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Office of Vice President Biden Intelligence Briefing


*From:* Bulletin Intelligence <Biden@BulletinIntelligence.com>
*Sent:* Thursday, February 14, 2019 7:57 AM
*To:* Biden@BulletinIntelligence.com
*Subject:* Office of Vice President Biden Intelligence Briefing for
Thursday, February 14, 2019


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[image: Image removed by sender. Office of Vice President Biden
Intelligence Briefing]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019021401biden&r=email-5004&l=001-db3&t=c>

*To: Vice President Joe Biden*

*Thursday, February 14, 2019 8:00 AM EST*
Today's Table of Contents

*Biden in the News* <#SECTION_1>

• CNBC: Sources Say Biden Speaking With Democratic Donors About 2020 Bid.
<#S1>

• Media Analyses: Biden, Sanders Not Being Hurt By Holding Off On 2020
Decision. <#S2>

• Politico: Trump Camp Currently Focusing On Booker, Harris, Warren Bids.
<#S3>

• Writer Offers Harsh Assessment Of Biden’s “Gaffes.” <#S4>

• Some African-American Leaders Unenthused About Booker, Harris Bids. <#S5>

• Ex-Staff Members Continue To Hit Klobuchar With Allegations Of
Mistreatment. <#S6>

• Warren Chooses Lau As Her 2020 Campaign Manager. <#S7>

• Gillibrand Returning To New Hampshire This Weekend. <#S8>

• Congressional Hispanic Caucus Members Slow To Back Castro In Crowded
Democratic Race. <#S9>

• South Carolina Primary Looms Large In 2020 Democratic Nomination Fight.
<#S10>

• 2020 Democrats Hiring Diverse Campaign Staffs. <#S11>

*Leading the News* <#SECTION_2>

• Trump Hints At Executive Action To Build “A Big Wall” After He Signs
Spending Bill. <#S12>

*Foreign Policy* <#SECTION_3>

• Trump Again Cites Senate Intelligence Committee In Asserting “No
Collusion.” <#S13>

• In Wake Of Omar Comments, House Votes To Condemn Anti-Semitism. <#S14>

• Politico: Trump Confronted Coons About Abortion At White House Dinner.
<#S15>

• Nadler Wants Whitaker To Clarify “Inconsistent” Statements. <#S16>

• FEMA’s Long Resigns, Making His Deputy Acting Head Of Agency. <#S17>

• White House Security Specialist Files Whistleblower Complaint About
Kushner’s Clearance. <#S18>

• Senate GOP Moves Toward “Nuclear” Option To Speed Up Confirmations. <#S19>

*Domestic Policy* <#SECTION_4>

• US-Sponsored Security Summit Aimed At Pressuring Iran Opens In Poland.
<#S20>

• Pence, Officials Seek To Reassure NATO Allies Of US Commitment. <#S21>

• Trump Blasts Maduro For Rejecting Humanitarian Aid. <#S22>

• Trump, Mnuchin Say China Trade Talks Are Making Progress. <#S23>

• Pence Praises Polish Government For Protecting Against Huawei
Infiltration. <#S24>

• ISIS Releases New Propaganda Video As US-Backed Forces Close In. <#S25>

• Taliban: US Officials To Hold Talks With Taliban In Islamabad Next Week.
<#S26>

*Cancer Research* <#SECTION_5>

• NCI Pilots Early-Stage SBIR Grants For “High-Risk/High-Reward” Projects.
<#S27>

• Cancer Survivors, Advocates Recommend Long-Term Survival Plan. <#S28>

*Editorials/Op-Eds* <#SECTION_6>

• New York Times. <#S29>

• Washington Post. <#S30>
Biden in the News
CNBC: Sources Say Biden Speaking With Democratic Donors About 2020 Bid.

In an online article, CNBC
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019021401biden&r=email-5004&l=002-916&t=c>
(2/13, Schwartz) reported that former Vice President Joe Biden “has been
reaching out to top Democratic Party donors to discuss possibly running for
president in 2020,” according to sources. Biden “has recently signaled to
these donors he is leaning toward entering the race, but he had not made a
final decision,” the sources said. Biden “has indicated he is likely to
announce his plans in coming weeks, according to people who have been in
touch with him, including some of his confidants. Biden’s inner circle has
reached out to former staffers from President Barack Obama’s
administration, and his advisors have been holding conversations about
putting together a campaign, according to one person with direct knowledge
of the talks.”
Media Analyses: Biden, Sanders Not Being Hurt By Holding Off On 2020
Decision.

The Des Moines (IA) Register
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019021401biden&r=email-5004&l=003-2e1&t=c>
(2/13, Hardy, Pfannenstiel) reports that former Vice President Joe Biden,
Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT), and ex-Rep. Beto O’Rourke (D-TX) were atop a
hypothetical field of Democratic presidential contenders “in a December
Iowa Poll, but none has formally announced their intentions yet.” As they
bide their time, “a slew of other” 2020 Democratic hopefuls “have kept busy
hiring Iowa staffers and holding rallies in” the state. Woodbury County
Democratic Party chief Jeremy Dumkrieger “said Sanders and Biden both have
plenty of name recognition and support from previous Iowa caucus bids that
likely affords them more time to make a decision.” However, “time may be
running out on” O’Rourke “and any other lesser-known candidates who want to
compete in a very crowded field.”

In a similar report, AFP
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019021401biden&r=email-5004&l=004-9cb&t=c>
(2/14, Mathes) asks, “With nine prominent Democrats already declared as
2020 presidential hopefuls, and more than a dozen others mulling campaigns,
are heavyweights [Biden and Sanders] waiting too long to enter the fray?”
AFP adds that “observers say they are patiently waiting for the best
opportunity to jump in. ‘I think they both have time. They’re looking for
the right windows,’ Calista Lake, a veteran Democratic pollster,” said.
Biden and Sanders “would be among the best candidates in one crucial
quality, Lake said: the ability to defeat [President] Trump. ‘We have a lot
of good candidates, but in terms of who can beat Donald Trump,’ Biden and
Sanders ‘have an advantage,’ she said.”

Striking a bit of a different tone, the Washington Post
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019021401biden&r=email-5004&l=005-b50&t=c>
(2/14, Viser, Scherer) reports that after months of deliberations, Biden
remains “on the fence, neither in nor out, in a lingering state of
political limbo. Some potential staffers have already defected, and some of
his supporters worry the prolonged indecision could begin to threaten his
chances.” But while the Post quotes what it describes as some “of Biden’s
close confidants and people familiar with his thinking” as saying he needs
to quickly decide whether to enter the race, the Post also quotes
Democratic pollster John Anzalone as saying, “The window is not closing.
... You are dealing with a guy who has 90 percent popularity among
Democratic voters. So why do people think that there has to be a rush?”
Politico: Trump Camp Currently Focusing On Booker, Harris, Warren Bids.

