The Commentariat -- November 21, 2019

Afternoon Update:

David Halbfinger of the New York Times: "Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was indicted Thursday on bribery, fraud and breach of trust charges in a set of long-running corruption cases, immediately throwing his political future into doubt and heightening the uncertainty and chaos surrounding Israel's fitful, yearlong struggle to choose its next leader.... The cases against Mr. Netanyahu involve allegations of giving or offering lucrative official favors to several media tycoons in exchange for either favorable coverage in news outlets or gifts worth hundreds of thousands of dollars. He has rejected the charges as false and politically motivated. Mr. Netanyahu is not legally required to step down. But with Israel's political system already in uncharted territory, having failed to settle upon a new prime minister despite two elections and three attempts at forming a government since April, the criminal case against him could make it far more difficult for him to retain power." The NBC News story is here. The Haaretz story is here.

Good Grief! Dave Philipps of the New York Times: "President Trump on Thursday reversed a decision by the Navy seeking to oust Navy SEAL Chief Petty Officer Edward Gallagher from the elite commando force. Chief Gallagher has been at the center of a high-profile war crime case and was granted clemency by the president on Friday. He was notified on Wednesday that the Navy planned to start the process to remove the Trident pin that symbolizes membership in the SEALs. Less than 24 hours later, Mr. Trump announced on Twitter it would not happen, saying 'The Navy will NOT be taking away Warfighter and Navy Seal Eddie Gallagher's Trident Pin. This case was handled very badly from the beginning. Get back to business!' The whipsaw reversal, after the Navy believed it had official approval, is just the latest twist in the unusually public melee over Chief Gallagher's court-martial, which at times has pitted the commander-in-chief directly against senior Navy leaders." Mrs. McC: Turns out Trump knows more than the generals AND the admirals; also he is is good with war crimes.

~~~~~~~~~~~

Michael Shear of the New York Times is live-updating today's hearing. "In her opening statement, [Fiona] Hill takes a veiled swipe at [John] Bolton's refusal to testify in the impeachment inquiry, saying that she plans to answer questions about 'what I saw, what I did, what I knew, and what I know' about the Ukraine situation before she left the National Security Council last summer. 'I believe that those who have information that the Congress deems relevant have a legal and moral obligation to provide it,' she plans to say in a likely reference to Mr. Bolton."

The New York Times' snark section is here.

The Washington Post's liveblog is here. John Wagner: "President Trump lashed out at Democrats, calling them 'human scum,' as two more key witnesses testified before the House Intelligence Committee on Thursday as part of an escalating impeachment inquiry."

Mrs. McCrabbie: In case you find yourself in Kiev, and don't mind dropping $70 on an appetizer (it's an appetizer! you can share!), you might want to dine at SHO, where Sondland stops for lunch. Adam Taylor of the Washington Post reports.

Here are Politico's live updates of the hearing.

Kyle Cheney & Andrew Desiderio of Politico: "... Donald Trump's former top Russia aide plans to go after Republican lawmakers on Thursday for pushing what she dubs a 'fictional narrative' about Ukrainian interference in the 2016 presidential election. In her opening statement before House impeachment investigators..., Fiona Hill plans to say that such claims embolden Moscow and are being weaponized to distract from Russia's malign global influence at the behest of its president, Vladimir Putin. 'These fictions are harmful even if they are deployed for purely domestic political purposes,' she will say, calling out 'some of you on the committee' and asking them to 'not promote politically driven falsehoods that so clearly advance Russian interests.'... Hill, a longtime Russia hawk, plans to sound the alarm more broadly about Russia's aggression in the region, in addition to its ongoing efforts to interfere in U.S. elections and weaken America's global influence.... 'The impact of the successful 2016 Russian campaign remains evident today,' she plans to say. 'Our nation is being torn apart. Truth is questioned. Our highly professional and expert career foreign service is being undermined.'"

NPR has both Hill's & Holmes' opening statements here.

Today's impeachment hearings begin at 9 am ET. Fiona Hill, a former top Russia adviser to the Trump White House, and David Holmes, a U.S. Embassy in Ukraine official are scheduled to testify.

Sheryl Stolberg of the New York Times: "Fiona Hill knew she was taking a risk in going to work for President Trump. A British-born coal-miner's daughter with a Ph.D. from Harvard, Ms. Hill is a respected Russia expert, former intelligence analyst and co-author of a 500-page book analyzing the psyche of its president, Vladimir V. Putin. So the prospect of working for a president who speaks admiringly of Mr. Putin and has expressed doubts that Russia interfered in the 2016 election gave her pause. Her decision to join the National Security Council in April 2017 -- and to stay for more than two years after Mr. Trump cozied up to Mr. Putin and publicly disparaged the nation's intelligence agencies -- strained friendships and made her a target of right-wing conspiracy theorists who spread rumors that she was a Democratic mole."

Michael Shear & Peter Baker of the New York Times live-update the Wednesday afternoon hearing: "Ukraine officials may have been aware that security aid was cut off by July 25 -- much earlier than previously known and the same day that President Trump talked on the phone with the president of Ukraine, a top Pentagon official said Wednesday. Laura K. Cooper, the deputy assistant secretary of defense for Russia, Ukraine and Eurasia, said that she was aware of multiple communications between Ukrainian Embassy officials and members of her staff in which the embassy officials asked questions about delivery of the security aid to their country. Ms. Cooper said that a member of her staff received a question about the aid on July 25 from the Ukrainian Embassy, which asked 'what was going on with Ukraine assistance.'... Republicans have insisted that ... Mr. Trump could not have coerced Volodymyr Zelensky ... during the July 25 call because Mr. Zelensky did not know at the time that the aid was held up.... [Cooper] also cited several emails dated July 25 between members of her staff and State Department officials in which the diplomats wrote that the Ukrainian Embassy knew about the hold on the security assistance.... Ms. Cooper said she learned of the new information about the inquiries from Ukrainian officials after members of her staff saw the transcript of her earlier, closed-door testimony when it was released to the public on Nov. 11, and brought new details of the timeline to her attention." ~~~

~~~ Sam Brodey of the Daily Beast: "... Cooper's testimony places the Ukrainians' knowledge of the hold earlier in the year than any other witness. The Pentagon official also testified it was the impression of her staff that Kyiv was not only aware of a problem with the aid, but was concerned about it. Beyond that news -- which was a late addition to Cooper's opening statement -- Tuesday evening's hearing seemed drawn up to hammer two key Democratic points: that the president did not have the authority to unilaterally and secretly withhold aid from Ukraine, and that the Department of Defense had already completed its own anti-corruption process to determine that Ukraine was worthy of the aid before Trumpworld intervened." ~~~

~~~ Edwin Rios of Mother Jones: "... Cooper confirmed to Rep. Jim Himes (D-Ct.) that the Pentagon had determined the Ukrainian government met requirements under the law and made significant strides in combatting corruption in May, two months before Trump's call with Ukraine, suggesting there was no legitimate reason for aid to be withheld. 'So this wasn't about corruption. The timeline proves it,' Himes said." ~~~

     ~~~ Mrs. McCrabbie: Himes pointed out during the hearing that Trump never used the word "corruption" in either of his two calls with Zelensky. As you may recall, the U.S. readout of their first conversation said the Presidents discussed anti-corruption efforts, even though the transcript Trump released last week revealed that he never raised the issue with Zelensky. As it turned out, the publicly-released readout was prepared based on the points Trump was supposed to raise in the call, not on what he actually said. His prepared talking points included addressing corruption, but Trump, as usual, ignored the talking points. The White House blamed Alexander Vindman -- who prepared both the talking points and the readout -- for the error, but it appears the White House accidentally forgot to update the readout to reflect the content of the actual conversation. Bottom line: Trump is so disinterested in curtailing Ukraine corruption that even when someone puts "TALK ABOUT CORRUPTION" under his nose, he doesn't even mention it.

Trump & Co. Tied in a Gordonian Knot. Nicholas Fandos & Michael Schmidt of the New York Times: "An ambassador at the center of the House impeachment inquiry testified on Wednesday that he was following President Trump's orders with the full knowledge of several other top administration officials when he pressured the Ukrainians to conduct investigations into Mr. Trump's political rivals, detailing what he called a clear quid pro quo directed by the president. Gordo D. Sondland, a wealthy Republican megadonor appointed by Mr. Trump as the ambassador to the European Union, told the House Intelligence Committee that he reluctantly followed Mr. Trump's directive to work with Rudolph W. Giuliani, the president's personal lawyer, as he pressured Ukraine to publicly commit to investigating former Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr. and an unsubstantiated theory that Democrats conspired with Kyiv to interfere in the 2016 election. 'We followed the president's orders,' Mr. Sondland said. In testimony that amounted to an act of defiance by an official who has been described by other witnesses as a point man in the push to extract the investigations, Mr. Sondland tied the most senior members of the administration to the effort -- including the vice president, the secretary of state, the acting chief of staff and others. He said they were informed of it at key moments."

Chairman Adam Schiff's closing remarks garnered well-earned applause:

Mrs. Bea McCrabbie: During the O.J. double-murder trial, every night Court TV (I think it was) used to have re-enactors read the transcripts of the day's court proceedings for those who were otherwise occupied during the time "real court" was in session. Well, the concept is back. I give you the re-enactor-in-chief:

     ~~~ Update. AND, it turns out, that the re-enactor-in-chief has something else in common with the O.J. trial re-enactors. They read from hand-held scripts:

Photo via the Guardian.

     ~~~ Mrs. McCrabbie: Thanks to Forrest M. for the lead. Frankly, I thought the photo Forrest sent along from an Instagram account was a joke. Like Forrest, I couldn't believe even the re-enactor-in-chief would have to write this down. We were wrong. ~~~

~~~ Philip Bump of the Washington Post is not impressed with the substance of the re-enactment: "It's like a man on trial for arson standing up at his trial and insisting that he must be innocent because one of the witnesses described how the accused arsonist himself had denied setting the fire. Sondland is conveying Trump's own insistence of innocence. Trump doesn' get to then claim that this proves his innocence. The part of [Sondland's] testimony -- not mentioned by Trump -- makes clear that Sondland is making no representations about the accuracy of Trump's comments. In fact, he's explicitly saying that he wasn't asserting that Trump's denials were true.... It's like the accused arsonist not mentioning that the witness described his denial but then added 'which may or may not be true.'"

Philip Bump of the Washington Post: "In addition to directly alleging a quid pro quo that was well-known within the administration, Sondland's testimony undercut Trump's claims in another, quieter way. At several points in his testimony, he suggested it was only the announcement of investigations that was a priority for the White House..., strongly bolstering the idea that the intent of the investigations was purely political. The announcement itself would serve Trump in the way the late-October announcement of the reopening investigation into Hillary Clinton helped Trump in 2016. That reopening went nowhere, but the political damage had been done.

Ann Telnaes of the WashPo. Thanks to MAG for sending this along.Jonathan Chait: “Sondland has confirmed what is obvious to everybody: The entire scheme was directed by Trump all along. 'We followed the president's orders,' he said. 'Everyone was in the loop. It was no secret.' Trump's operation has been painfully clear since May, when Rudy Giuliani boasted about his plans to the New York Times, telling the world that he was acting on the president's orders, and conceding that his actions were possibly 'improper' though not, in his view, illegal.... The White House had attempted to procure an advance copy of Sondland's testimony, to no avail.... And he provided emails showing his own communication with Andriy Yermak, a Ukrainian official...": (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)

Michelle Goldberg of the New York Times: Republicans have been plotting to throw Sondland under the bus. "But Sondland seems to have decided that he would not go easily under the proverbial bus." His testimony not only countered some of the Republicans' incredible arguments: Trump was fighting corruption! (Gym Jordan tried that one every yesterday.) Trump's conspiracy theories are true! (Devin's Cow is still pushing that line of defense.) Gordy was a lone ranger! (Yeah, a lone ranger who consulted with Trump, pence, Pompeo, Mulvaney, Volker & Taylor throughout.)

About Those Javelins. Andrew Kramer of the NYT (Oct. 24, 2019): "In 2018, the Trump administration authorized sales to Ukraine of a shoulder-fired anti-tank missile called the Javelin, reversing an Obama administration policy of supplying only non-lethal aid. But there is a big catch. The Trump administration provided the missiles on the condition that they not be used in the war, Ukrainian officials and American diplomats have said, lest they provoke Russia to slip more powerful weaponry to the separatists." Mrs. McC: Kramer's full story is worth reading. Sorry I missed it. (Also linked yesterday.)

David Sanger & Edward Wong of the New York Times: "Mr. Sondland's testimony has undercut any notion that [Mike] Pompeo ... was not a participant in Mr. Trump's efforts to pressure Ukraine.... Mr. Trump's secretary of state is now tied intimately to the Ukraine controversy.... Mr. Pompeo will almost certainly face charges that, at best, he abetted Mr. Trump in enlisting a foreign nation to help his 2020 campaign as the price for aid in a grinding war involving Russia in eastern Ukraine. At worst, Mr. Pompeo will be seen as coordinating and approving the demands that Ukraine's new president, Volodymyr Zelensky, announce investigations into dubious claims about the Biden family and 2016 election interference as the price for an Oval Office meeting and a resumption of American military aid. Speaking before the House Intelligence Committee on Wednesday, Mr. Sondland said that the State Department had not given him access to his own emails and telephone logs to prepare for his testimony.... Mr. Pompeo, [Chairman Adam Schiff] said, was engaged in a Watergate-style 'obstruction of this investigation.' 'We have not received a single document from the State Department, and as Ambassador Sondland's opening statement today will make clear, those documents bear directly on this investigation and this impeachment inquiry,' Mr. Schiff said." There is plenty of other evidence, outside Sondland's testimony & his obstruction problem, that Pompeo was cooperating with Trump's Ukraine scheme. ~~~

     ~~~ Mrs. McCrabbie: Other than maybe the White House housekeeping staff & the ladies on the White House switchboard, the fact is that anybody who remains as a "Trump administration official: or "Trump administration staffer" is better described as a "Trump co-conspirator."

