The House of Representatives holds a markup hearing to assemble two articles of impeachment against President Trump.  Afternoon Session – 2:30pm
CSPAN Livestream Link – PBS Livestream Link – Fox Business Livestream

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Former Trump foreign policy adviser Carter Page discusses the details of the IG report, allegations of FISA court abuse and his future plans to sue the DOJ and FBI:

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There are several dozen critical issues that stem from revelations about the DOJ and FBI conduct in/around the Carter Page FISA application (2017) and Steele Dossier writ large; but DOJ official Bruce Ohr still being employed isn’t one of them, and here’s why.

Bruce Ohr on right

What exactly would Bruce Ohr be held accountable for?
What Mr. Ohr did wrong was back-channel information from dossier author Christopher Steele into the FBI; made worse because this is after Chris Steele was persona non grata; and done by Ohr without telling his bosses at Main Justice.  Obviously, not good.
However, considering the time-frames of the FD-302 reports written by Ohr’s handler FBI agent Joseph Pientka, Bruce Ohr was channeling information into the Crossfire Hurricane team in 2017.  That same FBI team became the Mueller investigation FBI team, and from the 302 notes we know Ohr was channeling information from Christopher Steele into the Mueller team after the administrations’ changed.   Again, not good, but…
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In an effort to keep the Daily Open Thread a little more open topic we are going to start a new daily thread for “Presidential Politics”. Please use this thread to post anything relating to the Donald Trump Administration and Presidency.

This thread will refresh daily and appear above the Open Discussion Thread.

President Trump Twitter @POTUS / Vice President Pence Twitter @VP

Stephanie Grisham Twitter @StephGrisham45

Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy Name. Thy kingdom come. THY WILL BE DONE, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation, but DELIVER US FROM EVIL.
For Thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory, forever and ever. Amen †

Representative Jim Jordan recaps the history of the investigative targeting of President Trump and the malicious partisan political impeachment.  “They don’t like us”… “that’s why they want to get rid of us”… “that’s why they want to weaponize the government”…

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You know why the entire apparatus is united against President Trump. You know why the corrupt Wall Street financial apparatus is united against President Trump. You know why every institutional department, every lobbyist, every K-Street dweller, every career legislative member, staffer, and the various downstream economic benefactors, including the corporate media, all of it – all the above, are united against Donald Trump.
Donald Trump is an existential threat to the existence of a corrupt DC system we have exposed to his disinfecting sunlight. Donald Trump is the existential threat to every entity who benefits from that corrupt and vile system.
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Senate Judiciary Chairman Lindsey Graham appears on Fox News with Sean Hannity to receive attaboys for his efforts and discuss his views on IG Horowitz testimony.
Chairman Graham notes he would like to hear from current FBI Director Christopher Wray and former Deputy AG Rod Rosenstein…

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Earlier today President Trump and First Lady Melania Trump hosted a Hanukkah Reception at the White House.  The event included a historic signing ceremony for an executive order combating anti-semitism.

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[Transcript] – THE PRESIDENT: Well, thank you very much. Thank you, everybody. And a friend of mine, Tim Scott, from South Carolina — a senator — where are you, Tim? You’re — there he is. And I said, “You know what, Tim? You have a big vote coming up. I think you want to go back to the Senate.” So I will tell you, without, Tim, this wouldn’t have happened. Tim Scott, thank you very much. We love you. Go back to the Senate and vote. (Laughs.) (Applause.) Thanks, Tim.
Melania and I are delighted to welcome so many friends and families to this incredible house, the White House, to celebrate this, really, sacred season and a very special time. To everyone here today: Happy Hanukkah. (Applause.)
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Tonight the House Judiciary Committee is urgently rushing to debate articles of impeachment against President Trump.  The hearing begins at 7:00pm ET.
♦Article One is “Abuse of power” – and structured on a false premise that President Trump “exercised the powers of his public office to obtain an improper personal benefit, while ignoring or injuring the national interest.”
♦Article Two is “Obstruction of Congress” – and structured on a ridiculous premise that President Trump “engaged in unprecedented, categorical, and indiscriminate defiance of the impeachment inquiry”, by challenging congressional subpoenas and seeking relief from the judicial branch.
Fox Business Livestream – CBSN Livestream Link – CSPAN Livestream

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I’m not going to write a long history of the background again {Go Deep}. However, to be fair, if we are going to hold Barr accountable it is appropriate to be thankful when at least one aspect of a gross injustice has been addressed.
When the decision to allow James Wolfe to escape accountability for his leaking of the classified documents was made, there were only a few people within the DOJ who could make that decision.
AG Jeff Sessions was recused from anything to do with the ongoing DOJ activity into the 2016 election issues and the Russian-collusion/conspiracy investigation.
Therefore Robert Mueller, DAG Rod Rosenstein, DOJ liason Ed O’Callaghan and U.S. Attorney for DC Jessie Liu would have been the group of decision-makers.  With Mueller and Rosenstein gone that left O’Callaghan and Liu still on staff at Main Justice.  Today the last two were removed from positions of authority in the DOJ.
Whether John Durham is empowered to go back and re-enter the political issues with the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence is an unknown.  Normally, I would doubt it, but the issue does actually have more consequential importance because of the ‘Gang-of-Eight’ authority/oversight; so it’s an unknown.  But at the very least the poor decision-making has been addressed. The SSCI compromise is an outstanding issue for another time.
Thank you Bill Barr for addressing that significant issue, albeit obliquely.