The Commentariat -- December 9, 2019
Afternoon Update:
Karoun Demirjian, et al., of the Washington Post: "A long-awaited Justice Department inspector general's report examining the FBI's investigation into possible coordination between the Trump campaign and Russia rebuts allegations of illegal spying and that political bias played a role in the probe begun ahead of the 2016 election, but finds serious faults in other areas, according to a copy of the document obtained by The Washington Post. The inspector general concludes that the FBI had an 'authorized purpose' to initiate the investigation and that the bureau's use of confidential informants was in compliance with the rules. Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) said the inspector general had 'completely demolished' some of conservatives' assertions about the origins of the probe, though his investigators did find some problems.... In particular, he said the inspector general had rebutted claims that Trump campaign advisers were illegally surveilled or entrapped, or that political motive was 'in any way a factor.' But the report also faults the FBI for 'significant inaccuracies and omissions' in the FBI's applications to secretly monitor a former Trump campaign adviser [Carter Page] and asserts that agents 'failed to meet the basic obligation' to ensure the applications were 'scrupulously accurate.'" ~~~
~~~ A pdf of the report, via the Justice Department, is here. ~~~
~~~ Charlie Savage & Adam Goldman of the New York Times: "A long-awaited report by the Justice Department's inspector general released on Monday sharply criticized the F.B.I.'s handling of a wiretap application used in the early stages of its Russia investigation but exonerated former bureau leaders of President Trump's accusations that they engaged in a politicized conspiracy to sabotage him. Investigators uncovered 'no documentary or testimonial evidence' of political bias behind official actions related to the investigation, known as Crossfire Hurricane, said the report, which totaled more than 400 pages. The F.B.I. had sufficient evidence in July 2016 to lawfully open the investigation, and its use of informants to approach campaign aides followed procedures, the inspector general, Michael E. Horowitz determined.... The findings on the wiretap application showed that when it mattered most -- with the stakes the greatest and no room for error -- F.B.I. officials still made numerous and serious mistakes in wielding a powerful surveillance tool. Mr. Horowitz's discovery calls into question the bureau's surveillance practices in routine cases without such high-stakes political implications." ~~~
~~~ Politico's Headline: "Watchdog report rips FBI handling of Russia probe." Josh Gerstein: "A highly anticipated Justice Department review of the origins of the federal investigation into potential collusion between the Trump campaign and Russia found no direct evidence of political bias in the launching of the probe, but identified an embarrassing slew of inaccuracies and omissions by the FBI that marred requests for court-ordered surveillance of a former Trump campaign adviser. The report from Justice Department Inspector General Michael Horowitz also revealed for the first time that the FBI used a confidential source to approach an unidentified high-level Trump campaign official in September 2016 who was never the subject of any investigation. The approach revealed nothing of value to the probe, the review found." ~~~
~~~ AND Bill Barr really did not care for Horowitz's main conclusion. Gerstein: "Attorney General Bill Barr endorsed Horowitz's critique of the FBI's handling of the surveillance process, but rejected the inspector general's conclusion that the FBI had an adequate 'predicate' for the decision to launch the investigation into the Trump campaign in July 2016. 'The Inspector General's report now makes clear that the FBI launched an intrusive investigation of a U.S. presidential campaign on the thinnest of suspicions that, in my view, were insufficient to justify the steps taken,' Barr said in a statement. 'It is also clear that, from its inception, the evidence produced by the investigation was consistently exculpatory. Nevertheless, the investigation and surveillance was pushed forward for the duration of the campaign and deep into President Trump's administration.'" Mrs. McC: IOW, "I'm pissed off Horowitz doesn't back up my fake 'spying' claim." ~~~
~~~ Barr's full statement is here. ~~~
~~~ AND Barr Swats at Christopher Steele. Katie Benner of the New York Times: "Attorney General William P. Barr recently approved making public new details about a former F.B.I. informant at the heart of conservatives' allegations about the Russia investigation, deciding to release information that had been blacked out in ... [the] inspector general's report.... A representative from the office of the Justice Department inspector general, Michael E. Horowitz, told the former F.B.I. informant, Christopher Steele, on Sunday that the Justice Department had decided to allow for the release of the information, two people briefed on the situation said late on Sunday. Mr. Steele was given no details about the information itself, nor was he told how it would affect the report's portrayal of him, the people said.... The notice to Mr. Steele on the eve of the report's release was highly unusual. Like the other witnesses interviewed for the inspector general's report, Mr. Steele had earlier reviewed the findings that are pertinent to him, and he was given a chance to comment on them. In this case, Mr. Horowitz's office did not detail for him the additional information and gave him no opportunity to respond for the report to be released on Monday." ~~~
~~~ Julia Macfarlane of ABC News: "In 2007, Ivanka Trump met [Christopher] Steele at a dinner and they began corresponding about the possibility of future work together.... The following year, the two exchanged emails about meeting up near Trump Tower, according to several emails seen by ABC News. And the two did meet at Trump Tower.... The inspector general's report mentions a meeting with a 'Trump family member' there. They suggest Ivanka Trump and Steele stayed in touch via emails over the next several years. In one 2008 exchange they discussed dining together in New York at a restaurant just blocks from Trump Tower. Ivanka Trump worked as an executive vice president at the Trump Organization, managing a range of foreign real estate projects, including in parts of the world where Steele'firm, Orbis Business Intelligence touted expertise.... In his discussion with investigators from the inspector general's office, Steele cited his past cordial relationship with Ivanka Trump as reason to believe that he was not biased against her. 'If anything he was "favorably predisposed" towards the Trump family before he began his research,' he told the investigators, the report says."
~~~ Katie Benner: "John H. Durham, a federal prosecutor whom Mr. Barr appointed to run a separate criminal investigation into the origins of the Russia investigation, backed Mr. Barr's findings in his own highly unusual statement. 'Last month we advised the inspector general that we do not agree with some of the report's conclusions as to predication and how the F.B.I. case was opened,' Mr. Durham said." ~~~
~~~ Mrs. McCrabbie: In his statement, Durham also said, "Our investigation has included developing information from other persons and entities, both in the U.S. and outside of the U.S. Based on the evidence collected to date, and while our investigation is ongoing, last month we advised the Inspector General that we do not agree with some of the report's conclusions as to predication and how the FBI case was opened." You can read Benner's respectful "highly unusual" characterization (in both her reports linked above) as "highly politicized." ~~~
~~~ AND Trump Claims that White Is Black and Down Is Up. Shannon Pettypiece of NBC News: "... Donald Trump said Monday that a new Justice Department report that found a solid legal basis for the original FBI investigation of his 2016 campaign had actually documented an 'attempted overthrow' of the government that was 'far worse than I ever thought possible.'" ~~~
~~~ Brett Samuels of the Hill: "FBI Director Christopher Wray said Monday that the bureau is implementing more than 40 'corrective steps' in response to a Department of Justice inspector general report on the investigation into the Trump campaign and 2016 election interference. The report found the FBI's decision to launch and carry out the investigation targeting four Trump campaign officials was not affected by political bias, a conclusion Wray highlighted while also noting the bureau fully cooperated with the nearly two-year internal review by Inspector General Michael Horowitz. The report was, however, critical of certain aspects of the FBI's handling of the investigation[.]" Mrs. McC: So far, Wray is the only Trump administration official who has responded appropriately to the IG's report.
Trump Is Nuts, Ctd. James Walker of Newsweek: "... Donald Trump put out more than 100 tweets on Sunday, sharing attacks on the impeachment inquiry with his 67 million followers. The commander-in-chief tweeted a total of 105 times yesterday, or a little more than four times per hour on average, with most of his activity taking place between 10 a.m. and 6.30 p.m. The majority of his posts were retweets of content posted by other Twitter users. Trump's tweets and re-posts on the platform were largely aimed at the impeachment process and Democrats leading the inquiry, but CNN and MMA fighter Tito Ortiz were also mentioned by the president." Mrs. McC: I think I've found the 400-pound man sitting on his bed. He's not in New Jersey; he's in Washington, D.C., and he's not hacking; he's tweeting.
