Earlier today one of the more consequential meetings took place between President Trump and his economic team -vs- the professional UniParty apparatus consisting of multinational corporate-purchased Democrats and Republicans.

The policy discussion isn’t sexy or headline making from the perspective of the U.S. media; however, the resulting outcomes will have more of a bearing on you and your family than any other economic policy conflict in this administration.

On one side we have President Trump and a very focused policy and trade group containing Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross, Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin and U.S. Trade Representative Ambassador Robert Lighthizer. On the other side the corporate UniParty apparatus consisting of U.S. Chamber of Commerce Republicans and Democrats.

An encapsulated view would be Main Street (Trump) -vs- Wall Street (UniParty).

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This is THE battle. This is the “trillions at stake“. Everything else is chaff and countermeasures; a war is being waged around this financial issue. Everything within the current conflict is downstream from the economic argument around these issues.

This is the epicenter of the entire institutional conflict against President Trump. This is why THE SWAMP, through all its various affiliated and indulgent enterprises – including the intelligence apparatus, are waging a battle against the disruption that is President Trump.

It is the money.

Period.

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The “official portraits” of former President Barack Obama and former First-lady Michelle Obama have been revealed.  The Smithsonian’s National Portrait Gallery unveiled its commissioned portraits on Monday.  Barack Obama image, painted by artist Kehinde Wiley, shows him seated in front of an ivy backdrop, while Michelle Obama was painted by Amy Sherald in a pale blue setting.

Art is subjective.  The portraits are just plain goofy.

Even the furthest-left liberals intrinsically know those portraits are goofy.  That’s what is funny about them.  The loons begin a process of high-brow philosophical discussion about the bold dynamic within the medium, the inherent nuance, invisible overtures, fascinating artistic meaning and deeply elevated intellectual stimulation…

And there it is; amid the subtle head-tilts, high-minded discussion depth and shallow chin-clutched adoration we see a glorious display of a naked emperor convincing a particular mind how his robe is such magnificent splendor.

The portraits are goofy.

Perfect.

White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders holds the press briefing for Tuesday February 13th. Anticipated start time 2:30pm

UPDATE: Video Added

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In an effort to keep the Daily Open Thread a little more open topic we are going to start a new daily thread for “Presidential Politics”. Please use this thread to post anything relating to the Donald Trump Administration and Presidency.

This thread will refresh daily and appear above the Open Discussion Thread.

President Trump Twitter @POTUS / Vice President Pence Twitter @VP

Sarah H Sanders Twitter @SHSanders45

Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy Name. Thy kingdom come. THY WILL BE DONE, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation, but DELIVER US FROM EVIL.

For Thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory, forever and ever. Amen †

Senator Lindsey Graham (U-DC) appears on Fox News to discuss the curious Susan Rice email to herself on inauguration day. “by the book”

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In a curious article tonight Byron York presents an odd dynamic surrounding the Michael Flynn “lie narrative.”   York points out that in March 2017, James Comey told a closed session of congress that he didn’t think Michael Flynn lied to FBI investigators; yet in December 2017, Flynn accepted a plea therein.  York is puzzled – SEE HERE –

As we previously shared, the answer to the question(s) presented within the Flynn article are really not that difficult to figure out.

There was absolutely NOTHING wrong with the President-Elect’s Transition Team talking to any foreign government, or any official within any foreign government. Ever. Period.  Actually, that’s exactly what transition teams are supposed to do; they reach out and receive information from foreign government officials as the starting point to communication with a new administration.

Many people have asked the question why would Michael Flynn have lied about talking to Russian Ambassador Sergey Kislyak in the first place?

It’s a great question.

The Occam’s Razor answer is the toxic political environment that existed in January 2017, where the administration was being hammered by a tsunami of media narratives and political opposition claiming that any scintilla of contact with anything Russian meant that Putin and Trump were “colluding BFF’s”,…. and Flynn didn’t want to fuel that nonsense.

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Earlier today Senate Judiciary Chairman Chuck Grassley sent a letter to President Obama’s former National Security Adviser, Susan Rice, about a curious email she sent to herself documenting a White House conversation between President Obama and former FBI head James Comey (pdf below).

On the day of the inauguration, January 20th, 2017; at the very last minutes of the outgoing administration; Mrs. Rice documented a conversation which took place on January 5th, 2017 between President Obama, Asst. AG Sally Yates and FBI Director James Comey.  Vice-President Joe Biden and Susan Rice were in attendance.

On its face the Rice note would appear to be a CYA memo documenting a conversation in the larger effort of the White House in case the DOJ/FBI were discovered to be conspiring to create a series of false accusations, the “insurance policy” per se’, against the incoming president.  Rice appears to be leaving a document trail in the event she needed to extricate herself from risks associated with the intention of the ‘small group’.

The substance of the meeting surrounded the “Clinton-Steele Dossier”, and how the DOJ and FBI officials were pursuing the use therein.  The date of the meeting, January 5th, 2017,was amid a series of leaks from inside the FBI and DOJ toward allied media who were working diligently to frame a narrative of Russian collusion.

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Former federal prosecutor Joe diGenova conducted a radio interview earlier today with WMAL where he outlines some of the nuance within the Schiff memo and the response from the FBI. Worth listening:

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Earlier today President Trump hosted a White House discussion meeting to outline an infrastructure initiative with state and local leaders.  The initiative is part of a $1.5 trillion proposal to join with federal, state, local and private investment toward rebuilding American critical infrastructure, roads and bridges.

[Via White House] BUILDING AMERICA’S INFRASTRUCTURE: Today, President Donald J. Trump released his legislative goals to rebuild our Nation’s crumbling infrastructure. The six principles include:

• $200 billion in Federal funds to spur at least $1.5 trillion in infrastructure investments with partners at the State, local, Tribal, and private level.
• New investments will be made in rural America, which has been left behind for too long.
• Decision making authority will be returned to State and local governments.
• Regulatory barriers that needlessly get in the way of infrastructure projects will be removed.
• Permitting for infrastructure projects will be streamlined and shortened.
• America’s workforce will be supported and strengthened.

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