With eyes on midterms, Donald Trump embraces immigration fight
Calling the shots as his West Wing clears out, President Donald Trump sees his hard-line immigration stance as a winning issue heading into a midterm election he views as a referendum on his protectionist policies. “You have to stand for something,” Trump declared Tuesday, as he defended his administration’s immigration policy amid mounting criticism over the forced separation of children from their parents at the U.S.-Mexico border. The chorus of condemnation includes Democrats, as well as Republicans, who are increasingly worried that reports about bereft children taken from their parents could damage the GOP’s chances in November. Still, Trump believes that his immigration pledges helped win him the presidency and that his most loyal supporters want him to follow through. He made a rare trip to Capitol Hill late Tuesday to meet with GOP legislators and endorse a pair of bills that would keep detained families together, among other changes, but he remains confident that projecting toughness on immigration is the right call, said five White House officials and outside advisers who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly. “It’s amazing how people are surprised that he’s keeping the promises he made on the campaign trail now,” said Trump political adviser Bill Stepien. While the White House signaled Trump may be open to a narrow fix to deal with the problem, the president spent the day stressing immigration policies that he has championed throughout his surprise political career. He has resisted calls to reverse the separation policy, saying any change must come through Congress. In a speech to a business group earlier Tuesday, Trump said he wanted to see legislation deal with family separation, which, he said, “We don’t want.” He also emphasized border security and again made the false argument that Democrats are to blame for the family separation problem. Said Trump: “Politically correct or not, we have a country that needs security, that needs safety, that has to be protected.” Several White House aides, led by adviser Stephen Miller, have encouraged the president to make immigration a defining issue for the midterms. And Trump has told advisers he believes he looks strong on the matter, suggesting that it could be a winning culture war issue much like his attacks on NFL players who take a knee for the national anthem. Former Trump senior adviser Steve Bannon said the president is emphasizing the policies that brought him to the White House. “I think this is one of his best moments. I think this is a profile in courage. This is why America elected him,” Bannon said. “This is not doubling down, it is tripling down.” Still, Trump, a voracious watcher of cable news who is especially attuned to the power of images, appeared to acknowledge later Tuesday that the optics could be doing damage. During his closed-door meeting with lawmakers on the Hill, Trump said his daughter Ivanka had encouraged him to find a way to end the practice, and he said separating families at the border “looked bad,” according to several attendees. “He said, ’Politically, this is bad,’” said Rep. Randy Weber, R-Texas. “It’s not about the politics. This is the right thing to do.” Trump’s immigration standoff comes as he escalates his nationalist trade moves, imposing new tariffs on imports and threating more. With few powerful opposing voices remaining in the West Wing, Trump is increasingly making these decisions solo. Some key advisers have left, and chief of staff John Kelly appears sidelined. Republicans, particularly those in more moderate districts, are worried they will be damaged by the searing images of children held in cages at border facilities, as well as by audio recordings of young children crying for their parents. The House Republicans’ national campaign chairman, Ohio Rep. Steve Stivers, said Monday that he’s asking “the administration to stop needlessly separating children from their parents.” Other conservatives also raised concerns, but many called for Congress to make changes instead of asking Trump to directly intervene. Ralph Reed, chairman of the Faith & Freedom coalition of evangelical voters, added to the drumbeat to end the child separation policy Tuesday, calling on Congress to pass legislation that would end the process as part of a broader immigration overhaul. But asked if the border policy was bad for Trump politically, Reed suggested core supporters remain on the president’s side. He said the group’s members are “more than willing to give the president and his administration the benefit of the doubt that this is being driven by a spike in people crossing the border, a combination of existing law and court decisions require this separation, and the fact that the Democrats refused to work with the administration to increase judges so that this can be dealt with more expeditiously.” Trump on Tuesday mocked the idea of hiring thousands of new judges, asking, “Can you imagine the graft that must take place?” Worried that the lack of progress on his signature border wall will make him look “soft,” according to one adviser, Trump has unleashed a series of tweets playing up the dangers posed by members of the MS-13 gang — which make up a minuscule percentage of those who cross the border. He used the loaded term “infest” to reference the influx of immigrants entering the country illegally. As the immigration story becomes a national flashpoint, Trump has been watching the TV coverage with increasing anger, telling confidants he believes media outlets are deliberately highlighting the worst images — the cages and screaming toddlers — to make him look bad. The president has long complained about his treatment by the media, but his frustrations reached a boiling point after he returned from his Singapore summit with North Korea’s Kim Jong Un to face news reports questioning his negotiating skills. He complained to one adviser that the media had not given him enough credit after the summit and was continuing to undermine him on immigration, according to a person familiar with the conversation but
