Joe diGenova, James O’Keefe and Liz Harrington joined WMAL on Thursday!

Mornings on the Mall

Thursday July 11, 2019

Hosts: Mary Walter and Vince Coglianese

Executive Producer: Heather Hunter

 

5am – A/B/C SECRETARY ACOSTA HOLDS PRESSER:

• Acosta Defends Role In Jeffrey Epstein Deal, Says Original Charges Offered No Jail Time. Embattled Labor Secretary Alex Acosta is defending his handling of a 2008 plea deal with Jeffrey Epstein, saying his office fought for a tougher punishment after prosecutors were ready to let the financer “walk free.” The pushback comes while a growing number of Democrats call for Acosta’s resignation. A secret 2008 plea deal let Epstein avoid federal prosecution after allegations he molested teenage girls.
• Alex Acosta: “Simply put, the Palm Beach state attorney’s office was ready to let Epstein walk free, no jail time. Prosecutors in my former office found this to be completely unacceptable… there was value to getting a guilty plea and having him register”
• “Epstein’s actions absolutely deserve a stiffer sentence,” Labor Secretary Alexander Acosta says. “I absolutely welcome this New York prosecution, it is the absolutely right thing to do”
• Question: “Were you ever made aware at any point in your handling of this case that Mr. Epstein was an intelligence asset…?” Alexander Acosta: “… I can’t address it directly because of our guidelines but I can tell you that a lot of reporting is just going down rabbit holes”
• Acosta on President Trump’s reaction to his refusal to step down: “If at some point the President decides that I am not the best person to do this job, I respect that. … I thought yesterday he was kind, and he showed great support”
• Senator Schumer wanted Acosta to resign but he also received donations from Jeffrey Epstein. Now, Sen Schumer says he will be donating the equivalent amount to anti-sex trafficking charities.
• Bill Clinton has some serious explaining to do: Flight manifests for Epstein’s private jet contradict Clinton’s claims that he only went on 4 trips: 1 in Europe, 1 in Asia, & 2 in Africa. He actually went on 27 flights totaling 6 (not 4) trips. Clinton doesn’t mention a US trip & a 2nd across Asia.

5am – D         MUELLER MARATHON PREVIEW:

• DEMS PLANNING MARATHON HEARINGS AROUND MUELLER TESTIMONY. House Democrats are planning to turn former Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s highly anticipated congressional testimony next week into a marathon string of hearings, setting the stage for what could be hours of back-to-back questioning by dozens of lawmakers in public and closed-door settings. A number of details, though, are still being ironed out, with the scheduled appearance just a week away. Lawmakers are expected to meet later Wednesday to try finalizing the structure of the politically charged hearings.
• DOJ TRYING TO PREVENT 2 MEMBERS OF MUELLER’S TEAM FROM TESTIFYING: The Justice Department is trying to prevent two former members of Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s team from testifying behind closed doors as Mueller prepares for a public appearance before lawmakers next week, the New York Times reported on Wednesday. The department said last week it opposed testimony by Aaron Zebley and James Quarles before the Democratic-led House of Representatives’ Intelligence and Judiciary Committees, a senior congressional official told the newspaper. A Justice Department official confirmed the account and had instructed the men not to appear, the paper said.
• Fox News congressional producer Chad Pergram‏ @ChadPergram 10h10 hours ago Judiciary Cmte Meeting on planning structure of Mueller hrng concluded. Members repeatedly said things are “in flux.” Cmte still negotiating with Mueller’s team on timeframe. Mbrs say some of this may not be resolved until the day of the hearing.

5am – E         Court blocks ’emoluments’ lawsuit that claimed Trump’s D.C. hotel violates Constitution’s anti-corruption clauses. The unanimous ruling from the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 4th Circuit is a victory for the president in a novel case brought by the attorneys general of Maryland and the District of Columbia involving the emoluments clauses of the U.S. Constitution. The lawsuit alleged Trump’s business with foreign governments was violating the anti-corruption provisions.

