News Round-Up: July 17, 2019

(image via Instagram)

Some news items you might have missed:

• InstaHunks: Steve Raider and Ocan Jan (above) barely fit in the same photo. #TheresTheBeef

• CBS News: The House voted 230-198 to hold Attorney General William Barr and Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross in criminal contempt of Congress for obstructing a probe into the administration’s failed bid to add a citizenship question to the 2020 census.

• Twitter: A gay teen, Brandon Austin, slayed the inter webs with his graduation 'death drop' on Twitter, which has now been 'Liked' over 230,000 times.

How to graduate like a pro pic.twitter.com/fdPahK9Nrz

— Brandon Austin (Sophia Stardust) (@sophia_stardust) July 12, 2019

• NBC News: A Florida man is in custody for allegedly using a pair of scissors to cut off the penis of a man he suspected of sleeping with his wife, according to a police report.

• Axios: The White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB) projects the federal deficit will surpass $1 trillion this year, the first time the U.S. deficit has surpassed the $1 trillion level since the 4-year period following the Great Recession. In 2016, Donald Trump campaigned on a promise to wipe out the deficit and also the entire federal debt, which has surpassed $22 trillion.

• Netflix: The streaming giant gave a giant slap to the folks at the upcoming 'Straight Pride' event for using their logo and claiming Netflix was a 'possible' sponsor. In their cease and desist letter, the legal team for Netflix wrote, "Our legal department is here, its queer, and its telling you to steer clear."

• Out Music: Carly Rae Jepsen teamed up with Jordan Alexander and Bud Light for a performance of the 'Pride Remix' of her single "Feels Right" at Toronto Pride. The single is from her fourth album, Dedicated, out now.

House Committee Approves Resolution To Hold Commerce Secretary & Attorney General In Contempt

By a vote of 24-15, the House Oversight Committee approved a resolution recommending Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross and Attorney General William Barr be held in contempt for refusing to comply with subpoenas in regard to the committee's investigation into a question about citizenship on the 2020 census.

Rep. Justin Amash (R-MI) joined Democrats in voting in favor of the resolution.

The committee is seeking internal documents between the Justice Department and the Trump administration regarding how the citizenship question came to be and why.

Democrats assert the question was added in order to intimidate immigrants into not filing the census form. 

The census is used to determine how many federal lawmakers are allocated to each state. Should immigrants pass on filling out the form it would most probably benefit Republicans.

House Democrats Introduce Resolution To Hold Attorney General In Contempt

CNN is reporting that Democrats in the House of Representatives have introduced a resolution meant to empower committees to go to court to enforce their subpoenas in an effort to give committee chairmen an effective way to hold officials in contempt while bypassing the House floor.

The plan comes after Donald Trump's Attorney General, William Barr, and former White House counsel Don McGahn have stonewalled efforts by Democrats to get subpoenaed documents from the Trump administration.

The Democrats' resolution next week to hold Attorney General William Barr and former White House counsel Don McGahn in contempt and take those cases to court will also include language stating that committees can move to hold officials in contempt of Congress, Majority Leader Steny Hoyer said this week.

The resolution will also include language directing the House to petition the courts to obtain grand jury information contained in the Mueller report.

House Judiciary Chairman Jerry Nadler pushed for the move in recent weeks as House leadership decided to wait to hold a floor vote on contempt for Barr until they could package officials together. Now committees themselves would be empowered to use civil contempt citations to go to court to enforce their subpoena.

“House Democrats have formally introduced a resolution to hold Attorney General Bill Barr and former White House counsel Don McGahn in contempt of Congress.”

Keep the pressure on! https://t.co/REp5Hm7eoo

— Amy Siskind 🏳️‍🌈 (@Amy_Siskind) June 6, 2019

News Round-Up: May 15, 2019

(via Instagram)

Some news items you might have missed:

• InstaHunk Guoyang510 (above) is looking forward to summer, just like I am. Who's with us???