In tit-for-tat, Donald Trump threatens more tariffs against China
President Donald Trump has directed the U.S. Trade Representative to prepare new tariffs on $200 billion in Chinese imports as the two nations move closer to a potential trade war. The tariffs, which Trump wants set at a 10 percent rate, would be the latest round of punitive measures in an escalating dispute over the large trade imbalance between the two countries. Trump recently ordered tariffs on $50 billion in Chinese goods in retaliation for intellectual property theft. The tariffs were quickly matched by China on U.S. exports, a move that drew the president’s ire. “China apparently has no intention of changing its unfair practices related to the acquisition of American intellectual property and technology,” Trump said in a statement Monday announcing the new action. “Rather than altering those practices, it is now threatening United States companies, workers, and farmers who have done nothing wrong.” Trump added: “These tariffs will go into effect if China refuses to change its practices, and also if it insists on going forward with the new tariffs that it has recently announced.” China’s Commerce Ministry on Tuesday criticized the latest threat of tariffs, saying it was an “act of extreme pressure and blackmail that deviates from the consensus reached by both parties after many negotiations, and is a disappointment to the international community.” “If the U.S. becomes irrational and issues this list, China will have no choice but to adopt strong countermeasures of the same amount and quality,” the ministry statement said. Trump said that if China responds to this fresh round of tariffs, then he will move to counter “by pursuing additional tariffs on another $200 billion of goods.” It wasn’t immediately clear when the new tariffs could be put in place, as the trade office has yet to identify the Chinese goods to be penalized or conduct a legal review. The first round of penalties announced by both nations is set to take effect July 6. The intellectual property sanctions were the latest in a spate of protectionist measures unveiled by Trump in recent months that included tariffs on steel and aluminum imports to the U.S. and a tough rhetoric on trade negotiations from North America to Asia. The escalation in the dispute with China may also serve as a warning to other trading partners with whom Trump has been feuding, including Canada and the European Union. The move quickly drew praise from former Trump senior adviser Steve Bannon, who told The Associated Press: “President Trump told China and the world tonight that America will not back down when it comes to economic aggression.” But Wall Street has viewed the escalating trade tensions with wariness, fearful they could strangle the economic growth achieved during Trump’s watch. Gary Cohn, Trump’s former top economic adviser, said last week that a “tariff battle” could result in price inflation and consumer debt — “historic ingredients for an economic slowdown.” Trump’s comments came hours after the top U.S. diplomat accused China of engaging in “predatory economics 101” and an “unprecedented level of larceny” of intellectual property. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo made the remarks at the Detroit Economic Club as global markets reacted to trade tensions between the U.S. and China. He said China’s recent claims of “openness and globalization” are “a joke.” He added that China is a “predatory economic government” that is “long overdue in being tackled,” matters that include IP theft and Chinese steel and aluminum flooding the U.S. market. “Everyone knows … China is the main perpetrator,” he said. “It’s an unprecedented level of larceny.” “Just ask yourself: Would China have allowed America to do to it what China has done to America?” he said later. “This is predatory economics 101.” Asked to comment on Pompeo’s remarks, the Chinese foreign ministry in Beijing said in a regular briefing with reporters that the U.S. had lost credibility as a free trader. “We don’t want a trade war, but we’re not afraid of a trade war,” ministry spokesman Geng Shuang said. Pompeo raised the trade issue directly with China last week, when he met in Beijing with President Xi Jinping and others. “I reminded him that’s not fair competition,” Pompeo said. Trump had announced a 25 percent tariff on up to $50 billion in Chinese imports. China is retaliating by raising import duties on $34 billion worth of American goods, including soybeans, electric cars and whiskey. Trump also has slapped tariffs on steel and aluminum imports from Canada, Mexico and European allies. Pompeo on Monday described U.S. actions as “economic diplomacy,” which, when done right, strengthens national security and international alliances, he added. “We use American power, economic might and influence as a tool of economic policy,” he said. “We do our best to call out unfair economic behaviors as well.” In a statement, Trump says he has an “excellent relationship” with Xi, “but the United States will no longer be taken advantage of on trade by China and other countries in the world.” Republished with the permission of the Associated Press.
