The Commentariat -- July 19, 2018

Afternoon Update:

Louis Nelson of Politico: "... Donald Trump wrote online Thursday that he is looking forward to a second meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin.... 'The Summit with Russia was a great success, except with the real enemy of the people, the Fake News Media. I look forward to our second meeting so that we can start implementing some of the many things discussed, including stopping terrorism, security for Israel, nuclear proliferation, cyber attacks, trade, Ukraine, Middle East peace, North Korea and more,' the president wrote on Twitter. 'There are many answers, some easy and some hard, to these problems...but they can ALL be solved!'"

John Parkinson of ABC News: "Republicans blocked an attempt Thursday morning to subpoena the interpreter who sat in on ... Donald Trump's one-on-one meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Helsinki, Finland on Monday. Rep. Adam Schiff, the ranking Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee, joined with fellow California Democratic Rep. Eric Swalwell to make a motion to subpoena Marina Gross, a State Department official."

Look, Joe Biden ran three times. He never got more than 1 percent and President Obama took him out of the garbage heap, and everybody was shocked that he did. I'd love to have it be Biden. -- Donald Trump, on who his 2020 opponent might be

Erica Werner of the Washington Post: "House Republicans on Thursday approved a spending bill that excludes new money for election security grants to states, provoking a furious reaction from Democrats amid a national controversy over Russian election interference. The spending bill passed 217-199. Democrats' bid to add hundreds of millions more in election spending was rejected 182-232 -- as Republicans were unmoved by Democrats floor speeches decrying the funding changes and chanting 'USA! USA!'" This is an update of a story linked below.

Kate Irby of McClatchy News: "Rep. Devin Nunes used political donations to pay for nearly $15,000 in tickets to Boston Celtics basketball games as well as winery tours and lavish trips to Las Vegas, according to reports from the Federal Election Commission and two nonpartisan watchdog groups.... His PAC also spent about $42,741 since 2013 on catering, site rentals, hotels and meals in Las Vegas. The most recent instance was March 9, when the PAC spent $7,229 at seven different restaurants and hotels in Las Vegas.... Leadership PACs such as the one Nunes runs are supposed to be used to allow members of Congress to donate money to other political campaigns, but using them for other expenses in connection with fundraising is common among members of Congress." Mrs. McC: All this should make Nunes a top contender for a key Cabinet appointment.

Guy Faulconbridge of Reuters: "British police have identified several Russians who they believe were behind the nerve agent attack on former spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter, the British news agency, Press Association, said on Thursday, citing a source close to the investigation." Officials have not confirmed the report.

*****

Oops! He Did It Again. John Wagner & Felicia Sonmez of the Washington Post: "For the third straight day, President Trump cast doubt on whether he views Russia as a threat, despite warnings from his own government that Moscow continues to target the United States with hostile actions. Trump triggered a new uproar Wednesday morning when he appeared to suggest that Russia is no longer seeking to interfere in U.S. elections -- prompting the White House to assert hours later that his words had been misconstrued. At the start of a Cabinet meeting at the White House, a reporter [Cecilia Vega of ABC News] asked Trump, 'Is Russia still targeting the U.S., Mr. President?' 'Thank you very much. No,' Trump responded, shaking his head. 'No? You don't believe that to be the case?' the reporter said. 'No, Trump repeated.... More than two hours later, White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders sought to quell the latest controversy, saying Trump was saying 'no' to whether he would take further questions -- not to whether he thinks Russia continues to target the United States." ...

... Dartunorro Clark of NBC News: "And in a contentious exchange with a reporter later in the briefing, Sanders doubled down on her assertion that the president was saying 'no' to reporters asking questions. She also contended that her explanation was not walking back the president's earlier remarks. 'Actually, I'm interpreting what the president said, I'm not reversing it,' Sanders told NBC's Hallie Jackson. 'I was in the room as well and I didn't take it the way you did.'" ...

... Yes, he was looking directly at me when he spoke. Yes, I believe he heard me clearly. He answered two of my questions. -- Cecilia Vega, in a tweet ...

... Video included in Brian Williams' report, embedded below. ...

... Alex Ward of Vox: "It's yet another stunning moment in the president's continuing battle against America's spy agencies, which he once likened to Nazis because he believed they leaked information about him.... What's more troubling is that no matter what they say or do, [DNI Dan] Coats and others can't seem to get Trump to listen to them. But the fact that Putin -- the head of the country responsible for continued attacks on the US -- seems to have Trump's ear is the scariest thing of all."

