Former FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe launches a pre-planned proactive media blitz timed to coincide with DOJ receiving a new Attorney General.  Say what you will about the duplicitous, lying, corrupt and conniving weasels – but they know how to seamlessly execute cunning self-preservation political objectives.
The strategy is as transparent as it is Machiavellian.  Andrew McCabe, James Baker and the Lawfare group (Benjamin Wittes, Michael Bromwich et al) had a planned defensive front waiting to roll out; today they pulled the trigger:

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Team McCabe always knew the biggest legal threat to their corrupt position would be if they lost control of the mechanisms within the DOJ and FBI.  The launch of a media blitz, surrounding a book and constructed defense narrative, positions them to claim that any legal action against them now comes from a retaliatory Trump administration and DOJ institution (Barr) carrying out the objectives of the President.
The best way to position themselves legally was/is to go on the attack and then use their attack as a shield from any accountability. This is what we are seeing today.
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The White House has announced that President Trump will sign the Pelosi appropriations bill that includes limited funding for border security, and will simultaneously use a National Security Declaration to shift existing funds to build a structural barrier.
Senate majority leader Mitch McConnell met with the President and announced the plan from the senate floor before the chamber votes on the compromise bill.

.@senatemajldr: "I've just had an opportunity to speak with President Trump…he's prepared to sign the bill. He will also be issuing a national emergency declaration at the same time." pic.twitter.com/iukGKjmoZ8

— CSPAN (@cspan) February 14, 2019

White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders statement:

Speaker Nancy Pelosi has stated she will review options to file legal challenges to stop the use of a national security declaration to build a border barrier.
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U.S. Attorney General nominee William Barr has been confirmed by the senate.  The vote was 54-45 with three democrats voting to support Barr: Kyrsten Sinema (AZ), Doug Jones (AL) and Joe Manchin (WV); with one republican, senator Rand Paul (KY), voting against the nomination.
Now that he is confirmed Barr is officially supervising the special counsel probe of Robert Mueller.  It is also likely that after a transition period Deputy AG Rod Rosenstein will depart.
One of Barr’s responsibilities will be to determine what, if anything, to tell congress about the Mueller probe once it is completed.  Perhaps the best way to think about the Mueller report is to think about your local police department (detective or DA) doing an investigation on a subject and completing that task.
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The actual budget appropriations bill is seven compartments consisting of more than 5,000 pages. However, here is the 29 page summary outlining the key elements as negotiated by congress.
WARNING: This is a bad deal, but it reflects the UniParty reality within congress.  Take a deep breath; don’t lash out.  Remember, there are very few MAGA minded representatives. This was negotiated by two wings of the same corporate bird and both want open borders.

[scribd id=399623170 key=key-SCOGFaqwlDLsswYDoZHx mode=scroll]
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• Provides $1.375 billion, or $4.325 billion less than the $5.7 billion the Trump administration requested, for a very limited 55 miles of physical barrier that can only be placed along the southern border in *only* the Rio Grande Valley of Texas.
• Contains language allowing only fencing designs in use as of 2017.
• No funding for new border patrol agents above the current on board levels.
• Does not fund the Administration’s request for joint detention facilities.
• No funding for additional enforcement and removal field personnel.

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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

Sarah H Sanders Twitter @SHSanders45

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 †

Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman appears on Fox News to discuss the border security funding bill.  Senator Graham urges President Trump to accept the deal that is presented and move on.

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The language of the bipartisan border security funding legislation is still being written. Unfortunately, reports indicate Democrat language will be inserted into the DHS funding bill that will allow any town, city, municipality, mayor, city manager or local council within any border state to veto the construction of any structural border security wall or fence.
This definitely sounds like an approach the Lawfare group would be assisting with.  Despite overwhelming support from the majority of Americans, the DC Uniparty seems to consistently find a way to usurp national sovereignty.  Very frustrating.

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The Bureau of Labor Statistics released the latest consumer price information today which shows overall low inflation at 1.6 percent (with energy price deflation, and flat food prices).
Excluding food and energy costs the total CPI remains low at 2.2%.   This low inflation is the exact opposite of what financial media were predicting when President Trump began the series of import tariffs in 2017, which continued throughout last year.

(data link)

When President Trump began the tariffs against global Steel and Aluminum imports; and when President Trump began the first set of tariffs against Chinese imports; almost all financial media went into fits of apoplexy claiming we would see massive increases in prices.   Reality shows their doomsday predictions were completely over-hyped.
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Secretary of Treasury Steven Mnuchin and U.S. Trade Representative Ambassador Robert Lighthizer are currently leading another round of trade negotiations in China.  Recent reporting indicates the U.S. team will meet with Chairman Xi Jinping at the conclusion of this round of discussions.

At the conclusion of the previous round of discussions in Washington DC, President Trump invited the Chinese delegation to the Oval Office. The surface panda-face diplomacy appears to be based on reciprocity; however, there is no indication President Trump and Chairman Xi are making any efforts for a meeting.

BEIJING – China’s President Xi Jinping “is scheduled to meet” key members of the US trade talks delegation, including US Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer and US Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin, in Beijing on Friday, according to sources close to the matter.

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