Family separation policy starts dividing Republicans
The emotional policy of separating children from their parents is also starting to divide Republicans and their allies as Democrats turn up the pressure. Former first lady Laura Bush called the policy “cruel” and “immoral” while GOP Sen. Susan Collins expressed concern about it and a former adviser to President Donald Trump said he thought the issue was going to hurt the president at some point. Religious groups, including some conservative ones, are protesting. Mrs. Bush made some of the strongest comments yet about the policy from the Republican side of the aisle. “I live in a border state. I appreciate the need to enforce and protect our international boundaries, but this zero-tolerance policy is cruel. It is immoral. And it breaks my heart,” she wrote in a guest column for the Washington Post Sunday. She compared it to the internment of Japanese-Americans during World War II, which she called “one of the most shameful episodes in U.S. history.” Republican Sen. Susan Collins of Maine said she favors tighter border security, but expressed deep concerns about the child separation policy. “What the administration has decided to do is to separate children from their parents to try to send a message that if you cross the border with children, your children are going to be ripped away from you,” she said. “That’s traumatizing to the children who are innocent victims, and it is contrary to our values in this country.” Former Trump adviser Anthony Scaramucci said in a weekend interview that the child separation interview could be dangerous for Trump. He said the president “should be immediately fixing this problem.” “This is a fuse that has been lit,” he said. “The president is going to get hurt by this issue if it stays out there very, very long.” The signs of splintering of GOP support come after longtime Trump ally, the Rev. Franklin Graham, called the policy “disgraceful.” Several religious groups, including some conservative ones, have pushed to stop the practice of separating immigrant children from their parents. This pressure is coming as White House officials have tried to distance themselves from the policy. Trump blames Democrats falsely for the situation. The administration put the policy in place and could easily end it after it has led to a spike in cases of split and distraught families. “Nobody likes” breaking up families and “seeing babies ripped from their mothers’ arms,” said presidential counselor Kellyanne Conway. Nearly 2,000 children were separated from their families over a six-week period in April and May after Attorney General Jeff Sessions announced a new “zero-tolerance” policy that refers all cases of illegal entry for criminal prosecution. U.S. protocol prohibits detaining children with their parents because the children are not charged with a crime and the parents are. Trump plans to meet with House Republicans on Tuesday to discuss pending immigration legislation amid an election-season debate over one of his favorite issues. The House is expected to vote this week on a bill pushed by conservatives that may not have enough support to pass, and a compromise measure with key proposals supported by the president. The White House has said Trump would sign either of those. Conway rejected the idea that Trump was using the kids as leverage to force Democrats to negotiate on immigration and his long-promised border wall, even after Trump tweeted Saturday: “Democrats can fix their forced family breakup at the Border by working with Republicans on new legislation, for a change!” Asked whether the president was willing to end the policy, she said: “The president is ready to get meaningful immigration reform across the board.” To Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., the administration is “using the grief, the tears, the pain of these kids as mortar to build our wall. And it’s an effort to extort a bill to their liking in the Congress.” Schiff said the practice was “deeply unethical” and that Republicans’ refusal to criticize Trump represented a “sad degeneration” of the GOP, which he said had become “the party of lies.” “There are other ways to negotiate between Republicans and Democrats. Using children, young children, as political foils is abhorrent,” said Sen Jack Reed, D-R.I. Even first lady Melania Trump, who has tended to stay out of contentious policy debates, waded into the emotional issue. Her spokeswoman says that Mrs. Trump believes “we need to be a country that follows all laws,” but also one “that governs with heart.” “Mrs. Trump hates to see children separated from their families and hopes both sides of the aisle can finally come together to achieve successful immigration reform,” spokeswoman Stephanie Grisham said. The House proposals face broad opposition from Democrats, and even if a bill does pass, the closely divided Senate seems unlikely to go along. Trump’s former chief strategist said Republicans would face steep consequences for pushing the compromise bill because it provides a path to citizenship for young “Dreamer” immigrants brought to the country illegally as children. Steve Bannon argued that effort risked alienating Trump’s political base and contributing to election losses in November, when Republicans hope to preserve their congressional majorities. Conway and Schiff appeared on NBC’s “Meet the Press,” Collins was on CBS’ “Face the Nation,” Lujan and Bannon spoke on ABC’s “This Week,” and Scaramucci was on Fox 11 in Los Angeles. Republished with the permission of the Associated Press.
