Trump Officials Repeatedly Pushed Flynn's Lies, Trump And RNC Boost Moore, And Farenthold Accuser's Career Ruined

December 5th, 2017 Top Stories --------------------------------------------------------------- [Trump Officials Repeatedly Pushed Flynn’s Bogus Story Of Russia Contacts]( The Gist: As court filings and emails emerge from the Mueller probe and dogged reporting, Trump officials who denied that Michael Flynn would stoop to renegotiating the outgoing administration’s sanctions on Russia turn out to have been privately informed of Flynn’s pre-inauguration diplomacy in real time. There is “nothing to hide,” according to the President on Monday, which doesn’t go very far to explain why so many spent so long trying to hide it. [AL In: Trump Moves To Push Roy Moore Across Finish Line]( The Gist: Trump called Moore on Monday to heartily re-endorse him, a move that’s likely to help boost Moore as he seeks to survive multiple accusations of sexual misconduct that have put his Senate campaign in jeopardy in deep-red Alabama. The Republican National Committee decided to follow suit after Trump’s call, TPM confirmed Monday night, after the committee had earlier suspended its support of Moore. Though it’s as yet unclear what exactly they’ll do for Moore, last-minute aid to help bolster his weak fundraising, limited TV ads and limited field operation could make a crucial difference. [Farenthold Accuser Was Told Speaking Out Would End Her Career In D.C. It Did.]( The Gist: Even before Lauren Greene decided to come forward with her allegations of sexual harassment against her then-boss Rep. Blake Farenthold (R-TX), she was advised by colleagues on Capitol Hill that her career in D.C. would be over if she went public. “As soon as I decided to do this, I kind of had to come to the conclusion that D.C. was no longer going to be in the cards,” Greene, Farenthold’s former communications director, said in her first public television interview with CNN’s Anderson Cooper Monday night. From The Reporter's Notebook --------------------------------------------------------------- In an excerpt of their new campaign book, published in Politico Monday, former Trump campaign officials Corey Lewandowski and David Bossie described the hiring and firing of Paul Manafort, who recently pled not guilty to several charges including money laundering and unregistered lobbying. Though Lewandowski’s rivalry with Manafort was well-known during their time together on the campaign, the book provides an inside perspective of Manafort’s ouster, [TPM's Matt Shuham reported](. After the Associated Press reported on Manafort and Rick Gates’ unregistered lobbying for a Russian-aligned Ukrainian political party in August, Lewandowski and Bossie recorded what they said was Trump’s response: “Tell Jared to fire him.” Agree Or Disagree? --------------------------------------------------------------- Josh Marshall: "Continuing to discuss this question on the basis of the ‘Flynn lied to Pence’ canard or when Sally Yates brought the news to the White House just means we’re trying to understand what happened within the framework of what we now know are lies. [We shouldn’t](. Trump’s top advisors knew the true nature of the calls and repeatedly lied about it to reporters. This is the only plausible read of the the current evidence. They allowed Pence’s false statements to stand for weeks, which amounts to a furtherance of those lies. We’re simply not dealing with something the key people found out in late January. This was a cover-up, a string of publicly verified deceptions that went back to the beginning of the month." Say What?! --------------------------------------------------------------- "I have a rough time wanting to spend billions and trillions of dollars to help people who won’t help themselves, who won’t lift a finger and expect the federal government to do everything." - Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-UT) [blaming]( the lack of funding for CHIP on people mooching off the government after he voted for a $1 trillion-dollar tax bill. BUZZING: Today in the Hive --------------------------------------------------------------- From a TPM Prime member: "You know the office troublemaker, the one who always lies and manipulates, creates factions, is constantly backstabbing, and gets everyone at everyone else's throats? Every damn body in this administration is that person. The White House Christmas party is just gonna be oodles of fun. Related: [Report: Pence Thought About Replacing Trump After ‘Access Hollywood’ Tape]( Have something to add? Become a [Prime]( member and join the discussion [here](. What We're Reading --------------------------------------------------------------- 'Alt-Right' Women Are Upset That 'Alt-Right' Men Are Treating Them Terribly ([Salon]( Trump's Diet Is Horrifying, But He Can Buy A Triple Bypass With His $1 Billion Tax Savings ([The Takeout]( [unsubscribe from this list]( | [update subscription preferences]( | [view email in browser](