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).
President Donald Trump says “there seems to be no reason” to meet with Chinese leader Xi Jinping as part of an upcoming trip to South Korea after China restricted exports of rare earths needed for American industry. The Republican president suggested Friday he was looking at a “massive increase” of import taxes on Chinese products in response to Xi’s moves. Trump says one of the policies the U.S. is calculating is "a massive increase of Tariffs on Chinese products coming into the United States." A monthslong calm on Wall Street was shattered, with U.S. stocks falling on the news. The Chinese Embassy in Washington hasn't responded to an Associated Press request for comment.
Most members of the Federal Reserve’s interest-rate setting committee supported further reductions to its key interest rate this year, minutes from last month’s meeting showed.
From Wall Street trading floors to the Federal Reserve to economists sipping coffee in their home offices, the first Friday morning of the month typically brings a quiet hush around 8:30 a.m. eastern, as everyone awaits the Labor Department’s monthly jobs report.
The Supreme Court is allowing Lisa Cook to remain as a Federal Reserve governor for now.
Rep. John Moolenaar has requested an urgent briefing from the White House after Trump supported a deal giving Americans a majority stake in TikTok.
A new report finds the Department of Government Efficiency’s remaking of the federal workforce has battered the Washington job market and put more households in the metropolitan area in financial distress.
A new poll finds U.S. adults are more likely than they were a year ago to think immigrants in the country legally benefit the economy. That comes as President Donald Trump's administration imposes new restrictions targeting legal pathways into the country. The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research survey finds Americans are more likely than they were in March 2024 to say it’s a “major benefit” that people who come to the U.S. legally contribute to the economy and help American companies get the expertise of skilled workers. At the same time, perceptions of illegal immigration haven’t shifted meaningfully. Americans still see fewer benefits from people who come to the U.S. illegally.
Shares of Tylenol maker Kenvue are bouncing back sharply before the opening bell a day after President Donald Trump promoted unproven and in some cases discredited ties between Tylenol, vaccines and autism. Trump told pregnant women not to use the painkiller around a dozen times during the White House news conference Monday. The drugmaker tumbled 7.5%. Shares have regained most of those losses early Tuesday in premarket trading.
Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell on Tuesday signaled a cautious approach to future interest rate cuts, in sharp contrast with other Fed officials who have called for a more urgent approach. In remarks in Providence, Rhode Island, Powell noted that there are risks to both of the Fed’s goals of seeking maximum employment and stable prices. His approach is in sharp contrast to some members of the Fed’s rate-setting committee who are pushing for faster cuts.
President Donald Trump’s efforts to reshape the American media landscape have led to the suspension of late-night comedian Jimmy Kimmel.
