BY PRIYANKA ARIBINDI, BRIAN BEUTLER
& CROOKED MEDIA

Monday, June 4th, 2018

—Donald Trump, who else?

"I AM THE LAW!"

In Monday morning tweets, and a January memo from his then-lawyers to Special Counsel Robert Mueller, President Trump made a series of pretty dangerous (and silly if it weren’t so serious) legal claims.

First, Trump claimed that the appointment of Mueller was unconstitutional (though no one knows what the heck that means because it’s bullshit.) And, in a pretty exciting development if you want to live under a monarch, Trump said that he has the “absolute right” to pardon himself.

The previously undisclosed January letter from Trump's lawyers to Mueller makes similarly fantastic assertions of executive power, including the sweeping claim that the president can "direct the Justice Department to open or close an investigation."

Taken together, these amount to a claim that the president is totally above the law, and that his political enemies are only free from prosecution at his mercy. Luckily for us, Trump is a fair and righteous spirit who would never abuse powers his lawyers pulled out of their asses.

Trump is acting as if he expects Mueller's findings in the obstruction and collusion investigations to be very bad news for him.

The January letter concedes that Trump dictated the dishonest statement his son issued last year about his meeting in Trump Tower with Russian agents offering dirt on Hillary Clinton. Previously his lawyers and the White House had claimed Trump had nothing or little to do with that statement. So they are admitting to a pretty big lie.

Here’s a question: Why would they concede the lie, first privately to Mueller and then publicly? Either the Trump squad discovered a new-found love of integrity via a visit from a ghost, or they know that the truth will come out anyhow. Could be either!

Bottom line: Whatever Mueller has on the Crime Family-in-Chief, Trump’s legal strategy seems to be to place himself above the law and dare Congress to respond. As always, we return to the fundamental problem of Trump-era politics: It’s not only Trump, but those in his party who refuse to stand up to him.

EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt had an official aide do personal tasks for him, such as inquiring with the Trump Hotel in DC about purchasing a used mattress like a totally normal person. (THIS IS SO WEIRD.) At this point, it would only be surprising if it came out that Pruitt once asked his aides to do ethical tasks that pertained to their job descriptions.

The Supreme Court sided, on narrow technical grounds, with Masterpiece Cakeshop—the Colorado bakery that refused to make a wedding cake for a same sex couple, avoiding, for now, a ruling on the question of whether certain businesses can cite their first amendment rights as a basis for discriminating against people protected by civil rights laws.

Facebook shared user data with over 60 companies that make smartphones and tablets, including Apple, Amazon, BlackBerry, Microsoft, and Samsung, raising privacy concerns and concerns that Facebook is violating its consent decree with the Federal Trade Commission in which it pledged not to allow companies to access the data of users’ friends without permission. Time for another Facebook apology tour? Feels like the last one just wrapped up.

A new study shows that about 70 percent of women who have early-stage breast cancer don’t need chemotherapy treatments they are generally prescribed. According to the study, doctors can run genetic tests on tumors to determine which patients can safely skip chemotherapy and take estrogen-reducing medications instead.

Google will not renew its artificial intelligence research contract with the Pentagon, because of internal dissent from employees who fear that their work will be used for lethal purposes.

A Maine court ruled that Republican Gov. Paul LePage has to file paperwork in order to expand Medicaid after voters passed a ballot initiative last year for the state to insure more than 70,000 low-income residents under the Affordable Care Act. Thanks, Obama!

The Koch brothers will spend millions to oppose Trump’s tariffs. Sen. Bob Corker (R-TN), chairman of the foreign relations committee, says he will work with Republicans to “push back” on Trump’s misuse of his authority over tariffs. We anticipate some solid Twitter owns.

An immigration detention center in Texas denied entry to and called the police on Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-OR), after he requested access to the facility.

The Parkland students announced a nationwide, 60-day bus tour to register young people to vote, following the Marjory Stoneman Douglas high school graduation ceremony this weekend.

Serena Williams has pulled out of her French Open match with Maria Sharapova because of an injury.

On Lovett or Leave It: Jon Lovett took the show to Philadelphia, where district attorney Larry Krasner, the Roosevelt Institute’s Mike Konczal, comedian Franchesca Ramsey, writer Dylan Marron, and Ezra Miller and his band Sons of an Illustrious Father, joined him for a special episode on economic inequality and what we can do about it.

Listen →

Also, we’re having a SALE! You heard me—what are you waiting for?

Asked on his book tour whether he has apologized or should apologize to Monica Lewinsky, Bill Clinton became defensive and said, “nobody believes that I got out of that for free,” and that he doesn’t need to apologize personally to Lewinsky because he’s repeatedly apologized “to the world.” He also suggested that his efforts to promote women in the workplace offset his conduct toward Lewinsky.

From Crooked contributor Erin Ryan: “Bill Clinton just doesn’t fucking get it. And he never will.”

Also, after Trump’s election in 2016, Michael Cohen thought he could become Mayor of New York. That’s all.  

A group of top business economists believe that a recession is heading our way by 2020—or possibly sooner. Asked when they expect the next recession will begin, two-thirds said by the end of 2020, and nearly one in five by the end of 2019.

Trump uninvited the Philadelphia Eagles from the White House tomorrow because some of the players “disagree with their President” over standing for the National Anthem. Instead, he announced that he’ll be hosting a “different kind of ceremony,” where the anthem will be “loudly and proudly” played for the sole purpose of inflaming his base.

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