//  5/23/18  //  Daily Update

By demanding that DOJ open an investigation into the FBI’s scrutiny of his campaign contacts with Russia, President Trump came closer to breaching an established restraint on executive power. The administration’s decision to hold migrant children on U.S. military bases while their parents await trial for illegal entry into the U.S. raises many concerns about traumatic effects on children. President Trump’s proposal for new abortion restrictions on federal family planning money would bar doctors from informing a woman where she could go to receive an abortion, unless she said she had already decided to end her pregnancy. President Trump is making the recruitment of intelligence sources even more difficult. The EPA booted reporters from a meeting about toxic chemicals.

TRUMP: INVESTIGATIONS & LITIGATION 

Evgeny Freidman, a longtime business partner of Michael Cohen, pled guilty in a state tax fraud case that requires him to cooperate in any ongoing investigation (LAT, WSJ). 

A sitting president generally can’t be indicted, writes Jed Shugerman at Shugerblog.

President Trump may have made a misstep in deciding to litigate the question of whether Special Counsel Robert Mueller has the power to subpoena the president to testify before a grand jury, writes Ryan Goodman at Just Security.

The biggest mystery in the Mueller investigation is the absence of a public indictment of any Russians for hacking the Democratic National Committee (The Hill).

Michael Cohen bonded with a Russia-tied CEO, although no deal resulted (NYT).

By demanding that DOJ open an investigation into the FBI’s scrutiny of his campaign contacts with Russia, President Trump came closer to breaching an established restraint on executive power (NYT).

President Trump’s lawyers are increasingly opposed to letting the president speak with Robert Mueller’s team (WSJ).

President Trump declined to say whether he has confidence in Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein as DOJ begins a review of the FBI’s interactions with the Trump campaign (Politico).

IMMIGRATION

The administration’s decision to hold migrant children on U.S. military bases while their parents await trial for illegal entry into the U.S. raises many concerns about traumatic effects on children, writes Mark Nevitt at Just Security.

CIVIL RIGHTS

President Trump’s proposal for new abortion restrictions on federal family planning money would bar doctors from informing a woman where she could go to receive an abortion, unless she said she had already decided to end her pregnancy (NYT).

Education Secretary Betsy DeVos was questioned by a House Committee about the DOE’s Office of Civil Rights’ protection of LGBT students from discrimination and harassment in schools (The Hill).

JUSTICE & SAFETY            

Senate approval would have prevented the uncertainty resulting from President Trump’s decision to withdraw from the Iran Nuclear Deal (The Hill).

President Trump is making the recruitment of intelligence sources even more difficult, writes John Sipher at Lawfare.

At a meeting with the South Korean president, President Trump said that the planned summit with North Korea may be delayed (NYT). 

President Trump denied reaching a deal with China on Chinese telecom firm ZTE (NYT).

• Congress pushed back on the prospect of a deal (WSJ).                       

REGULATION

President Trump signed into law a joint resolution that disproves the CFPB’s bulletin regarding disparate impact theory of assignee liability for auto-dealer “markup” disparities (Ballard Spahr).

Secretary of the Interior Ryan Zinke has actively worked to impede oversight, writes Nick Schwellenbach at POGO.

The EPA booted reporters from a meeting about toxic chemicals (Ars Technica).

RUSSIAN INTERFERENCE 

Executive officials briefed members of Congress behind closed doors on hacking threats to upcoming elections and efforts to counter them (The Hill).            

DHS Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen said that she has not seen the intelligence community’s assessment that Russia interfered to help President Trump win the election (The Hill).                                               

Tags: