Leland Vittert’s War Notes: Trump’s Potomac Two-Step 🕺

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NewsNation Chief Washington Anchor and On Balance host Leland Vittert was a foreign correspondent for four years in Jerusalem. He gives you an early look at tonight's 9 p.m. ET show, delivered straight to your inbox.

No Regrets😴: Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison sleeps well despite a Somali welfare scam in his state that stole both from hungry kids and taxpayers.

📺This was Ellison on CNN:
- 🎤CNN: "Is there something you wish you had done differently?"
- 🎤Ellison: "No."

Watch tonight📺: The Minneapolis police chief joins us on whether massive fraud and criminality or ICE is the biggest threat to his community.

Results🚔: The FBI's arrest of a suspect in the 2021 January 6 pipe bomb case blows up the current narrative that FBI Director Kash Patel sucks.

💣Today, the FBI arrested a suspect in the January 6 pipe bomb case — you might remember that a long-standing mystery of January 6 was pipe bombs placed outside the DNC.
- ‼️The four-year cold case allowed conspiracy theories to take over:
  - 🤦🏼‍♂️It was an inside job.
  - 🤦🏼‍♂️It was a setup, etc.
‼️Turns out, it was just the FBI not connecting the dots.
- Snarky🤦🏼‍♂️: Maybe they were too busy arresting praying grandmothers and abortion clinic protesters.
Zoom out🌎: Reasonable people can agree Patel's use of government jets to go visit his girlfriend in Nashville isn't a great look — and his aggressive tweeting of incorrect information after Charlie Kirk's assassination doesn't breed confidence.
Be fair⚖️: If the pipe bomber arrest marks the start of the Bureau's return to aggressive, excellent law enforcement rather than political point scoring, it's a good thing.
Watch tonight📺: Former FBI agents Philip Mudd and Tracy Walder tell us if the FBI has its mojo and priorities back.

We've Seen This Play Before 👀

😬The Democrats' main problem since 2015 bit them again today.

🤦🏼‍♂️Their blind hatred of President Trump forces them to champion political losers:
- ‼️Illegal immigrant gang members.
- ‼️Drug runners.
- ‼️Somali welfare fraudsters.
- ‼️The list goes on.
🤦🏼‍♂️Double tap gate once again shows Democrats can't help themselves — just like when they championed Kilmar Abrego Garcia …the Maryland man, AKA the alleged MS-13 gang member, wife beater and human trafficker deported to El Salvador.
- 🤔Back then, they thought Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem would resign.
🤷🏼‍♂️So as we predicted, this happened all over again.
🗣️First, Democrats spent the weekend convicting Secretary of War Pete Hegseth of war crimes based on a deeply flawed Washington Post article.
- 🧾Today, evidence came out that the four-star admiral in charge of the anti-drug operation carefully considered the law.
  - ‼️And he concluded the drug runners were "still in the fight" (as opposed to shipwrecked sailors), the legal definition needed for another strike
- Won't give up📰: Politico's PM playbook offered a resuscitation for Democrats who are telling a different story
  - 🎙️ "What I saw in that room was one of the most troubling things I've seen in my time in public service," said Rep. Jim Himes, D-Conn.
  - 🎙️"This briefing confirmed my worst fears about the nature of the Trump Administration's military activities," said Sen. Jack Reed, D-R.I.
    - ✏️"The Democratic pushback appears unlikely to subside. Rep. Shri Thanedar, D-Mich., announced plans to introduce articles of impeachment today against Hegseth. Reed called for an investigation into Hegseth's leadership and involvement in the strikes, per C-SPAN. Sens. Jeff Merkley, D-Ore., and Tim Kaine, D-Va., are introducing a bill today to block U.S. military action in Venezuela not authorized by Congress, Semafor's Morgan Chalfant and Shelby Talcott scoop," writes Ali Bianco for Politico.
🗣️Second, Democrats pivoted — as we saw last night on the show, Democrats now question the legality of targeting drug dealers in the first place.
👀I am not an expert — but if President Barack Obama turned the U.S. Air Force into close air support for the Libyan rebels, what's wrong with Trump blowing up drug runners?
- 🤷🏼‍♂️Yes — that's an oversimplification, but guess what… I am a simple man.
- Smarter take🤓: Our buddy Erick Erickson delivers a far smarter take.
  - 📝Erickson writes "Trump is Right on This."
Zoom out🌎: To oppose Trump, Democrats must champion objectively awful people.
- ‼️Most Americans want to deport illegal immigrants who commit crimes.
  - Yesterday📆: Rep. Pramila Jayapal, D-Wash., introduced legislation blocking the Department of Homeland Security from detaining illegal immigrants and giving them taxpayer-funded lawyers
    - ‼️It has 123 Democratic co-sponsors
💣Most Americans don't mind blowing up boats bringing in massive amounts of cocaine
- Yesterday📆: Rep. Adam Smith, D-Wash., lambasted me on TV and declared drug runners need to be protected from airstrikes.
💵Most Americans think a billion-dollar Somali welfare fraud, and at best gross incompetence by the Minnesota governor and attorney general, is bad.
- Yesterday📆: Democrats said the real problem is Trump demonizing the Somali community.

