The Commentariat -- June 4, 2019
Afternoon Update:
Ha Ha! Donald's Best People didn't think up this one: Bibi Netanyahu, who is about to be indicted for fraud, bribery & breach of trust appointed himself justice minister. Not that Bill Barr isn't doing a great job at Justice, but think how much better Trump would be: in his first week, he would indict Hillary Clinton, Joe Biden & John Brennan for something or other; in his second week, he'd lock up Jim Comey, Jeff Sessions & Andy McCabe on charges of treason & being "horrible people."
As Akhilleus points out in today's Comments, Camilla's stock went up in the U.K. after her, "Yes, we all know this is a farce" wink yesterday:
When Royals Meet. Many thanks to forrest m. for making my day. Every time I look at King Donaldo I LOL.
Rebecca Falconer of Axios: "Demonstrators inflated a 20-foot blimp depicting President Trump as a baby in a diaper outside the U.K. parliament in London Tuesday, as mass protests got underway across the U.K. while Trump met with Prime Minister Theresa May on the second day of his state visit." Lots of photos. ...
... Jamie Ross of the Daily Beast: "Thousands of Brits took to the streets [of London] Tuesday, where they marched alongside a 16-foot farting robot of Donald Trump and held aloft huge photos of John McCain in an attempt to trigger the president. The protests -- which saw thousands brave the typical British weather shielded by umbrellas emblazoned with anti-Trump slogans, EU flags, and the LGBTQ rainbow symbol -- went within meters of Downing Street, where the president must have heard creatively foul-mouthed chants, although h still insists there have been no protests against him at all. Protesters were kept away from the gates of Downing Street for Trump's arrival and departure for talks with Theresa May. However, the thousands occupied a large stretch of central London, marching from Trafalgar Square past the government buildings of Whitehall and eventually arriving outside parliament to hear a speech by Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn."
Radio Free Europe: "Russia has denied it informed ... Donald Trump that it is pulling defense personnel out of Venezuela, contradicting a comment by the U.S. leader. 'I was surprised when I read this. We did not notify anyone. He apparently read an article in The Wall Street Journal,' Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on June 4 referring to a June 3 tweet by Trump. Trump in March said Russia 'has to get out' of the South American nation after it landed planes carrying supplies and technical advisers to help President Nicolas Maduro amid an uprising. The United States is seeking the ouster of Maduro, an ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin, as thousands of Venezuelan citizens take to the streets to protest his regime. Trump on June 3 tweeted that Russia had informed the United States 'that they have removed most of their people from Venezuela.'... His tweet came a day after The Wall Street Journal, citing an unnamed source close to the Russian Defense Ministry, reported that Moscow had pulled out many defense advisers from the country. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov also said that Russia had not informed the United States of any such withdrawal, adding that Russian specialists continue to work in the South American country." ...
... Mrs. McCrabbie: Since both sides lie, it's impossible to know what's going on.
S. V. Date of the Huffington Post: "With commercial tenants fleeing his Trump Tower..., Donald Trump continues to spend $37,500 a month of campaign money for office space there — with some of that cash destined for his own wallet ― even as thousands of square feet go unused at a newly opened office in northern Virginia. No more than 'four or five' campaign staffers work at Trump's Manhattan base, according to an informal adviser close to the White House, where the campaign rents a few thousand square feet as its 'headquarters.' The per-square-foot cost is likely at least triple what the Republican National Committee pays for the much larger space it shares with the campaign in Arlington, according to a HuffPost analysis." ...
... ** Jonathan Chait explains why right-wing grifters -- including the Biggest Grifter of Them All -- are so good at their cons. Thanks to Schlub for the lead.
Pamela Brown, et al., of CNN: "The White House has directed former officials Hope Hicks and Annie Donaldson not to turn over any documents to the House Judiciary Committee relating to their time at the White House, according to two sources familiar with the matter. But Hicks, the former White House communications director, still could turn over documents the committee has requested related to the 2016 Trump campaign, a period that's not covered by executive privilege, according to House Judiciary Chairman Jerry Nadler. The White House sent letters to the committee stating that White House Chief of Staff Mick Mulvaney had directed Hicks and Donaldson, the former deputy White House counsel, not to turn over the documents. The committee had issued subpoenas to both Hicks and Donaldson for documents, setting a Tuesday deadline. The subpoenas also include requests for testimony from the former White House officials for later this month. In a statement, Nadler argued that the White House could not prevent the officials from complying with the committee's request, though he added that Hicks' agreement to provide documents related to the Trump campaign was a 'show of good faith.'"