Politico
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019021401biden&r=email-5004&l=006-e7c&t=c>
(2/14, Isenstadt) reports that President Trump’s “political advisers are
homing in on three declared Democratic candidates who they believe are the
most viable at this early stage of the campaign” --Sens. Cory Booker (D-NJ,
Kamala Harris (D-CA), and Elizabeth Warren (D-MA). Trump’s “reelection
campaign has begun compiling opposition research on” the three “and is
eyeing opportunities to attack them. The effort began over the weekend when
the Trump campaign sent out a news release ahead of Warren’s launch
criticizing her past claims of Native American heritage.” Even so, Trump
“has told allies he” views former Vice President Joe Biden, “who remains
undecided on a 2020 bid, as the most formidable potential general election
rival.” But “among the president’s inner circle, there’s widespread doubt
that Biden could survive a primary.”
Writer Offers Harsh Assessment Of Biden’s “Gaffes.”

In a highly negative piece for the Washington Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019021401biden&r=email-5004&l=007-f94&t=c>
(2/13), Victor Davis Hanson details what he says is former Vice President
Joe Biden’s history of “gaffes,” the concludes that the “gaffes are often
brushed off as examples of ‘Joe being Joe,’ but Mr. Biden has long
displayed the sort of sloppy, gross and politically incorrect behavior that
progressives routinely and ironically attribute to” President Trump.
Some African-American Leaders Unenthused About Booker, Harris Bids.

The Washington Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019021401biden&r=email-5004&l=008-561&t=c>
(2/13, Muñoz) reports, “Democrats have the highest-powered and most diverse
potential presidential field in history, including” African-American Sens.
Cory Booker (D-NJ) and Kamala Harris (D-CA), but “two black leaders say
none of them stands out so far.” Booker “doesn’t have a great reputation
with activists, said Hawk Newsome, president of Black Lives Matter in
greater New York,” while Harris “has a problematic background as a former
prosecutor, he said. ‘I hope black people can find a true champion,’ he
said.” The Times adds that Atlanta NAACP chapter President Richard Rose
“said support for candidates such as Ms. Harris and Mr. Booker will become
even more complicated as big-name Democrats such as former Vice President
Joseph R. Biden decide whether to run. Mr. Biden had 26 percent support
among black voters in a Politico/Morning Consult poll,” while Harris drew
“16 percent of black voters’ support” and Booker won the backing of “5
percent of black voters.”

*Fact Checker: Harris’ Criticism Of Trump Tax Law “Nonsensical And
Misleading.” *In a “Fact Checker” piece for the Washington Post
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019021401biden&r=email-5004&l=009-725&t=c>
(2/13, Kessler) titled “Kamala Harris Leaps To Unwarranted Conclusions In
Tax Tweet,” Glenn Kessler says Harris has “attacked President Trump’s tax
law after the Internal Revenue Service reported that preliminary data shows
that the average tax refund check is down 8 percent ($170) this year
compared with last year.” Kessler writes of that attack, “Boy, talk about a
non sequitur that turns out to be nonsensical and misleading.” Kessler says
that “the size of a refund tells you nothing about a person’s tax bill,”
and he adds that “the tax law required the IRS to change tax withholding
tables.” Kessler says, “A person might end up giving less of their income
to the IRS – and still end up with a smaller tax refund.”
Ex-Staff Members Continue To Hit Klobuchar With Allegations Of Mistreatment.

The New York Post
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019021401biden&r=email-5004&l=00a-d18&t=c>
(2/13, Schultz) reports, “In the latest allegations of staff mistreatment
against Democratic presidential hopeful Sen. Amy Klobuchar, a new report
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019021401biden&r=email-5004&l=00b-0a9&t=c>
says she tried to exact revenge on employees who sought new jobs by calling
their bosses to have their offers rescinded. Three former staffers and
another source told Yahoo News about the alleged employment practice, which
they saw as ‘vindictive, mystifying and counterproductive,’ the site said.”
The Post says, “The new claim comes after” articles by The Huffington Post
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019021401biden&r=email-5004&l=00c-8c5&t=c>
and BuzzFeed News
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019021401biden&r=email-5004&l=00d-4b3&t=c>
featured claims by ex-staff members detailing “hellish conditions working
for” Klobuchar. Former staff members “said they were subject to outbursts
over little matters and even office objects were thrown.”

Drawing from the Yahoo! News story, the Daily Mail (UK)
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019021401biden&r=email-5004&l=00e-b15&t=c>
(2/13) reports that Klobuchar “would call her former staffers’ new
employers and try to get the employment offers rescinded. ... Staff told
tales of office harassment, including objects thrown, sometimes directly at
other people, along with outbursts of anger from the senator.”

*Democratic Operative Palmieri Sees Sexism In Reports On
Klobuchar’s Treatment Of Staff. *In a piece for Politico Magazine
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019021401biden&r=email-5004&l=00f-982&t=c>
(2/13), veteran Democratic operative Jennifer Palmieri says that she sees
sexism in the coverage of Klobuchar’s alleged mistreatment of staff
members, saying, “I, like others, doubt that a male candidate with similar
staff complaints would have seen them become the lead narrative of his
presidential announcement.” Palmieri adds “that the reporting on such
behavior” by men “is presented in a dramatically different fashion than it
is in stories about female bosses in politics – as a badge of honor, not a
mark of shame.”

*CNN To Host Town Hall Featuring Klobuchar On Monday In New
Hampshire. *The Hill
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019021401biden&r=email-5004&l=010-d07&t=c>
(2/13, Concha) reported that CNN will host a town hall event featuring
Klobuchar this coming Monday in New Hampshire. The event “will take place
Saint Anselm College in Manchester...and will air at 10 p.m. ET.”
Warren Chooses Lau As Her 2020 Campaign Manager.

Politico
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019021401biden&r=email-5004&l=011-849&t=c>
(2/13, Korecki) reported that Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) “has tapped
Roger Lau to lead her 2020 presidential bid,” putting “a veteran staffer
with national campaign experience as well as deep knowledge of New
Hampshire in the role of campaign manager. Lau, who worked on election
efforts for Hillary Clinton and John Kerry,” managed Warren’s 2018
reelection campaign. The AP
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019021401biden&r=email-5004&l=012-aac&t=c>
(2/13, Schor) reports, “The selection of Lau, an Asian-American,
underscores the emphasis Democrats are putting on diversity.”

Bloomberg
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019021401biden&r=email-5004&l=013-f56&t=c>
(2/13, Kapur) reports, “Dan Geldon, a longtime Warren adviser who has run
her US Senate office, will be chief of staff to her 2020 campaign.” In an
online article, CNN
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019021401biden&r=email-5004&l=014-dd8&t=c>
(2/13, Lee) reported that Warren’s “decision to put Lau and Geldon in two
such prominent roles reflect her reliance on a fiercely loyal and small
circle of aides she has come to trust over the years. The appointment is
also a historic one: Lau appears to be the first Asian-American campaign
manager for a major American presidential candidate – particularly notable
in an election that already features an unprecedentedly diverse field of
candidates.”

