Anyone who thought nothing new was going to come out of Comey’s Senate Judiciary Committee testimony was proven wrong. In his few hours of testimony Comey repeatedly called Trump a liar, said Vice President Pence may have been aware of concerns about Michael Flynn, and said he could not share in an open setting why the FBI knew Attorney General Sessions would have to recuse himself from any Russia investigation.
But the biggest revelation to come out of the hearing was the fact that Comey confirmed that he expects special counsel Robert Mueller to investigate Trump. Here’s why Trump is probably under investigation:
- Comey indicated that the Special Counsel is likely investigating Trump for obstruction of justice. When asked whether he thought Trump sought to obstruct justice when he asked Comey to end the Flynn investigation Comey said, “I don’t think it’s for me to say whether the conversation I had with the president was an effort to obstruct. I took it as a very disturbing thing, very concerning, but that’s a conclusion I’m sure the special counsel will work towards, to try and understand what the intention was there, and whether that’s an offense.” Comey also said that it was of “investigative interest” for the Bureau to find out “what just happened” during his individual meeting with the President on February 14th.
- “[T]hat’s a question that will be answered by the investigation”: Comey suggested that Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation will focus on the question of whether President Trump colluded with Russia. When asked today whether he thought Trump colluded with Russia, Comey responded: “That’s a question I don’t think I should answer in an open setting, as I said when I left we did not have an open investigation focused on President Trump, but that’s a question that will be answered by the investigation, I think.”
- McCabe confirmed there either is, or likely to be, a criminal investigation. Acting Director McCabe confirmed yesterday he cannot talk about his conversations with Comey because they are “part of” or “likely to become part of a criminal investigation.”
action of the day
Trumpcare Toolkit. The Senate is kicking its Trumpcare efforts into overdrive and it is looking like their health care bill will look almost identical to the bill passed by the House, which would strip health care from 23 million Americans, raise premiums, and gut protections for people with pre-existing conditions. The Senate is planning to vote on their bill by the end of the month. That means they need to hear from you NOW. Check out the updated TrumpcareToolkit.org for everything you need to make your voice heard.
NON COMEY NEWS
Joint Employment. Yesterday, the Department of Labor announced its decision to rescind an Obama-era standard that expanded workers’ protections against wage-law violations. The “joint employment” standard expanded the circumstances under which businesses could be held responsible for wage-law violations. This is yet another sign of the Trump Administration’s willingness to support big businesses at the expense of workers. More details on the rule here.
#WorldOceansDay. Today is World Oceans Day and nations worldwide are celebrating our blue planet by committing to protect all the ocean provides for us and for future generations. Everyone that is, except for President Trump, who has declared war on our oceans and whose ocean policy agenda is a direct attack on 3 million American jobs supported by the sustainable ocean economy. To show your support for healthy oceans and a climate-resilient ocean economy, add your voice to protect marine national monuments today.
#ThinkingCAP. This week, Michele & Igor chat with Markos Moulitsas, Founder of Daily Kos and John Burton, Political Director at Daily Action about how to sustain the resistance with community, self-care and text messages. Listen here.
HBD Antiquities Act! Today is the anniversary of Teddy Roosevelt signing the Antiquities Act, the law that protected places like the Grand Canyon and the Statue of Liberty. But these sites are now at risk. Show some love for your national parks and monuments by submitting a comment telling Donald Trump to leave America’s treasured landscapes alone!
#DontDeportMyDad. The Trump Administration has instituted extreme and unjust immigration policies designed to take no mercy on the thousands of families they stand to tear apart. That’s why this father’s day, faith leaders and other advocates are standing up to honor all fathers and their contributions to families and our country and to demand that Trump and Secretary Kelly stop deporting fathers.
UNDER THE RADAR
#StandWithJessica. Trump’s Muslim Ban 2.0 may be held up in the courts, but the administration’s assault on immigrants and refugees continues. The latest example is 29-year-old Jessica Colotl who has lived in the United States since she was 11 years old and received DACA status. After living in the country for 18 years, U.S. immigration agencies abruptly revoked Colotl’s DACA status—based on a flimsy claim—putting her livelihood and safety at risk. Jessica is just one of the 770,000 DACA recipients who now face very real threats from the government meant to protect them. Sign this petition to #StandWithJessica and all the DACA recipients working to make a life in this country.
GOOD NEWS
Voting Solutions.A new Center for American Progress report, shows that Oregon’s first-in-the-nation Automatic Voter Registration program has strengthened the state’s democracy by expanding the electorate. New data shows that citizens participating through AVR were younger, more rural, low-income, and diverse than traditional voters. In a time when voting rights are under attack in so many parts of the country, AVR offers a common sense solution that makes our voter registration systems more modern, convenient, secure, efficient, and cost-effective. Check out this video to see how AVR has worked in Oregon.