Brutal. William Rashbaum of the New York Times: "Paul J. Manafort, President Trump’s former campaign chairman who is serving a federal prison sentence, is expected to be transferred within the next few weeks to the Rikers Island jail complex in New York City, where he will most likely be held in isolation while facing state fraud charges, people with knowledge of the matter said.... Rikers Island has been plagued by violence and mismanagement over the years...."
Campbell Robertson of the New York Times: "Citing the shooting in Virginia Beach in which 12 people were killed, 'as well as the tragedies that happen every day across Virginia,' Gov. Ralph Northam on Tuesday called for a special session of the General Assembly to vote on gun control bills. He listed a number of measures he intended to propose, including universal background checks and a requirement that people report lost or stolen firearms. Those ideas were floated in the past but died in committee before reaching the floor of the Legislature. This time, the governor said, he was demanding that the measures be 'put to a vote by the entire General Assembly.'"
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Here's today's NYT liveblog of Trump's second fun day in London. Massive protest expected. The Guardian's liveblog is here.
MAG suggests Trump reads like a second-grader. Watching only a half-minute of his performance has convinced me:
... The type size on his printed notes must be quite large, & Trump can read only to the end of a line, so we hear bursts of fragments like "this week we commemorate a" (pause). ...
... Mark Landler & Maggie Haberman of the New York Times: "Queen Elizabeth II welcomed President Trump to Buckingham Palace on Monday with an honor guard and royal artillery salute, while Mr. Trump carried on an ugly dispute with the mayor of London, whom he called a 'stone cold loser' and said was doing a terrible job of running Britain's capital city. The juxtaposition of high pageantry and low name-calling, on the first day of Mr. Trump's state visit to Britain, captured yet again the odd swath that this president cuts on the world stage: impulsive and erratic, delighted by a lavish welcome but preoccupied by petty feuds or events back home. It also showcased the deep ambivalence Mr. Trump's visit has elicited. The British public mostly rejects Mr. Trump and his policies, but the governing elite recognizes the need to reinforce the alliance with the United States as it negotiates Britain's exit from the European Union." ...
... Robert Mackey of the Intercept: “Before his trip [to the UK], Trump had warm words for [Boris] Johnson in an interview with The Sun, Rupert Murdoch's British tabloid. Asked if he would look forward to working with a Prime Minister Boris Johnson, Trump suggested that he would, in part because 'he has been very positive about me.' Those comments suggest that Trump has forgotten or just never heard that Johnson had, in fact, denounced him as 'clearly out of his mind' in late 2015, when the then-candidate for the American presidency first called for 'a total and complete shutdown of Muslims entering the United States.'... Johnson went on to say that Trump was 'betraying a quite stupefying ignorance that makes him frankly unfit to hold the office of president of the United States.' Hoping to draw Trump's attention to those comments, a group of anti-Brexit activists projected the video of Johnson mocking him onto the base of Big Ben on Sunday night and invited the American president to watch." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.) ...
