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Jennifer Harper

Jennifer Harper

jharper@washingtontimes.com

Jennifer Harper wrote the daily Inside the Beltway column for The Washington Times.

Articles by Jennifer Harper

According to one media analyst, the overall news about the House memo was a "hyperbolic smear campaign" against President Trump. (Associated Press)

Inside the Beltway: Triggered: The media’s memo meltdown

The release of the House Intelligence Committee memo suggesting misconduct within the FBI set off the press and provided an instant catalyst for explosive news coverage casting Republicans as villains who either obstruct justice, undermine the Russian investigation or even aid Russian President Vladimir Putin. Some accounts also claimed the memo was proof of disunity in the Republican Party, or that it could eventually cause a constitutional crisis.

February 4, 2018
National Rifle Association analyst and broadcast host Dana Loesch is among the many speakers who will appear at CPAC, which begins Feb. 21. The event typically draws in 13,000 attendees from all over the U.S. (American Conservative Union)

Inside the Beltway: Cheer up: CPAC countdown now underway

It is an annual rite of spring for conservatives, and the countdown is now underway. Here comes CPAC -- the Conservative Political Action Conference -- which begins Feb. 21 and features three days of robust speeches, rousing moments, authentic patriotism and profound reassurance that conservatism is thriving and gutsy.

February 1, 2018
Rep. Joe Kennedy III vowed to "fight" when he offered the Democratic Party's official rebuttal to President Trump's State of the Union address. (Associated Press)

Inside the Beltway: Democrats still in the mood for a brawl

The resistance, the struggle, the fight: They are the mantras of choice for the Democratic Party, which is still centering its strategies on pushback and aggression. That could make sense, perhaps. Democrats raised $65.9 million in the last year, and their GOP counterparts brought in $132.5 million. Democrats are $6.1 million in debt, and the GOP has zero debt. Meanwhile, the midterm elections are just over 40 weeks away.

January 31, 2018
President Donald Trump gestures at the end of his State of the Union address to a joint session of Congress on Capitol Hill in Washington, Tuesday, Jan. 30, 2018. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)

40 million tune in to see Trump’s State of the Union address

President Trump's State of the Union address on Tuesday night drew over 40 million viewers on the four major broadcast networks and three cable news networks according to Nielsen Media Research. Over a fourth of those viewers chose to watch on Fox News, which drew a respectable 11 million people to its coverage.

January 31, 2018
Ronna Romney McDaniel, chairwoman of the Republican National Committee, speaks at a campaign rally. (Associated Press) ** FILE **

Inside the Beltway: Throughout the chaos, Republicans stay on task

Between the squawking over the State of the Union Address and chatter about Russian collusion, Americans now live in a noisy, often polarizing melodrama — which is a lot of work. Some thrive in the environment. Like President Trump, the Republican Party has remained admirably on task and focused during all the unruly upheavals, whether they are created or genuine. Case in point. Within hours of Mr. Trump's speech, the Republican National Committee's winter meeting begins, staged at a hotel a dozen blocks from the White House. The three-day gathering begins with an address by Newt Gingrich.

January 30, 2018
President Trump will deliver his first State of the Union address Tuesday. A new poll says 52 percent of Americans will tune in for the speech. (Associated Press)

Inside the Beltway: Hostile media already blasting Trump’s State of the Union address

President Trump's State of the Union address on Tuesday will be covered by at least 15 cable and broadcast networks - and there could be a substantial audience. A new Politico/Morning Consult poll finds that 52 percent of Americans plan to watch the address; that includes 76 percent of Republicans, 45 percent of independents and 37 percent of Democrats. The networks, meanwhile, have already pounced on the speech even before the president has delivered it.

January 29, 2018
Chicken wings. (Associated Press) ** FILE **

Inside the Beltway: Here comes the ‘sin tax’ on burgers, brats, ribs and wings

Burgers, buffalo wings, brats, ribs, chili, shrimp, crab dip and bacon-loaded anything are staples in the nation's traditional Super Bowl feast. It is a big deal. Americans will spend a hefty $15.3 million on their game day celebrations, according to the National Retail Federation — and there's a proverbial Trump bump too.

January 25, 2018
"Media Madness: Donald Trump, the Press, and the War over the Truth," a new book by veteran journalist and Fox News host Howard Kurtz, arrives on Jan. 29. (Regnery Publishing)

Inside the Beltway: In new book, Howard Kurtz says Trump and media now in a battle over truth

Veteran journalist and Fox News host Howard Kurtz has a new book arriving Monday from Regnery, a conservative publisher that counts President Trump, Michelle Malkin and former House Speaker Newt Gingrich in its large stable of well-known authors. Mr. Kurtz's new book — his sixth — is titled "Media Madness: Donald Trump, the Press, and the War over the Truth. " It already is generating many headlines, particularly among news organizations hoping it will be another Trump-bashing extravaganza.

January 23, 2018
According to a new poll. President Trump has a 59 percent approval rating from voters on his handling of the U.S. economy and job creation. (Associated Press)

Inside the Beltway: Democratic dream of riding a ‘blue wave’ to victory in 2018 fades

The 72-hour government shutdown melodrama is over, leaving analysts to explain what it all means. Or doesn't mean. The phrases "Democrats caved" and "Republican victory" were bandied about a great deal. But one reality looms for both political parties. The shutdown is but a few steps on a long march which leads right through the midterms and onto the final destination, which is the 2020 presidential election.

January 22, 2018
A screen above the trading floor of the New York Stock Exchange shows the closing number of the Dow Jones industrial average this week. (Associated Press)

Inside the Beltway: Desperate Trump critics rage against the stock market boom

Though the economy appears to be humming and happy, analysts and journalists who care little for President Trump are issuing brisk warnings about the dangers of the roaring stock market. It will fail, go bust, collapse. America will not be great. All will be lost. Such dire predictions been surfacing quite a while, such as this CNBC headline: "The booming stock market is in denial. " It appeared over seven months ago. Then there was CNN's take: "Trump is playing with fire by obsessing over the stock market." That was six months ago.

January 18, 2018