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Office of Vice President Biden Intelligence Briefing


*From:* Bulletin Intelligence <Biden@BulletinIntelligence.com>
*Sent:* Tuesday, April 17, 2018 7:58 AM
*To:* Biden@BulletinIntelligence.com
*Subject:* Office of Vice President Biden Intelligence Briefing for
Tuesday, April 17, 2018


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[image: Image removed by sender. Office of Vice President Biden
Intelligence Briefing]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018041701biden&r=email-611f&l=001-dfa&t=c>

*To: Vice President Joe Biden*

*Tuesday, April 17, 2018 8:00 AM EDT*
Today's Table of Contents

*Leading the News <#SECTION_1>*

• Hannity Revealed To Be Cohen’s Third Client. <#S1>

*Foreign Policy <#SECTION_2>*

• White House: US To Decide In “Near Future” On More Russia Sanctions. <#S2>

• US, UK Accuse Russia Of Launching Global Cyber Attack. <#S3>

• Media Analyses: Abe Meeting Trump Today Amid Domestic Political
Challenges. <#S4>

• Senators To Introduce New AUMF Resolution. <#S5>

• EU Fails To Agree On New Iran Sanctions. <#S6>

• Niger Ambush Suspect May Be In Custody. <#S7>

• Trump: Russia, China Playing “Currency Devaluation Game.” <#S8>

*Domestic Policy <#SECTION_3>*

• Administration, Republicans Blast Comey’s Character, Credibility. <#S9>

• At Florida Roundtable, Trump Touts Tax Cuts, Economy. <#S10>

• GAO: $43,000 Soundproof Phone Booth In Pruitt’s Office Violated Law.
<#S11>

• Interior Department IG: Zinke Took Unnecessary $12,000 Charter Flight.
<#S12>

• Full Senate Confirmation Vote For Pompeo Planned, Even If Committee
Rejects Him. <#S13>

• Trump To Nominate Clarida, Bowman To Fed Board Of Governors. <#S14>

• Nearly 50 Republicans Back Move To Hold Votes On Immigration Bills. <#S15>

*Cancer Research <#SECTION_4>*

• Clinical Trials: Immuno-Chemotherapy Lung Cancer Treatment Could Boost
Survival. <#S16>

• FDA Approves Advanced Renal Cell Carcinoma Combination Treatment. <#S17>

*Editorials/Op-Eds <#SECTION_5>*

• New York Times. <#S18>

• Washington Post. <#S19>

*Biden in the News <#SECTION_6>*

• Local TV Stations Highlight Biden Remarks Made In MSNBC Interview About
Potential Bid. <#S20>

• Biden To Speak About Cancer Research During Friday Visit To Salk
Institute. <#S21>

• Vanderbilt Chancellor Highlights Biden’s Exhortation To Community
Involvement. <#S22>

• Univ. Of Miami Student “Beyond Thrilled” About Introducing Biden At “It’s
On Us” Rally. <#S23>

• Biden, Elena Delle Donne Cross Paths At Delaware Golf Course. <#S24>

• Article Highlights Dr. Jill Biden’s April 13 Keynote Address At
Pittsburgh YWCA Gala. <#S25>
Leading the News
Hannity Revealed To Be Cohen’s Third Client.

Coverage of the court appearance by President Trump’s personal attorney
Michael Cohen, and Twitter discussion of the subject, focuses almost
entirely on the revelation that Fox News host Sean Hannity was the
previously unnamed third client that Cohen represented during the past
year. Broadcast reports also highlight the circus-like atmosphere outside
the court building, and most outlets give only scant attention to the issue
at hand in the hearing: whether prosecutors will be able to review
materials seized by federal agents from Cohen one week ago.

All three broadcast networks opened their newscasts with the story.
On ABC World News Tonight[image: Image removed by sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018041701biden&r=email-611f&l=002-d8f&t=c>
(4/16, lead story, 4:20), David Muir reported that Cohen is “now trying to
protect what was swept up in the raid.” ABC’s Keira Phillips: “A crush of
cameras as Stormy Daniels arrived in federal court today. ... Less fanfare
for Michael Cohen, the President’s long-time personal lawyer, who paid for
Daniels’ silence.” A court filing revealed that Cohen “did work for three
clients over the past year: Donald Trump, Republican fundraiser Elliott
Broidy, and a third client Cohen said wanted to remain anonymous. ...
Today, the judge ordering the name of Cohen’s third client be revealed: Fox
News anchor Sean Hannity.” ABC played a clip of Hannity responding on his
radio show: “It’s very strange to watch my own television network having my
name up as a lower third in terms of it being a story. ... Michael never
represented me in any matter. I never retained him in the traditional
sense, as retaining a lawyer.”

On the CBS Evening News[image: Image removed by sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018041701biden&r=email-611f&l=003-295&t=c>
(4/16, lead story, 2:25, Glor), Jeff Pegues reported, “Cohen was peppered
with questions as he arrived at the federal courthouse in Lower Manhattan.
He and his lawyers, as well as attorneys for President Trump, told [US
District Judge] Kimba Wood that documents and data seized in FBI raids last
week are protected by attorney-client privilege and should not be read by
prosecutors.” In addition, Daniels “appeared at the courthouse despite not
being directly involved in today’s proceedings.” Daniels: “For years, Mr.
Cohen has acted like he is above the law. That ends now.” Pegues: “In a bit
of courthouse drama, Cohen was forced to reveal his client list. ... To
audible gasps in the courtroom,” Cohen’s lawyer said the third client “was
Fox News host and staunch Trump supporter Sean Hannity.”

On NBC Nightly News[image: Image removed by sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018041701biden&r=email-611f&l=004-d36&t=c>
(4/16, lead story, 2:50), Lester Holt called it “a wild scene outside the
federal courthouse...as the key players in the latest legal bonfire
surrounding the President, including Stormy Daniels, appeared before a
critical hearing. ... The surprise disclosure that Fox News commentator and
Trump loyalist Sean Hannity was also one of Cohen’s clients added yet
another wrinkle to this case.”

In addition to defending himself on his radio show, Hannity tweeted
about the matter six times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018041701biden&r=email-611f&l=005-590&t=c>
on Monday, most significantly writing
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018041701biden&r=email-611f&l=006-aba&t=c>,
“Michael Cohen has never represented me in any matter. I never retained
him, received an invoice, or paid legal fees. I have occasionally had brief
discussions with him about legal questions about which I wanted his input
and perspective,” then adding
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018041701biden&r=email-611f&l=007-d1b&t=c>,
“I assumed those conversations were confidential, but to be absolutely
clear they never involved any matter between me and a third-party.” Hannity
later said on Fox News’ Hannity[image: Image removed by sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018041701biden&r=email-611f&l=008-39a&t=c>
(4/16), “Michael Cohen never represented me in any legal manner. I never
retained his services. I never received an invoice. I never paid Michael
Cohen for legal fees. I did have occasional brief conversations with
Michael Cohen – he is a great attorney – about legal questions I had or I
was looking for input and perspective. ... In response to all the wild
speculation, I want to set the record straight here tonight. I never asked
Michael Cohen to bring this proceeding on my behalf. I have no personal
interest in this legal matter.”

