The Conversation -- September 19, 2023
Kara Scannell of CNN: "President Joe Biden's son, Hunter Biden, plans to plead not guilty to federal gun charges, he said in a court filing Tuesday. He is also asking for his initial court appearance to be held remotely. In a letter to Magistrate Judge Christopher Burke, attorney Abbe Lowell said Hunter Biden will plead not guilty to the three felony gun charges relating his possession of a revolver in 2018 whether the appearance is held over video or in person. 'Mr. Biden is not seeking any special treatment in making this request. He has attended and will attend any proceedings in which his physical appearance is required,' Lowell wrote Tuesday."
Tyler Pager, et al., of the Washington Post: "President Bidenoutlined his vision for tackling global challenges in his annual address to the U.N. General Assembly on Tuesday, seeking to use the marquee speech to bolster cooperation from allies and partners amid signs of shifts and strains in the world's alliances. 'The United States seeks a more secure, more prosperous, more equitable world for all people because we know our future is bound to yours, Biden said. 'And no nation can meet the challenges of today alone.'... Biden tried to catalyze world opinion behind continuing to supply Ukraine with arms and other aid. 'If we abandon the core principles of the [U.N. Charter] to appease an aggressor, can any member state in this body feel confident that they are protected?' he said. 'If we allow Ukraine to be carved up, is the independence of any nation secure? I'd respectfully suggest the answer is no. We must stand up to this naked aggression today and deter other would-be aggressors tomorrow.'... Beyond Ukraine, Biden focused on a wide range of global development issues, such as climate change and infrastructure, that are particularly important to less-wealthy nations in Africa, Asia and Latin America, regions that are often referred to as the Global South."
Mychael Schnell of the Hill: "Hardline conservatives in the House sank a procedural vote on a Pentagon funding bill Tuesday, a significant setback for Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.). Five Republicans joined Democrats in voting against the rule for the appropriations bill, bringing the final vote to 212-214 -- short of the majority support needed."
Jennifer Hansler of CNN: "Five Americans freed from Iranian detention this week returned to US soil early Tuesday following an initial stop in Doha, Qatar, two US officials told CNN. Emad Shargi, Morad Tahbaz and Siamak Namazi, along with two Americans who have not been publicly named arrived at Fort Belvoir's Davison Army Airfield for an emotional reunion with their family members. The freed Americans, who were released Monday as part of a wider deal that includes the US unfreezing $6 billion in Iranian funds, will have the option to participate in a Department of Defense program known as PISA (Post Isolation Support Activities) to help them acclimate back to normal life now that they are back in the United States."
Melanie Zanona, et al., of CNN: "Tensions are flaring inside the House Republican conference as it barrels toward a government shutdown, with the infighting spilling out into public view and growing increasingly nasty.... At the center of much of the drama: Republican Rep. Matt Gaetz of Florida, attacking Speaker Kevin McCarthy in personal terms. But he's also engaged in social media spats with fellow hardline conservatives who helped broker a House GOP plan to fund the government first revealed on Sunday evening.... [Meanwhile,] moderate Republicans are privately discussing teaming up with Democrats to avoid a government shutdown if the House GOP plan to temporarily fund the government fails on the floor this week, according to multiple sources...."
Impeachment. Everything Is Going Very Smoothly. Annie Grayer & Jeremy Herb of CNN: "New testimony from a number of FBI and Internal Revenue Service officials casts doubt on key claims from an IRS whistleblower who alleges there was political interference in the federal criminal investigation of Hunter Biden's taxes. According to transcripts provided to CNN, several FBI and IRS officials brought in for closed-door testimony by House Republicans in recent days said they don't remember US Attorney David Weiss saying that he lacked the authority to decide whether to bring charges against the president's son, or that Weiss said he had been denied a request for special counsel status. Those twin claims, made by IRS whistleblower Gary Shapley, form the basis of Republican accusations that the Justice Department's investigation into Biden's taxes was tainted by political influence and that Weiss and Attorney General Merrick Garland tried to protect Hunter Biden in the investigation. The new testimony comes as House Republicans begin an impeachment inquiry into President Joe Biden and his family, potentially undercutting one element of that effort." Shapely testified that Weiss made the comment in a meeting which five other agents attendants. Three of the five have testified now, and all three disputed Shapely's claim. Weiss, too, previously pushed back on Shapley's claim. ~~~
~~~ Marie: IOW, House Republicans think it's a good idea to impeach Joe Biden based on a claim about the Hunter Biden case that four other officials have testified is false. But, undeterred ~~~
~~~ Spencer Kimball of CNBC: &"The House Oversight Committee will hold the first hearing on the impeachment inquiry into President Joe Biden on Sept. 28, a committee spokesperson said Tuesday. 'The hearing will focus on constitutional and legal questions surrounding the President's involvement in corruption and abuse of public office,' the spokesperson said in a statement."
