Friday
Oct112019
The Commentariat -- October 12, 2019
Afternoon Update:
Barbara Starr & Ryan Browne of CNN: "The commander of the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces told a senior US diplomat, 'You are leaving us to be slaughtered," demanding to know whether the US is going to do anything to protect Syrian Kurds as Turkey continues its military operation targeting America's Kurdish allies in Syria. You have given up on us. You are leaving us to be slaughtered,' Gen. Mazloum Kobani Abdi told the Deputy Special Envoy to the Global Coalition to Defeat ISIS, William Roebuck, in a meeting Thursday, according to an internal US government readout that has been obtained exclusively by CNN. 'You are not willing to protect the people, but you do not want another force to come and protect us. You have sold us. This is immoral,' Mazloum added."
John Hudson of the Washington Post: "President Trump defended his personal attorney Rudolph W. Giuliani on Saturday amid reports that federal prosecutors are investigating whether the former New York City mayor broke lobbying laws in his efforts to oust the former U.S. ambassador to Ukraine Marie Yavonovitch. 'So now they are after the legendary 'crime buster' and greatest Mayor in the history of NYC, Rudy Giuliani,' Trump tweeted. 'He may seem a little rough around the edges sometimes, but he is also a great guy and wonderful lawyer.' In defending Giuliani, Trump revived one of his recurring conspiracy theories that a 'Deep State' of entrenched bureaucrats and law enforcement officers are continuing to undermine him and his associates. 'Such a one sided Witch Hunt going on in USA. Deep State. Shameful!' he said." The Hill's story is here.
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Thanks to MAG.
Trump Nominates Guy Who Fired Yovanovitch as Ambassador to Russia. Morgan Chalfant of the Hill: "President Trump plans to nominate John Sullivan, currently the No. 2 State Department official, as U.S. ambassador to Russia, the White House announced Friday.... The announcement came just as former U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine Marie Yovanovitch told Congress ... told Congress that Sullivan told her Trump had 'lost confidence' in her and 'no longer wished' for her to serve as ambassador." Mrs. McC: Shouldn't Trump have nominated Rudy? (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~
~~~ Mike Lillis of the Hill: "The Trump administration sought to block the congressional deposition Friday of the former U.S. ambassador to Ukraine, leading House Democrats to issue a subpoena for her appearance -- and ultimately compelling her to testify Friday, according to Democratic committee leaders. Marie Yovanovitch ... arrived at the Capitol Friday morning and is testifying behind closed doors before members of the three House committees -- Intelligence, Oversight and Reform, and Foreign Affairs -- leading the Democrats' impeachment inquiry into President Trump. Her appearance came just three days after the White House counsel issued a letter warning House Democrats that the administration will not cooperate with requests for documents or witness testimony as part of the ongoing probe.... 'Last night, the Committees learned that the State Department, at the direction of the White House, directed Ambassador Marie Yovanovitch not to appear for her voluntary interview today'" Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff (D-Calif.), Oversight and Reform Chairman Elijah Cummings (D-Md.) and Foreign Affairs Chairman Eliot Engel (D-N.Y.) said in a joint statement Friday afternoon.... The committee heads issued a subpoena on Friday morning..., they said. 'This duly authorized subpoena is mandatory, and the illegitimate order from the Trump Administration not to cooperate has no force,' the Democrats said. 'As is required of her, the Ambassador is now complying with the subpoena and answering questions from both Democratic and Republican Members and staff.'" ~~~
~~~ Yovanovtich Unloads on Trump Regime. Sharon LaFraniere & Nicholas Fandos of the New York Times: "Marie L. Yovanovitch, who was recalled as the American ambassador to Ukraine, testified to impeachment investigators on Friday that a top State Department official told her that President Trump had pushed for her removal for months even though the department believed she had 'done nothing wrong.' In a closed-door deposition that could further fuel calls for Mr. Trump's impeachment, Ms. Yovanovitch delivered a scathing indictment of his administration's conduct of foreign policy. She warned that private influence and personal gain have usurped diplomats' judgment, threatening to undermine the nation's interests and drive talented professionals out of public service. According to a copy of her opening statement..., the longtime diplomat said she was 'incredulous' that she was removed as ambassador 'based, as far as I can tell, on unfounded and false claims by people with clearly questionable motives.'... 'Today we see the State Department attacked and hollowed out from within,' she said. She said the allegations that she was disloyal to Mr. Trump, circulated by allies of Rudolph W. Giuliani, the president's personal lawyer, were totally 'fictitious.'" The Washington Post story is here. (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~
~~~ Yovanovitch's full opening statement is here (pdf), via PBS. It's pretty powerful. ~~~
~~~ Mrs. Bea McCrabbie: As we know, two of the guys responsible for sliming Yovanovitch -- Lev & Igor -- are sitting in the slammer today (unless either or both came up with $1MM bail) and a third -- Rudy -- is sweating like a man in a Turkish bath. Wouldn't it be nice if SDNY -- which Giuliani once ran -- indicted him? (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~
~~~ Evan Perez of CNN: "Rudy Giuliani's financial dealings with two associates indicted on campaign finance-related charges are under scrutiny by investigators overseeing the case, law enforcement officials briefed on the matter said. The FBI and prosecutors in Manhattan are examining Giuliani's involvement in the broader flow of money that have become the focus of alleged violations that are at the center of the allegations against Lev Parnas and Igor Fruman, the sources said. The sources did not say that Giuliani was a target of the investigation. Giuliani told CNN he is not aware of any law enforcement scrutiny on his financial dealings with the men and he said he has not been interviewed by the FBI...." (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~