Michael Isikoff & Zach Dorfman of Yahoo! News: "The FBI recently sought to question the CIA whistleblower who filed a complaint over President Trump's July 25 Ukraine call -- a move that came after a vigorous internal debate within the bureau over how to respond to some of the issues raised by the complaint's allegations and whether they needed to be more thoroughly investigated, according to sources familiar with the matter.... But no interview has yet to be scheduled. It is unclear what the intended scope of the interview would be or whether the whistleblower's lawyers will agree to it." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)

Marty Johnson of the Hill: "A lawyer for Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman, a Ukraine specialist on the National Security Council, sent a warning letter to Fox News on Wednesday, asking the network to retract espionage allegations that were made by network guest John Yoo [Mrs. McC: the torture guy] and 'sparked a torrent of republications and copycat false charges.' The segment in question aired on the Oct. 28 edition of 'The Ingraham Angle.' During the segment, host Laura Ingraham told John Yoo -- who was a top attorney for the George W. Bush administration -- 'We have a U.S. national security official who is advising Ukraine, while working inside the White House, apparently against the president's interest, and usually, they spoke in English.'... Yoo replied: 'I found that astounding. Some people might call that espionage.'"

Ken Vogel, et al., of the New York Times: "Federal prosecutors in Manhattan issued subpoenas in recent weeks to several players in President Trump's fund-raising apparatus as part of an investigation into two associates of Rudolph W. Giuliani who have been charged with violating campaign finance laws, according to people familiar with the investigation. The subpoenas went to a lobbying firm run by a top fund-raiser for Mr. Trump, Brian Ballard, and to two people who have helped raise money for America First Action, a super PAC created to support the president and allied candidates, the people said. Mr. Ballard and the America First fund-raisers worked to varying extents with Mr. Giuliani's associates Lev Parnas and Igor Fruman.... Mr. Giuliani and one of his companies were mentioned by name in one of the subpoenas, which was issued to a businessman who was approached by Mr. Parnas seeking an investment.... Prosecutors and F.B.I. agents have been seeking to speak with witnesses about how Mr. Parnas and Mr. Fruman gained entree into elite Republican finance circles that brought them into direct contact with Mr. Trump."

Devin Has a Lev Problem. Betsy Swan of the Daily Beast: "Lev Parnas, an indicted associate of Rudy Giuliani, helped arrange meetings and calls in Europe for Rep. Devin Nunes in 2018, Parnas' lawyer Ed MacMahon told The Daily Beast. Nunes aide Derek Harvey participated in the meetings, the lawyer said, which were arranged to help Nunes' investigative work. MacMahon didn't specify what those investigations entailed. Congressional records show Nunes traveled to Europe from Nov. 30 to Dec. 3, 2018. Three of his aides -- Harvey, Scott Glabe, and George Pappas -- traveled with him, per the records. U.S. government funds paid for the group's four-day trip, which cost just over $63,000. The travel came as Nunes, in his role on the House Intelligence Committee, was working to investigate the origins of Special Counsel Robert Mueller's probe into Russian election-meddling." Emphasis added. ~~~

     ~~~ Mrs. McCrabbie: I do resent my taxpayer dollars being spent in pursuit of "evidence" of crazy conspiracy theories. (And yeah, Bill Barr, that goes for your international excursions, too.)

Ben Collins & Brandy Zadrozny of NBC News: "A misleading claim about the head of the Ukrainian energy company at the heart of the House impeachment inquiry went viral across conservative pockets of social media Wednesday, receiving hundreds of thousands of retweets and shares from some of the president's most ardent online supporters. The incorrect story, first disseminated by the finance blog ZeroHedge, claimed that Mykola Zlochevsky, the head of Burisma, a Ukrainian energy company, had been indicted over money laundering related to the Biden family. In fact, there was no announcement of an indictment."

