Trump Administration Lost Thousands More Migrant Children

A report from the DHS Office of the Inspector General finds that an unknown number of children, possibly thousands, were separated from parents at the US-Mexico border before the May 2018 “Zero Tolerance” family separation policy was announced, but weren’t been included in official government tallies of separated families. The kids in the OIG report were placed in foster care but haven’t been reunited with their parents because the Trump Administration lost them. A court ordered migrant family reunification in June 2018.

NBC found a draft of a December 2017 memo indicating that DHS and DOJ were planning the family separations well before Sessions’ “Zero Tolerance” announcement. That’s troubling for DHS Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen who told the House Judiciary Committee, in sworn testimony on December 2018, “We’ve never had a policy for family separation.” Senator Jeff Merkley (D-OR) has called on the FBI to open a perjury investigation of Secretary Neilsen.

More:

“Thousands more migrant children separated under Trump than previously known,” Amanda Holpuch, The Guardian

Related:

“Trump’s health secretary refuses Democrats’ request to testify on separated kids,” Dan Diamond, Politico

Updates:

“Mexico won’t accept minors awaiting US asylum claims,” Associated Press

“No one at this child separation hearing knows how many children are still separated,” Kathryn Krawczyk, The Week

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Brett Kavanaugh: Perjury?

When Brett Kavanaugh testified before the Senate Judiciary Committee during 2004 confirmation hearings on his DC Circuit Court nomination, he said, under oath, that he had not seen confidential memos regarding the judicial nomination of William Pryor that were pilfered from Democratic senators by GOP staffer Manuel Miranda, and was not involved in Bush White House discussions about the Pryor nomination. Guess what was in the “committee confidential” emails released at 3AM on Thursday? An email about the Pryor nomination.

One Liar Pardons Another

President Donald Trump, who makes six nonfactual statements a day, has pardoned convicted perjurer I. Lewis “Scooter” Libby Jr.  “I don’t know Mr. Libby,” said Mr. Trump, “but for years I have heard that he has been treated unfairly.” Evidently, golf clubhouse chatter is now a major force in our legal system.

The real message in this presidential act: Lie to Mueller for me and get out of jail free.

Keep track of Trump falsehoods here.

More:

“Trump grants pardon to former Bush official; some say he is using the law as a political tool,” Philip Rucker, Josh Dawsey and Matt Zapotosky, Washington Post

“Trump Pardoned Libby to Protect Himself From Mueller,” Marcy Wheeler, New York Times

Related:

“Donald Trump says it’s okay for him to lie since ‘people agree with me.’” Graham Vyse, The New Republic

“Trump is perfecting the art of the Big Lie,” Max Boot, Washington Post

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Report: Sessions Talked Policy With Russian Diplomat

The Russian ambassador to the U.S. told his superiors that he discussed campaign-related matters, including policy issues, with Jeff Sessions during the 2016 presidential race, contrary to Mr. Session’s public assertions and sworn testimony, reports the Washington Post:

“Ambassador Sergey Kislyak’s accounts of two conversations with Sessions — then a top foreign policy adviser to Republican candidate Donald Trump — were intercepted by U.S. spy agencies, which monitor the communications of senior Russian officials in the United States and in Russia. Sessions initially failed to disclose his contacts with Kislyak and then said that the meetings were not about the Trump campaign.

One U.S. official said that Sessions — who testified that he had no recollection of an April encounter — has provided ‘misleading’ statements that are ‘contradicted by other evidence.’ A former official said that the intelligence indicates that Sessions and Kislyak had ‘substantive’ discussions on matters including Trump’s positions on Russia-related issues and prospects for U.S.-Russia relations in a Trump administration.

Sessions has said repeatedly that he never discussed campaign-related issues with Russian officials and that it was only in his capacity as a U.S. senator that he met with Kislyak.

‘I never had meetings with Russian operatives or Russian intermediaries about the Trump campaign,’ Sessions said in March when he announced that he would recuse himself from matters relating to the FBI probe of Russian interference in the election and any connections to the Trump campaign.”

— “Sessions discussed Trump campaign-related matters with Russian ambassador, U.S. intelligence intercepts show,” Adam Entous, Ellen Nakashima and Greg Miller, Washington Post

President Trump is hinting that he will fire Mr. Sessions and attacking him, but not for campaign collusion or for lying about it. Mr. Trump is upset that Mr. Sessions recused himself on the Russia investigation and isn’t persecuting his former political opponent, like they do in, say, Russia.

More:

“Sessions Discussed Campaign Matters With Russian Ambassador,” Aria Bendix and Adam Serwer, The Atlantic

“Sessions hires his own lawyer,” Rebecca Savransky, The Hill

Related:

“Ex-Bush ethics lawyer: Trump calling for Clinton to be prosecuted is an ‘impeachable offense,'” Aida Chavez, The Hill

“Russian envoy, at heart of U.S. investigations, ends tenure in Washington,” David Shepardson, Reuters

“Kislyak Leaves His Post With Russiagate in His Wake,” Griffin Connolly, Roll Call

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Do Not Pass Go, Lance Armstrong. Pay $10 Million.

“Disgraced cyclist Lance Armstrong has been ordered to pay $10 million to a promotions company after an arbitration panel found he conducted an ‘unparalleled pageant of international perjury, fraud and conspiracy’ during his career.” —  Austin Knoblauch, Los Angeles Times

Armstrong is also being sued by his whistle-blowing teammate Floyd Landis and the U.S. Government for defrauding the cycling team’s sponsor, the U.S. Postal Service, by using performance-enhancing drugs.

Sports Souvenirs

There’s a new sports collectible for baseball buffs — the grand jury indictment against William R. Clemens, aka Roger Clemens. The seven-time Cy Young Award winner is accused of obstruction and lying to Congress about his use of steroids and human growth hormone during his Major League career.  Mr. Clemens pleaded not guilty in federal court yesterday.

More from Mel Antonen here.

 

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