*New Hampshire Journal Targets Warren With “Fauxcahontas” Ads Over
Casino Plan. *Meanwhile, the Washington Examiner
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019021401biden&r=email-5004&l=015-ab1&t=c>
(2/13, Bedard) reported that Warren’s attempts “to make peace with her
history of claiming Native American heritage has run into a big hurdle in
New Hampshire where she is facing an ad campaign attacking her efforts to
help a tribe build a gambling casino. The ads, placed with the New
Hampshire Journal, show Warren in a Native American headdress beside the
phrase, ‘Fauxcahontas Casino.’” The spots, “put in the Journal’s daily
newsletter, demand, ‘Stop Elizabeth Warren’s Casino Plan.’” President Trump
has mocked Warren “as ‘Pocahontas’ for her claim to be of Native American
descent.”
Gillibrand Returning To New Hampshire This Weekend.

The Concord (NH) Monitor
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019021401biden&r=email-5004&l=016-c8f&t=c>
(2/13, DeWitt) reports that Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) “will kick off
her upcoming three-day swing through New Hampshire with a stop in Concord.”
Gillibrand “will take a walking tour of downtown Concord on Friday
morning,” before traveling “to Dover, where she’ll be guided on a tour of
downtown businesses by Democratic National Committee member Bill Shaheen.
Later in the afternoon, Gillibrand will meet with members of the LGBTQ
community in Somersworth.” Gillibrand is slated to visit Exeter, Keene, and
Hanover on Saturday. She also visited New Hampshire a couple of weeks ago.

*Gillibrand Camp Hires More National, New Hampshire Staff. *Politico
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019021401biden&r=email-5004&l=017-0e8&t=c>
(2/14, Schneider) reports that Gillibrand (D-NY) “has hired five additional
senior staffers to her presidential campaign, including a state director in
New Hampshire just before her second trip there.” Joining “Gillibrand’s
campaign are Semedrian Smith, national political director; Danielle Duffy,
chief operating officer; Gavrie Kullman, digital finance director; Pat
Devney, New Hampshire state director; and Shannon McLeod, New Hampshire
political director.” In an online article, WMUR-TV
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019021401biden&r=email-5004&l=018-214&t=c>
Manchester, NH (2/14, DiStaso) also reports on Gillibrand’s campaign hires
in New Hampshire.

*Gillibrand Tweets Support For Denver Teacher Strike. *The Hill
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019021401biden&r=email-5004&l=019-675&t=c>
(2/13, Axelrod) reported that Gillibrand on Wednesday “endorsed Denver
teachers’ strike for better pay,” writing in a tweet, “We entrust our
children — our futures — to teachers, but we don’t come close to paying
them what they deserve. Teachers spend nights planning, go into their own
pockets for supplies and love our kids like their own. We need to pay them
a living wage. #DenverTeacherStrike.” The Hill added, “Hundreds of Denver
teachers took to the streets Monday to rally for increased pay.”
Congressional Hispanic Caucus Members Slow To Back Castro In Crowded
Democratic Race.

Politico
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019021401biden&r=email-5004&l=01a-080&t=c>
(2/14, McCaskill) reports that ex-HUD Secretary Julián Castro (D) “is the
lone Latino candidate in the crowded 2020 Democratic primary field.” That,
asserts Politico, makes him “uniquely positioned to capture the support of
the Congressional Hispanic Caucus.” However, only “one of the 38-member
group has publicly endorsed Castro’s bid since” he announced his bid in
January – “his twin brother, Rep. Joaquin Castro (D-Texas), who chairs the
CHC and also serves as chairman of Julián’s campaign.” The hesitation “to
commit to Castro,” according to CHC members, “is largely due to home-state
loyalties or political caution in a race that’s still taking shape. Nearly
three-quarters of the CHC’s 38 members are concentrated in just four states
– California, New Jersey, New York and Texas. And each of those states
happens to have an announced or possible presidential contender.”
South Carolina Primary Looms Large In 2020 Democratic Nomination Fight.

The Hill
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019021401biden&r=email-5004&l=01b-e76&t=c>
(2/14, Greenwood) reports that in the battle for the Democratic
presidential nomination, South Carolina “is poised to be among the most
important early contests of 2020. Not only is the primary there the first
in the South, but the first where black voters will make up a majority of
the Democratic primary electorate, setting the state up as a proving ground
of the candidates’ ability to court a key voting bloc. Adding to the
crucial nature of” that primary “is California’s 2017 decision to push up
the date of its 2020 primaries from June to March 3, when voters in eight
other states will head to the polls for Super Tuesday.” Said ex-South
Carolina Democratic Party chief Jaime Harrison, “The person that wins South
Carolina takes a ton of momentum going into Super Tuesday.”
2020 Democrats Hiring Diverse Campaign Staffs.

Politico
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019021401biden&r=email-5004&l=01c-972&t=c>
(2/13, Barrón-López, Thompson) reported, “In a departure from past
elections,” the 2020 field of Democrats running for president “are
methodically hiring people of color to oversee their operations.” Politico
said that ex-HUD Secretary Julian Castro and Sens. Cory Booker (D-NJ) and
Kamala Harris (D-CA) “have all brought on black or Latino campaign
managers. Democratic candidates are well aware that an all-white and male
inner circle won’t be tolerated by the base anymore.” In addition, “Black
and Latino voters could sway primaries in critical early voting states like
South Carolina, Nevada and California. And as the base of the party grows
more diverse, Democratic operatives and pols say, 2020 candidates need
advisers who can communicate effectively with key voting blocs.”
Leading the News
Trump Hints At Executive Action To Build “A Big Wall” After He Signs
Spending Bill.

Media reports, including segments on all three major network newscasts,
indicate the President is expected to sign the compromise spending bill
crafted by Congressional negotiators. After that, Trump could move to
unilaterally build a border wall by redirecting previously appropriated
funds. ABC World News Tonight[image: Image removed by sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019021401biden&r=email-5004&l=01d-79a&t=c>
(2/13, story 5, 2:35, Vega) showed Trump saying yesterday, “With the wall,
they want to be stingy. But we have options that most people don’t really
understand.” ABC reported that the President could declare “a national
emergency” and use “money already set aside for the Pentagon, Treasury
Department and disaster relief programs, moves that are sure to be
challenged in court.” The CBS Evening News[image: Image removed by sender.
Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019021401biden&r=email-5004&l=01e-548&t=c>
(2/13, story 3, 1:10, Cordes) also reported Trump “says that he’ll find the
money elsewhere, even if it means going around Congress,” and NBC Nightly
News[image: Image removed by sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019021401biden&r=email-5004&l=01f-42c&t=c>
(2/13, story 4, 1:05, Alexander) that he is “hinting at plans to take
executive action, pledging to redirect other unspecified federal money to
pay for his border wall.”

