In other news, a Michigan man has been charged with making death threats against an attorney who represents the whistleblower whose testimony led to Trump's impeachment.
The man, Brittan J. Atkinson, allegedly emailed the attorney in November, calling him a “traitor” who “must die a miserable death.” The attorney, Mark Zaid, confirmed to POLITICO that he received the email the day after Trump held up Zaid’s photo and read some of Zaid’s tweets during a rally.
Meanwhile, Trump said he won't pardon his lifelong henchman Roger Stone right now, but he might if his conviction isn't overturned. So, start your clocks.
Finally, acting chairman of the Council of Economic Advisers, Tomas Philipson, admitted for the first time that "uncertainty" from Trump's trade war hurt business investment.
“Uncertainty generated by trade negotiations dampened investment,” Trump chief economist Tomas Philipson told reporters in a briefing on the annual Economic Report of the President released on Thursday.
The admission contrasted with Trump’s repeated assertions that his tariff tactics hadn’t hurt the economy while swelling the government’s tax coffers.
Even so, the deleterious effect of trade uncertainty got barely a mention in a 435-page economic report that frequently extolled the president’s programs and argued that they’ve led to a “great expansion” that is benefiting a broader swathe of Americans.
I mean, yeah, the "uncertainty" didn't help, but neither do the ongoing tariffs. Tariffs hurt more than feelings of uncertainty.