Rachel Thompson  //  9/30/19  //  Daily Update

In 2017, the President told Russian officials he was unconcerned with Moscow’s election interference. The President called for the outing of the anonymous whistleblower in a speech on Sunday, later tweeting that he wanted to meet with them and threatening “Big Consequences!” while alluding to allegations of treason by Democratic lawmakers. FEC Chairwoman Ellen Weintraub took the unusual step of releasing a memo related to foreign election interference on Twitter after its publication in the agency’s digest was objected to by a Republican Commission member. U.S. District Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson issued a preliminary injunction temporarily blocking the expedition of deportations that was challenged by civil rights groups including the ACLU.

TRUMP: INVESTIGATIONS AND LITIGATION

The President called for the outing of the anonymous whistleblower in a speech on Sunday, later tweeting that he wanted to meet with them and threatening “Big Consequences!” while alluding to allegations of treason by Democratic lawmakers. (The Hill, Politico)

• The House Intelligence Panel has reached an agreement to secure testimony from the whistleblower whose complaint led to the ongoing impeachment investigation into the President (WaPo).
• References to "what we used to do in the old days … with spies and treason" in a speech by the President may constitute witness tampering. (Volokh Conspiracy)
• The President’s pursuit of the CrowdStrike conspiracy theory during his call with the Ukrainian President calls to mind earlier windmill tilting to discredit the Mueller investigation. (Take Care)
• Possibly soliciting opposition-research, a “thing of value”, could indicate the President conspired to violate campaign finance laws. (Just Security)
• The impeachment investigation warrants an inquiry into possible co-conspirators despite the weaponization of executive privilege. (NYT)
• If found to have leveraged the withholding of aid, it’s possible the President usurped Congressional authority over federal spending. (Volokh Conspiracy)

CHECKS AND BALANCES

Given that numerous other investigations are being conducted by House committees, there are procedural issues to be addressed as the impeachment investigation unfolds, writes Don Wolfensberger at The Hill.

• A rundown of the current investigations and lawsuits, largely related to the President’s finances, is summarized by Naomi Jagoda at The Hill.

FEC Chairwoman Ellen Weintraub took the unusual step of releasing a memo related to foreign election interference on Twitter after its publication in the agency’s digest was objected to by a Republican Commission member, reports Neil Vigdor at NYT.

REMOVAL FROM OFFICE

Democratic leaders have begun their recess formulating a messaging strategy - especially as vulnerable members anticipate blowback in their respective districts, writes Sarah Ferris and Andrew Desiderio at Politico.

RUSSIAN INTERFERENCE

The President had been repeatedly warned by his former Homeland Security Adviser, Thomas P. Bossert, that there was no basis to the theory that Ukraine, rather than Russia, had interfered with the 2016 election, reports Sheryl Gay Stolberg, Maggie Haberman, and Peter Baker at NYT.

In 2017, the President told Russian officials he was unconcerned with Moscow’s election interference (The Hill, Lawfare)

FEDERALISM

Senator Dianne Feinstein has requested that the EPA investigate potential “inappropriate political interference” motivating the President’s efforts to curtail Californian clean air regulations, writes Miranda Green at The Hill.  

IMMIGRATION

The Administration has announced a plan to admit far fewer refugees than any previous administration and nearly half as many as the already low bar set the previous year, reports Manar Waheed at the ACLU.

U.S. District Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson issued a preliminary injunction temporarily blocking the expedition of deportations that was challenged by civil rights groups including the ACLU, reports Rachel Frazin at The Hill.