memeorandum: Trump ratchets up feud with FBI (Max Greenwood/The Hill)

10:05 AM ET, December 24, 2017

Top Items:

President Trump finishes out the year at Mar-a-Lago, tax reform accomplished — President Trump kicked off his holiday weekend at Mar-a-Lago Friday night at a dinner where he told friends, “You all just got a lot richer,” referencing the sweeping tax overhaul he signed into law hours earlier.

Discussion: Washington Monthly, Political Wire, Raw Story and Mediaite

Washington Post:

Facing Republican attacks, FBI's deputy director plans to retire early next year … Andrew McCabe, the FBI's deputy director who has been the target of Republican critics for more than a year, plans to retire in a few months when he becomes fully eligible for pension benefits, according to people familiar with the matter.

Max Greenwood / The Hill:

Trump ratchets up feud with FBI — lashed out at top FBI officials on Saturday, his latest in a stream of criticism of the nation's premier law enforcement agency that has reportedly diminished morale among its agents and employees. — Trump swiped at multiple agency officials in a string …

Discussion: Scared Monkeys

Zack Beauchamp / Vox:

Trump's angry tweets about FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe, explained — Andrew McCabe is at the center of a political firestorm over alleged anti-Trump bias at the FBI. — Andrew McCabe is the deputy director of the FBI, the bureau's second in command and a longtime FBI agent …

Discussion: ABC News, The Gateway Pundit, RedState, Raw Story, Balloon Juice and Law & Crime

Adam Goldman / New York Times:
Andrew McCabe, F.B.I.'s Embattled Deputy, Is Expected to Retire

Discussion: The Week, KTLA, NPR, Mediaite, The Gateway Pundit and Axios

Justin Jouvenal / Washington Post:

A teen is charged with killing his girlfriend's parents. They had worried he was a neo-Nazi. — Buckley Kuhn-Fricker was so disturbed by what she discovered about her teenage daughter's boyfriend that she spent a tumultuous week pushing for a breakup. By Thursday, she texted a friend saying the …

Discussion: Raw Story and AOL

Susan Carroll / Houston Chronicle:

Woman accuses United of giving her seat to Houston's Sheila Jackson Lee — A passenger on a flight from Houston to Washington D.C. has accused United Airlines of giving her first-class seat to U.S. Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee. D-Houston, and then threatening to remove her from the plane …

Discussion: Althouse

Matt Vespa / Townhall.com:

WSJ: The Democratic Party Is Rooting Against The American Worker And Our Country's Success — We all know the left wing lurch the Democratic Party has taken over the past for years. You saw that with the energized progressive cohorts that flocked to Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) in the 2016 Democratic primaries.

Raw Story:

Christians in Holy Land say Trump and Pence have killed tourism and put their lives at risk — Bethlehem. A week before Christmas, there was only a handful of tourists snapping photos of the huge decorated tree in Manger Square, with its strings of red and white lights.

Mwenzke / KTLA:

LAPD Confirms Someone Sent Horse Manure in Holiday Gift Wrap to U.S. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin … Someone sent a package wrapped in holiday gift paper and filled with horse manure that was addressed to United States Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin and placed on a street in Bel-Air …

Discussion: New York Post

Todd C. Frankel / Washington Post:

Charities fear tax bill could turn philanthropy into a pursuit only for the rich — Many U.S. charities are worried the tax overhaul bill signed by President Trump on Friday could spur a landmark shift in philanthropy, speeding along the decline of middle-class donors and transforming charitable gift-giving …

Discussion: Althouse

Kathleen Joyce / Fox News:

Pennsylvania family ordered to take down Jesus Christmas display after neighbor said it was ‘offensive’ — Family fighting back and keeping their Christmas display in Pennsylvania. — A Pennsylvania family was ordered by their homeowner's association to take down their Jesus Christmas display …

Discussion: bizpacreview.com, WPMT FOX43, USA Today and The Gateway Pundit

Lauren Horsch / Raleigh News & Observer:

Cooper appointee accused of dragging lobbyist by her ponytail steps down — RALEIGH — About a week after harassment allegations against former state lawmaker Daniel McComas surfaced, Gov. Roy Cooper's office said McComas stepped down Friday from the state Board of Transportation.

Discussion: Raw Story

Amy Lieu / Fox News:

Pennsylvania gunman targeted police officers, authorities say — Authorities in Harrisburg, Pa., were wondering Friday what drove a 51-year-old man to go on an afternoon shooting spree in which he apparently targeted police officers. — Police eventually shot and killed the gunman …

Discussion: The Daily Caller