Hicks Planned Resignation Long Ago, Firms Gave Loans To Kushner Biz After WH Meeting, And Pruitt Vows To Fly Coach

March 1st, 2018 Top Stories --------------------------------------------------------------- [Hicks’ White House Departure Was Reportedly A Long Time In The Making]( The Gist: Hope Hicks’ resignation as White House communications director has been brewing for a while as the longtime aide to President Donald Trump grew tired and stressed by her prominent role in the administration, according to several reports out Wednesday. [NYT: Family Company Got Loans After Kushner Met With Businesses At WH]( The Gist: Two major loans to the Kushner Companies for real estate projects came after Jared Kushner, a senior adviser in the Trump administration, met with officials from those financial institutions at the White House, the New York Times reported Wednesday night. [Mooch Criticizes Kelly Over Handling Of Porter, Hicks: ‘Morale Is At An All Time Low’]( The Gist: Former White House Communications Director Anthony Scaramucci said Chief of Staff John Kelly is to blame for the departure of Hope Hicks, who took over the comms shop after Scaramucci left, and claimed White House “morale is at an all-time low.” From The Reporter's Notebook --------------------------------------------------------------- Special Counsel Robert Mueller is looking into what President Donald Trump knew about the Democratic emails that were hacked before they were publicly released by WikiLeaks during the 2016 campaign, [TPM’s Nicole Lafond reports](. He’s also reportedly [probing]( Trump’s business ties in Russia before he launched his 2016 campaign and whether any business ventures incentivized his presidential bid. According to reports from CNN and NBC, Mueller’s team of investigators are also questioning witnesses about what compromising information the Russian government might have about Trump. These new lines of inquiry follow Mueller’s recent indictment of 13 Russian nationals and three Russian entities for meddling in the 2016 election. Agree Or Disagree? --------------------------------------------------------------- Josh Marshall: "Life is messy and filled with coincidences. But it is well to remember a key fact. Part of the work Manafort did for Ukrainiain president Viktor Yanukovych was helping him run campaigns and political operations in Ukraine. But a big, big part of his work was influencing politics in the US on behalf of Yanukovych and the Russian interests who backed him. He was literally in the business of acting as a foreign agent in the US representing the interests of the then-pro-Russian government of Ukraine. That’s actually one of the things Mueller charged him with doing – not the representation itself but failing to properly register under the Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA). Manafort’s a guy who had a lot of experience doing this. You can make a decent argument – though it’s admittedly muddy – that he’d spent a decade doing it specifically for the players who in 2016 were authorizing the disruption campaign which was coming together right as Manafort entered the Trump campaign. [It is, to put it mildly, a helluva coincidence]( Say What?! --------------------------------------------------------------- "You know why: Because you’re afraid of the NRA." - President Donald Trump on Wednesday [confronting]( Sen. Pat Toomey (R-PA) about not including an age restriction to purchase rifles in his bill. BUZZING: Today in the Hive --------------------------------------------------------------- From a TPM Prime member: "Wouldn't be surprised if Pruitt has the EPA buy out the entire coach section of a flight so he can claim he's flying coach but still feel safe. Legal? Unlikely. Possible. Slim. But it's the kind of subterfuge that the Trump administration is known for." Related: [Pruitt: ‘There’s Change Coming,’ Vows Next Flight Will Be Coach]( Have something to add? Become a [Prime]( member and join the discussion [here](. What We're Reading --------------------------------------------------------------- Missing From The Gun Debate: Trump’s Own Experience With Concealed Carry ([Politico]( The Pain Of Loving Old Dogs ([The New York Times]( [unsubscribe from this list]( | [update subscription preferences]( | [view email in browser](