... MEANWHILE. Zamira Rahim of the (UK) Independent: "A teenager has mowed an anti-Trump message, complete with a giant penis, into the grass of his family home ahead of the US president's UK state visit. Ollie Nancarro spent his weekend mowing the words 'Oi Trump' into his lawn, near Hatfield Heath, in Essex.... The A-level student hope[d] that the US president [would] spot his creation as Air Force One approache[d] Stansted Airport, which is near Hatfield Heath, on Monday morning." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)
Bizarre News. Ruth Graham of Slate: "McLean Bible Church's main campus in Vienna, Virginia, is a 17-minute drive from the Trump National Golf Club, where ... Donald Trump spent Sunday morning. Deep into the church's 1 p.m. service, after pastor David Platt had delivered his sermon, Platt was summoned backstage and told that Trump was on his way and wanted the church to pray for him. In a letter to his congregation published later in the day, Platt explained that he went back out to lead the church's Communion service, then returned to wait for the president. When Platt walked back onstage, the president was behind him, dressed as if he'd strolled straight off the golf course. In contrast with other pastors who have prayed for Trump, Platt was scrupulously nonpartisan.... Trump had pulled off his white golf hat as he walked onstage and held it in his hands as Platt placed his hand on Trump's back and prayed for almost three full minutes.... The White House told reporters that Trump made the appearance at the church to 'pray for the victims and community of Virginia Beach.' But that topic did not come up during his brief time at the church, which is more than three hours north of the site of Friday's mass shooting. The real lure for him, it seems likely, was that evangelist Franklin Graham, a strong Trump supporter, had designated Sunday a 'Day of Prayer' for Trump...." ...
... Krystal Campos of Politico: "The pastor of a Northern Virginia church where ... Donald Trump made an unscheduled visit over the weekend has explained why he publicly prayed for the president, acknowledging to his congregation that 'some within our church ... are hurt that I made this decision.' 'Sometimes we find ourselves in situations that we didn't see coming, and we're faced with a decision in a moment when we don't have the liberty of deliberation, so we do our best to glorify God,' Pastor David Platt of McLean Bible Church said Sunday evening in a statement to church members.... 'Today, I found myself in one of those situations.'... Platt went on to explain that he had no intention of endorsing the president, his policies or the Republican Party...."
Ben Protess & Steve Eder of the New York Times: "The owners of a luxury hotel in Panama City that ousted the Trump Organization as property managers last year accused it on Monday of evading taxes in Panama and creating a 'false light around the hotel's finances. The accusations, made in a legal filing in Manhattan federal court, are fraught with potential diplomatic and legal complexities for President Trump. They essentially assert that his family business cheated a foreign government.... The president's company, the filing alleges, 'also made fraudulent and false claims to the Panamanian tax authorities' to 'cover up its unlawful activities.' This was originally detected during an audit last year by that country's tax agency, according to the filing. It was not possible to immediately verify accusations in the filing...."
Emily Tillett of CBS News: "The House Judiciary Committee will hold ... a series of hearings on the findings laid out in former special counsel Robert Mueller's Russia report ... beginning next week, Chairman Jerry Nadler announced Monday. The first hearing will feature testimony by John Dean, the former White House counsel whose bombshell testimony during Watergate paved the way for President Nixon's resignation.... 'Given the threat posed by the President's alleged misconduct, our first hearing will focus on President Trump's most overt acts of obstruction. In the coming weeks, other hearings will focus on other important aspects of the Mueller report,' [Nadler said.]" The hearing feature Dean will be held June 10.
Heather Caygle & Sarah Ferris of Politico: "House Majority Whip Jim Clyburn on Monday walked back remarks suggesting that Democrats will impeach ... Donald Trump, reversing course to say he's 'farther' from backing impeachment than most of his caucus. Clyburn's comments came after a private leadership meeting Monday evening in which Speaker Nancy Pelosi reiterated that she didn't support launching impeachment proceedings right now despite a growing pus within the caucus."
Michelle Goldberg of the New York Times: "After the Memorial Day recess, that argument is no longer tenable. Across the country, Democratic voters have begun demanding that their representatives take a position on impeachment. Yet Democrats have largely failed to even begin presenting a cohesive case to the public about Trump's corruption and criminality. That could start to change next week, when the Judiciary Committee launches hearings into the Mueller report, but no blockbuster witnesses are yet lined up.... The moment demands [an impeachment inquiry], and so do the people who put Democrats in charge."
Adam Jettleson, formerly a top aide to Senate Leader Harry Reid (D-Nevada) in a GQ opinion piece: "Only Democrats, bless our hearts, could convince ourselves that it is good for a president to be impeached.... The decision not to impeach is not a decision to focus on other things, it is a decision to cede power, control, and legitimacy to Trump. Trump is not a master chess player, he just bluffs his opponents into forfeiting their moves -- and that is exactly what he is doing to House Democrats.... Impeachment is a long process that will highlight Trump's crimes, which according to (literally) one thousand former federal prosecutors, include 'multiple felony charges for obstruction of justice.'... The odds of making a convincing public case against Trump are stacked strongly in Democrats' favor. Trump's crimes are serious and laid out in meticulous detail by an unimpeachable source. The public already believes he committed serious crimes by a margin of two to one.... If the public believes Trump is guilty but the Senate lets him off anyway, he won't ever be truly exonerated.... By contrast, declining to impeach Trump validates his claim that Mueller exonerated him."