• Rep. Daniel Lipinski (Ill.), the only House Democrat not to co-sponsor the Equality Act, has announced he will now vote for the legislation. The House is expected to vote on the bill this Friday. Maybe that threat of a primary challenge moved the needle?

• Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi and beleaguered Attorney General William Barr bump into each other at an event. Barr jokes about handcuffs, Pelosi goes one better...

Today at a law enforcement ceremony at Capitol:

AG Barr approached Pelosi, shook her hand: "Madam Speaker, did you bring your handcuffs?"

Pelosi smiled and, per a bystander, told Barr the House Sergeant at Arms was there should an arrest be needed. Barr laughed; walked away

— Nicholas Fandos (@npfandos) May 15, 2019

• A reader wrote in to Slate's sex advice column, How To Do It, asking how to handle an office situation when folks realize their new coworker (currently married to a woman) used to do gay porn? I'm not sure what the problem is, but I was curious about the columnist's response.

• US News ranked the 50 states according to several metrics including health care, education, economy, roads, bridges, internet and other infrastructure, its public safety, the fiscal stability of state government, and the opportunity it affords its residents. Click to see where your state lands on the list.

• Sen. Roy Blunt (R-Mo.), a member of Senate GOP leadership, said Wednesday that the chamber is unlikely to vote on any election security legislation, despite requests from a federal agency for more funding to improve election systems nationwide.

• Long-running animated series Family Guy hysterically went after Fox News host Sean Hannity. "High sodium Superman" was maybe my favorite description... LOL

Holy shit Family Guy went after Sean Hannity lmao pic.twitter.com/yOIqpmS386

— Justin Russo (@FlyByKnite) May 14, 2019

Pelosi On Barr: "He Lied To Congress - If Anybody Else Did That It Would Be Considered A Crime"

During testimony to Congress last month, Attorney General William Barr was directly asked by Rep. Charlie Crist (D-FL) if he was aware of any concerns/frustrations Special Counsel Robert Mueller or his team had regarding Barr's now-infamous four page 'summary' of Mueller's two year investigation.

At the time, Barr told Crist, "No, I don't."

But this week, news of a letter from Mueller to Barr expressing frustrations that Barr's summary mischaracterized the investigation's context and substance now puts Barr's denial in a new perspective.

He had received the letter from Mueller and had a phone call with the Special Counsel about the summary. So, he lied to Congress when he said he didn't know of any concerns on Mueller's part.

Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi was asked today how she felt about the statements by Barr.

Pelosi didn't hold back. "He lied to Congress - if anyone else did that it would be considered a crime."

Nancy Pelosi: "[Barr] lied to Congress. If anybody else did that, it would be considered a crime. Nobody is above the law. Not the President of the United States and not the attorney general."
Via CBS pic.twitter.com/uJN6hUgpwY

— Kyle Griffin (@kylegriffin1) May 2, 2019

Yesterday, Rep. Adam Schiff echoed the same sentiments.

Q: Did the Attorney General lie to Congress?

"I think his statement is deliberately false and misleading." -- @RepAdamSchiff pic.twitter.com/TmTOqW45hT

— CBS This Morning (@CBSThisMorning) May 1, 2019

WaPo: Robert Mueller Frustrated Attorney General's Summary "Did Not Capture Content, Nature, Substance" Of 2-Year Probe

The Washington Post reports that Special Counsel Robert Mueller wrote a letter to the Justice Department expressing his "frustration" that Attorney General William Barr's 4-page summary of his investigation “did not fully capture the context, nature, and substance” of the two-year probe.

At the time Mueller’s letter was sent to Barr on March 27, Barr had days prior announced that Mueller did not find a conspiracy between the Trump campaign and Russian officials seeking to interfere in the 2016 presidential election. In his memo to Congress, Barr also said that Mueller had not reached a conclusion about whether Trump had tried to obstruct justice, but that Barr reviewed the evidence and found it insufficient to support such a charge.