Dylan Byers & Ben Collins of NBC News: "... Donald Trump hosted a previously undisclosed dinner with Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg and Facebook board member Peter Thiel at the White House in October, the company told NBC News on Wednesday.... It is unclear why the meeting was not made public or what Trump, Zuckerberg and Thiel discussed." ~~~

     ~~~ Mrs. McCrabbie: Not to worry. Trump "can't remember what he's said or been told."

David Yaffe-Bellany & Alan Rappeport of the New York Times: "A bill compelling the United States to support pro-democracy activists in Hong Kong could arrive on President Trump's desk as soon as Thursday morning, potentially complicating the administration's talks with China to end the trade war. The bill, passed by the Senate on Tuesday, would require the government to impose sanctions on Chinese officials responsible for human rights abuses in the territory. On Wednesday, the House passed the Senate version 417-1, sending it to the White House. If signed into law by Mr. Trump, the bill will also require the State Department to annually review the special autonomous status it grants Hong Kong in trade considerations. That status is separate from the relationship with mainland China, and a revocation of the status would mean less favorable trade conditions between the United States and Hong Kong. The Senate passed the bill, the Hong Kong Human Rights and Democracy Act, by unanimous consent.... Because the bill, in theory, has the support of a veto-proof majority in Congress, it could be enacted even if Mr. Trump vetoes it." A CNBC report is here.

Sarah Ferris of Politico: "Rep. Carolyn Maloney will become the first woman to lead the House Oversight Committee, vaulting into a high-stakes role as one of the Democrats' top voices in the caucus' impeachment probe. The New York Democrat was confirmed to the post in a caucus-wide secret ballot vote on Wednesday, where she defeated Rep. Gerry Connolly (D-Va.). Maloney received 133 votes while Connolly received 86."

Alexander Burns & Jonathan Martin of the New York Times: "The Democratic presidential candidates yielded to the furor surrounding the impeachment inquiry in Washington in their primary debate on Wednesday, for the first time training their fire more steadily on President Trump than on one another and presenting a largely united front on vital issues like climate change and abortion rights."

Shannon Pettypiece of NBC News: "In their fifth debate, the 10 candidates [in Atlanta] appeared more comfortable on stage, with sharper talking points, quicker timing, and more moments of comic relief. Here is a look at who held their ground, who made a bid to break out from the pack, and whose presidential hopes may be on the ropes[.]"

NBC News liveblogged the Democratic debate.

Matt Viser, et al., of the Washington Post: "For much of the debate, the candidates shied from the biting exchanges and intraparty contrasts that marked the first four gatherings, opening new lines of conversation on issues as disparate as racial justice, marijuana policy and child care. But there were also pointed if brief disputes as the night wore on, some of them focused on black voters, a key Democratic constituency."

The Washington Post's liveblog is here. You can watch the debate on the linked page. For nonsubscribers, it appears video of the debate also will appear on the front page of the WashPo.

Biden says that to fight violence on women we need to 'keep punching at it and punching at it and punching at it.' -- Peter Baker of the New York Times, in a tweet

To further illustrate his point, Biden landed a one-two punch on rival Elizabeth Warren, knocking her flat. -- Mrs. Bea McCrabbie

Into the Weed. Ursula Perano of Axios: "Former Vice President Joe Biden and Sen. Cory Booker went head-to-head Wednesday over legalizing marijuana.... [Booker said,] 'This week I heard [Biden] literally say that I don't think we should legalize marijuana. I thought you might have been high when you said it ... because marijuana in our country is already legal for p;privileged people....'... Biden is the sole Democrat in the 2020 field who opposes legalizing marijuana at the federal level. The former V.P. said at a town hall Saturday that there would need to be more research into marijuana's effects before he'd ever legalize it as president, in order to rule out whether it's a 'gateway drug.'... The House Judiciary Committee passed legislation Wednesday that would decriminalize marijuana at the federal level, CBS reports."

Oh, Hunter, Really? Frank Lockwood of the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette: “DNA testing has established, 'with scientific certainty,' that Hunter Biden is the father of an Arkansas baby, according to a motion filed Wednesday in Independence County on behalf of the child's mother, Lunden Alexis Roberts.... Hunter Biden, who initially denied having sexual relations with Roberts, eventually agreed to take a DNA test...."

