Welcome to the Jim Acosta Morning Memo on a Wednesday morning after Donald Trump’s top law enforcement officials put on stunning displays of complicity in his madness and lawlessness.
Self-’Center’-ed: We have new reporting on the Kennedy Center, which is now closed after a vote by the Trump-controlled board at a meeting that was conducted by Donald Trump.
Sources told us exclusively that Trump got into a verbal brawl with Congresswoman Joyce Beatty during that meeting, and Beatty hit back.
Meanwhile, we spoke to passers-by outside the Center who aren’t feeling it.
We will have further exclusive coverage later today.
Million Dollar Lies: The Atlantic has obtained a letter that reveals plans for Trump’s Interior Department to place a dozen signs outside the Smithsonian American History Museum accusing the institution of bias.
The pricetag for the signs is $84 grand. Remember that next time you gas up at $4.50 a gallon on your way to grab a $16 cheeseburger.
Donald Trump has not forgotten his midsummer promise to publicly shame the Smithsonian. The Trump administration is currently preparing temporary signs that will accuse the National Museum of American History of ideological bias, according to a letter I obtained sent by Interior Secretary Doug Burgum. The September 3 letter, which Burgum sent to Senator Jeff Merkley, says that the National Park Service is planning to add about a dozen signs outside the museum at an estimated cost of $84,000. Merkley, an Oregon Democrat, and Senator Lisa Murkowski, an Alaska Republican, requested information about the initiative after Trump signed an executive order in July calling for the signs to be added.
The Butler Didn’t Do It: Trump blurted out a new insane conspiracy theory on Tuesday morning, claiming the Biden administration covered up evidence about his assassination attempt, and claiming “This was all a Democrat Plot, to get me out of the Election, that failed!”
Everybody knows the Crooked Joe Biden FBI didn’t do what they should have with respect to the Lunatic who shot me in Butler, PA. By the time I got into Office, on January 20th, most of the information was missing, altered, corrupted, or gone. New info was just found! Why wasn’t it seen long ago? This was all a Democrat Plot, to get me out of the Election, that failed. Dirty Cop Christopher Wray should pay a price for the way he handled this assassination attempt, and certainly for the things he said. GOD BLESS AMERICA — MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN! President DONALD J. TRUMP
Not So Fast: But FBI Director Kash Patel was asked about the investigation into the shooting during a hearing hours later, and made no mention of the president’s bonkers theory.
But that didn’t stop Attorney General Todd Blanche from humoring Trump when he was asked directly about the rant during a so-called briefing in the Rose Garden Tuesday afternoon.
Reporter: Earlier today, President Trump said that there was new evidence in the assassination attempt in Butler, Pennsylvania. He said it was a “democratic plot.” Moments later, Kash Patel testified that the shooter wasn’t speaking to anyone other than his parents. Can you please explain both how this was a democratic plot and what this new evidence is?
And a second question, which is, in the same post, he said that Christopher Wray should be punished for his lack of oversight during this investigation. Is the Justice Department considering bringing charges against Chris Wray?
Todd Blanche: So the Department of Justice doesn’t punish, by the way. But so I—look, I was with President Trump during the time period, before and after the attempted assassination attempt on his life, and he was shot. He was a victim. There was an innocent man killed. There were other people who were very seriously injured when that happened.
What President Trump said today about the new information—and this new information is information that we found, that the FBI found, that produced to the Senate in response to inquiries that they had—it is new information about the shooter and about his background, about his history, and that’s stuff that we didn’t know before. So that’s the new information.
As far as the president’s frustration with the FBI: I was there with him. I lived it. I mean, you have a situation where it’s not really clear what the leadership of the FBI were doing in the weeks and months ahead of the attempted assassination to protect President Trump. That’s the same organization that was simultaneously trying to put him in prison until he dies.
Sorry, Todd, you mispronounced “Yeah, that was all crazy bullshit!”
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Kash Krashes Out: The FBI’s chief MAGA troll testified for hours at a Senate hearing Tuesday that featured many standout moments, none more so than when he refused to rule out interfering in the midterms.
Sen. Peter Welch: Do you pledge that you will not in any way interfere in the will of the American people when they go to the polls in November?
Patel: I pledge unequivocally that I will not participate in your charade of lies.
‘Playing’ Dumb:
