, what Dan Coats is saying, the director of national intelligence but also what people like Bob Gates have been saying. What people like General Hayden have been saying.(RELATED: Scarborough Scolds Trump Supporters For Not Fact Checking POTUS With Google)

Scarboroughsaid Trump is attacking the intelligence community along with academia and journalists because theyre disrupting his political narratives and must be put down.

WATCH:

Its not a coincidence that Donald Trump is attacking the intel community, that hes attacking journalists, that hes attacking people in academia, that hes attacking science. He attacks fact-based operations, Scarborough continued.

He then accused Trump of being driven crazy by facts and claimed the president is lashing out with his own war against the truth.

People who make their living and who live to gather facts and to put together the reality and of course the intel community has facts about not only the last campaign, but about Vladimir Putin that drive Donald Trump absolutely crazy,Scarboroughconcluded. So, he has his war on facts and he has his war on the intel community.

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Joe Scarborough Accuses Donald Trump Of Declaring War On ...

US President Donald Trump said on Sunday he had "nothing to hide" from the special counsel investigating Russian interference in the 2016 US election, and denied that his top lawyer had turned on him by cooperating with the probe.

Trump, in a series of tweets, denounced the New York Times for a Saturday story saying White House Counsel Don McGahn has cooperated extensively with the special counsel, Robert Mueller. The Times said McGahn had shared detailed accounts about the episodes at the heart of the inquiry into whether President Donald Trump obstructed justice.

"I allowed him and all others to testify - I didn't have to," Trump said in a tweet. Trump said the newspaper made it seem like McGahn had turned on the president - as White House counsel John Dean had in the Watergate investigation of former president Richard Nixon - "when in fact it is just the opposite."

Citing a dozen current and former White House officials and others briefed on the matter, the Times said Saturday that McGahn had shared information, some of which the investigators would not have known about.

On Saturday evening, McGahn's lawyer confirmed the White House counsel had cooperated with Mueller's team. "Mr. McGahn answered the Special Counsel team's questions fulsomely and honestly," William Burck said, explaining the president did not ask McGahn to refrain from discussing any matters.

Trump's outside legal counsel, Rudy Giuliani, said McGahn's cooperation would help bolster Trump's claims that he did nothing wrong.

"The president encouraged him to testify, is happy that he did, is quite secure that there is nothing in the testimony that will hurt the president," Giuliani said on NBC's "Meet the Press."

Dean, who has criticized Trump in recent years, voiced support for McGahn. "McGahn is doing right!" he wrote on Twitter.

According to the New York Times, McGahn in at least three voluntary interviews with investigators that totaled 30 hours over the past nine months, described Trump's furor toward the Russia investigation and the ways in which the president urged McGahn to respond to it.

Trump denies his campaign colluded with Russia and has repeatedly attacked the probe as illegitimate.

On Sunday, he compared Mueller with 1950s-era US Senator Joseph McCarthy, whose anti-Communist crusade eventually led to his censure by the Senate.

"Study the late Joseph McCarthy, because we are now in a period with Mueller and his gang that make Joseph McCarthy look like a baby! Rigged Witch Hunt!" Trump wrote on Twitter.

The newspaper reported McGahn's motivation to speak with the special counsel as an unusual move that was in response to a decision by Trump's first team of lawyers to cooperate fully. But it said another motivation was McGahn's fear he could be placed in legal jeopardy because of decisions made in the White House that could be construed as obstruction of justice.

The newspaper said McGahn was also centrally involved in Trump's attempts to fire the special counsel, which investigators might not have discovered without him.

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Donald Trump says 'nothing to hide' from Special Counsel ...

Congressman Alcee Hastings, an outspoken South Florida Democrat, zeroed in one of his favorite topics on Sunday: President Donald Trump.

Hastings has frequently lambasted the president, and he had an appreciate audience at a Stronger Together rally in Sunrise sponsored by 16 of Browards Democratic clubs.

There is no question that something is tragically wrong with the president of the United States in his mind, said Hastings, who emceed the event that attracted four of the five Democratic candidates for governor and U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson, D-Fla., who is seeking re-election.

Hastings saved that comment for the end, when he was firing up several hundred Democrats and sending them out the door of the Sunrise Civic Center Theater for the Aug. 28 primary and November general election. Nelson and the gubernatorial candidates who aimed milder, but pointed jabs at the president had left.

Hastings, who represents parts of Broward and Palm Beach counties, is known for saying whats on his mind. First elected in 1992, hes the regions most senior member of Congress.

On Sunday, he aimed some pointed humor at the president, both at the beginning of the two-hour rally and at the end.

He began the afternoon by explaining the difference between a crisis and a catastrophe.

A crisis, he said, is if the Trump falls into the Potomac River in the nations capital.

A catastrophe, Hastings said, would be if anybody saves his ass.

