Mackenzie Walz, Ian Eppler  //  9/11/18  //  Daily Update

National Security Advisor, John Bolton, announced the Administration’s threats to impose sanctions and bans on travel to the United States for those involved in the ICC’s potential investigation into the United States’ efforts in the Afghanistan war. The Federal Election Commission unanimously ruled that federal campaigns and national party committees can accept free security services from Microsoft without violating campaign finance laws because Microsoft would be acting out of business interests and would be providing the services on a non-partisan basis. In response to Palestine’s stalled peace talk negotiations with Israel, the Trump Administration orders the closure of the Palestine Liberation Organization’s Washington D.C. Office. The Trump administration is planning to roll back regulations governing the release of methane, a greenhouse gas, during oil and gas extraction.

TRUMP: INVESTIGATIONS & LITIGATION 

An attorney for Stormy Daniels asked a federal judge in Los Angeles to lift a stay on discovery proceedings in ongoing litigation regarding a non-disclosure agreement stemming from an affair with President Trump (WaPo).

Potential application of the executive privilege doctrine to an eventual Special Counsel report is largely a red herring; instead, outrage should be at President Trump if he invokes the privilege to hide relevant information about his conduct from the American people, writes Douglas Letter at Just Security.

IMMIGRATION

Attorney General, Jeff Sessions, welcomed 44 new immigration judges and promises a 50% increase by the end of the year (Politico).

After hearing reports that immigrants are dropping out of WIC to avoid being denied green cards in the future, Agriculture Secretary, Sonny Perdue, expressed concern and announces that the USDA will look into the matter (Politico). 

The Editorial Board at the New York Times argues that the Department of Homeland Security’s proposal last week for new regulations regarding the detention of immigrant children “plays politics” with the safety and development of these children, as the proposal was made to excite President Trump’s base ahead of the Midterms.

DEMOCRACY

The Federal Election Commission unanimously ruled that federal campaigns and national party committees can accept free security services from Microsoft without violating campaign finance laws because Microsoft would be acting out of business interests and would be providing the services on a non-partisan basis (RollCall).

• Adav Noti, an attorney for Campaign Legal Center, describes this decision as “a loophole you could drive a truck through.”

JUSTICE & SAFETY

National Security Advisor, John Bolton, announced the Administration’s threats to impose sanctions and bans on travel to the United States for those involved in the ICC’s potential investigation into the United States’ efforts in the Afghanistan war (WSJ).

• The full text of the speech is available here.
• The threats are “ugly and dangerous,” argues Ambassador David Scheffer at Just Security.

In response to Palestine’s stalled peace talk negotiations with Israel, the Trump Administration orders the closure of the Palestine Liberation Organization’s Washington D.C. Office (Politico, WaPo).
The CIA is expanding its drone operations in Africa as part of its ongoing war efforts in the Middle East (Politico, NYT).

REGULATION

The Trump administration is planning to roll back regulations governing the release of methane, a greenhouse gas, during oil and gas extraction, reports Coral Davenport for the New York Times.

RULE OF LAW

White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders reiterated President Trump’s call for a Department of Justice investigation into the author of an anonymous New York Times op-ed that described a “resistance” movement among senior administration officials (Politico, WSJ).

President Trump’s assertions regarding a “deep state” conspiracy against him are being translated into broader efforts among Republican officials to undermine federal law enforcement, a development that threatens the rule of law, argues Liam Brennan at Just Security.

RUSSIAN INTERFERENCE

A judge ordered the continued detention of Maria Butina, a Russian woman accused of attempting to infiltrate the National Rifle Association (Politico, The Hill, WaPo, WSJ).

Tags: