| | | | Why Sam Nunberg's insane interviews were inevitable | | Former Trump campaign aide Sam Nunberg decided two things on Monday: 1) He wasn't going to comply with special counsel Robert Mueller's apparent subpoena in connection with the investigation into Russia's attempted meddling in the 2016 election and 2) He was going to talk all about that decision on cable news.
And man, oh man, did he talk.
For many people, Nunberg's decision to go public with his refusal to answer questions from Mueller was the definition of insanity. After all, Mueller can all but compel him to comply with the subpoena. And, no matter what, Nunberg is in real legal jeopardy.
Here's why what Nunberg did on Monday makes total sense: This guy isn't exactly an A-list political (or otherwise) talent.
The reality of Trump's presidential campaign was that the only people willing to work for him at the outset -- and, really, even when he became the Republican nominee -- were people who Trump knew from other walks of life (Hope Hicks, Dan Scavino) or political types who didn't have any other options (Corey Lewandowski, Nunberg).
The reality is that while, occasionally, you can find a diamond in the rough, the truth is that most people who are on the D list belong there.
Which brings me to Nunberg. No one with any political, legal or common sense would advise him to refuse to cooperate with a special counsel investigation and then to brag about it, repeatedly, on cable TV.
Why did he do it? For the same reason Carter Page, another former Trump aide in real legal jeopardy in regard to the 2016 campaign, keeps granting interviews. Because, I think, they like the attention and simply aren't sophisticated enough to understand how much damage they are doing to themselves.
The Point: The only people willing to bet on Trump from the start were people who had nothing left to lose. No one should be surprised when those same people reveal themselves -- in another context -- as having nothing left to lose.
-- Chris | | Another day, another Republican retirement on tap... this time it's 80-year-old Mississippi Sen. Thad Cochran, who's been dealing with health issues for some time. He announced on Monday he will step down on April 1, presumably after Congress passes its omnibus spending bill (deadline: March 23).
Mississippi Gov. Phil Bryant will appoint a replacement pronto. Then it's on to a special election in November. That means the Magnolia State, with GOP Sen. Roger Wicker up for re-election, will join Minnesota, which has two Democratic incumbents, in electing two senators this fall.
One other thing: Before today's news, the expectation was that, after they finished 1-2 in a June nonpartisan primary, Republican state Sen. Chris McDaniel would end up challenging Wicker in November.
Thus, two questions:
1) Did Cochran wait to announce this until McDaniel, who is not popular with the GOP establishment, officially entered that race?
2) Will McDaniel now withdraw from that race and enter the contest for the seat Cochran is vacating?
McDaniel acknowledged the second question, but didn't answer it, saying in a statement, "I am currently focused on my campaign against Roger Wicker, but all options remain on the table as we determine the best way to ensure that Mississippi elects conservatives to the United States Senate." | | TRUMP'S VERY SCARY JOKE (??) | | Speaking at a party fundraiser this weekend, Trump turned his focus to China's President Xi Jinping, who successfully led the charge to repeal the country's term limits law last month:
"He's now President for life," Trump said of his Chinese counterpart. "President for life. No, he's great. And look, he was able to do that. I think it's great. Maybe we'll have to give that a shot some day."
OH?
As Chris wrote today, though CNN has obtained audio of the event and that recording reveals lots of laughter and joking, the extent to which Trump was (or wasn't) kidding isn't clear. In any event, this might have passed without notice if Trump didn't have a long history of praising autocrats, dictators and strongmen, and been so vocally dismissive of other domestic political norms. Like, ya know, separation of powers.
On a global level, that the United States would materially support those kinds of leaders is, of course, no surprise -- Congress and past presidents have routinely backed unsavory foreign leaders as a matter of, they'd say, political necessity (and have often seen those decisions backfire in the long run).
But that doesn't mean Americans should yawn at this kind of rhetoric from their leaders.
| | *No, no, says Housing and Urban Development secretary Ben Carson, his current job is actually more difficult than his old one -- as one of America's foremost neurosurgeons.
In an interview with The New York Times, Carson said this of his role in the Trump administration:
"There are more complexities here than in brain surgery," he said. "Doing this job is going to be a very intricate process."
Carson also told the Times he considered leaving his post during a recent round of squabbling over funding for the agency.
It's an interesting juxtaposition, then, when you consider that Carson, a 2016 GOP presidential primary candidate, finds himself -- like so many other Trump appointees -- faced with allegations of overspending on, in HUD's case, a posh new dining room set.
| | "Donald Trump won this election on his own. He campaigned his ass off. And there is nobody who hates him more than me."
-- Former Trump aide Sam Nunberg
| | | | If you missed Sufjan Stevens (and St. Vincent and Chris Thile and Moses Sumney) performing "The Mystery of Love" on the Oscars last night, you shouldn't. | | LAMB ROARING IN PENNSYLVANIA | | | At least he is in this new poll from Emerson College. Forgive us if you've heard this before, but the simple fact this race is so incredibly close (a statistical tie, basically), let alone that the Democrat Conor Lamb could win, should -- and surely is -- giving Republicans a lotta heartburn. Reminder: Trump won this district by 19 percentage points in 2016 ... and Romney did too, in 2012, by 17 points. | | President Trump dipped his toes in the Democrats' 2020 pool on Saturday night. During his Gridiron Dinner speech, Trump took aim at a handful of potential future rivals. Reps. Luis Gutiérrez and Tim Ryan, along with New Orleans Mayor Mitch Landrieu were in his sights. But he saved the nastier stuff for Sen. Elizabeth Warren and former Vice President Joe Biden.
Trump on Warren: "You know I watched her making a speech for Hillary, I said I think she's losing all the-male vote for Hillary Clinton. It was brutal. It was mean and angry."
Then he returned to his mocking Native American routine, saying, "she said that Rex Tillerson and I should sit down with the leaders of Iran and North Korea and smoke a peace pipe."
Trump on Biden: "There is talk about Joe Biden. Sleepy Joe! You know when he said, 'I'm going to take you behind the barn?' Oh, just trust me, I would kick his ass. He'd be easy. But, Joe, gimme a break. A guy who keeps making outrageous statements thinks he has a shot of being president? A guy who makes outrageous statements? He is going to be president?!"
For more on the week ahead for ambitious Democrats -- including a political set list for South by Southwest -- here's some #2020Vision from CNN's Eric Bradner, Caroline Kenny and me. | | | Click on CNN Politics' Instagram story every Monday through Friday afternoon for more #content, courtesy of Chris and CNN's Brenna Williams. | | | Once you get a grip on The Point you'll never, ever, wanna let go. | | We'd love to share our other newsletters with you. Follow this link for daily coverage of the world's top stories, savvy market insights, an insider's look into the media, and more. Our authors for The Point are Chris Cillizza and Saba Hamedy. Send your tips and thoughts via email to Chris or Saba. Follow on Twitter: Chris and Saba. | | | | | | |
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