What Just Happened

​Here’s what we learned about the ongoing Russia scandal in the last hour: 

1. WSJ: Special Counsel Robert Mueller impaneled a grand jury in Washington DC. Legal experts agree this will help Mueller subpoena records and testimony from witnesses. 

“Special Counsel Robert Mueller has impaneled a grand jury in Washington to investigate Russia’s interference in the 2016 elections, a sign that his inquiry is growing in intensity and entering a new phase, according to two people familiar with the matter. The grand jury, which began its work in recent weeks, is a sign that Mr. Mueller’s inquiry is ramping up and that it will likely continue for months. Mr. Mueller is investigating Russia’s efforts to influence the 2016 election and whether President Donald Trump’s campaign or associates colluded with the Kremlin as part of that effort. […] Grand juries are powerful investigative tools that allow prosecutors to subpoena documents, put witnesses under […]

Read more after the jump.

American Bridge Statement on Mueller’s Grand Jury

American Bridge President Jessica Mackler released the following statement after the Wall Street Journal reported that “Special Counsel Robert Mueller has impaneled a grand jury in Washington” to investigate Russian interference in the 2016 election:

“There continues to be way too much smoke surrounding this scandal to not think there’s fire. For months now Trump has lied to the public about what happened last year, what he knew, and when, and frankly, that isn’t sustainable. Ultimately Donald Trump is going to learn that no one is above the law, not even the President.

“It’s now more imperative than ever that Mueller’s work can continue without political interference from the White House. The President has repeatedly tried to obstruct justice and should he go down that road again, Congress has no choice but to act immediately to protect the Special Counsel’s investigation.”

 

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11 Takeaways From Trump’s Calls With Mexico And Australia (Spoiler Alert: Trump is Weak)

President Trump’s utter weakness and unwillingness to even try and make good on his campaign promises shine through in two revealing transcripts of his conversations with Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto and Australian Prime Minister Malcom Turnbull. In both conversations, Trump immediately drops his campaign rhetoric and resorts to begging the foreign leaders to not make him “look like a dope” in the press. If this is how Trump handled his private conversations with Vladimir Putin at the G20, there is no telling what he conceded to Russia and how it will endanger our national security.

“The President is in way over his head and his incompetence could result in serious national security consequences,” said Emily Aden, American Bridge Rapid Response Director. “He’s weak, he lacks the necessary leadership skills to do the job, and all he cares about is appeasing Russia.”

1. Trump Called New Hampshire A “Drug-Infested Den.” “Up in New […]

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Sanders Questions: USA! USA! USA! Edition

The Trump White House sure has an odd way of celebrating American Dreams week. First, they announce a plan that can only be described as ripping the American Dream away from those who want to live, work, and build a better life in our great nation. Then, the President is shamed into signing a sanctions bill to punish Russia for attacking our election, despite overwhelming, bipartisan support for the bill, under what looks like extreme duress. Oh, and the President called the People’s House a “dump.” What’s next?

American Bridge Rapid Response Director Emily Aden calls on White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders to answer the following questions: 

1. President Trump defended his dozens of taxpayer funded vacations in the last six months by saying that the White House is a “dump.” Who does he think is actually blocking the door if he wants to just leave?

2. President Trump’s signing statements […]

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Trump’s Broken Opioid Promises Speak Louder Than Jeff Sessions’s Words

American Bridge Spokesperson Harrell Kirstein released the following statement after Jeff Sessions’s remarks in Columbus, Ohio, on the opioid epidemic:

“Within months of taking office, President Trump proposed massive cuts to the largest source opioid treatment in the country and tried to eliminate the Office of National Drug Control Policy, breaking campaign promises every step of the way.  Coming after this betrayal, Jeff Sessions’s words today are cheap and meaningless.  There is nothing this administration can say to make up for Trump abandoning the millions of Americans looking for support in the struggle against the opioid epidemic.”

Background on the massive cuts Trump’s has proposed to opioid treatment is below.  Additionally, Trump’s opioid commission has twice  failed to produce to a plan to fight substance abuse, and even Ohio’s Republican Governor Kasich called the Trumpcare funding to stem the opioid crisis “anemic,” noting “it’s like spitting in the ocean.”

