Kushner Sought Secret Communications with Russia and More in Politics Today

It’s difficult to stay up-to-date on what’s happening in this country and to break through the clutter, so we’re here to make it easier. Here’s what we at Countable are reading today:

1. Russian ambassador told Moscow that Kushner wanted secret communications channel with Kremlin

Jared Kushner and Russia’s ambassador to Washington discussed the possibility of setting up a secret and secure communications channel between Trump’s transition team and the Kremlin, using Russian diplomatic facilities in an apparent move to shield their pre-inauguration discussions from monitoring, according to U.S. officials briefed on intelligence reports.

Ambassador Sergei Kislyak reported to his superiors in Moscow that Kushner, son-in-law and confidant to then-President-elect Trump, made the proposal during a meeting on Dec. 1 or 2 at Trump Tower, according to intercepts of Russian communications that were reviewed by U.S. officials. Kislyak said Kushner suggested using Russian diplomatic facilities in the United States for the communications.

Read more at the Washington Post.

2. New GOP bill may revive internet privacy fight

A new GOP House bill is putting internet privacy back in the spotlight, just weeks after President Trump signed legislation killing privacy protections passed during the Obama administration.

The new bill, from Rep. Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.), comes after Republicans were left reeling from a public backlash after pushing through legislation to kill internet privacy protections passed by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) last year.

The Blackburn bill, which was introduced last week, seems to be an answer to those critics. It would require both edge services and ISPs to get users’ permission before sharing their sensitive information — things like financial data, browsing history and geolocation information — with advertisers.

Read more at The Hill.

3. How Alleged Russian Hacker Teamed Up With Florida GOP Operative

The hacking spree that upended the presidential election wasn’t limited to Democratic National Committee memos and Clinton-aide emails posted on websites. The hacker also privately sent Democratic voter-turnout analyses to a Republican political operative in Florida named Aaron Nevins.

Mr. Nevins confirmed his exchanges after The Wall Street Journal identified him first as the operator of the HelloFLA blog and then as the recipient of the stolen DCCC data. The Journal also reviewed copies of exchanges between the hacker and Mr. Nevins. That the obscure blog had received hacked Democratic documents was previously known, but not the extent of the trove or the blogger’s identity.

Mr. Nevins said he hasn’t been contacted by any investigators about last year’s political hacking. He isn’t convinced the Russians were behind it, Mr. Nevins said, but even if they were, it doesn’t matter to him because the agenda of the hackers seemed to match his own.

"If your interests align," he said, “never shut any doors in politics.”

Read more at the Wall Street Journal.

4. A complete list of all the reasons Senate Republicans can't repeal Obamacare yet

After a month of debating their health care plan, Senate Republicans say they’re ready to start writing draft legislation next week. That doesn’t mean they’re close to actually repealing and replacing Obamacare. Far from it.

The legislative clock is ticking, other items on the Trump administration’s domestic agenda are stalled, and the GOP is out of procedural excuses to delay a vote, now that the Congressional Budget Office has scored the House-passed version of the bill. Senators have openly said it could take a month or two to produce a plan, and aides have said privately that these talks could push into the month-long August recess that Congress usually takes to leave Washington.

Read more at Vox.

5. Sources: Comey acted on Russian intelligence he knew was fake

Then-FBI Director James Comey knew that a critical piece of information relating to the investigation into Hillary Clinton's email was fake -- created by Russian intelligence -- but he feared that if it became public it would undermine the probe and the Justice Department itself, according to multiple officials with knowledge of the process.

As a result, Comey acted unilaterally last summer to publicly declare the investigation over -- without consulting then-Attorney General Loretta Lynch -- while at the same time stating that Clinton had been "extremely careless" in her handling of classified information. His press conference caused a firestorm of controversy and drew criticism from both Democrats and Republicans.

Comey's actions based on what he knew was Russian disinformation offer a stark example of the way Russian interference impacted the decisions of the highest-level US officials during the 2016 campaign.

Read more at CNN.

6. Trump’s Budget, Breaking Tradition, Seeks Cuts to Service Programs

Mr. Trump’s budget proposal would eliminate the Corporation for National and Community Service, and with it, AmeriCorps, Senior Corps and Vista, one of Kennedy’s first national service programs.

He would zero out a popular loan forgiveness program for graduates who choose public service jobs, and he would cut the Peace Corps by 15 percent. The cuts would extend to other programs that encourage young Americans to teach in at-risk schools, become police officers or take careers in social work.

Mr. Trump’s budget proposal "ends eight decades of presidential leadership on national service," said AnnMaura Connolly, president of Voices for National Service. “It’s disappointing to see that strong string of bipartisan leadership broken.”

Read more at the New York Times.

— Asha Sanaker

(Photo Credit: Chairman of the Joint Chiefs / Creative Commons )