Mackenzie Walz,  //  9/19/18  //  Daily Update

President Trump’s order for the Justice Department to declassify certain materials related to the investigation and surveillance of his former campaign advisor, Carter Page, is a self-interested effort at “obfuscation, concealment, deception, and the weaponizing of the oversight process.” Mike Pompeo announced that the Administration will cap its refugee resettlement for the coming fiscal year at 30,000, the lowest number in history. Administration officials urged Congress to amend a decades-old court ruling that limits the amount of time migrant children can be detained. FEMA Chief William Long has been suspended and is facing a possible criminal investigation related to his use of government vehicles. More evidence has arisen showing that Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross lied to Congress in testifying that DOJ initially approached him about adding the citizenship question to the census.

TRUMP: INVESTIGATIONS & LITIGATION

The plea agreement Paul Manafort signed with the Special Counsel on Friday including provisions aimed at discouraging Manafort from seeking a pardon from the President has been criticized by some legal experts as an effort “to tie the president’s hands.” However, Harvard law professor Alan Dershowitz described the provisions as “aggressive but not a breach of any rules or standards” (Politico).

President Trump’s order for the Justice Department to declassify certain materials related to the investigation and surveillance of his former campaign advisor, Carter Page, is a self-interested effort at “obfuscation, concealment, deception, and the weaponizing of the oversight process” writes Alex Brandon for the Washington Post.

•  Former national security officials have also described President Trump’s order as dangerous and a threat to the current investigation into his campaign (WaPo).

IMMIGRATION

Mike Pompeo announced that the Administration will cap its refugee resettlement for the coming fiscal year at 30,000, the lowest number in history (NYT, Politico).

• The Administration’s reduction makes the country look “weak, afraid, and poor,” writes Jennifer Rubin for the Washington Post.
• The historically low cap is “not just immoral and shameful but also bad for U.S. national security and prosperity,” states Kelly Magsamen, vice president of National Security and International Policy at the Center for American Progress.

Administration officials urged Congress to amend a decades-old court ruling that limits the amount of time migrant children can be detained (NYT).

JUSTICE & SAFETY

National Security Advisor John Bolton’s speech last week detailing the Administration’s stance on the International Criminal Court (ICC) has generated much discussion throughout the United States and the world (Just Security).

• The Administration’s plan may be a win for President Trump because it is a plan that puts “America First,” which ultimately furthers his “end game of Promises made, promises kept,” writes Lesley Wexler for Verdict.
• In an article for Just Security, Alex Moorehead and Alex Whiting compiled a list of reactions from 123 countries and found that the countries that expressed support for the Administration’s policy and Bolton’s remarks have a documented history of “mass atrocities” and are currently under investigation by the ICC.

In furtherance of the Administration’s effort to pressure China into changing its trade practices, President Trump announced that the United States would impose a 10% tariff on $200 billion worth of Chinese goods. Some industry executives believe this is an ineffective trade policy and researchers at Morgan Stanley predict it will slow economic growth in the United States this year by 0.1 percentage points (NYT, Politico). 

President Trump unveiled a national biodefense strategy, which eliminates Bush and Obama Administration policies and creates a committee to assess the country’s ability to respond to biological threats (Politico).

CONFLICTS OF INTEREST

FEMA Chief William Long has been suspended and is facing a possible criminal investigation related to his use of government vehicles (Politico, WaPo).

REGULATION

The Trump administration formally rolled back the rule aimed at limiting methane pollution (NYT).

• Six important points about the revision (Climate Law Blog).

A bipartisan group of senators introduced a proposal to allow states to use Medicaid money to pay for coverage at addiction treatment facilities for people with diagnosed substance use disorders for up to 90 consecutive days (The Hill).

DOJ opened a probe into Tesla after CEO Elon Musk tweeted about taking the company private (WSJ).

DOJ has ordered two Chinese media firms to register as foreign agents (WSJ). 

Robert Jackson, a Democratic SEC commissioner, calls for regulators to bolster market oversight (WSJ).

Sen. Marco Rubio asked DOJ to probe former Secretary of State John Kerry’s private meetings with top Iranian officials (Politico).

CHECKS & BALANCES

More evidence has arisen showing that Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross lied to Congress in testifying that DOJ initially approached him about adding the citizenship question to the census (Election Law Blog).

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