Developments on Day 219 of the Trump Administration:

UPDATE: Tillerson Puts Down Trump Over “Values”

Asked on Sunday morning if Donald Trump represents US values, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson responds, “The President speaks for himself”:

Trump Sought Dropping of Charges v. “Sheriff Joe” Months Ago

Donald Trump’s Friday-night pardon of Joe Arpaio — made without consultation with the Justice Department — was the culmination of months of efforts for the dropping of criminal charges against the former Arizona sheriff.

See TrumpWatch, Day 218: Trump Pardons Sheriff Arpaio, Bans Transgender Service in Military

Administration officials said Trump asked, soon after his inauguration, whether the contempt-of-court case against Arpaio — brought over his repeated refusal to stop racial profiling and detention of undocumented immigrants — could be blocked.

Trump asked both Attorney Jeff Sessions and White House counsel Don McGahn about the options to help Arpaio, a fervent supporter of the 2016 Trump campaign. McGahn and Sessions immediately told Trump that the case could not be dropped and the charges expunged. But Trump was told that he had broad pardon powers if Arpaio was convicted, which appeared to satisfy him.

Arpaio was convicted in July and was awaiting sentencing when Trump issued his pardon.

A Justice Department spokesman would not commment, but White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said, “It’s only natural the President would have a discussion with administration lawyers about legal matters. This case would be no different.”

Criticism of Trump’s decision continued on Saturday. Speaker of the House Paul Ryan added to the remarks of senators — including both John McCain and Jeff Flake of Arizona — former Acting Attorney General Sally Yates, top lawyers, and civil rights groups, with spokesman Doug Andres saying:

[Mr. Ryan] does not agree with this decision. Law enforcement officials have a special responsibility to respect the rights of everyone in the United States. We should not allow anyone to believe that responsibility is diminished by this pardon.

1000s March in San Francisco v. White Supremacy

Video of a rally in San Francisco on Saturday against white supremacy and far-right groups:

A hard-right “Patriot Prayer” gathering never took place, with organizers cancelling the original location and then blocked by the authorities from convening closer to the city center.

New Sanctions on Venezuela — But Trump-Linked US Oil Company Exempted

The White House announces new sanctions on Venezuela, but exempts the US arm of the country’s state-owned oil company.

Friday’s executive order barred dealings in new bonds and stocks issued by the government and the state oil company, Petróleos de Venezuela, S.A. the parent of Citgo. Banks cannot engage in new lending with either entity.

But the White House said general licenses for ongoing business “include provisions allowing for…transactions only involving Citgo”.

Citgo donated hundreds of thousands of dollars to Donald Trump’s inauguration and recently hired former Trump officials to lobby for the exemption from any further American restrictions on the Maduro regime.

In April, Citgo hired Avenue Strategies, the firm co-founded by former Trump campaign manager Corey Lewandowski and campaign adviser Barry Bennett. Since then, the oil company has paid the lobbyists $160,000 to speak witthe White House, the Treasury, the Justice Department, and the Energy Department on the “potential impact of U.S. energy and foreign policy restrictions on Citgo Petroleum Corporation’s operations and valuation of assets”.