~~~ Aaron Katesky & Josh Margolin of ABC News: "The business relationship between ... Rudy Giuliani and the men charged Thursday in a campaign finance scheme is a subject of the ongoing criminal investigation being conducted by federal authorities in New York, according to two sources familiar with the matter.... The investigation is being conducted by the FBI's New York field office and prosecutors in the Southern District of New York, the same U.S. Attorney's office Giuliani ran before he became mayor of New York." ~~~
~~~ AND That's Not All. Michael Schmidt, et al., of the New York Times: "Federal prosecutors in Manhattan are investigating whether ... Rudolph W. Giuliani broke lobbying laws in hisdealings in Ukraine, according to two people familiar with the inquiry. The investigators are examining Mr. Giuliani's efforts to undermine the American ambassador to Ukraine, Marie L. Yovanovitch, one of the people said.... Federal law requires American citizens to disclose to the Justice Department any contacts with the government or media in the United States at the direction or request of foreign politicians or government officials, regardless of whether they pay for the representation. Law enforcement officials have made clear in recent years that covert foreign influence is as great a threat to the country as spies trying to steal government secrets." ~~~
~~~ So Trump Tap Dances Away. Michael Collins, et al., of USA Today: "... Donald Trump sought Friday to distance himself from attorney Rudy Giuliani.... Asked whether Giuliani remained his personal attorney, Trump said: 'I don't know. I haven't spoken to Rudy,' Trump told reporters as he was leaving the White House for a political rally in Louisiana. 'I spoke to him yesterday, briefly. He's a very good attorney and he has been my attorney, yeah sure.' Giuliani told USA Today shortly afterward that he's still Trump's lawyer. 'He hasn't told me otherwise,' he said." Mrs. McC: Another former Trump attorney, Michael Cohen, now doing hard time, no doubt will recognize that step. ~~~
~~~ Lev & Igor's Other Client: Corrupt Ukrainian Oligarch. Aram Roston, et al., of Reuters: "One of the two Florida businessmen who helped ... Donald Trump's personal attorney investigate his political rival, Democrat Joe Biden, also has been working for the legal team of a Ukrainian oligarch who faces bribery charges in the United States, according to attorneys for the businessmen and the oligarch. Lev Parnas, one of the two associates of ... Rudy Giuliani, served as a translator for lawyers representing oligarch Dmytro Firtash. Parnas was arrested on Thursday along with the other Florida businessman, Igor Fruman, on unrelated charges that included illegally funneling $325,000 to a political action committee supporting pro-Trump candidates. Both men had worked in an unspecified capacity for Firtash before Parnas joined the Ukrainian's legal team, according to a person familiar with the Florida men's business dealings with Firtash.... Firtash, one of Ukraine's wealthiest businessmen, is battling extradition by U.S. authorities on bribery charges from Vienna, where he has lived for five years.... Federal prosecutors in Illinois said in court papers in 2017 that Firtash was an 'upper-echelon' associate of Russian organized crime.'" ~~~
~~~ Mrs. McCrabbie: So Trump's guy's guys were doing the bidding of both a crooked Ukrainian oligarch & a crooked American oligarch a/k/a POTUS*. Clearly, the interests of the American people was uppermost in all their minds. ~~~
~~~ In 2016 Victory Party, Parnas Described Trump as a Friend & Neighbor. Darren Samuelsohn & Ben Schreckinger of Politico: "Donald Trump tried to distance himself from the latest scandal that threatens his presidency on Thursday by saying he didn't know either of the foreign-born Rudy Giuliani associates that his own Justice Department had just indicted for alleged campaign finance violations. But that's not what one of the men said three years ago -- while attending Trump's invite-only 2016 election night party in New York.... Lev Parnas described himself to a foreign correspondent at the cash-bar event in midtown Manhattan as a friend of the president-elect who didn't live far from his South Florida winter home." ~~~
~~~ Tom Winter, et al., of NBC News: "The unnamed Ukrainian official referenced in a federal indictment as directing a plot to oust the then-U.S. ambassador [Marie Yovanovitch] is Ukraine's former chief prosecutor Yuriy Lutsenko, according to a U.S. official familiar with the events.... Two former U.S. officials said Lutsenko had sharp disagreements with Yovanovitch over his handling of corruption cases, and was also seeking to curry favor with the Trump administration.... In his July call with Ukrainian President Zelenskiy, Trump praised Lutsenko and lamented that he was on his way out. 'I heard you had a prosecutor who was very good and he was shut down and that's really unfair,' Trump said in the call. 'A lot of people are talking about that.' Lutsenko told NBC News last month that he's known Giuliani for 'many years' and met with him while vacationing in New York. Lutsenko said he counted Giuliani as a friend and has spoken to him 'maybe 10 times.' Lutsenko said they discussed former Vice President Biden and his son, Hunter...."
"All the President's Henchmen." Michelle Cottle of the New York Times: "... Mr. Trump's dreams of dominance tend to bump up against the hard realities of incompetence -- his and that of his cronies. It has long been apparent that the president has a peculiar eye for talent. The repercussions of this were on display this week as the Ukraine scandal at the heart of the impeachment inquiry continued to unspool, spotlighting a fresh batch of colorful characters and questionable behavior." ~~~
~~~ Ryan Broderick of Buzzfeed: "If you're struggling to make sense of ... Donald Trump's obsession with Ukraine, the best place to look is inside the mind of a lawyer working for him, Rudy Giuliani ... and the near-constant stream of Spygate fanfiction he's been spewing online for the last six months.... Spygate's central (false) claim is that the Obama administration embedded a spy in Trump's 2016 presidential campaign for political purposes.... This is the petri dish in which Giuliani has been growing his ongoing investigation." Includes an explainer on "spygate." --s (Also linked yesterday.)