The Washington Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019021401biden&r=email-5004&l=020-a2d&t=c>
(2/13, Boyer) reports that in a speech “to law enforcement groups,” the
President yesterday “wowed to ‘finish the border wall,” adding, “As we
review the new proposal from Congress, I can promise you this – I will
never waver from my sacred duty to defend this nation and its people. ...
We will get the job done. It’s happening.” Trump “told police chiefs and
county sheriffs that the barrier will be ‘a big wall,’” adding, “It’s a
wall that people aren’t going through very easy. ... You’d have to be in
extremely good shape to get over this one. They would be able to climb
Mount Everest a lot easier, I think.”

The AP
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019021401biden&r=email-5004&l=021-c05&t=c>
(2/14, Colvin, Taylor, Fram, Lucey) reports Trump is “expected to
grudgingly accept” the agreement but “also signaled that he is preparing to
use executive action to try to secure additional funding for the wall by
shifting federal dollars without congressional sign-off.” Along those
lines, the Daily Caller
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019021401biden&r=email-5004&l=022-9d7&t=c>
(2/13, Enjeti) says in an “exclusive” report that according to “two sources
familiar with the situation” Trump “is leaning toward signing a
congressionally negotiated deal that provides funding for his proposed
barrier along the US southern border,” and that the White House “is
exploring ways to accept the compromised congressional solution and tap
other sources of funding available by executive order as a means to obtain
the full $5.7 billion they believe is necessary for a full barrier along
the border.”

Politico
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019021401biden&r=email-5004&l=023-be3&t=c>
(2/13, Oprysko) reports White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders “strongly
hinted” yesterday “that whatever Trump thought about the border security
package, he could ultimately act unilaterally to supplement the funding in
that deal by diverting money from elsewhere in the government.” Appearing
on Fox News’ Fox & Friends[image: Image removed by sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019021401biden&r=email-5004&l=024-cc0&t=c>
(2/13), Sanders said “the President said...he is not happy about” the
Congressional deal, “but it is okay because he will get the job done no
matter what. He has got alternative options, and he will keep those on the
table.” Sanders went on to say that the deal includes “some progress” in
that although House Speaker Pelosi “said she wasn’t going to give a dollar
for the wall, this has roughly $1.4 billion, that will go towards the wall,
that the whole country knows that we need, knows that the President is
going to make happen.”

Reuters
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019021401biden&r=email-5004&l=025-19f&t=c>
(2/13, Cowan, Holland) reports Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) also said Trump
is “inclined to take the deal and move on.” Reuters says Graham also “told
reporters that Trump would then look elsewhere to find more money to build
a wall along the US southern border and was ‘very inclined’ to declare a
national emergency to secure the funds.”

The Los Angeles Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019021401biden&r=email-5004&l=026-8ee&t=c>
(2/13) reports “Trump could pull unspent Department of Defense construction
funds meant for family housing or infrastructure on military bases, or take
money appropriated to but not yet spent by the Army Corps of Engineers for
civil works projects meant to prevent future disasters like flood control
or dam restoration.” He could also “tap money allocated to help states
recover from hurricanes, fires and other natural disasters.” The President
“must issue an executive order declaring a national emergency. (No, he
cannot just tweet.),” saying “what he’s planning to do and under which
statute he plans to act.” The Hill
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019021401biden&r=email-5004&l=027-ec8&t=c>
(2/13, Fabian), Bloomberg
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019021401biden&r=email-5004&l=028-139&t=c>
(2/13, Wasson, Edgerton) and Wall Street Journal
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019021401biden&r=email-5004&l=029-a83&t=c>
(2/14, A1, Ballhaus, Peterson, Nicholas), among other news outlets, run
similar reports this morning.

Sean Hannity said on Fox News’ Hannity[image: Image removed by
sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019021401biden&r=email-5004&l=02a-bf5&t=c>
(2/13), “It’s not nearly enough money. Washington lawmakers, the swamp
creatures, they have once again let we, the people, the American people
down. This is a swamp compromise.” Mike Emanuel, however, reported on Fox
News Special Report[image: Image removed by sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019021401biden&r=email-5004&l=02b-89e&t=c>
(2/13), “Most sources do not expect the President to declare a national
emergency, recognizing that could get tied up in the courts.”

House Freedom Caucus Chairman Rep. Mark Meadows (R-NC) said on Fox
News’ Hannity[image: Image removed by sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019021401biden&r=email-5004&l=02c-8dd&t=c>
(2/13), “This is a President who has performed over and over and over
again. He’s moved the embassy to Jerusalem. He’s brought back jobs from
China to America. The economy is roaring. We have got a number of people
that were hostages brought home. Every time they say he won’t do it, he
does do it. He’s going to do it this time. I’m confident of that. If he
passes this bill to make sure that the government stays open, so be it. But
I believe that he will take executive action to make sure he gets the
dollars that he needs to make sure that that wall gets built.”

Charles Hurt of the Washington Times said on Fox News Special
Report[image:
Image removed by sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019021401biden&r=email-5004&l=02d-1a1&t=c>
(2/13), “The big picture, I think, is this: We have known for a long time
Democrats and even a large number of Republicans are not in favor of doing
something like this on the border, in terms of a wall. The fact that Donald
Trump was able to get what he has gotten out of it, I think, it is a
positive thing.”

Kaitlin Collins said on CNN’s Situation Room[image: Image removed
by sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019021401biden&r=email-5004&l=02e-3f2&t=c>
(2/13), “You won’t see those White House aides go on the record to say that
the President is going to sign this because they know better than anyone in
Washington that the President can change his mind at the last minute.” Jake
Tapper said on CNN’s The Lead[image: Image removed by sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019021401biden&r=email-5004&l=02f-c06&t=c>
(2/13), “House and Senate Democrats are refraining notably from gloating
about the deal. Gloating about, for instance, the fact that the President
will get less in border security funding in this deal than in the deal he
turned down in December. Why are they being so mum? Hill sources tell me
congressional Democrats want the President to sign the deal and they are
afraid of doing anything that might push the President over the edge so
they are treading very carefully.”

To the New York Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019021401biden&r=email-5004&l=030-658&t=c>
(2/13, Baker, Haberman), the fight over the wall “was arguably the most
punishing defeat Mr. Trump has experienced as president, and it left the
White House scrounging for other ways to pay for a wall on the southwestern
border and rethinking its approach to a Congress now partly controlled by
Democrats.” The Times adds “Trump’s inability to reach a satisfying deal
despite the negotiating experience he regularly touted on the campaign
trail suggested that any aspirations of collaboration across party lines
may be even more elusive than he had imagined.”

*Democrats Could Seek Joint Resolution To Rescind Trump Move, Force
Him To Veto It. *The Los Angeles Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019021401biden&r=email-5004&l=031-962&t=c>
(2/13) reports that it Trump “decides to shuffle money in the federal
budget to build a wall at the southern border without Congress’ consent,
there are a few ways for Democrats to try to stop him.” Democrats “have a
bit of a secret weapon here, and it could be why Trump seems to have cooled
on the idea of a national emergency.” The Times adds, “Federal law gives
Congress power to rescind a presidential emergency declaration by passing a
joint resolution,” which “of course, Trump could veto the resolution. And
it would take two-thirds of Congress to override the veto, a high hurdle.”