Saving Jeff Sessions: Inside the GOP effort to protect the Attorney General
Days after President Donald Trump deemed Jeff Sessions “beleaguered” and threatened to fire him last July, members of the president’s inner circle made a desperate case to save the attorney general’s job. The White House chief of staff, Reince Priebus, and the president’s chief strategist, Steve Bannon, pleaded with Trump during a heated Oval Office meeting to keep Sessions, warning that his dismissal would only pour gasoline on the Russia investigation. And, they said, it could alienate those in Trump’s conservative base, supporters enamored with the attorney general’s tough stances on law enforcement and immigration. Priebus and Bannon both were out of their jobs within the month. But Sessions survived, his reprieve delivered by John Kelly as one of his first acts as chief of staff. Ten months later, the Republican campaign to save Sessions has continued and — at least for now — succeeded. In private meetings, public appearances on television and late-night phone calls, Trump’s advisers and allies have done all they can to persuade the president not to fire a Cabinet official he dismisses as disloyal. The effort is one of the few effective Republican attempts to install guardrails around a president who delights in defying advice and breaking the rules. It’s an ongoing effort, though not everyone is convinced the relationship is sustainable for the long term. As recently as this month, Trump lawyer Rudy Giuliani said the president had raised the issue again, wondering aloud if he’d made a mistake in not firing Sessions. And both Giuliani and influential Republican lawmakers have hinted that, once special counsel Robert Mueller’s probe wraps up, Sessions could be in danger again. “There’s no doubt he’s complained about him, there’s no doubt he has some grievances. I don’t know they’ve aired them out yet. He’s not going to fire him before this is over,” Giuliani told reporters Wednesday. “Nor do I think he should.” Trump showed Wednesday the campaign to save Sessions hasn’t tempered his anger at the attorney general’s decision to recuse himself from the Russia probe, an act the president believed birthed the Mueller investigation, which is imperiling his presidency. In a tweet, Trump again declared he regretted appointing the former Alabama senator to the job in a familiar, but no less stunning, public rebuke of a sitting Cabinet official. Despite the withering complaints, Trump appears to comprehend the potential consequences of firing Sessions and seems resigned to the idea that he’s stuck with him for the time being, according to nearly a dozen people close to the decision, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss private conversations. The case that Sessions’ protectors have outlined to Trump time and again largely consists of three components: Firing Sessions, a witness in Mueller’s investigation of obstruction of justice, would add legal peril to his standing in the Russia probe; doing so would anger the president’s political base, which Trump cares deeply about, especially with midterm election looming this fall; and a number of Republican senators would rebel against the treatment of a longtime colleague who was following Justice Department guidelines in his recusal. Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, has said that he will not schedule a confirmation hearing for another attorney general nominee if Sessions is fired. Giuliani told The Associated Press on Wednesday that Trump has asked him multiple times, before and after the former New York mayor joined the president’s legal team last month, about whether Sessions should have been fired. Giuliani said Trump consulted him last summer during the height of his rage about Sessions’ recusal. More recently, he said, Trump has not actively considered firing Sessions but has wondered if he made the right decision in not doing so previously. “And when he asks, ‘Should I have done that?’ I say, ’No, the way it is now has worked out,’” Giuliani said, adding that he did not believe Trump would fire Sessions. Later, speaking to reporters at the White House, he compared the president’s temper to that of the late George Steinbrenner, the mercurial owner of the New York Yankees. Influential conservatives have also heard Trump lash out about Sessions and, though some have sympathy for the concerns, have repeatedly talked him out of doing anything drastic, said one person in touch with both men who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss private conversations. The person recalled a venting session after a meeting at the White House last fall, when the president aired his frustrations with the attorney general about his recusal. The person expressed sympathy but argued against firing Sessions, in part because of his success in carrying out the president’s agenda. Trump’s complaints about Sessions have at times won sympathy from some friends who believe Sessions’ recusal was too broad and ill-timed and undercut the positive attention from a State of the Union address the president had recently delivered. While the recusal remains Sessions’ original sin in Trump’s eyes, the president has also fumed that he sees Sessions as failing to get a handle on immigration and not placing enough emphasis on combating transnational criminal organizations. After being berated by Trump over the recusal decision last spring, Sessions offered his resignation, but the overture was rejected. He is widely viewed as determined to stay in the job because he believes in the president’s agenda, which largely mirrors his own interests, and is reluctant to leave a job for which he gave up a Senate seat. Hours after the president’s attack on Wednesday, Sessions visited the White House for a routine litigation issue, a Justice Department official said. There may be a limit to how long the campaign to save Sessions can hold on. Giuliani on Wednesday only offered assurances Trump would not fire Sessions during the Mueller investigation, because of the “distraction” it would cause. And a number of Republican senators who have supported Sessions have indicated in recent days that they are warming to Trump’s complaints. Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, who in March said firing
Steve Bannon blames GOP for Roy Moore’s defeat in Alabama
Former White House chief strategist Steve Bannon is blaming the Republican establishment for Alabama Senate candidate Roy Moore’s defeat, saying GOP leaders pushed pedophilia accusations against him. Bannon says Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell was too quick to back away from Moore, who faced charges of sexually abusing underage girls. Moore, whom Bannon supported, lost in December to Doug Jones, giving Democrats a U.S. Senate seat from Alabama for the first time in a generation. Bannon gave a wide-ranging interview Thursday at the Financial Times’ “Future of News” event. The conservative provocateur defended his recent admiring comments about Italian dictator Benito Mussolini, saying the fascist was “evil” but “fascinating.” When asked if the world’s institutions needed to be “blown up,” Bannon responded, “A few of them, certainly.” Republished with the permission of the Associated Press.
Donald Trump calls on Roy Moore to concede Senate race
President Donald Trump called on Republican Roy Moore to concede the Alabama U.S. Senate after losing to Democrat Doug Jones by more than 20,000 votes Tuesday night. “I think he should,” Trump told reporters as he departed the White House on Friday morning. “He tried. I want to support, always, I want to support the person running. We need the seat. We would like to have the seat.” Since his defeat, Moore has refused to concede, insisting on the official vote count from Alabama Secretary of State John Merrill, and that provisional and military ballots be counted. “In this race, we have not received the final count to include military and provisional ballots,” Moore said in a video statement. “This has been a very close race, and we are awaiting certification by the secretary of state.” The certification process, by the Secretary of State, will start no earlier than December 26, and not later than Jan. 3. Merrill has said it is “highly unlikely” that Jones would not be certified as the winner, given the unofficial results: — Jones received 671,151 votes (50 percent), to Moore’s 650,436 votes (48 percent). With an additional 22,819 (2 percent) write-ins. The Moore campaign can call for a recount, but would have to pay for it unless the margin is within half a percentage point. One of Moore’s most ardent supporters, former White House chief strategist Steve Bannon, has joined Trump in calling on the former candidate to concede, , a source familiar with the conversation told CNN.
