John Bolton was scheduled for a deposition in front of the House impeachment committees yesterday but, like many of his White House peers, did not appear. Photograph: Carolyn Kaster/AP
John Bolton was scheduled for a deposition in front of the House impeachment committees yesterday but, like many of his White House peers, did not appear. Photograph: Carolyn Kaster/AP
The team behind Michael Bloomberg has said that “if we run”, they would bypass the four early-voting state - Iowa, New Hampshire, Nevada and South Carolina - and focus on doing well on Super Tuesday and beyond.
NEW Bloomberg statement: "If we run, we are confident we can win in states voting on Super Tuesday and beyond, where we will start on an even footing."
Though he has not officially announced yet , he’s already getting flack for his decision to ignore the early states.
In a statement, Iowa Democratic Party chair @troymprice tells me: "It’s disappointing to hear that Mayor Bloomberg doesn’t plan on competing in Iowa’s first-in-the-nation caucuses or the other three early nominating states." pic.twitter.com/SR7wemUrhg
.@ChairmanBuckley blasts Bloomberg for potentially skipping New Hampshire. “We are disappointed and frankly very surprised that any candidate would launch a campaign for the White House where their path doesn't run through New Hampshire or any of the other early states.” pic.twitter.com/wfVhF1NO5u
Billionaire and 2020 Democratic presidential hopeful Tom Steyer has had some questionable happenings in his campaign recently. A South Carolina aide stole volunteer data from Kamala Harris’ campaign, and later resigned. And now this:
The aide who allegedly offered to pay for endorsements with campaign donations has resigned from Tom Steyer’s Iowa operation.
Lawyers for Donald Trump say they’ll be going to the supreme court over the matter of New York state prosecutors obtaining his tax records, the Associated Press is reporting.
In a letter to the US district Judge Victor Marrero on Friday, Trump’s lawyers and the state prosecutor said that they can fully brief the matter no later than 25 November if the high court agrees to review rulings against Trump by Marrero and an appeals court. That would allow the supreme court to decide the case in its current term.
Michael Bloomberg is officially on the ballot in Michigan too, but still no announcement. Seriously, how hard is it to toss a tweet up announcing your run?
These are the candidates qualified to be on the ballot in Michigan's presidential primary. Additional candidates, like @EricHolder, can be added if the party requests to add their name by Nov. 12 OR if they file a petition with @MichSoS@JocelynBenson by Dec. 13. #2020Electionpic.twitter.com/KEDfUvQpVu
Who here remembers Rear Admiral Ronny Jackson, who was the chief White House physician that Donald Trump nominated for secretary of veterans affairs in 2018? That’s right, the doctor who withdrew his nomination following accusations that he once got so drunk that he wrecked a government vehicle and handed out so many prescription drugs that he was nicknamed “candyman”? (He denied all the allegations).
Well, it looks like Jackson is now considering a run for Congress.
NEWS: Former VA nominee Ronny Jackson eyes run for Congress, per two sources familiar with his plans https://t.co/gLYKPCnVeG
According to Roll Call, Jackson, a Republican and a native Texan, is eyeing the 13th District, now open after Congressman Mac Thornberry announced his retirement.
It’s been an eventful Friday afternoon – here’s a summary of what’s been happening:
The transcripts of two diplomats and witnesses to the Ukraine scandal, Fiona Hill and Lt Col Alexander Vindman, were released today. Mick Mulvaney was largely implicated in both for being a key agent in withholding Ukraine’s aid.
Trump said that he is considering taking up an invitation from the Russian president, Vladimir Putin, to attend a Russian military parade in May. He also calledMichael Bloomberg “Little Michael” and said he’s not worried about the billionaire entering the race.
House Republicans appointed Jim Jordan, a Republican representative from Ohio, to the House intelligence committee. Jordan’s new spot will allow him to grill witnesses as public impeachment hearings are set to begin next week.
A lawyer for the former US national security adviser John Bolton said there are more Trump-Ukraine-related meetings and conversations that Congress does not know about, according to a report from the New York Times.
Steve Bannon, the former White House chief strategist, testified against Trump ally Roger Stone in court today. Bannon said that Stone was the “axis” between the Trump campaign and Wikileaks.
Ben Carson: It takes “a lot of courage” to be a Trump supporter
At the Black Voices for Trump coalition rally in Atlanta this afternoon, Housing and Urban Development secretary Ben Carson warmed up the crowd by thanking the crowd for their “courage”.
“In our society today, it takes a lot of courage to say that you’re supporting President Trump.” he said. The kind of “manipulation” and “intimidation” that comes with being a Trump supporter, he said, has been going on “since we’ve been in America”, citing slavery and Jim Crow laws.
Side note: In 2016, 8% of black Americans voted for Trump, compared to 89% who voted for Hillary Clinton. He predicted that he would win 95 percent of the black vote.
Ben Carson claims that it takes "a lot of courage" to support Trump and that criticizing black conservatives is the same as the techniques used by slave owners to denigrate slaves and by racists in the Jim Crow era. pic.twitter.com/gI5Z56NxY9
Bloomberg has a 5pm deadline today to file for the Democratic presidential primary in Alabama, but he (and presumably his staff) have yet to be seen. *eyes emoji*
So it's 3:21 p.m. Alabama time, Democratic qualifying closes at 5 p.m., and we have not yet seen Bloomberg.
My experience of Democratic qualifying in the past: The office fills up between 4:30 and 4:45 p.m., so I would expect them up to that moment. (After that,🤷♂️) #alpolitics
Forbes released an estimate of the net worth of the Trump siblings using property records, court documents and government filings. Ivanka reigns on top, in part thanks to her marriage to Jared Kushner. Her wealth is estimated to be $375m. Don Jr. and Eric are estimated to be worth about $25m each.
Tiffany, 26, and Barron, 13, have yet to inherit much from their father. Their older siblings have gotten most of their cash by serving as executives at the Trump Organization. Ivanka’s serving as vice president of the organization got her $25m. Her now-defunct fashion line, at its peak, got her $10 million a year at the height of its popularity.
All Melania has gotten is “a small Trump Tower apartment… worth $1.5m”. Womp womp.
Maybe Don Jr.’s new book will get him some extra cash Photograph: Kevin Lamarque/Reuters
Former vice president and presidential candidate Joe Biden said that he welcomes former New York City mayor Michael Bloomberg into the race.
Bloomberg’s still-unofficial entry into the Democratic primary has been seen as a sign the billionaire believes Biden won’t be able to muster a promising campaign against progressive Democrats. Earlier in the year, there had been whispers that Bloomberg was gearing up for a race but was carefully watching Biden’s moves to see if he would run.
He announced in March that he would not be seeking the Democratic candidacy, a month before Biden launched his campaign April.
