| | | | Is Trump's team draining the swamp, or swimming in it? | | This August is feeling particularly swampy in Washington, DC, and it's not just because the mosquitoes are eating us alive.
This week, New York Rep. Chris Collins was indicted on charges of insider trading in relation to a company named Innate Immunotherapeutics Limited, a company in which he is the largest shareholder and on whose board he served, until relatively recently. But hours after prosecutors arrested him, the Republican lawmaker vowed to fight the criminal charges against him in court and win re-election.
"The charges that have been levied against me are meritless," Collins said Wednesday. "And I will mount a vigorous defense in court to clear my name. I look forward to being fully vindicated and exonerated."
Hmm 🤔. When Trump was campaigning, he often pledged to "drain the swamp." But it seems Collins is the latest example of people in Trump's orbit who CNN's Z. Byron Wolf described in his analysis as being involved in "a dizzying number of side plots, dramas, scandals, allegations and now criminal cases." (Read more of the swampiest moments of the Trump administration so far by Z. Byron Wolf here). CNN's Don Lemon this week called out Trump for "building all over" the swamp he promised to drain.
As Nick Reisman, a reporter with Capital Tonight in Albany, told Chris, "A recurring theme running through Collins' political career has been his business dealings. But his stated business acumen has been a source of pride. He's repeatedly cited in interviews that he's undergone training through the Six Sigma method. Despite all of these ethics questions, Collins remained in good graces with the Trump administration. In October 2017, Vice President Mike Pence traveled to Buffalo for a fundraiser to help boost Collins."
Reisman also noted that Collins is "known for being a Trump guy." He told Chris: "After Trump was elected President, Collins became a key figure in the transition. At the time of Trump's election, Republicans ... touted Collins having the ear of the President."
The Point: It looks like Collins and his colleagues may have been swimming in the swamp -- despite Trump's stated attempts to drain it.
--Saba | | "They have already penetrated certain counties in the state and they now have free rein to move about."
-Florida Democratic Sen. Bill Nelson, in an interview with the Tampa Bay Times, suggesting Russians have "penetrated" some of his state's voter registration systems ahead of the 2018 midterms. | | | PUERTO RICAN DEATH TOLL UPDATED | | A new report to Congress revealed the government of Puerto Rico may have underestimated the number of deaths from Hurricane Maria last year. Per CNN's John D. Sutter: "The US commonwealth's government says documents show that 1,427 more deaths occurred in the four months after the storm than 'normal,' compared with deaths that occurred the previous four years.
"The 1,427 figure also appeared in a draft of the report -- 'Transformation and Innovation in the Wake of Devastation' -- which was published and opened for public comment July 9. The figure was first 'revealed' by the Puerto Rico government, according to the final report, on June 13, one day after officials were forced by a judge to release death records that CNN and the Centro de Periodismo Investigativo in Puerto Rico had sued to make public. Officials stopped short of updating the official death toll for the September 20 storm."
The new death toll amplifies President Donald Trump's disconnect on relief efforts, CNN's Jeremy Diamond reported: "Trump not only repeatedly praised the federal response to Maria, but he also struck out at the news media and critics who highlighted the slow pace of some of the recovery efforts and the dire conditions that much of the island continued to face for weeks and months after the hurricane made landfall...The White House did not respond to a request for comment on Puerto Rico's new estimate."
Read more in CNN's full story about the Puerto Rican death toll here; and Jeremy's story for more. | | | Beach House's "Space Song" because today's #spaceforce news (read more toward the end of today's Point). | | | Today's topic, tackled by Brenna: SPACE FORCE #2020. | | Leaked tapes are everywhere these days in Washington (ICYMI: Daily Beast's recent reporting on Omarosa Manigault-Newman). The latest victim of a leak? House Intelligence Committee Chairman Devin Nunes, a California Republican.
In a a recording from a private fundraiser aired by MSNBC on "The Rachel Maddow Show" on Wednesday, Nunes suggests that his party needs to retain control of the House of Representatives to protect President Donald Trump from special counsel Robert Mueller.
Per the audio, Nunes says: "If (Attorney General Jeff) Sessions won't un-recuse and Mueller won't clear the President, we're the only ones, which is really the danger. ... We have to keep all these seats. We have to keep the majority."
Read more in CNN's story here. | | MELANIA'S PARENTS BECOME US CITIZENS | | Did someone say in-laws? Viktor and Amalija Knavs, the parents of first lady Melania Trump, are official US citizens as of Thursday. The couple, who are from Slovenia and had been living in the United States with green cards, were granted citizenship, CNN reported.
Michael Wildes, their immigration attorney, said in a statement: "It went well and they are very grateful and appreciative of this wonderful day for their family."
But as CNN's Betsy Klein, Tal Kopan and Kate Bennett note in their story: "It's unclear whether their green cards were granted by a process the President has sought to end." Read more here. | | 'SPACE FORCE ALL THE WAY!' 🚀 | | Vice President Mike Pence visited the Pentagon on Thursday to discuss the future of the US military in space (see GIF below!) Yes, that includes plans to establish a new branch of the US military: A SPACE FORCE, by #2020.
Pence said in his speech: "The time has come to establish the Unites States Space Force."
As CNN's Ryan Browne reported Thursday, the news comes two months after "President Donald Trump said he was directing 'the Pentagon to immediately begin the process necessary to establish a Space Force as the sixth branch of the armed forces,' during a speech at a meeting of the National Space Council." Read more in CNN's full story here. BTW, Trump's re-election team is already planning on selling "Space Force" merch. | | | From Brenna: "DON'T TELL ME TO SIT DOWN, SECRETARY MATTIS -- sir. With all due respect. Sorry I yelled. But how could I not? Space Force is happening! Isn't that wild?! Give your friends something to jump out of their seats for by telling them 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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