But frequent guest Alan Dershowitz, appearing on Fox News’
Hannity[image:
Image removed by sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018041701biden&r=email-611f&l=009-665&t=c>
(4/16), told the host, “You should have disclosed your relationship with
Cohen when you talked about him on this show. You could have said just that
you had asked him for advice or whatever. But I think it would have been
much, much better had you disclosed that relationship.” On Facebook
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018041701biden&r=email-611f&l=00a-e7d&t=c>,
the New York Daily News said of Dershowitz’s comments, “Hannity got
destroyed... on his own show!” In its own Facebook post
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018041701biden&r=email-611f&l=00b-3c7&t=c>,
Mediaite said of Dershowitz’s comments, “Well, this was awkward.”

Reuters
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018041701biden&r=email-611f&l=00c-823&t=c>
(4/16) reports that Wood rejected Cohen’s “efforts to mask the identity of
Hannity, a client Cohen had said wanted to avoid publicity.” Wood said, “I
understand if he doesn’t want his name out there, but that’s not enough
under the law.” The Wall Street Journal
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018041701biden&r=email-611f&l=00d-b19&t=c>
(4/16, Orden) reports that the names of the clients were at issue because
of Cohen’s motion seeking a temporary restraining order concerning material
that was seized. Wood instructed Cohen’s attorneys to provide information
about the clients and attorneys that Cohen had considered privileged.

USA Today
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018041701biden&r=email-611f&l=00e-10f&t=c>
(4/16, McCoy, Korte) reports, “As one of Trump’s most vocal supporters –
and one who reportedly speaks to the president frequently – Hannity
attacked the FBI for the raid on Cohen’s offices last week without
disclosing that Cohen was also one of his lawyers.” Callum Borchers of
the Washington
Post
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018041701biden&r=email-611f&l=00f-2bc&t=c>
(4/16) writes, “Hannity’s denial is a bit confusing. Hannity sought Cohen’s
legal counsel only on matters involving Hannity and himself? It is also
unclear why, if Cohen’s work for Hannity was innocuous, the two men sought
to keep their relationship secret.” The Los Angeles Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018041701biden&r=email-611f&l=010-523&t=c>
(4/16, Tanfani) reports, “On his Fox show, where Cohen has been a guest,
Hannity had harshly criticized the government’s decision to raid Cohen’s
office and had not disclosed any attorney-client relationship the two may
have had.” The New York Daily News
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018041701biden&r=email-611f&l=011-9ee&t=c>
(4/16, Sommerfeldt) also reports that Hannity “repeatedly blasted federal
prosecutors in the wake of a raid at Michael Cohen’s office last week – but
didn’t mention that he has taken legal advice from the longtime Trump
attorney for years.”

The AP
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018041701biden&r=email-611f&l=012-d41&t=c>
(4/16, Hays, Neumeister) called the Hannity revelation “a surprise twist.”
The New York Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018041701biden&r=email-611f&l=013-e1b&t=c>
(4/16, Feuer, Grynbaum) reports that Fox News anchor Shepard Smith, in
reporting the news, said “that it was time for him to address ‘the elephant
in the room.’” Smith continued, “Hannity’s producers are working to contact
him. Since it’s now a part of the story, we’ll report on it when we know
the rest of it. A lot of people here know his number, so we’ll get on that
in just a second.” Politico
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018041701biden&r=email-611f&l=014-252&t=c>
(4/16, Calderone) reports under the headline “Hannity’s Ethics Under Fire”
that Hannity “has wavered over the years on whether he is a journalist or
conservative activist, but ethics specialists say that whichever hat the
Fox News host was wearing” when he condemned the Cohen raid, “he should
have disclosed that he’s a client of Cohen’s.” Indira Lakshmanan of the
Poynter Institute said, “It doesn’t matter if you’re a newspaper reporter
or an opinion journalist. If you want to maintain credibility with an
audience, and be honest with them, you have to disclose all facts.”

In an analysis that led the CNN Money
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018041701biden&r=email-611f&l=015-fcc&t=c>
(4/16) website on Monday evening, Brian Stelter wrote, “Fox is not a normal
newsroom. And Hannity’s viewers are not typical news viewers. ... Hannity,
an entertainer at heart, blurs the lines all the time – for example by
calling his show ‘real news’ and by asserting that he has anonymous
sources. Now it’s even blurrier.” George W. Bush Administration ethics
counsel Richard Painter tweeted
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018041701biden&r=email-611f&l=016-d3a&t=c>,
“FOX News: Fair and Balanced. And lawyered up with Trump.” Amanda Terkel of
the Huffington Post tweeted
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018041701biden&r=email-611f&l=017-ff6&t=c>,
“Sean Hannity was apoplectic over the FBI raid of Michael Cohen. On April
9, the day of the raid, he said the media should stop focusing on it. Now
we know why.” New York Magazine asked on Facebook
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018041701biden&r=email-611f&l=018-47b&t=c>,
“Will Sean Hannity’s pristine reputation ever recover from this?” Bloomberg
News
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018041701biden&r=email-611f&l=019-bab&t=c>
(4/16, Sakoui, Palmeri), The Hill
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018041701biden&r=email-611f&l=01a-b7b&t=c>
(4/16, Samuels), and the Daily Caller
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018041701biden&r=email-611f&l=01b-ca6&t=c>
(4/16, Caruso) also report on the Hannity revelation.

*Judge Rejects Cohen Effort To Block Prosecutors From Reviewing
Seized Materials. *The New York Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018041701biden&r=email-611f&l=01c-b34&t=c>
(4/16, Weiser, Feuer) reports in a brief item that Wood rejected an attempt
by Cohen “to block prosecutors in Manhattan from reviewing a trove of
materials seized in F.B.I. raids last week on Mr. Cohen’s office, home,
hotel room and safe deposit box.” The Daily Beast
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018041701biden&r=email-611f&l=01d-290&t=c>
(4/16, Briquelet), in a story that led the Drudge Report on Monday evening,
reported that Cohen “had asked a federal judge for a temporary restraining
order to stop federal prosecutors in Manhattan from viewing the information
seized by the FBI until an independent third party, called a ‘special
master,’ be allowed to sort out what is protected by attorney-client
privilege.” The Washington Post
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018041701biden&r=email-611f&l=01e-ec0&t=c>
(4/16, Bump, Barrett) reports that Wood said “that to address concerns
about ‘fairness’ raised by Trump and Cohen’s attorneys, ‘a special master
might have a role here. Maybe not the complete role, but some role.’”