CBS News: "President Trump again expressed confidence in U.S. intelligence agencies and their assessment of Russian interference Wednesday, but declined to say whether he believes Vladimir Putin was lying when he denied Russia was behind the meddling effort. Mr. Trump made the comments in an interview with 'CBS Evening News' anchor Jeff Glor at the White House. Mr. Trump said he believes it's 'true' Russia meddled in the 2016 election and said he directly warned Putin against interfering in U.S. elections during their one-on-one meeting in Helsinki, Finland, on Monday.... [He said he was] 'Very strong on the fact that we can't have meddling, we can't have any of that ... I let him know that we can't have this, we're not going to have it, and that's the way it's going to be.'... The president said he now has confidence in intelligence agencies, but blasted former leaders like former DNI James Clapper and former CIA Directors John Brennan and Michael Hayden. All three have been vociferous critics of the president.... Mr. Trump called Brennan a 'low-life' in Wednesday's interview...." ...

Glor: But you haven't condemned Putin, specifically. Do you hold him personally responsible?

Trump: Well, I would, because he's in charge of the country. Just like I consider myself to be responsible for things that happen in this country. So certainly as the leader of a country you would have to hold him responsible, yes.

Mrs. McCrabbie: This is classic deflection. First, rather than making an affirmative answer, Trump uses the more nebulous conditional tense: "I would." Second, Trump does not hold Putin directly responsible. Rather, he is responsible, according to Trump only to the extent that a government leader is indirectly responsible for the acts of his ministers & employees even if the leader had no direct knowledge of the ministers' specific decisions. You might not blame Trump for Scott Pruitt's purchase of tactical pants, so Trump may not blame Putin for his cybersecurity staff's hacking the DNC.

... Mark Landler & Eileen Sullivan of the New York Times: "President Trump sowed even more confusion on Wednesday over his recent meeting with President Vladimir V. Putin, insisting after a day of conflicting statements about Russia's interference in the 2016 election that he had actually laid down the law with Mr. Putin.... But that statement was almost completely at odds with how the president has characterized the >meeting with Mr. Putin on Monday in Helsinki, Finland.... Mr. Trump said [Dan] Coats was doing an 'excellent job,' as was the C.I.A. director, Gina Haspel.... That was a shift from Monday, when Mr. Trump, standing next to Mr. Putin, said Mr. Coats had expressed his views about Russia's culpability but Mr. Trump had found the Russian leader's 'extremely strong and powerful' denial more persuasive.... Mr. Trump also came under sharp criticism for discussing an agreement with Mr. Putin under which Russian authorities would be allowed to question several American citizens it claims were involved in illegal dealings with a London-based financier and longtime critic of Mr. Putin, William F. Browder.... Among the names on the list, a Russian official told the Interfax news agency, is that of Michael A. McFaul, who served as American ambassador to Russia under President Barack Obama.... As a legal matter, Mr. Trump has no authority to force Mr. McFaul or any other American to face Russian questioning." ...

... Spencer Ackerman of the Daily Beast: "Current and former American diplomats are expressing disgust and horror over the White House's willingness to entertain permitting Russian officials to question a prominent former U.S. ambassador [Michael McFaul]. One serving diplomat, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said he was 'at a fucking loss' over comments that can be expected to chill American diplomacy in hostile or authoritarian countries -- a comment echoed by former State Department officials as well. '... It really puts in jeopardy the professional independence of diplomats anywhere in the world, if the consequence of their actions is going to be potentially being turned over to a foreign government,' the U.S. diplomat told The Daily Beast.... At the White House, however, press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders declined to rule out permitting the Russians to question McFaul. Sanders said that there had been 'some conversation' in Helsinki about the issue, though Trump made no 'commitment.'" ...

The administration needs to make it unequivocally clear that in a million years this wouldn't be under consideration, period. Full stop. Not something that should require a half second of consultation. Dangerous. -- Former Secretary of State John Kerry, in a tweet ...

... Kevin Drum cites the Wall Street Journal story on this: "The White House is reviewing a request by Russian President Vladimir Putin to allow Russian investigators to question a number of Americans they say are implicated in criminal activity, including a former U.S. ambassador, a spokeswoman said. The White House decision to weigh the proposal rather than dismiss it outright prompted alarm among former diplomats and on Capitol Hill." (Emphasis Drum's.) Drum: "The fact that President Trump would even think twice about giving his goons access to American citizens is straight up spine-chilling. But Vladimir Putin is obsessed with the Magnitsky Act, and I guess that means Trump is too." ...

     ... Mrs. McCrabbie: If you watch MSNBC, you know McFaul regularly criticizes Trump in strong terms. I think what you're seeing here is Trump's willingness to "render" his American opponents to foreign governments for harsh, maybe life-threatening, "interrogations." ...