Mrs. McCrabbie: As you know, Bill Barr said in his CBS interview last week that Bob Mueller could have said whether or not Trump committed crimes despite Mueller's claim that it was unfair to accuse someone who did not have a timely remedy in court. Neal Katyal pointed out on MSNBC Monday that Barr said exactly the opposite in his Senate confirmation hearings; that is, Barr testified that a sitting president should not be accused of or charged with a crime since he doesn't have the opportunity to attempt to vindicate himself in court. Mueller, then, was following Barr's own stated principle when he refused to accuse Trump of obstructing justice.
Andrew Desiderio of Politico: "House Democrats are moving to hold Attorney General William Barr and Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross in contempt of Congress for defying a subpoena for information about efforts to add a citizenship question to the 2020 census. 'Unfortunately, your actions are part of a pattern,' House Oversight and Reform Chairman Elijah Cummings (D-Md.) wrote to Barr and Ross in separate letters Monday. 'The Trump administration has been engaged in one of the most unprecedented cover-ups since Watergate, extending from the White House to multiple federal agencies and departments of the government and across numerous investigations.' Cummings said he would consider postponing the contempt votes, which have not yet been scheduled, if Barr and Ross turn over the requested documents by Thursday."
Jonathan Swan of Axios: "On 'Axios on HBO,' Jared Kushner said he doesn't know whether he'd call the FBI if he were to receive an email today like the one before the campaign's Trump Tower meeting, which had the subject line: 'Re: Russia - Clinton - private and confidential.'... Kushner said: 'I don't know. It's hard to do hypotheticals, but the reality is is that we were not given anything that was salacious.'... This bolsters the perception that President Trump's inner circle still doesn't fully recognize the ongoing threat of Russian interference in American elections. Kushner's response comes after FBI Director Christopher Wray said in congressional testimony that he would recommend that in the future, people contact the FBI if a foreign government offers campaign support." ...
... Conservative Paul Rosenzweig in Lawfare: "Let's be clear -- that's the wrong answer. I will limit this discussion to legal obligations; the moral failings are self-evident. Even if Kushner had no legal obligation to report the Russian contacts in 2016 when he was a private citizen, he no longer is. At the direction of the president, he now holds a top-secret (TS) clearance. And with that clearance comes a legal obligation to notify relevant authorities in the FBI and White House regarding suspicious foreign contacts.... The language of Security Executive Agent Directive 3, which sets up a uniform reporting system across government for all cleared employees provides a bit more detail. It requires reporting any contact: With a known or suspected foreign intelligence entity.... Either he doesn't know that, in which case he needs a refresher briefing on security procedures, or he does, but doesn't care." Mrs. McC: How about "doesn't know AND doesn't care." ...
... Matthew Dessem of Slate: Jared Kushner's HBO interview was, "to borrow a phrase from a senior adviser to the president of the United States, 'a clown show.' Axios reporter Jonathan Swan pushed back at some of Kushner's more ridiculous statements, and in response, Kushner fell flat on his face so quickly he appeared to be suffering from some sort of localized anomaly in Earth's gravitational field. It turns out that the president's son-in-law has been reticent with the press for reasons that become painfully clear as the interview progresses: H doesn't know anything, and he believes even less. Here are three of his most spectacular face-plants."
Your Typical Trump Associate. Ken Meyer of Mediaite: "A former liaison between ... Donald Trump's transition team and foreign officials has been indicted by federal officials over child pornography charges. George Nader, a Lebanese-American business executive, has been under scrutiny for some time because of his reported connections with the Middle East and Russians who wanted to make early contact with 2017 transition officials. Nader served as a key witness to the special counsel Robert Mueller's investigation, and according to court documents obtained on Monday by the Washington Post, he is now facing indictment in federal court in Virginia." ...