Breitbart
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019021401biden&r=email-5004&l=032-9b7&t=c>
(2/13, Key) reports that “Wednesday on CNN’s ‘At This Hour,’ Rep. John
Garamendi (D-CA) said[image: Image removed by sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019021401biden&r=email-5004&l=033-d4c&t=c>
if President Donald Trump attempts to use disaster relief funds to pay for
a wall on the US-Mexico border there will be ‘a heavy price.’” Said
Garamendi, “If the President goes over and overrides the appropriation
processes, overrides the authority of Congress by moving significant
amounts of money from one program to another, there is a thing called we’ll
see you tomorrow, Mr. President. You’re going to have to come back here for
all of your programs for everything. So the President needs to be careful
about that. He’s already learned what happens when you try to override the
authority of Congress, that was a 35-day shutdown. I would hope he doesn’t
want that again.”

Rep. Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) was asked on CNN’s Anderson Cooper
360[image:
Image removed by sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019021401biden&r=email-5004&l=034-da6&t=c>
(2/13) about the President’s claim that he has options most people do not
understand to get funding for the wall. Jeffries said, “It’s not clear.
What does seem to be the case is that this is more bluster and misdirection
from the President of the United States of America because he apparently is
concerned that despite his promise we were going to get sick of the
winning, all he does is lose, lose, lose no matter what.”

Sen. Ben Cardin (D-MD) was asked on CNN’s Situation Room[image:
Image removed by sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019021401biden&r=email-5004&l=035-daa&t=c>
(2/13) is congressional Democrats will challenge the President if he
declares a national emergency. Cardin said, “I don’t think this may be a
partisan challenge. I hope that Congress exercises its responsibility as an
independent branch of government. It is Congress that appropriates the
money not the President of the United States. The methods that he has
talked about using I think would violate the separation of branches and
really are responsibilities that only can be exercised by the legislative
branch of government.”

*Conservative Lawmakers Want Short-Term CR To Give Both Sides Time
To Read Bill. *The Washington Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019021401biden&r=email-5004&l=036-23f&t=c>
(2/13, Dinan, Sherfinski) reports, meanwhile, that “House conservatives on
Wednesday demanded Congress slow the rush to approve the homeland security
spending bill, and suggested passing a short-term bill to keep the
government open while giving all sides more time to digest what’s in the
deal.” The House Freedom Caucus “said it was unfair to make lawmakers have
to digest a bill likely to run thousands of pages before a vote that could
come Thursday. The text of the bill hasn’t been released yet, with
negotiators saying they’re still writing final details.” The Hill
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019021401biden&r=email-5004&l=037-a5f&t=c>
(2/13, Brufke) points out “critics of the deal have also argued lawmakers
should be provided a sufficient amount of time to read the legislation,
which is slated to come to the floor Thursday evening.” The House “waived a
requirement preventing them from voting on any appropriations the same
day.”

Politico
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019021401biden&r=email-5004&l=038-124&t=c>
(2/13, Bresnahan, Ferris, Zanona) reports “House Democratic and GOP leaders
each briefed their rank-and-file members Wednesday on the still-unfinished
package, which appears to have broad support despite some grumbling on the
left and right – and amid cautious optimism that Trump will back it.” Said
Rep. Bill Flores (R-TX), “We should have a majority of the Republicans.”

The New York Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019021401biden&r=email-5004&l=039-82e&t=c>
(2/13, Cochrane, Edmondson) highlights, meanwhile, “remaining issues in the
spending package,” including “restrictions on where new fencing can be
built in the Rio Grande Valley and whether the legislation should include
back pay for federal contractors affected by the shutdown.” The Washington
Post
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019021401biden&r=email-5004&l=03a-0cd&t=c>
(2/13, A1, Werner, Wagner, DeBonis) reports that the compromise legislation
“includes policy provisions specifying that members of Congress cannot be
barred from accessing any facility housing children, and contains language
aimed at making it easier for separated children to reunite with family
members in the US.”

*Poll: Public Backs Border “Barrier” Funding 66%-21%. *A Fox News
poll
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019021401biden&r=email-5004&l=03b-355&t=c>
out yesterday found the public, by a 66 percent to 21 percent margin, would
prefer a Congressional spending compromise including funds for a border
“barrier.” On Fox News Special Report[image: Image removed by sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019021401biden&r=email-5004&l=03c-ad0&t=c>
(2/13), David Cantanese of US News & World Report said this is “huge
because it doesn’t say the word wall. This is where we are arguing about
semantics. The Democrats were putting out messaging points this week saying
there is no money for the wall.” Trump highlighted the numbers on Twitter
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019021401biden&r=email-5004&l=03d-005&t=c>.


*Cruz’s “El Chapo Act” Would Use Money Seized From Drug Rings For
Border Wall. *The Washington Post
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019021401biden&r=email-5004&l=03e-622&t=c>
(2/13, Paul) reports that the EL CHAPO Act, proposed by Sen. Ted Cruz
(R-TX), “may be...Trump’s solution for funding his wall on the southern
border.” According to the Post, “The Ensuring Lawful Collection of Hidden
Assets to Provide Order (EL CHAPO) Act, first introduced by Cruz in April
2017 and reintroduced Tuesday, would divert billions in drug proceeds from
cartel leaders to border security.” The Post adds, “If passed, the
out-of-the-box bill would seize any money forfeited in the criminal
prosecution of Sinaloa cartel drug lord Joaquín ‘El Chapo’ Guzmán and
reserve it for securing the border, including construction of the wall
along the US-Mexico border.”

The New York Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019021401biden&r=email-5004&l=03f-dc5&t=c>
(2/13, Feuer) reports that “American federal agents still have far to go in
their attempts to dismantle Mexico’s infamous cartels.” According to the
Times, “While Mr. Guzmán’s guilty verdict disrupted the relationships and
smuggling agreements the kingpin forged in his career, federal agents say
his empire remains intact and is now being run by his sons and his wily
longtime partner, Ismael Zambada García.”

*WPost Says Congress Should Next Seek Deal On “Dreamers.” *The
Washington
Post
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019021401biden&r=email-5004&l=040-1dd&t=c>
(2/13) editorializes that the deal “delivers half a loaf or, as...Trump
sees it, less than a quarter of a wall,” but “with dysfunction having
become the Washington norm, it is practically a triumph that GOP lawmakers
summoned the will to break an impasse, forged an accord with Democrats
knowing it would displease Mr. Trump and plan to send it along to him to
sign or veto.” Adds the Post, “Good for Congress, and good for the Senate
majority leader...for schooling Mr. Trump on the art of the possible.” But
“even better...if...congressional leaders now take further steps to resolve
immigration disputes wrongly deemed irresolvable by conventional wisdom.
They should start by defusing the time bomb ticking for the more than 1
million young dreamers.”
Foreign Policy
Trump Again Cites Senate Intelligence Committee In Asserting “No Collusion.”