Crack White House Staff Sends GOP Talking Points to Democrats -- Again. Mike Lillis & Juliegrace Brufke of the Hill: "The White House accidentally sent Democrats a list of talking points related to ex-Ukraine Ambassador Marie Yovanovitch's Friday House deposition..., the second time in a month the administration has sent its Ukraine talking points to Democrats. The email included guidance for Republicans seeking to defend the president from potentially damaging witness testimony from an ambassador who was removed from her post in May under controversial circumstances. In copies of the guidance shared with The Hill, the White House encouraged Republicans to adopt a series of messages designed to turn the tables back on Democrats, including attacks on House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff's (D-Calif.) handling of the investigation."
Trump Thrills Coarse, Ignorant People Again. Katie Rogers of the New York Times: "President Trump left a dizzying trail of developments behind him in Washington on Friday evening, swapping the confines of the capital for a fiery rally where he used foul language, fierce political attacks and personal grievances to light up his supporters for the second day in a row. The president lashed out at the House speaker, Nancy Pelosi, saying that the top Democrat in Congress 'hates this country' and ridiculing her decision to begin an impeachment inquiry into his efforts to get foreign countries to dig up damaging information on his rivals. 'The radical Democrats' policies are crazy. Their politicians are corrupt. Their candidates are terrible,' Mr. Trump said to huge applause. 'And they know they can't win on Election Day so they're pursuing an illegal, invalid and unconstitutional bullshit impeachment.'" Politico's story is here. ~~~
Donald Trump's Idea of Appropriate Presidential* Rhetoric. He was only a good vice president because he understood how to kiss Barack Obama's ass. -- Donald Trump, at a rally in Minnesota Thursday night, speaking of Joe Biden
Mrs. McCrabbie: I'll bet jolly bully Mike Pompeo was expecting a typical "how do you like Nashville, Mr. Secretary?" exchange when he agreed to an interview with reporter Nancy Amons of Nashville's WSMV. That's not what Amons had in mind:
Spencer Ackerman, et al., of the Daily Beast: "New potential whistleblowers are coming forward to the House Democrats' impeachment inquiry, two congressional sources tell The Daily Beast. They seem to be emboldened by the actions of the whistleblower whose explosive account of ... Donald Trump's phone call to Ukraine's Volodymyr Zelensky about investigating Trump's domestic political rivals ignited the impeachment inquiry. Another whistleblower is known to have come forward. Congressional investigators are currently vetting the new accounts they've received for credibility."
** Darren Samuelsohn & Josh Gerstein of Politico: "... Donald Trump lost a key court decision in his bid to block a subpoena from House Democrats pressing to see his financial records. The 2-1 ruling from the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit stems from a case where Trump sued to block Democrats from seeing a vast trove of materials as Congress probes Trump over potential conflicts of interest and payments from foreign governments. 'Contrary to the President's arguments, the Committee possesses authority under both the House Rules and the Constitution to issue the subpoena,' Judge David Tatel wrote in an opinion joined by Judge Patricia Millett. The 66-page opinion against Trump issued by the two Democrat-appointed judges backs up Congress by citing a long history of lawmakers using subpoenas to demand information in connection with investigations. It leans on more than two centuries of history, including Watergate-era precedent that 'strongly implies that Presidents enjoy no blanket immunity from congressional subpoenas.' At issue is a House Oversight and Government Reform Committee subpoena issued in mid-April seeking financial records from Trump's longtime accounting firm, Mazars USA, related to work it did for the president before and after he took office." (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~
~~~ Update: The Washington Post story is here. The New York Times story is here. (Also linked yesterday.)
DOJ Moves on Trump's Personal Behalf. Benjamin Weiser & William Rashbaum of the New York Times: "The Justice Department asked a federal appeals court on Friday to stop the release of President Trump's tax returns to the Manhattan district attorney's office, arguing that local prosecutors should have to meet a very high legal bar before investigating a sitting president.... The district attorney's office issued the subpoena in late August as part of an investigation into hush-money payments made in the run-up to the 2016 presidential election. But in its filing, the Justice Department, which is led by Attorney General William P. Barr, stopped short of endorsing Mr. Trump's most sweeping argument: that sitting presidents are totally immune from all criminal investigations. On Monday, Judge Victor Marrero of United States District Court in Manhattan rejected Mr. Trump's effort to shield his tax returns from the Manhattan district attorney, Cyrus R. Vance Jr. Mr. Trump had argued that the Constitution prevented sitting presidents from being subject to criminal investigations, especially from a local prosecutor, such as Mr. Vance." ~~~
~~~ The Hill's report, by Naomi Jagoda, is here. ~~~
~~~ Same Case. David Fahrenthold & Anne Marimow of the Washington Post: "President Trump on Friday repeated his assertion of sweeping executive immunity -- arguing in court that, because he is president, he cannot be investigated by any prosecutor, anywhere. Trump's personal attorneys made the argument in a filing with the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 2nd Circuit in New York. They are seeking to overturn a lower court's dismissal of a suit the president filed seeking to block Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance Jr. (D) from obtaining Trump's tax returns.... Earlier this week, U.S. District Judge Victor Marrero dismissed Trump's lawsuit, saying that Trumps assertion of sweeping immunity was 'repugnant' to constitutional values."
