Document Eqe2jBz4NdqvqZzQ8EE5p3OyR

Message From: Sent: To: Subject: Americans for Limited Government [media@limitgov.org] 4/19/2018 1:30:52 PM Abboud, Michael [/o=ExchangeLabs/ou=Exchange Administrative Group (FYDIBOHF23SPDLT)/cn=Recipients/cn=b6f5af791al842fladcc088cbf9ed3ce-Abboud, Mie] President Trump stands by voters that got him elected, rejects Trans-Pacific Partnership for good If the President believes these agreements do not put America first, he will kill them April 19, 2018 Permission to republish original op-eds and cartoons granted. President Trump stands by voters that got him elected, rejects Trans-Pacific Partnership for good The U. S. is out of the TPP for good, and we can thank President Trump. Going forward, this should give the Trump administration far more leverage in getting deals out of Mexico and Canada via NAFTA renegotiation and China via the World Trade Organization. Same deal with the Paris climate accord. Or the Iran nuclear deal. If the President believes these agreements do not put America first, he will kill them. Banks that took taxpayer bailouts seek to revive Eric Holder's anti-Second Amendment Operation Choke Point America's largest banks should uphold American values: entrepreneurship, innovation, and, perhaps more than anything, the principles of the Constitution. Yet several of the country's largest banks have decided to go against these principles by opposing the people's Second Amendment right to bear arms. Citigroup and Bank o f America have enacted policies to stop lending to companies that make assault-style guns, while this has the potential for wide-reaching consequences on basic American rights, it also represents an opportunity for the people to prove the American way. Fox News: GOP reps refer Comev, Clinton. McCabe for criminal investigation "Nearly a dozen Republican members of Congress on Wednesday sent a criminal referral to the Justice Department and FBI seeking an investigation of former bureau boss James Comey, his deputy Andrew McCabe, ex-Attorney General Loretta Lynch and Hillary Clinton in connection with 2016 campaign controversies. '' President Trump stands by voters that got him elected, rejects Trans-Pacific Partnership for good Sierra Club v. EPA 18cv3472 NDCA Tier 7 ED 002061 00003080-00001 By Robert Romano President Donald Trump is back to the issue that got him elected more than any other and transformed the U S. electoral map in 2016, and that is rejecting the 11 -nation Trans-Pacific Partnership trade deal that had been proposed by former President Barack Obama. On Twitter on April 17, Trump appeared to rule out the TPP once and for all: "While Japan and South Korea would like us to go back into TPP, I don't like the deal for the United States. Too many contingencies and no way to get out if it doesn't work. Bilateral deals are far more efficient, profitable and better for OUR workers. Look how bad WTO is to U.S." That had followed a turbulent week for the President as he toyed with the idea of getting back into the TPP. Bloomberg had reported on April 12 that "Two White House officials who spoke on condition of anonymity confirmed that the president directed economic adviser Larry Kudlow and U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer to explore the feasibility of re-entering the TPP." The President then confirmed his thinking on Twitter on April 12 that he was open to a new deal, but offered certain provisos: "Would only join TPP if the deal were substantially better than the deal offered to Pres. Obama. We already have BILATERAL deals with six of the eleven nations in TPP, Sierra Club v. EPA 18cv3472 NDCA Tier 7 ED 002061 00003080-00002 and are working to make a deal with the biggest of those nations, Japan, who has hit us hard on trade for years!" Upon hearing the reports, Americans for Limited Government President Rick Manning warned via a statement that reentering the TPP would be bad for the American economy and bad for Trump politically, saying, "President Donald Trump made it clear well before his candidacy in 2015 that he opposed the Trans-Pacific Partnership, calling it a bad, bad deal. One of his first acts as President was to withdraw from the TPP to the applause of the American people because it did not put America first. The White House's reported reconsideration of this withdrawal would be a disaster both for our nation and for President Trump, who won the election promising to get out of this deal. This sovereignty-killing globalist dream pact embodies everything that the President has opposed throughout his political life, and there is simply no margin to reenter it." For Manning, the TPP was something akin to a third rail for the President. Fighting against it and other bad trade deals like NAFTA and the World Trade Organization had helped Trump cement his Electoral College majority in the Rust Belt states of Ohio, Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin in 2016. It was an issue