6am – A/B/C AOC-PELOSI CATFIGHT:

• ‘Do not tweet’: Pelosi scolds progressives in closed-door meeting
• AOC ACCUSES PELOSI OF RACISM: ‘Outright disrespectful’: Four House women struggle as Pelosi isolates them
• “You got a complaint? You come and talk to me about it. But do not tweet about our members and expect us to think that that is just okay,” Pelosi (D-Calif.) told Democrats.    But “the Squad” — Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (N.Y.), Ilhan Omar (Minn.), Rashida Tlaib (Mich.) and Ayanna Pressley (Mass.) — is convinced it is Pelosi who is being the bully. “When these comments first started, I kind of thought that she was keeping the progressive flank at more of an arm’s distance in order to protect more moderate members, which I understood,” Ocasio-Cortez told The Washington Post. “But the persistent singling out . . . it got to a point where it was just outright disrespectful . . . the explicit singling out of newly elected women of color.”    …virtually all communication between the two women has ceased. The two have not spoken one-on-one since February when Ocasio-Cortez declined Pelosi’s personal request that she join her select committee on climate change, according to individuals who know both lawmakers. Just days after, during a private Progressive Caucus meeting, Pelosi singled out Ocasio-Cortez in front of her colleagues, calling her out for rejecting the select committee offer. Ocasio-Cortez had publicly criticized leadership for refusing to give the committee the power to directly draft legislation.  “The third and fourth time [she insulted me], it was like, ‘This is unnecessary, but I’m not going to pick a fight over it. Whatever, I’ll be the punching bag if that’s what they want me to be,’ ” Ocasio-Cortez said. But now people are telling the freshman to talk to Pelosi. She doesn’t want to, however.    “There hasn’t really been a relationship, to be frank,” she said. “It’s difficult.”
• AOC accuses Congress of using women, minorities as ‘bargaining chips’ who have been ‘auctioned off’ for decades.   “When it comes to women of color in Congress, particularly the freshman, it’s that we both have encountered and represent communities that have been auctioned off and negotiated off for the last 20 years. And we’re over it,” she said during a Tuesday interview with The New Yorker Radio Hour.  “We see in these negotiations all the time— it’s like fighting for black communities or policies that help women,” she said. “They’re bargaining chips. And they’re the first chips that are reached for in any legislative negotiations.”
• AOC: I Wonder If Pelosi Is Trying To Sideline Me By Giving Me A Busy Work Schedule.  “I was assigned to some of the busiest committees and four subcommittees. So my hands are full. And sometimes I wonder if they’re trying to keep me busy.”
  • AOC’s Prestigious Committee Assignments:
    • House Committee on Financial Services
    • Member, Subcommittee on Consumer Protection and Financial Institutions
    • Member, Subcommittee on Investor Protection, Entrepreneurship, and Capital Markets
    • House Committee on Oversight and Reform Member, Subcommittee on Civil Rights and Civil Liberties
    • Member, Subcommittee on Environment

6am – B/C     Senator Schumer wanted Acosta to resign but he also received donations from Jeffrey Epstein. Now, Sen Schumer says he will be donating the equivalent amount to anti-sex trafficking charities. (NY Post) — Sen. Chuck Schumer — who called on Labor Secretary Alexander Acosta to resign and said President Trump should “answer” for his friendship with Jeffrey Epstein — accepted thousands of dollars in donations from the alleged pedophile throughout the 1990s, The Post has learned. Federal Election Commission records show that Schumer received seven $1,000 donations from Epstein between 1992 and 1997, first as a US congressman from New York and then when he was vying to be the state’s senator in 1998, an election he won. Epstein — who was arrested Saturday and charged with sex trafficking and a related conspiracy count for allegedly sexually abusing a vast network of underage girls — also gave $10,000 to Victory in New York, a joint fundraising committee established by Schumer and the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee. Epstein gave an additional $5,000 to Win New York, a Schumer-associated joint committee that benefited the Liberal Party of New York state. Both of Epstein’s donations to the committees came in October 1998 — and look to have primarily benefited the DSCC and the Liberal Party of New York, as Epstein would have already met the $2,000 limit on donating individually to Schumer. At the time, donors could give $1,000 to a candidate per election — once in the primary and again in the general.