... Jonathan Chait: "That this is even being debated is yet another surreal moment that, had it been suggested before Trump took office, would have been dismissed as a paranoid fantasy. But Trump’s presidency, and especially his approach to Russia, have routinely made the surreal into reality." ...

... ** Evidence of Collusion. Washington Post Editors: "the White House confirmed Wednesday that [in their secret meetingTrump & Putin] did talk about ... the indictment of 12 Russian military officers on charges of hacking Democrats' computers and using the stolen data to influence the 2016 election. Mr. Putin suggested the investigative team of special counsel Robert S. Mueller III could be invited to witness their questioning by Russian authorities -- provided that similar access was given to Americans 'who have something to do with illegal actions on the territory of Russia.' 'I think that's an incredible offer,' volunteered Mr. Trump.... Mr. Putin was trying to equate the Mueller investigation with a sinister Russian campaign against Bill Browder, an American-born financier who has become a Putin nemesis.... That Mr. Trump would endorse this cynical and preposterous proposal might be chalked up to ignorance or confusion -- except that Mr. Trump knows all about Mr. Putin's false claims against Mr. Browder. The same charges were the subject of the June 9, 2016, Trump Tower meeting.... Mr. Putin's airing of the same allegations about Mr. Browder and [Hillary] Clinton in Helsinki only bolsters the case that [Natalia] Veselnitskaya was acting on the Kremlin's behalf when she visited Trump Tower. In turn, Mr. Trump's rush to embrace Mr. Putin's disingenuous proposal ... is in keeping with his alignment with Mr. Putin against Mr. Mueller and the U.S. justice system. It shows he did not misspeak at that news conference: he was, in fact, championing Mr. Putin's agenda." ...

     ... Mrs. McCrabbie: It would not surprise me bigly if Robert Mueller subpoenaed the interpreter's notes & any other documentation of the TrumPutin secret meeting.

History Repeats Itself: Trump Lets Russia Define the TrumPutin Secret Meeting. Karen DeYoung, et al., of the Washington Post: "Two days after President Trump's summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin, Russian officials offered a string of assertions about what the two leaders had achieved. 'Important verbal agreements' were reached at the Helsinki meeting, Russia's ambassador to the United States, Anatoly Antonov, told reporters in Moscow Wednesday, including preservation of the New Start and INF agreements, major bilateral arms control treaties whose futures have been in question. Antonov also said that Putin had made 'specific and interesting proposals to Washington' on how the two countries could cooperate on Syria. But officials at the most senior levels across the U.S. military, scrambling since Monday to determine what Trump may have agreed to on national security issues in Helsinki, had little to no information Wednesday.... Trump continued to praise his private meeting with Putin and an expanded lunch with aides as a 'tremendous success' and tweeted a promise of 'big results,' but State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert said the administration was 'assessing ... three takeaways,' which she characterized as 'modest.'" ...

... John Bennett of Roll Call: "For the second consecutive day since he broke with America's spy agencies over Russia's election meddling..., Donald Trump on Wednesday [did] not get an intelligence briefing.... Trump's public schedule typically begins with a late-morning intelligence briefing in the Oval Office after his 'executive time' in the White House residence, during which he tweets while watching cable news.... The two briefing-free mornings come after Trump on Monday publicly broke with his director of national intelligence, former Indiana GOP Sen. Dan Coats, on foreign soil by siding with Russian President Vladimir Putin's version of events over Coats and other senior intel officials.... James Clapper, a former DNI, warned earlier this week that the Helsinki spectacle could lead intelligence leaders to withhold sensitive information from Trump." ...

... ** David Sanger & Matthew Rosenberg of the New York Times: Since before he took office, "Mr. Trump has tried to cloud the very clear findings that he received [in an intel briefing] on Jan. 6, 2017 ... [--] that President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia had personally ordered complex cyberattacks to sway the 2016 American election [--] ... which his own intelligence leaders have unanimously endorsed.... [In the CBS interview Wednesday,] he blamed Mr. Putin personally, but only indirectly, for the election interference by Russia, 'because he's in charge of the country.'... Almost as soon as he took office, Mr. Trump began casting doubts on the intelligence on Russia's election interference.... He dismissed it broadly as a fabrication by Democrats and part of a 'witch hunt' against him. He raised unrelated issues ...to distract attention from the central question of Russia's role...." Read on. The reporters provide many details. ...

     ... Scott Lemieux calls this "the impeachable offense du jour." Former federal prosecutor Joyce Vance said on MSNBC that if the Times reporting holds up, Trump's disinformation campaign "is clear proof that the president was engaged in, at a minimum, a cover-up of Russia's efforts to interfere with our elections. This is a broad mandate for folks on the Hill ... to make a determination whether the president's conduct is something that violates the oath he took to uphold the Constitution." ...