that proved popular in the 2016 GOP nominating contest, revealing a Republican electorate that was with Trump on trade, surprising many political observers and most of all, Trump's Republican opponents in the primary. Against Hillary Clinton, the issue helped bring on board union households, reuniting the coalition that helped Ronald Reagan win in the 1980s. It was Trump's vision that got him elected, but suddenly, with the reports on being open to a new TPP, it was all up in the air. Fortunately, by April 17, just prior to meeting with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe at Mar-aLago, Fla., Trump had popped the trial balloon completely. Apparently, navigating and reorienting the 11-nation trade agreement was not as feasible as it might appear at first glance. Or perhaps it just all Trump's art of the deal. So far, Japan has not been granted any exceptions to the President's steel and aluminum tariffs and now another new trade agreement could be at hand. At a working lunch with Abe on April 19, Trump said, "the word `reciprocal' will be the primary word that we're going to be using. And we use that with every nation now, because the United States has not been properly led on trade. Our people have let us down. Whether it's our Presidents or our representatives, they've let us down. So free, fair, and reciprocal. And I think we've all agreed to that. And that's just very important." Later at a joint press conference, Abe agreed that he and Trump had agreed to begin talks on "free, fair and reciprocal trade deals" between the two countries on a bilateral basis. On TPP, Trump said, `"I like bilateral better, I think it's better for our country, I think it's better for our workers. I would much prefer a bilateral deal, a deal directly with Japan." And that's what they're working on. Trump said he likes to remain "flexible," of course -- again, the art of the deal -- and so finally offered, "Unless they offer us a deal that we cannot refuse, I would not go back into TPP." Which won't happen. The TPP had been in negotiations since 2005. By the time all 11 nations got a new agreement together to try to make another offer to the U S. on a multinational basis, Trump would in all likelihood already be out of office. Sierra Club v. EPA 18cv3472 NDCA Tier 7 ED 002061 00003080-00003 Meaning, the U.S. is out of the TPP for good, and we can thank President Trump. Going forward, this should give the Trump administration far more leverage in getting deals out of Japan on a bilateral basis, Mexico and Canada via NAFTA renegotiation and China via the World Trade Organization. Same deal with the Paris climate accord. Or the Iran nuclear deal. If the President believes these agreements do not put America first, he will kill them. That is the Trump card. The President can, as he has just done, unilaterally leave NAFTA, the WTO, Iran, or any other bad deal, just like he did the TPP and Pahs. Food for thought. Trump isn't bluffing. He'II actually do it. Don't doubt him. Robert Romano is the Vice President of Public Policy at Americans for Limited Government. Banks that took taxpayer bailouts seek to revive Eric Holder's anti-Second Amendment Operation Choke Point By Natalia Castro America's largest banks should uphold American values: entrepreneurship, innovation, and, perhaps more than anything, the principles of the Constitution. Yet several of the country's largest banks have decided to go against these principles by opposing the people's Second Amendment right to bear arms. Citigroup and Bank of America have enacted policies to stop lending to companies that make Sierra Club v. EPA 18cv3472 NDCA Tier 7 ED 002061 00003080-00004 semi-automatic rifles, while this has the potential for wide-reaching consequences on basic American rights, it also represents an opportunity for the people to prove the American way. Citigroup announced in a March 22 press release their banks would "require new retail sector clients or partners to adhere to these best practices: (1) they don't sell firearms to someone who hasn't passed a background check, (2) they restrict the sale of firearms for individuals under 21 years of age, and (3) they don't sell bump stocks or high-capacity magazines. This policy will apply across the firm, including to small business, commercial and institutional clients, as well as credit card partners, whether co-brand or private label." Similarly, in an interview with Bloomberg Television in early April, Back of America vice chairman Anne Finucane announced the bank would no longer finance companies that manufacture semi automatic rifles for civilian use. Citigroup Executive Vice President Ed Skyler explained in the press release; this policy does not center on "an ideological mission to rid the world of firearms" and defended the Constitutional right of millions of Americans to bear arms. These banks claim this will not affect individual consumers who use Citi or Bank of America cards yet the