Maggie Miller of the Hill: "The National Infrastructure Advisory Council (NIAC) published a draft report addressed to President Trump this week that found cyber threats to critical infrastructure pose an 'existential threat' to national security, and recommended 'bold action' in response. The NIAC, which is made up of industry officials and those from state and local governments involved in critical infrastructure, including former National Security Agency Deputy Director Richard Ledgett, strongly urged Trump to take action to protect energy, communications, and financial critical infrastructure.... The report found that China, Iran, and Russia have the ability to launch disruptive cyber attacks on U.S. critical infrastructure, including the electric grid, with [former Director of National Intelligence Dan] Coats noting specifically that 'Moscow is mapping our critical infrastructure with the long-term goal of being able to cause substantial damage.'"
Binyamin Appelbaum & Robert Hershey of the New York Times: "Paul A. Volcker, who helped shape American economic policy for more than six decades, most notably by leading the Federal Reserve's brute-force campaign to subdue inflation in the late 1970s and early '80s, died on Sunday in New York. He was 92.... Mr. Volcker, a towering, taciturn and somewhat rumpled figure, arrived in Washington as America's postwar economic hegemony was beginning to crumble. He would devote his professional life to wrestling with the consequences. As a Treasury Department official under Presidents John F. Kennedy, Lyndon B. Johnson and Richard M. Nixon, Mr. Volcker waged a long, losing struggle to preserve the postwar international monetary system established by the Bretton Woods agreement."
Paul MacInnes of the Guardian: "Russia has been handed a four-year ban from international sporting competition for a doping cover-up that means the country will not feature at the Tokyo Olympics next summer or the 2022 football World Cup in Qatar. An emergency meeting of the World Anti-Doping Agency on Monday unanimously voted to exclude Russia and also prevent it from hosting or bidding to host any global tournaments. The ban was imposed by Wada's executive committee after Russia was found to have tampered with laboratory data handed over to Wada as a condition for ending a previous three-year ban for state-sponsored doping."
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Peter Baker of the New York Times: "... the House Judiciary Committee begins to hear evidence [today] from both sides while Democrats draft proposed articles of impeachment charging him with high crimes and misdemeanors for pressuring Ukraine to help him against his domestic political rivals.... the ... Committee begins to hear evidence from both sides while Democrats draft proposed articles of impeachment charging him with high crimes and misdemeanors for pressuring Ukraine to help him against his domestic political rivals.... The morning proceedings start at 9 Eastern in the House Ways and Means Committee chambers. They will most likely last until late in the afternoon." An NPR story is here. ~~~
~~~ The Times snark analysis is here. Good Start: Rogers: "There's a protester accusing Nadler of treason right now. 'We voted for Donald Trump and they're trying to remove him because they don't like him!' the man yells." Fandos: "'Jerry Nadler and the Democrats on this committee are committing treason,' the protester yelled. This is the first time we have seen someone interrupt the proceedings like this. The police just promptly removed him." Includes video live feed. ~~~
~~~ ** Update. The Times is reporting the afternoon portion of the hearing here.
~~~ Politico is reporting developments here. Includes live video feed. ~~~
~~~ Devan Cole, et al., of CNN: "With sources telling CNN a vote in the Judiciary Committee to impeach ... Donald Trump is expected as soon as this week, House Judiciary Chairman Jerry Nadler said Sunday that he sees the Ukraine evidence as part of 'a pattern' of conduct by the President. But, in an interview Sunday with CNN's Dana Bash on 'State of the Union,' Nadler would not commit to including the evidence of obstruction of justice outlined in Robert Mueller's special counsel report as part of the articles of impeachment. Nadler said he was confident in Democrats' 'solid' case for impeachment, expressing optimism about the matter as the party moves closer to drafting articles. He thinks his party's case 'if presented to a jury would be a guilty verdict in about three minutes flat.'" (Also linked yesterday.)
