The Morning Briefing: Cheating Scandal, Lisa Page and Much, Much More

Good Wednesday morning.

Here is what’s on President Trump’s agenda today:

The president receives his intelligence briefing
President Trump receives a briefing on drug trafficking on the Southern Border
The president meets with Republican members of the Senate on Trade
President Trump participates in a photo opportunity with the 2019 spring White House internship class

Rich elitists cheat to get their brats into college

I didn’t know this kind of thing was an FBI matter, but I guess we should all be thankful the FBI isn’t busy trying to overthrow an election. At a press conference yesterday, the FBI revealed a scandal involving massive (millions!) amounts of money paid to college advisor Tony Singer. Singer would accept donations to his non-profit organization and then use part of it to pay off various people to “help” his clients with college admissions. (It sounds like the Clinton Foundation paradigm.) And of course these parents are all the rich, elitists who berate you for your moral and political dispositions.

The range of activity is pretty bizarre — everything from SAT cheating to paying off coaches to claim their kid was an athletic recruit. This I don’t understand. Why pretend to be an athlete? In the olden days, parents would just buy a library or science lab.

Felicity Huffman and Lori Loughlin are not alone. See the list of who has been charged.

A winemaker, a test proctor and a CEO — These are the people involved in the alleged scam

Arizona State University gets dissed in college bribery scandal court documents

Obama family’s tennis coach among dozens charged in college admissions scheme

Lisa Page: Obama DOJ said not to charge Hillary in email scandal

My, my, my.

Yesterday Rep. Doug Collins released the testimony lovebird, prolific texter, and DOJ lawyer Lisa Page made to the House Judiciary Committee.

Former FBI lawyer Lisa Page admitted under questioning from Texas Republican Rep. John Ratcliffe last summer that “the FBI was ordered by the Obama DOJ not to consider charging Hillary Clinton for gross negligence in the handling of classified information,” the congressman alleged in a social media post late Tuesday, citing a newly unearthed transcript of Page’s closed-door testimony.

Well hot damn.

“So let me if I can, I know I’m testing your memory,” Ratcliffe began as he questioned Page under oath, according to a transcript excerpt he posted on Twitter. “But when you say advice you got from the Department, you’re making it sound like it was the Department that told you: You’re not going to charge gross negligence because we’re the prosecutors and we’re telling you we’re not going to —”

Page interrupted: “That is correct,” as Ratcliffe finished his sentence, ” — bring a case based on that.”

This is a real problem for former AG Loretta “tarmac meeting” Lynch. Remember, Lynch would not recuse herself after it was discovered she had a clandestine meeting with the husband of suspect Hillary Clinton while she was under investigation on the tarmac in Arizona. Instead, Lynch promised she would simply adhere to the recommendations of the others at the FBI. I guess not, eh?

Kudos to Rep. Collins for releasing this testimony. Collins also released the testimony of Bruce Ohr last week.

Your daily WTF:

Slovenian woman accused of insurance fraud after sawing off her hand

Historical picture of the day:

A line of 411th Infantrymen of the U.S. Seventh Army take positions along a hedgerow by a railroad embankment in Alsace, France on March 13, 1945, as geese wander about unconcerned by imminent hostilities. (AP Photo)

Other morsels:

MPs ignore May’s pleas and defeat her Brexit deal by 149 votes

Mark Kelly to Attend Fundraiser Hosted by Corporate Lobbying Firm, Despite His ‘No Corporate PAC Money’ Pledge

Political incivility, racial hostility roil U.S. high schools, study finds

The polling on this must be awful. Dems flock to Pelosi on Trump impeachment

Pence, GOP senators discuss offer to kill Trump emergency disapproval resolution

DeVos moves to allow religious groups to provide federally-funded services to private schools

Obviously. Sarah Lawrence Students Demand Free Fabric Softener To Combat Racism

She’s a gift. Ocasio-Cortez Blames Pipeline That Hasn’t Been Built Yet For An Oil Spill

Shame on Dick’s. Dick’s Sporting Goods Going After Guns Again

Schiff to withhold Cohen transcripts while House Intel continues probe

Judges make rules changes to address #MeToo complaints