Conclusion🤷🏼‍♂️: This play doesn't end well for Democrats, and they won't learn.

🤦🏼‍♂️They are too excited by anything that can take down Trump.

Warning⚠️: That doesn't mean Trump and Republicans are riding high — day by day, the affordability issue gets worse for Republicans, as does their response.

😬The Democrats' main problem since 2015 bit them again today.

🤦🏼‍♂️Their blind hatred of President Trump forces them to champion political losers:
- ‼️Illegal immigrant gang members.
- ‼️Drug runners.
- ‼️Somali welfare fraudsters.
- ‼️The list goes on.
🤦🏼‍♂️Double tap gate once again shows Democrats can't help themselves — just like when they championed Kilmar Abrego Garcia …the Maryland man, AKA the alleged MS-13 gang member, wife beater and human trafficker deported to El Salvador.
- 🤔Back then, they thought Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem would resign.
🤷🏼‍♂️So as we predicted, this happened all over again.
🗣️First, Democrats spent the weekend convicting Secretary of War Pete Hegseth of war crimes based on a deeply flawed Washington Post article.
- 🧾Today, evidence came out that the four-star admiral in charge of the anti-drug operation carefully considered the law.
  - ‼️And he concluded the drug runners were "still in the fight" (as opposed to shipwrecked sailors), the legal definition needed for another strike
- Won't give up📰: Politico's PM playbook offered a resuscitation for Democrats who are telling a different story
  - 🎙️ "What I saw in that room was one of the most troubling things I've seen in my time in public service," said Rep. Jim Himes, D-Conn.
  - 🎙️"This briefing confirmed my worst fears about the nature of the Trump Administration's military activities," said Sen. Jack Reed, D-R.I.
    - ✏️"The Democratic pushback appears unlikely to subside. Rep. Shri Thanedar, D-Mich., announced plans to introduce articles of impeachment today against Hegseth. Reed called for an investigation into Hegseth's leadership and involvement in the strikes, per C-SPAN. Sens. Jeff Merkley, D-Ore., and Tim Kaine, D-Va., are introducing a bill today to block U.S. military action in Venezuela not authorized by Congress, Semafor's Morgan Chalfant and Shelby Talcott scoop," writes Ali Bianco for Politico.
🗣️Second, Democrats pivoted — as we saw last night on the show, Democrats now question the legality of targeting drug dealers in the first place.
👀I am not an expert — but if President Barack Obama turned the U.S. Air Force into close air support for the Libyan rebels, what's wrong with Trump blowing up drug runners?
- 🤷🏼‍♂️Yes — that's an oversimplification, but guess what… I am a simple man.
- Smarter take🤓: Our buddy Erick Erickson delivers a far smarter take.
  - 📝Erickson writes "Trump is Right on This."
Zoom out🌎: To oppose Trump, Democrats must champion objectively awful people.
- ‼️Most Americans want to deport illegal immigrants who commit crimes.
  - Yesterday📆: Rep. Pramila Jayapal, D-Wash., introduced legislation blocking the Department of Homeland Security from detaining illegal immigrants and giving them taxpayer-funded lawyers
    - ‼️It has 123 Democratic co-sponsors
💣Most Americans don't mind blowing up boats bringing in massive amounts of cocaine
- Yesterday📆: Rep. Adam Smith, D-Wash., lambasted me on TV and declared drug runners need to be protected from airstrikes.
💵Most Americans think a billion-dollar Somali welfare fraud, and at best gross incompetence by the Minnesota governor and attorney general, is bad.
- Yesterday📆: Democrats said the real problem is Trump demonizing the Somali community.

Conclusion🤷🏼‍♂️: This play doesn't end well for Democrats, and they won't learn.

🤦🏼‍♂️They are too excited by anything that can take down Trump.

Warning⚠️: That doesn't mean Trump and Republicans are riding high — day by day, the affordability issue gets worse for Republicans, as does their response.

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