... Frank Rich: "I'd argue that Trump’s motivation for advancing Putin's interests is not just because the Kremlin likely has the goods on him but also because Trump genuinely believes in the Russian Way. The more we've seen of him in office, the more it's apparent that he does have a consistent ideology, after all, albeit one that aligns more with Putin (and at times Kim Jong-un) than America's major political parties. Trump's embrace of nationalist and white-supremacist authoritarianism can be found in his public statements and actions dating back at least as far as the incendiary racist newspaper ads he took out during the 1989 Central Park Five rape case.... Philip Roth's The Plot Against America, much cited as a prescient and chilling prophecy of Trump, may yet be viewed as a rather optimistic fairy tale. Charles Lindbergh's effort to impose America First fascism on World War II-era America, as imagined by Roth, does end with the restoration of democratic order. We cannot vouchsafe that Trump’s unchecked plot against America will have that salutary an ending."

Ken Meyer of Mediaite: "During Trump's interview with [Tucker] Carlson..., the two particularly honed in on NATO Article 5, the alliance provision that asks all member nations to provide mutual defense if any one of them, even a new member like Montenegro, comes under attack. [CNN's Jake Tapper] is now pointing out the ways in which NATO states [and in particular, Montenegro,] contribute to American international interests[.]" See also yesterday's Commentariat on Trump's discomfort with the notion of meeting our obligations under Article 5. ...

... New York Times Editors: "There hardly seemed more damage [Trump] could do after he declared the European Union a 'foe,' insulted Chancellor Angela Merkel of Germany and Prime Minister Theresa May of Britain, railed at NATO, upstaged Queen Elizabeth II and gave that infamous news conference with President Vladimir Putin of Russia. Yet then, for good measure, came his weird suggestion that Montenegro's 640,000 souls are 'very aggressive' and could drag NATO into World War III.... A larger question [than the settled debate over whether or not NATO is necessary] is whether [Trump] is aware that his friend Mr. Putin strenuously opposed Montenegro's joining NATO, and that Russia is suspected of being behind a failed 2016 plot to overthrow its government and assassinate its prime minister.... Senator John McCain, the Arizona Republican, wrote on Twitter, 'By attacking Montenegro & questioning our obligations under NATO, the President is playing right into Putin's hands.'" ...

     ... Mrs. McCrabbie: I have little doubt that Putin brought up the Montenegro "problem" during the secret Helsinki meeting. And that's why Montenegro, of all countries, came into Trump's ignorant head as a good example of a NATO country not worth protecting.

David Remnick of the New Yorker: "Just as the President's comments following the torchlit white-supremacist march last year in Charlottesville made it clear that racism was at the core of his character and his political strategy, the contemptible remarks he delivered alongside Vladimir Putin seemed to mark a turning point, even for some of his most ardent defenders. The President's attempt to reverse the damage -- clearly the result of a panicked White House staff -- only worsened the matter.... Trump's performances in Europe, and now in Washington ... raised dark suspicions and aroused the sickening feeling that we are living in the pages of the most lurid espionage novel ever written." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.) ...

... Burgess Everett & Eliana Johnson of Politico: "The more ... Donald Trump talks about Russia, the more Republicans cringe. The president's effort to clean up his disastrous Monday news conference is falling flat on Capitol Hill -- and White House aides are doing little to assuage an increasingly frustrated GOP.... Some senators are barreling forward with efforts to combat Russian interference in the fall elections. 'I'm not going to try to excuse what the White House is doing. What we need to do is focus action here in Congress," [said] Sen. Cory Gardner (R-Colo.)."

Tom Jackman & Rosalind Helderman of the Washington Post: "The Russian woman arrested on charges of being a foreign agent had ties to Russian intelligence operatives and was in contact with them while in the United States, federal prosecutors said Wednesday. Maria Butina, 29, also had an ongoing relationship with a Republican operative, strictly for business purposes according to prosecutors, and offered another individual 'sex in exchange for a position within a special interest organization.' In a new court filing, prosecutors said Butina, who has connections with wealthy businessmen linked to the Putin administration, appeared to have plans to flee the U.S. Butina was arrested on a criminal complaint Sunday, and federal authorities indicted her Tuesday for conspiracy to act as an agent of a foreign government and failing to register as an agent of a foreign government. She is scheduled for a detention hearing Wednesday afternoon on whether to release her from jail before trial, and prosecutors filed a motion this morning outlining why she should be held without bond." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.) ...

     ... Katelyn Polantz of CNN: "The hearing lasted only 13 minutes, and Judge Deborah Robinson of the US District Court for the District of Columbia decided on the spot that Butina should be detained for three days, until at least her next court appearance." ...

