Author: patd

Washington Post:
The Defense Department’s independent watchdog has opened an investigation into allegations that acting defense secretary Patrick Shanahan violated ethics rules by taking actions to promote Boeing after leaving the aerospace company and accepting a top job at the Pentagon.

The agency’s inspector general, in a statement released Wednesday, said it had decided to investigate the matter and had informed Shanahan of its decision.

“The Department of Defense Office of Inspector General has decided to investigate complaints we recently received that Acting Secretary Patrick Shanahan allegedly took actions to promote his former employer, Boeing, and disparage its competitors, allegedly in violation of ethics rules,” the statement said.

Shanahan, who spent more than three decades at Boeing before joining the Trump administration in 2017, has denied favoring Boeing during his time as deputy defense secretary — the No. 2 post at the Pentagon, which oversees acquisitions, procurement and technology development across the military.
The probe comes as the former Boeing executive hopes to receive President Trump’s formal nomination to serve in the Defense Department’s top post and replace Defense Secretary Jim Mattis, who resigned in December.

It is unclear how the investigation will affect his prospects of receiving the nomination and winning Senate confirmation.

Lt. Col. Joe Buccino, a spokesman for Shanahan, said the acting secretary welcomed the inspector general’s investigation and would fully comply with the probe.
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According to former U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara, the extension of a cooperating flipper portends Mueller time delay. The following might also have the same effect.

usatoday:
Judge orders public release of redacted documents on FBI’s raid of Michael Cohen
The public on Tuesday will see the search warrant and other documents related to last year’s FBI raids on the home and office of Michael Cohen.
What we might learn: The origin of the investigation, the timeline of events, what investigators were looking for in their search and other details into the case of President Donald Trump’s former attorney and fixer.
U.S. District Judge William H. Pauley III on Monday ordered redacted versions of the documents to be released after nine news organizations, including ABC and CBS News, The Associated Press, CNN and The Wall Street Journal, sought to unseal them citing high public interest and a right to access.
In a Monday statement, Cohen’s lawyer Lanny Davis said the release of the documents furthers Cohen’s interest in “continuing to cooperate and providing information and the truth about Donald Trump and the Trump organization to law enforcement and Congress.”

Idea for this thread courtesy of our inimitable trail counsel Pogo

Beginning Wednesday March 20 and it’s about time!

“Any single Democrat running today — and I may not be able to enumerate every single one of them — would be far better than the current occupant of the White House. So let’s keep this in mind, and we can conduct ourselves in this way every single day for the next 11 months until voting begins here in Iowa.”

“Ultimately, we all have to get on board with the same person, because it is fundamental to our chances of success…”

As Sedaka sang:
Do do do
Down dooby doo down down
Comma, comma, down dooby doo down down
Comma, comma, down dooby doo down down
Breaking up is hard to do
Don’t take your love away from me
Don’t you leave my heart in misery
If you go then I’ll be blue
‘Cause breaking up is hard to do

The Guardian:
In an attempt to prevent a £9bn price shock to business and consumers while “supporting farmers and producers who have been protected through high EU tariffs”, the government on Wednesday set out its long-awaited pricing regime in the event that the UK crashes out of the EU on 29 March.
Among the consumer goods that will be hit are imports of beef, which will go up by almost 7%, cheddar cheese, up by about £20 per 100kg, and imported “fully finished” cars, which would attract a 10.8% levy, or about £1,500 for an average new car.
Tins of tuna could go up by 24%, imported men’s wool jackets by 12% and men’s, women’s and girls’ underpants made of synthetic fibre by 12%.
The announcements were made in a last-ditch attempt to concentrate the minds of MPs who will be voting later on Wednesday to reject a no-deal Brexit after Theresa May’s 149-vote defeat. [continues]