The Morning Briefing: Declassify All the Documents and Much, Much More

Good Monday morning.

Here is what’s on the president’s agenda today:

President Trump participates in the swearing-in ceremony of the director of the Central Intelligence Agency
The president participates in the signing ceremony for S.J. Res. 57
President Trump hosts the NASCAR Cup Series champion Martin Truex Jr. and team
The president has dinner with governors on border security and safe communities

Must read: Chuck Ross has a great story at The Daily Caller, “An Email Referring To ‘Collusion’ Sheds Light On Cambridge Prof’s Interactions With Trump Aide”

Page told The Daily Caller News Foundation that Halper rolled his eyes during an encounter in late Summer 2016 when a letter that then-Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid sent to then-FBI Director James Comey was brought up in conversation. Reid accused Page in the letter of possibly being a Russian agent.

Another must-read: “The FBI Informant Who Monitored the Trump Campaign, Stefan Halper, Oversaw a CIA Spying Operation in the 1980 Presidential Election”

Trump demands investigation into spying allegations

President Trump went on a tweet storm yesterday announcing that he will demand the DOJ investigate whether his campaign was spied on during the Obama administration. Rosenstein, the acting Attorney General since AG Jeff Sessions recused himself from virtually everything of substance going on at the DOJ, promptly responded that he will have the Inspector General add this to his long list of sketchy crap on his to-do list.

I hereby demand, and will do so officially tomorrow, that the Department of Justice look into whether or not the FBI/DOJ infiltrated or surveilled the Trump Campaign for Political Purposes – and if any such demands or requests were made by people within the Obama Administration!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 20, 2018

Trump is getting bad advice. He should not have asked the DOJ, a subject of the investigation, to investigate itself. With all the DOJ stonewalling and slow-walking of documents to comply with congressional oversight, there’s no doubt a mountain of bad behavior is being covered up. What Trump should have done, and can still do, is DECLASSIFY ALL THE DOCUMENTS in question. He has the power to do this and after the documents are declassified, then we can look at further steps depending on what they reveal.

“If anyone did infiltrate or surveil participants in a presidential campaign for inappropriate purposes, we need to know about it and take appropriate action,” Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein said in a statement. Fabulous, we’ll get to the bottom of the travesty in a year. Rosenstein needs to go.

Justice Department calls for inquiry after Trump demands probe into whether FBI ‘infiltrated or surveilled’ his campaign

Nunes says he won’t meet with the Justice Department until he gets documents on source

Devin Nunes: If DOJ Has Nothing To Hide, ‘Show Us The Documents’

RED SCARE update

Trump lawyer Rudy Giuliani said over the weekend that the Mueller RUSSIA-collusion-obstruction investigation should wrap up by September of this year.

The special counsel hopes to finish by Sept. 1 the investigation into whether President Trump obstructed the Russia inquiry, according to the president’s lawyer Rudolph W. Giuliani, who said on Sunday that waiting any longer would risk improperly influencing voters in November’s midterm elections.

Mr. Giuliani said that the office of the special counsel, Robert S. Mueller III, shared its timeline about two weeks ago amid negotiations over whether Mr. Trump will be questioned by investigators, adding that Mr. Mueller’s office said that the date was contingent on Mr. Trump’s sitting for an interview. A spokesman for the special counsel’s office declined to comment.

Why does Mueller have to speak to Trump? Do they need information from him (no) or are they trying to get him under oath so they can say he “lied”?

Wrapping up the obstruction case would not signal the end of Mr. Mueller’s work. That is one piece of his broader inquiry, a counterintelligence investigation into Russia’s campaign to interfere in the 2016 presidential election and whether Trump associates coordinated with it. Counterintelligence investigations are used to gather information quietly about the activities of foreign powers and their agents — sometimes for years — and can result in criminal charges.

The Special Counsel investigates crimes; they do not conduct counterintelligence investigations. So what’s going on here?

Roger Stone ‘prepared’ to be indicted in Mueller’s probe

Texas shooting: we learn more and the anti-gun posse weighs in

On Friday, a maniac opened fire on a school in Santa Fe, Texas. Now we have more information about what exactly took place. CNN reports that the maniac exchanged gunfire with the police for more than 25 minutes. Ten people were killed, both students and teachers, and 13 people were injured. The murderer has been identified. I won’t name him here, but he had a shotgun and a .38 cal handgun, both stolen from his father. For the gun control crowd: yes, we have laws against stealing.

Why did this maniac kill his teachers and classmates? Law and Crime writes that the gunman killed one girl who rejected him, according to the victim’s mother.

“He kept making advances on her and she repeatedly told him no,” Rodriguez told The Los Angeles Times in a private Facebook message. She said her daughter had “4 months of problems from this boy.” [SHOOTERS NAME REDACTED] got more aggressive, and Fisher stood him up to him and embarrassed him in class, Rodriguez said. “A week later he opens fire on everyone he didn’t like, Shana being the first one.”

Additionally, according to reports, the shooter cheered and taunted his victims as he killed his fellow students. The shooter is under the age of 18, so he will not face the death penalty.

This clown’s “policies” allowed the Parkland shooter to remain free to kill: Obama’s Ed. Sec: Boycott schools until gun control laws are passed

New NRA head blames Ritalin, violent media for school shootings

Houston police chief: We need people to start using the ballot box to take action on gun control

Historical picture of the day:

Babe Ruth, vice-president and right fielder for the Boston Braves, sits in the dugout in Chicago before the game against the Cubs on May 21, 1935. (AP Photo)

Other morsels:

Pompeo to outline post-deal strategy on Iran

China trade war ‘on hold’ as Trump pauses tariffs

WAT? Parents angry after students at elite NYC school have moment of silence for fallen Hamas terrorists

Oakland Mayor Writes Op-Ed Criticizing Trump On Immigration — Doesn’t Mention MS-13

Hillary trolls Trump with Russian hat during Yale commencement

Pope Francis reportedly tells gay man, ‘God made you that way and loves you’

Trump to attend swearing-in of CIA’s 1st female director

Maduro wins Venezuela election challengers call illegitimate

A sorry end to Paul Ryan’s speakership

Europe may be realizing America isn’t their sugar daddy or punching bag

John Kerry Spits In Trump’s Face — We Will Not Go ‘America First’