Daily Update | July 18, 2018
Jacqueline Sahlberg, Ian Eppler // 7/18/18 //
Special Counsel Robert Mueller is seeking immunity for 5 witnesses who are expected to testify against Paul Manafort at his impending trial. Maria Butina, who was indicted Tuesday on charges of acting as an unregistered agent of the Russian government, had developed extensive ties within the conservative movement. The Trump administration’s proposal to impose Medicaid work requirements puts it on course to break the law by reducing tribal health care funding by millions of dollars. The Internal Revenue Service will no longer require some non-profit groups to disclose the names of large donors. The Department of Labor rescinded an Obama-era regulation that would have required companies to disclose their use of consultants to undermine labor organizing efforts.
TRUMP: INVESTIGATIONS AND LITIGATION
Maria Butina, who was indicted Tuesday on charges of acting as an unregistered agent of the Russian government, had developed extensive ties within the conservative movement (NYT, WaPo, WSJ).
- A grand jury indicted Butina on conspiracy charges, supplementing the previously announced charge of acting as an unregistered foreign agent (Politico).
A federal district judge in Northern Virginia denied Paul Manafort’s request to move his impending trial to Roanoke, Virginia, rejecting his contention that the Washington, DC area had been too saturated with coverage of the case to allow for a fair trial (Politico, WaPo).
Special Counsel Robert Mueller is seeking immunity for 5 witnesses who are expected to testify against Paul Manafort at his impending trial (Politico, WSJ).
IMMIGRATION
Under President Trump, state Attorneys General, City Attorneys, and other local government lawyers have engaged with federal immigration policy more often than in previous decades, writes Jonathan Miller at ACSblog.
Most Central Americans arriving at the U.S. border are not skipping the legal U.S. immigration line, but are finding that the proper line may not exist, write Stephanie Leutert and Caitlyn Yates for Lawfare.
The U.S. Army has reversed course, abandoning its legal argument to expel an immigrant soldier seeking citizenship (WaPo).
CIVIL RIGHTS
The Trump administration’s proposal to impose Medicaid work requirements puts it on course to break the law by reducing tribal health care funding by millions of dollars (The Hill).
DEMOCRACY
The Internal Revenue Service will no longer require some non-profit groups to disclose the names of large donors (WaPo).
- The determination is seen as a victory for the Koch brothers, among others (NYTimes).
Voter suppression is warping democracy (Atlantic).
JUSTICE & SAFETY
A Department of Justice attorney argued that Guantanamo detainees could be held for 100 years without charge or trial if conflict lasts for 100 years, writes Daphne Eviatar for Just Security.
The Trump Administration settled a lawsuit over 3D printed guns, undermining the Undetectable Firearms Act of 1988, writes Steve Israel for The NYTimes.
REGULATION
The Department of Labor rescinded an Obama-era regulation that would have required companies to disclose their use of consultants to undermine labor organizing efforts (The Hill).
CHECKS & BALANCES
President Trump has appointed more judges at this point of his presidency than Presidents George W. Bush and Barack Obama combined (Pew).
FEDERALISM
The attorneys general of New York, Connecticut, Maryland, and New Jersey announced a lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of the cap on the state and local tax deduction in the recently enacted tax legislation (The Hill, WSJ).
- The complaint is available here.
- While the suit is not frivolous, it is unlikely to succeed, contends Joseph Bishop-Henchman at the Tax Foundation.
REMOVAL FROM OFFICE
The unitary executive theory, as espoused by writers such as Supreme Court nominee Judge Brett Kavanaugh, may be incompatible with the rule of law in the context of executive criminality, argues Aziz Huq at Take Care.
Tags:
Immigration Checks & Balances Federalism Regulation Democracy Civil Rights Justice & Safety Removal from Office