State of the Union Denial. Zachary Basu of Axios: "Rep. Mark Meadows (R-N.C.) falsely claimed on CNN's 'State of the Union' Sunday that President Trump did not ask Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to investigate his political rival on a July 25 phone call.... As CNN's Dana Bash points out, President Trump specifically asked Zelesnky on the July 25 phone call to investigate Joe Biden, who was at that point seen as the likely frontrunner in the 2020 Democratic primary. Trump did not raise any broader concerns about corruption in Ukraine.... The leading Trump ally's defense illustrates the degree to which House Republicans will dispute key facts in the impeachment inquiry...." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)
** David Leonhardt of the New York Times: "... last week I posed a question to legal experts: If the House were going to forget about political tactics and impeach Trump strictly on the merits, how many articles of impeachment would there be? I think the answer is eight -- eight thematic areas, most of which include more than one violation.' Mrs. McC: My favorite -- and one that would probably be thrown out if proposed -- is the last one Leonhardt suggests: "Conduct grossly incompatible with the presidency." "... the 'grossly incompatible' phrase comes from a 1974 House Judiciary Committee report justifying impeachment. It also captures Trump's subversion of the presidency.”
Jacob Knutson of Axios: "Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) said on NBC's 'Meet the Press' Sunday that Ukraine 'blatantly interfered' in the 2016 election, repeating a conspiracy theory that experts warn has been promoted by Russian intelligence services." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.) ~~~
~~~ The laughter you hear near the top is not canned. AND on a news & opinion show, it's mighty unusual. ~~~
~~~ Jennifer Rubin of the Washington Post: "Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Tex.) has spent his entire adult life touting the West's defeat of communism in the Cold War.... [Cruz harshly criticized President Obama for not having harsher words for Russia's attack on Ukraine.] Cruz, Cold Warrior, Obama critic and anti-Putin hawk..., now declares there is evidence of Ukraine interference in our election because an op-ed was written criticizing Trump's campaign rhetoric about Ukraine. This is what Cruz is now reduced to -- making excuses for a president willing to stab Ukraine in the back to the utter delight of Putin.... Cruz, like virtually every other Republican in Congress is a coward, is afraid of a tweet or of the Trump mob. The formerly tough-on-defense Republican Party would rather contribute to the Kremlin propaganda machine and enable Trump (Putin's best friend) than incur the wrath of the right wing.... In comparison to [Trump & Cruz], Obama was Winston Churchill." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.) ~~~
~~~ What? Ted's not sleazy enough for you? Well, how about Rudy? ~~~
Jim Dwyer, et al., of the New York Times: Not long ago, Rudy Giuliani thought he would become secretary of state. "Three years on, Mr. Giuliani never got the job he believed he had coming -- 'a bitter disappointment,' his now-estranged wife says -- but in his five decades as a public figure, he has never been more prominent in national affairs. Step by step, he has escorted President Trump to the brink of impeachment. Mr. Giuliani himself is now under criminal investigation by federal prosecutors in the very office where he enjoyed his first extended draughts of fame nearly four decades ago. The separate troubles he has gotten his client and himself into are products of the uniquely powerful position he has fashioned, a hybrid of unpaid personal counsel to the president and for-profit peddler of access and advice." ~~~
~~~ Josh Dawsey, et al., of the Washington Post: "In the three years since Trump took office, Giuliani has expanded his lucrative foreign consulting and legal practice, taking on clients that span the globe, from Turkey to Venezuela to Romania to Ukraine. Along the way, he also has used his singular perch to try to influence U.S. policy and criminal investigations -- at times pushing the interests of foreign figures who could benefit him financially.... Since the start of the administration, his actions have caused persistent alarm among Trump's advisers, who worry that it is often not clear who Giuliani is representing -- the president, his private clients or his own foreign policy views -- in his meetings at the White House and in foreign cities.... In several conversations in recent months, Attorney General William P. Barr has counseled Trump in general terms that Giuliani has become a liability and a problem for the administration.... In one discussion, the attorney general warned the president that he was not being well-served by his lawyer...." The story outlines Rudy's "robust work overseas." Robust, indeed. CNN has a related story, citing the WashPo. ~~~
~~~ Natasha Bertrand & Darren Samuelsohn of Politico take on Rudy Giuliani and Bill Barr, but their emphasis is on Barr. Best recommendation for Barr comes from Elie Honig, a former federal prosecutor: "He is a historically terrible attorney general, but he's not a criminal." ~~~
~~~ Mrs. McCrabbie: Might be some split-screen cable news today, as the Justice Department's IG report is to be released today AND the House Judiciary Committee holds a hearing on impeachment. ~~~
~~~ The Guardian is liveblogging whatever happens with the IG's report.
