GOP Panics Over Imploding Agenda, Kushner Denies Collusion With Russia, And Trump Berates 'Beleaguered' Sessions

July 24th, 2017 Top Stories --------------------------------------------------------------- [‘We Have To Get It Together’: GOP Panics Over Imploding Agenda]( The Gist: With Obamacare repeal teetering on collapse, tax reform looking like an even heavier lift and the Trump White House spinning further into chaos, Republicans are increasingly worried that they may squander unified control of government and fail to score any big legislative achievements. “It’s upside down, what do you want me to say?” Rep. Walter Jones (R-NC) told TPM when asked how things were going within his party. [Kushner Says He Had Only 4 Encounters With Russian Officials, No Collusion]( The Gist: In a statement submitted to Congress ahead of closed-door sessions with the Senate and House Intelligence Committees this week, Jared Kushner, President Donald Trump’s son-in-law and adviser, said that he had four encounters with Russian officials during the campaign and transition but did not collude with Russia. “I did not collude, nor know of anyone else in the campaign who colluded, with any foreign government. I had no improper contacts. I have not relied on Russian funds to finance my business activities in the private sector,” Kushner said in the statement. [Trump: Why Isn’t ‘Beleaguered’ Jeff Sessions Looking Into Clinton ‘Crimes’?]( The Gist: The President called out Attorney General Jeff Sessions again on Monday morning, less than a week after he aired his grievances with the attorney general in an interview with the New York Times. Calling Sessions “beleaguered,” President Trump asked on Twitter why Sessions and other investigators hadn’t looked into the “crimes” of Hillary Clinton and her relations to Russian officials. From The Reporter's Notebook --------------------------------------------------------------- Special counsel Robert Mueller has asked the White House to save documents related to “any decisions made regarding the recent disclosures” of the June 2016 Trump Tower meeting between senior members of the Trump campaign and Russian operatives. This undercuts President Donald Trump’s repeated insistence that his administration is not under investigation for any wrongdoing, [TPM’s Allegra Kirkland notes](. In addition to the question of whether Trump obstructed justice by firing FBI director James Comey, Mueller’s team wants to know if his team lied or was unforthcoming about the purpose of the Trump Tower meeting. Agree or Disagree? --------------------------------------------------------------- Josh Marshall: "The reference to building a ‘wartime cabinet’ captures every fiber of the grandiosity, nonsense and criminality of the Trump world. Pathological narcissism, slavering toadies and Godfather references – they’re all there. Trump seems to envision himself as the Churchill of obstruction. But there’s no war. [This is just organizing the White House around defying the rule of law as opposed to running the country](. Play-by-playing that fact is no service. This is a crisis. It will escalate dramatically when Trump fires Robert Mueller. Then the Congress will become the only failsafe in the way to extra-constitutional rule." Say What?! --------------------------------------------------------------- “It's very sad that Republicans, even some that were carried over the line on my back, do very little to protect their President.” - President Donald Trump on Sunday [railing against members of his own party]( for not doing enough to “protect” him amid the federal investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election. BUZZING: Today in the Hive --------------------------------------------------------------- From a TPM Prime member: "What a jerk! For less than $100, Spicey could have gotten his own mini-fridge and shown some respect for his subordinates. What's more, as of his dismissal/resignation, he could have taken it with him. Is this emblematic of Navy leadership? Obviously Spicey's behavior is representative of his former boss." Related: [WSJ: Spicer Stole Mini-Fridge From Junior Aides After They Refused To Give It]( Have something to add? Become a [Prime]( member and join the discussion [here](. What We're Reading --------------------------------------------------------------- A Veteran ICE Agent, Disillusioned With The Trump Era, Speaks Out ([The New Yorker]( Meet The GOP Insider Who Created White Nationalist Richard Spencer ([Reveal]( [unsubscribe from this list]( | [update subscription preferences]( | [view email in browser](