REPORT: Trump To Roll Back Obama Rule On ‘Waters Of The US’

The Trump administration is expected to reign in the application of the “Waters of the U.S.,” or WOTUS, rule of the Clean Water Act next week, E&E News reports. Landowners have often complained about the wide-ranging definition of what qualifies as “waters of the U.S.” under federal regulation. The rule has been used to justify hefty fines for harming bodies of water such as vernal pools, which are only present part of the year and are not connected to larger rivers or lakes.

The new definition would not include rivers that only flow after rainfall nor wetlands that are not connected to larger rivers or waterways, according to E&E News. The announcement of the new definition is expected Tuesday, according to an Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) memo of talking points obtained by E&E News. The announcement of the new definition is expected Tuesday, according to an Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) memo of talking points obtained by E&E News.

The EPA finalized WOTUS in 2015, giving the agency broad authority to regulate all “navigable waters” under the Clean Water Act. President Donald Trump issued an executive order in February 2017 to review and rewrite WOTUS to make it “consistent with the opinion of Justice Antonin Scalia in Rapanos v. United States.” “Navigable waters” refers to “relatively permanent, standing or flowing bodies of water,” Scalia, who died in 2016, wrote in the majority opinion in Rapanos. Former EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt followed up on Trump’s executive order in January, beginning the review process and staying the WOTUS rule from being enforced until 2020 in 26 states. The rule was already stayed in the other 24 states by the state courts. A federal judge ruling in August blocked Pruitt’s stay.

https://www.dailycaller.com/2018/12/06/clean-water-act-donald-trump/

Report: Andrew McCabe Launched Obstruction Probe into Trump Before Mueller Appointment

FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe reportedly launched an obstruction of justice investigation into President Donald Trump prior to the appointment of special counsel Robert Mueller. CNN reported Thursday evening that in the days following Comey’s ouster in May 2017, McCabe, Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein, and other leading FBI officials met to discuss how to curb the president from future actions they thought would add to the turmoil at the FBI. Among the options discussed was Rosenstein donning a wire during meetings with President Trump in an attempt to capture what he believed was manic behavior demonstrated by the president that could potentially be used to convince cabinet members to invoke the 25th Amendment. Rosenstein has vehemently denied the proposition was a serious one and, after several meetings with the president, the Justice Department’s number two official appears to be safe in his position.

The obstruction probe was an idea the FBI had previously considered, but it didn’t start until after Comey was fired. The justification went beyond Trump’s firing of Comey, according to the sources, and also included the President’s conversation with Comey in the Oval Office asking him to drop the investigation into his former national security adviser Michael Flynn. The new details about the genesis of the obstruction case into Trump that became a key element of the Mueller probe shed light on the chaotic week following Comey’s firing and the scramble to decide how best to respond. They also help to explain the origins of the Mueller investigation that has stretched across 19 months, consumed Trump’s presidency and is building toward a dramatic day of courtroom filings on Friday. Prior to Comey’s firing, top FBI officials had discussed opening an obstruction investigation based on the President saying to Comey, “I hope you can let this go” when discussing Flynn. That episode was later described in memos Comey wrote following the February meeting that the former FBI director would leak soon after his firing.

On May 17, 2017, the Justice Department appointment Mueller special counsel to investigate Russian meddling during the 2016 presidential election, along with any connections “between the Russian government and individuals associated with the campaign of President Donald Trump.” “It’s shocking that the FBI would open up an obstruction case for the President exercising his authority under Article II,” President Trump’s personal attorney Rudy Giuliani told CNN.

A press representative for McCabe has yet to comment publically on the report. When asked for comment on McCabe’s obstruction investigation, an attorney for Comey directed CNN to his client’s testimony before the Senate Intelligence Committee in 2017. Comey referenced the matter in his New York Times best-selling book A Higher Loyalty. “We resolved to figure out down the road what to do with the president’s request and its implications as our investigation progressed,” the former FBI official wrote. Acting on the recommendation of the FBI’s Office of Professional Responsibility, Sessions fired McCabe on March 16, days before the veteran law enforcement official was set to qualify for his pension. “The FBI’s OPR then reviewed the report and underlying documents and issued a disciplinary proposal recommending the dismissal of Mr. McCabe. Both the OIG and FBI OPR reports concluded that Mr. McCabe had made an unauthorized disclosure to the news media and lacked candor − including under oath − on multiple occasions,” a statement issued by Sessions read.

While it’s been months since McCabe left the federal government, the former FBI official’s troubles are far from over. As Breitbart News reported in September, federal prosecutors impaneled a grand jury several months earlier as part of an investigation into whether McCabe intentionally misled investigators about improperly leaking information to the media.

https://www.breitbart.com/politics/2018/12/06/report-andrew-mccabe-launched-obstruction-probe-into-trump-before-mueller-appointment/