Zachary Warmbrodt of Politico: "A federal appeals court revealed Thursday that Deutsche Bank does not have copies of ... Donald Trump's tax returns that House Democrats are seeking in an investigation of his finances. The disclosure came as judges ruled against a coalition of media companies that had asked the court to unseal an unredacted letter from Deutsche Bank identifying whose tax returns targeted by the House subpoenas were in its possession." (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~
~~~ Shane Croucher of Newsweek: "A former Deutsche Bank executive who reviewed President Donald Trump's tax returns reportedly said it is 'not normal' that the institution no longer holds copies of those records.... David Enrich, finance editor at The New York Times, posted to Twitter a screenshot of his conversation with the unnamed executive in which they expressed surprise that Deutsche told a federal appeals court it did not have the president's tax returns anymore. 'Holy f**k,' the executive wrote, per the screenshot. 'The circumstance could be that they returned any physical copies or destroyed any physical copies under an agreement with a client and cleansed their servers. Not normal though.'" --s (Also linked yesterday.)
Martyn McClauglin of The Scotsman: "The US president's Turnberry resort ran up losses of more than £10.7m last year, meaning that since he took over the historic property in 2014, it has lost nearly £43m.... It comes as Mr Trump's most prestigious overseas resort is at the centre of a Congressional investigation into US Defence Department spending and patronage." --s (Also linked yesterday.)
Elizabeth McLaughlin & Luis Martinez of ABC News: "U.S. special forces operating in northern Syria have been moved from their location after Turkish artillery exploded near their outpost, according to a U.S. official. Two other U.S. officials said the explosion occurred Friday afternoon, Eastern Daylight Time, in the vicinity of U.S. special forces operating near the Syrian city of Kobane, just across the border from Turkey. No U.S. forces were killed or injured. The explosion was not a 'direct hit' on U.S. forces, one official said, and it does not appear to have been deliberate. In a statement, Turkey's defense ministry said the strike was in response to mortars coming from 'terrorists' operating near the U.S. special forces outpost. The statement said that Turkey was not targeting the U.S. troops and that precautions were taken to prevent damage to the U.S. fortification." ~~~
~~~ Carlotta Gall & Patrick Kingsley of the New York Times: "The Turkish invasion of Kurdish-held territory in northern Syria raised new fears of a resurgence of the Islamic State on Friday, as five militants escaped from a Kurdish-run prison and the extremist group claimed responsibility for a bomb that exploded in the regional capital. As Turkish troops launched a third night of airstrikes and ground incursions, Kurdish fighters said they had thwarted a second attempt to break out of a detention camp for families of Islamic State members. The moves compounded a mounting sense of turmoil in northeast Syria, where tens of thousands of residents were reported fleeing south. The Turkish government said its troops had advanced five miles inside part of the country. Several major roads had been blocked and a major hospital abandoned." ~~~
~~~ Mrs. McCrabbie: It's worth bearing in mind that Trump's argument for letting Turkey attack Kurdish-held territory is (1) We've already defeated ISIS, so there's no need to stick around; (2) even though stepping aside effectively guarantees ISIS fighters will escape & regroup. The test of dimwittery is "the ability to hold two opposed ideas in mind at the same time" and make no sense to any sane person.
Jacob Pramuk of CNBC: "... Donald Trump has given his administration broad authority to slap sanctions on Turkey, Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said Friday. Trump signed an executive order authorizing the powers, though the administration will not move yet to punish Turkish individuals or entities after the country's offensive in northern Syria. Still, Mnuchin threatened devastating actions in the wake of Turkish strikes that the U.S. has condemned. 'These are very powerful sanctions. We hope we don't have to use them. But we can shut down the Turkish economy if we need to,' the Treasury chief told reporters."
Wesley Morgan of Politico: "Defense Secretary Mark Esper urged his Turkish counterpart Thursday to halt Turkey's unfolding cross-border offensive against Syrian Kurdish militias, Pentagon spokesperson Jonathan Hoffman said today. Esper and Turkish Defense Minister Hulusi Akar 'spoke by phone where they discussed the situation in northeast Syria,' Hoffman said in a statement. 'As part of the call, Secretary Esper strongly encouraged Turkey to discontinue actions in northeastern Syria in order to increase the possibility that the United States, Turkey and our partners could find a common way to deescalate the situation before it becomes irreparable.'" (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~
~~~ MEANWHILE. Wesley Morgan: “The Pentagon is sending about 2,000 more troops to Saudi Arabia, including squadrons of fighter jets and air defense missile batteries, Defense Department officials said Friday. Defense Secretary Mark Esper authorized the deployment of two fighter squadrons, two batteries of Patriot missiles, a Terminal High Altitude Area Defense missile system, and an Air Force headquarters unit 'at the request of U.S. Central Command,' Pentagon spokesperson Jonathan Hoffman said in a statement." Mrs. McC: Sorry, Kurds, while you were fighting & dying for our shared objectives, you forgot to take time out to give Trump a golden orb. (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~
~~~ Ah, It's Okay Because ... Dan Lamothe of the Washington Post: "President Trump ... said late Friday that the kingdom 'has agreed to pay us for everything we're doing to help them.'" Mrs. McC: So now we're selling soldiers, too -- turning our military into mercenaries. It's not foolish to argue we've done it before, but this is the first time I can recall that a president* admitted we were trading American soldiers for oil and placing a dollar value on that. I don't know that this is what young men & women had in mind when they signed up for service.
