memeorandum: Trump Advisor Roger Stone Launches Into Vulgar Twitter Rant, Admits Contact With Assange During Clinton Leaks (Alex Mohajer/The Huffington Post)

12:40 PM ET, March 5, 2017

Top Items:

Jon Schwarz / The Intercept:

If Trump Tower Was Wiretapped, Trump Can Declassify That Right Now — If in fact Trump Tower was wiretapped during the 2016 presidential campaign, as President Trump claimed in several tweets Saturday morning, he can do much more than say so on twitter: Presidents have the power …

New York Times:

Trump Seeks Inquiry Into Allegations That Obama Tapped His Phones — WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — President Trump, a day after leveling a widely disputed allegation that President Barack Obama had ordered the tapping of his phones, demanded a congressional inquiry into whether Mr. Obama abused …

Discussion: Mother Jones, Althouse and The Root

Associated Press:

The Latest: Senator: Intel panel to look at alleged wiretap — The Latest on President Donald Trump's claim that then-President Barack Obama had Trump's telephones tapped during last year's election (all times EST): — A Republican member of the Senate Intelligence Committee …

Kailani Koenig / NBC News:

Former DNI James Clapper: ‘I Can Deny’ Wiretap of Trump Tower — WASHINGTON — Former Director of National Intelligence James Clapper on Sunday denied any suggestion that Trump Tower communications were wiretapped before the election. — For the part of the national security apparatus that he oversaw …

Discussion: Politico and NBC News

Ted Mann / Wall Street Journal:

Trump Faces Furor Over Unsubstantiated Claim Obama Wiretapped Him — President adds meeting with attorney general and homeland security secretary as allies and foes react to his claims on Twitter — PALM BEACH, Fla.—President Donald Trump called together several top advisers Saturday …

Andrew C. McCarthy / National Review:

The Obama Camp's Disingenuous Denials on FISA Surveillance of Trump — President Trump's early Saturday morning tweeting has exploded to the forefront an uncovered scandal I've been talking about since early January (including in this weekend's column): The fact that the Obama Justice Department …

Discussion: Power Line and The Last Refuge

Alex Mohajer / The Huffington Post:

Trump Advisor Roger Stone Launches Into Vulgar Twitter Rant, Admits Contact With Assange During Clinton Leaks — What did Donald Trump know, and when did he know it? Roger Stone may have the answer. — Renowned Republican strategist and long-time Donald Trump adviser Roger Stone launched …

Discussion: Breitbart, Mediaite, The Week, Raw Story, CANNONFIRE, IJR, Deadline, Politicus USA and Fox News Insider

Kyle Balluck / The Hill:

White House calls on Congress to investigate Trump's wiretap claims — White House press secretary Sean Spicer early Sunday said investigations into Russian attempts to influence the election should include President Trump's claims that the Obama administration “abused” its investigative powers in 2016.

Discussion: Talking Points Memo, Raw Story, CBS New York, The Gateway Pundit, TheBlaze and Political Wire

Robert Barnes / LawNewz:
Yes, There Could Be Serious Legal Problems if Obama Admin Involved in Illegal Surveillance

Discussion: RedState, Vox Popoli and The Last Refuge

CNN:
Trump plans to sign updated travel ban early next week

Discussion: RedState and ImmigrationProf Blog

CNN:
Trump falsely accuses Obama of wiretapping his phone

Brian Barrett / Wired:
If the Feds Did Wiretap Trump Tower, It's Not Obama Who Should Worry

emptywheel:
The Conspiratorial Game of Telephone in Bannon's Rag that Made Left, Right, and POTUS Go Crazy

Discussion: National Review, Washington Post, The Gateway Pundit, Raw Story, The Last Refuge, RedState, The Week and The Guardian

Timothy P. Carney / Washington Examiner:

It's literally pay to play at Mar-a-Lago — If you pay $200,000 a year to the company Donald Trump owns, you too can have access most weekends to the president and his top officials. As an alternative, your organization could cut a $150,000 check to bring in a couple of hundred people …

Kristina Webb / Palm Beach Post:

Trump mingles with Mar-a-Lago guests outside charity ball — President Donald Trump mingled with guests outside a charity ball at his Mar-a-Lago Club on Saturday night. — As attendees danced inside the ballroom where the Bascom Palmer Eye Institute held its gala, the president was spotted nearby …

Discussion: Politico

CNN:
Trump angry and frustrated at staff over Sessions fallout

Discussion: Hullabaloo and Balloon Juice

Jonathan Karl / ABC News:
Trump flashes anger over Sessions recusal, Russia stories in tense Oval Office meeting

Discussion: ThinkProgress, Lawyers, Guns & Money, Mediaite, Business Insider, New York Magazine, Politico and The Mahablog

WND:

Loretta Lynch: Need more marching, blood, death on streets — Senate Dems post her impassioned plea on Facebook page as ‘words of inspiration’ — WASHINGTON - The Obama administration's former Attorney General Loretta Lynch has made an impassioned video plea for more marching …

Discussion: John Hawkins' Right Wing News and twitchy.com

Dan Balz / Washington Post:

Russia is the slow burn of the Trump administration, and it's not going away — Russia has become the slow burn of President Trump's administration. It is the issue that he and his team cannot get beyond. — They cannot get beyond it because they are skittish about accepting what is already known.

Discussion: The Daily Beast and Politico

Neil Munro / Breitbart:
Obama's State Department Sponsored 2016 Meeting of Russian Ambassador with Sen. Sessions

Discussion: The Guardian

Aaron Blake / Washington Post:

SNL has a blockbuster in search of a hero: The Republican who stands up to Trump — “Saturday Night Live” just ran a two-minute liberal's dream sequence disguised as a movie trailer. — The trailer for “Republican” features a notable omission: a title character.

New York Times:

President Trump's Island Mentality — Throughout history, American presidents have declared it their job to protect and advance the interests of the United States and its citizens. President Trump has shoehorned that wholesome, uncontroversial idea into a narrow-minded …

Daily Mail:

Revealed: Tony Blair's secret White House summit as he launches astonishing bid to work for Donald Trump... as his Middle East peace envoy — Tony Blair has attended a secret meeting at the White House to discuss working for Donald Trump, The Mail on Sunday can reveal.

Discussion: The Guardian