President Trump tweeted
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019021401biden&r=email-5004&l=041-8eb&t=c>
at 5:58 a.m. Wednesday, “The Senate Intelligence Committee: THERE IS NO
EVIDENCE OF COLLUSION BETWEEN THE TRUMP CAMPAIGN AND RUSSIA!” The Washington
Post
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019021401biden&r=email-5004&l=042-67a&t=c>
(2/13, Wagner) reports that Trump has “continued...to highlight statements”
by Senate Intelligence Chairman Richard Burr “that its investigation has
found no collusion between Russia and the Trump campaign,” although Sen.
Mark Warner (D-VA), the panel’s vice chairman, has said he “‘respectfully’
disagrees with Burr.”

*Judge Concludes Manafort Lied Repeatedly To Prosecutors. *USA Today
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019021401biden&r=email-5004&l=043-cbe&t=c>
(2/13, Jansen) reports US District Judge Amy Berman Jackson “concluded on
Wednesday that Paul Manafort had lied repeatedly to federal prosecutors
after having promised to cooperate in their investigation of Russian
interference in the 2016 election. The decision upends an agreement” that
Trump’s former campaign chairman “had struck with prosecutors before
pleading guilty to charges of conspiracy and obstruction of justice.”

The New York Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019021401biden&r=email-5004&l=044-ada&t=c>
(2/13, Lafraniere) reports the decision “may affect the severity of
punishment that awaits Mr. Manafort.” Jackson “is scheduled to sentence him
next month on two conspiracy counts, and he is also awaiting sentencing for
eight other fraud convictions in a related case.” The Washington Post
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019021401biden&r=email-5004&l=045-f30&t=c>
(2/13, Hsu) reports, “Jackson has said previously that she would consider
whether to order Manafort to serve penalties in the two cases
consecutively. Legal experts say Manafort faces a possible seven-to-10-year
sentence in his related Virginia federal case, which U.S. District Judge
T.S. Ellis III postponed this month to await Jackson’s ruling. Manafort
faces up to 10 years in his District case.”

Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) said on CNN’s Anderson Cooper 360[image:
Image removed by sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019021401biden&r=email-5004&l=046-cc0&t=c>
(2/13), “What it tells me is that the lies were about connections between
the Trump campaign and the Russians or between Manafort and [Russian
political consultant Konstantin] Kilimnik and the Russians, which were not
involved in the initial charges. In other words, he was charged initially
with money laundering, tax evasion, false statements. Now, there is
apparently proof of the connections between him and Kilimnik and the
so-called Ukraine peace plan, which was attractive to the Russians and
possibly offered to the Trump campaign.”

Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-CA) said on CNN’s Situation Room[image: Image
removed by sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019021401biden&r=email-5004&l=047-b68&t=c>
(2/13), “I think Paul Manafort is protecting deep, deep secrets, that if he
told them would probably put himself and his family and the President – his
best chance at a pardon – at risk.”

Jeff Zeleny said on CNN’s Situation Room[image: Image removed by
sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019021401biden&r=email-5004&l=048-f5a&t=c>
(2/13), “It certainly leads one to believe, What is he hiding? Is he hiding
something else? Is he trying to protect the President? Is he still trying
to hold out for some type of a pardon or some type of a clemency or some
type of a something here?”

*Stone Wants Judge To Make Mueller Team Prove It Did Not Tip Off
CNN About Arrest. *Politico
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019021401biden&r=email-5004&l=049-be3&t=c>
(2/13, Choi, Samuelsohn) reports, “Roger Stone urged a federal judge
Wednesday to make special counsel Robert Mueller’s office explain why it
shouldn’t be held in contempt for violating the seal” on his indictment “by
allegedly leaking it to the press.” Stone’s lawyers argue that CNN
“presented it with a copy of the indictment without a time stamp from the
court records database, known as PACER, which it says is a sign the network
had the document ahead of time. ... However, the special counsel’s public
release announcing the indictment was sent out minutes before Stone’s
arrest, and it included a link to the same copy of the indictment without a
PACER time stamp.”

*Prosecutors Probing Leak Of Confidential Reports On Cohen’s Bank
Records. *CNN
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019021401biden&r=email-5004&l=04a-e1d&t=c>
(2/13, Scannell, Orden) reports on its website that prosecutors with the US
attorney’s office in the Northern District of California are “investigating
the leak last year of confidential reports about Michael Cohen’s personal
bank records which led to revelations” that Cohen “was profiting by selling
his access to the White House.” The bank transactions “became public last
May when lawyer Michael Avenatti posted a memo online outlining numerous
payments to Cohen from a company linked to a Russian oligarch,
pharmaceutical giant Novartis, AT&T...and others.”

*Ex-Partner Alleges Avenatti Hid Money From Court During
Bankruptcy. *The Los Angeles Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019021401biden&r=email-5004&l=04b-354&t=c>
(2/13, Finnegan) reports Avenatti “hid millions of dollars from the court
overseeing his law firm’s bankruptcy and used much of the money for
personal compensation,” a former partner at Eagan Avenatti alleges in court
records. Avenatti signed reports that did not disclose that he “opened six
bank accounts that received millions of dollars in legal fees during the
bankruptcy” under penalty of perjury.
In Wake Of Omar Comments, House Votes To Condemn Anti-Semitism.

The Washington Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019021401biden&r=email-5004&l=04c-eba&t=c>
(2/13, Dinan) reports that as part of its debate on a broader resolution on
the war in Yemen, the House yesterday “voted overwhelmingly...to condemn
anti-Semitism, in a vote Republicans orchestrated after” Rep. Ilhan Omar
(D-MN) “posted tweets over the weekend that were deemed anti-Semitic.”
Republicans “used a parliamentary tactic to force a vote on the language,”
known as a “motion to recommit,” that “orders a bill sent back to committee
and then usually reported right back with additional provisions.” The Times
adds “it’s a tactic granted to the minority, but it rarely succeeds.”
However, “Wednesday’s move...drew overwhelming support, with the chamber
voting 424-0.” Reps. Justin Amash (R-MI) and Thomas Massie (R-KY) voted
present. The New York Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019021401biden&r=email-5004&l=04d-3f0&t=c>
(2/13, Stolberg) reports the two Republicans “said the measure should not
clutter a War Powers Resolution.”

CQ Roll Call
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019021401biden&r=email-5004&l=04e-80a&t=c>
(2/13, McPherson) says Foreign Relations Chairman Eliot Engel “spoke in
favor of the GOP’s motion to recommit and Democrats followed suit in voting
for it, despite an earlier notice from the majority leader’s office urging
Democrats to vote against it.” The Washington Examiner
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019021401biden&r=email-5004&l=04f-072&t=c>
(2/13, Lim) said the resolution “does not mention Omar by name.”