... ** Dana Milbank: "How is it possible that Trump can assert that Russia is not targeting the United States -- two days after he suggested it didn't interfere with the 2016 election -- while just a few blocks away, his own administration is prosecuting a Russian [Mariia Butina] for targeting the United States?... [The DOJ prosecutor Erik] Kenerson described her as an extreme flight risk, painting a spy-novel scenario of a Russian diplomatic car driving her to the border. (Butina's lawyer, Robert Driscoll, conceding this theoretical possibility, asked the judge if he could consult with Russian consular officials in the courtroom.)... Kenerson said Butina had told the Russian official [presumed to be oligarch Alexander Torshin] she was 'ready for further orders.'" ...

... Mrs. McCrabbie: If you're wondering not if, but how long, Trump has been colluding with Russia, perhaps this is a clue. Eric Lach of the New Yorker: "In July, 2015, a few weeks after Trump declared his candidacy, he called on [Mariia Butina] -- apparently at random — during an event in Las Vegas. 'Do you want to continue the politics of sanctions that are damaging of both economies?' Butina asked. 'I believe I would get along very nicely with Putin, O.K.?' Trump replied. 'I don't think you'd need the sanctions.' Later, according to Michael Isikoff and David Corn's book, 'Russian Roulette,' the Trump campaign advisers Steve Bannon and Reince Priebus worried about this exchange. 'How was it that this Russian woman happened to be in Las Vegas for that event? And how was it that Trump happened to call on her? And Trump's response?' Isikoff and Corn wrote. 'It was odd, Bannon thought, that Trump had a fully developed answer.'"

Darren Samuelsohn of Politico: "Special counsel Robert Mueller released an itemized list Wednesday night detailing well over 500 pieces of evidence that his prosecutors are considering presenting during their upcoming criminal trial of former Donald Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort."

** The Macedonian Connection. Craig Silverman of BuzzFeed: "A week before Election Day in 2016, BuzzFeed News revealed that young men and teens in Veles were running over a hundred websites that pumped out often false viral stories that supported Donald Trump.... [The effort] was launched by a well-known Macedonian media attorney, Trajche Arsov -- who worked closely with two high-profile American partners for at least six months during a period that overlapped with Election Day. One of those Americans, Paris Wade, is now running for office in Nevada. Arsov also employed other American and British writers, including at least one who currently works for US right-wing conspiracy site Gateway Pundit.... Macedonian security agencies are cooperating with law enforcement in the United States and at least two Western European countries to probe possible links between Russians, US citizens, and the pro-Trump 'fake news' websites, two senior Macedonian officials said.... A senior FBI agent familiar with the Macedonia case confirmed that the bureau is assisting with the investigations. The agent said that information determined to be of interest to Mueller is being shared with his office...." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)

Jelani Cobb of the New Yorker: "... on Tuesday, when Barack Obama walked onto a stage in Johannesburg to deliver the 2018 Nelson Mandela Annual Lecture..., he offered the sharpest possible contrast between himself and his successor -- between statesman and demagogue -- and, crucially, the distinction between a man who grasps history as the living context of our lives and one unburdened by the knowledge of how we arrived at the present and what that means for the future. President Obama was elegant and effortlessly charismatic in ways that recalled the finer occasions of his political tenure. He spoke fully aware of his status as the most credible living representative of American interests. But that charm and self-assuredness were also discordant amid the political alarms sounding in the background.... Obama's performance highlighted how comforting it is to listen to a leader whose ideas form a coherent world view, even if you don't always agree with it. Trump is governed by some algorithmic factor of ego, fear, impulse, greed, and the suasion of random celebrity petition...." ...

... Here's a lightly-edited transcript of President Obama's July 17 speech in Johannesburg, via the New Yorker.

Trump Loves a Parade -- But Not Actual Military Preparedness. Ryan Browne of CNN: "... Donald Trump's military parade in DC is likely to cost nearly as much as the now canceled military exercise with South Korea that Trump called 'tremendously expensive' and said cost 'a fortune,' three US defense officials tell CNN. The parade, which is now scheduled to take place on November 10, is currently estimated to cost approximately $12 million, the officials said.... 'We save a fortune by not doing war games, as long as we are negotiating in good faith - which both sides are!' Trump tweeted in June following his meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un in Singapore. North Korea had long sought an end to the exercises, which it says are provocative. US military leaders have said the exercises are necessary to maintain the readiness of US troops in South Korea. Pentagon spokesman Col. Rob Manning told reporters earlier this month that the now-cancelled US-South Korea Freedom Guardian Exercise was estimated to cost approximately $14 million." Mrs. McC: Putin also asked Trump to cancel the U.S-S.K. exercises.