Kevin Brueninger of CNBC: "The U.S. has come to a 'very substantial phase one deal' with China in the high-stakes trade negotiations between the two economic superpowers..., Donald Trump said Friday.... The first portion of the trade deal will be written over the next three weeks, Trump said. It will address intellectual property and financial services concerns, along with purchases of about $40 billion to $50 billion worth of agricultural products by China, Trump said.... Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin also announced in the Oval Office that the White House has scrapped a new round of tariffs on imports of Chinese goods, which were set to go into effect Oct. 15."
** Jake Tapper of CNN: "Kevin McAleenan, the acting secretary of homeland security since April and the fourth person to serve in that post since the Trump presidency began, submitted his resignation to the White House on Friday, a source tells CNN." Mrs. McC: Trump tweeted Friday night that McAleenan quit "to spend more time with his family" & we shouldn't worry because "I will be announcing the new Acting Secretary next week. Many wonderful candidates!" Update: The Washington Post story is here.
Priscilla Alvarez of CNN: "A federal judge in Texas ruled Friday that ... Donald Trump's national emergency declaration to build a border wall is unlawful and appears poised to block the use of those funds. Judge David Briones of the US District Court for the Western District of Texas, asked challengers of the wall to propose the scope of a preliminary injunction. The lawsuit, brought by El Paso County, Texas, and Border Network for Human Rights, seeks an injunction to block Trump's national emergency declaration. It argues that Trump overstepped his authority when he issued the declaration to gain access to additional funds for his border wall, despite receiving $1.375 billion from Congress. The complaint also alleges that the declaration doesn't meet the National Emergencies Act's definition of 'emergency' and pushes back against Trump's remarks that border barriers led to a drop in crime in El Paso. At issue, in Friday's ruling, is the military construction funds that have been diverted to build a border wall. The judge found that the plaintiffs have standing to bring the case because ... they've suffered harm as a result."
Three Strikes. Miriam Jordan of the New York Times: "Three federal judges issued injunctions on Friday blocking a new federal policy that could change the face of immigration to the United States by denying legal residency to people who are likely to depend on public welfare. In a day of legal setbacks for the Trump administration's attempts to limit immigration, federal judges in New York, California and Washington State issued injunctions temporarily blocking the 'public charge' rule, which would impose serious impediments to legal residency for those who use benefits such as Medicaid and food stamps. Two of the judges issued nationwide injunctions on implementation of the policy, while the judge in California limited her ruling to the nine western states within the Ninth Circuit."
Katie Lobosco of CNN: "Education Secretary Betsy DeVos violated a court order to stop collecting on the debts of some former Corinthian College students and now a judge is weighing sanctions or finding her in contempt of court. 'I feel like there have to be some consequences for the violation of my order 16,000 times,' said US Magistrate Judge Sallie Kim at a hearing held Monday in San Francisco, according to an audio recording released by the court. The Department of Education has said that more than 16,000 borrowers were incorrectly informed that they owed a payment on their debt, according to a September court filing. About 1,800 had their wages garnished and more than 800 were mistakenly subject to adverse credit reporting.... 'I'm not sending anyone to jail yet, but it's good to know I have that ability.'" --s (Also linked yesterday.)
William "Wild Bill" Pendley.** Sarak Okeson of DCReport: "William Perry Pendley, the attorney now running the Bureau of Land Management, oversees federal coal leases despite pushing for a fire sale of coal leases more than three decades ago that led to a federal probe in which he was referred for possible criminal prosecution.... Interior Secretary David Bernhardt ... plans to move BLM headquarters to Grand Junction, Colo., where the agency will share an office building with oil and gas companies that it will regulate. The move and Pendley's appointment are widely viewed as an effort to force out employees much like the forced relocation to Kansas City, Mo., for researchers at the Department of Agriculture. The bureau has not had a Senate-confirmed director since Trump took office. Bernhardt sidestepped the Senate confirmation needed for the appointee who runs the BLM and appointed Pendley as acting director.... Just before Trump took office, then-Interior Secretary Sally Jewell released a review of the coal leasing program with recommendations on how to make it more competitive, but her successor, Ryan Zinke, squashed that." --s (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~
~~~ Mrs. McCrabbie: Do see Akhilleus' discourse on Pendley in yesterday's Comments.
Michael Grynbaum of the New York Times: "Shepard Smith, the chief news anchor of Fox News whose reporting often drew the ire of President Trump, said on Friday that he was leaving the cable news network after 23 years, an abrupt move that left some of his co-workers openly stunned. 'Recently, I asked the company to allow me to leave Fox News,' Mr. Smith told viewers at the close of his regular broadcast. 'After requesting that I stay, they obliged.'... He is leaving in the middle of his current contract, a rarity in the cutthroat television business, and he told viewers on Friday that, under his exit agreement, 'I won't be reporting elsewhere at least in the near future.'" The Hill's story is here. Brian Stelter of CNN has more.
Marianne Garvey of CNN: "Jane Fonda was taken into police custody Friday in Washington, DC, while participating in a climate crisis demonstration. The incident comes as the actress and activist launched her Fire Drill Fridays campaign, a civil disobedience effort to raise awareness of environmental challenges. 'The United States Capitol Police arrested 16 individuals for unlawfully demonstrating on the East Front of the U.S. Capitol,' Eva Malecki, spokeswoman for the Capitol police told CNN. All were charged with 'crowding, obstructing or incommoding,' she said."