6am – D/E     VIRGINIA DEM OFFICIALS STILL DEALING WITH THEIR OWN SCANDALS…

• VA GOV. NORTHAM SAYS HE ‘CONFUSED’ VIRGINIANS WITH HIS BLACKFACE INCIDENT: Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam: “The occurrences in February hurt Virginians, CONFUSED Virginians. I regret that. We didn’t handle it as well as we should have…” 
• Lawyer for Va. Lt. Gov. Justin Fairfax says witness can corroborate Duke sexual encounter was consensual, rebutting rape allegation
• Statement from Meredith Watson’s attorney: Fairfax Continues to Dodge Public Hearings. “Five months after being accused of rape, Justin Fairfax changes his story yet again. First it didn’t happen then it was consensual, and now for the first time he implicates his buddy as a participant. If Justin Fairfax wants the truth to come out, this secret witness should testify under oath, in public, along with Mr. Fairfax, both his victims and their witnesses. Fairfax continues to fight a public hearing tooth and nail. That says it all.” – Nancy Erika Smith, Attorney for Meredith Watson
• Flashback in June: Justin Fairfax ‘seriously’ considering a run for governor, says sexual abuse scandal raised his profile

6am – F         Lyft donates $150,000 in rides to immigration groups across US. Company will match rider donations to Raices, which provides legal aid to immigrants. (The Guardian) — The ride-hailing company Lyft will be donating $150,000 in ride credits to support immigration groups across the US in the next six months. The company has also partnered with Raices, a not-for-profit organization providing legal services to immigrants. Through its Round Up & Donate program, Lyft will match rider donations to Raices throughout the month of July, and it will commit to up to $50,000 to the organization in support of their services. With the tagline “America is an idea, not a geography”, the Lyft campaign shares the stories of drivers who work for the company and have come to the US from other countries. In addition to the $150,000 donation, Lyft riders can round up their ride payments to the nearest dollar and donate the difference to Raices, the company’s not-for-profit partner. A Raices spokesperson said the partnership had been “an invaluable resource” allowing them to use credits to transport immigrants and their advocates to court appearances and legal consultations. “Raices compassionately defends and empowers immigrants and advocates for human rights, equality, respect, and the right to migrate,” the spokesperson said. “Most of the people we work with do not have access to reliable transportation.”

7am – A/B/C INTERVIEW – JOE DIGENOVA – legal analyst and former U.S. Attorney to the District of Columbia

• TRUMP WINS ON EMOLUMENTS SUIT: Donald Trump took a rare judicial victory lap on Wednesday after a three-judge panel tossed out a Democrat-led lawsuit accusing him of corruption by accepting foreign government business at his Washington, D.C. hotel.
• Appeals court sides with President Trump, dismisses ’emoluments’ lawsuit involving his D.C. hotel. US appeals court orders *dismissal* of emoluments case brought against Trump by Maryland, DC attorneys general.
• Acosta Defends Role In Jeffrey Epstein Deal, Says Original Charges Offered No Jail Time. Embattled Labor Secretary Alex Acosta is defending his handling of a 2008 plea deal with Jeffrey Epstein, saying his office fought for a tougher punishment after prosecutors were ready to let the financer “walk free.” The pushback comes while a growing number of Democrats call for Acosta’s resignation. A secret 2008 plea deal let Epstein avoid federal prosecution after allegations he molested teenage girls.
• Alex Acosta: “Simply put, the Palm Beach state attorney’s office was ready to let Epstein walk free, no jail time. Prosecutors in my former office found this to be completely unacceptable… there was value to getting a guilty plea and having him register”

7am – D         INTERVIEW – JAMES O’KEEFE – Project Veritas – discussed visiting the White House’s Social Media Summit and Project Veritas also broke a story about a letter leaked from Google that targeted Breitbart News.