Watch live: Roy Moore’s “Drain the Swamp” rally in Midland City
It’s Election Eve in the Yellowhammer State and Republican U.S. Senate candidate and former Alabama Chief Justice Roy Moore is hosting his final rally of the campaign cycle. Former White House strategist Steve Bannon and Congressman Louie Gohmert join Moore for the “Drain the Swamp” Rally in Midland City, Ala. near Dothan. Watch the rally below:
Steve Bannon to campaign with Roy Moore next week
Former White House chief strategist and current Breitbart News chief Steve Bannon says he’s heading back to the Heart of Dixie next week to campaign for U.S. Senate hopeful Roy Moore. Bannon will join Moore at a rally in Fairhope, Ala., Tuesday, Dec. 5, just one week before Moore will face-off against Democrat Doug Jones in the Dec. 12 special election for Attorney General Jeff Sessions‘ former seat. “I look forward to standing with Judge Moore and all of the Alabama deplorables in the fight to elect him to the United States Senate and send shockwaves to the political and media elites,” Bannon told CNN, Bannon’s decision to visit the Yellowhammer State comes in the wake of Monday’s White House announcement that President Donald Trump will not travel to Alabama and campaign for Moore, in light of the allegations against him. Moore has been under fire since The Washington Post published an explosive report on Nov. 9 with the accounts of four women who claim he sexually pursued them when he was in his 30s and they were in their teens. Since that time, a total of nine women have levied accusations against Moore. The news has caused rapid fallout from dozens within the Republican Party who have called on him to withdraw his name from next month’s special election if the allegations are true. Following the first allegations, Bannon said, “Until I see additional evidence on Judge Moore, I’m standing with him.”
Steve Bannon on GOP insurgency: ‘Nobody can run and hide’
Steve Bannon has a stark message to Republican incumbents he considers part of the establishment: “Nobody can run and hide.” President Donald Trump‘s former chief strategist is promoting a field of potential primary challengers to take on disfavored Republicans in Congress and step up for open seats. Among the outsiders: a convicted felon, a perennial candidate linked to an environmental conspiracy theory and a Southern lawmaker known for provocative ethnic and racial comments. It’s an insurgency that could imperil Republican majorities in the House and Senate. Bannon called it a “populist nationalist conservative revolt” in a speech to religious conservatives in Washington on Saturday. The emerging Bannon class of rabble-rousers shares limited ideological ties but a common intent to upend Washington and knock out Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., standard-bearer of the establishment. So intent is Bannon on bringing down McConnell that he laid down this marker Saturday to some of the incumbents at risk of a challenge from his flank of the party: disavow McConnell, satisfy other conditions and possibly escape the wrath. “Until that time,” he said, the message to the elite is: “They’re coming for you.” The crop of outsider candidates unnerves a GOP that lost seats – and a shot at the Senate majority – in 2010 and 2012 with political novices and controversial nominees and fears a stinging repeat in 2018. “The main thing that binds them together is a rejection of the Republican Party establishment, a rejection of the political elites, the financial elites and the media elites,” said Andy Surabian, a former Bannon aide and senior adviser to the pro-Trump PAC Great America Alliance. Bannon told the religious conservatives that economic nationalism and anti-globalism, the same forces he said elected Trump, can overpower Republican elites. “This is our war,” he said. “The establishment started it. … You all are gonna finish it.” To escape it, he suggested, Senate incumbents can oppose McConnell, eliminate the filibuster that he says is impeding Trump’s agenda and denounce Tennessee Sen. Bob Corker, a Republican who gave a scorching appraisal of Trump as an untethered leader who could lead the U.S. into another world war. Bannon singled out John Barrasso of Wyoming, Deb Fischer of Nebraska and Dean Heller of Nevada as senators who “vote the right way” but did not step up to condemn Corker. There’s still time for a “mea culpa,” he said, implying such senators could be spared his insurgency if they toed his line. Senate Republicans had been upbeat about adding to their 52-48 majority, especially with Democrats defending more seats next year, 10 in states Trump won in last year’s presidential election. But the Bannon challenge could cost them, leaving incumbents on the losing end in primaries or GOP candidates roughed up for the general election. Bannon helped elevate twice-suspended Judge Roy Moore, who won an Alabama runoff over McConnell’s