Larry Neumeister of the AP: "A former U.S. congressman from Indiana was sentenced Tuesday to 22 months in prison for making illegal stock trades based on inside information while working as a consultant and lobbyist after he left office. Former U.S. Rep. Steve Buyer, 64, a House Republican from 1993 to 2011, was also ordered to forfeit $354,027, representing the amount of illegal gains, and to pay a $10,000 fine. Buyer, a lawyer and Persian Gulf War veteran, once chaired the House Veterans' Affairs committee and was a House prosecutor at ex-President Bill Clinton's 1998 impeachment trial." MB: I don't recall Buyer at all, but I'll bet he was in high dudgeon over Bill Clinton's misdeeds.
Brian Slodysko, et al., of the AP: "President Joe Biden on Monday told a packed Broadway theater full of big-name stars hosting a fundraiser in his honor that he was running for reelection because Donald Trump was determined to destroy the nation. Democracy is at stake, he told the audience at the Lunt-Fontanne Theater. Hate groups have been emboldened, he said. Books are being banned. Children go to school fearing shootings. 'Let there be no question, Donald Trump and his MAGA Republicans are determined to destroy American democracy,' he said...."
Ryan Reilly of NBC News: "Ray Epps, a Jan. 6 participant whose removal from the FBI's Capitol Violence webpage sparked conspiracy theories that he was a federal informant, was charged in connection with the Capitol attack on Tuesday. Epps is charged with one misdemeanor count, disorderly or disruptive conduct on restricted grounds. He was charged by information, suggesting that he plans to enter a plea deal. Not long after he was charged, a virtual plea agreement hearing was set for Wednesday, Sept. 20 before Chief Judge James Boasberg."
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Michael Shear & Farnaz Fassihi of the New York Times: "Five Americans who had been imprisoned in Iran were allowed to leave the country on Monday, President Biden said, after two years of high-stakes negotiations in which the United States agreed to unfreeze $6 billion in Iranian oil revenue and dismiss federal charges against five Iranians accused of violating U.S. sanctions. The announcement that the Americans took off in a plane from Tehran just before 9 a.m. Eastern came as Mr. Biden and Ebrahim Raisi, Iran's president, were to attend the annual United Nations General Assembly meeting of world leaders in New York on Tuesday. The five Americans -- some of whom had been held for years in Evin Prison, one of the most notorious detention centers in Iran -- flew to Doha, the capital of Qatar, for a Cold War-style exchange with two of the five Iranians. Three others declined to return to Iran, according to U.S. officials. In a statement, Mr. Biden said that 'five innocent Americans who were imprisoned in Iran are finally coming home.'" CNN's report is here. (Also linked yesterday.)"
Last night's proposal in the House can be boiled down to two words: slapdash, reckless. Slapdash because it is not a serious proposal for avoiding a shutdown, and reckless because if passed it would cause immense harm to so many priorities that help the American people. -- Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) ~~~
~~~ Carl Hulse of the New York Times: "Speaker Kevin McCarthy's bid to gain the upper hand in a battle over federal spending hit stiff opposition from within his own ranks on Monday, leaving him with dwindling options and little time to find his way out of a funding impasse that could lead to a government shutdown in less than two weeks. Roughly a dozen Republicans made it clear that they were staunchly opposed to the proposal unveiled on Sunday, which combines a stopgap spending measure with steep funding cuts and new border controls, indicating they could not be induced to change their votes through leadership pressure.... With Mr. McCarthy's slim majority, opposition from a dozen Republicans would make it impossible for him to advance the bill, as Democrats are uniformly opposed and so far are in no hurry to bail out the speaker.... Given the [spending] cuts, the immigration provisions opposed by Democrats and the lack of assistance for Ukraine, the stopgap proposal has no chance of passing as is in the Senate....
"[MEANWHILE.] After weeks of bipartisan progress, the Senate ran into roadblock on Thursday when Senator Ron Johnson, Republican of Wisconsin, objected to a plan to consider three different spending bills together. Senator Chuck Schumer, Democrat of New York and the majority leader, announced on Monday that the Senate would vote later this week to suspend its rules and overcome Mr. Johnson's objection so the spending package could move forward, a maneuver that would require 67 votes.... Some G.O.P. senators seemed open to the idea, but Senator John Thune of South Dakota, the No. 2 Republican, indicated that they would likely discuss the issue at a private party meeting on Tuesday." MB: Ditch the filibuster, Chuck.
