The Morning Briefing: MAGA Hat Controversy and Much, Much More

Good Friday morning.

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

The WH press office is still not sending out the president’s public schedule.

Media hysterical because Trump signed military MAGA hats during Christmas visit

It’s not hard to understand why the media is hated and viewed as untrustworthy. There is an unprecedented amount of media labor directed at assaulting the president regarding any trivial issue. President Trump’s recent trip to visit Iraq really triggered the crazy to come out. Maybe it was because the media enjoyed wagging their finger at the president because he hadn’t visited the troops? Whoops.

In particular, there was concern that Trump signing MAGA hats for the troops during his visit was some kind of Hatch Act violation or he was tricking the dummies in the military into being part of his political campaign? This is really, really reaching, don’t you think?

CNN & others within the Fake News Universe were going wild about my signing MAGA hats for our military in Iraq and Germany. If these brave young people ask me to sign their hat, I will sign. Can you imagine my saying NO? We brought or gave NO hats as the Fake News first reported!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 27, 2018

CNN’s Pentagon correspondent Barbara Starr suggested Wednesday that Trump’s signing of the hats may have violated Defense Department policy that prevents active duty members from participating in partisan political activities.

“Active duty personnel may not engage in partisan political activities and all military personnel should avoid the inference that their political activities imply or appear to imply DoD sponsorship, approval, or endorsement of a political candidate, campaign, or cause,” the policy reads.

“Make America Great Again” was Trump’s campaign slogan when he ran for president in 2016.

Just bonkers. Obama signed memorabilia for the military when he went to visit them. Why now is this suddenly a concern? That’s a rhetorical question.

“CNN is willing to attack anyone who supports President Trump, including the brave men and women of our military who fight every day to protect our freedom,” White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said in a tweet.

Trump Calls Out CNN For Accusing US Troops Of Misconduct

Trump uses illegal immigrant accused of killing cop to argue for border wall

Historical picture of the day:

Fires raging in the middle of the road in downtown Tehran on Dec. 28, 1978, as rioters continue to disrupt the city in their bid to oust the Shah. Many cars drive with their headlights on to display sympathy with the militants, and streets filled with bonfires or burning cars have become part of daily life in the center of the capital. (AP Photo)

Other morsels:

Report Details Nature Of Facebook’s Secret Rulebook Governing Global Speech

Michael Cohen denies report alleging his cellphone was traced near Prague in 2016

Police release officers’ accounts of Las Vegas shooting

Boston Marathon bomber appeals conviction, death sentence

Of course. Jemele Hill says calling Trump a white supremacist is like ‘saying water is wet’

Tijuana Mayor Reveals How Much The Caravan Costs The City Every Day

Bloomberg says he’ll insist presidential candidates have climate change plans

John Wayne Bobbitt swears his penis is ‘normal now’

Trump will have to nominate 9th Circuit judges all over again in 2019

Florida woman held up postal truck with a plastic gun and fled on a tricycle, police say

El Paso shelter director: 1,300 migrants released