pick, Sen. Luther Strange. Moore was removed from office for refusing to remove a Ten Commandments monument from Alabama’s judicial building, then suspended for insisting probate judges refuse same-sex couples marriage licenses. He faces Democrat Doug Jones in a December election where polls find a single-digit lead for the Republican, a remarkable development in Attorney General Jeff Sessions‘ heavily GOP state. In West Virginia, the grassroots conservative group Tea Party Express endorsed Patrick Morrissey, also a Great America Alliance choice, over establishment favorite Rep. Evan Jenkins in a competitive race to unseat Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin. Consider Mississippi, where state Sen. Chris McDaniel lost to veteran Sen. Thad Cochran in 2014, but is weighing a bid next year against Roger Wicker, the state’s other senator in the national legislature. McDaniel misdefined “mamacita,” the Spanish word for mommy as “hot mama,” and said he would withhold his tax payments if the government paid reparations for slavery. He also was forced to denounce a supporter who photographed and posted an image of Cochran’s bed-ridden wife. He argued in court that his 2014 loss was due in part to African-Americans fraudulently voting in the primary. He’s back again and speaking in Bannon terms. “They will do anything, they will say anything, to just maintain a hold on power,” McDaniel said in an Associated Press interview about McConnell and his allies. In Arizona, former state Sen. Kelli Ward, who is challenging Trump antagonist Sen. Jeff Flake, remains known for entertaining the debunked theory that jet aircraft are used to affect the weather or poison people intentionally. Former New York Rep. Michael Grimm, who spent eight months in prison for federal tax evasion, is challenging two-term Rep. Dan Donovan – with the encouragement of Bannon. In announcing his candidacy, Grimm was apologetic for his conviction. Still out there are viral videos of him telling a television reporter during an on-camera interview at the U.S. Capitol after a question he didn’t like: “You ever do that to me again, I’ll throw you off this (expletive) balcony.” House Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Wis., is sticking with the incumbent: “I support Dan Donovan, plain and simple,” Ryan said this past week. But he stopped short of suggesting Bannon stand down. “It’s a free country,” he said. In Nevada, Bannon is encouraging Republican Danny Tarkanian in his challenge to Heller. Tarkanian, son of famed basketball coach Jerry Tarkanian, is 0-5 in state and federal elections. These outsiders share strong opposition to increasing the nation’s debt even if it means an economy-rattling default. They also share unsparing criticism of congressional Republicans, especially McConnell, for failing to dismantle the Obama-era health care law, an unfulfilled seven-year-old promise. In Wyoming, Erik Prince, founder of security contractor Blackwater, is considering a Republican primary challenge to Barrasso, a senior member of the Senate GOP leadership team. Bannon has urged Prince, brother of Education Secretary Betsy DeVos, to run. Bannon has given at least one Senate incumbent – Texas Sen. Ted Cruz – a pass, but not others. Republished with permission from the Associated Press.
Steve Bannon’s stand against Luther Strange front page news
Look no further than the homepage of Breitbart to see Steve Bannon‘s first public fight against the moderates and liberal factions in the White House. It doesn’t take much to realize that it wasn’t a true conservative who convinced President Donald Trump to endorse Luther Strange over former Ala. Chief Justice Roy Moore. It’s a race where either candidate would probably be good for the presidents agenda and one in which he should have probably stayed out of. Luther Strange’s solid conservative record has been overshadowed by two important factors throughout the race. First, the vast amounts of money his campaign has taken from establishment PACS in D.C. who have run one negative after another, many untrue, about Strange’s opponents since the special election first began and second his ties to corrupt former Governor Robert Bentley who appointed Strange while his office was actively investigating him. The lines have been drawn — this race boils down to fiscal and social conservatives on one side, and the establishment on the other. With Donald Trump stumping in Alabama on Friday and Sarah Palin here Thursday there’s a lot at play in the final weeks of the election. Polls show a clear lead for Moore and with Mo Brooks recent endorsement the fight between social/fiscal conservatives vs. the establishment is officially on. Reading the Breitbart home page headlines theres no question about Bannon’s position. So the question of the day: Which way will voters go, Bannon or Trump, establishment or principles, Moore or Strange? We will see soon.
