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(Screengrab via Grabien) Rep. Chris Stewart during an appearance on Fox Business Channel, Sept. 27, 2021.
Chris Stewart says the Trump-Russia investigation is the real “big lie”
During a Monday evening appearance on Fox Business Channel, Rep. Chris Stewart said former President Donald Trump’s repeated false claim that the 2020 election is not the “big lie” that America should be talking about. Instead, it should be the years-long investigation into alleged ties between Trump’s 2016 presidential campaign and Russia.
“There’s this narrative about the big lie over some of the things that were said over the 2020 election. Oh, my gosh. This is the big lie. This is the thing that started and went on for four years,” Stewart said.
Stewart was discussing special counsel John Durham’s decision to indict Michael Sussman on a charge of making a false statement to the FBI. The Trump administration appointed Durham to investigate the origins of the Russia investigation. Sussman was a lawyer who represented the Democratic National Committee in Russia’s hacking of their servers in 2016. There have been allegations that Sussman was secretly working for the Clinton campaign. Sussman has denied that and pleaded not guilty.
Stewart said he was confident more indictments were on the way from Durham’s investigation, and he speculated those indictments could target federal law enforcement leadership.
“It shows either severe incompetence or corruption. It’s one or the other. They’re either very, very incompetent or very corrupt senior officials at the Department of Justice and the FBI, up and down the chain. The Republicans on the House Intelligence Committee referred more than a dozen individuals for criminal investigation. I think more indictments are coming. I hope they’re coming,” Stewart said.
Here’s what you need to know for Tuesday morning
🏛 Senate Republicans block a measure to fund the government to avoid a shutdown this week. The move also could force the U.S. to default on its debt. [WaPo]
🏛 Democrats have to back off a plan to pass a massive $3.5 trillion budget plan in conjunction with a $1 trillion infrastructure bill due to Republican opposition. [Politico]
📈 Murders spiked across the U.S. in 2020, the biggest one-year increase on record according to the FBI. [NYT]
🦠 New York Gov. Kathy Hochul declared an emergency as thousands of health workers in the state are refusing mandatory COVID-19 vaccinations. The move will allow the state to deploy the National Guard to react to worker shortages. [CNN]
🏛 Top military leaders will face tough questioning today from members of Congress about the chaotic withdrawal from Afghanistan. [CNN]
💉 The Utah Jazz says the team is 100% vaccinated. [Tribune]
🦠 Gov. Spencer Cox accepted a gift of 1 million sanitizing wipes from doTerra for use in Utah’s schools to fight the spread of COVID-19. [Tribune]
➡️ J. Dell Holbrook, who served on the Davis County Commission from 1990-1994, was the last Democrat elected in Davis County. He died last week at the age of 84. [Tribune]
🚨 North Korea fired what appeared to be a ballistic missile on Tuesday. The incident came just before the country’s ambassador to the United Nations called for the United States to give up its hostile policies toward his country. [NBC News]
👀 Just days after South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem’s daughter was denied a real estate appraiser’s license, the governor summoned the state employee who runs the agency and their supervisors to her office. Noem’s daughter was also in attendance. Government watchdogs say the meeting was a conflict of interest. [AP]
😳 Former President Donald Trump’s demand for an audit of some of the votes of the 2020 election in Texas caught Gov. Greg Abbott’s office off guard and plunged staff into chaos. [Politico]
➡️ The Los Angeles County District Attorney’s office announced that it would dismiss approximately 60,000 marijuana convictions. [Los Angeles Times]
🤔 California Sen. Diane Feinstein, the oldest member of the Senate, has missed several votes and has not been seen in Washington for a couple of weeks. A spokesperson says she is dealing with a family medical emergency. [Twitter]
📱 Facebook hit pause on a proposed Instagram for kids after pressure from lawmakers and parents groups. [WSJ]
Tuesday morning’s Utah news roundup
Utah
Salt Lake City police have ‘potential promising leads’ in killing of Aaron Lowe. [Tribune]
BYU project makes those unknown historic sites we just drive by come to life. [Tribune]
11,000-year-old solution to modern problem: Ancient potato could thrive in changing climate. [Tribune]
With an eye toward conservation and cost-reduction, Utah’s water utilities look underground. [Tribune]
Alpine district bus drive no longer employed after displaying controversial signs. [Fox 13]
COVID-19
Almost 3.200 more Utahns test positive for COVID-19. [Tribune]
Drive-thru vaccination clinic reopens at Legacy Events Center. [Fox 13]
Religion
Special report: If porn isn’t an addiction, how can Latter-day Saints kick the habit? [Tribune]
Opinion pages
Bruce Babbitt: Chaco Culture National Park is under siege. [Tribune]
Opinion: The planet’s on fire, and it will only get worse unless we act now. [Deseret News]
🎂 You say it’s your birthday?!!
Many happy returns to Democratic state Rep. Elizabeth Weight, podcaster JM Bell, and former state Sen. Scott Howell.
Got a birthday you’d like us to recognize in this space? Send us an email.
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