Matthew Taylor & Jonathan Watts of the Guardian: "The Guardian today reveals the 20 fossil fuel companies whose relentless exploitation of the world's oil, gas and coal reserves can be directly linked to more than one-third of all greenhouse gas emissions in the modern era.... The top 20 companies on the list have contributed to 35% of all energy-related carbon dioxide and methane worldwide, totalling 480bn tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent (GtCO2e) since 1965." --s (Also linked yesterday.)
Beyond the Beltway
Arizona. AP: "Paul Petersen, the Republican assessor of Arizona's most populous county, was charged in Utah, Arizona and Arkansas with counts including human smuggling, sale of a child, fraud, forgery and conspiracy to commit money laundering.... Petersen served a two-year mission in the Marshall Islands for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.... He was later recruited by an international adoption agency while in law school.... Prosecutors say Petersen used associates [in the Marshall Islands] to recruit pregnant women by offering many of them $10,000 each to give up their babies for adoption.... Women got little to no prenatal care in Utah, and in one house slept on mattresses laid on bare floors in what one shocked adoptive family described as a 'baby mill.'... Petersen charged families $25,000-$40,000 per adoption and brought about $2.7 million into a bank account for adoption fees in less than two years, according to court documents. Petersen's Mesa, Arizona, home is worth more than $600,000 and located in an affluent, gated community."--s (Also linked yesterday.)
California. Susie Cagle of the Guardian: "When the United States' largest investor-owned utility, Pacific Gas and Electric, shut down power to millions of Californians this week, nearly no one was ready.... The widescale public safety power shutdown revealed the depth of California's infrastructure problems amid a growing climate crisis, as 'de-energizing' policy trades one possible disaster for another.... PG&E may be a public utility -- the biggest electric utility in the US ..., but it is not, and has never been, owned by the public. With their huge monopoly markets and guaranteed rates of return, California utilities are attractive businesses for investors. Earlier this year, utilities asked the state for an even bigger payday. Meanwhile, PG&E invested millions in state lobbying, paid out $4.5bn in profits to shareholders over the last five years, and millions in executive bonuses -- all while deferring necessary maintenance and repairs to its system.... PG&E equipment has been blamed for sparking 17 out of 23 major fires across the state in 2017, and the 2018 Camp fire that all but destroyed the town of Paradise and killed 85 people. Following those two devastating fire seasons, PG&E filed for bankruptcy protection to cover its liability costs, which are expected to total upwards of $30bn.... 'The only way out of this bind is not only public ownership of the company but a massive scale public investment in building the kind of safe, clean energy infrastructure that we need,' said [Keith Brower] Brown [, co-chair of the East Bay chapter of Democratic Socialists of America, which launched a campaign for the public takeover of PG&E in 2018]."
New York. The Judge Wears an Ankle Bracelet. Ed Shanahan of the New York Times: "When the former chief executive of the [New York City?] Municipal Credit Union [Kam Wong] pleaded guilty last year to stealing nearly $10 million from the 500,000-member financial institution, federal prosecutors said he had ... 'tried to cover up what he had done by making false statements to federal investigators and creating false and misleading documents.'... On Friday, federal prosecutors said that Mr. Wong had been helped in the cover-up by ... [Justice Sylvia G. Ash of State Supreme Court] a Brooklyn judge who led the credit union's board of directors. [Ash] was arrested after arriving at La Guardia Airport from Miami. She was charged in a criminal complaint.... Justice Ash, prosecutors said, had signed a false memo that tried to justify millions of dollars in improper payments that Mr. Wong received from the credit union; concealed and deleted text messages and emails, and wiped clean her iPhone issued by the credit union; and made false and misleading statements to federal investigators."
Wisconsin. Patrick Marley of The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: "A paralyzed Wisconsin lawmaker [Rep. Jimmy Anderson of Fitchburg] lashed out at his Republican colleagues Thursday, saying accommodations they gave him after a months-long fight were short of what he needed.... On a 61-35 party-line vote, the Assembly adjusted its rules to allow those with disabilities to phone into committee meetings. Democrats opposed the rule because it didn't include everything Anderson wanted, such as a ban on overnight sessions.... In a floor speech, Anderson described months of therapy he has had to go through after he got ulcers from spending too much time in his wheelchair during an overnight session in December. Republicans held the overnight session so they could pass lame-duck laws limiting the powers of Democratic Gov. Tony Evers.... Assembly Speaker Robin Vos of Rochester [R]...for months refused to change the rules and accused Anderson of 'political grandstanding.'" --s (Also linked yesterday.)
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Reader Comments (17)
Are we hearing a different song being sung today? I do believe we are and it's the old Twisted Sister's " We're Not Gonna Take It." “This is our life, this is our song.” ... free / We'll fight / You'll see”. And we aren't gonna take it anymore.
The testimony by Marie Yovanovitch was/is the sweetest of all this singing from people who have had it, who are not political pawns, who are not corrupt but are decent human beings that take their jobs seriously and honestly and are willing to come forth with the *truth.
And then we learn Trump lost three court cases. Now if that don't put a smile on your face you might just be too depressed for ANY good news and for good reason.
The story about sending the dems GOP talking points for the second time makes me wonder whether these were actual mistakes.
*Hats off to Shep Smith. The CNN report on this stresses the point that Shep has long been thinking about leaving out of frustration after Trump came on the scene but I find it curious that his colleagues were shocked––wouldn't they have known that he was thinking of leaving long before he actually left? and isn't it curious that Barr met with Murdoch the day before? Daddy Dimwit must be pleased as punch.