Battleground Alabama: Donald Trump vs Steve Bannon
There’s a battle royale going down in the Yellowhammer State. No, not the dogfight between former Ala. Chief Justice Roy Moore and Sen. Luther Strange for Attorney General Jeff Sessions’ former U.S. Senate. The far more interesting battle is shaping up between the candidate’s big name supporters — President Donald Trump vs. his recently departed chief strategist Steve Bannon. Trump, who endorsed Strange a week ahead of the GOP primary back in August, announced on Saturday he’s headed to Alabama to stump on behalf of the Senator. “I will be in Huntsville, Alabama on Saturday night to support Luther Strange for Senate. ‘Big Luther’ is a great guy who gets things done!” Trump tweeted. I will be in Huntsville, Alabama, on Saturday night to support Luther Strange for Senate. “Big Luther” is a great guy who gets things done! — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 16, 2017 Meanwhile, Bannon who’s back at the helm of Breitbart News, is all-in for GOP insurgent Moore. There, he’s defined the race an battle between the DC establishment and the will of the people — the grassroots conservatives. Bannon announced he was backing the former judge over Trump‘s pick during a closed-door meeting with influential conservatives of the Conservative Action Project in Washington, D.C. last month. He says the outcome of the showdown in Alabama will show whether incumbent senators can be successfully challenged by insurgents in next year’s midterm elections. Trump, who still remains widely popular in Alabama, is offering his help at a pivotal time in the campaign with less than 10 days before the Sept. 26 run-off election. According to recent polls, Moore leads Strange and closing last month secured the endorsement of former GOP vice presidential nominee Sarah Palin, who said Moore “has what it takes to stand up to the out-of-touch political establishment.” As for who’s candidate will walk away victorious, only time and the voters will tell.
Steve Bannon: ‘Access Hollywood’ tape cost Chris Christie a Cabinet post
A meeting about the fallout to Donald Trump‘s presidential campaign over the “Access Hollywood” tape was a litmus test that cost New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie a potential Cabinet post, according to former White House chief strategist Steve Bannon. Bannon, speaking in a “60 Minutes” interview that will air Sunday on CBS, said the “Billy Bush Saturday, to me, is a litmus test.” Bannon, Christie and then-Republican National Committee chairman Reince Priebus met with Trump in October on the weekend after the Washington Post obtained the 2005 video that showed Trump talking with “Access Hollywood” host Billy Bush about kissing, groping and trying to have sex with women who were not his wife. “Billy Bush Saturday showed me who really had Donald Trump’s back to play to his better angels,” Bannon said. “All you had to do, and what he did, was go out and continue to talk to the American people. People didn’t care. They knew Donald Trump was just doing locker room talk with a guy. And they dismissed it.” It was not clear from the video clip what Christie had advised Trump. But Bannon said he told Christie, “The plane leaves at 11 o’clock in the morning. If you’re on the plane, you’re on the team. Didn’t make the plane.” Days later, Christie appeared on a New York radio program and denounced Trump’s comments about women on the leaked tape. “Let’s be really clear. It is completely indefensible,” the Republican governor said. “I made that very clear to Donald on Friday when this first came out and, you know, urged him to be contrite and apologetic because that’s what he needs to be.” Christie, who was among Trump’s earliest supporters, was booted as head of the transition days after Trump’s victory. Christie was soon passed over for top administration positions, including attorney general, though he also turned down several jobs as well, according to a person with knowledge of Christie’s decision who spoke to The Associated Press on the condition of anonymity to discuss private conversations. Christie’s spokesman Brian Murray said Friday that Christie had been offered several positions in the Trump administration. “As has been widely reported, the Governor had been offered multiple cabinet positions in addition to other senior posts in the White House and elsewhere. He chose to stay as Governor and complete his term. Any assertion to the contrary is simply factually incorrect,” Murray said. Republished with permission from the Associated Press.
