The inspector general for the General Services Administration said in a report released Wednesday that the GSA "decided not to address" improper business concerns that arose from President Trump's lease of the government-owned building that houses his D.C. hotel.
Details: According to the report, the GSA recognized that President Trump's business interests presented issues related to the Constitution's emoluments clauses, which prohibit presidents "from taking payments from foreign governments or individual U.S. states," the Washington Post explains. But the GSA did not address those issues, the report says, which was "improper because GSA, like all government agencies, has an obligation to uphold and enforce the Constitution."
A bipartisan group of senators plan to send a letter to President Trump today requesting that he support a short-term spending bill that will reopen the government for three weeks while the White House and Congress negotiate on funding for border security.
A source involved in the effort leaked Axios draft text of the letter, which was first published by Politico.
Acting EPA chief Andrew Wheeler will appear before the Senate's environment panel this morning as lawmakers vet his nomination to formally get the job. But he might not be the only one trying out.
What we're watching: The hearing will be a high-profile chance for lawmakers to grill the EPA boss on controversial policies, like the proposal to replace Obama-era climate rules.
Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie settles scores in "Let Me Finish," a memoir out Jan. 29 from Hachette Books, writing that President Trump "trusts people he shouldn’t, including some of the people who are closest to him."
What he's saying: Christie asserts that Trump has a "revolving door of deeply flawed individuals — amateurs, grifters, weaklings, convicted and unconvicted felons — who were hustled into jobs they were never suited for, sometimes seemingly without so much as a background check via Google or Wikipedia."
When a frustrated adviser once tried to convince President Trump to consider a strategic plan, the president launched into a story about his friend Mike Tyson, the former world heavyweight boxing champion.
What he's saying: "Everybody has a plan until they get punched in the mouth," Trump said, echoing a famous Tyson quote.
Despite President Trump's lack of personal interest in planning, the White House Counsel’s Office is now moving fast to prepare for the twin threats of Robert Mueller and the new Democratic House majority.
The big picture: These threats dwarf anything that any president has faced since Bill Clinton. There's a surge of internal action after a slow start: Planning for Democratic oversight only began in earnest at the senior level in November.
After reaching a record-breaking number of 14,542 migrant children in its custody last month, the Department ofHealth and Human Services has released more than 3,500 children, according to data collected by the Associated Press from individual HHS migrant child shelters.
Why it matters: While President Trump keeps the government shut down over his demands for a border wall, one aspect of the humanitarian crisis seems to be coming back under control.
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) has been recommended for a seat on the House Financial Services Committee, a panel led by Rep. Maxine Waters (D-Calif) that provides oversight to and sets policies for lenders, U.S. banks and the financial markets, Bloomberg reports.
Why it matters: Ocasio-Cortez, a Democratic-Socialist, refuses to accept corporate campaign donations and has called for the biggest banks to be broken up. Financial firms will likely come under increased scrutiny under the watch of Waters, Ocasio-Cortez and other progressive Democrats expected to be named to the committee, including freshmen Reps. Katie Porter (D-Calif.), Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.) and 2020 presidential candidate Tulsi Gabbard (D-Hawaii), per Bloomberg.
Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio) is moving closer to a presidential run, announcing Tuesday that he will embark on a "Dignity of Work Tour" this month to the crucial early voting states of Iowa, New Hampshire, Nevada and South Carolina.
The big picture: Brown, a popular Democratic senator in a state that Trump won by 8 points in 2016, has long been considered a possible 2020 contender. In a statement announcing the tour, Brown said that "dignity of work is a value that unites us all. It's what I fight for everyday...and it's what we will fight for together on this tour around the country."
During a White House lunch focused on ending the government shutdown with House Republicans Tuesday, President Trump remained committed to his demand for $5.7 billion for a wall on the southern border, while continuing to distance himself from declaring a national emergency in order to get it.
“The topic was brought up only once — not by the president — and we spent hardly any time on it,” Congresswoman Susan Brooks (R-Ind.), who attended the lunch, told Axios.
