Barr Can’t Fire Berman, Trump Can, Says Obscure DOJ Memo

https://www.bloombergquint.com/onweb/barr-can-t-fire-berman-trump-can-says-justice-department-memo

“Nerds like me will fixate on the technical legal questions here -- can the president fire a judicially appointee U.S. Attorney; and, if so, can he also replace him,” Vladeck said in a tweet on Saturday. “But don’t lose sight of the bigger story here -- this stinks to high heaven. Finding out *why* this happened is the key.”

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“Nerds like me will fixate on the technical legal questions here -- can the president fire a judicially appointee U.S. Attorney; and, if so, can he also replace him,” Vladeck said in a tweet on Saturday. “But don’t lose sight of the bigger story here -- this stinks to high heaven. Finding out *why* this happened is the key.”

Bridges Burned: Watch Trump Hire 'Best People' And Trash Them As 'Not Qualified' On Their Way Out

Trump mocks coronavirus and Democrats in rally with sparse turnout

Trump: Tulsa rally fails to draw expected crowds amid virus fears

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-53121488

 

Mr Trump had boasted earlier this week that almost a million people had requested tickets for the event at Tulsa's Bank of Oklahoma Center.

But the 19,000-seat arena was far from full and plans for him to address an outside "overflow" area were abandoned.

Trump holds comeback rally, but fails to fill arena after infections among staff

https://www.timesofisrael.com/trump-comeback-rally-features-empty-seats-staff-infections/

Slamming ‘unhinged left-wing mob’ for ‘trying to vandalize our history,’ US president goes on the offensive as he blames media for low turnout at event that defied health warnings

 

Trump's Tulsa rally was a flop

https://edition.cnn.com/2020/06/21/opinions/trump-rally-tulsa-oklahoma-covid-19-ghitis/index.html

President Donald Trump couldn't wait. His presidency is nosediving, with bad news erupting all around him. His answer was Tulsa, a campaign rally in blood-red Oklahoma, the state he won by a crushing 36 points in 2016.

 

But Tulsa did not deliver. The event that was supposed to trumpet his return to greatness -- and the country's return to normalcy -- instead brought embarrassing scenes of empty bleachers, a dismantled stage and a familiar speech unsuccessfully trying to reignite public fears.

AP FACT CHECK: Trump Is Not Credible on Virus Death Tolls

https://www.usnews.com/news/politics/articles/2020-05-09/ap-fact-check-trump-is-not-credible-on-virus-death-tolls

President Donald Trump is claiming a low death rate from the coronavirus pandemic in the United States.

Top NYC Prosecutor, Who Led Investigation of Trump Allies, Resigns After Feud With Justice Department

https://time.com/5856478/justice-department-berman-barr-trump-allies-refuses-resign/

The Trump administration on Saturday fired the top federal prosecutor in Manhattan, escalating tensions with the high-profile office that has overseen numerous investigations into President Donald Trump’s allies. Attorney General William Barr said Trump personally issued the order; the president denied he was involved.

The extraordinary clash between the White House and U.S. Attorney Geoffrey S. Berman fueled new accusations of political interference in the Justice Department, particularly given that Berman’s office is engaged in an ongoing investigation into Trump’s personal attorney, Rudy Giuliani.

Barr set off a whirlwind chain events on Friday night with a surprise announcement that Berman was resigning.

Bill Barr fires U.S. Attorney Berman. Bolton's book reveals why.

Fact check: Trump's Tulsa rally littered with familiar false claims

https://edition.cnn.com/2020/06/21/politics/fact-check-donald-trump-tulsa-rally/index.html

 In his first rally in more than three months, President Donald Trump repeated a bunch of false claims he has made before. Trump's return to the rally circuit, in a Tulsa, Oklahoma, arena that was not full, featured familiar inaccurate accusations about Democratic opponent Joe Biden, about his handling of the coronavirus pandemic, about health care and a variety of other subjects.

In a speech that lasted for more than an hour and forty minutes, Trump also called for the burning of the US flag to be illegal, claimed victory over a recent loss in the Supreme Court, and spent 10 minutes on a story about walking down a ramp.

Here's a look at what Trump got wrong.

 

U.S. Attorney Geoffrey Berman Fired By Trump, William Barr Says In Letter

https://www.newsweek.com/us-attorney-geoffrey-berman-fired-trump-william-barr-says-letter-1512357

 In his letter, Barr told Berman that he was "was surprised and quite disappointed by the press statement you released last night" and that he hoped for the attorney's "cooperation to facilitate a smooth transition" for the new appointee to the post, Jay Clayton, the current Chairman of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.

"Unfortunately, with your statement of last night, you have chosen public spectacle over public service. Because you have declared that you have no intention of resigning, I have asked the President to remove you as of today, and he has done so," Barr stated in his letter, adding that Deputy U.S. Attorney Audrey Strauss would become the acting U.S. Attorney in the Southern District of New York until a permanent successor is named.