Josh Gerstein of Politico: "A judge has blocked the scheduled executions of four federal death row inmates, effectively freezing the Trump administration's effort to resume imposing the death penalty in a federal system that saw its last execution more than a decade and a half ago. The order issued Wednesday night by U.S. District Court Judge Tanya Chutkan halts four executions that U.S. officials planned to carry out starting next month.... In her ruling Wednesday, Chutkan said the death row inmates appeared likely to prevail [in a long-dormant challenge to the use of a single lethal drug, pentobarbital, in that] ... the new protocol violates longstanding federal law.... The only other execution that officials had put on the calendar, also for December, was blocked last month by the 9th Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals. In July, Attorney General William Barr announced plans to resume executions at the federal penitentiary in Terre Haute, Ind. He suggested the practice had been allowed to languish for too long and said it would deliver justice in cases involving what he called the 'worst criminals.'"

Beyond the Beltway

Illinois. Variety, via NBC News: "Jussie Smollett has filed a counterclaim against the city of Chicago, several Chicago Police Department officers, and brothers Abimbola Osundairo and Olabinjo Osundairo claiming that he was the victim of a malicious prosecution that caused him 'humiliation, mental anguish and extreme emotional distress.'"

Way Beyond

Israel. And You Think We've Got Problems. Isabel Kershner & David Halbfinger of the New York Times: "After two deadlocked elections and three failed attempts at forming a government, Israel's yearlong political paralysis was no closer to a cure on Wednesday, as Benny Gantz, the centrist military leader who had tried to dislodge Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu from power, angrily admitted he had not succeeded. Mr. Gantz's acknowledgment hours before a midnight deadline propelled a deeply divided Israel into a new, uncharted phase of political chaos and increased the likelihood that the country would be forced to hold a third election. As if that were not enough for Israelis to digest, there were reports Wednesday night that Mr. Netanyahu could be indicted on long-expected corruption charges as soon as Thursday, and that Israeli security officials were bracing for an escalation along the northern border after an Israeli airstrike against Iranian forces near Damascus killed at least 21 people."

U.K. Ben Quinn of the Guardian: "The Queen has given permission for Prince Andrew to 'step back from public duties for the foreseeable future' after days of mounting pressure following his interview with the BBC about his friendship with the convicted child sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. The Duke of York also said he was 'willing to help any appropriate law enforcement agency with their investigations if required' over the US probe into Epstein. The development came on a day when BT [Mrs. McC: British Telecom?] said it would not work with a digital skills scheme that counts the duke as patron, amid a growing exodus of companies and other institutions after Andrew's interview at the weekend and pressure from a woman who says the convicted child sex offender trafficked her to London to meet the royal and have sex with him." ~~~

     ~~~ Mrs. McCrabbie: According to Wikipedia, Andrew does not receive a stipend from parliament, but "the living costs of the members of the royal family who carry out official duties ... have mainly been met through the Queen's income..." So I wonder if Mom will still send Andy his allowance now that he's doing nothing to earn it. Since it's rather difficult for a nearly-60-year-old man to begin a career, he might have to go on the dole & move to a bed-sit in Deptford.

Comments

[Ken Winkes]

Constitutional scholar John Yoo, whose law school apparently never required a course in evidence, echoes the Pretender's explanation of how busy "some people" have been since the electoral college saddled the nation with him.

"Some people might call that espionage."

Some people have sure been saying a lot, and I think I know some of them.

Republicans on the House Intelligence Committee among them.

[Akhilleus]

Favorite classical allusion of the day: Gordonian knot. Good one, Marie.

Of course, in the legend, Alexander the Great, when stumped trying to untie the knot, said “To hell with this untying bullshit”, drew his sword and cut the thing in half, proving there’s more than one way to skin a knot. Then he went out and conquered the rest of the world.

Fatty has neither the wit nor the weapon with which to extricate himself and his treasonous goons from this knotty predicament of his own tying.

As for conquering the world, he couldn’t even conquer a few blocks of and Washington DC while in possession of the military, the House, the Senate, the entire wingnut media circus, Javanka, Uday, Qusay, and the three stooges. In the knot department, he’s more like a six year old unable to figure out a too tightly tied double knot on his playground shoes. Where’s Daddy Trump when you need him, little donnie?

[Akhilleus]

Interesting, and more than a little alarming that Fatty’s sharpied notes to self include the reminder that he is the “Pres of the US” followed by the incredible lie “..and this is my final word”. He was truly unable to remember “I want nothing, no QPQ, Zellensky, that’s it, and I’m the pres” without crib notes? I guess we won’t be getting a recitation of “The Wreck of the Hesperus” from memory anytime soon.

[MAG]

Ah! yes. Those Sharpie speaking points. Lemme see now, is it "i" before "e" or is it the other way around? Zellinsky? Guess Trump hardly knows the guy!