Trump’s Budget Included […]

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Even Mick Mulvaney can’t defend Trump’s CSR threats

After Trump’s budget director, Mick Mulvaney, failed numerous times to answer for Trump’s threat to stop payments of cost-sharing subsidies that are essential for insurance market stability and for 7 million working Americans to have healthcare, American Bridge spokesperson Andrew Bates released the following statement:

“Even Trump’s budget director can’t defend Trump’s threat to sabotage Obamacare marketplaces and it’s clear why. Cutting off Affordable Care Act cost-sharing reductions that are critical for seven million Americans having healthcare – the very people Donald Trump referred to as ‘the forgotten men and women’ – would recklessly damage insurance markets across the country and hike premiums by 19%.  If Trump puts his little hand on the scale, he will be punishing millions of innocent people out of spite because his drive to pass Trumpcare went down in flames. The American people deserve better leadership.”

Click here to see Mulvaney’s interview​: https://youtu.be/bEjBs58vX2Y​

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Sanders Questions: Complicit Edition

It appears the President is acting as his own lawyer in the Russia investigation and digging himself and his family in deeper by his own stupidity, the White House fell hook line and sinker for a spear-phishing cyber attack, and millions of people are still waiting to see if their insurance premiums will go up because the President is mad he failed to repeal Obamacare. Welcome to Tuesday and General Kelly’s second day as White House Chief of Staff. 

In response to the latest string of White House scandals, American Bridge Rapid Response Director Emily Aden calls on White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders to answer the following questions:

1. Why did President Trump’s lawyer Jay Sekulow lie about Trump’s role in dictating his son’s statement about his meeting with Russian operatives in June 2016? Was he instructed to help with the cover-up by the White House? 

2. Why did President Trump personally oversee work […]

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WATCH: 6 Times Trump’s Lawyer Misled Americans About The President’s Role In The Donald Jr. Cover Up

The President’s lawyer was asked SIX times – and lied every time – about Donald Trump’s knowledge of his son’s meeting with a Russian lawyer who promised the Trump campaign dirt about Hillary Clinton in 2016. Last night we learned that not only was Trump aware of the meetings well before the White House suggested, but that Trump was also leading the effort to cover-up and lie to the public about Junior’s role in the scandal.

“Donald Trump is the most corrupt, untrustworthy President we’ve ever known,” said Shripal Shah, Vice President of American Bridge. “His personal involvement in the cover-up of his son’s potentially criminal behavior, and his legal team’s subsequent lies about what the President knew and when, is just the latest proof point.”
Jay Sekulow: “Got To Be Clear, The President Wasn’t Aware Of The Meeting, Did Not Participate In The Meeting, Did Not Attend The Meeting And Was Only Made […]

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Undermining the American Dream: Trump Attacks American Values, Working Families

Trump Policies Make It Harder For Working People To Get Ahead

The Trump White House has officially designated this week “American Dreams Week,” so what better an opportunity to look at the myriad of ways that Trump’s agenda has already made life more difficult for American working people. From proposing massive cuts to key job training programs and making it harder for Americans to buy a home, to unilaterally imposing discriminatory immigration policies, Donald Trump has repeatedly proven he has no reverence for the values and ideals that have come to define the American Dream.

“From Day One, when he signed an executive order ensuring 40,000 Americans were unable to buy homes in 2017, Donald Trump has gone out of his way to make life more difficult for everyday Americans, while further rigging the economy in favor of himself, the top 1%, and big corporations,” said American Bridge Vice […]

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Trump Admin Teams Up With Kochs To Sell Tax Cuts For Billionaires

Trump Treasury secretary Steve Mnuchin today announced that he plans to campaign with Koch brothers front groups Freedom Partners and Americans for Prosperity to push for the Trump’s upcoming tax “reform” bill that’ll mean massive tax cuts for billionaires like Trump, the Kochs, and Trump’s biggest megadonors, including the Mercer and Adelson families.

WATCH:

Americans for Prosperity President Tim Phillips: Are you guys really ready to fight for this? […] We want to make sure that you guys are ready to join us on this…

Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin: We are so ready. We’ve been ready since January 1.

“Of course the Trump Administration is teaming up with the Koch brothers to sell disproportionate tax cuts for billionaires as a win for working people,” said American Bridge VP Shripal Shah. “Like every other aspect of the Trump presidency, this tax plan is a huge scam. Trump and Republican donors will get […]

Read more after the jump.