3 Lessons Learned After Failed VA Nomination

House intel commitee duels over evidence. Again. [NPR Politics]( --------------------------------------------------------------- [Rear Adm. Ronny Jackson, nominee for veterans affairs secretary, leaves the Dirksen Building afte meeting with Sen. Jerry Moran, R-Kan., on Tuesday.] Tom Williams/CQ Roll Call via Getty Images The Big Picture: Lessons Learned? Yet another Trump nominee, White House physician Ronny Jackson, was [unable to pass muster]( his [reputation arguably has been tarnished]( in the process and, most importantly, the Department of Veterans Affairs, the second largest in the federal government, [remains without someone tapped to lead it](. So far, the president [hasn’t done a lot of public reflection]( on what he or the White House could have done differently. Instead, he called the allegations against Jackson [“an absolute disgrace” and referred to Jackson as an “American hero.”]( And late Friday, [the White House said it had completed its own investigation]( of the most serious allegations that surfaced against Jackson, finding no documents to back up the allegations -- which Jackson has denied -- and evidence to refute two major accusations. But there are plenty of lessons to be learned – if Trump is willing to heed them. [NPR’s Mara Liasson has three]( how governing from the gut has its downsides; that vetting matters; and that the VA, with all of its problems and the important role it plays in treating America’s war wounded, remains a polarizing agency. — Domenico Montanaro, NPR's lead political editor --------------------------------------------------------------- [President Trump and French President Emmanuel Macron during an appearance at the White House on Tuesday.]( Andrew Harnik/AP ICYMI: Top Stories Macron in America: French President Emmanuel Macron visited President Trump and Washington, D.C., this week. The visit was packed with pageantry, including [the administration’s first state dinner](. Despite an evident bromance between the two men, the visit ultimately served as an opportunity for Macron to [discuss critical policy differences]( with President Trump. Macron also [gave a speech to a joint meeting of Congress]( where he emphasized his views on Iran and the environment and even called on Americans to “make our planet great again.” But as he left, [Macron did not believe]( he had succeeded in convincing Trump to remain in the Iran nuclear deal. Supreme Court leans toward travel ban: Trump’s travel ban faced arguments in the high court Wednesday, with the hearing suggesting [a narrow margin of support amongst the justices](. The ban has been met with [an unprecedented critique from former intelligence experts]( who served in both Democratic and Republican administrations. Pruitt on Capitol Hill: EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt [faced a long day of questioning from lawmakers Thursday]( as he appeared to discuss the EPA budget before two House committees. Pruitt maintained that the many ethical questions that have surrounded him recently are an effort to derail the president’s deregulatory agenda at EPA. "I'm simply not going to let that happen," Pruitt said. Merkel at the White House, too: German Chancellor Angela Merkel also visited President Trump this week, though her visit to Washington, D.C., was much more low-key than Macron’s. [At a joint press conference Friday]( Merkel and Trump discussed North Korea, Iran, trade and NATO. House chaplain dismissed: Speaker Paul Ryan’s decision to fire the House chaplain [threatens a bitter religious-freedom debate in Congress in the weeks ahead](. The Rev. Patrick Conroy, a Jesuit priest who had served as House chaplain since 2011, was let go by Ryan two weeks ago but the involuntary nature of Conroy’s departure only made headlines this week. A spokeswoman for Ryan defended the decision. House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, however, said the “abrupt, unjust dismissal is hard to understand and impossible to support.” Winning elections but feeling like losers: Despite control over the presidency, House and Senate; a conservative majority on the Supreme Court; and holding a majority of the country’s governorships, the conservative movement continues to feel persecuted by the powers that be in America. At the core of the problem for many American conservatives is [a feeling that the culture war has been irrevocably lost]( to their ideological opponents. — Audrey McNamara, NPR Washington Desk intern --------------------------------------------------------------- [House intelligence committee Chairman Devin Nunes, R-Calif. (right), and ranking member Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., speak to the media about committee's investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election, at the U.S. Capitol on March 15, 2017.] Mark Wilson/Getty Images The Russia Imbroglio: House Intel Committee Duels Over Evidence. Again Republicans on the House intelligence committee gave President Trump [another clean bill of health this week](. The committee's Democrats [laid out how much they say he has to fear](. In the latest document duel within the panel, ranking member Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., and his members submitted a game of legal Mad Libs that left blank areas they say they were unable to fill in to solve the riddle. Republicans, who controlled the intelligence committee's Russia investigation, did not go along with the type of investigation that would have enabled filling in those blanks, Schiff complains. But Justice Department special counsel Robert Mueller may be able to find the answers. He can work in confidence. He has a team of professional investigators and prosecutors. He has subpoena power. He has access to the eye-watering electronic surveillance resources of the FBI and National Security Agency. And he has the power to arrest and indict. Mueller has demonstrated his willingness and ability to deploy all of these capabilities. The question now is whether his office can bridge the gaps in the Democrats' account — or whether anything substantiates the missing pieces of their theory. Trump repeated on Friday that there's nothing to any of this. He told reporters in the Oval Office that he welcomed the House intelligence committee's report. The finding of no wrongdoing proves that all the investigations that continue in the Senate and the Justice Department are just a "witch hunt," he said. Democrats complain about the lack of evidence present in Republicans' report because Republicans didn't look for it. But it might also not be there because it doesn't exist. [Read the full imbroglio update]( on NPR.org. Briefly: - Senate Judiciary Committee [approves bill to protect Mueller investigation]( - Trump acknowledges [Michael Cohen reprsented him in Stormy Daniels payment]( - What you need to know about [Russian "active measures"]( - What you need to know about [alleged collusion]( - What you need to know about [alleged obstruction]( - What you need to know about [the dossier]( - [Catch up on the previous imbroglio update here]( — Philip Ewing, NPR's national security editor You received this message because you're subscribed to our Politics emails. | [Unsubscribe]( | [Privacy Policy]( | NPR 1111 N. CAPITOL ST. NE WASHINGTON DC 20002 [NPR]