 

Graham says he won't advance Trump nominee for SDNY prosecutor without Schumer, Gillibrand consent

https://www.foxnews.com/politics/drama-over-ny-us-attorney-heads-to-capitol-hill

Sen. Lindsey Graham said Saturday he will not take up President Trump's nomination for a new U.S. attorney for Manhattan unless New York's Democratic senators sign off.

Graham, a Republican from South Carolina who chairs the Senate Judiciary Committee, said he will honor the "blue slip" tradition and require the consent of home state senators to proceed -- in this case, Chuck Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand.

 

AG Barr says Trump has fired SDNY federal prosecutor who refused to leave; president says he's 'not involved'

https://www.foxnews.com/politics/william-barr-trump-fired-sdny-federal-prosector

 

Trump, however, distanced himself from Berman's ouster Saturday as he left the White House for Tulsa, Okla., and said it was Barr's call.

"That's all up to the Attorney General," Trump said when asked about Berman's firing. "Attorney General Barr is working on that. That's his department, not my department."

"We have a very capable Attorney General so that's really up to him," Trump said before leaving for his first rally since March. "I'm not involved."

Drain the swamp! - Geoffrey Berman: Trump fires top US prosecutor who refused to quit

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-53123847

Geoffrey Berman, the US Attorney for the Southern District of New York, said on Friday that he had learned he was "stepping down" in a press release.

Mr Berman insisted he would stay in post and continue his investigations.

On Saturday, Mr Barr told him that he had asked the president to remove him immediately, and that he had done so.


The situation was made more complicated by the fact that Berman was never formally nominated for his position by Trump and instead appointed by a federal court. Berman argued that as a result, federal law allows for him to stay on the job until a presidential nominee is confirmed by the Senate. Earlier Saturday, Sen. Lindsey Graham, a close Trump ally and chair of the Senate Judiciary committee, suggested he would not rubber-stamp a new nominee.

“He’s the Chosen One to Run America”: Inside the Cult of Trump, His Rallies Are Church and He Is the Gospel

https://www.vanityfair.com/news/2020/06/inside-the-cult-of-trump-his-rallies-are-church-and-he-is-the-gospel

In Trump’s case, divine backing is more about smiting than healing. When Rep. Elijah Cummings died last October shortly after sparring with Trump about Baltimore, Peterson declared on his radio show, “He dead”—like Trump enemies John McCain and Charles Krauthammer, Peterson noted. “That’s what happens when you mess with the Great White Hope. Don’t mess with God’s children.”

 

‘Magically Protected’: Why Hardcore Trump Supporters Won’t Wear Masks At Rally | All In | MSNBC

As Justice Department Claims U.S. Attorney Investigating Trump Allies Is 'Stepping Down,' Attorney Refuses to Leave His Post

https://time.com/5856478/justice-department-berman-barr-trump-allies-refuses-resign/

A Republican who contributed to the president’s election campaign, Berman worked for the same law firm as Giuliani and was put in his job by the Trump administration. But as U.S. attorney, he won over some skeptics after he went after Trump allies, and had a direct hand in other investigations that have angered the president.

 

Attempt to fire powerful NY prosecutor appears to be latest move to protect Trump

https://edition.cnn.com/2020/06/20/politics/berman-barr-trump-rule-of-law/index.html

The Trump administration's attempt to oust one of America's most powerful prosecutors raises fresh and glaring suspicions about its assault on the independence of the justice system and its respect for the rule of law that underpins constitutional governance.

Attorney General William Barr's declaration he replaced Geoffrey Berman of the US Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York renewed the debate over the extent to which Barr is acting on President Donald Trump's interests rather than the nation's. The office of Berman, who is refusing to quit, is leading a probe into Trump's lawyer Rudolph Giuliani and associates and has also indicted a Turkish state-owned firm involved in an Iran sanctions-busting case which Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has raised with Trump. 

 

An already massive confrontation exploded further when Berman, in a stunning move, issued his own late-night statement rebuking Barr over his decision to oust him and refusing to go, arguing that since he was technically appointed by a panel of judges on an acting basis in 2018, Barr has no power to force him out and that he would continue to serve.

Federal judge denies Trump administration's attempt to block release of Bolton's book

https://edition.cnn.com/2020/06/20/politics/judge-john-bolton-book/index.html

 A federal judge has denied the Trump administration's attempt to block the upcoming publication of a book by former national security adviser John Bolton.

Judge Royce Lamberth of the DC District Court wrote in a 10-page decision Saturday morning that the Justice Department's arguments weren't enough to stop the book's release. He cited how the book, which is scheduled to be released Tuesday, had already been widely distributed, and could easily be distributed further on the internet, even if the court said it could not be.

Fox News Poll: Biden widens lead over Trump; Republicans enthusiastic, but fear motivates Dems

https://www.foxnews.com/politics/fox-news-poll-biden-widens-lead-over-trump-republicans-enthusiastic-but-fear-motivates-dems

Biden supporters are far more likely to say fear that Trump might win is behind their vote choice (63 percent) than to say it is enthusiasm for Biden (31 percent).  The opposite is true among those backing Trump, as almost twice as many of his supporters say enthusiasm is the motivation (62 percent) rather than fear Biden could win (33 percent).

