In a pronouncement that confirms the worst fears of Paul Ryan and the rest of the Republican Congressional leadership, New York Republican Peter King told a group of reporters that he has enough 'no' votes to block ratification of the senate version of the federal budget - a crucial step in the process toward tax reform that could potentially sink the White House's plan before the bill has even been written.
Today the Campaign Legal Center (CLC) filed a complaint with the Federal Election Commission (FEC) alleging the Democratic National Committee (DNC) and Hillary Clinton’s 2016 campaign committee violated campaign finance law by failing to accurately disclose the purpose and recipient of payments for the dossier of research alleging connections between then-candidate Donald Trump and Russia. The CLC's complaint asserts that by effectively hiding these payments from public scrutiny the DNC and Clinton "undermined the vital public information role of campaign disclosures."
Responding to Tuesday's WaPo report that Hillary Clinton was the mystery financial source behind the "Russia Dossier", Trump blasted Hillary Clinton, calling the project a “disgrace” and claiming the tables have turned on Democrats over the “Russia hoax.”
Following yesterday's US decision to decline a visa for a Justice ministry delegation, it was Germany's turn today to put the screws to Turkey. As Bloomberg reports, Germany is actively working to cut funding to Turkey from the country’s state-owned KfW bank, the European Investment Bank and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, people familiar with the matter say.
Update: Just hours after Puigdemont snubbed Madrid, canceling his visit to The Senate to discuss their imposition of Article 155, Catalan Deputy First Minister Oriol Junqueras told AP that the Spanish government had left Catalonia “no other option” but to proclaim a new republic.
Mr. Junqueras told the AP he was commenting as leader of his party, Republican Catalan Left, not as a member of the regional government.