MAGA: MAKE ATTORNEYS GET ATTORNEYS
Meanwhile the Kurds are getting killed and California continues to burn.
Thoughts on a Saturday morning walk to the mailbox.
Aside from a frequent sense of melancholy borne of the loss of traditional epistolary correspondence while heading to collect what is typically a pile of bills, political exhortations, unwanted flyers, and coupons from the grocery store, rather than hand written missives from friends to be read with great pleasure, cup of tea in one hand and pen and paper close by for a quick response (okay, as quickly as the USPS could deliver it), I, being in mind of the building blocks of all forms of communication, began tossing around words and phrases currently in vogue as a way of tangentially addressing the week that was, when our little king decided he was, in fact, above the law and untouchable by any power in the universe.
Those helpful people at Meriam-Webster keep track of trending words, most of which, if you've been following them for the last few years, stem from synaptic explosions set off by the many perfidies of said little king. Some of these are obvious and to be expected and are often the result of the ignorance and lies of the Orange Menace and his horde of imbecilic, treasonous supporters such as "kangaroo court" and "coup". Neither of which obtain, at least in the real world. In fact, if there's been any kind of a coup, it's something incorporated by those on the right who follow the OM down the path of anti-American, anti-democratic treason. But, being an inveterate wordy, I had to look it up. The results do not bode well for Treason Boy.
So, okay, we all know what "coup" means, from a French word meaning a sharp blow. But of course, it's a shortening of "coup d'etat", which had it's first use in 1646. The short version was traced to an initial use in 1791. 1646 finds us over in (not-so) Merrie Olde England at the end of the first Civil War, a bit of nastiness that ended a few years later with that particular little king's head in a basket. Oops. Watch out, Donald! Aren't wingers always yelping for more and more vicious forms of capital punishment? Could beheading make a comeback? 1791, the first appearance of "coup" drops us into the middle of the French Revolution during which another little king got a big pain in the neck. If I were the Donald, I might refrain from yelping about coups.
Another great word with far too few opportunities for its use, "henchmen", popped up in connection with Crazy Rudy's Ukrainian slip-jigs. His accomplices have been paid for their assistance to the little king with orange jumpsuits and an all-expenses paid stay in a federal slammer. By the way, I was thinking that "henchman" probably had its origin in the Middle Ages, likely in England or Germany. Well, it was more like 15th century England. The word is a mash up of an Old English word for horses, "hengest" and "man", which referred to someone who took care of horses, but could easily be repurposed as "horse's ass", a perfect description of Rudy and his gang.
I also wondered about "slammer", which Marie used yesterday. Its provenance is pretty obvious, but I discovered that it made its first appearance in 1951. Given the inordinate number of synonyms for jail and prison, I'm guessing writers were, surprisingly, in need of something else. And it does appear toward the end of the period of Great American Slang Words. So I checked to see what other words and phrases made their debut in 1951. A lot are no longer much in use (cafetorium and spacefaring), others still around (skosh, and track record). I did notice that "stride piano" seems to have gone into general use that year, which I found interesting, given that stride piano as a style had been around for at least 30 years at that time. Pace, James P. Johnson.
Other trending words and phrases: "quid pro quo" which is oh so true, "impeach", imminent, and "dastardly", a handily accurate reference for the OM.
Well, no letters to read, so, like most of us these days, I'll check my email rather than my mailbox for news from family and friends. Oh, there's also messages on the iPhone, but those are usually reserved these days for communiques like "At the grocery, what do you need?" and to fellow sports fans "Can you believe that? Aren't running backs supposed to go forward?"
Ah, me. Have an epistolary day, my friends. Think of something else for a few minutes other than our very own Charles I-Louis XVI. And Donald, you dirty traitor, keep your neck clean.
The look on Pompeo’s face during the Nashville interview -priceless. Oh to have been a fly on the limousine dashboard afterwards
Richard Engel (about 4:30 in) on Chris Hayes last night talked about how the Kurds in Syria had created a stable, well functioning state. There are 2 million Kurds in Syria and 12 million Kurds in Turkey. Erdogan doesn't want the Turkish Kurds to get any ideas and emmulated their brethren across the border. So he sent the tanks and planes to destroy and occupy one of the few successful regions in the Mideast before his Kurds could join and integrate a true Kurdistan.
Rockygirl -- I was not watching his face so much, where he was clearly trying (too hard) to hold a steady visage. His Adam's Apple, though, failed the stress test. He was giving a demo of how stress causes you to swallow repeatedly when talking under pressure.
Had he been applying for a visa one of his own consular officers would have turned him down for obvious fabrication.
@AK : Love that delving into ye ole dictionary of great American slang. Some time ago when we were discussing the word "cunt" I was surprised to learn it took up three pages––very popular word.
When I left home to go to college I never returned, living away from my mother for the rest of her life and so except for visits we relied on letters. If she didn't hear from me for three weeks I'd be scolded good and proper––therefore, we, through all those years wrote reams. I saved a goodly amount of those letters from her––hundreds––and have arranged them in large envelopes with dates. On days when I miss her terribly, I read a few of these letters and it soothes me tremendously. It's also a strange thing because it's like time stands still and she's still active in her various and sundry and telling me all about it.
She would have loved email.
Time to order more spices.
This is great. Bill Penzey of Penzey's Spices in Milwaukee is one of the highest spenders on Facebook ads - for impeachment.
