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House Democrats sue Trump administration over president’s tax returns (The Washington Post) Taking it to the courts. “House Democrats filed a lawsuit Tuesday in federal court seeking access to President Trump’s tax returns, accusing the Trump administration of an “extraordinary attack” on Congress in preventing the disclosure of the president’s personal financial records. Rep. Richard E. Neal (D-Mass.), chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee, filed the lawsuit against the Internal Revenue Service and the Treasury Department after months of feuding with the administration over the returns.”
Justice Department watchdog to investigate decision to cancel FBI headquarters plan (The Washington Post) Getting down to the bottom of things. “The Justice Department’s inspector general will investigate the FBI’s role in dropping plans a decade in the making to move its headquarters to the Washington suburbs, he told Congress in a letter Tuesday.”
“Democrats allege that Trump used the decision to put his own financial interests ahead of the needs of the FBI and taxpayers, which administration officials deny.”
Also see from The Washington Post: How the federal government accommodates Trump’s personal corruption
Americans deserve to know who pays for political ads. But is that enough? (The Washington Post) The Editorial Board on the fine line between curbing foreign interference and free speech. “TWO SENATORS want to take the conversation about election interference back to where it all began: advertisements. Russia’s Internet Research Agency purchased more than 3,500 of them on Facebook ahead of the 2016 election, the platform says — and, according to researchers, most were legal. Sens. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) and Mark R. Warner (D-Va.) are aiming to change that.”
July 4th fireworks donor lobbied President Trump on tariffs and won a reprieve (ABC News) Scratch my back, and I’ll scratch yours. “President Donald Trump's Fourth of July celebration will feature $750,000 of donated fireworks from an Ohio retailer who has lobbied the White House against expanded tariffs on Chinese imports.
And last week, the same day the donation was announced, the company -- Phantom Fireworks of Youngstown, Ohio -- got what it wanted: Trump decided to hold off on his threatened $300 billion in tariffs on Chinese goods, which include fireworks.”
Also see: The money behind President Trump’s Fourth of July extravaganza (Center for Responsive Politics)
Democratic Senate candidates announce record-breaking Q2 fundraising (Center for Responsive Politics) Seven-figure. “Seven Democratic candidates vying to gain seats in the Senate have announced seven-figure fundraising results for the second quarter, shattering records and expectations more than a year before Election Day.
While Senate campaign fundraising reports do not have to be filed with the FEC until July 15, campaigns often announce their contribution totals early as a way to highlight fundraising success and attract attention to the campaign. These Democratic challengers have unveiled their sizable contributions and shed light on the financing of races that could decide the fate of the Senate in 2020 and beyond. At publication time, none of the Republican incumbents in competitive races have released their quarterly reports.”
Journalists, Pundits And Retired Politicians Put On A Show For Lobbyists (MapLight and Tarbell) Not a good look or practice . “As another presidential election cycle shifts into high gear, the nation's largest special interest organizations will spend millions of dollars on consultants, advertisements, and events. They'll also spend millions on speakers -- lots of speakers, ranging from high-profile journalists such as Bob Woodward and Chuck Todd, to retired politicians like Paul Ryan and Jeff Flake.
The practice of paying high-profile Washington insiders to speak at industry trade shows and conferences, known as “buckraking,” isn't a recent development. But as the rules on political participation by nonprofits and trade associations have been loosened, it’s become remarkably common for lobbying groups to pay astronomical sums to influential insiders who drive news coverage and public opinion, according to a review of conference schedules from the last two years by MapLight and Tarbell.”
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ON TRUMP TAXES
RT Laurence Tribe What part of “shall furnish” tax returns on request by the committee chair does Mnuchin not understand? https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2019/07/02/house-democrats-sue-trump-administration-over-presidents-tax-returns
RT Noah Bookbinder The law is clear that the IRS must turn over the President’s tax returns to the House Ways and Means Committee. Congress has legitimate oversight needs for the returns. Since the administration is defying the law, a lawsuit is the appropriate response.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2019/07/02/house-democrats-sue-trump-administration-over-presidents-tax-returns
ON FBI
RT Citizens for Ethics The Justice Department’s inspector general will investigate the FBI’s role in dropping plans a decade in the making to move its headquarters to the Washington suburbs, he told Congress in a letter Tuesday https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/justice-department-watchdog-to-investigate-decision-to-cancel-fbi-headquarters-plan
RT Citizens for Ethics Did Trump intervene in a billion-dollar government project to protect revenue at his DC Hotel? https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/justice-department-watchdog-to-investigate-decision-to-cancel-fbi-headquarters-plan
ON DIGITAL ADS
RT Washington Post Opinions From the Editorial Board:
.@SenAmyKlobuchar and @MarkWarner's bill forces Congress to ask whether disclosure is enough.
Mitch McConnell must let lawmakers have this crucial conversation. https://t.co/hf2BkLbwmD
“...whether the threat of further foreign interference is enough to accept tamping down on countries’ ability to communicate their message beyond their borders.” #HonestAds https://t.co/hf2BkLbwmD
ON JULY 4
RT Citizens for Ethics President Donald Trump's Fourth of July celebration will feature $750,000 of donated fireworks from an Ohio retailer who has lobbied the White House against expanded tariffs on Chinese imports. https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/july-4th-fireworks-donor-lobbied-president-trump-tariffs
RT OpenSecrets.org In addition to providing VIP tickets for political donors, President Donald Trump's #July4th event has attracted a number of lobbying efforts, both traditional and unorthodox https://www.opensecrets.org/news/2019/07/fireworks-trump-spending-lobbying
ON FUNDRAISING
RT OpenSecrets.org Seven Democrats hoping to gain seats in the Senate in 2020 have already raised over $1,000,000 crp.org/senq2rb
RT OpenSecrets.org Democrats seeking Senate seats in 2020 are already breaking fundraising records - over a year before election day crp.org/senq2rb by @ReidChamplin
ON MEDIA
RT Andrew Perez DC’s most legendary investigative reporter has been collecting big checks from lobbying groups and reportedly donating them to his family foundation - which then gave $600,000 to Yale when his daughter attended school there. Very normal. https://maplight.org/story/journalists-pundits-and-retired-politicians-put-on-a-show-for-lobbyists
RT MapLight Should journalists, TV pundits, and retired politicians be accepting major sums in exchange for speaking in front of industry groups pushing policy agendas? New piece from MapLight and @tarbellorg. https://maplight.org/story/journalists-pundits-and-retired-politicians-put-on-a-show-for-lobbyists
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