*AP: Trump, Allies Concerned About What Might Be In Seized
Materials. *In an analysis, the AP
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018041701biden&r=email-611f&l=01f-a77&t=c>
(4/17, Lemire, Lucey) writes that “Trump and his allies have hit a new
level of anxiety” after the Cohen raid, “fearful of deeper exposure for
Trump, his inner circle and his adult children – and more than concerned
that they don’t know exactly what is in those records and electronic
devices seized last week.” There is also some worry that Cohen “may strike
a deal with prosecutors out of concern about his own prospects.” Attorney
Joseph Cammarata, who represented Paula Jones in her sexual harassment suit
against President Clinton, told the AP, “I think it’s a huge minefield for
Donald Trump and the Trump Organization. I think this is on its own track
and this train is coming down the track with brute force.”

*Politico: Trump’s Legal Team Short-Handed At Crucial Time. *
Politico
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018041701biden&r=email-611f&l=020-298&t=c>
(4/16, Samuelsohn) reports on the Trump legal team’s “sudden enlistment” of
attorney Joanna Hendon, writing that it “underscores Trump’s scramble to
manage an expanding array of legal crisis with a bare-bones legal team that
has lacked a quarterback for nearly a month.” Trump’s legal team “has in
effect been improvising for the last several weeks, a dangerous dynamic
given his mounting woes.” Paul Rosenzweig, a former senior counsel to
Whitewater independent counsel Ken Starr, said, “Would you help him?
Everyone who works for Trump has a big ‘T’ burned on their forehead for the
rest of their life.”

*Ex-Playboy Playmate Claims 1993 Affair With Then-Engaged Trump. *The
Daily Mail (UK)
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018041701biden&r=email-611f&l=021-226&t=c>
(4/16, Parry) reports that ex-Playboy Playmate Barbara Moore claims that
she had a six-month affair with Trump when he was engaged to Marla Maples,
who was pregnant with daughter Tiffany at the time. Moore shared
photographs of herself in Trump’s private residence at Mar-a-Lago with the
Daily Mail.

*Mueller’s Office Says “Many” Stories About Russia Probe Are
Inaccurate. *The Washington Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018041701biden&r=email-611f&l=022-1e8&t=c>
(4/16, Scarborough) reports that special counsel Robert Mueller’s office
warns that “many” news stories about the Trump-Russia investigation have
been wrong. A statement from a Mueller spokesperson said, “What I have been
telling all reporters is that many stories about our investigation have
been inaccurate. ... Be very cautious about any source that claims to have
knowledge about our investigation and dig deep into what they claim before
reporting on it. If another outlet reports something, don’t run with it
unless you have your own sourcing to back it up.”

*Politico: At Mar-A-Lago This Week, Trump Will Have Time To
“Seethe” Over Grievances. *Politico
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018041701biden&r=email-611f&l=023-938&t=c>
(4/16, Restuccia, Nelson) reports that while he spends the week at
Mar-a-Lago, aides expect Trump will “find plenty of time to seethe over his
ever-growing list of grievances.” Politico cites “three outside advisers”
who say people close to Trump “are bracing for a potentially tumultuous
trip” as visits to Mar-a-Lago “often bring out an even more unfiltered
Trump.” Trump “was already fuming” before he left on Monday and “five days
at Mar-a-Lago, where he often spends even more time watching cable news and
talking to friends, could send his frustrations to new heights.”
Foreign Policy
White House: US To Decide In “Near Future” On More Russia Sanctions.

On the day Ambassador Haley said the Administration would announce new
sanctions against Russia for its support of Syria, the White House said the
sanctions are still under consideration. A number of media reports indicate
that President Trump stopped the announcement, while others suggest Haley
misspoke and the announcement was never planned.

ABC World News Tonight[image: Image removed by sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018041701biden&r=email-611f&l=024-c18&t=c>
(4/16, story 3, 0:35, Muir) briefly reported that “after...Haley said that
the White House would impose new sanctions on Russia, the White House [is]
now saying they are considering the move.” According to the Washington Post
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018041701biden&r=email-611f&l=025-cf7&t=c>
(4/16, Rucker, Leonnig, Troianovski, Jaffe), Trump “put the brakes” on the
plan, “walking back” Haley’s Sunday announcement. Trump, it says, had
“conferred with his national security advisers later Sunday and told them
he was upset the sanctions were being officially rolled out because he was
not yet comfortable executing them, according to several people familiar
with the plan.” The Post says “the Trump team decided to publicly
characterize Haley’s announcement as a misstatement,” but “privately,
another White House official said Haley got ahead of herself and made ‘an
error that needs to be mopped up.’” A White House official, however, told
Politico
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018041701biden&r=email-611f&l=026-b6a&t=c>
(4/16, Restuccia) that Trump “had not signed off on the sanctions, despite
Haley’s Sunday comments.” Said the official, “The sanctions were always
something that was just under consideration,” but added, “We would not have
rolled out sanctions through somebody saying them on a Sunday show.”

The New York Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018041701biden&r=email-611f&l=027-e07&t=c>
(4/16, Baker) also reports Trump “rejected for now imposing a fresh round
of sanctions against Russia,” calling it a “course change that underscored
the schism between the president and his national security team.” White
House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders said in a statement, “We are
considering additional sanctions on Russia and a decision will be made in
the near future.” However, “another White House official...said Mr. Trump
had decided not to go forward with the sanctions” after he “concluded that
they were unnecessary because Moscow’s response to the airstrike was mainly
bluster.” To the Daily Beast
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018041701biden&r=email-611f&l=028-e2e&t=c>
(4/16, Desiderio), “the White House threw Haley under the bus” on Monday.
According to the Beast, “sources familiar with the sanctions rollout
process described a chaotic back-and-forth,” so “it was unlikely that
Haley...would have misspoken so egregiously if a sanctions regime was not
already in the works.”

To the AP
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018041701biden&r=email-611f&l=029-678&t=c>
(4/16, Yen, Burns), the White House “scrambled Monday to walk
back...Haley’s weekend announcement...but stressed the penalties are still
being considered.” Sanders “tried to clarify the situation,” but the AP
says “her explanation created more confusion and led to suggestions
that...Trump had personally intervened to halt the sanctions from taking
effect Monday.” The two officials “said Haley had misspoken,” and “said the
administration had no plans to announce Syria-related sanctions on Russia
this week.” Bloomberg News
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018041701biden&r=email-611f&l=02a-fca&t=c>
(4/16, Mohsin) similarly says Haley “caused a stir” with her remarks
Sunday. The Hill
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018041701biden&r=email-611f&l=02b-31c&t=c>
(4/16, Beavers) too says the White House “appears to be walking
back...Haley’s announcement,” as does Townhall
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018041701biden&r=email-611f&l=02c-f66&t=c>
(4/16, Barkoukis). The Washington Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018041701biden&r=email-611f&l=02d-6db&t=c>
(4/16, Boyer) reports Trump “ordered a hold on new economic sanctions,” in
a “reversal” that “seemed to underscore Mr. Trump’s continued ambivalence
over the way forward in Syria.”

