The week began with news of Trump asking the Pentagon to plan a military parade.
By the end of the week John Kelly was facing scrutiny over allowed an accused wife-beater Rob Porter to stay on White House months after he became aware of the allegations because it was holding up his security clearance.
A second White House staffer also resigned this week based on allegations of abused of his previous wife.
David Frum places the Porter case in context of other Trump orbit domestic abusers, from Banon to Trump himself.
Douthat makes yet another strong case that Trump’s authoritarian instincts and impulses are being effectively curtailed by mainstream members of his administration and Republicans in the Senate. He is rebutting a Ben Wittes piece in The Atlantic that explores all Republican voters to only vote for Democrats until the Tump threat has passed.
In Russia news:
With the Nunes memo a propaganda bust, Washington returned to more serious business. All of Trump’s lawyers but Cobb are counseling him to refuse to speak to Meuller in an interview.
The Trump Administration refused to allow the Democrats minority report rebuttal to the Nunes memo to be released. In an indication that the House Intelligence Committee will continue to be used for propaganda in ongoing partisan warfare, the Republicans are installing a wall between the Republican and Democratic staffers.
Finally, on Friday Rachel L Brand, the No.3 at the Justice Department announced she was taking a private sector job with Walmart. There is no news reporting on why she is leaving, though everyone is speculation it may have to do with the Russia investigation. If Rosenstein were to be removed, she would take his place as Meuller supervisor.
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Trump’s Job Approval: 40.8%