Vivan Wang of the New York Times: "The New York State Department of Taxation and Finance has opened an investigation into whether the Donald J. Trump Foundation violated state tax laws, a move that could lead to a criminal referral for possible prosecution, according to two state officials.... It seemed likely that the inquiry may cover some of the same issues raised by the New York attorney general, Barbara D. Underwood, in a lawsuit filed against the Trump Foundation last month. The attorney general's lawsuit accused the foundation of violating campaign finance laws, self-dealing and illegally coordinating with the Trump presidential campaign."

Brian Stelter of CNN: "The 'daily' White House press briefing is a thing of the past. The White House has only held three on-camera briefings in the past 30 days, according to the administration's own records on WhiteHouse.gov. Press secretary Sarah Sanders' most recent briefing was on July 2, more than two weeks ago. Since that time, EPA administrator Scott Pruitt has resigned; Bill Shine has started working as Trump's new communications chief; Trump has nominated a new Supreme Court justice; he has assailed America's alliances and sidled up to Russian president Vladimir Putin; and the administration has struggled to reunite parents and children who were separated at the southern border." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.) ...

     ... Update: Sanders held a press briefing Wednesday. Perhaps not coincidentally, the briefing was not added to the White House schedule till after the publication of Stelter's post.

Trumpie Purges the VA. Lisa Rein of the Washington Post: "Ahead of Robert Wilkie's likely confirmation to lead the Department of Veterans Affairs, Trump loyalists at the agency are taking aggressive steps to purge or reassign staff members perceived to be disloyal to President Trump and his agenda for veterans, according to multiple people familiar with the moves. The transfers include more than a dozen career civil servants who have been moved from the leadership suite at VA headquarters and reassigned to lower-visibility roles. The employees served agency leaders, some dating back more than two decades, in crucial support roles that help a new secretary.... The moves are being carried out by a small cadre of political appointees led by Acting Secretary Peter O'Rourke who have consolidated power in the four months since they helped oust Secretary David Shulkin." ...

     ... Mrs. McCrabbie: Just a reminder that Turkey's Recep Erdogan started small, too. Then one day he purged 18,000 government employees whom he perceived as 'not loyal" to him. At the recent NATO meeting, Trump -- after criticizing many U.S. allies who lead actual democracies -- reportedly gave Erdogan a fist-bump and said Erdogan "does things the right way." Just saying.

The Most Corrupt Administration Ever, Ctd. Ben Lefebvre of Politico: "The Interior Department's internal watchdog has launched a full investigation into a real estate deal involving a foundation established by Ryan Zinke and developers including Halliburton Chairman David Lesar, which was first reported by Politico last month, according to a letter the office sent to House Democrats on Wednesday. The inspector general's probe will focus on whether Zinke violated conflict of interest laws, the latest official inquiry of Zinke's activities in his 16 months helming the department."

Erica Werner of the Washington Post: "House Republicans plan to vote Thursday on a spending bill that excludes new money for election security grants to states, provoking a furious reaction from Democrats amid a national controversy over Russian election interference. At issue is a grants program overseen by the federal Election Assistance Commission and aimed at helping states administer their elections and improve voting systems; Democrats want to continue grant funding through 2019, while Republicans say the program already has been fully funded. Republicans argued strenuously in floor debate Wednesday that states had plenty of money from prior congressional allocations to spend on election improvements. But Democrats accused the Republicans of abetting President Trump in his refusal to take a hard line against Russian President Vladimir Putin at this week's summit in Helsinki." ...

     ... Mrs. McCrabbie: We should be clear about the reason Trump supports Putin over U.S. intelligence & law enforcement agencies & why GOP members of Congress do, too: the party of voter suppression figures -- correctly -- that Russian interference is interference on behalf of Republican candidates. So if Russians hack a few voting machines to turn blue results red, what's the big deal? They're just helping make America great again.

Manu Raju of CNN: "Judge Brett Kavanaugh two years ago expressed his desire to overturn a three-decade-old Supreme Court ruling upholding the constitutionality of an independent counsel, a comment bound to get renewed scrutiny in his confirmation proceedings to sit on the high court. Speaking to a conservative group in 2016, Kavanaugh bluntly said he wanted to "put the final nail' in a 1988 Supreme Court ruling. That decision, known as Morrison v. Olson, upheld the constitutionality of provisions creating an independent counsel under the 1978 Ethics in Government Act -- the same statute under which Ken Starr, for whom Kavanaugh worked, investigated President Bill Clinton. The law expired in 1999, when it was replaced by the more modest Justice Department regulation that governs special counsels like Robert Mueller." ...