At the end of the afternoon, he said hes had to modify one of his regular lines. He used to say that if Robert Mueller, the special counsel investigating the president, doesnt bring down Trump, Stormy Daniels will. Shes the pornographic film actress who says she was paid hush money to keep quiet about past sexual involvement with Trump.

Now, he said, if Mueller doesnt cause Trumps downfall, Omarosa will.

Thats a reference to Omarosa Manigault Newman, the former reality TV show contestant Trump brought into the White House as an aide. Promoting her new book about her time in the White House, Manigault Newman has released covert recordings she made of her firing and of Trumps daughter-in-law offering her $15,000 a month to keep quiet about Trump.

Hastings views about Trump arent new. The month before the 2016 election, he told a group of Broward Democrats that the Republican nominee was "sentient pile of excrement."

In January 2017, he boycotted Trumps inauguration.

Hastings also made a pitch for Democrats to turn out for the 2018 midterm elections to avoid what he said were continued assaults on voting rights, equal rights and womens rights.

Weve seen a degradation in our society, a turning back of the clock in a way that none of us ever imagined would occur, Hastings said.

aman@sunsentinel.com, 954-356-4550 or Twitter @browardpolitics

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Congressman Alcee Hastings says something is tragically ...

Ah yes, the raging incompetent's favorite lie: What My Invisible Friends Are Saying. The odds that reporters have been calling Biff here to apologize for writing stories about his crimez is approximately zero. The odds that Donald spends hours of each day imagining this happening, however, are considerably higher.

Donald Trump has in his hand a list of reporters who are very ashamed that they are writing stories about him, and if you don't believe him you're like Joe McCarthy.

For the record, the New York Times piece that Donald has worked himself up into a multi-hour tantrum over reported that White House counsel Don McGahn has been cooperating with the Mueller probe investigating possible White House obstruction of justice and that Donald, being Donald, may not have fully understood that it was not Don McGahn's job to lie for him.

While the story does suggest Donald may perhaps be confused about some things, that by itself doesn't seem worthy of a full-on Twitter meltdown. Perhaps there is something else going on here?

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Once again, Donald Trump is having a hissyfit on Twitter

Count former CIA and NSA boss Michael V. Hayden among those top former U.S. intelligence officials whod be happy to have President Trump revoke their security clearances, too.

Mr. Hayden made the remarks Sunday on CNN when asked by host Jake Tapper whether he agreed with a column written late last week by retired Adm. William McRaven blasting Mr. Trump for revoking the security clearance of former CIA Director John O. Brennan.

Adm. McRaven said he would consider it an honor to lose his clearance alongside Mr. Brennan so I can add my name to the list of men and women who have spoken up against your presidency.

Mr. Tapper asked Mr. Hayden on Sundays State of the Union program whether he would be similarly honored to have his status ended.

Well, to be included in that group? Sure, he said, going on to name an even more specific reason that Mr. Trump ought to revoke his clearance.

Frankly, if his not revoking my clearance gave the impression that I somehow moved my commentary in a direction more acceptable to the White House, I would find that very disappointing and frankly unacceptable, said Mr. Hayden, who has frequently been critical of Mr. Trump on CNN and other networks.

Mr. Hayden was director of the National Security Agency under Presidents Bill Clinton and George W. Bush and served as CIA director under both Mr. Bush and President Barack Obama.

Mr. Hayden was among more than a dozen former intelligence officials who released a joint statement Thursday night calling Mr. Trumps revocation of Mr. Brennans security clearance ill-considered and merely a reflection of political differences.

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Michael Hayden dares Donald Trump to revoke his security ...

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AFP

The Trump administration on Thursday is due to impose its latest round of punitive tariffs on China, putting 25 percent duties on another $16 billion in imports, with Beijing poised to retaliate dollar-for-dollar.

Washington, Ottawa and Mexico City began talks a year ago to revise the 24-year-old trade pact, which Trump has threatened to scrap should negotiators fail to reach an acceptable deal. Officials have become more optimistic in recent days that they could finalize a NAFTA rewrite by the end of the year.

Some companies across the United States have blamed the tariffs for layoffs, squeezed profit margins and possible bankruptcies. Lawmakers in Trump's own Republican party have expressed outrage about the multi-front trade conflicts and warned of long-term damage to the economy.

But White House officials say the American economy is more than robust enough to endure the conflict, which they believe will ultimately result in more equitable trade that reduces the US trade deficit.

A majority of those surveyed by NABE approved of December's corporate tax reductions but only a small share favored the changes for individuals, which Democrats have criticized as unduly favorable to the wealthy.

More than 80 percent believed current fiscal policy would expand the budget deficit as a share of GDP, and agreed Congress should work to reduce it.

Large majorities also favored fighting climate change and combating income inequality but were split on how to achieve the latter goal, according to the report.

According to the latest NABE survey, 60 percent of respondents believed economic policy should do more to combat climate change.

