The times. (Gainesville, Ga.) 1972-current, November 21, 2018, Image 4

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The times., November 21, 2018, Image 4

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Newspaper Page Text4A Wednesday, November 21,2018 The Times, Gainesville, Georgia | gainesvilletimes.com WASHINGTON POLITICS Congress to probe Ivanka Trump’s private email use ANDREW HARNIKI Associated Press Ivanka Trump, the daughter of President Donald Trump, center, greets guests after President Donald Trump spoke about prison reform in the Roosevelt Room of the White House in Washington, Nov. 14. BY CHAD DAY Associated Press WASHINGTON — New rev elations about the extent of Ivanka Trump’s personal email use in the White House will be getting a hard look from House Democrats when they take power in January. The House Oversight and Gov ernment Reform committee began looking into private email use last year after reports by Politico revealed that Ivanka Trump’s hus band, Jared Kushner, and other White House officials had been using private email for government purposes in possible violation of the Presidential Records Act and other federal record-keeping laws. Rep. Elijah Cummings of Mary land, the likely incoming chairman of the Oversight panel, said Tuesday that he will resume that bipartisan investigation, which was dropped by Republicans. And he will pres sure President Donald Trump’s administration to turn over records about the use of private email for public business by Ivanka Trump, Kushner and other senior officials. “My goal is to prevent this from happening again — not to turn this into a spectacle the way Republi cans went after Hillary Clinton,” Cummings said. “My main prior ity as Chairman will be to focus on the issues that impact Americans in their everyday lives.” The issue resurfaced this week when The Washington Post reported that the president’s daughter, while a top White House adviser, sent hundreds of emails about government business from a personal email account last year. The emails were sent to White House aides, Cabinet members and Ivanka Trump’s assistants, many in violation of public records rules, according to The Post. In comments to reporters, the president, who has spent years rail ing against Clinton’s use of private email for public business while sec retary of state, sought to downplay — and differentiate — his daugh ter’s email use from his former opponent’s. “They aren’t classified like Hill ary Clinton. They weren’t deleted like Hillary Clinton,” Trump said, adding: “What Ivanka did, it’s all in the presidential records. Every thing is there.” A spokesman for Ivanka Trump’s lawyer, Abbe Lowell, didn’t dispute the Post report. The spokesman, Peter Mirijanian, said no classi fied information was transmitted in the messages, no emails were deleted and the emails have since been “retained” in conformity with records laws. He also said Ivanka Trump did not set up a pri vate server for the account, which he said was “never transferred or housed at Trump Organization.” Mirijanian said that while transi tioning into the government, Ivanka Trump “sometimes used her pri vate account, almost always for logistics and scheduling concerning her family.” “When concerns were raised in the press 14 months ago, Ms. Trump reviewed and verified her email use with White House Counsel and explained the issue to congressio nal leaders,” he said. He did not say which congressional leaders were briefed. On Tuesday, Republican Rep. Mark Meadows of North Carolina, a fierce defender of the president as the leader of the House Free dom Caucus, also downplayed the matter. “There are over 30,000 Bleach- Bit reasons why the Hillary Clinton email scandal isn’t even close to the Ivanka email issue,” Meadows tweeted, referring to a computer program used to delete emails from her server. The House Oversight investiga tion into private email used by Trump White House officials was launched in early 2017 with the sup port of then-Republican chairman Rep. Jason Chaffetz. After Chaffetz retired from Congress, Rep. Trey Gowdy of South Carolina joined with Cummings in demanding that the White House provide the identi ties of staff members who had used their personal emails to conduct official business. In October 2017, the White House dispatched counsel’s office lawyers Stefan Passantino, Uttam Dhil- lon and Daniel Epstein to brief bipartisan committee staff, but the attorneys refused to identify any officials who had used private email for official business. The law yers only said that several White House employees had “confessed” to failing to following the Presi dential Records Act, according to a letter summarizing the briefing released by Cummings earlier this year. Trump: Mississippi senator’s ‘hanging’ remark was ‘in jest’ Trump pardons turkeys named Peas and Carrots BY EMILY WAGSTER PETTUS Associated Press JACKSON, Miss. — President Donald Trump is defending a Republican U.S. senator from Missis sippi who praised one of her own supporters by saying she would attend a “public hanging” if the supporter invited her — a remark that has stirred strong emo tions in a state with a his tory of racially motivated lynchings. Trump said at the White House on Tuesday that Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith is “a tremendous woman” who loves the people of Missis sippi and the U.S. A video published Nov. 11 shows Hyde-Smith prais ing a supporter at a Nov. 2 campaign event in Tupelo by saying: “If he invited me to a public hanging, I’d be on the front row.” She said in a statement that the expres sion was an “exaggerated expression of regard” and said it is “ridiculous” to read any negative connotation into it, but she has refused to answer questions about it. Hyde-Smith is expected to face more questions Tues day night as she faces Dem ocrat Mike Espy in their only debate. Espy, a former congressman and U.S. agri culture secretary, is seeking to become the state’s first African-American senator since Reconstruction. Walmart asked Hyde- Smith to return a $2,000 campaign contribu tion because of the hanging remark. “It was just sort of said in jest,” Trump said, defending Hyde-Smith. “She’s a tremendous woman and it’s a shame that she has to go through this.” Hyde-Smith’s campaign did not respond to questions from The Associated Press about whether it would refund Walmart’s contri bution. Campaign spokes woman Melissa Scallan said the senator was focusing on debate preparation. The campaign also did not immediately respond to questions about a 2014 post on Hyde-Smith’s personal Facebook page about her visit to Beauvoir in Biloxi, Mississippi, the last home of Confederate president Jef ferson Davis. Hyde-Smith was the elected state agri culture commissioner at the time. The post was labeled “Mississippi history at its best” and had four photos, including one of Hyde-Smith holding a rifle and wearing a Confederate military cap. Walmart spokeswoman LeMia Jenkins said Tuesday that the company donated to Hyde-Smith Nov. 8. That was two days after Hyde-Smith and Espy advanced from a field of four candidates to go to a Nov. 27 special election runoff, but three days before release of the video with the “public hanging” remark. “Sen. Hyde- Smith’s recent comments clearly do not reflect the values of our com pany and associates,” Jen kins said in a statement. “As a result, we are withdrawing our support and requesting a refund of all campaign donations.” Senate races rarely gain national attention in Missis sippi, a deeply conservative state. But this matchup — the last major race of 2018 midterms — has drawn scrutiny after Hyde-Smith’s remarks. Trump is traveling to Mis sissippi for two Hyde-Smith rallies Monday on the eve of the election. Former Vice President Joe Biden has endorsed Espy. Hyde-Smith was appointed to the Senate to temporarily succeed long time Sen. Thad Cochran, who retired in April amid health concerns. She is the first woman to represent Mississippi in Congress. BY DARLENE SUPERVILLE Associated Press WASHINGTON — In an annual Thanksgiving tra dition, President Donald Trump used the power of his office Tuesday to keep a pair of turkeys off the holi day table. But Trump jokingly warned that while the 39-pound bird named Peas and a 41-pounder named Carrots are free to live the rest of their lives, they may have to answer to Demo crats, who will control the House beginning in January and have promised to inves tigate the president’s actions and business dealings. The White House held an online contest to determine which bird should be par doned. Trump identified the “lucky bird” as Peas. “This was a fair election,” joked the president, whose wife, first lady Melania Trump, was on hand to wit ness the act of mercy car ried out during a ceremony in the White House Rose Garden. “Unfortunately, Carrots refused to concede and demanded a recount, and we’re still fighting with Carrots. But I will tell you, we’ve come to a conclusion, Carrots. I’m sorry to tell you, the result did not change. Hyde-Smith abersham iv^treat ^Assisted Care Community Now Offers a New Assisted Living Home Located 258 Park Ave Baldwin GA The uite Life Come by for a visit. Prebook one of our new rooms that you can make your very own. www.habershamretreat.com Call us @ 706-499-6842 Auto Insurance Specialist • Easy Payments • Any Driver • Any Age NEW LOCATION! 2415 OLD CORNELIA HWY., GAINESVILLE Next to Rabbittown Cafe 770-450-4500 That’s too bad for Carrots.” Trump pardoned both gobblers, who will be sent to Virginia Tech to be cared for by poultry science and veterinary students. “I have warned them that House Democrats are likely to issue them both subpoenas,” he said. “Unfor tunately, I can’t guarantee that your pardons won’t be enjoined by the Ninth Cir cuit.” That was a reference to the San Francisco-based federal appeals court that has overturned some of Trump’s actions. Turning serious, Trump said Thanksgiving “is a time for Americans to unite together in a spirit of love, understanding, unity and joy as one very proud American family.” He said all “Ameri can hearts” are joined with those affected by the devas tating California wildfires. EARLY DEADLINES FOR THANKSGIVING DAY Because of the upcoming Thanksgiving Day holiday The Times will alter its advertising and legals deadline as follows: Retail Display Ads Publication Date Deadline The Times Thursday 11/22 Monday, 11/19,3:00pm Friday 11/23 Tuesday, 11/20,3:00pm Saturday 11/24 Tuesday, 11/20,3:00pm Sunday Life 11/25 Tuesday, 11/20,3:00pm Sunday R0P 11/25 Wednesday, 11/21, Noon Sunday Class 11/25 Wednesday, 11/21, Noon Monday 11/26 Wednesday, 11/21, Noon Lanier Life Sunday 11/25 Wednesday, 11/21,9:00am Classified Line Ads Publication Date Deadline The Times Thursday 11/22 Tuesday, 11/20,3:00pm Friday 11/23 Wednesday, 11/21, Noon Lanier Life Sunday 11/25 Wednesday, 11/21,9:00am Saturday 11/24 Wednesday, 11/21,3:00pm Sunday 11/25 Wednesday, 11/21,3:00pm Monday 11/26 Wednesday, 11/21,3:00pm Legal Ads Publication Date Deadline The Times Thursday 11/22 Monday, 11/19,5:00pm Friday 11/23 Tuesday, 11/20,5:00pm Saturday 11/24 Tuesday, 11/20,5:00pm Sunday 11/25 Tuesday, 11/20,5:00pm Monday 11/26 Tuesday, 11/20,5:00pm €ht(£httt$ gainesvilletimes .com will be CLOSED Thursday, November 22 in observance of Thanksgiving.