If anything in this life is certain, if history has taught us anything, it is that President @realDonaldTrump could stand in the middle of 5th Avenue and shoot somebody and not lose any Republican support, with few exceptions.
This week—easily the most insane of his young presidency—saw Trump do several things that would've gotten any Democratic president impeached; in fact, similar actions by a Republican president, Richard Nixon, led directly to his own impeachment proceedings.
By firing FBI Director James Comey—who was overseeing the (expanding) investigation into potential collusion between his campaign and Russia—over his refusal to pledge fealty to him, Trump arguably committed obstruction of justice.
He practically admitted as much to Lester Holt.
But that doesn't matter to Congressional Republicans, and neither does the fact that Trump threatened to release some secretly-recorded "tapes" of his conversations with Comey, in a clear attempt to intimidate a potential witness.
After all, Trump has a "certified" letter (written by 2016's Russia law firm of the year) claiming that he has no financial ties to Russia—other than $100 million in income.
Bottom line: Don't expect Republicans to jump ship any time soon.
Morning lineup:
Meet the Press: Secretary of State Rex Tillerson; Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY); Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC); Roundtable: Matthew Continetti (Free Beacon), Eugene Robinson (Washington Post), Katty Kay (BBC) & Hallie Jackson (NBC News).
Face The Nation: Former Defense Secretary Bob Gates; Rep. Adam Schiff (D-CA); Sen. Ben Sasse (R-NE). Roundtable: Peggy Noonan (Wall Street Journal), Jeffrey Goldberg (The atlantic), Dabid Ignatius (Washington Post) & Ben Domenech (The Federalist).
This Week: US Ambassador to the UN Nikki Haley; Sen. Mark Warner (D-VA); Former Director of National Intelligence James Clapper; Former Whitewater Independent Counsel Ken Starr & Harvard Law Professor Laurence Tribe.
Fox News Sunday: Sen. Mike Lee; Sen. Mark Warner (D-VA); Roundtable: Republican Strategist Karl Rove, Republican Strategist Josh Holmes, Julie Pace (Associated Press) & Bob Woodward (Washington Post).
State of the Union: Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY); Former Director of National Intelligence James Clapper; Roundtable: Neera Tanden (Center for American Progress), Republican Strategist Amanda Carpenter, Bill Kristol (Weekly Standard) & Rep. Stephanie Murphy (D-FL).
Evening lineup:
60 Minutes will feature: a 2014 interview with then-FBI Director James Comey (preview); a report on documents seized during the raid on Osama bin Laden's compound (preview); and, a report on NASA's Mars rover, Curiosity (preview).
Late night shows:
The Late Show with Stephen Colbert
Monday: Actor Danny McBride; Actress Jane Krakowski; Rock Band Metallica.
Tuesday: Actress Gina Rodriguez; Actor Ben Falcone; Rock Band Jesus and Mary Chain.
Wednesday: TV Personality Julie Chen; Actor Matt Walsh; MLB Player David Ortiz.
Thursday: Actor/Comedian Ricky Gervais; Actor Corey Hawkins; Band The xx.
Friday: Actress Jennifer Garner; Comedian Demetri Martin; Comedian Paula Poundstone.
The Daily Show with Trevor Noah
Monday: Guest TBA; Tuesday: Actress Gabourey Sidibe; Wednesday: Author/Activist Susan Burton; Thursday: Actress Kerry Washington.
Elsewhere...
Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke had an unfriendly encounter with a Native American activist.
Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke lost his manners during a visit to Bears Ears National Monument on Monday after being repeatedly questioned about why he hasn't spent more time talking with tribal leaders as part of his national monuments review.
Zinke was apparently irked by the persistence of Cassandra Begay, a tribal liaison with the group Peaceful Advocates for Native Dialogue & Organizing Support. She was following the secretary as he greeted those gathered at Bears Ears, a 1.35 million-acre area in southeastern Utah that is one of 27 monuments threatened by President Donald Trump’s recent executive orders.
"When are you going to meet with the tribal leaders?" she asks. "It's kind of unfair that you’ve only met with them for one hour, sir. Is there a reason why you're not listening to them more?"
After being twice ignored, Begay presses Zinke again. He turns around and walks up to the much-shorter Begay. Holding up his finger, Zinke forcefully says, "Be. Nice."
"I'm so nice," Begay replies.
"Be nice," Zinke says again. "Don't be rude. Thank you."
Meanwhile...
White House Budget Director Nick Mulvaney had no fucks to give kids with diabetes.
Mulvaney was asked whether he agreed with the "Jimmy Kimmel test" — or the idea famously forwarded by the late-night show host that "No parent should ever have to decide if they can afford to save their child's life." Kimmel made the quip while delivering an impassioned account of his newborn son's struggle to survive a congenital heart disease.
Mulvaney said he agreed with the idea in principle, but with one a very specific caveat: taxpayers shouldn't help people who fall ill because of, ostensibly, their own actions.
"That doesn't mean we should take care of the person who sits at home, eats poorly and gets diabetes," Mulvaney said. "Is that the same thing as Jimmy Kimmel's kid? I don't think that it is."
And, in other news...
Rep. Tom Garrett (R-VA) favorably compared Trump to Hitler.
"America has overcome amazing challenges that Donald Trump, as frightening as he is to some people, small potatoes compared to Nazi Germany," Garrett told an incredulous town hall meeting at a church in his congressional district on Tuesday — hours after Trump fired the head of the agency looking into any possible ties between him and Russia.
When the crowd began jeering Garrett's tasteless analogy, the congressman simply replied, "So he's worse?"
Garrett then doubled down on his logic, insisting that Trump doesn't present a long-term problem to America because "this great nation will continue to move forward by virtue of the collective of American people."
So. Much. Godwinning.
– Trix