Tipsheet: Questions swirl about aide's security clearance

View in your browser     Questions swirl about aide's security clearance By Morgan Chalfant   The abrupt departure of White House aide Rob Porter this week has fueled questions about his security clearance and whether he should have been able to handle the classified material that reaches President Trump’s desk.  Read the full story here     Trump declines to approve release of Dem counter-memo By Jonathan Easley  President Trump is not ready to approve the release of a Democratic memo meant to rebut a document he declassified last week that was authored by Republicans on the House Intelligence Committee, the White House announced. Read the full story here     Texas GOP lawmaker: Trump wall 'expensive and least effective’ security plan By Alexis Simendinger   In an interview for The Hill's Power Politics podcast, Texas Republican Rep. Will Hurd says he wants the House to tackle an immigration bill that’s “narrow and bipartisan” and devoid of the vast physical border wall President Trump promised during his campaign. Listen to The Hill's podcast here       Second White House aide resigns amid past abuse allegations By Avery Anapol A second White House official has abruptly resigned this week following allegations of past domestic abuse, with increasing scrutiny over how senior officials have handled such claims. Read the full story here     Schumer, Pelosi rip Trump's decision to block Dem memo By Max Greenwood Democratic congressional leaders are blasting President Trump's decision to block the release of a Democratic memo aimed at rebutting a GOP document alleging surveillance abuses against the Trump campaign. Read the full story here     Nunes: 'No surprise' Dem memo wasn't released By Max Greenwood House Intelligence Committee chairman Devin Nunes (R-Calif.) said Friday he was not surprised that the Justice Department and FBI advised against the release of a memo authored by the panel's Democratic members. Read the full story here     Winners and losers from the overnight shutdown By Scott Wong It was a government shutdown that nobody wanted. Except maybe Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.). Here’s The Hill’s list of winners and losers of the Bipartisan Budget Act and the brief shutdown of 2018. Read the full story here     Dems left Dreamers out to dry, say activists By Rafael Bernal Immigration activists are furious that 73 House Democrats, including seven members of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, voted for a bipartisan spending bill that doesn't include a DACA fix. Read the full story here     Trump-Kim tensions shadow Olympics By Rebecca Kheel The Winter Olympics have started in South Korea with the shadow of U.S.-North Korea tensions looming over them. Read the full story here     Justice Department's No. 3 official to resign By Max Greenwood Associate Attorney General Rachel Brand is stepping down from her post as the Justice Department faces intense criticism from President Trump. In her role as the No. 3 DOJ official, Brand has been next-in-line to oversee the federal probe into ties between Trump campaign associates and Russia. Read the full story here     In the case of the FISA memos, transparency is national security By Jonathan Turley OPINION | It is now of paramount importance for the public to confirm who has been using our national security laws to spread false information, whether inside Congress or inside the FBI. Read the full story here     When American patriotism lit the skies: the 'Miracle on Ice,' 1980 Olympics By Brent Budowsky OPINION | Let's remember the history of the 20th century when we consider how to respond to the Russian challenge to American democracy today. Read the full story here     The Associated Press: No Olympic truce for US, North Korea in Pyeongchang By Eric Talmadge Forget an Olympic truce. The rhetoric war between North Korea and the Trump administration hasn’t skipped a beat in Pyeongchang. Read the full story here     The Wall Street Journal: U.S. Stocks Rebound as Wild Week Ends By Corrie Driebusch and Riva Gold U.S. stocks closed their most turbulent week in years with a sharp swing higher, temporarily stemming the bleeding in the market but doing little to quell investors’ fears of a prolonged downturn ahead. Read the full story here     The New York Times: Kelly Says He’s Willing to Resign as Abuse Scandal Roils White House By Maggie Haberman, Julie Hirschfeld Davis and Michael S. Schmidt John F. Kelly, the White House chief of staff, told officials in the West Wing on Friday that he was willing to step down over his handling of allegations of spousal abuse against Rob Porter, the staff secretary who resigned in disgrace this week over the accusations, according to two officials aware of the discussions. Read the full story here     The Washington Post: ‘Very turbulent’: Trump and White House consumed with turmoil amid abuse allegations By Philip Rucker and Josh Dawsey   The White House was engulfed in chaos Friday as officials scrambled to contain the fallout from its management of domestic violence allegations against staff secretary Rob Porter, even as President Trump lavished praise on the now-departed senior aide and suggested he may be innocent. Read the full story here     Reuters: Rain on Trump's parade: Democratic mayors sniff at military pageant By Scott Malone   The mayors of big American cities, a largely Democratic bunch, love parades, but few are lining up to host the Bastille Day-style military display that Republican President Donald Trump has asked the Pentagon to prepare. Read the full story here         Did a friend forward you this email? Sign up for The Hill Tipsheet       Forward this Tipsheet     You might like         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.