• Trump to speak to conservatives at social media summit. WASHINGTON/SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) – President Donald Trump plans to meet with prominent conservative social media figures on Thursday at a White House forum where he is set to reiterate frustrations with big tech firms for allegedly suppressing conservative voices.  Pro-Trump online personalities will get together at what the White House billed as a gathering of “digital leaders” where invitees expect to discuss what they say is censorship on social media platforms.
• White House Invites James O’Keefe to Social Media Summit on Heels of Veritas’ Google Exposé. (Washington, D.C.) – Project Veritas founder and CEO, James O’Keefe, has been invited to the White House’s Social Media Summit after Veritas published an investigative report showing political bias at Google.  The Social Media Summit will take place in Washington, D.C. on July 11, 2019. “If legendary muckrakers like Lincoln Steffens and Ida Tarbell can work alongside Teddy Roosevelt to expose and reform Big Oil,” said James O’Keefe, “Project Veritas can be synergistic with the Trump administration to pull back the curtain surrounding Big Tech.” Project Veritas recently released documents from a Google insider that show bias against conservatives.  In the first of four releases, Veritas obtained hidden camera footage of a Google executive, Jen Gennai, talking about the company’s plans to “…prevent the next Trump situation.”
• Project Veritas: 1,000 Google Employees Signed Internal Anti-Breitbart Petition.  An internal Google petition “to end Google’s business with Breitbart” was recently leaked to Project Veritas. The petition — which over 1,000 Google employees have signed — calls for labeling Breitbart News as “prohibited content” to block the news outlet from “all Google-served ads.” A Google insider says that a petition has been circulated among Google employees, calling on banning Breitbart News from Google’s advertising networks, in order to cut off the news platform from ad revenue, according to a recent report by Project Veritas. “These people are employees of Google,” said a Google insider to James O’Keefe of Project Veritas, “They are unhappy with the election, and they are unhappy with the narratives that are being put out there that contradict the mainstream media’s narrative.”

7am – E         THE AOC PRIMARY:

• “It’s called the unofficial ‘AOC primary.’ 2020 Democratic hopefuls vying to be seen as Ocasio-Cortez’s ally,” CNN’s Kyung Lah reports.
• Kamala Harris, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez team up on bill to help those with criminal records get housing (CNN) Sen. Kamala Harris and New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez are teaming up to introduce legislation aimed at helping people with criminal records fairly obtain housing. The bill, which the lawmakers will introduce Wednesday in their respective chambers, pledges to change eviction and screening policies in housing so people with a criminal history can apply for federal housing assistance. Harris is the latest 2020 Democratic presidential candidate to attach her name to the star of the progressive left, entering the so-called AOC primary. Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders teamed up with Ocasio-Cortez to campaign for progressive candidates in 2018 after she upset the Democratic incumbent in her congressional primary. They have also co-sponsored legislation; on Tuesday, the pair, along with Oregon’s Rep. Earl Blumenauer, rolled out a resolution to declare climate change a national emergency.
• AOC questions Biden’s fitness for office. “I think Joe Biden, his performance on the stage kind of raised some questions”
• Last week: Biden: “I think Ocasio-Cortez is a brilliant, bright woman, but she won a primary. In the general election fights, who won? Mainstream Democrats who are very progressive on social issues and very strong on education and healthcare”

8am – A/B     NYC HELD A PARADE FOR THE WOMEN’S SOCCER TEAM:

• Rapinoe drops F-bomb during championship celebration in NYC. “New York City, you’re the motherf—ing best!”
• Megan Rapinoe: “Just shoutout to the teammates … We’re chillin’, we got tea sippin’, we got celebrations. We have pink hair and purple hair. We have tattoos and dreadlocks. We got white girls and black girls, and everything in between. Straight girls and gay girls.”
• Closing message at the parade: Soccer star Megan Rapinoe’s charge to fans after World Cup win: “We have to be better. We have to love more, hate less. We’ve got to listen more and talk less. We’ve got to know that this is everybody’s responsibility. … It’s our responsibility to make the world a better place”
• At the parade event: Rapinoe holding award: “I deserve this!”
• At parade, NYC Mayor Bill deBlasio tells CNN: As president, “I’d use an executive order to have the Treasury Department enforce on the U.S. Soccer Federation [equal pay] because they’re tax-exempt and they’re discriminating in effect against women in pay.”
• RAPINOE’S MEDIA TOUR
  • Maddow tells Rapinoe that she’s still so nervous
  • Maddow on intervieing Rapinoe – I sweat through my suit, very exciting
  • ON CNN with ANDERSON COOPER, RAPINOE says she wouldn’t want to ruin THE PLATFORM THAT THEY BUILT by going to the White House
  • Rapinoe and Anderson Cooper on kneeling – Gave me a sense of pride
  • MSNBC panel gushes on Megan Rapinoe:  “You could see her with a political future.”…  “You can see her at the Democratic convention.” …. “She’s probably the coolest woman in America right now.” … “Megan Rapinoe, you make us all believe. God bless you”

8am – C         FBI makes multiple arrests in Puerto Rico corruption scandal, prompting calls for governor’s ouster and concerns about the billions of dollars in hurricane disaster relief aid approved by Congress for the island. The FBI on Wednesday arrested two former senior officials who served in the administration of Puerto Rico Gov. Ricardo Rosselló, leading the chairman of the House committee that oversees Puerto Rico to call for the governor to step down. The arrests also spurred concerns on Capitol Hill about the billions of dollars in aid that Congress has approved for the island. The federal indictment says the former officials illegally directed federal funding to politically connected contractors. The arrests come about a month after Congress approved a controversial disaster aid bill that earmarked additional funding for Puerto Rico’s recovery from Hurricane Maria in 2017. The aid was tied up in part because President Trump called island officials “incompetent or corrupt.” Rep. Raúl M. Grijalva (D-Ariz.), chairman of the Natural Resources Committee that oversees Puerto Rico, called on Rosselló to resign amid the ongoing federal investigation. “We’ve crossed that crucible now,” said Grijalva, who later reiterated on Twitter that he supports Rosselló’s resignation. “The restoration of accountability is so key going forward.” Six people were charged in the 32-count indictment. They include Julia Keleher, who served as Puerto Rico’s education secretary until April, and Ángela Ávila-Marrero, who was the executive director of the Puerto Rico Health Insurance Administration until late June. “Keleher and Avila-Marrero exploited their government positions and fraudulently awarded contracts funded with federal monies,” U.S. Attorney Rosa Emilia Rodriguez-Vélez said in a statement. “The charged offenses are reprehensible, more so in light of Puerto Rico’s fiscal crisis.”

8am – D         INTERVIEW – LIZ HARRINGTON – RNC Spokesperson

VIRGINIA DEM OFFICIALS STILL DEALING WITH THEIR OWN SCANDALS…

• VA GOV. NORTHAM SAYS HE ‘CONFUSED’ VIRGINIANS WITH HIS BLACKFACE INCIDENT: Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam: “The occurrences in February hurt Virginians, CONFUSED Virginians. I regret that. We didn’t handle it as well as we should have…” 
• Lawyer for Va. Lt. Gov. Justin Fairfax says witness can corroborate Duke sexual encounter was consensual, rebutting rape allegation
• Statement from Meredith Watson’s attorney: Fairfax Continues to Dodge Public Hearings. “Five months after being accused of rape, Justin Fairfax changes his story yet again. First it didn’t happen then it was consensual, and now for the first time he implicates his buddy as a participant. If Justin Fairfax wants the truth to come out, this secret witness should testify under oath, in public, along with Mr. Fairfax, both his victims and their witnesses. Fairfax continues to fight a public hearing tooth and nail. That says it all.” – Nancy Erika Smith, Attorney for Meredith Watson
• Flashback in June: Justin Fairfax ‘seriously’ considering a run for governor, says sexual abuse scandal raised his profile