Days after Barr’s announcement, Mueller wrote the previously undisclosed private letter to the Justice Department, laying out his concerns in stark terms that shocked senior Justice Department officials, according to people familiar with the discussions.

“The summary letter the Department sent to Congress and released to the public late in the afternoon of March 24 did not fully capture the context, nature, and substance of this office’s work and conclusions,” Mueller wrote. “There is now public confusion about critical aspects of the results of our investigation. This threatens to undermine a central purpose for which the Department appointed the Special Counsel: to assure full public confidence in the outcome of the investigations.”

Mueller sent his letter on March 24. But in early April, Barr testified to Congress that he didn't know why there were reports that Mueller's team was privately frustrated by Barr's summary.

Asked by Rep. Charlie Crist (D-Fla.) if he knew why Mueller's team might be frustrated, Barr said, “No, I don’t."

On April 20, Sen. Chris Van Hollen asked Barr, “Did Bob Mueller support your conclusion?” His answer was, “I don’t know whether Mueller supported my conclusion.”

We now know Mueller stated his concerns on March 27th, and that Barr totally misled Congress and the public.

On April 20th, I asked Barr, “Did Bob Mueller support your conclusion?” His answer was, “I don’t know whether Mueller supported my conclusion.”

We now know Mueller stated his concerns on March 27th, and that Barr totally misled me, the Congress, and the public. He must resign. pic.twitter.com/rod404BbYo

— Chris Van Hollen (@ChrisVanHollen) May 1, 2019

Rep. Adam Schiff (D-CA) told CBS This Morning that Barr should resign since the 4-page memo misled the American people in favor of Donald Trump.

“I think his statement is deliberately false and misleading, and yes, most people would consider that to be a lie,” said Schiff. “Look, there’s no sugar coating this, I think he should step down. It’s hard, I think, for the country to have confidence in the top law enforcement official in the country if he’s asked a direct question as he was and he gives a directly false answer, so this is serious business.”

“After two years and work and investigation implicating the president of the United States, for the attorney general to mislead the public for an entire month before releasing that report is inexcusable.”

Q: Did the Attorney General lie to Congress?

"I think his statement is deliberately false and misleading." -- @RepAdamSchiff pic.twitter.com/TmTOqW45hT

— CBS This Morning (@CBSThisMorning) May 1, 2019

Dick Durbin: You couldn’t recall receiving a letter from Robert Mueller when Congress asked you a few days after you received it?

Bill Barr: Uh uh uh uh. pic.twitter.com/McpjAwclel

— Keith Boykin (@keithboykin) May 1, 2019

Finally, Mueller has something to say. And it's not good for Trump or Bill Barr. It looks like Attorney General William Barr purposefully misrepresented the Mueller Report in order to give cover for Trump. Barr should step down and resign immediately. https://t.co/p8wjSUiJNI

— Keith Boykin (@keithboykin) April 30, 2019

Barr is testifying before the Senate Judiciary Committee this morning. The WaPo report should make Barr's morning that much more interesting.

Randy Rainbow Skewers AG William Barr In New Parody "Barr!"

What better way to start the week than new Randy Rainbow?

In his latest parody, Randy puts his twist on the opening number from Disney's Beauty and the Beast. But in this incarnation, instead of "Belle!," Attorney General William Barr gets the satire treatment with "Barr!"

Clever, clever stuff :)

Happy Monday!

Redacted Version Of Mueller Report To Be Released Thursday

Robert Mueller

The Hill is reporting that the report by Special Counsel Robert Mueller will be released Thursday morning, according to a Justice Department spokesman.

Democrats in Congress have been insisting on the release of the full report, but Attorney General William Barr has said that certain information — like grand jury material and information relating to other ongoing investigations — will be redacted from the document.

