White House brushes off House investigators over aides’ use of personal email. Curtis raises three times Allen’s take in the last three months. Poll: 52% of Utahns approve of Trump.
Happy Tuesday. The White House is brushing off a bipartisan request from House investigators for details of senior administration officials’ use of private email and encrypted messaging apps for government work, including possible violations of federal record-keeping laws. President Donald Trump’s concern about “her emails” when it came to Democrat Hillary Clinton are apparently not as big of a concern now that he runs the White House. [Politico]
Topping the news: Provo mayor John Curtis, vying for Jason Chaffetz’s vacated congressional seat, has raised nearly three times more in donations over the last three months than his Democratic opponent Kathie Allen. [Trib] [KUER]
-> More than 50 percent of Utahns approve of President Trump’s job performance, a new Tribune-Hinckley Institute poll shows, finding Trump climbing a bit in approval than last month. [Trib]
Tweets of the day:From @peteholmes: “i feel like mike pence’s favorite gummy bear is clear”
-> From @MPasset: “So excited to say Merry Christmas this year. Last time I could was 2007. Almost said it once in 2013 but President Barack Obama made me stop”
From @AaronBlake: “There’s always a tweet, Part 49,202 RT: @realDonaldTrump: Obama’s complaints about Republicans stopping his agenda are BS since he had full control for two years. He can never take responsibility.”
Happy Birthday: To Rep. Michael Noel and lobbyist Steve Barth.
In other news: After news reports published by The Washington Post and “60 Minutes,” Sen. Orrin Hatch denied that legislation he helped enact contributed to the opioid crisis. [Trib] [DNews]
-> Utah women shared stories of sexual assault and harassment using the hashtag #MeToo. [Trib]
-> A grand jury will be asked by federal prosecutors to drop 11 charges filed against former Utah Transit Authority board member Terry Diehl. [Trib]
-> An exploratory committee will measure if Salt Lake City should become a potential bidder for future a Olympics. [Trib] [DNews] [KUTV]
-> Religious leaders have requested Salt Lake City and SL County complete their affordable housing plans before the closure of the downtown homeless shelter. [Trib] [DNews] [Fox13]
-> UTA President and CEO Jerry Benson proposed that UTA borrow $88.5 million next year. [Trib]
-> Utah Sen. Mike Lee endorsed GOP Senate candidate Roy Moore of Alabama. [Trib]
-> Pat Bagley illustrates who claims the turf when it comes to the opioid epidemic. [Trib]
-> Paul Rolly analyzes right-wing conspiracy theories and how they contribute to “fake news.”[Trib]
-> Robert Gehrke describes the actions of Gary Ott’s aides as “deceitful.” [Trib]
Nationally: Trump and Sen. Mitch McConnell put private feuding aside and displayed a united front in preparation for a major tax cut. [NYTimes]
-> When asked why he hadn't yet made a public comment regarding the four U.S. special forces soldiers killed, Trump said he had written letters and falsely accused former President Barack Obama of not calling soldiers’ families in the past. [WaPost]
-> Trump expressed wariness of Steve Bannon’s attempts to meddle in Senate races. [Politico]
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— Thomas Burr and Karenna Meredith Twitter.com/thomaswburr and Twitter.com/meredithkarenna
Follow @sltribpolitics