Katherine Faulders, et al., of ABC News: Trump "aide Molly Michael told investigators that -- more than once -- she received requests or taskings from [Donald] Trump that were written on the back of notecards, and she later recognized those notecards as sensitive White House materials -- with visible classification markings.... The notecards with classification markings were at Trump's Mar-a-Lago estate when FBI agents searched the property on Aug. 8, 2022 -- but the materials were not taken by the FBI, according to sources familiar with what Michael told investigators. When Michael, who was not present for the search, returned to Mar-a-Lago the next day to clean up her office space, she found the documents underneath a drawer organizer and helped transfer them to the FBI that same day, sources told ABC News.... Sources said that after Trump heard the FBI wanted to interview Michael last year, Trump allegedly told her, 'You don't know anything about the boxes.' It's unclear exactly what he meant by that." (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~
~~~ Marie: It's unclear? It's unclear? It's perfectly clear to everone who's ever been told to lie about something: Following news that investigators are about to interview you about "the boxes," "You don't know anything about the boxes" is a order not to reveal to the FBI what you know about the boxes. If the ABC News reporters really "aren't clear" about the meaning of Trump's remark, they should go see a mob movie, any mob movie. ~~~
~~~ For the edification of reporters without a clue, here's another example of Trump's mob-speak: ~~~
~~~ Maggie Haberman & Jonathan Swan of the New York Times: "... Donald J. Trump said he hoped Mark Meadows ... was still 'loyal' to him. Mr. Trump made his comment during a lengthy interview with Kristen Welker, the new moderator of NBC's 'Meet The Press,' broadcast on Sunday morning. Mr. Trump has been warned by the federal judge in a case also stemming from his efforts to stay in office, brought against him by the special counsel Jack Smith, to avoid saying anything that might affect the testimony of witnesses. His comment about Mr. Meadows could attract new interest." MB: Got that, Mark? ~~~
~~~ Here's Andrew Weissmann reacting to Trump's ask for Meadow's "loyalty."
Annals of "Journalism," Ctd. Aaron Rupar of Public Notice: "Kristen Welker's whitewashing of [Donald] Trump began in the opening seconds of her debut as Chuck Todd's replacement on 'Meet the Press.' 'I sat down with the former president at his golf club in Bedminster, New Jersey -- his first network interview since leaving office,' she said, walking alongside Trump on his golf course, and omitting the real reason for his banishment: not that he left office, but that he incited a violent insurrection in an attempt not to leave. And Trump's return to NBC only got more problematic from there.... Instead of coming ready for a fight, Welker conducted herself as though she's Trump's therapist.... When she wasn't trying to get Trump in touch with his feelings, Welker was overwhelmed by his nonstop lying." (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~
~~~ Marie: I continually come away from media coverage of Trump with the impression that people in the news business -- especially those in teevee "journalism" -- just don't give a flying fuck. It's their job to get ratings, not to serve as the Fourth Estate and mete out checks on bad behavior or bad practices of public officials. They think that "polite" and "personable" are better qualities than "confrontational" or "probing." And the so-called behind-the-scenes editors and producers are just as bad, if not worse. When a politician tells a big fat lie and the interviewer doesn't adequately push back, there should be flashing chryons on the screen calling out the lie. The Welker interview was pre-recorded, so there's no excuse for airing it without on-screen fact-checks.
Marshall Cohen, et al., of CNN: "A federal judge was skeptical Monday of former Trump-era Justice Department official Jeffrey Clark's efforts to move his Georgia election subversion case to federal court.... Clark wasn't present at the hearing, an absence that became especially notable after US District Judge Steve Jones said he would not accept a sworn statement from Clark as evidence in the case. The hearing ended after about three hours with no ruling from the judge, who seemed visibly frustrated and annoyed at times. At one point, his probing questions directed at one of Clark's attorneys led Trump attorney Steve Sadow, who was in the courtroom, to whisper, 'This is not good.'.... Even if his official job description didn't include most election litigation, those matters were in his lane because 'the president put it in his lane,' [his attorney] said.... [In December 2020,] Trump considered installing Clark as acting attorney general so he could send a letter to the state officials falsely claiming the Justice Department found widespread 'irregularities in the 2020 election.... Former Justice Department official Jody Hunt testified at the hearing and bolstered [Fani] Willis' case by saying that the person in Clark's role wouldn't have been involved in investigating election fraud. Hunt was head of the DOJ's Civil Division under Trump before Clark took over the role in an acting capacity in 2020." (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~
~~~ Amy Gardner & Holly Bailey of the Washington Post: "As a Justice Department lawyer after the 2020 election, Jeffrey Clark drafted a letter to top Georgia officials declaring that the agency had reason to doubt the legitimacy of the state's election only after he was pressed to do so by ... Donald Trump, Clark's lawyer [Harry MacDougald] told a skeptical federal judge Monday.... U.S. District Judge Steve C. Jones appeared wary of the claim, pressing MacDougald for evidence that Trump had directed Clark to act. MacDougald did not offer any and even appeared uncertain when Jones asked him whether Clark's draft letter was written after a meeting between him, Trump and several other senior Justice Department officials." (Also linked yesterday.)
