Tom Steyer, the California billionaire behind an aggressive campaign demanding the impeachment of President Trump, accused the president of failing to protect the nation following the indictment of 13 Russians for meddling in the 2016 campaign.
“Why is he not protecting the American people?” he asked in an interview on Cheddar Friday, shortly after the indictment was announced. “Why is he allowing a hostile foreign power to attack us? And his response is to weaken sanctions against Russia at the same time?”
“What is he hiding, and why is unwilling to protect our democracy and the safety of the American people?”
Steyer’s comments come after Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein announced charges against 13 Russian nationals and three Russian organizations for meddling in U.S. elections.
The charges, which include conspiracy to defraud the United States, wire and bank fraud, and identity theft, are the first to be brought in Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation. The indictments claim infractions started back in 2014 and don’t suggest the 2016 presidential campaign was affected.
According to the indictment, the Russians ran a well-funded effort to sow political discord in the United States in advance of the 2016 election by creating hundreds of fake social media accounts that were supportive of Trump and critical of Hillary Clinton.
Trump, was briefed on the indictment Friday morning, took to Twitter Friday afternoon to point out there were no findings that his campaign did anything wrong.
But Steyer, who has funneled more than $20 million into an impeachment campaign against the president, says that the commander-in-chief had to be aware of Russia’s role in the election and yet has not taken action against previous or future “hostile attacks.”
“When the head of the FBI was asked two days ago whether they expected the Russians to hack us in 2018, he said ‘Yes, the Russians’ 2016 [attack] was a big success and they were going to continue it and expand it in 2018,’” Steyer said. “When he was asked if the president had ordered him to do anything to protect us against that he said, ‘No, not specifically.’”
For full interview [click here](https://cheddar.com/videos/meet-the-billionaire-backing-impeachment).
Ben & Jerry’s co-founder Jerry Greenfield is leaving the ice cream brand after 47 years. He says the freedom the company used to have to speak up on social issues has been stifled
The Federal Reserve cut its key interest rate by a quarter-point Wednesday and projected it would do so twice more this year as concern grows at the central bank about the health of the nation’s labor market. The move is the Fed’s first cut since December and lowered its short-term rate to about 4.1%, down from 4.3%. Fed officials, led by Chair Jerome Powell, had kept their rate unchanged this year as they evaluated the impact of tariffs, tighter immigration enforcement, and other Trump administration policies on inflation and the economy. The only dissenter was Stephen Miran, the recent Trump-appointee.
After a late-night vote and last-minute ruling, the Federal Reserve began a key meeting on interest rate policy Tuesday with both a new Trump administration appointee and an official the White House has targeted for removal.
The Trump administration has issued its first warnings to online services that offer unofficial versions of popular drugs like the blockbuster obesity treatment Wegovy.
Albania's Prime Minister Edi Rama says his new Cabinet will include an artificial intelligence “minister” in charge of fighting corruption. The AI, named Diella, will oversee public funding projects and combat corruption in public tenders. Diella was launched earlier this year as a virtual assistant on the government's public service platform. Corruption has been a persistent issue in Albania since 1990. Rama's Socialist Party won a fourth consecutive term in May. It aims to deliver EU membership for Albania in five years, but the opposition Democratic Party remains skeptical.
The Trump administration has asked an appeals court to remove Lisa Cook from the Federal Reserve’s board of governors by Monday, before the central bank’s next vote on interest rates. Trump sought to fire Cook Aug. 25, but a federal judge ruled late Tuesday that the removal was illegal and reinstated her to the Fed’s board.
President Donald Trump's administration is appealing a ruling blocking him from immediately firing Federal Reserve Gov. Lisa Cook as he seeks more control over the traditionally independent board. The notice of appeal was filed Wednesday, hours after U.S. District Judge Jia Cobb handed down the ruling. The White House insists the Republican president had the right to fire Cook over mortgage fraud allegations involving properties in Michigan and Georgia from before she joined the Fed. Cook's lawsuit denies the allegations and says the firing was unlawful. The case could soon reach the Supreme Court, which has allowed Trump to fire members of other independent agencies but suggested that power has limitations at the Fed.
Chief Justice John Roberts has let President Donald Trump remove a member of the Federal Trade Commission, the latest in a string of high-profile firings allowed for now by the Supreme Court.
President Donald Trump has fired one of two Democratic members of the U.S. Surface Transportation Board to break a 2-2 tie ahead of the board considering the largest railroad merger ever proposed.
The Rev. Al Sharpton is set to lead a protest march on Wall Street to urge corporate America to resist the Trump administration’s campaign to roll back diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives. The New York civil rights leader will join clergy, labor and community leaders Thursday in a demonstration through Manhattan’s Financial District that’s timed with the anniversary of the Civil Rights-era March on Washington in 1963. Sharpton called DEI the “civil rights fight of our generation." He and other Black leaders have called for boycotting American retailers that scaled backed policies and programs aimed at bolstering diversity and reducing discrimination in their ranks.
