| | | | The 😕 and 😠of Sarah Sanders' press briefings | | On Monday, White House press secretary Sarah Sanders took questions from the media. And, as usual, she offered almost no answers.
Asked whether President Donald Trump should curtail his tweeting, Sanders said that Trump uses Twitter to communicate directly with the American people. Then, in the next breath, she said that by covering Trump's tweets, the media is focused on things the average person doesn't care about.
In other words: 😕
Also: ğŸ˜
Asked about her assertion that Trump did not dictate the statement by Donald Trump Jr. in reaction to a New York Times story about a June 2016 meeting between senior Trump campaign officials and Russians -- which we now know is false -- Sanders demurred.
"You're referencing a letter that came directly from outside counsel and I would refer you to them," Sanders said Monday during the White House briefing. "I'm not going to get into a back and forth."
Of course, she had denied that Trump dictated the letter from behind the same podium where she on Monday insisted she couldn't get in the middle of a legal fight.
😕
And ... ğŸ˜
Monday's briefing isn't a glitch. It's a feature. Sanders' briefings have grown fewer and farther between in recent months and, when she does hold one, they don't last long. Sanders has also narrowed her responses to the questions she does take to three basic formulas: - Refers things that she has addressed in the past to Trump's legal team
- Reads from a prewritten response
- Says she can't take follow-up questions because of nonexistent time constraints
The Point: Monday's briefing was among the lowest ebbs of interaction between a White House and the press corps that covers it. What's even worse? There's no end or solution in sight.
-- Chris | | "If I were President of the United States and I had a lawyer that told me I could pardon myself, I think I would hire a new lawyer."
-Senate Judiciary Chairman Chuck Grassley to CNN when asked if he agrees that President Trump could pardon himself | | | ABOUT THAT 'PARDON MYSELF' TWEET | | President Donald Trump asserted Monday -- in a tweet, naturally -- that he has the right to pardon himself but suggested he won't use that power, adding that the special counsel investigation is "unconstitutional." Trump's comments come after one of his attorneys in the Russia investigation, Rudy Giuliani, said Sunday that Trump "probably does" have the power to pardon himself, but won't.
As Chris wrote: You don't tweet about pardoning yourself unless you are thinking about pardoning yourself. From Chris' take: "That the President of the United States felt the need to weigh in on the legal debate over whether or not he can pardon himself provides us a remarkable window into Trump's mindset at the moment.
"There can be no doubt that Trump has a focus bordering on obsession with the special counsel investigation being led by former FBI director Robert Mueller. A quick scroll through his Twitter feed shows how much of his time is consumed by thinking about the investigation. And the tone of those tweets -- angry, incredulous and, most interestingly, victimized -- suggest just how much emotional investment Trump has in all of this." | | | It's not Throwback Thursday, but we felt like sharing the above picture of Chris Cuomo -- on CSPAN in March 1997 -- in honor of his new CNN show. Watch Cuomo's full interview with Rudy Giuliani at 9 p.m. ET tonight on the premiere of CNN's "Cuomo Prime Time." | | | Today's topic? The Trump pardon tweet. | | | Point readers -- don't forget to ask Chris one question about the news this week that you need more clarity on. Submit your weekly question to saba.hamedy@cnn.com by Wednesday at 12 p.m. ET. Chris will pick one reader's question to answer on Friday, and we'll include the response in the newsletter and on CNN Politics' Instagram story. | | | SCOTUS GIVES COLORADO BAKER WIN | | | The Supreme Court ruled 7-2 in favor of a Colorado baker who refused to bake a cake to celebrate the marriage of a same-sex couple because of a religious objection, CNN's Ariane de Vogue reported Monday. From her story: "The court held that the Colorado Civil Rights Commission showed hostility toward the baker based on his religious beliefs. The ruling is a win for baker Jack Phillips, who cited his beliefs as a Christian, but leaves unsettled broader constitutional questions on religious liberty." Read more in CNN's story here. | | Former President George H.W. Bush has been discharged from a Maine hospital after being admitted due to low blood pressure about a week ago, his spokesman said.
While still in the Maine hospital, Bush said on Twitter that he was passing the time reading a book about his relationship with his late wife, former first lady Barbara Bush. "Enjoying a great book and a wonderful walk down memory lane this morning. Yet another reminder of just how lucky I have been in life," he said. Read more in CNN's story here. | | CLINTON ANSWERS LEWINSKY QUESTIONS | | Earlier this year, Monica Lewinsky made headlines after she penned an essay for Vanity Fair in which she questioned the narrative surrounding her affair with former President Bill Clinton. Now, Lewinsky and Clinton are back in the news, this time with the former president speaking out.
In an interview with "Today," Clinton defended his decision to remain in office after the scandal. "A lot of the facts have been conveniently omitted to make the story work, I think partly because they're frustrated that they got all these serious allegations against the current occupant of the Oval Office and his voters don't seem to care," Clinton said, pointing to a series of sexual misconduct allegations against current President Donald Trump, who has denied them. "I think I did the right thing. I defended the Constitution."
Lewinsky on Monday tweeted she is "grateful to the myriad people who have helped me evolve + gain perspective in the past 20 years." She also reshared her VF story.
Read more in CNN's story here. And Chris wrote why Clinton still gets it wrong on Lewinsky and the #MeToo movement. | | | From Brenna: "Sarah Sanders made it through her Monday and you made it through yours. Congrats to you both. Send someone you know some Monday motivation to subscribe to The Point." | | 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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