Tipsheet: Conservatives ramp up attacks on Mueller

View in your browser     Conservatives ramp up attacks on Mueller By Jonathan Easley      Conservative efforts to discredit the special counsel are intensifying as Robert Mueller’s investigation moves steadily closer to the White House. Republicans on Capitol Hill are increasingly frustrated by what they view as a partisan exercise that’s rife with conflicts of interest. A half-dozen GOP lawmakers held a press conference on Wednesday to demand new investigations into Mueller’s team. Read the full story here     Listen to the HillCast AM View: Listen: Congress averts a shutdown, and today's latest news By Alexis Simendinger Lawmakers averted a government shutdown Thursday, with Congress and the White House postponing broader decisions on defense funding and whether to help young undocumented immigrants in the U.S. Listen to The Hill's podcast here     Democrats saw Franken as a liability By Alexander Bolton Sen. Al Franken (D-Minn.) had been resisting behind-the-scenes pressure from fellow Senate Democrats to step down for some time before his resignation on Thursday.  Read the full story here     Senate sends funding bill to Trump to avert shutdown By Jordain Carney The Senate on Thursday easily cleared a two-week stopgap funding bill, one day before the deadline to avoid a government shutdown. The bill now heads to the White House, where President Trump is expected to sign it. Read the full story here     White House: Tentative deal reached on defense spending By Jordan Fabian and Alexander Bolton President Trump and congressional leaders reached a “tentative agreement” on Thursday to raise defense spending levels as part of a year-end government funding package, according to a White House official. Read the full story here     Ethics panel clears Intel chairman of disclosing classified info By John Bowden The House Ethics Committee on Thursday cleared Rep. Devin Nunes (R-Calif.), the chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, of allegations that he disclosed classified information to the public. Read the full story here     John Lewis won't attend civil rights museum opening due to Trump presence By Brett Samuels Reps. John Lewis (D-Ga.) announced Thursday he won’t attend the opening of the Mississippi Civil Rights Museum on Saturday because President Trump will be there. Read the full story here     Rep. Franks resigning after discussing surrogacy with female staff By Cristina Marcos Rep. Trent Franks (R-Ariz.) revealed on Thursday that he is resigning because he discussed the option of surrogacy with female staffers. The House Ethics Committee announced that it is opening an investigation into his actions. Read the full story here     Judge in Flynn case recuses himself By Josh Delk The judge who took a guilty plea from President Trump's former national security adviser Michael Flynn last week has recused himself ahead of a sentencing hearing. Read the full story here     Trump to release infrastructure plan next month By Melanie Zanona and John Bowden President Trump will unveil his long-awaited proposal to rebuild the nation's infrastructure next month, a White House official told The Hill on Thursday. Trump had vowed during the 2016 campaign to invest $1 trillion in infrastructure projects, though the issue has taken a backseat to other GOP priorities this year. Read the full story here     Trump holds first White House Hanukkah party By John Bowden President Trump hosted his first White House Hanukkah party on Thursday night, where he touted his administration's decision to declare Jerusalem the capital of Israel. Missing from this year’s guest list: Congressional Democrats. Read the full story here     The special counsel investigation needs attorneys without conflicts By Jonathan Turley OPINION | With millions of dollars already spent by special counsel Robert Mueller and the legitimacy of the government at issue, we have a right to expect a conflict-free process from all parties. That is why, before we reach any conclusions, we should first publicly resolve any conflicts. Read the full story here     It's the golden age of cyber crime — here's how the US must prepare for it By Michael Daly and Bill Leigher  OPINION | The world now moves at the speed of cyber. To defend it, we have to look five years into the future. Some of our adversaries are already there. It's the golden age of cyber crime — here's how the U.S. must prepare for it Read the full story here     Reuters: White House doesn't foresee shutdown, Trump wants 20 percent corporate tax By Jeff Mason   The White House is confident it can craft a deal to avoid a government shutdown and foresees a compromise with lawmakers that will include increases in defense and non-defense spending, White House legislative affairs director Marc Short said on Thursday. Read the full story here     The New York Times: House vs. Senate: The tax changes up for debate and how different taxpayers would fare By Wilson Andrews and Alicia Parlapiano   Republicans must resolve the differences between the House and Senate versions of their tax overhaul bill before they can pass a final version. Read the full story here     The Associated Press: Like Trump, Moore breaking the rules of modern-day politics By Steve Peoples and Kim Chandler   He has ignored all the rules of modern-day politics. He speaks unscripted. He skimps on fundraising. He undervalues get-out-the-vote efforts. And he attacks the leaders of his own political party without mercy. A year ago, that was presidential nominee Donald Trump. This year, it’s Senate candidate Roy Moore. Read the full story here     The Washington Post: Russian social media executive sought to help Trump campaign in 2016, emails show By Rosalind S. Helderman, Anton Troianovski and Tom Hamburger An executive at a leading Russian social media company made several overtures to Donald Trump’s presidential campaign in 2016 — including days before the November election — urging the candidate to create a page on the website to appeal to Russian Americans and Russians. Read the full story here     The Wall Street Journal: U.K., EU reach deal on Brexit divorce terms By Laurence Norman   The U.K. and the European Union have reached an agreement on Brexit divorce terms after six months of tense talks, opening the way for negotiations to advance on a trade deal. Read the full story here         Did a friend forward you this email? Sign up for The Hill Tipsheet       Forward this Tipsheet           Privacy Policy  |  Manage Subscriptions  |  Unsubscribe  |  Email to a friend  |  Sign Up for Other Newsletters   The Hill 1625 K Street, NW 9th Floor, Washington DC 20006 ©2016 Capitol Hill Publishing Corp., a subsidiary of News Communications, Inc.