Dec 6, 2017

DOJ investigating texts between FBI officials after anti-Trump messages found

Photo: Manuel Balce Ceneta / AP

Text messages between FBI officials Peter Strzok and Lisa Page are being reviewed by the Department of Justice, Fox News reports, after Strzok's anti-Trump texts resulted in his removal from the Russia investigation.

Why it matters: There is concern amongst federal law enforcement, per the Washington Post, that the texts could potentially be used by the President and other Republicans to attack the credibility of Mueller's investigation. Fox News reports that the DOJ is sorting through 10,000 texts, but it's unclear if they have any relevance to the investigation.

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Axios
Updated 4 hours ago - Politics & Policy

Coronavirus dashboard

Illustration: Aïda Amer/Axios

  1. Politics: Pence chief of staff Marc Short tests positive for coronavirus — COVID-19 looms over White House Halloween celebrations
  2. Health: Fauci says maybe we should mandate masks if people don't wear them — America was sick well before it ever got COVID-19
  3. World: Polish President Andrzej Duda tests positive for COVID-19.
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Jonathan Swan, Mike Allen
8 hours ago - Politics & Policy

Pence chief of staff Marc Short tests positive for coronavirus

Marc Short with Katie Miller, Vice President Pence's communications director, in March. Photo: Doug Mills/The New York Times via Reuters

Marc Short, Vice President Mike Pence’s chief of staff, tested positive for the coronavirus Saturday and is quarantining, according to a White House statement.

Why it matters: Short is Pence's closest aide, and was one of the most powerful forces on the White House coronavirus task force.

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Rebecca Falconer
10 hours ago - World

Opposition leader Leopoldo López flees Venezuela

Venezuelan opposition politician Leopoldo López outside the Spanish embassy in Caracas, in 2019. Photo: Juan Barreto/AFP via Getty Images

Leopoldo López, a former political prisoner and prominent Venezuelan opposition leader, has left the country, his Popular Will party confirmed in a statement Saturday.

Why it matters: He's been highly influential in the push to oust President Nicolás Maduro's regime and a mentor to opposition leader Juan Guaidó. He'd been in the Spanish ambassador's Caracas residence since escaping house arrest in April 2019 following a failed military uprising.

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