In addition, 74 percent said economic policy should do more to combat income inequality but respondents were divided on the best means of doing this: 47 percent supported more education to improve worker productivity, while 33 percent favored more progressive taxation.

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Economists Warn Donald Trump's Tariffs Wars will Harm US

The Trump administration says the U.S. no longer considers conserving oil economically important as President Donald Trump seeks to weaponize the countrys energy sector against Russia.

The Department of Energy announced the policy shift in a memo in August, The Associated Press reported Sunday. The memo comes after the administration rolled back Obama-era fuel mileage standards the statement also notes the shale boom poised to make the U.S. a top global oil producer.

Booming shale production gives the country more flexibility to use our oil resources with less concern for supply or price shocks, according to DOEs statement. The government still believes in the need to treat energy wisely, the memo adds without clarifying what that entails.

The U.S. is expected to overtake Russia and Saudi Arabia as the world leader in oil and gas production in 2019.

International Energy Agency chief Fatih Birol, for one, recognized the U.S. in January as the undisputed oil and gas producer in the world over the next several decades because of the strong predictions of success of the U.S. oil and gas sector over time.(RELATED: US Quickly Becoming The Undisputed Global Oil And Gas Leader, Says IEA Head)

Europe moving toward American natural gas exports could have implications for Russian President Vladimir Putin, who currentlybenefitsfrom Russian liquefied natural gas (LNG) exports to the EU. Natural gas accounts for over one-third of Russias federal budget revenues, with over 75 percent of its natural gas exports going to Europe in 2016, according to the Energy Information Administration.

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Actor Michael Shannon frequently plays a villain on the big screen, but theres one role the two-time Oscar nominee wont take.

Shannon told Playboy magazine hell never portray that fucking guy President Donald Trump.

Andrew Kelly / ReutersIn case you were wondering, actor Michael Shannon absolutely, positively would not play Donald Trump in a movie.

Just to get inside his head? interviewer Eric Spitznagel prodded. You talked about being fascinated with bad men who are suffering.

But Shannon, who played Zod in Man of Steel,Nelson Van Alden in HBOs Boardwalk Empire and Col.Richard Strickland in The Shape of Water, said Trump wasnt suffering.

Hes having a blast! Shannon said. Are you fucking kidding me? That guy is having so much fun.

In fact, Shannon said, Trump was having the time of his fucking life.

He doesnt even have to work. All the hard work that most people have to do to get to be president of the United States, he just skipped all that. The fucking guy doesnt even know whats in the Constitution. He doesnt have any grasp of history or politics or law or anything. Hes just blindfolded, throwing darts at the side of a bus.

Shannon said Trump wasnt capable of deep reflection in any form.

It doesnt happen, he said. Fuck that guy. When hes alone with his thoughts, hes not capable of anything more complex than I want some pussy and a cheeseburger. Maybe my wife will blow me if I tell her shes pretty.

After joking that he would play National Security Adviser John Bolton in a Trump movie because of his mustache, Shannon said he hoped no such film was ever made not even one critical of the administration.

My preference would be that it just fade into nonexistence, Shannon said. I wouldnt want to memorialize it or celebrate it in any way.

Shannon, who was nominated for Best Supporting Actor for 2009s Revolutionary Road and 2016s Nocturnal Animals, was similarly dismissive when asked about Trump voters.

Somebody who thinks Trump is doing a good job, theres no conversation to have with that person, he said. I know they say you should reach across the aisle and all that crap, but to me it feels like putting your hand in a fan.

Shannon has shared even harsher comments about Trump voters in the past. Shortly after the 2016 election, he noted that many of the presidents supporters were older.

No offense to the seniors out there. My moms a senior citizen, Shannon told Metro News. But if youre voting for Trump, its time for the urn.

When the interviewer said he was struggling to talk to his own parents who voted for Trump, Shannon offered some pretty blunt advice.

Fuck em, he said. Youre an orphan now. Dont go home. Dont go home for Thanksgiving or Christmas. Dont talk to them at all. Silence speaks volumes.

Shannons latest remarks in the September/October edition of Playboy have not yet been published online, but excerpts posted on Twitter received almost as much praise as his acting:

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Michael Shannon Explains Why He'd Never Play 'That F**king ...

The president's personal lawyer Rudy Giuliani: "Truth isn't truth." (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)

They've been flirting with it for a while, but they've finally crossed the Rubicon and moved firmly into 1984 territory.

I'm referring of course to the dark classic novel by George Orwell, which was written in 1949 and describes "Big Brother" and a future dystopian state characterized by, as Wikipedia accurately describes it, "official deception...brazenly misleading terminology, and manipulation of recorded history." Yep, sound familiar? 'Fraid it does.

What pushed me (and our administration) over the line, I'm sorry to say, and into truly Orwellian territory, was this little exchange today between Rudy Giuliani and NBC's Chuck Todd, as reported by CNN, on Meet The Press.

"When you tell me that, you know, he [Mr. Trump] should testify because he's going to tell the truth and he shouldn't worry, well, that's so silly because it's somebody's version of the truth. Not the truth..."

"Truth is truth," Todd said in response.

"No, no, it isn't truth," Giuliani said. "Truth isn't truth. The president of the United States says, 'I didn't...'"

"Truth isn't truth," Todd interjected. "Mr. Mayor, do you realize, what... I think this is going to become a bad meme."

Got that right. A really bad meme.

The lure of alternative reality

In a way, though, Mr. Giuliani's verbal truth-stretching isn't surprising. No, not surprising at all. Anyone who's watched our president push the boundaries of veracity for the last couple of years has seen an Administration that regards facts mostly as inconvenient data points to be molded as the mood suits.

There's the ever-convenient whipping boy fake news (loosely defined as any news coverage the president dislikes).

There's Kellyanne Conway's now-classic reference to alternative facts.

There's the Washington's Post's ongoing meticulous documentation of the president's "false or misleading claims" (4,229 as of August 1).

There's the president's own recent seriously Orwellian quote, "Stick with us," he told the crowd at a speech in Kansas City, "Don't believe the crap you see from these people, the fake news... What you're seeing and what you're reading is not what's happening."

Think about it. What you're seeing and what you're reading is not what's happening. Sound anything like 1984's"official deception, brazenly misleading terminology, and manipulation of recorded history"?

I could go on and on about this craziness but too much alternative reality makes my head start to hurt. Which I guess is sort of the point. Doublespeak disturbs people. It confuses them. If you're not paying too close attention (which is my problem and why my head is hurting), it wears you down.

4,229 lies (call them what they are) by the Washington Post's careful count, and that was 18 days ago. I usually write about management and I can say with 100% certainty that no CEO of a public company could lie 4,229 times to his or her shareholders and remain in the role. No way, no how, not even close.

But at the end of the day the fact that our president lies frequently doesn't even any longer surprise me, nor does the fact thatMr. Giuliani clownishly enables his client by muddying the waters and publicly confusing these lies. No, what'smore disturbing is that in the face of all this Orwellian doublespeak so many normally decent Republicans in Congress who surely know better remain silent as amoebas and slugs.

Oh well, guess I shouldn't be too surprised by such silence. After all, amoebas and slugs don't have any backbone, they lack a spine.

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When 'Truth Isn't Truth' -- Mr. Orwell, Meet Donald Trump's ...

The former CIA director John Brennan is threatening legal action against Donald Trump, after he was summarily stripped of his security clearance in an unprecedented display of presidential pique.

Brennan took to the airways on Sunday on NBCs Meet the Press and made clear that he had no intention of being cowered by Trumps bombshell action to deprive him of access to classified information. The unparalleled move has triggered an equally unparalleled blowback from 13 of the most revered national security figures in the country, who penned a joint letter decrying the move as ill-considered and unprecedented.

The man at the center of the billowing dispute has now substantially upped the ante by stating that he is considering legal action. Brennan said he had been contacted by a number of lawyers and was actively weighing his options.

He told NBC that in his opinion the revoking of his security clearance was Trumps way of trying to scare other existing and former government officials.

I am going to do whatever I can to try and prevent these abuses occurring in the future

It was a clear signal that if you cross him he will use whatever tools he might have at his disposal to punish you, he said.

Brennan called the move an example of Trumps egregious approach to power. He said: I am going to do whatever I can to try and prevent these abuses occurring in the future and if that means going to court I will do that.

While the former CIA director has been busily doubling down on his criticism of Trump, the White House and its supporters in Congress have also been energetically mounting a campaign of character assassination against him.

Richard Burr, the Republican chair of the Senate intelligence committee, began the outpouring last week when he suggested that any comment by Brennan accusing Trump of possible collusion with Russia that had been based on classified information gathered since he left the CIA would constitute an intelligence breach.

When he was CIA director I was very troubled by what I thought was his politicization of the intelligence community

On Sunday, national security adviser John Bolton echoed the claim when he told ABCs This Week: A number of people have commented that [Brennan] couldnt be in the position hes in of criticizing President Trump and his so-called collusion with Russia unless he did use classified information.

Bolton was forced to admit he could point to no specific examples of any such breach. Instead, he further cast aspersions on Brennan by questioning his actions while in office as Barack Obamas final CIA director.

When he was CIA director I was very troubled by his conduct, by statements he made in public and by what I thought was his politicization of the intelligence community, Bolton said, again without offering specifics.

Brennan denied any intelligence breach, saying his criticisms of Trump had been fully based on the reports of a free and open press. He also said: I dont believe Im being political at all Im not a Republican or a Democrat.

The White House appears to be trying to turn the blazing controversy over security clearances away from Trumps unprecedented action and on to Brennans character. To some degree, Brennan has offered Trump a helping hand by seeming to rein back on his most serious charge: that during his joint press conference with the Russian president Vladimir Putin in July, the president acted in a way that was nothing short of treasonous.