~~~ Marie: It may be that Trump's attorney Steve Sadow said "This is not good" because Clark's lawyer fingered Trump as the person who told Clark to lie to state officials.
The Woes of Rudy, Ctd. Ben Protess of the New York Times: "Rudolph W. Giuliani, already under criminal indictment and at risk of losing his law license for his effort to keep Donald J. Trump in office after the 2020 election, is now being sued by his own lawyer. The lawyer, Robert J. Costello, who had been leading Mr. Giuliani's defense against an onslaught of legal woes, signed onto the lawsuit brought by his firm on Monday to recover more than $1.3 million in unpaid legal fees. The development deals a stunning blow to Mr. Giuliani, as he nears a financial breaking point." ~~~
~~~ Here's the AP report: "Giuliani's last payment, according to the lawsuit, was $10,000 on Sept. 14 — about a week after Trump hosted a $100,000-a-plate fundraiser for Giuliani at his Bedminster, New Jersey, golf club." The AP's story covers some of Rudy's other financial difficulties.
Jeff Stein of the Washington Post: "President Biden is coming under increasing pressure from some Democratic lawmakers to do something none of his predecessors appear to have done in office: join striking workers walking a picket line. As the United Auto Workers strike against all three of the nation's biggest automakers, numerous Democrats in Michigan and around the country have expressed concern as Biden's likely rival in next year's election..., Donald Trump, tries to woo union voters and weaken a crucial Democratic constituency by making his own visit to a strike site. Trump is planning a rally in Detroit next week with union workers, including autoworkers, during the next GOP primary debate, although it is unclear if he will also visit the picket line.... Biden has applauded the UAW's targeted strike against Detroit's Big Three manufacturers, and on Friday called on General Motors, Ford, and Stellantis to improve their wage proposals to the union. The president's aides believe he has already gone above and beyond backing labor through numerous executive orders and legislation aimed at bolstering worker outcomes."
Should any political party attempt to abolish social security, unemployment insurance, and eliminate labor laws and farm programs, you would not hear of that party again in our political history. There is a tiny splinter group, of course, that believes you can do these things.... Their number is negligible and they are stupid. -- President Dwight Eisenhower (R), letter to his brother Edgar, 1954 ~~~
~~~ ** The Hydra Monster That Ate Its Cynical Creators. Paul Krugman of the New York Times: "It's good to see [Mitt] Romney speaking up now, but the party he's criticizing is in large part a monster that people like him helped create. For the basic story of the Republican Party, going back to the 1970s, is this: Advocates of right-wing economic policies, which redistributed income from workers to the wealthy, sought to sell their agenda by exploiting social intolerance and animosity. They had considerable success with this strategy. But eventually the extremists they thought they were using ended up ruling the party." Read on.
Working from Home Is Great for the Environment. Allyson Chiu of the Washington Post: "In an analysis of various work scenarios, people's behaviors and sources of emissions, researchers found that switching from working onsite to working from home full time may reduce a person's carbon footprint by more than 50 percent. Hybrid schedules where people work remotely for two to four days a week could also cut emissions by 11 to 29 percent, according to the study."
Elon to Bibi: Hate Speech Is Free Speech. Will Oremus & Elizabeth Dwoskin of the Washington Post: "Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday publicly pressed tech billionaire Elon Musk to condemn antisemitism and find a way to combat it on his social media platform X as the pair met at a Tesla factory in Fremont, Calif.... While the meeting [-- which was live-streamed on X-Twitter --] was largely cordial, Musk sidestepped Netanyahu's call to forcefully denounce anti-Jewish hatred, which research shows has spiked on the platform since Musk bought it nearly a year ago. Musk has restored accounts previously banned for hate speech and has repeatedly criticized a prominent Jewish human rights organization, stoking a recent wave of antisemitic attacks. Musk told Netanyahu that, while he's personally against antisemitism, 'free speech does at times mean that someone you don't like is saying something you don't like. If you don't have that, then it's not free speech.' He did not address his own role in promoting it." ~~~
~~~ Marie: Musk's position is nothing more than a flawed excuse to promote his own antisemitic views. While the First Amendment protects some hate speech from government censorship, it does not prevent a private company from promoting or condoning hate speech. I doubt Walmart employees are allowed to wear Nazi armbands, for instance, or the New York Times moderators accept white supremacist public comments. Despite Musk's troubling ability to conduct his own pro-Russia international policy, his social media platform is not bound to publish hateful rhetoric. ~~~
~~~ Why, here's YouTube barring accused sexual predator Russell Brand from making money from his YouTube channel(s). Brand denies the accusations and has not been charged, much less convicted, of anything.