I've been buying his products for over 40 years, from when his mom and dad started the business as The Spice House. Back then it was a one-shop enterprise in a small house. I remember him working along with his parents and sister weighing out your selections and hand-writing the description on a label. The smells were amazing.
I still have a copy of their price list from 1987, #29. I've kept it because it's an encyclopedia of information on each item, even listing the ingredients in all of their mixes. Fresh as you could get and inexpensive.
As the article states, he's been at it for a while. Here's something from the latest sales email we received.
"That this latest Facebook post has seen far more response than any we have ever done before shows just how strong America’s appetite for justice is right now. That this demand is so strong so far away from the next national election shows great hope for our future. America is counting down the days until we can remove the injustice that controls both the White House and the Senate. A return to We the People is only one election away."
Happy Seasonings!
Is a US female soldier worth a whole barrel of oil to the Saudis or only half a barrel? Do you think that they have already gotten their permission slips signed by their fathers to leave the house to go to Saudi Arabia? Have they installed the voice recognition software in the humvee's yet? Women have to praise MBS before their cars will start there, right?
Pompeo sez he and Fatty are interested in weeding out corruption. I expect that means we'll be hearing about their resignations and that of every other Trump cabinet member within the next day or two.
It's funny to see him not only refuse to answer valid questions, but then to pad his non-answers with bullshit boilerplate ("We do the best we can all around the world, blah, blah, blah..."). Also funny to hear him talk about his dedication to government employees. Don't forget, Pompeo is nothing but a pushed up 'bagger. Teabaggers HATE government and consider government employees vermin. The lies are still astounding, if predictable.
And don't miss his reason for being in Nashville: a sop to the Evangelicals and their sense of incessant victimization because their religious freedom is under attack if a couple of women get married somewhere or a Muslim gets elected to congress.
Love how he yaps about "religious freedom" as if he and Fatty give a single tiny turd about the status of any group other than far right-wing Evangelicals who would vote for Trump if they could actually see the horns on his head and his cloven hooves. Both of them have ripped Muslims as criminals and murderers, without exception. How's that for protecting religious freedom?
I will dance the tarantella the day this asshole is forced to resign because of criminal dealings and treasonous activity.
Unwashed,
Thanks for the tip. Put me down for some Tandoori spices, a couple of curries, some air dried shallots, and some ground coriander. And a large bottle of impeachment on the side.
So the Saudis are paying baksheesh for us to switch from protecting the Kurds to defending petroleum depots and keep themselves from having to get their hands dirty.
Rockygirl,
You can bet good ol' Mike, man of the people, was calling one of Munchkin's lackeys at Treasury to have that reporter's taxes audited.
Bobby Lee,
You got it. As one wag put it, the Saudis are prepared to fight to the last American standing.
PD: My mother was a prolific typist of letters-- we always thought she would love email, once we got into it... We gave her an Apple computer we were replacing and she swore someone she knew could teach her how to use it, and for months and months she avoided actually having this person come over to her house and show her. We later realized that she was no longer able to even think about learning email, leading to her eventual total dementia. But I think she missed out, due to the luck of years being against her...a regret of mine.
Unwashed: we love the Spice House too. My husband is what the guy in Evanston IL called a "spice hoarder." We have SO MANY. A few years ago we happened on Penzey's in Portland, OR, and were not aware of the connection; we just knew the place smelled and looked so familiar...they told us the family history, briefly. We still love going into a Spice House; the one in Geneva, IL closed, so now we are back to mail order unless we visit Chicago or Milwaukee often. I simply cannot do without my Chicago spiced sugar on my oatmeal, and my lemon pepper on, well, everything from corn to eggs. So glad to hear that they are on the side of goodness besides spices.
Two Nazi rallies in a row: a banner week for the Moron-in-Chief. More and more pundits/columnists are remarking on how dangerous it feels to watch him (well, not really watch him-- I can't hit the mute fast enough) inspire the ignorant hordes. I note that the trolls on Charlie's columns are bitterly resentful when they catch on to the fact that the basket of deplorables has grown substantially and they are dismissed by thinking people as a boxcar of depravity-- they huff and puff and put on the usual victim greatcoat...
Happy formerly Columbus Day weekend; we just returned from Portugal and Spain, and had regular doses of Columbus info, of course-- there, 1492 is actually another anniversary in their complicated history-- Jews were expelled and Muslims defeated, and so, the inquisition arrived. We sure saw some incredible architecture in both countries...like traveling in Ireland, we realized what a new country we have. It's a shame to lose it to losers...
A Relationship With Jeffrey Epstein That Bill Gates Now Regrets | NYTimes
Ya think?
“Mr. Gates, in turn, praised Mr. Epstein’s charm and intelligence. Emailing colleagues the next day, he said: “A very attractive Swedish woman and her daughter dropped by and I ended up staying there quite late.”
Wondering how Melinda weighs-in.
https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.nytimes.com/2019/10/12/business/jeffrey-epstein-bill-gates.amp.html
unwashed:
Thank you for the backstory re: Penzey’s Spices. I’d been gifted their “Sweet Curry” & “Garam Masala” (Punjabi Style). And will now become an ardent mail order-er.
Yes - “Happy Seasonings!”
@unwashed & others: Me, too! Been a Penzey's customer for decades and have turned many friends into becoming customers as well. When I saw the story in the Washington Post, I was so happy to learn about his stance on impeachment. Bravo! More Penzey orders from me, for sure! I did comment on the Post article, but think I'll send a real letter to Bill and express my appreciation. (Their catalogues are great).