... Update. Here's the Daily Beast story, by Erin Banco & Betsy Woodruff. ...
He Can Be So Presidential. Taylor Telford & Craig Timberg of the Washington Post (via the Mercury News):"... Donald Trump raised a familiar complaint -- 'unfair' coverage by CNN -- in a pair of Monday morning tweets. But this time he took the unusual step of calling on supporters to boycott the cable news network's corporate parent, AT&T, to drive his point home. 'I believe that if people stoped [sic] using or subscribing to AT&T, they would be forced to make big changes at CNN, which is dying in the ratings anyway,' Trump tweeted. 'It is so unfair with such bad, Fake News!'... Many presidents have expressed frustration and even anger over news coverage of their administrations, but Trump has taken the issue to an unusual extent in calling on supporters to wield their collective economic power against CNN's parent company, historians say." Mrs. McC: Sounds like an unconstitutional "misdemeanor" to me.
Victoria Guida of Politico: "... Donald Trump announced Sunday night that Kevin Hassett, his chief economist and a prominent promoter of the president's tax cuts, will be stepping down from his position with a replacement to be named soon. 'Kevin Hassett, who has done such a great job for me and the Administration, will be leaving shortly,' Trump, who is visiting the U.K., said in a tweet. 'His very talented replacement will be named as soon as I get back to the U.S. I want to thank Kevin for all he has done - he is a true friend!'" (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)
Trump Administration's Massive Child Abuse
Jacob Soboroff & Julia Ainsley of NBC News: "Under the blistering Texas sun last July, 37 migrant children boarded vans for what was supposed to be a 30-minute ride.... But when the children, all between 5 and 12 years old, arrived at Immigration and Customs Enforcement's adults-only Port Isabel Detention Center, rather than seeing their parents, they saw a parking lot full of vans just like theirs, with children from other facilities who, just like them, were waiting to be processed and reunified with their parents. It was 2:30 p.m. on Sunday, July 15, 2018. Not until 39 hours later -- after two nights in a van -- did the last child step out of a van to be reunited. Most spent at least 23 hours in the vehicles."
Monique Maden of the Miami Herald: "A 705-page court document filed by lawyers who spent substantial time inside Homestead's detention center for unaccompanied minors says the migrant children held there are subjected to 'prison-like' regimens, potentially sustaining permanent psychological damage due to isolation from loved ones. Based on interviews with detainees, the filing describes dumbfounded and despairing children, cut off from their relatives except for phone calls, enduring 'military-camp' style conditions and stays that often stretch into months. It is by far the most detailed description of life inside the secretive detention center, although the stories are relayed through the prism of adults advocates who want to see the children moved to smaller settings-- the number of children in the facility is 2,350 and growing -- or released to the care of family or other guardians." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)
Mrs. McCrabbie: What do you expect from an administration whose Dear Leader hangs out with a child pornography enthusiast?
Jacqueline Thomsen of the Hill: "The Supreme Court on Monday rejected the Trump administration's request to fast track a decision on whether it will hear a case over the president's rescission of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program. The justices, in an unsigned order, denied the request, which was filed on behalf of the administration last month to expedite a decision on whether to review the case.... A pair of appeals courts have ruled against Trump officials who sought to end the Obama-era program."
Adam Liptak of the New York Times: "President Trump ended a losing streak in court clashes with the House on Monday, as a federal judge rejected the Democrat-controlled chamber's lawsuit seeking to stop him from using emergency powers to build a wall along the southwestern border. Judge Trevor N. McFadden of the United States District Court for the District of Columbia, who was appointed by Mr. Trump, ruled that the House could not show that it had suffered the sort of injury that gave it standing to sue. The ruling will not have any immediate practical consequences because other groups have already secured an order blocking Mr. Trump from proceeding. But if other courts accept Judge McFadden's reasoning, the House's litigation options will narrow as it battles the president on several fronts."