*US Accuses Russia Of Blocking Investigators, Tampering With
Evidence. *NBC Nightly News[image: Image removed by sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018041701biden&r=email-611f&l=02e-a95&t=c>
(4/16, story 7, 1:35, Holt) reported that the US is “accusing Russia of
blocking international inspectors of entering the site of the suspected
chemical attack” earlier this month. Bill Neely said inspectors “have
waited three days to get into” Douma, “where Russian troops patrol and
rebels fled. But Russia and Assad’s regime said it’s too dangerous and the
inspectors need more permits.” The US also said Russia “may be tampering
with evidence.” State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert: “Russia has
probably messed with that site and tried to degrade what is at the site
right now.” The Wall Street Journal
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018041701biden&r=email-611f&l=02f-111&t=c>
(4/16, Barnes, Fassihi) reports that during a meeting of the Organization
for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons at The Hague on Monday, US
Ambassador Kenneth Ward said “it is our understanding” that Russians may
have visited the site of the attack, and “we are concerned they may have
tampered with it with the intent of thwarting the efforts of the OPCW
fact-finding mission to conduct an effective investigation.”

Russia, Reuters
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018041701biden&r=email-611f&l=030-366&t=c>
(4/16) reports, “denied the charge and blamed delays on retaliatory US-led
missile strikes on Syria” over the weekend. The AP
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018041701biden&r=email-611f&l=031-367&t=c>
(4/16, Mroue) reports that instead of granting the OPCW inspectors access,
Syrian authorities “offered them 22 people to interview as witnesses.” On
the CBS Evening News[image: Image removed by sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018041701biden&r=email-611f&l=032-73c&t=c>
(4/16, story 2, 3:20, Glor), Seth Doane reported from Douma, “Nine days
have already passed since that suspected chemical attack, and if weapons
experts do make it” into the city, “they’ll find a scene that could have
been tampered with, and eyewitness accounts that can be confusing and
contradictory.” The Washington Post
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018041701biden&r=email-611f&l=033-06a&t=c>
(4/16, Sly, Ajroudi) reports that “pro-government media broadcast
interviews with doctors from the area saying no such attack had occurred
and that the victims they treated were suffering from asthma.”

*White House: Coalition Came Together Despite Tensions. *The Wall
Street Journal
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018041701biden&r=email-611f&l=034-7d0&t=c>
(4/16, Bender) reports White House officials said Monday that the
three-country coalition that launched airstrikes in Syria came together
despite tensions, because of good relations between President Trump and
French President Emmanuel Macron. The coalition was also made possible by
Trump’s joining with British Prime Minister Theresa May last month to expel
Russian diplomats in response to the poisoning of a former Russian spy,
White House officials said.

The New York Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018041701biden&r=email-611f&l=035-df3&t=c>
(4/16, Castle), meanwhile, reports Prime Minister Theresa May “faced
criticism from lawmakers on Monday, with many of them seeming to resent
being bypassed over the decision, more than the strikes themselves.”
Speaking in Parliament, May argued that the “limited, targeted and
effective” attack sent a message that the use of chemical weapons would not
be tolerated by the international community. Labour Party leader Jeremy
Corbyn, however, questioned the justification of the strikes under
international law, telling May she was accountable to Parliament and “not
to the whims of the US president.”

White House Deputy Press Secretary Hogan Gidley said on Fox News’
Fox & Friends[image: Image removed by sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018041701biden&r=email-611f&l=036-183&t=c>
(4/16), “The President wanted to accomplish a couple of things. One of
those was to completely destroy Assad’s chemical weapons depot. That is
exactly what he did. The strike was surgical. It was strategic and it was
appropriate. It accomplished everything he wanted to do. Assad used
chemical weapons on his own people. It was disgusting and grotesque. The
President saw the opportunity and he took it. Past presidents have drawn
red lines in the sand and watched as other nations went right past those
and didn’t do anything about it. This President said, ‘No more. We are
going to put an end to this right now.’ And that is exactly what he did.”

Sen. Lindsey Graham said on Fox News’ Fox & Friends[image: Image
removed by sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018041701biden&r=email-611f&l=037-3c1&t=c>
(4/16), “We have got a really good commander-in-chief in Donald Trump,” but
“he needs to reconsider his position regarding Assad in Syria. ... If you
were Assad, you heard our President saying, ‘I am going to make you pay a
big price. You are an animal.’ What did Assad see? A military strike that
didn’t change his life at all. So, Assad wakes up the next day and goes
back to work.”

Sen. Joni Ernst said on Fox News’ Fox & Friends[image: Image
removed by sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018041701biden&r=email-611f&l=038-0c0&t=c>
(4/16), “I’m glad we took the actions we did, finally. But, very
importantly, we were involved with these actions with the United Kingdom
and with France. Kudos to our President for actually involving allied
nations in this strike. But, going forward, we do have to have those
discussions in Congress.”

Michael Gerson writes in his Washington Post
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018041701biden&r=email-611f&l=039-d98&t=c>
(4/16) column that Trump “seems committed to the norm that chemical weapons
attacks against civilians should bring kinetic consequences,” which is
“superior to President Barack Obama’s version, in which chemical attacks
brought only unenforced threats.” But Gerson says the “outcome in Syria
that would have best served US values and interests” is a “well-armed
coalition of moderate rebels forcing the regime to the negotiating table,
resulting in a coalition government that includes some regime elements but
not Assad.” Unfortunately, Gerson argues, “this mission was never even
attempted.”

*White House: Trump Still Intends To Pull Troops Out Of Syria As
Soon As Possible. *The Washington Post
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018041701biden&r=email-611f&l=03a-e18&t=c>
(4/16, Deyoung, McAuley, Booth) reports the White House said Monday that
President Trump “still intends an early exit for US troops in Syria, as
French President Emmanuel Macron attempted to walk back his suggestion that
he had convinced Trump to keep them there for the ‘long term.’” Macron’s
remarks Sunday “had hinted at a major policy shift for Trump,” but White
House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders insisted Monday that “our policy hasn’t
changed.”

Another Washington Post
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018041701biden&r=email-611f&l=03b-18b&t=c>
(4/16, McAuley) report says Macron “attempted Monday to walk back
surprising comments.” At a news conference with New Zealand Prime Minister
Jacinda Ardern, Macron “took pains to emphasize a common strategy in Syria
between France and the Trump administration.” Said the French leader, “I
did not say that either the US or France will remain militarily engaged in
the long term in Syria. We have a military objective in Syria and one only:
the war against ISIS.”

*Officials: US Seeking Arab Force, Funding For Syria. *The Wall
Street Journal
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018041701biden&r=email-611f&l=03c-a13&t=c>
(4/16, A1, Gordon) reports on its front page that US officials said the
Administration is seeking to assemble an Arab force to replace US troops in
Syria and help stabilize the northeastern part of the country after the
defeat of ISIS. The Journal says Trump alluded to the push Friday night
when he announced the missile strikes, saying, “We have asked our partners
to take greater responsibility for securing their home region, including
contributing larger amounts of money.”
US, UK Accuse Russia Of Launching Global Cyber Attack.

Reuters
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018041701biden&r=email-611f&l=03d-e13&t=c>
(4/16) reports the US and UK on Monday accused Russia of launching cyber
attacks “on computer routers, firewalls and other networking equipment used
by government agencies, businesses and critical infrastructure operators
around the globe.” In a joint alert, the two nations said the “campaign by
Russian government-backed hackers was intended to advance spying,
intellectual property theft and other ‘malicious’ activities.” The Kremlin
did not immediately respond to the allegations. The New York Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018041701biden&r=email-611f&l=03e-1e7&t=c>
(4/16, Kirkpatrick, Nixon) says that while Washington and London “have
known for decades that the Kremlin was trying to penetrate their computer
networks, the joint warning appeared to represent an effort to deter future
attacks by calling attention to existing vulnerabilities, prodding
individuals to mitigate them and threatening retaliation against Moscow if
damage was done.” Calling it an “unusual public warning,” the Washington
Post
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018041701biden&r=email-611f&l=03f-10a&t=c>
(4/16, Nakashima) reports it is the result of “monitoring the threat dating
back more than a year,” and is “unrelated to the administration’s recent
strikes in Syria, which Russia condemned.”
Media Analyses: Abe Meeting Trump Today Amid Domestic Political Challenges.

Media coverage of Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s meeting today with
President Trump tends to focus on Abe’s domestic political troubles and
whether he will continue to hold his position in the future. The New York
Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018041701biden&r=email-611f&l=040-7a3&t=c>
(4/16, Rich) reports Abe’s visit with Trump “kicks off a frenzy of
diplomacy” that will include a later meeting with Chinese President Xi
Jinping and possibly one with North Korea’s Kim Jong-un. When he meets with
Trump, Abe “will be looking to make sure Japan’s security is not
inadvertently compromised in any Trump-Kim discussions” and is expected “to
urge Mr. Trump to rejoin the Trans-Pacific Partnership.” However, “Abe may
not stay in power long enough” to make all the other meetings, as he faces
growing opposition, with his political standing damaged by “leaks of
tampered files and previously missing documents” that raise “sharper
questions about whether Mr. Abe helped friends at two educational
institutions gain preferential treatment from the government.”

The Washington Post
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018041701biden&r=email-611f&l=041-405&t=c>
(4/16, Fifield) reports Abe “can’t even play up his strong ties with Trump
because the American president has been publicly attacking Japan over trade
and did not grant Japan the exemption to new steel tariffs that was given
to other allies.” The Post adds that both Trump and Abe face “a storm of
relentless political onslaughts.” Domestically, “polls published Monday
showed Abe’s steadily tanking ratings have fallen further in recent days,”
and over the weekend, tens of thousands of demonstrators called for him to
resign.

The Los Angeles Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018041701biden&r=email-611f&l=042-12e&t=c>
(4/16, Lee) reports that Abe will be “chastened and anxious” going into his
meeting with Trump, given recent events: Trump’s sudden announcement he
would meet with Kim Jong Un without warning or consultation with Japan, as
well as Japan being “the only major American ally not promised an exemption
from Trump’s hefty new tariffs imposed on steel and aluminum.” Bloomberg
News
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018041701biden&r=email-611f&l=043-5fd&t=c>
(4/16, Reynolds) also covers this story.

*WSJournal: Trump Should Follow Abe’s Lead On TPP. *In an
editorial, the Wall Street Journal
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018041701biden&r=email-611f&l=044-930&t=c>
(4/16) writes that President Trump should follow Prime Minister Abe’s lead
on the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade pact. While Abe’s precarious
domestic position prevents him from making concessions in a bilateral trade
agreement, his embrace of the TPP shows, according to the Journal, Abe’s
commitment to opening his country to foreign competition. Trump can make a
strong case that the TPP addresses the trade issues he has with Japan, and
it would also pull in foreign support for dealing with China’s trade
behavior.
Senators To Introduce New AUMF Resolution.

The AP
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018041701biden&r=email-611f&l=045-7d6&t=c>
(4/16, Mascaro) reports that the leaders of the Senate Foreign Relations
Committee are “set to unveil a bipartisan resolution authorizing the use of
military force overseas, accelerating a debate that Congress has been
reluctant to have, but that’s taking on new urgency” after Friday’s strikes
on Syria. The resolution from Sens. Bob Corker and Tim Kaine is expected to
“revisit the broad authorizations Congress approved in 2001 and 2002 for
the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq,” which a “growing number of critics say
Congress should no longer be using” as legal underpinnings for the fight
against extremist groups such as ISIS. According to the AP, the new
resolution could be introduced “as soon as Monday.” The Washington Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018041701biden&r=email-611f&l=046-6a2&t=c>
(4/16, Dinan) reports that under the new measure, US troops “could continue
fighting the Taliban and al Qaeda and would be given explicit new
permission to battle the Islamic State – but would not be authorized to
attack the capabilities of any nation state, such as Syria.”
EU Fails To Agree On New Iran Sanctions.

Reuters
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018041701biden&r=email-611f&l=047-82a&t=c>
(4/16) reports, “The European Union failed to agree new sanctions against
Iran,” with some diplomats predicting that the bloc may not meet President
Trump’s May 12 deadline on changing the Iran nuclear deal. In an effect to
respond to Trump’s criticism of the deal, “France, Britain and Germany
proposed directing sanctions at Iranian ‘militias and commanders’ fighting
on behalf of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad,” But Italy, backed by
Austria, opposed the move, “fear[ing] that punishing Tehran for its missile
program and regional role would not stop” Trump from withdrawing from the
nuclear deal. A diplomat said that with the nuclear agreement possibly
dead, “why risk emboldening the radicals in Iran and undermining our
chances to win contracts there?”

In contrast, the Wall Street Journal
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018041701biden&r=email-611f&l=048-e83&t=c>
(4/16, Norman) reports that EU diplomats said support is growing for
imposing new sanctions, with an agreement to impose them nearing.
Separately, diplomats involved in the talks between the US, France, the UK,
and Germany say there has been significant progress on agreeing how to
constrain Iran’s activities, although European officials close to the talks
say it isn’t clear an agreement would convince Trump to remain in the Iran
nuclear deal.
Niger Ambush Suspect May Be In Custody.

The New York Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018041701biden&r=email-611f&l=049-f38&t=c>
(4/16, Schmitt, Callimachi) reports, “Nigerien forces apprehended a man who
matches the description” of a terrorist known as Doundoun Cheffou, whom
American soldiers were seeking when they were fatally ambushed six months
ago. Col. Maj. Moussa Salaou Barmou, the head of the Nigerien Special
Forces, said the man has been, in the Times’ words, “turned over to a
special counterterrorism police unit in the country’s capital, Niamey,
where agents are working to identify him.” US Ambassador to Niger Eric P.
Whitaker said in an interview, “It is still under investigation” and “held
up both hands with his fingers crossed to indicate his hopes that the
suspect is confirmed to be Mr. Cheffou.”
Trump: Russia, China Playing “Currency Devaluation Game.”

Reuters
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018041701biden&r=email-611f&l=04a-fec&t=c>
(4/16) reports President Trump on Monday accused Russia and China on Monday
of devaluing their currencies while the US raises interest rates. On
Twitter, Trump said
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018041701biden&r=email-611f&l=04b-bd9&t=c>,
“Russia and China are playing the Currency Devaluation game as the U.S.
keeps raising interest rates. Not acceptable!” Trump’s tweet, reports
the Washington
Post
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018041701biden&r=email-611f&l=04c-002&t=c>
(4/16, Paletta), was “delivered without any evidence or corroboration,” and
“directly contradicts a report issued Friday by Trump’s Treasury
Department, which did not accuse either country of artificially lowering
the value of its currency.” However, Reuters says the tweet “could serve as
Trump’s first criticism – even if done indirectly – of new Federal Reserve
Chairman Jerome H. Powell.” The New York Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018041701biden&r=email-611f&l=04d-a1d&t=c>
(4/16) similarly says that while Treasury “opted on Friday not to label
China a currency manipulator, finding that it was not improperly devaluing
the yuan,” Trump “directly contradicted” those findings. Bloomberg News
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018041701biden&r=email-611f&l=04e-090&t=c>
(4/16, Mohsin) likewise reports Trump “[broke] from his own Treasury
chief’s view that no major trading partners are currency manipulators,” and
“didn’t provide any evidence to substantiate his claim.”

An AP
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018041701biden&r=email-611f&l=04f-d9f&t=c>
(4/16, Yen, Crutsinger) “Fact Check” says Trump’s claim “misstates the
current economic situation and contradicts his own Treasury Department.”
China’s currency, it reports, “has actually been rising in value and now
stands at the highest levels against the dollar in about three years.” By
contrast, Russia’s ruble “has been falling against the dollar and did
plunge sharply last week” in the wake of new economic sanctions imposed by
the US. In a report headlined “Trump Breaches Precedent By Commenting On
Currency Values,” the Wall Street Journal
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018041701biden&r=email-611f&l=050-116&t=c>
(4/16, Timiraos) reports Trump’s comments also deviated from a White House
tradition of avoiding comments on the dollar or the Federal Reserve.

*Sources: US Weighing New Trade Action Against China Over Tech
Curbs. *According to the Wall Street Journal
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018041701biden&r=email-611f&l=051-a6a&t=c>
(4/16, Davis), the Administration is mulling possible retaliation against
Beijing’s restrictions on US tech companies. Source say the US Trade
Representative’s office is preparing a trade complaint, likely under
Section 301 of the Trade Act of 1974, arguing that Beijing unfairly
restricts US trade in high-tech services. The USTR, however, has yet to
decide whether to pursue the complaint, the sources said.

*US Bans American Companies From Selling Parts To Chinese Phone
Maker ZTE. *Reuters
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018041701biden&r=email-611f&l=052-93f&t=c>
(4/16, Stecklow) reports the Department of Commerce on Monday banned US
companies from selling components to Chinese telecom equipment maker ZTE
“for seven years for violating the terms of a sanctions violation case.”
The Chinese company pleaded guilty last year in federal court in Texas for
conspiring to violate US sanctions on Iran, and $890 million in fines and
penalties. As part of the agreement, ZTE “promised to dismiss four senior
employees and discipline 35 others by either reducing their bonuses or
reprimanding them, senior Commerce Department officials told Reuters.” But
the company “admitted in March that while it had fired the four senior
employees, it had not disciplined or reduced bonuses to the 35 others.” A
senior Commerce Department official said ZTE “provided
information...basically admitting that they had made these false
statements. That was in response to the US asking for the information.”

On its front page, the Wall Street Journal
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018041701biden&r=email-611f&l=053-7cc&t=c>
(4/16, A1, Douglas, Wall) reports British officials on Monday also warned
UK phone carriers to avoid using ZTE’s equipment and services, citing
national-security concerns. ZTE did not comment on either move.
Domestic Policy
Administration, Republicans Blast Comey’s Character, Credibility.

Media coverage of former FBI Director James Comey’s interview with ABC News
and the White House reaction to it continue to generate heavy media
coverage. Reporting focuses heavily on statements from President Trump, the
White House, and Republicans calling their comments an “all out assault” on
Comey’s credibility and character.

NBC Nightly News[image: Image removed by sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018041701biden&r=email-611f&l=054-b52&t=c>
(4/16, story 6, 2:15, Holt) described a “war of words” between Trump and
Comey, while Jonathan Karl said on ABC World News Tonight[image: Image
removed by sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018041701biden&r=email-611f&l=055-e56&t=c>
(4/16, story 2, 4:45, Muir) that the White House has launched an “all-out
assault on Comey’s character, rather than going through and offer a point
by point rebuttal. The White House strategy here has been to issue a
blanket denial and to say Comey simply is not credible.”

The Washington Post
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018041701biden&r=email-611f&l=056-2a6&t=c>
(4/16, Wagner, Zapotosky) reports that Trump “took fresh aim” at Comey
Monday, “lambasting his handling of the investigation into Hillary
Clinton’s email server and asserting again that Comey and another FBI
official had committed crimes.” Trump complained in a tweet
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018041701biden&r=email-611f&l=057-4a4&t=c>
that Comey “drafted the Crooked Hillary exoneration long before he talked
to her” and that in determining how to handle the case, Comey “based his
decisions on her poll numbers.” The tweet “also accused Comey of lying to
‘Senator G,’” an apparent reference to “Comey’s May testimony before the
Senate Judiciary Committee” when he told Sen. Charles Grassley that he had
“never” been “an anonymous source in news reports about matters relating to
the Trump investigation or the Clinton investigation” or “authorized
someone else at the FBI to be an anonymous source in news reports about the
Trump investigation or the Clinton investigation.”

