President Trump’s first trip to Asia and the investigation into his campaign taking place back home dominated the weekend until a tragic shooting in Texas once again started a debate about gun control policies.
Trump spent time in Japan Saturday and Sunday after making a stop in Hawaii. The state’s attorney general said visiting the island state could serve as a learning experience. During his time in the state, he made a stop at a property he owns.
While in Japan, he met up with frequent golf partner and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe to play a round and then shared a video of the two playing golf.
However, back at home special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation continued to dominate the news.
A report broke Sunday morning indicating retired Lt. Gen. Mike Flynn, Trump’s first national security adviser, could be the next major figure indicted, along with his son. Flynn would be the first member of Trump’s administration to face charges. Flynn’s son mocked critics who tweeted at him about the report.
Trump said in an interview that former campaign chairman Paul Manafort had to be let go over his dealings with certain nations. Manafort was charged with crimes by Mueller last week.
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell played down fears about Congress’ ability to interfere with Mueller’s investigation and said it’s unlikely lawmakers will impact the investigation.
Oklahoma Sen. James Lankford told his colleagues in Congress to not interfere in the investigation and to let Mueller do his job.
Former Deputy Attorney General Sally Yates warned Trump the Justice Department should not be used to prosecute his political enemies.
Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., said the Trump administration should appoint special counsels to investigate various scandals linked to the Clintons, such as the Russia dossier and the Uranium One deal.
Vice President Mike Pence, in an interview, refused to say if he thought the Justice Department is “doing their job” after Trump criticized the department last week.
News broke during the day Sunday that Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross shares business interests with Russian President Vladimir Putin’s son-in-law and other Kremlin-linked businessmen. Senate Finance Committee ranking member Sen. Richard Blumenthal wants an investigation into those dealings.
The same leak of documents, being called the Paradise Papers, showed initial investors in Facebook and Twitter were linked to the Kremlin.
California Sen. Dianne Feinstein wants Attorney General Jeff Sessions to come back to the Senate Judiciary Committee to face more questions about his meetings with Russian nationals in the wake of Mueller’s indictments.
Sadly, a tragedy in Texas pushed much of the weekend’s political news to the backburner Sunday.
Twenty-six people were killed and 20 more injured when a man opened fire on a church in Sutherland Springs, Texas, Sunday morning.
Lawmakers flooded social media with their expressions of condolences for the victims and their families.
The White House prayed God would comfort the families of those who died in the shooting.
Trump called on Americans to pull together in the wake of the tragedy and lift each other up. He later ordered all flags to be flown at half-staff until Thursday in honor of the victims.
Earlier in the day, the revelations from former interim Democratic National Committee chairwoman Donna Brazile’s book about Hillary Clinton’s take over of the party in 2015 continued to make waves.
Campaign officials for Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., said Brazile’s revelation showed their campaign got a raw deal from the DNC.
Brazile also revealed she considered starting the process of replacing Clinton and running mate Tim Kaine with former Vice President Joe Biden and New Jersey Sen. Cory Booker after Clinton’s fainting spell in September 2016 raised worries about her health.
She also was worried about the Russians spying on her and snipers peering through her windows.
Former Clinton campaign staffers signed onto an open letter expressing their surprise that Brazile would write such a story about the candidate.
However, Brazile fired back later on ABC by saying she wouldn’t be “Patsy the slave” for Clinton’s campaign any more.
Speaker Paul Ryan said the FEC could take a look into whether the deal between Clinton and the DNC violates any campaign finance laws.
Brazile shot back at Trump, who criticized her arrangement with the campaign, by saying he needs to look at his own house.
DNC Chairman Tom Perez said Brazile’s concern about Clinton’s health was “ludicrous.”
Virginia Sen. Mark Warner hit back against what some of his colleagues said in interviews last week and said he doesn’t believe the Democratic Party is corrupt.
Former Obama White House communications director Jen Psaki said Sen. Elizabeth Warren’s comments about the process being rigged in favor of Clinton reeked of political ambition for a 2020 presidential run.
Trump also took steps toward revoking the emergency legal status for Haitian and Central American immigrants.
In foreign news, Russia refuses to cooperate with the U.S. to denuclearize North Korea and tamp down that country’s progress on its weapons program.
Staying overseas, an American soldier was killed in Afghanistan. The Pentagon is investigating the death of Sgt. 1st Class Stephen Cribben, who was 33.
Back at home, the White House hit back at the Bush family after a new book reported both former Bush presidents criticized Trump before the election and neither voted for him.
The Daily Caller fired an opinion editor who reportedly promised alt-right figure Milo Yiannapoulos a weekly column.
House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi said impeachment won’t be very high up on the to-do list if Democrats take back the House in 2018. She added the Brazile controversy is “almost a waste of time” because there’s so much else to do.
Also in the House, Rep. Peter King, R-NY, said he would vote against the GOP’s tax reform bill today if he had to vote because it eliminates the state and local tax deduction on federal taxes.
Ryan said that tax reform package still may include the repeal of the Obamacare individual mandate in tax form.
Fiscal hawk Rep. Mark Meadows, R-N.C., said he’s justifying his support for the tax reform package by pointing to the expected economic growth the package will inspire.
Lankford said he’d also vote against the tax reform package if it raises the debt or deficit too much.
House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy guaranteed everyone in the middle class would get a tax cut under the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act.
Warner said it’s time for the U.S. to come up with a strategy for fighting cyber wars with other countries in the wake of Russian meddling in the 2016 election.
Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul’s injuries from a Friday assault at the hands of a neighbor appeared to be worse than originally thought after a staffer said Sunday he broke five ribs in the altercation.
At least one poll from the weekend showed bad news for Trump. The poll showed a majority of voters don’t think Trump has done much since he’s become president.
Former White House chief strategist Steve Bannon relived the moment Trump won the presidency in an interview, saying it wasn’t a big moment of celebration for the impending president.
Democratic pundit Van Jones said he was able to eat for free in Washington, D.C. and New York City for weeks after saying Trump’s election was due to “whitelash.”
And, finally, in political kabuki theater news, CNN’s Brian Stelter and White House counselor Kellyanne Conway squared off in a contentious interview on the former’s Sunday morning TV show.