 

Sweden, Where No Lockdown Was Ordered, Becomes Second Most-Infected Country

https://www.newsweek.com/sweden-where-no-lockdown-was-ordered-becomes-second-most-infected-country-1511885

Sweden's total number of coronavirus cases grew by more than 100 overnight Wednesday, making it the second most-infected country per capita in the world.

The Scandinavian country known for its light-touch approach to battling the pandemic reached 54,562 total cases Wednesday, according to covidgraph.com, which compiles current data from multiple government health agencies and universities across the world.

 

Father of Toddler in Trump's Fake 'Racist Baby' Video Blasts 'Hate Agenda'

https://www.newsweek.com/cnn-chastises-trump-fake-toddler-video-twitter-1512048

The father of a child featured in a mocked-up CNN report titled "terrified toddler runs from racist baby" posted to Twitter by Donald Trump has criticized the president's use of his video.

Trump shared an edited version of the footage that went viral last year of a black and white child running towards each other in the street and hugging, taken by Michael Cisneros.

 

Fearing Internal Dissent Ahead of the Election, Trump Expands His War on Washington

https://time.com/5855482/fearing-dissent-trump-expands-war-on-washington/

The top Democrat on the House Committee on Foreign Affairs, Eliot Engel, was alarmed at the prospect of Pack pushing out career experts at the agency. The agency’s mission is “‘to inform, engage, and connect people around the world in support of freedom and democracy’—not to be a mouthpiece for the President in the run up to an election,” Engel said in a statement. “Mr. Pack needs to understand that USAGM is not the Ministry of Information. The law requires that our international broadcasting be independent, unbiased, and targeted toward audiences around the world,” Engel said.

Facebook removes Trump ads containing symbol used by Nazis

https://www.timesofisrael.com/facebook-removes-trump-ads-containing-symbol-used-by-nazis/

Anti-Defamation League says inverted red triangle closely resembles badge used to identify political prisoners in concentration camps

Trump calls for ‘new justices’ on Supreme Court, as conservatives rage at Roberts

https://www.foxnews.com/politics/trump-justices-supreme-court-conservatives-roberts

President Trump, in the wake of Thursday's defeat at the Supreme Court in his efforts to repeal the Obama-era Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program, called for new justices as conservatives took aim at Chief Justice John Roberts for what they called a “pattern” of siding with the liberal wing in key decisions.

While Democrats and immigration activists cheered the decision, conservatives fumed at the ruling, accusing the justices of preventing Trump from overturning what they have long seen as an illegal executive order. As the day went on, their ire turned to Roberts -- the Bush appointee who has a history of deciding outcomes favorable to liberals by siding with the liberal bloc.

Bolton's Book Further Exposes Trump: What About the Republican Accessories After the Fact?

The Trump presidency is at its absolute lowest point right now

https://edition.cnn.com/2020/06/18/politics/donald-trump-supreme-court-coronavirus-george-floyd/index.html

 Everywhere Donald Trump looks right now, he sees political fires that threaten to engulf his presidency.

The Supreme Court, with two hand-picked Trump approved justices, has handed the President two stunning rebukes in the last week -- one on gay, lesbian and transgender rights in the workplace and the other, on Thursday morning, blocking the President from ending the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program for children brought to America illegally.

In Congress, Senate Republicans have shown increasing willingness to buck Trump. On Wednesday alone, every GOP senator wore a mask at a press conference announcing a package of police reforms. Tennessee Sen. Lamar Alexander insisted that there will be a second surge of the coronavirus and Iowa Sen. Chuck Grassley announced he would block future legislation until the White House explains its recent spate of firings of inspectors general.

Trump's repeated attempts to suggest that the United States has effectively beaten the coronavirus are belied daily by reports that almost half the states in the country are experiencing an increase in cases. His push to return to the campaign trail on Saturday in Tulsa, Oklahoma, is widely regarded as endangering public health.

Trump's absolutely tone-deaf response to the death of George Floyd while in police custody in Minneapolis -- most notably a photo-op of Trump holding a Bible outside of St. John's church in Washington -- has been roundly criticized, including by many top former White House officials. "Donald Trump is the first president in my lifetime who does not try to unite the American people -- does not even pretend to try," said former Defense Secretary James Mattis earlier this month. "Instead he tries to divide us."

 

Supreme Court rules against Trump administration bid to end DACA program

https://www.foxnews.com/politics/supreme-court-rules-against-trump-administration-over-move-to-end-daca-program

President Trump quickly reacted to the decision, which came days after an opinion from his own appointee Justice Neil Gorsuch that said employment discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity was prohibited under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act.

"These horrible & politically charged decisions coming out of the Supreme Court are shotgun blasts into the face of people that are proud to call themselves Republicans or Conservatives," Trump tweeted Thursday morning, suggesting that the Second Amendment could be at risk if he does not get elected and have the chance to potentially appoint more justices.