[P.D. Pepe]

I am full––filled up with hours of watching testimony, then on to the debates. I keep thinking what an historical time this is and I don't want to miss a thing. And it takes its toll in trying to digest it all. Two big takeaways: I am so proud of my fellow democrats who are doing a splendid job; Adam Schiff should get a medal! Nunes and Jordon should be hung out to dry––is there no lower depth of disgust they won't enter?

And THE question:

cui Bono–––to whom (is it) a benefit???

Just a word about Gordon: It was clear to me that here was a guy, rich, fun to be with, who, because of his large donation to the Trump campaign, was given a job he had no business having but rubbing elbows with the big shots made him feel like one of them. I have no doubt that he spoke Fatty's language–-and he really thought the two were buddies–-talked to Trump around twenty times. Now he finds he's no more than a wisp in the wind––"I hardly knew him"–- so it's good for him that he decided to come clean––or as clean as he thinks he has to. His water-drinking gestures were telling–-this is one nervous Ned and that smirk–-loved the smirk–-the kid with his hand in the cookie jar and getting caught red handed.

[Marie Burns]

@MAG: Yes, there is more than one way to spell Zelensky (Zelenskyy, Zelenskiy), but "Zellinsky" isn't one of them. Unless you're Trump. And whaddaboud "I WANT NOTHing". Since Trump wrote it the same way twice, apparently he thinks "NOTHing" is how one writes "nothing" or "NOTHING". What's most pathetic is that if you watch the video, you'll see that the note isn't just there as a crutch; Trump actually reads from it. Uh, several times.

I like the part where he asks, "Do you have the cameras rolling?" He really thinks this is a Great Performance, fit to be captured for the ages.

[Ken Winkes]

Maybe not a knot, but surely a very sour pickle or two.

Excellent analysis of the pickles the Pretender has handed SCOTUS:

https://www.nytimes.com/2019/11/21/opinion/Supreme-Court-DACA-Trump-taxes.html?action=click&module=Opinion&pgtype=Homepage

And I would add, couldn't happen to nicer guys.

[Cregr]

My take on the cheat sheet was different. I saw it as another example of Trump's skill at using the media to amplify his messaging, in this case that there was no quid pro quo. Tabloids, FOX of course, as well as NYT gave prominent coverage to blown-up photos of his note which he held out for them to photograph. Impeachment, as we're constantly reminded, is a political, not a legal process. My constant frustration is that Trump recognizes this so clearly and plays the game so much more skillfully than our side - and! that the media, including the likes of NYT, provides him such willing assistance.

[Marie Burns]

@Cregr: Read Philip Bump's post, linked above, if you have access to the WashPo. His point is that Trump chopper re-enactment "proof" is simply a re-reading of Trump's own assertion to Sondland. Sondland himself testified under oath that he disagrees with Trump. He's a poor player that struts and frets his hour upon the stage.... It is a tale told by an idiot, full of sound and fury, signifying nothing."

(Hadda leave out that part "And then is heard no more"; the actor is already calling Democrats "human scum" today.)

[Akhilleus]

I caught bits and pieces of Sondland’s testimony yesterday and one part I found particularly satisfying. It was toward the end of his questioning and (on radio) I didn’t catch the name of the Democratic congressman doing the asking, but after much pulling of teeth, he finally got Sondland to admit that (to answer PD’s very obvious question of cui bono?) the person most likely to benefit from the underhanded Ukraine scheme was none other than the Orange Menace hisself.

After Sondland’s admission, the congressman indulged in a little levity, pointing out that that wasn’t such a hard thing, now was it? Sondland got up on his high horse and sniffed that this sort of thing was unfair because he’d been so honest and forthcoming. The Democrat jumped right on that nag and rode it around the ring a few times.

“Forthcoming? Really? This is your third try at being “forthcoming” isn’t it?” I expected a “Forthcoming, my ass” but didn’t hear it. So I said it for him.

Aside from the hilarity of Sondland’s impression of himself as a straight shooter, one is reminded that Trump has as little to do with truly honest people as is inhumanly possible.

Forthcoming, my ass. (It bears repeating.)

Anyone know who this was doing the tarantella on Sondland’s head?

[Forrest Morris]

The scumbag president* is projecting again. What kind of
president would refer to half the population as "human scum"?
Oh yeah, that kind of president.
I'm running out of popcorn.

[Akhilleus]

I found a transcript. The questioner I mentioned above was Sean Maloney, (D) New York. And the word was forthright, not forthcoming, but you get the point.

And here it is:

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=HAai5ZK9BbQ

[Jeanne]

AK-- it was Maloney of NY. And it was a great moment.