The Hill
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018041701biden&r=email-611f&l=058-0a2&t=c>
(4/16, Fabian, Samuels) reports that the White House “renewed its attacks”
on Comey Monday. Press Secretary Sarah Sanders said Trump watched “bits and
pieces” of the interview, which underscored his belief that Comey has a
“lack of credibility.” Counselor to the President Kellyanne Conway told CNN’s
New Day[image: Image removed by sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018041701biden&r=email-611f&l=059-e26&t=c>
that Trump believes Comey is spreading “revisionist history.” Conway said,
“I saw a man last night very shaky and unsure to answer questions, not even
under oath. ... But we know that when Comey was under oath that he had a
very difficult time telling the truth.” Bloomberg News
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018041701biden&r=email-611f&l=05a-877&t=c>
(4/15, Strohm) reports that Conway told Fox Business Mornings with Maria[image:
Image removed by sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018041701biden&r=email-611f&l=05b-e7f&t=c>
that “the fix was in” against Trump. Conway said, “This man’s trying to
sell books not save the country. ... You’re not under oath when you give TV
interviews” or write books. Politico
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018041701biden&r=email-611f&l=05c-ede&t=c>
(4/16, Restuccia, Nelson) says that on ABC’s Good Morning America[image:
Image removed by sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018041701biden&r=email-611f&l=05d-9df&t=c>,
Conway “was unflinching in her own evaluation of the former FBI director’s
performance,” saying Comey “struggled to answer basic questions and he
looked a little shaky.”

White House Deputy Press Secretary Hogan Gidley said on Fox News’
Fox & Friends[image: Image removed by sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018041701biden&r=email-611f&l=05e-3f3&t=c>
(4/16), “James Comey is a disgraced, disgruntled, discredited individual,
fired from the FBI for lying and leaking to completely go against
everything he was put in power to do. And only in Washington, DC could a
proven admitted liar and leaker be paraded around town as though he were
the paragon of virtue. It is, quite frankly, disgusting.” Reuters
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018041701biden&r=email-611f&l=05f-01a&t=c>
(4/16) reports that the RNC also “escalated their attacks” against Comey.
Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel told CNN’s New Day[image: Image removed by
sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018041701biden&r=email-611f&l=060-491&t=c>
(4/16), “This is somebody who wants a payday. ... He has taken his private
conversations with the president and monetized them. I think that is
something that is discrediting and we’re going to push back.”

Rep. Jim Jordan said on CNN’s Anderson Cooper 360[image: Image
removed by sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018041701biden&r=email-611f&l=061-ebf&t=c>
(4/16), “I don’t think James Comey has much credibility. I thought he was
wrong on July 5 when he did his press conference, I thought he was wrong
when he reopened the case. I thought he was wrong throughout the
investigation. I said so both times. ... I thought he screwed this thing up
from the get-go and I don’t think he has a lot of credibility.”

Rep. Charlie Dent was asked on CNN’s New Day[image: Image removed
by sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018041701biden&r=email-611f&l=062-b78&t=c>
(4/16), “It just seems to me that politics was taken into account with some
of these decision making that Director Comey took on. Instead of acting as
Director of FBI he was acting as the Attorney General. His original
mistake, in my view, was publicly giving his opinion in July of 2016. Then
he compounded that mistake again when he reopened the case. He should have
followed FBI protocols and guidelines and let Attorney General Lynch make
the decisions even though she fouled her own nest when she had that meeting
with President Clinton on the tarmac.”

Andrew Napolitano said on Fox News’ Fox & Friends[image: Image
removed by sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018041701biden&r=email-611f&l=063-b60&t=c>
(4/16) that the “most dangerous” thing Comey said in the ABC interview were
“his comments about obstruction of justice. Why do I think that’s
dangerous? Because he talks to Mueller and because he knows Bob Mueller’s
thinking on this. We don’t care if Jim Comey thinks the President may have
obstructed justice. But if he is sending a signal that Mueller and company
thinks that, they think it on the basis of some evidence and that’s
potential.”

Addressing the Steele dossier on Fox News’ Hannity[image: Image
removed by sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018041701biden&r=email-611f&l=064-5ac&t=c>
(4/16), Sean Hannity said, “George Stephanopoulos. Where is the follow-up?
Why didn’t you ask Comey to confirm if that dossier was used as the primary
piece of information to obtain a FISA warrant on a Trump campaign associate
weeks before the election? Why didn’t you ask him, did he lie to the FISA
court? Did he withhold the sensitive nature that this document was in fact
unverified, not corroborated? Why was it ever presented to a FISA court?
Did you ever mention it, that Trump’s political opponent in an election
year paid for this thing, full of Russian lies?”

Former US Attorney Joe DiGenova said on Fox News’ Hannity[image:
Image removed by sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018041701biden&r=email-611f&l=065-497&t=c>
(4/16), “This tortured and troubled man, who you saw last on television,
America’s dirty cop, has destroyed the integrity, the reputation, and the
legitimacy of the Federal Bureau of Investigation single-handedly by his
outrageous performance last night on ABC. It is inconceivable to me that
anyone can now think that he performed a legitimate law enforcement
function during the investigation of Hillary Clinton. It is quite obvious
that the dossier was a fake document, that it was absolutely purposefully
used illegally by senior officials of the FBI and the Department of
Justice. Mr. Comey lied repeatedly last night and regrettably, he lied to
the FISA court, he encouraged others to lie to the FISA court, and
regrettably, I think Mr. Comey has to be charged with crimes for falsely
presenting information to a FISA court and for apparently lying regularly
to Congress.”

Alan Dershowitz said on Fox News’ Fox & Friends[image: Image
removed by sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018041701biden&r=email-611f&l=066-7e0&t=c>
(4/16), “I agreed with one thing he said and that is let’s leave it to the
voters. Let’s not go to impeachment. Let’s not try to criminalize political
difference.” Dershowitz added, “I really thought he demeaned the FBI by
leaking material about unsubstantiated allegations, by trafficking in
gossip, I call it the leak leak. ... He had no courage or guts to speak
himself in front of the TV. He laundered it through a law professor and
gave the worst excuse last night. He said, ‘Well, there was so many
journalist, I didn’t want to give it to one journalist, I leaked it through
my law professor friend to The New York Times.’ ... You know what it showed
last night? This is a man without courage.” Dershowitz said on Fox News’
Hannity[image: Image removed by sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018041701biden&r=email-611f&l=067-b8f&t=c>
(4/16), “I don’t want to charge Comey with crimes. I agree with Comey when
he said that he doesn’t think that Trump should be impeached. We should
leave it to the public. We should leave it to the public to decide whether
to read his book, whether to be critical of him, and the public can judge.”

