Vox Sentences: Sam Nunberg can’t stop talking

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Former Trump aide Sam Nunberg gives some wild interviews; Italy’s elections have good news for populists.

Regrets, Sam Nunberg’s about to have a few

Alex Wong/Getty Images

• There were some serious fireworks in Trump-Russia investigation world today, and they all happened on live television. [Vox / Andrew Prokop]
• They came in the form of former Trump campaign aide Sam Nunberg, who went on several afternoon television shows on MSNBC and CNN and made eye-popping statements about the Trump campaign, after it was revealed a grand jury had subpoenaed him as part of the Russia investigation. [Washington Post / Josh Dawsey]
• Among other things, Nunberg appeared to ask CNN’s Jake Tapper for legal advice, refused to turn over his emails, suggested special counsel Robert Mueller has “something” on Trump, and said he believed former Trump foreign policy adviser Carter Page colluded with the Russians. [CNN / Eli Watkins]
• Nunberg’s biggest grievance in being subpoenaed seemed to be being asked to dig through years’ worth of emails and turn them over to Mueller’s team or going in for questioning. [MSNBC / Katy Tur]
• In case there was any doubt of how he felt, Nunberg made it clear. “Screw that,” he told CNN’s Gloria Borger. “Why do I have to go? Why? For what?” [CNN / Eli Watkins]
• That brings us to the question: Who the hell is Sam Nunberg? [Haley Byrd via Twitter]
• Nunberg is a conservative activist with roots in New York. He was a Trump acolyte before the real estate mogul formally launched his presidential campaign in summer 2015. [BuzzFeed / McKay Coppins]
• Before Trump, Nunberg worked in political opposition research. He was also mentored by the original “dirty trickster” Roger Stone, and worked for Stone’s consulting firm, which counted Trump as a client back in 2015. [BuzzFeed / McKay Coppins]
• Nunberg certainly has a history of his mouth getting him into trouble; he was fired by the Trump campaign just a few months after it launched, due to some racist Facebook posts. [CNN / Jeremy Diamond]
• If Nunberg was trying to tell Mueller that there’s no there there, he failed spectacularly. It’s far more likely his performance today will pique the special counsel’s interest. [Atlantic / Adam Serwer]

Italy’s populists win big

• There’s been a seismic political shift in Italy, with two populist, euroskeptic parties winning big in the country’s recent parliamentary elections. [BBC]
• The two parties are the Five Star Movement and the far-right party the League, which espouses anti-European Union, anti-immigrant views. [CNN / Lauren Said-Moorhouse, Hilary Clarke and Euan McKirdy]
• However, no party got a large enough percentage of the vote for a decisive ruling coalition. That means the decision will fall to Italy’s president, Sergio Mattarella. His timeline could be weeks. [Guardian / Stephanie Kirchgaessner and Daniel Boffey]
• Immigration and the economy were big factors in the most recent election, and the whole thing could have huge implications for the European Union, as another country falls in control of leaders who aren’t sold on the idea of the EU staying together. [NYT / Steven Erlanger]

Miscellaneous

• The cost of medications that treat hemophilia can range up to $270,000 per patient per year. With little competition among drugmakers, there’s no incentive to bring prices down. [NPR / Jenny Gold]
• The commodification of social movements is nothing new, but what happens when activists and politicians themselves start selling their platforms like a lifestyle brand? [Racked / Eliza Brooke]
• In El Salvador, gangs are targeting young women, and Trump’s immigration policies will likely only make things worse. [Atlantic / Molly O’Toole]
• A Belarusian escort being held in a Thai prison for holding a sex workshop is trying to bargain for safe asylum in the US by promising some serious dirt on the Trump-Russia story. [NYT / Richard Paddock]

Verbatim

“I’m not cooperating. Arrest me. You want to arrest me? Arrest me.” [Former Trump campaign aide Sam Nunberg as part of a bizarre interview with CNN / Jake Tapper]

Watch this: How politicians troll the media

Politicians are trolling the media to advance their own agendas. [YouTube / Carlos Maza and Coleman Lowndes]

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