On Friday, Brennan said he hadnt intended to say that Trump actually committed treason. He told MSNBCs Rachel Maddow that sometimes my Irish comes out and in my tweets.

On the back of such remarks, Brennan has come under some criticism from even his allies. Former director of national intelligence James Clapper, who was one of the 13 senior figures who signed the letter opposing the removal of Brennans clearance, told CNNs State of the Union his rhetoric have become an issue in and of itself.

He added: John is sort of like a freight train, and hes going to say whats on his mind.

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John Brennan threatens to sue Trump over stripped security ...

Its impossible to know where to begin with the Donald, and you could write War and Peace and still not get close to describing the last six months of his 2016 presidential campaignas if theres a word that could possibly describe it. So lets just zero in on the money.

Im really rich, Trump declared while announcing his candidacy in June 2015. To prove it, he released a Summary of Net Worth balance sheet, indicating a net worth of $8,737,540,000. A month later he upwardly revised that figure to in excess of TEN BILLION DOLLARS. (The caps are his.)

Since then, a cottage industry of spreadsheet-diving journalists has worked itself into a lather trying to peg his real net worth. But without tax returns to go on, its really anybodys guess. Despite the all-caps figures Trump has dispensed, most estimates from the established financial-media outlets have been lower, FAR LOWER. Forbes put his net worth at $4.5 billion. Fortune postulated $3.7 billion, and later upped it to $3.9 billion. Bloomberg guessed it was closer to $2.9 billion.

In response to these wanton guesstimates, Trump instinctually fired back at the guesstimators. Forbes is a bankrupt magazine, doesnt know what theyre talking about. Fortune has no idea what my assets are and has totally lost its way. But the real sulfuric acid was reserved for the lowballers over at Bloomberg. As usual, Trump made it personal, even suggesting his friend, the former New York City mayor, might be jealous. Maybe Michael told them to do it, Trump speculated in the Daily Mail, because he always wanted to do what Im doing. Perhaps wisely, The New Yorkereven with its legendary phalanx of persnickety fact-checkerswouldnt venture any closer than just a back-of-the-envelope calculation of $2.56 billion, which shouldnt be taken too seriously.

In November, Trump was elected president of the United States in a shocking turn of events. He lost the popular vote by some two million ballots.

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Hive: Donald Trump News, In-Depth Articles, Photos & Videos ...

The 45th President of the United StatesDonald J. Trump

"We will make America strong again. We will make America proud again. We will make America safe again. And we will Make America Great Again!"

- PresidentDonald J. Trump

Donald J. Trump is the very definition of the American success story, setting the standards of excellence in his business endeavors, and now, for the United States of America.

A graduate of the Wharton School of Finance, President Trump has always dreamed big and pushed the boundaries of what is possible his entire career, devoting his life to building business, jobs and the American Dream. This was brought to life by a movement he inspired in the people of America when he announced his candidacy for President of the United States in June 2015.

This movement would ultimately lead to one of the most unique Presidential campaigns in history. Ever the leader, Trump followed no rule book and took his message, Make America Great Again directly to the people. Campaigning in historically democratic states and counties across the country, Trump was elected President in November 2016 in the largest electoral college landslide for a Republican in 28 years.

President Trump is working hard to implement his America First platform, continuing his promise to the American people to lower taxes, repeal and replace Obamacare, end stifling regulations, protect our borders, keep jobs in our country, take care of our veterans, strengthen our military and law enforcement, and renegotiate bad trade deals, creating a government of, by and for the people.

He is making America First, again, restoring our nations faith, ushering in a bright, new future now and for generations to come.

Born in Columbus, Indiana, Mike Pence had a front row seat to the American Dream. A family of Irish immigrants, Vice President watched his grandparents and parents build everything that matters a family, a business, and a good name. He was raised to believe in the importance of hard work, faith, and family.

After meeting the love of his life, Second Lady Karen Pence, and graduating law school, Vice President Pence led the Indiana Policy Review Foundation and hosted a syndicated talk radio show focused on Indiana public affairs. Along the way, he became the proud father to three children.

In 2000, he launched a successful bid for his local congressional seat, entering the United States House of Representatives at the age of 40. After serving in Congress for 12 years, Vice President was elected the 50th Governor of Indiana in 2012. It was Indianas success story, his record of legislative and executive experience, and his strong family values that prompted President Donald Trump to select Mike Pence as his running mate in July 2016.

Since being elected on November 8, 2016, Vice President Mike Pence remains grateful for the grace of God, the love and support of his family, and the blessings of liberty that are every Americans birthright. He looks forward to working with the American people as together they seek to Make America Great Again.

Donald J.Trump & Mike Pence

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About | Donald J Trump

U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley isnt having it.

