Today in Trumpworld -- May 17

TRUMP’S SCHEDULE:

9 a.m.: President Donald Trump will depart the White House en route to Groton, Connecticut.


10:25 a.m.: Trump will arrive in Groton, Connecticut.

11:05 a.m.: Trump will deliver remarks at the United States Coast Guard Academy Commencement Ceremony.

3:30 p.m.: Trump will arrive back at the White House.

OTHER HAPPENINGS: Press secretary Sean Spicer will gaggle with the press on Air Force One on the flight to Connecticut.

WHITE HOUSE REELS: From POLITICO’s Matthew Nussbaum, Josh Dawsey, Elana Schor and Seung Min Kim: “President Donald Trump’s White House was rocked on Tuesday night by allegations that Trump tried to shut down an FBI investigation into one of his former aides, as the administration struggled to manage a growing list of scandals. Former FBI Director James Comey detailed in a memo that Trump asked him in the Oval Office to drop the probe into former national security adviser Michael Flynn, according to a friend of Comey, a request that came just one day after Trump ousted Flynn for lying to Vice President Mike Pence about his conversations with the Russian ambassador. The New York Times first reported the existence of the memo, which appears to be one of many documents Comey drafted regarding his conversations with Trump. ‘It's very rich in detail and hopefully it will come out soon,’ the friend of Comey, who spoke on condition of anonymity, told POLITICO. ‘There are other memos about his meetings too. He wrote down every word Trump said to him as soon as he could.’ The news sent shockwaves across Washington and adds to the controversy overwhelming the White House, which was already dealing with the fallout from Trump’s firing of Comey last week and Trump’s alleged disclosure of highly classified information to Russian officials.”

INSIDE THE WEST WING: From POLITICO’s Josh Dawsey and Matthew Nussbaum: “It was, in the words of one senior White House official, the worst day of Trump’s presidency. White House officials spent early Tuesday wondering who was leaking details of President Donald Trump’s classified conversations with Russian officials about intelligence shared by the Israelis, and moving to contain the fallout ahead of Trump’s planned trip to Jerusalem next week. They spent the evening facing a report that before he fired FBI director James Comey, Trump directly asked him to stop investigating the Trump campaign’s Russia ties—and worrying what else might yet be revealed. ‘Nobody knows where this really goes from here,’ the White House official said. ‘Everyone is walking around saying, “What is next?”’ In interviews, multiple White House officials indicated they feel under siege – unsure who in the intelligence community was leaking, how much damaging information was out there, when the next proverbial shoe would drop and what Trump might say.”

HILL REPUBLICANS’ SUPPORT FOR TRUMP WAVERS: From POLITICO’s John Bresnahan and Rachael Bade: “For Republicans on Capitol Hill, Donald Trump may finally have gone too far. … House Oversight and Government Reform Committee Chairman Jason Chaffetz (R-Utah) immediately said he’s prepared to subpoena the memos that Comey reportedly wrote contemporaneously to document his interactions with Trump. Chaffetz sent a letter to the FBI on Tuesday night asking for any notes, documents or records of Trump and Comey’s conversations to be turned over to his panel by May 24. His request was echoed by AshLee Strong, spokeswoman for House Speaker Paul Ryan: ‘We need to have all the facts, and it is appropriate for the House Oversight Committee to request this memo.’”

NEW POLL: From POLITICO’s Steven Shepard: “Donald Trump’s approval rating is at a new low — and that's before claims that he disclosed sensitive information to Russian officials in the Oval Office and tried to shut down an FBI investigation into former national security adviser Michael Flynn. A new POLITICO/Morning Consult poll, conducted after Trump fired FBI Director James Comey but before the two latest blockbuster revelations, shows Trump’s approval rating at 42 percent, with half of registered voters disapproving of the job Trump is doing as president. In the previous poll, conducted last Tuesday through Thursday, 46 percent of voters approved of Trump’s job performance, and 47 percent disapproved.”

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