Barr sent a letter to Congress late last month announcing the end of Mueller's probe and outlining the core conclusions of the special counsel's investigation, including a finding that the Trump campaign did not collude with Russia during the 2016 election.

Barr also wrote in that letter that Mueller did not reach a conclusion on whether President Trump obstructed justice, but said that he and Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein determined that the evidence was not sufficient to bring forward such a charge.

Attorney General Will Release Mueller Report "Within A Week"

Testifying before the House Appropriations Committee on budget matters, Attorney General William P. Barr said he will be releasing a redacted version of the Mueller report within a week.

From the New York Times:

Attorney General William P. Barr said he will deliver the Mueller report to Congress and the public within a week, reiterating his earlier promise to release it by mid-April.

Testifying before lawmakers, Mr. Barr said he would be transparent about redactions in the report. But he demurred when asked whether he has briefed the White House on it.

"My original timetable of being able to release this by mid-April stands," says Attorney General Barr, referring to the Mueller report.

"By within a week, I will be in a position to release the report to the public."

Live updates: https://t.co/V3rK3Fhtfy pic.twitter.com/9wSNVhHx7O

— CNN (@CNN) April 9, 2019

Bill Barr reveals that Mueller team DID NOT have a role in drafting his letter to Hill outlining the top-line conclusions of Mueller report. Mueller team was offered a chance to review it but declined

— Manu Raju (@mkraju) April 9, 2019

Mueller Investigation "Does Not Conclude" Trump Committed Obstruction, But "It Also Does Not Exonerate Him"

Donald Trump

U.S. Attorney General William Barr has sent a letter of 'principal conclusions' summarizing the results of Special Counsel Robert Mueller's investigations.

The key clause to know up front: "While this report does not conclude that the president committed a crime, it also does not exonerate him."

That will drive Donald Trump crazy.

From the New York Times:

The investigation led by Robert S. Mueller III found that neither President Trump nor any of his aides conspired or coordinated with the Russian government’s 2016 election interference, according to a summary of the special counsel’s findings made public on Sunday by Attorney General William P. Barr.

Mr. Barr also said that Mr. Mueller’s team drew no conclusions about whether Mr. Trump illegally obstructed justice. Mr. Barr and the deputy attorney general, Rod J. Rosenstein, concluded that the special counsel’s investigators lacked sufficient evidence to establish that Mr. Trump committed that offense, but added that Mr. Mueller’s team stopped short of exonerating Mr. Trump.

“While this report does not conclude that the president committed a crime, it also does not exonerate him,” Mr. Barr quoted Mr. Mueller as writing.

Bolding/underscoring is mine.

Here's a link to the full letter from the Attorney General to Congress.

Ultimately, six Trump aides/associates were indicted for mainly lying to investigators.

Twenty-five Russian players were charged for actions involved in interfering with the 2016 U.S. election.

The Department of Justice “determined not to make a traditional prosecutorial judgement.”

— (((Rep. Nadler))) (@RepJerryNadler) March 24, 2019

“The Special Counsel states that ‘while this report does not conclude that the President committed a crime, it also does not exonerate him.’”

— (((Rep. Nadler))) (@RepJerryNadler) March 24, 2019

Here is a link to the letter we received from Attorney General Barr. Seems like the Department of Justice is putting matters squarely in Congress’ court. https://t.co/etLyqkoOwm https://t.co/jjZ1OLmz8D

— (((Rep. Nadler))) (@RepJerryNadler) March 24, 2019

Even though Mueller specifically stated he did not "exonerate" Trump, White House press secretary has tweeted out a statement which includes the LIE that "the findings of the Department of Justice are a total and complete exoneration of the President of the United States."

A complete lie.

The Special Counsel did not find any collusion and did not find any obstruction. AG Barr and DAG Rosenstein further determined there was no obstruction. The findings of the Department of Justice are a total and complete exoneration of the President of the United States.”

— Sarah Sanders (@PressSec) March 24, 2019