Not for the first time, President Donald Trump and one of his Cabinet members appear to be somewhat at odds. And in the past this traffic has gone one way. The former South Carolina governor is different, though, POLITICOs Eliana Johnson and Burgess Everett report.

In the span of 24 hours Haley has done what none of her colleagues in Trumps Cabinet have before: successfully telegraphed to her boss that she will not quietly suffer his public humiliations.

Haley had initially absorbed blame from White House aides who said she created confusion by speaking on national television about new sanctions against Russia sanctions which Trump ultimately decided to wait on. But within hours of White House economic aide Larry Kudlow saying that Haley perhaps had momentary confusion about the plan on sanctions, Haley fired back. She unleashed a withering reply With all due respect, I dont get confused and Kudlow had phoned her to apologize.

The White House and, perhaps as importantly, Trump, have stayed silent on the topic since then.

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Donald Trump: Latest News, Top Stories & Analysis - POLITICO

Napolitano: The real threat to Donald Trump

Judge Napolitano's Chambers: Judge Andrew Napolitano explains why it was legal for the FBI to raid Trump's lawyer Michael Cohen's office, but why the raid is not the real threat to the president.

In the midst of worrying about North Korea, Syria and Democrats taking control of the House of Representatives this fall, President Donald Trump is now worrying about a government assault on his own business, which targeted his own lawyer.

Michael Cohen has been the personal lawyer for Trump and for the Trump Organization -- the umbrella corporation through which Trump owns or manages nearly all entities that bear his name -- for many years. Cohen is so closely connected to the Trump Organization that one of his two law offices is located on the 26th floor of Trump Tower, just a few doors from the corner office formerly occupied by Trump himself.

On Monday, shortly before dawn, a team of FBI agents bearing a search warrant from a federal judge broke in to the offices of the Trump Organization and removed computers, files, tax returns and telephones from Cohens office. At about the same time, three other teams of FBI agents performed raids. One was at another of Cohens offices a few blocks away, and his vacant New York City apartment and hotel rooms he had been occupying were searched, too; and agents also seized personal and professional files and equipment from those venues.

Did the FBI lawfully break in to the headquarters of the presidents family business and cart away files and equipment from his lawyer, as well as legal and financial files of the president himself? The short answer is: yes.

Here is the back story.

In October 2016, when the federal government began its investigation of alleged attempts by the Russian government to interfere with the 2016 presidential election, then-Attorney General Loretta Lynch managed the work.

After Trump became president and Jeff Sessions became attorney general and Sessions recused himself from this investigation, the No. 2 person in the Department of Justice appointed former FBI Director Robert Mueller as special counsel in charge of the Russia investigation. The investigation in Washington is 18 months old and has been run by Mueller for about 11 months.

If a criminal investigation stumbles upon evidence of crimes substantially removed by geography or subject matter from the location and principal responsibilities of the investigation, it is the prosecutors duty either to prosecute those crimes if feasible or to pass whatever evidence has been found on to another prosecutor closer to the place of the alleged crime.

Sometimes, keeping that evidence is a temptation too great to resist. Thats because one of the techniques that prosecutors in America use to gather evidence about a crime is to indict those at the fringes of the behavior they are investigating and then attempt, by coercion and bribery, to turn those indicted individuals into cooperating witnesses. Sometimes the indicted crime is truly at the fringes, both rationally and geographically. But the targets of these fringe prosecutions are rarely attorneys who are representing a person who is a subject of the investigation.

Until now.

Though Cohen does not represent Trump in the Mueller investigation, he does represent him in nearly all other legal matters, and his files contain a treasure-trove of confidential and financial materials from and about Trump. Judges are very reluctant to sign search warrants authorizing the seizure of legal files, with two exceptions.

The first is the so-called crime/fraud exception. Under this rule, if the client is using his confidential communications with his lawyer to further an ongoing crime, fraud or tort, the communications are not privileged, and evidence of them may be seized.

The other exception is the independent criminal activity of the lawyer. That appears to be the case here. It seems that Cohen -- who claims he borrowed $130,000 from a bank to pay an adult-film actress to remain silent about her relationship to Trump, which Trump denies was sexual -- did not tell the bank from which he borrowed the funds the true purpose of the loan.

If so, that may be evidence of bank fraud on Cohens part. If he wired those funds over interstate lines, that is evidence of wire fraud. If he used the U.S. Postal Service to facilitate a material part of the deal with the actress, that would be considered mail fraud. Each of these fraud charges carries a prison term of five years.

When FBI agents arrive for a raid, they rarely take the time to examine fully all the documents they have seized -- even if the documents are protected by the attorney-client privilege and even if the client is the president of the United States. Needless to say, there are safeguards in place to prevent the prosecutors who dispatched the agents from viewing the privileged materials.

When Mueller in Washington came upon evidence of Cohens bank fraud in Manhattan, he passed it along to the U.S. attorneys office in Manhattan. That office -- not Mueller -- examined the evidence and obtained the search warrants for Cohens personal and professional premises, authorized the raids of those premises and received the fruits of the raids.

What will become of Cohen? Federal prosecutors in Manhattan will now decide whether to ask a grand jury to indict him on the fraud charges, and if he is indicted, Mueller will enter the picture looking to make a deal.

Trumps lawyer was Muellers bait.

All of this has understandably infuriated Trump. His rights as a client were violated. His attorney of many years and on many matters will soon be a defendant. Can Trump restrain himself from offering to pardon those who could harm him or firing those who are tormenting him or waging war against real or imagined enemies? Will his anger, frustration and disgust at the violation of his financial and personal privacy push him and America into what even congressional Republicans fear would be a constitutional crisis?

The potential failure of self-restraint is the real threat he now faces.

Andrew P. Napolitano, a former judge of the Superior Court of New Jersey, is the senior judicial analyst at Fox News Channel.

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President Donald Trump says he'll "forcefully" respond to an alleged chemical weapons attack in Syria. Trump made the remark in the Cabinet Room of the White House during a meeting Monday evening with his top military leaders. (April 9) AP

President Trump(Photo: Evan Vucci, AP)

WASHINGTON A day after saying missiles would be flying toward Syria, President Trump sowed uncertainty about his plans Thursday by claiming he never said "when" there would be an attack,and reserving a final decision for at least another day.

"Could be very soon or not so soon at all!" Trump said in a morning tweet.

Later in the day, after Trump had met with his national security team,White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders said, "we are continuing to assess intelligence and are engaged in conversations with our partners and allies."

Trump spoke Thursday with key allies French President Emmanuel Macron and British Prime Minister Theresa May.

They agreed it was vital that the use of chemical weapons did not go unchallenged, and on the need to deter the further use of chemical weapons by the Assad regime," a Downing Street spokesman said in a statement.

They agreed to keep working closely together on the international response.

In his tweet about timing, Trumpalso claimed success in the fight against the Islamic State in Syria and elsewhere, but said he was not getting enough credit.

"In any event, the United States, under my Administration, has done a great job of ridding the region of ISIS," Trump tweeted. "Where is our 'Thank you America?'"

Trump later told reporters that decisions about a Syrian response will be made"fairly soon," and that "it's too bad that the world puts us in a position like that."

Questions about the timetable came a day after Trump signaled an attack in a response to a Russian threat to shoot down U.S. missiles aimed at Syria.

"Russia vows to shoot down any and all missiles fired at Syria," Trump tweeted Wednesday. "Get ready Russia, because they will be coming, nice and new and 'smart!'"

A U.S. attack on Syria would be in a response to a chemical weapons attack on anti-government rebels, one that Trump and other officials blame on leader Bashar Assad. In his tweet at the Russians, Trump told them, "you shouldnt be partners with a Gas Killing Animal who kills his people and enjoys it!"

More: Trump huddles with military aides on Syria response amid fight with Russians

More: All eyes on Syria as U.S. weighs military strike: Here's the latest

Trump's national security team huddled at the White House on Wednesday to discuss the response to Syria. The president is also speaking with allies in Great Britain and France about a possible coordinated effort, though German Chancellor Angela Merkel said Thursday her country would not participate in possible military action in Syria.

May and her Cabinet, meanwhile, met in London on Thursday and "agreed on the need to take action to alleviate humanitarian distress and to deter the further use of chemical weapons by the Assad regime," said a statement from Downing Street.

Macron, the French president, said he had "proof" that the Assad government mounted the chemical weapons attack. The French president said he would decide soon whether to back a military response.

"We have a number of options," said White House spokeswoman Sarah Sanders, "and all of those options are still on the table."

Some lawmakers criticized Trump's apparent telegraphing by tweet of a missile strike in Syria.

"Promising war by tweet, insults not only the Constitution but every soldier who puts their life on the line," tweeted Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky.

Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova hit Trump in a Facebook post: "Smart missiles should fly toward terrorists, not the legal government that has been fighting international terrorism for several years on its territory."

In another series of tweets on Wednesday, Trump bemoaned the state of relations between the United States and Russia. At one point, he blamed the tensions on Special Counsel Robert Mueller and his investigation into Russian efforts to interfere in the 2016 U.S. presidential election.

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Donald Trump: I didn't say 'when' I would attack Syria with ...

He looked right at Larry Kudlow and said, Larry go get it done, Sasse said, recounting the meeting to White House reporters.

Sasse and other members of Congress and governors from agriculture states met with the president at the White House to express concerns about higher China tariffs hurting American farmers.

Senators Deb Fisher (R-NE), Pat Roberts (R-KS), and John Hoeven (R-ND),who also attended the meeting, confirmed Trumps interest in rejoining TPP.

Roberts said he was very impressed that Trump instructed both Kudlow and Robert Lighthizer to explore the idea of rejoining TPP.

That would certainly be good news all throughout farm country, Roberts said.

Fischer said that the president also discussed the importance of ethanol and the renegotiation of NAFTA with the president.

Hoeven said the meeting with Trump was a very positive meeting about opening up more markets to free and fair trade.

The senators did not have a timeline for the president but appeared confident that the president heard their concerns.

Clearly its a deliberative process,and the president is a guy who likes to blue-sky a lot and entertain a lot of different ideas, but he multiple times reaffirmed the point that TPP might be easier for us to join now once the TPP 11 is alignedand that we might be the 12th party to those negotiations, Sasse said.

TPP-11 is the group of Pacific nations who signed a renewed free trade pact after Trump pulled the United States out of TPP.

Sasse,who recently returned from a trip to China, admitted that they cheated on trade and stole intellectual property but suggested that the best way to compete with them was to lead Pacific nations on global trade.

He criticized the presidents strategy of proposing higher tariffs on China to get them to play fair on trade.

Tariffs first and U.S. alone action that focuses just on tariffs and steel thats not going to solve the real problems we have, he said.

He criticized the idea of using government welfare payments to farmers to help them survive threatening tariffs from China.

They dont want welfare payments, they want to feed the world, Sasse said.

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Ben Sasse: Donald Trump Ready to Rejoin TPP and Help American ...

4/12/2018 1:49 PM PDT

Donald Trump has a sixth child nobody knows about -- a kid he had with his former housekeeper ... according to a stunning revelation by a doorman who used to work at Trump Tower.

Dino Sajudinhas just doubled down on his claim, saying ..."I can confirm that while working at Trump World Tower I was instructed not to criticize President Trump's former housekeeper due to a prior relationship she had with President Trump which produced a child."

Sajudin also admits he had a confidential agreement with The National Enquirer about the story of Trump fathering a child out of wedlock in the late '80s.

Earlier Thursday, a report came out saying the Enquirer paid $30,000 for Sajudin's story in order to bury it ... which is similar to allegations made by Karen McDougal regarding her story of having an affair with Trump. The outlet says after investigating it determined Sajudin's claim was false.

The Trump Organization also denied his claims.

If the story turns out to be true, it would mean the Prez has a child around 30 years of age ... which would put him or her older than Tiffany but younger than Eric.

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Trump Tower Doorman Claims Donald Trump Had Child with ...

If youve traveled around the Continent lately, you probably have a pretty good idea of how Europeans feel about Trump. And if you havent, all you need to do is look at a recent Gallup poll that shows the approval of U.S. leadership dropping from 44% at the end of Obamas presidency to a dismal 25% for Trumps first year.

However, according to Adam Triggs of the Brookings Institution, our European friends could very well be thanking the president by the time hes done.

Triggs admits its an unusual thought, considering some of the trade-war rhetoric being hurled around, but he wrote in a post that Europe has a chance to capitalize on stimulus in the U.S. with some much-needed spending of its own.

Trumps fiscal stimulus is no small thing, Triggs explained. The U.S. Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, and the decision of Congress to raise spending limits over the next two years, implies a significant easing of U.S. fiscal policy.

For the U.S., that sugar hit will boost the economy, at least in the short term, in Triggss view. While higher interest rates and a stronger dollar will ultimately provide some headwinds to U.S. growth, theyll only serve to give our trading partners a leg up.

The logic is straightforward: When a country undertakes stimulus alone, an appreciated exchange rate tends to offset some of the short-term benefits of stimulus, Triggs said. But when your trading partners are stimulating at the same time, much of this exchange-rate effect is neutralized. Combined with increased demand for your exports, this means a bigger bang for your stimulus buck.

The depths of the financial crisis in Europe may have passed, but Triggs pointed out that unemployment remains at eye-wateringly high levels in some areas Greece, Spain and Italy particularly among the younger generation.

So, he said, if ever there was a good time to bump up spending in Europe and put people back to work, now, thanks to Trumps policies, is that time.

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Donald J. Trump, savior of Europe? - MarketWatch

The Associated Press

by Charlie Spiering12 Apr 20180

Never said when an attack on Syria would take place, he wrote on Thursday. Could be very soon or not so soon at all!

Despite his hesitation to launch a military attack in Syria, Trump indicated that he wanted credit for helping take out the Islamic State in the Middle East.

In any event, the United States, under my Administration, has done a great job of ridding the region of ISIS, he wrote. Where is our Thank you America?

The president warned Russia on Wednesday that he would strike Syria with nice and new and smart' missiles despite their threat to retaliate.

You shouldnt be partners with a Gas Killing Animal who kills his people and enjoys it! he wrote.

Big Government, Breitbart Jerusalem, National Security, Donald Trump, ISIS, Islamic State, jihad, Russia, strike, Syria, White House

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Donald Trump: Syria Attack Could Be Very Soon or Not So Soon