Former White House communications director Anthony Scaramucci said
on Fox News’ Fox & Friends[image: Image removed by sender. Video]
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(4/16) that Comey “lacks some level of self-awareness. He literally has a
journalist explain to him what the defects are, what the flaws are in
thinking process and how he is going through his analysis of things. I
don’t think the President obstructed justice and I certainly don’t think
the President was involved in anything that was collusive. I think all of
that will come out. I think if you are the President, you would have to be
very frustrated by what he is describing as a witch-hunt. I talked to the
President on Saturday morning. I think he is very, very confident that he
is going to be exonerated.”

*WExaminer Analysis: Comey Interview Had “No Revelations.”
*The Washington
Examiner
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018041701biden&r=email-611f&l=069-f10&t=c>
(4/16, Scarry) reports in an analysis that while the Comey interview
“received extensive coverage in the national press for Comey’s sharp
rebukes of President Trump,” there were “almost no revelations in his
answers, and some critics said Comey came across as self-serving.” Maggie
Haberman of The New York Times said Comey’s book “does not appear to
contain a ton of news in terms of revelations,” and described the ABC
interview as “much lower grade burn than I thought it would be, certainly,
and than I think [Trump’s] advisers thought it would be.” CNN political
commentator Ana Navarro tweeted, “Maybe it’s just me... the more I hear
from Comey, the more conflicted I feel. ... I want to believe him that this
is all about loyalty to country and inviolable respect for the truth. But
damn, the guy has a big ego, is selectively inconsistent. I find him
obnoxiously self-righteous.”

*Daily Caller: Comey Made “Glaringly False Claim” About Steele
Dossier. *The Daily Caller
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018041701biden&r=email-611f&l=06a-1e6&t=c>
(4/16, Ross) reports that Comey “made a glaringly false claim about the
infamous Steele dossier” in the ABC interview. Comey said “that the FBI was
unaware of the salacious and unverified dossier until after the bureau
formally opened its counterintelligence investigation of President Donald
Trump’s campaign,” which occurred on July 31, 2016. There has been
“extensive reporting that dossier author Christopher Steele provided the
FBI with information from his dossier on July 5, 2016.” The DC says is not
clear “why Comey got the timeline so wrong.”

*Comey Interview Averaged 9.8 Million Viewers. *The Hollywood
Reporter
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018041701biden&r=email-611f&l=06b-897&t=c>
(4/16, O'Connell) reports that the interview “averaged 9.8 million viewers
and a 2.4 rating in the news demo of adults 25-54” for ABC, but CBS “was
unbeatable during primetime,” as the ACMAs “average[d] 12.1 million
viewers.”

*NYTimes, USA Today: Comey Risks Undermining His Image,
Credibility. *The New York Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018041701biden&r=email-611f&l=06c-e05&t=c>
(4/16, Davis, Martin) reports in analysis that while Comey has “cultivated
an image of purity as a lawman who stood above politics and politicians,”
with the release of his book, he “has veered onto risky terrain, shedding
the trappings of a high-minded referee and looking instead like a combatant
in the country’s partisan battles.” Comey’s “personal potshots in
particular have surprised some former colleagues who thought of Mr. Comey
as relatively sober and serious.” According to “observers on both the left
and right,” Comey “may be undercutting his own indictment of the
president’s character and conduct.”

USA Today
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(4/16, Johnson, Page) says the book “is raising questions about the former
director’s credibility as a critical witness against the president.” Paula
Reid said on the CBS Evening News[image: Image removed by sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018041701biden&r=email-611f&l=06e-3bf&t=c>
(4/16, story 3, 1:30, Glor) that Comey’s admission that he “leak[ed] his
memos in the hopes of triggering a special counsel...could also be used to
potentially undermine the legitimacy of Special Counsel Robert Mueller.”

*Clinton Spokesman Blasts Comey. *Politico
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018041701biden&r=email-611f&l=06f-6a2&t=c>
(4/16, Lima) reports that Hillary Clinton’s “longtime spokesman” Nick
Merrill on Monday criticized Comey in a series of tweets
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018041701biden&r=email-611f&l=070-d07&t=c>
Monday “slamming him for ‘profiting’ off his tangled relationship with
investigations into Clinton and President Donald Trump.” Merrill write that
Comey creat[ed] a “public spectacle of the conclusion of the email
investigation,” and “griped that Comey’s memoir and remarks during an
exclusive interview with ABC News” created “more questions than when we
started and fewer answers.” The New York Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018041701biden&r=email-611f&l=071-078&t=c>
(4/16, Shear) says Clinton’s “former aides and advisers are still too angry
at Mr. Comey, the former F.B.I. director, to see past what they view as
egregious actions that handed the White House to Mr. Trump.” The Times says
“Team Hillary is using Mr. Comey’s tell-all book to re-litigate their
grievances, even at the risk of undermining Mr. Comey’s credibility and
handing Republicans – and Mr. Trump himself – more ammunition to question
the character of one of the president’s most high-profile political
adversaries.”
At Florida Roundtable, Trump Touts Tax Cuts, Economy.

Media coverage of President Trump’s business round-table event in Hialeah,
Florida on Monday focuses on Trump’s discussion of the Republican tax bill
and the strength of the economy while stressing the importance of the bill
to Republican hopes in the midterm elections and Trump’s efforts to appeal
to Hispanic voters in the state.

WFOR-TV[image: Image removed by sender. Video]
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Miami (4/16, 5:01 p.m. EDT) reported that Trump discussed “tax cuts and the
economy before a wildly enthusiastic crowd clearly in his corner.” The AP
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(4/16, Miller) says that Trump “praised the strength of the economy at a
business round-table in a predominantly Latino Miami suburb,” saying the
country is “starting to really rock” with “businesses coming back to the
country and corporations facing fewer regulations.” The AP adds that the
event “underscor[ed] the importance of the tax law and the business climate
to Republicans’ midterm election hopes.” The Miami Herald
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018041701biden&r=email-611f&l=074-4d3&t=c>
(4/16, Smiley) says the “NAFTA-smacking, Democrat-whacking talk during a
roundtable Monday with Cabinet members and local entrepreneurs was the kind
of message Republicans are hoping to stress as they head into election
season that has the minority party surging.”

The WPLG-TV
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Miami (4/16) reports that Republicans “are placing their midterm election
hopes on selling the benefits of the law to Americans,” while the Palm
Beach (FL) Post
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018041701biden&r=email-611f&l=076-5b7&t=c>
(4/16) says the event, which was part of Trump’s official schedule, “had a
campaign feeling at times.” Trump “alluded to the 2018 midterm elections,
jabbing three-term Florida Democratic Sen. Bill Nelson, who is being
challenged by Republican Florida Gov. and Trump friend Rick Scott.” Said
Trump, “We didn’t get one De