policy directly contradicts these words. Across the country, gun manufacturers are being forced to adjust for this policy. Yvette Shields of the economic publication The Bond Buyer explains Chicago financial officials are working tirelessly to halt these anti-gun policies. Chicago chief financial officer Carole Brown noted, these banks policies will prevent the industry from gaining necessary capital, inherently restricting access to firearms. Ben Jackson, vice president of government relations at the Illinois Bankers Association, told Shields, "Given the broad language of the ordinance, banks would find it `impossible' to police the activities of all its retail clients... Banks could be subject to client lawsuits for their policies. The ordinance also lacks a waiver provision if there is a compelling business reason." By enacting anti-gun policies, Citigroup and Bank of America have attempted to restrict Americans access to guns and complicated the entire marketplace. However, a press release from the National Rifle Association's Institute for Legislative Action highlights the irony of this action. As the April 13 release reminds, "Citigroup, Bank of America, and other major corporations would do well to recognize that the American voter, through their elected representatives, has repeatedly rejected restrictions on their Second Amendment rights." Now, the American people will not just have the chance to prove their commitment to the Second Amendment on the ballot box but also through their financial decisions. One bank has gone against the tide of Citigroup and Bank of America, Wells Fargo. As Wells chief financial officer John Shrewsberry told reporters, "As our CEO has publicly stated, we do not believe that the American public wants banks to decide which legal products consumers can and cannot buy. We believe this issue requires a legislative solution that allows the public to voice their concerns." Wells Fargo has the right idea. Luckily, we have a capitalist system, so the American people can decide to move their business away from Bank of America and Citigroup and toward banks such as Wells Fargo that protect the people's interest. Banks are not policymakers and should not take that role. Particularly not banks that have been bailed out by the federal government who are now deciding to go against the Constitution. If Bank of Sierra Club v. EPA 18cv3472 NDCA Tier 7 ED 002061 00003080-00005 America and Citigroup want to defy the basic principles of the Constitution they may, they are not the government, but the American people ought to defend those principles and take their business elsewhere. Natalia Castro is a contributing editor at Americans for Limited Government ALG Editor's Note: In the following featured report from Fox News, House Republican members of Congress have made criminal referrals to the Justice Department on former FBI Director James Comey, former FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe, former Attorney General Loretta Lynch and Hillary Clinton: GOP reps refer Comey, Clinton, McCabe for criminal investigation By Judson Berger and Brooke Singman Nearly a dozen Republican members of Congress on Wednesday sent a criminal referral to the Justice Department and FBI seeking an investigation of former bureau boss James Comey, his deputy Andrew McCabe, ex-Attorney General Loretta Lynch and Hillary Clinton in connection with 2016 campaign controversies. Attorney General Jeff Sessions already announced last month he had assigned a federal prosecutor to review some of those broader issues, while resisting calls for a second special counsel. But the referral represents an escalation of Republican pressure to probe top Democrats and Trump critics. Rep. Ron DeSantis, R-Fla., and 10 other House lawmakers want an investigation into potential violations that cover everything from the handling of the Clinton email probe to the anti-Trump dossier's funding to the Uranium One controversy. They made their case in a letter sent Wednesday to Sessions, FBI Director Christopher Wray, and U S. Attorney John Huber, whom Sessions named to lead the previously announced evaluation. Complaining about "dissimilar degrees of zealousness" in the investigations into Clinton and Trump campaign associates, they wrote: "Because we believe that those in positions of high authority should be treated the same as every other American, we want to be sure that the potential violations of law outlined below are vetted appropriately." They named Comey, Clinton, Lynch, McCabe, FBI agents Peter Strzok and Lisa Page and several others as figures who should be investigated. Get full story here. Sierra Club v. EPA 18cv3472 NDCA Tier 7 ED 002061 00003080-00006 Americansfor Limited Government 10332 Main Street # 326None Fairfax Virginia 22030 United States This email is intended for abboud.michael@epa.gov. Update your preferences or Unsubscribe Sierra Club v. EPA 18cv3472 NDCA Tier 7 ED 002061 00003080-00007