... Michael Kranish of the Washington Post: "Senate Democrats have never fully accepted [Brett] Kavanaugh's answers to questions about ... [his involvement Bush II’s torture policy], and now they are prepared to resurrect the issue as Kavanaugh faces a hearing as President Trump's Supreme Court nominee. Sen. Richard J. Durbin (D-Ill.), whose questions in [Kavanaugh's 2006 confirmation hearings] elicited Kavanaugh's denial [of knowledge of or involvement in the internal torture policy debate], said in an interview this week that 'what he told us under oath is not accurate.' Democrats are seeking Bush White House files to pin down specifics..., which could slow [confirmation proceedings]. Kavanaugh was involved in at least one contentious meeting at the Office of White House Counsel in 2002.... Kavanaugh was asked to interpret an important question about how the detainee policy was likely to be viewed in a Supreme Court challenge, specifically by Justice Anthony M. Kennedy, for whom he had served as a clerk.... Kavanaugh had already been confirmed for the circuit court when the White House meeting became public in a Post report. Democrats including Durbin have sought ever since to question Kavanaugh about whether he misled the Senate Judiciary Committee." ...

     ... Mrs. McCrabbie: Yeah, Democrats "have never fully accepted" Kavanaugh's answers because they were lies -- under oath. Hard to believe that genial, fresh-faced carpooling choir boy told an eensy-weensy fib about torture so-help-me-god.

Sheera Frenkel of the New York Times: "Facebook, facing growing criticism for posts that have incited violence in some countries, said Wednesday that it would begin removing misinformation that could lead to people being physically harmed. The policy expands Facebook’s rules about what type of false information it will remove, and is largely a response to episodes in Sri Lanka, Myanmar and India in which rumors that spread on Facebook led to real-world attacks on ethnic minorities."

Beyond the Beltway

Maura Dolan of the Los Angeles Times: "The California Supreme Court decided unanimously Wednesday to remove from the November ballot a measure aimed at dividing California into three states. The decision was a defeat for Tim Draper, a Silicon Valley venture capitalist considered an eccentric entrepreneur who spent $1.2 million on the measure.... In a brief order, the court said it acted 'because significant questions have been raised regarding the proposition's validity and because we conclude that the potential harm in permitting the measure to remain on the ballot outweighs the potential harm in delaying the proposition to a future election.' The court ... also agreed to rule eventually on the measure's constitutionality, a ruling that is likely to go against the initiative. The challenge was filed last week by the Planning and Conservation League, an environmental group."

Vivian Wang of the New York Times: "Dean G. Skelos [R], once one of the most powerful figures in New York State politics, was found guilty of bribery, extortion and conspiracy on Tuesday, the latest in a drumbeat of corruption convictions to roil Albany in a heated election year. The verdict itself was not necessarily a surprise, as a different jury had found Mr. Skelos, the former leader of the State Senate, and his son guilty on the same charges in 2015 before the convictions were overturned. But its timing -- on the heels of three other successful Albany-focused prosecutions this year, including one last week in the courtroom next door -- fed the perception that the culture of ethical neglect in the state capital had reached its nadir." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)

Comments

[PD Pepe]

" “We can see how many of the Euro-Atlantic countries are actually rejecting their roots, including the Christian values that constitute the basis of Western civilization. They are denying moral principles and all traditional identities: national, cultural, religious and even sexual. They are implementing policies that equate large families with same-sex partnerships, belief in God with the belief in Satan.”
–––––Putin––from a speech at the Valdai summit in 2013

See any similarities with our man of the hour's mindset and world view?

What Trump wants is his reign to be like every one of those dictators he admires, especially Putin. He has proven that he can pretty much say or do as he pleases and his faithful followers continue to praise him. But he runs into roadblocks time and time again because our government is not based on a dictatorship. By hook or crook he soldiers on digging the hole deeper and deeper in which he will eventually fall.

Won't he?

[PD Pepe]

A group of legal figures along with Christian and Jewish leaders are calling for the revoking of Trump's hotel's liquor licenses. They cite his very, very BAD character; ya gotta be one of sterling standing, character wise, to swill and swallow the hard stuff.
https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/former-judges-religious-leaders-want-dc-trump-hotels-liquor-license-revoked-because-of-trumps-lack-of-good-character

Amazing grace heard from one of the bars in one of those hotels in one of the cities somewhere in this great country of ours. Drink up!

[Monoloco]

http://news.berkeley.edu/2018/07/17/trumps-helsinki-press-conference-is-sign-of-textbook-treason-russia-expert-argues/

Short, clear summary of an interview with Russia expert M. Steven Fish re Trump’s Helsinki press conference. Fish calls it ‘a sign of textbook treason’ and offers an interesting take on Putin’s strategy, Trump's motivations, and how American politicians should respond.

