The Morning Briefing: Media White Knights for Mueller, Discredited Steele Dossier

Good Wednesday morning.

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

The president delivers remarks and signs an executive order on Advancing American Kidney Health

Judge denies DoJ census lawyer switch

Why? A (Obama-appointed) New York judge has denied the Department of Justice request to change the attorneys who are working on the dumpster fire citizenship question on the census. The judge said the change request was denied because it was “patently deficient” and provides no “satisfactory reasons.” This is an unusual move but if you are a hyper-politicized judge intent on blocking and obstructing everything your specified political opponent does, it does makes perfect sense. That’s what is going on here. They are trying to drag out the clock since the census question issue needs to be resolved because of printing deadlines.

“Defendants provide no reasons, let alone ‘satisfactory reasons,’ for the substitution of counsel,” activist Judge Furman wrote in his order.

An ACLU official said in response to Furman’s order that the department “owes the public and the courts an explanation for its unprecedented substitution of the entire legal team.” Do they? It’s not unprecedented; people change lawyers all of the time.

“The Trump administration is acting like it has something to hide, and we won’t rest until we know the truth,” ACLU Voting Rights Project Director Dale Ho said in a statement.

The administration is considering an executive order to get the question on the census. By the way, the public support for adding the the citizenship question is strong. According to A Harvard University Center for American Political Studies/Harris poll:

67% of all registered U.S. voters say the census should ask the citizenship question when the time comes. That includes 88% of Republicans, 63% of independents and 52% of Democrats.

Back to regularly scheduled obstruction, Representative José Serrano, who chairs the Commerce, Justice, Science Appropriations Subcommittee, is threatening to withhold funding for the census. “Amending the form could potentially cost hundreds of millions of additional taxpayer dollars,” and that he has “no intention of allowing this flagrant waste of money.”

Judge blocks DOJ motion to withdraw legal team on census case

Christopher Steele interviewed by DoJ officials

Trump-hater Christopher Steele, who generated a fantasy-laden dossier used to spy on the Trump campaign, has been interviewed by DoJ officials, “prompting the lawyers to extend their inquiry,” according to Reuters.

Three attorneys from the Inspector General’s office of the U.S. Department of Justice met in person in early June with dossier author Christopher Steele in Britain, said two sources with direct knowledge of the lawyers’ travels.

Inspector General Michael Horowitz, whose office is an internal Justice Department watchdog, launched his probe in March 2018 amid allegations by Republican lawmakers that the FBI erred in seeking a warrant to monitor Page.

I wonder why this story is appearing in the news? These media outlets are part of much larger information operation, so the public is not presented with this story because it’s “news.” It was published because it serves some use and interest. Here’s a clue:

One of the two sources said Horowitz’s investigators appear to have found Steele’s information sufficiently credible to have to extend the investigation. Its completion date is now unclear.

“Sufficiently credible,” eh? Who is this “source”? Does his name rhyme with “Don Trennan” or Mim Bromey”?

But wait…there’s more.

New York Times: watchdog ready to release its report

What do you do if you are a “news” outlet that enthusiastically disseminated a conspiracy theory but now that conspiracy has been debunked but you still want to look credible while continuing to assist with the disinformation objective? The Times walks a fine line in distancing itself from the discredited fantasy dossier it promoted while trying not to look like idiots for promoting an insane conspiracy theory. You can see the “news”paper’s dilemma.

It’s more likely than not that the Horowitz report will be a dud in light of this Times article, which is pushing out this idea:

But the investigation by Mr. Horowitz, who has maintained a reputation for being above the partisan fray, may have a better chance of being accepted across party lines as credible. Mr. Horowitz, who is expected to release a much-anticipated report of his findings in the coming weeks, is believed to be weighing whether to recommend that the Justice Department tighten rules for any future counterintelligence investigations of a presidential campaign, which was a novel dilemma in 2016, according to people familiar with aspects of his investigation.

It seems like a good time to remind those you who have followed this monstrous scandal closely that the issue is NOT “whether to recommend that the Justice Department tighten rules for any future counterintelligence investigations of a presidential campaign.” There are regulations and laws that already exist to prevent the abuse of the massive government intelligence apparatus in the service of a political agenda. The issue is that these regulations and laws WERE NOT FOLLOWED. And the breach is CRIMINAL. Full stop.

Another important purpose of the Times article is to refresh its readers’ memory with “the right facts” before the Mueller testimony next week and before the Horowitz report comes out. Consider yourself on notice.

DOJ Watchdog Has Conducted More Than 100 Interviews, Reviewed One Million Documents In FISA Abuse Probe

ICYMI @PJ Media

Mexico Scanning for Illegals with a GIANT X-RAY MACHINE

Poll: Old WASP Joe Biden Firmly in the Lead With 31 Percent

Mark Zuckerberg Brags: We Didn’t Allow Pro-Life Groups to Advertise Before Ireland’s Abortion Vote

If Trump Doesn’t Get to Block People on Twitter, Why Should AOC?

The Pelosi/AOC Feud Has Gone Next Level and Liberals Are Getting Nervous

In North Carolina Special, National Questions Intrude on Local Issues

Ross Perot, Billionaire and Former Presidential Candidate, Dies at 89

Other morsels:

Rich guy. Biden Financial Disclosures Show $15 Million Increase Since Leaving Office

Just Trump or all politicians? Trump’s blocking of Twitter critics unconstitutional: U.S. appeals court