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Nicandro Iannacci  //  4/26/19  //  Daily Update

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House Democrats asked DHS for documents related to the recent series of firings and resignations at the department. A federal judge blocked a DHS “gag rule” that would strip Title X funding from health care providers that refer patients to an abortion provider. Advocacy groups sued the FEC for failing to act on alleged campaign finance violations by the NRA. House Democrats are considering various responses to the Trump administration’s refusal to cooperate with investigations. Russian agent Maria Butina will be sentenced in federal court on Friday. The Interior Department halted plans to expand offshore drilling to wait for the outcome of a legal case about similar drilling plans in the Arctic.

 

TRUMP: INVESTIGATIONS & LITIGATION

Coverage of the Mueller Report continues.

•  President Trump denied asking former White House Counsel Don McGahn to fire Special Counsel Robert Mueller (WaPo, WSJ).
• Former intelligence officials and other experts say the Report shows that the Trump campaign made itself vulnerable to Russian influence and put national security at risk (NBC News).
• So far, Republicans in Congress show no sign of responding to the Report (NYT).
• When AG Bill Barr testifies before Congress on May 1 and 2, there are some key questions that members of Congress should ask, write Joshua Geltzer, Ryan Goodman, and Asha Rangappa at Just Security.

 

IMMIGRATION

DHS is considering a plan to expand the use of expedited removal to target immigrants who cannot prove they have been in the county for at least two years (Politico).

House Democrats asked DHS for documents related to the recent series of firings and resignations at the department (Politico).

• The request comes after the White House said it would not allow Trump adviser Stephen Miller to testify before Congress (WaPo). 

The tacit alliance between Border Patrol and various militias is dangerous and should end, write Kristy Parker and Cameron Bills at The Washington Post.

 

CIVIL RIGHTS

A federal judge blocked a DHS “gag rule” that would strip Title X funding from health care providers that refer patients to an abortion provider (Politico).

 

DEMOCRACY

DOJ will not comply with a House subpoena for the testimony of Deputy Assistant AG John Gore about the inclusion of a citizenship question on the 2020 Census (WaPo).

Advocacy groups sued the FEC for failing to act on alleged campaign finance violations by the NRA (WaPo, The Hill). 

• The complaint from Giffords and the Campaign Legal Center is here.

 

CONFLICTS OF INTEREST

IRS Commissioner Charles Retigg earns as much as $1 million in rental income from Trump-branded properties that he co-owns (CREW).

 

REGULATION

The Interior Department halted plans to expand offshore drilling to wait for the outcome of a legal case about similar drilling plans in the Arctic (NYT, WSJ, The Hill).

Of all the Trump administration’s changes to the regulatory process, only the extension of OIRA review to the IRS and independent agencies is likely to be preserved by future administrations, writes Stuart Shapiro at The Regulatory Review.

 

CHECKS & BALANCES 

House Democrats are considering various responses to the Trump administration’s refusal to cooperate with investigations (WaPo).

 

REMOVAL FROM OFFICE 

Refusal to impeach President Trump will set a bad precedent and undermine the constitutional role of impeachment, writes Elizabeth Drew in The New York Times.

The Mueller Report provides sufficient ground to open an impeachment inquiry, writes Jed Shugarman in The New York Times.

 

RUSSIAN INTERFERENCE

Russian agent Maria Butina will be sentenced in federal court on Friday (The Hill).

 

Tags:

Immigration Conflicts Checks & Balances Regulation Democracy Civil Rights Removal from Office Russian Interference

 

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