[MAG]

My reading material gets more dismal day after day, and checking out today's out lead stories around Donald the Orange Menace "WAPO" has me grumpier than ever.

White House: Trump opposes Putin request to interview ex-ambassador
The White House announced Trump’s opposition moments before the Senate voted 98 to 0 to approve a resolution telling the president not to honor Putin’s request, which would have exposed former U.S. ambassador Michael McFaul, among others, to Russian questioning.

(He was for it before he was against it!)

Trump criticizes Fed, breaking long-standing practiceThe president told CNBC he’s “not thrilled” the U.S. central bank under Chairman Jerome Powell is continuing to raise interest rates, suggesting they may undercut his efforts to expand the economy.

(Someone, please. Call out his interference!)

Endangered Species Act stripped of key provisions in Trump administration proposal The proposal would strike language that guides officials to ignore economic impacts when determining how wildlife should be protected.

(Yeah! We've got enuff of those animals in our zoos!)

and then on the NYTimes:

— Companies Are United in Dissent on Trump’s Car Tariffs
— Tariffs Imperil BMW in South Carolina. People Aren’t Happy.
— Erdogan, Flush With Victory, Seizes New Powers in Turkey

[Patrick]

Here's an interesting article by a Kansan, Sarah Smarsh, in the NYT, noting that there are plenty of working class whites in places like Kansas who are not racists but who are certainly aware that they're getting the short end and are mad about that. She berates the press and politicos for lumping them in as part of "Trump country." She also notes that DiJiT's win was more due to the high percentages of white non-working class men who voted for him.

Not news to those here, but a good confirmation of things we already know.

[PD Pepe]

@ Monoloco: thanks for Fish's piece on this : always good to have other voices from other streams:

"What Putin has told Trump all along is a message like: “Look, you and I both know there are bad forces in this world: the liberal media that smears us, our political opponents who seek to depose us, and all these conspiracies that we can’t even fully understand that are out to get us. You and I are on the same side against all these forces. You and I are going to cover for each other, brother. We’re going to take this global conservatism to the next level. To hell with our liberals, to hell with yours. We are now allies in this fight.”

"This is not hard for a master spy like Putin to do. He just never dreamed he’d have it this easy with an American president."

Ah, Mr. Fish–-Putin MADE those dreams come true––KBG's operate in nefarious ways to turn nightmare scenarios into daytime reality shows, even if they have to poison a few on the sly.

[Ken Winkes]

MAG,

Started a comment in your direction yesterday about the Pretender's economic miracle but didn't make the whole trip before I had to take a detour.

A brief version. The Party of Fiscal Responsibility has taken quite a turn in the last forty or fifty years. From Responsibility to outright Spendthriftery. Not only did we mount a major war which ended up costing trillions off the Bush II books, folded into that period Bush's tax cut, and now the Great Tax Giveaway which will require even more borrowing, but also the Republicans' actively destructive environmental policies, expending and degrading irreplaceable natural resources as quickly as possible, which is another way of shifting responsibility for repaying today's short-sighted actions onto the next generation.

We all remember this is the party that used to beat its collective breast and say how worried they were about their grandchildren. Didn't believe it then and anyone who believes it now is a damn fool. No one here, I know.

Now, as you point out, to no surprise the Pretender doesn't like way the Fed is reacting to a booming economy. He'd like the boom to continue, and in for the next year or so easy money is the best way to ensure the "miracle" continues. If the Fed does keep edging interest rates up as they have promised, I'd predict that soon the Fed will rise to somewhere near the top of his already lengthy enemies' list and he'll have little recourse but to attempt to tweet 'em to death.

These are short term people, thinking no farther ahead than the next election, if that far, and always, only of themselves. The Party of Selfishness now has a leader who is a perfect fit.

In another critical sense, we'd all agree these short-term people can't be short-term enough.

[PD Pepe]

Best laugh of the day––thanks Marie!!! (see afternoon update)

"Mrs. McC: All this should make Nunes a top contender for a key Cabinet appointment."

[MAG]

@Ken W. The introductory paragraph by Margaret Hartmann of New York magazine got it right. "Trump wearies us all" with his non-stop reversals and extreme do-overs.

"On the rare occasions when President Trump does something that’s beyond the pale even for Republicans, he salvages the situation by issuing one contradiction after another, until Americans get tired and move on to some other crisis.

We’re three days into the latest vortex of flip-flopping, which started when Trump was asked about Russia’s alleged 2016 election meddling during his press conference with Vladimir Putin on Monday"....

While those of us who are fed up and furious wonder when those in Congress will put on their big boy/girl pants and become the grown-ups in the room, but your characterization says it best, "....These are short term people, thinking no farther ahead than the next election."