The Morning Briefing: Mueller Report Fallout and Much, Much More

Good Tuesday morning.

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

The president receives his intelligence briefing
President Trump participates in a Senate Republican policy lunch
The president meets with members of Congress on trade

Democrats, media struggle to deal with Mueller report

What’s next for the Trump-RUSSIA conspiracy theory? The investigations will continue. Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Calf.) plans on continuing with their legislative priority, which is investigating the president.

“Even if they didn’t rise to the issue of a crime, it nonetheless could pose a great compromise of our national security,” Schiff told a small group of reporters in the Capitol.

“I certainly accept the finding that he could not establish proof beyond a reasonable doubt of a criminal conspiracy,” Schiff said.

“But if there are interactions between the president, his family, his campaign people and the Russians that are compromising, we are going to look to the Mueller report to find out what he established,” he continued.

“There are a lot of open questions,” he added.

Schiff went on cable news for two years telling America that he had seen evidence of “collusion” with RUSSIA, only to be undercut by the Mueller report findings. Nevertheless, he will keep the dream alive. Impeachment is not dead! Long live impeachment.

Meanwhile, the Trump team is telling media to stay away from RUSSIA conspiracy theorists. That is a tall order, as most of their programming is centered around promulgating the RUSSIA conspiracy theory. What are they supposed to talk about now?

“Moving forward, we ask that you employ basic journalistic standards when booking such guests to appear anywhere in your universe of productions,” the memo to TV producers notes. The memo, which was reported by Axios’ Jonathan Swan, cites former CIA Director John Brennan and Democratic California Rep. Adam Schiff as two such people who should be handled with care.

The Trump campaign is sending this memo to TV producers: pic.twitter.com/yhr03LAI7N

— Jonathan Swan (@jonathanvswan) March 25, 2019

Speaking of the disgusting liar John Brennan, he showed up on clown network MSNBC.

“Well, I don’t know if I received bad information but I think I suspected there was more than there actually was. I am relieved that it’s been determined there was not a criminal conspiracy with the Russian government over our election. I think that is good news for the country,” Brennan said.

“I still point to things that were done publicly, or efforts to try to have conversations with the Russians that were inappropriate, but I’m not all that surprised that the high bar of criminal conspiracy was not met.” The “high bar” of criminal conspiracy, as opposed to say, the low bar of tabloid innuendo. Here’s the hook: just because Trump isn’t criminally guilty, doesn’t mean he’s not guilty.

This fabulist was the ringleader of the coup against the president and the Trump campaign. He was hissing only two weeks ago that Trump family members were going to be indicted. Why is he given a platform to spew his uninformed conspiracy theories? It’s obvious that he has an interest in spreading political propaganda, he’s not just the former CIA director.

James Clapper, Obama’s Director of National Intelligence, liar, CNN paid employee, and conspiracy theory proponent took a walk of shame on CNN following his repudiation by the Mueller report. I’m just kidding, there’s no shame here.

“Do you regret anything you have said in terms of raising questions about the president’s behavior or anything the president has done or said?” Anderson Cooper asked.

“No, I don’t,” Clapper answered. “I have my concerns as do others and I have tried to be factual and temperate-minded about it but I do have my concerns and no, I don’t have any regrets.”

Well, this is certainly “factual and temperate-minded” isn’t it?

In December 2017, Clapper told CNN that Russian President Vladimir Putin “knows how to handle an asset, and that’s what he’s doing with” Trump.

Democrats want the report released by April Fool’s Day. Fitting.

“A four-page summary of Special Counsel Mueller’s extensive investigation and report, with no underlying evidence or findings, is not adequate to accomplish our constitutional, legislative, and oversight responsibilities,” Feinstein wrote.

Feinstein added that she has “several questions and request a full copy of the report and underlying evidence on behalf of the Judiciary Democrats.”

In addition to setting the April 1 deadline for handing over Mueller’s report, Feinstein is also asking Barr to start producing underlying documentation from the investigation on the same day.

AG Barr should tell her to simmer down and that she’ll get the report when it’s been prepared for public consumption.

Ocasio-Cortez too busy for Pelosi’s emergency Mueller report call

‘The View’ co-host Joy Behar says Trump obstruction questions remain, doubts Barr’s credibility: ‘This is round 1’

Let’s hope. In Mueller’s wake, Graham vows to investigate alleged FISA abuse, Clinton campaign

Trump’s attorney doesn’t want Trump’s ‘confidential’ written responses to Mueller released

He’s not wrong. Fox News host: MSNBC, CNN the ‘real agents of Putin’

U.S. Senate Republican wants a special counsel to investigate Trump probe

CNN/MSNBC darling Michael Avenatti charged with extortion

Creepy porn lawyer Michael Avenatti was charged in an amazing extortion plot yesterday.

“Avenatti used illegal and extortionate threats for the purpose of obtaining millions of dollars in payments from a public company,” Geoffrey Berman, the U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York, said Monday, according to The New York Times.

“Calling this anticipated payout a retainer or a settlement doesn’t change what it was — a shakedown. When lawyers use their law licenses as weapons, as a guise to extort payments for themselves, they are no longer acting as attorneys,” he added.

He was also charged with bank and wire fraud in Los Angeles. Media darling Avenatti appeared on CNN and MSNBC more than 100 times in a 10-week period last year. Sad!

What a piece of work.

Lawyer Michael Avenatti was caught on camera name-dropping his two most famous adversaries — President Trump and singer R. Kelly — while trying to squeeze more than $20 million from Nike in an extortion scheme, according to court papers filed Monday.

Two Nike attorneys who were secretly working with the feds used hidden video gear to record Avenatti during a Thursday meeting at which he allegedly demanded a $12 million “retainer” fee to stay silent about claims the sneaker giant make illegal payments to high school athletes, court papers say.

Here’s the cherry on top: Avenatti’s co-conspirator is fake hate crimer Jussie Smollett’s lawyer Mark Geragos.

Prosecutor calls Avenatti a ‘corrupt lawyer’

Your daily WTF:

Poisonous baby toads plague Florida neighborhood by the thousands: report

Man allegedly tried to smuggle baby orangutan from Bali in suitcase

Russian perfume company apologizes for ‘sexual harassment’ fragrance

Historical picture of the day:

An American soldier looks intently through dense underbrush during a brush patrol in war zone C, near the Cambodian border, 80 miles northwest of Saigon on March 26, 1970. U.S. Cavalry troopers wait with should North Vietnamese decide to cross into South Vietnam from border sanctuaries in Cambodia. (AP Photo/RYAN)

Other morsels:

Lanny Davis says Michael Cohen will dish dirt on Trump

Let’s vote! Senate gears up for Green New Deal vote

SPLC Won’t Say If President Was Paid On Way Out The Door

Trump signs order recognizing Golan Heights as part of Israel

Defense secretary OK’s $1 billion for border fencing help

Palestinian Activist Who Calls Israel a ‘Terrorist Entity’ Leads Anti-AIPAC Protest

Seems important. Duke to pay $112.5M to settle claims over falsified research: DOJ

Erdogan Suggests Turning Former Cathedral Hagia Sophia Into Mosque

Hamas, Israel Agree To Second Ceasefire In 10 Days

Vote to legalize recreational marijuana in New Jersey canceled

First black woman to lead Virginia police department says she was forced out