The New York Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019021401biden&r=email-5004&l=050-283&t=c>
(2/13, Stolberg) casts the House as “adopting language put forth by
Republicans who have spent weeks trying to paint two freshman Democrats as
anti-Semites and dozens of other Democrats as their enablers.” The Times
adds “Democratic leaders are losing patience with a continuing campaign by
Republicans to smear Democrats as anti-Semitic when some of their own
leaders – including President Trump – have trafficked their own
anti-Semitic tropes and failed to renounce anti-Semitic followers.”

To the Washington Post
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019021401biden&r=email-5004&l=051-479&t=c>
(2/13, Jaffe), “for now, the [Omar] episode seems to have demonstrated the
depth of support for Israel among most Democrats and the ongoing influence
of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, or AIPAC,” but “the
question for Democrats moving forward...is whether growing support for
Palestinians among the party’s liberal base will force 2020 hopefuls to
edge away from the party’s long tradition of unflinching support for the
Jewish state.”

*Omar On Trump’s Call For Her To Resign: “You’ve Trafficked In Hate
Your Whole Life.” *The Washington Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019021401biden&r=email-5004&l=052-81d&t=c>
(2/13, Chasmar) reports “Omar fired back at President Trump Wednesday
after” he “said she should resign amid allegations of anti-Semitism.” Omar
tweeted
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019021401biden&r=email-5004&l=053-00f&t=c>,
“You have trafficked in hate your whole life – against Jews, Muslims,
Indigenous, immigrants, black people and more. I learned from people
impacted by my words. When will you?” USA Today
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019021401biden&r=email-5004&l=054-de2&t=c>
(2/13, Groppe) says “Omar’s election was seen in part as a rebuke to Trump
and his controversial order limiting travel into the United States from
several countries – most of them majority-Muslim.”

The Washington Post
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019021401biden&r=email-5004&l=055-7fa&t=c>
(2/13, Debonis) reports, meanwhile, that “Omar, who has publicly
apologized, has been huddling with Jewish members of Congress to express
her regret, according to several Democrats.” The Post adds that
“prioritizing Jewish members of the freshman class, Omar is lining up
several face-to-face meetings with lawmakers whom she alienated as she
seeks to move past her comments.”

*Pence: “At Minimum,” Omar Should Be Removed From Foreign Affairs
Committee Over Anti-Semitic Tweets. *The Hill
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019021401biden&r=email-5004&l=056-684&t=c>
(2/13, Axelrod) reported that Vice President Mike Pence on Wednesday
“doubled down on his criticism of [Omar’s] recent statements about Israel,”
telling MSNBC’s Andrea Mitchell that the Democrat should be removed from
the House Foreign Affairs Committee. Appearing on MSNBC – Andrea Mitchell
Reports[image: Image removed by sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019021401biden&r=email-5004&l=057-c82&t=c>
(2/13), Pence said, “I think it was right for Democrat leaders to condemn
those remarks, but I think it’s important that people that articulate
anti-Semitic views are also held accountable. The Republican leadership was
right to condemn Steven King’s remarks and also to remove him from the
committee. ... There were consequences to what he said, and unless Rep.
Omar resigns from Congress, at minimum Democrat leaders should remove her
from the House Foreign Affairs Committee.”

Breitbart
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019021401biden&r=email-5004&l=058-9c6&t=c>
(2/13, Key) quoted Pence as saying, “I served on that committee for more
than a decade. ... One of the things that always united that committee was
strong support for our relationship with Israel and a strong condemnation
of antisemitism. The truth is antisemitism is not just wrong. It’s
dangerous. And Polish Jews during the Nazi occupation experienced one of
the darkest chapters in human history. I’ll be at the Warsaw Ghetto
tomorrow, my wife and I will pay our respects at Auschwitz on Friday. It’s
important that the leaders in the Congress take a firm stand against
anti-Semitism. And I think it requires consequences in this case.”

*Omar Clashes With CNN Reporter Over Fallout From Tweet. *The Daily
Caller
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019021401biden&r=email-5004&l=059-f77&t=c>
(2/13, Hasson) reports “Omar on Wednesday snapped at a CNN reporter who
tried to ask her about the fallout over her recent comments blaming Jewish
political donors for Republicans’ support of Israel.” Omar “dodged
questions twice when asked about it by CNN’s Manu Raju,” who tweeted, “Omar
in no mood to talk about her controversies this week. First, she said: ‘No
thank you’ when asked to comment on Trump saying she should resign. Second
time I saw her, she yelled: ‘Are you serious?’ when I tried to question
her.” Raju added that she also asked him. “What’s wrong with you?”
Politico: Trump Confronted Coons About Abortion At White House Dinner.

Politico
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019021401biden&r=email-5004&l=05a-abf&t=c>
(2/13, Orr) reports that during a White House dinner for religious leaders
and lawmakers the night before the National Prayer Breakfast, President
Trump “confronted” Sen. Chris Coons (D-DE) “over the issue of abortion,
creating a tense scene in the White House’s Blue Room, according to three
sources.” Trump “laced into” Coons “over controversial moves to change
statewide policies on abortion that have roiled New York and Virginia
politics in recent weeks.” Said once source, “He saw a Democrat in the
room, a Democrat who’s known to be a person of faith, and he was like, ‘Why
aren’t you speaking out about this?’” The incident “underscored Trump’s
recent public focus on abortion, which has delighted his evangelical
Christian supporters.”

However, the Daily Caller
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019021401biden&r=email-5004&l=05b-492&t=c>
(2/13, Morefield) reported that Sen. James Lankford (R-OK), in a Wednesday
tweet, disputed the “Politico story that reported a tense encounter between
[Trump and Coons] over abortion.” Responding to the story by Politico
reporter Gabby Orr, Lankford “took particular issue with her description of
the exchange: ‘I was in that dinner-POTUS did not ‘lace into Coons’ he was
not ‘in his face’ and POTUS was not ‘worked up.’ There was a conversation
about abortion but POTUS simply asked a question to understand Sen Coons
perspective- @ChrisCoons shared his thoughts and so [did]
@realDonaldTrump.”

*Jeffress: “Never Trump” Evangelicals Are “Spineless Morons.”
*The Daily
Caller
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019021401biden&r=email-5004&l=05c-0d1&t=c>
(2/13, Morefield) reports Robert Jeffress, senior pastor of First Baptist
Dallas, “one of the nation’s largest churches and a prominent evangelical
supporter of President Donald Trump, criticized so-called ‘Never Trump’
evangelicals as ‘spineless morons’ who ‘cannot admit that they were
wrong.’” During an appearance Wednesday on The Todd Starnes Radio Show,
Jeffress said, “Let me say this as charitably as I can. ... These ‘Never
Trump’ evangelicals are morons. They are absolutely spineless morons and
they cannot admit that they were wrong.”
Nadler Wants Whitaker To Clarify “Inconsistent” Statements.

The Washington Post
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019021401biden&r=email-5004&l=05d-598&t=c>
(2/13, Nakashima) reports House Judiciary Chairman Jerrold Nadler has
“summoned” Acting Attorney General Whitaker “back to the Hill to explain
what the chairman said were inconsistent statements made during an open
hearing last week.” Nadler said Wednesday that he wants Whitaker to clarify
“unsatisfactory, incomplete” answers in two areas concerning special
counsel Robert Mueller investigation. The first is “whether Whitaker
discussed his views on Mueller’s investigation with the White House before
he went to work for the Justice Department in 2017. The other is whether
President Trump or any White House official expressed displeasure with him”
following Michael Cohen’s guilty plea “to charges of lying to Congress
about a proposed Trump Tower project in Moscow.” In a letter to Whitaker,
Nadler wrote, “You repeatedly refused to offer clear responses regarding
your communications with the White House, and you were inconsistent in your
application of the department’s policy related to the discussion of ongoing
investigations.”
FEMA’s Long Resigns, Making His Deputy Acting Head Of Agency.

CNN
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019021401biden&r=email-5004&l=05e-3f7&t=c>
(2/13, Sands, Vazquez) reports on its website that FEMA Administrator Long
announced yesterday that he is resigning. According to CNN, “Last fall,
Long was the subject of a Department of Homeland Security probe into
whether he was misusing government resources when he used government
vehicles and personnel for six-hour drives between his home in North
Carolina and FEMA headquarters in Washington.” The AP
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019021401biden&r=email-5004&l=05f-133&t=c>
(2/13, Long) indicates Long’s “deputy, Pete Gaynor, will become acting head
of the agency.” Politico
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019021401biden&r=email-5004&l=060-461&t=c>
(2/13, Choi) reports “Wednesday’s resignation announcement” led one “FEMA
official” to say, “I’m shocked. ... This comes as a complete surprise.” The CBS
Evening News[image: Image removed by sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019021401biden&r=email-5004&l=061-e2f&t=c>
(2/13, story 4, 0:20, Glor) and NBC Nightly News[image: Image removed by
sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019021401biden&r=email-5004&l=062-6c1&t=c>
(2/13, story 5, 0:10, Holt) ran brief reports last night on Long’s
departure, in which they highlighted the controversy over his use of
government vehicles.

CQ Roll Call
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019021401biden&r=email-5004&l=063-ff0&t=c>
(2/13, Dechalus) notes Long said yesterday, “While this has been the
opportunity of the lifetime, it is time for me to go home to my family – my
beautiful wife and two incredible boys. ... As a career emergency
management professional, I could not be prouder to have worked alongside
the devoted, hardworking men and women of FEMA for the past two years.”

According to the Washington Post
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019021401biden&r=email-5004&l=064-b26&t=c>
(2/13, Miroff), Long’s tenure was “marked by five major hurricanes,
multiple lethal wildfires and a tense relationship with his boss.” Long,
adds the Post, “clashed with” DHS Secretary Nielsen in September, “when
Nielsen appeared intent on forcing Long out of his job in the middle of
hurricane season,” and “the bitter feud intensified as an internal
investigation became public.” USA Today
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019021401biden&r=email-5004&l=065-733&t=c>
(2/13, King) says Long “drew praise and criticism for his agency’s response
to major disasters, including Hurricane Maria,” and notes Nielsen said in a
statement yesterday, “Over the last two years, Administrator Long has
admirably led the men and women of FEMA during very difficult, historic and
complex times.” Axios
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019021401biden&r=email-5004&l=066-12c&t=c>
(2/13, Axios), The Hill
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019021401biden&r=email-5004&l=067-726&t=c>
(2/13, Fabian), New York Post
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019021401biden&r=email-5004&l=068-ca1&t=c>
(2/13, Moore) and Daily Caller
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019021401biden&r=email-5004&l=069-e4d&t=c>
(2/13, Fordham), among other news outlets, also report the story.
White House Security Specialist Files Whistleblower Complaint About
Kushner’s Clearance.

NBC News
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019021401biden&r=email-5004&l=06a-df1&t=c>
(2/13, Strickler) reported on its website that Tricia Newbold, “a White
House security specialist, “is “seeking official whistleblower protection
from the federal government after raising concerns about ‘unwarranted
security clearances’ for administration officials, including Jared
Kushner.” Newbold “filed the whistleblower complaint less than two weeks
after she was suspended without pay for defying her supervisor, Carl
Kline.” According to NBC News, the complaint “alleges Newbold raised
concerns with Kline about a security clearance for an individual as early
as July 2017.” NBC News says the complaint “does not identify the person,
but sources familiar with the situation told NBC News that it was Kushner,
the president’s son-in-law and adviser.”
Senate GOP Moves Toward “Nuclear” Option To Speed Up Confirmations.

The Washington Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019021401biden&r=email-5004&l=06b-1c2&t=c>
(2/13, Dinan) reports “Republicans took the first official step Wednesday
toward a rules change that would allow the Senate to speed up votes on some
of the president’s nominees – setting the stage for what’s likely to become
a ‘nuclear’ confrontation.” The Times adds that “while pleading for
bipartisanship, GOP senators made clear they’ll likely act no matter what
on a plan to cut the amount of debate time after filibusters to two hours
on most presidential nominees, down from the 30 hours currently allowed
under the rules.”

Politico
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019021401biden&r=email-5004&l=06c-f8b&t=c>
(2/13, Levine, Everett) says “the GOP-led Senate Rules Committee approved
procedural changes on a 10-9 party-line vote Wednesday that would limit
debate time for most nominees.” While “Republicans’ preference is to get 60
votes for the proposal, which would mean finding at least seven Democrats
to support the change,” if “Democrats resist, Republicans could still
change the rules via the nuclear option by a simple majority, which would
require 50 of the GOP’s 53 senators.”
Domestic Policy
US-Sponsored Security Summit Aimed At Pressuring Iran Opens In Poland.

The CBS Evening News[image: Image removed by sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019021401biden&r=email-5004&l=06d-ee9&t=c>
(2/13, story 2, 0:50, Glor) reported Secretary of State Pompeo was in
Poland on Wednesday, where “countering Iran is the focus of a security
conference.” When asked what effect US sanctions on Iran are having, Pompeo
said, “Things are much worse for the Iranian people, and we’re convinced
that will lead the Iranian people to rise up and change the behavior of the
regime.” Pompeo added, “The sanctions are designed to deny them the wealth
and resources they need to continue to create havoc throughout the Middle
East, and, frankly, throughout the world.”

NBC Nightly News[image: Image removed by sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019021401biden&r=email-5004&l=06e-ba3&t=c>
(2/13, story 2, 1:15, Holt) reported the summit, which is being led by Vice
President Pence, is “largely aimed at pressuring Iran.” In an interview
with NBC, Pence said, “We begin work not just among Arab nations, but Arab
nations and