Also, I was glad that finally someone addressed the case that trumpskyiev had no intention of doing anything EXCEPT announcing the investigation into the Bidens, as he has no memory of anything. I am also crazed every time he mentions or writes PQP, as it is clear that he has NO idea what it is, or how it is used in an English sentence. Of course, everyone on the other side has conferred great wisdom to this broken husk of a man, speaking admiringly of "his policies," "his ideas" etc. They will never admit that this guy is a figurehead, a recipient of all the fantasies of the right wing of this country, endowed by them with qualities he doesn't possess. That is the first thing that is wrong about him, followed by his adoration of Russia and Putin, his ignorance and mean-spiritedness, his obliviousness of how he is puppet-governing this country and his unfitness for any office, let alone the highest.

The debate? Tulsi was nuts and everyone else had good things to say. Joe looked tottery at first. I wish we had a composite candidate, made up of the best of each...

Well, so it continues, while I mute anything said by Nunes the Dumb and his henchpeople, and I must go out and have my Human Scum sweatshirt made up...

[Akhilleus]

Jeanne,

Hey, I’ll take one of those “Human Scum” sweatshirts. I’d get a little one for my dog too, but, you know...although he’s a much more honest and decent creature than Nunes, Jordan, Trump, et al.

Just imagine the absolute apoplexy had Obama called all Republicans human scum. They lost it with the guns and Bibles comment, but that at least had the benefit of being accurate.

As for muting Nunes, I admit to the same, except for brief moments just to see exactly how completely off the rails these people are and the extreme level of a fantasized world they inhabit. Also, stupid.

[Jeanne]

OOPS-- I love proofreading my own stuff and finding my fingers work independently of my brain. Or maybe there just isn't room up there for anything else, having filled up my head all day with AO EIT;LIVYGRLSEORIT'[AUIELRI7BTO89Y8IUKEA-'0PIWLETU...
Sorry-- QPQ

[Marie Burns]

@Jeanne: I don't know if you've ever had the pleasure of hearing Trump say PQP or QPQ, but he enunciates each word very carefully with a break between the words, as if -- he just learned the phrase & has is still practicing saying it. (It's the way I taught my son to say nuclear instead of nuke-u-lar. Say, "noo klee are.") Where I slip right thru the phrase as if it were one word -- quidproquo -- Trump says, "There was no. quid. pro. quo."

[Marie Burns]

@Akhilleus: Maloney seems quite smart, but he is also the Democrats' answer to Gym Jordan. He could say the same stuff he says, to much better effect, by saying it, not shouting it.

[Marie Burns]

Both Sondland and Volker testified that although they knew Trump insisted the Ukrainians "investigate" Burisma, they had no fucking idea it had anything to do with Hunter Biden.

Really?

Tim Morrison, the youngish guy who was new to the NSC, had never heard of Burisma either the first time he came across mention of it in his new job. So, um, he Googled Burisma.

If your boss was so hung up on Xdoodle that he was going to upend international relations to "get to the bottom of Xdoodle," & you didn't know what Xdoodle was, wouldn't you at least look up Xdoodle on the Internets? If you were a bigshot & found the Internets too smallfry to master, wouldn't you ask someone on staff to tell you what it was about?

Volker & Sondland, if they were testifying truthfully (huge "if"), are the two most incurious ambassadors on record. They're guys who rely on bonhomie; they smile & declare "everything is going very smoothly" as the earth crumbles beneath them.

[unwashed]

I just took other look at his notes-to-self. We know about his penchant for capital letters, but what I find odd is that all letters are capitals except for two vowels - i and e. I is capitalized only when used as a pronoun, no es are. Also, he abbreviates PReS without a period, but then uses U.S. with periods. I guess he just ran out of room at the end of the second to last line.

[Victoria]

@Ak:
His name is Sean Patrick Maloney. I know you got the first and last name, but the Sean Patrick said it all to me.
With that name and his way of questioning, I thought he was just demonstrating his (presumably) Jesuit teaching, and was simply making his points with emphasis. The increase in volume is to drive home the point. And his "smile" was the shark's grin. I listened to him and he definitely sounded angry to me.
I thought it was a good, relevant, performance.
Also, he's kinda cute.

[Patrick]

Squid go pro? I think that's the new DOD OK for Annapolis* jocks to play pro sports after graduating, before serving their obligation.

* And other service academy grads, but "squids" = " sailors", so ...

Sorry

[Marie Burns]

@Victoria, you are so smart. Maloney went to Georgetown, which is a Jesuit university.

[Forrest Morris]

@Victoria: "Also, he's kinda cute". Sorry Victoria, but he's gay
and married. He and his husband have 3 adopted kids.
But you're right, he is kinda.