Secretary of State Mike Pompeo sits down with Laura Ingraham for an interview on a wide variety of topics including former Secretary of State John Kerry’s interference with current U.S. policy on Iran; ongoing issues with China; refugee resettlement and more.

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House Intelligence Committee Chairman Devin Nunes has seen all of the intelligence documents, and as a Gang-of-Eight intelligence oversight member he has also received the briefing material behind the origin of FBI’s operation “Crossfire Hurricane.”
Devin Nunes was also the person who led the FISA legislative reauthorization and initiated some of the preliminary reforms surrounding the 702 process.  So Chairman Nunes is essentially the key subject matter oversight expert on the nature of the information within the declassification directive:

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There is nuance within the directive for declassification by President Trump.  The sets of documents are not identical in the way they are classified within the intelligence apparatus.  There are distinct differences and conflicting reports [Bloomberg Report and Washington Examiner] perhaps based on conflation and miss-identification of those differences. First, Sara Carter:

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Breaking down the presidential directive to the four component parts helps  understanding the issue(s), and the likelihood for redactions within the release(s):

• (1) pages 10-12 and 17-34 of the June 2017 application to the FISA court in the matter of Carter W. Page;
• (2) all FBI reports of interviews with Bruce G. Ohr prepared in connection with the Russia investigation;
• (3) all FBI reports of interviews prepared in connection with all Carter Page FISA applications.
• (4) publicly release of all text messages relating to the Russia investigation, without redaction, of James Comey, Andrew McCabe, Peter Strzok, Lisa Page, and Bruce Ohr.

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Senate Judiciary Chairman Chuck Grassley has submitted a letter to ranking member Dianne Feinstein setting a deadline for Friday, September 21st, for Judge Kavanaugh’s accuser, Christine Ford, to respond on whether or not she will appear for testimony to support her claims. [Read Letter Here]

Chairman Grassley – As you know, the Senate Judiciary Committee has extended invitations to Dr. Ford and Judge Kavanaugh to testify on Monday, September 24. They have until this Friday at 10:00 a.m. to let us know whether they are coming. Dr. Ford has asked for the opportunity to be heard in a hearing, and I believe she should have that opportunity.
I recognize that testifying publicly about sexual assault allegations may be difficult for Dr. Ford, so I have offered her the opportunity to testify in any of four possible venues: (1) a public hearing; (2) a private hearing; (3) a public staff interview; or (4) a private staff interview. I am even willing to have my staff travel to Dr. Ford in California—or anywhere else—to obtain her testimony. (read more)

John Solomon and Buck Sexton interviewed President Trump on Tuesday September 18th, 2018, in the Oval Office.  The interview covered a variety of subjects and Solomon has posted the transcript [SEE HERE]. The interview reveals some new information, such as President Trump’s 2016 gut instinct to fire FBI Director James Comey, and his advisors –likely Steve Bannon– talking him out of it.
Additionally, within the interview President Trump notes he has not seen the content of the documents he had directed to be declassified; he is relying on the group within congress -Nunes, Jordan, Goodlatte, Meadows, Zeldin, etc.- who have investigated the details and made the requests to the executive office for declassification.

Perhaps the most important aspect to the interview is President Trump putting to rest his direct, brutally honest and forthright opinion of Attorney General Jeff Sessions.

(Via The Hill) Buck Sexton: Mr. President, why haven’t you replaced your attorney general, given all the things you’ve said and everything else that’s come out about his actions, or inactions?
President Trump: I’m so sad over Jeff Sessions because he came to me. He was the first senator that endorsed me. And he wanted to be attorney general, and I didn’t see it. But he came very strongly he really wanted to be. And, I let him be.

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Project Veritas has released the second installment in an undercover video series unmasking the administrative state, ie ‘deep state’.  Today’s video features Department of Justice paralegal Allison Hrabar using government-owned software and computers to push a socialist agenda. Also featured is Jessica Schubel, the former Chief of Staff for the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services during the last Obama administration.
Both Schubel and Hrabar make admissions revealing that federal employees appear to be using their positions inside our government to resist or slow the Trump administration’s policies. It appears some laws have been broken in the process.

Project Veritas Website Here

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Earlier today President Trump traveled to North Carolina for a briefing by local, state and federal officials who are responding to the recovery efforts in North Carolina following Hurricane Florence. Following the briefing, President Trump toured some of the impacted regions and thanked those who are assisting in ongoing recovery efforts.

[Transcript] – Cherry Point, North Carolina – 10:47 A.M. EDT – THE PRESIDENT: Well, thank you very much everybody. We appreciate it very — the job you’ve done has been incredible. Incredible. They’re talking about it all over the world. And we want to keep it going that way, because some of the hard work is now. We’ve gone through very dangerous work, and still dangerous, but some of the hard work is taking place right now, even though its nice and beautiful and sunny.
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Departing the White House this morning -heading to North Carolina- President Trump held an impromptu presser with DC media on a variety of topics.

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[Transcript] South Lawn – 9:20 A.M. EDT – THE PRESIDENT: Were going to North Carolina. Well then be heading to South Carolina. Were doing very well there, but the rivers are cresting. They’re just starting to crest. We’re really just going to say hello to all of the folks from FEMA, the military, the people that are working so hard. And I think it will be an incredible day. We’ll be coming back at about six or seven tonight.
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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 †