Sens. Chris Coons (D-Del.) and Thom Tillis (R-N.C.) will introduce a resolution on the floor of the Senate Monday to establish the John S. McCain III Human Rights Commission, CNN reports.
Details: The bipartisan commission, which the senators will propose on the 70th anniversary of the UN's Universal Declaration of Human Rights, will work to raise awareness of human rights issues and develop initiatives in the Senate. McCain, who died in August, left behind a legacy of "shining a light on human rights abuses across the world and building bipartisan coalitions to take action," Tillis wrote in a statement.
Over the past 24 hours, President Trump has been privately asking many people who they think should be his new chief of staff, according to three sources with direct knowledge.
What's happening: Trump has asked confidants what they think about the idea of installing Rep. Mark Meadows, the chairman of the ultra-conservative House Freedom Caucus, as John Kelly's permanent replacement, according to these three sources. Trump has also mentioned three other candidates besides Meadows, according to a source with direct knowledge. I don't yet have their names.
Incoming House Judiciary Chairman Jerrold Nadler (D-N.Y.) said on CNN's "State of the Union" Sunday that if it is proven President Trump directed his former personal attorney Michael Cohen to commit campaign finance violations — as is alleged in a sentencing memo released Friday — those actions would be "impeachable offenses."
The big picture: Federal prosecutors in the Southern District of New York claim Cohen paid off two women "in coordination with and at the direction of" then-candidate Donald Trump to hide his extramarital affairs and prevent the women from influencing the election. Nadler said that whether those offenses are "important enough to justify an impeachment is a different question," but added that he believes it is important to fully investigate the issue.
Nick Ayers, who wasn’t born when Trump turned his age of 36, will come to the chief of staff job (if he gets it) with some Trumpian qualities.
The big picture: Ayers is loyal to the family, especially Jared and Ivanka, and they are loyal to him. (White House officials who oppose Ayers are already saying privately that the kids deserve the blame if Ayers flops.)
House Republicans on Saturday released the transcripts of their Friday interview with former FBI Director James Comey as part of an investigation into the FBI's probe of Hillary Clinton, President Trump and interference in the 2016 Russian election, CNN reports.
Details: The interview became contentious with Republican officials grilling Comey on Clinton's e-mails among other matters. The Associated Press explains that "some Republicans signaled they were unhappy with Comey’s level of cooperation. California Rep. Darrell Issa... said the department lawyer repeatedly instructed Comey not to answer 'a great many questions that are clearly items at the core of our investigation.'" Democrats, however, felt as though Comey "answered the questions he had to answer," per Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-Ill.) "But he added that he was left with the impression that 'we got nowhere today,'" she told the AP.
After months of indecision and private negotiations, President Trump has announced his chief of staff John Kelly will be leaving at the end of the year. As we've previously reported, Trump has wanted to replace Kelly with Vice President Mike Pence’s 36-year-old chief Nick Ayers, but the two have been wrangling over the terms of the arrangement, and as we've learned, nothing is certain until Trump announces it. (And even then...)
Between the lines: The most important phrase Trump said in his brief remarks to reporters today was that Kelly's replacement "might be on an interim basis." Sources briefed on Trump's deliberations tell Axios he wants a two-year commitment from a chief and Ayers hasn't been able to commit to that timeframe.
White House chief of staff John Kelly will leave his position at the White House by the end of the year, President Trump said Saturday as he departed for the Army-Navy football game. He will likely be replaced by Nick Ayers, Vice President Mike Pence’s chief of staff.
Why it matters: Trump has long discussed replacing Kelly, particularly as the White House gears up for his reelection in 2020. Meanwhile, Kelly is leaving at a time when Trump is facing three key threats — a wobbly stock market, a Democratic House with ample investigative power, and the Mueller investigation.
The flashing siren in the "known knowns" of the Russia probe is how often people close to Vladimir Putin approached people close to Donald J. Trump — and how often they gladly connected. And then lied about it.
Why it matters:Two court filings last evening on Michael Cohen — one by federal prosecutors in the Southern District of New York, followed an hour later by special counsel Robert Mueller — put new meat on those bones, show that the contacts go back to 2015, and allude to multiple ongoing investigations. All that broadens the legal risk for Mueller's "Individual 1," the president of the United States.
