Former Navy SEAL and current Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke delivers brief remarks at the Capitol Building in Utah.
Prior to President Trump signing a national monument proclamation, Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke told a packed-house crowd the Antiquities Act, an obscure law that Barack Obama used to broaden federal monuments in Utah, ‘was never meant to prevent. It was meant to protect.’ “Our public land is for the public to use,” Zinke said.

[Via Daily Mail] … The Bears Ears and the Grand-Staircase Escalante national monuments span millions of acres in Utah and are among 27 national monuments that Trump ordered his Interior Secretary to review earlier this year.
The result, he said, is that ‘public lands will once again be for public use.’
As Trump signed a proclamation rolling back the Obama- and Clinton-era national monument designations, his audience briefly broke into a chant of ‘Four more years!’ (read more)

(more…)

Prior to boarding Marine-One en route to Utah for a speech on national monuments, President Trump spoke briefly to the Press Corps on the South lawn of the White House. [Transcript Below]:

[Transcript] THE PRESIDENT: We’re going to Utah. We’re going to be doing something that the state of Utah and others have wanted to be done for many, many years. It will be one of the great, really, events in this country in a long time. So important for states’ rights and so important for the people of Utah. And I know a lot of you are coming out with me. We’ll have plenty of time to talk.
(more…)

President Trump has travelled to Utah today for several appearances.  After meeting with faith-based LDS leadership President Trump travels to the Utah State Capitol to deliver a speech on national monuments and returning land to state control.  The anticipated start time is 12:20pm local / 2:20pm Eastern
UPDATE – Video Added:

(more…)

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 appears on Face The Nation with John Dickerson to discuss the current state of the swamp.

“I think he [Comey] made some decisions that were really very, very wrong. There’s an ongoing criminal investigation; Comey may be part of it. You tweet and comment regarding ongoing criminal investigations at your own peril. I’d be careful if I were you, Mr. President. I’d watch this.”

(more…)

Did you know the DOJ has been investigating the FBI for 11 months…. wait, what?

Hold-up on the criticism folks.  Three important statements today from the DOJ, FBI and OIG indicate there have been ongoing investigations and reviews of conduct within the upper tiers of leadership within the Department of Justice and the FBI.
Given the nature of the leaked IG investigation to the Washington Post and New York times; surrounding apex investigator and deputy head of counterintelligence at the FBI Peter Strzok; and accepting the direct approach of President Trump in his tweets toward that revelation; and adding the layer of Intel Chairman Devin Nunes threatening to file ‘contempt of congress charges‘; there is every indication something is about to break – very soon.

(L-R) Attorney General Jeff Sessions – FBI Director Christopher Wray

“[The allegations] if proven to be true, would raise serious questions of public trust. I look forward to receiving the Inspector General’s report. We will ensure that anyone who works on any investigation in the Department of Justice does so objectively and free from bias or favoritism.”
“My job is to restore confidence in the Department of Justice in all aspects of our work and I intend to do so. As such, I have directed that the FBI Director review the information available on this and other matters and promptly make any necessary changes to his management and investigative teams consistent with the highest professional standards.”
~ Attorney General Jeff Sessions
“When the FBI first learned of the allegations, the employees involved were immediately reassigned, consistent with practices involving employee matters.”
~ FBI Spokesperson

Here’s the critical OIG statement:
(more…)

(LINK)

(more…)

Looking at the upcoming week on the tax reform legislation, Maria Bartiromo interviews Senator David Perdue. Mrs. Bartiromo cuts through the generally irrelevant talking points and gets directly to the heart of the important issues.
Senator Perdue expresses confidence the committee will be able to move quickly to reconcile differences between the House and Senate bill, and optimistically says the bill could reach the president’s desk in 10 days.

(more…)

Against the backdrop of reports highlighting a profound political bias inherent within the top FBI agents in both the Clinton (James Comey) and Russian Interference (Robert Mueller) investigations, President Trump outlines disappointment, concern and the need for agency reform:

WaPo […] Current and former FBI officials say the Strzok matter points to a larger unresolved issue facing the agency as it tries to investigate the president and make a fresh start with a new director, Christopher A. Wray. Much of the agency’s senior leadership jobs are currently filled by people who were put in those positions by Comey, and Wray has yet to make many significant changes at the top. But a major house cleaning by the new director is widely anticipated inside the bureau.  (more)

(more…)