The Big GOP Grift, Ctd. As I was saying yesterday ... Winger Jim Geraghty of the confederate National Review laments all the GOP super-PACs that are nothing but super-grifts, giving only fractions of their collected donations to their supposed intended beneficiaries. These grifters include, not surprisingly, people who bill themselves as Friends of Trump, like Roger Stone & David Bossie. (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)
Ideas are largely lost in the Republican party today, but Rand Paul still has a few of them, albeit very bad ones. -- Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.), on "All in with Chris Hayes" last night ...
... Caitlin Emma of Politico: "Sen. Rand Paul's plan to slash federal spending by $183.1 billion in fiscal 2020 didn't survive a procedural hurdle [Monday] night, with the Senate failing to advance the measure in a 22-69 vote. The Kentucky Republican's bill aims to balance the federal budget in five years. Paul's office said the proposal would yield a $913 billion surplus five years after the budget is balanced. Sixty votes were needed for the measure to advance. After the vote, Paul noted he gained more votes than in previous efforts...."
Will Sommer of the Daily Beast: "The House Judiciary Committee is launching an antitrust investigation into major tech companies like Google and Amazon, moving Congress closer to legislative action against the tech giants. 'This is really about "how do we get competition back in this space?"' Rep. David Cicilline (D-R.I.), who will lead the investigation as head of the antitrust subcommittee, told reporters on Monday.... The Judiciary announcement comes as the Justice Department reportedly prepares an antitrust investigation into Google and the Federal Trade Commission receives jurisdiction over Facebook for its own potential antitrust case. But Cicilline said he didn't trust the Justice Department or the Federal Trade Commission to adequately handle antitrust issues during the Trump administration."
Konfederate Krackpots Klub (KKK) Meeting Minutes. Melanie Zanona & John Bresnahan of Politico: "A small group of House Republicans is leading a long-shot bid to get embattled Rep. Steve King back on his committee assignments after the Iowa Republican was booted for making racist remarks earlier this year. The cadre of hard-line conservatives, led by Reps. Ralph Norman (R-S.C.), Louie Gohmert (R-Texas), Paul Gosar (R-Ariz.) and others, plans to ask the GOP conference on Tuesday morning to immediately consider a resolution reinstating King."
NBC 4 New York: "Quest Diagnostics, one of the biggest blood testing providers in the country, warned Monday that nearly 12 million of its customers may have had personal, financial and medical information breached due to an issue with one of its vendors. In a filing with securities regulators, Quest said it was notified that between Aug. 1, 2018, and March 30, 2019, that someone had unauthorized access to the systems of AMCA, a billing collections vendor. '(The) information on AMCA's affected system included financial information (e.g., credit card numbers and bank account information), medical information and other personal information (e.g., Social Security Numbers),' Quest said in the filing."
Beyond the Beltway
Michigan. David Eggert of the AP: "Authorities investigating Flint's water crisis have used search warrants to seize from storage the state-owned mobile devices of former Gov. Rick Snyder [R] and 65 other current or former officials.... The water crisis in Flint was one of the worst man-made environmental disasters in U.S. history. Untreated water leached lead from pipes and into Flint's homes and businesses while cost-cutting financial managers -- appointed by Snyder -- were running the city. The investigation has led to charges against 15 current or former government officials, including two who served in the Cabinet of Snyder..., who left office in December. But no one is behind bars, and some Flint residents believe key players who could have prevented the lead debacle are getting off easy."
Way Beyond
Kim Tong-Hyung of the AP: "A senior North Korean official who had been reported to be sentenced to hard labor over the failed nuclear summit with Washington was shown in state media on Monday enjoying a concert near leader Kim Jong Un. North Korean publications on Monday showed Kim Yong Chol sitting five seats away from a clapping Kim Jong Un in the same row along with other top officials during a musical performance by the wives of Korean People's Army officers.... Last week, South Korean newspaper Chosun Ilbo cited an unidentified source in reporting that Kim Yong Chol had been sentenced to hard labor and ideological re-education over the failed summit in Hanoi, Vietnam's capital. The newspaper also reported that senior envoy Kim Hyok Chol, who was involved in pre-summit working-level talks with American officials, was executed with four other officials from the North's Foreign Ministry for betraying Kim Jong Un after being won over by the United States. None of the allegedly executed officials have appeared in state media since the report." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)
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