Daily Update | March 15, 2019
Adam Smith // 3/15/19 //
Anticipation for the Mueller report continues to build, as the House calls unanimously for its release and a key member of the Special Counsel’s team prepares to leave his post. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said that he won’t share the President Trump’s tax returns with Congress. A New York appeals court ruled that the President could be sued by a former Apprentice contestant for defamation. The Senate voted to deny the President his national emergency at the southern border — but the President’s own veto is all but assured. The Connecticut Supreme Court held that Remington and other manufacturers of the AR-15 rifle could be sued by the families of victims of the Sandy Hook mass shooting.
TRUMP: INVESTIGATIONS AND LITIGATION
The House of Representatives unanimously called for the release of Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s report on Russian interference in the 2016 Presidential election (NYT).
- And the imminent departure of Andrew Weissman, a key member of the Special Counsel’s team, may signal that Mueller’s investigation is winding down (NPR).
Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin indicated that he would deny any Congressional requests for the President’s tax returns (NYT).
A New York state appeals court ruled that President Trump was not immune to a defamation suit brought by former Apprentice contestant Summer Zervos (The Hill).
CHECKS & BALANCES
The Senate voted 59-41 to block President Trump’s declaration of a national emergency at the nation’s southern border, setting the stage for the first veto of the Trump era (NYT; WaPo).
- Indeed, the President had only a single-worded tweet in response: “VETO!”
- As the seeming boundlessness of executive emergency power dominates the headlines, perhaps it’s time to reconsider the legislative veto, suggest Geoffrey Manne and Seth Weinberger at JustSecurity.
JUSTICE & SAFETY
In a significant blow to gun-manufacturer immunity, the Connecticut Supreme Court held Thursday that the families of victims of the 2012 Sandy Hook shootings could sue Remington and other producers of the AR-15 rifle (NYT).
REMOVAL FROM OFFICE
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s reticence to impeach President Trump seems aligned with a broader consensus on the removal power, argues Bob Bauer at Lawfare.