A reminder that people seldom suddenly become jerks: ~~~
~~~ Paul Farhi & Will Sommer of the Washington Post: "... the reaction to [Jann] Wenner's comments [denigrating female & Black artists] crystallized criticisms that have periodically swirled around him and the magazine for decades. Rolling Stone long promoted rock's male superstars -- and personal Wenner favorites -- such as Bob Dylan, Bruce Springsteen and Mick Jagger over newer artists and genres such as grunge, metal, R&B and hip-hop.... During its 1970s heyday, the magazine developed a 'boys' club' reputation, with just one female writer on its masthead -- Robin Green, who stayed only three years.... Rock critic Ellen Willis refused to write for Rolling Stone, telling Wenner's co-founding editor that the magazine 'habitually refers to women as chicks and treats us as chicks.'... 'The thing about Jann, the thing that made him successful but also is his Achilles' heel, is that he's a narcissist who lacks self-awareness,' said [Wenner biographer Joe] Hagan.... 'This is how he talks inside the bubble he lives in. He receives a lot of affirmation for it, and he thinks it's okay.'"
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** Alabama. Bill Britt of the Alabama Political Reporter: "APR has now identified connections between Alabama officials who led the 2023 redistricting process - which disregarded the U.S. Supreme Court's order -- with far-right power broker Leonard Leo's dark money network, described this past week by Politico as 'a billion-dollar force that has helped remake the judiciary and overturn longstanding legal precedents on abortion, affirmative action and many other issues.'... Alabama's calculation to defy the Supreme Court was made not simply by state legislators in Alabama but has been driven by nationally connected political operatives at the center of the well-documented right-wing effort to reshape the composition and jurisprudence of the Supreme Court and to overturn the remaining key protections established by the 1965 Voting Rights Act.... With few exceptions, the justices Leo has ushered to the bench have reliably voted to permit the partisan gerrymanders and strict restrictions on voting access that have proliferated in recent years from red-state legislatures, which themselves work in tandem with -- and sometimes under the direction of -- Leo's dark money groups.... There now appears to be a significant connection between Alabama's ... map redrawing process, Leo's powerful national dark money network, and [Justice Brett] Kavanaugh[, who voted with the majority in the original case to force the legislature to draw another majority-minority district]." Thanks to RAS for the link.
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Canada, India. Ian Austen & Vjosa Isai of the New York Times: "Prime Minister Justin Trudeau of Canada said on Monday that 'agents of the government of India' had carried out the assassination of a Sikh community leader in British Columbia in June, an explosive allegation that is likely to further sour relations between the two nations. Speaking in the House of Commons, Mr. Trudeau said that he had raised India's involvement in the shooting of the Sikh leader, Hardeep Singh Nijjar, directly with Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the Group of 20 summit meeting earlier this month 'in no uncertain terms.' He said the allegation was based on intelligence gathered by the Canadian government. 'Any involvement of a foreign government in the killing of a Canadian citizen on Canadian soil is an unacceptable violation of our sovereignty,' Mr. Trudeau told lawmakers." ~~~
~~~ Gerry Shih & Karishma Mehrotra of the Washington Post: “India expelled a Canadian diplomat on Tuesday in a tit-for-tat move after Canadian officials accused Indian government operatives of gunning down a Sikh separatist leader in British Columbia and threw out an Indian diplomat they identified as an intelligence officer." An AP story is here.
Ukraine. Matthew Bigg & Andrew Kramer of the New York Times: "Two weeks after replacing its defense minister, Ukraine dismissed all six of its deputy ministers on Monday, deepening the housecleaning at a ministry that had drawn criticism for corruption in procurement as the military budget ballooned during the war. The shake-up in President Volodymyr Zelensky's wartime leadership team came as he headed to the United States, keen to demonstrate to American officials and other Western leaders that his government is not squandering -- on either graft or mismanagement -- the tens of billions of dollars in aid they have sent to Ukraine."
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