Jerry Lambe of Law & Crime: "In an attempt to exonerate President Donald Trump, Rudy Giuliani has been working with right-wing media outlet One America News Network (OAN) to produce a television special featuring a string of current and former Ukrainian officials defending Trump's conduct.... According to OAN, the special, which will include the officials testifying 'under oath' (though without any penalty for lying), is a two-part exclusive event in which Giuliani 'debunks the impeachment hoax and exposes Biden family corruption in Ukraine.' But the sordid list of 'witnesses' taking part in the Giuliani-led effort, for the most part, appears to be laundry list of corrupt or otherwise extremely impeachable public figures. Of particular note is a former parliamentarian [Andrii Artemenko] who was expelled from the country after proposing Crimea be rented to Russia, according to a Saturday report from The Daily Beast." -s ~~~
~~~ Mrs. McCrabbie: Useful summary of must-not-see teevee.
One Day in July. Marshall Cohen & Will Houp of CNN put together a timeline of what we know happened July 25, the day Trump asked Zelensky for a favor, though, after Zelensky said Ukraine wanted to purchase Javelin missiles. Would be nice to know exactly what Pompeo, Bolton & Mulvaney, for instance, were up to that day.
David Corn of Mother Jones: "[A]s Trump is under scrutiny for pressing Ukraine to influence the 2020 race, it's a good time to review all the ways that Trump aided and abetted a foreign adversary's scheme to subvert a US election the last time the nation was choosing a president." A list follows. --s
** Jeff Seldin of VOA: "Russian efforts to weaken the West through a relentless campaign of information warfare may be starting to pay off, cracking a key bastion of the U.S. line of defense: the military.... The second annual Reagan National Defense Survey, completed in late October, found nearly half of armed services households questioned, 46%, said they viewed Russia as ally. Overall, the survey found 28% of Americans identified Russia as an ally, up from 19% the previous year. Generally, the pollsters found the positive views of Russia seemed to be 'predominantly driven by Republicans who have responded to positive cues from [U.S.] President [Donald] Trump about Russia,' according to an executive summary accompanying the results. While a majority, 71% of all Americans and 53% of military households, still views Russia as an enemy, the spike in pro-Russian sentiment has defense officials concerned." --s
Dahlia Lithwick of Slate on how it is often women who stand up to Donald Trump & his minions of male sneering, screaming meemies. Lithwick singles out among them, Prof. Pamela Karlan, a constitutional scholar who testified before the House Judiciary Committee last week: "Her presentation was so effective and so crystal clear that House Republicans, of whom all but two were men, were too afraid to question her on history or doctrine, opting for personal threats and shouting instead." Thanks to Anonymous for the link. ~~~
~~~ ** Peggy Drexler on CNN: "Saturday night..., at a State Department event celebrating the year's Kennedy Center honorees, of which [singer Linda] Ronstadt is one..., [Mike] Pompeo [quipped during his pre-dinner address], 'Ms. Ronstadt..., I will say my job, as I travel the world, I just want to know when I will be loved?'... Later, when Ronstadt ... [took] the microphone, she ... looked straight at Pompeo's table and said, 'I'd like to say to Mr. Pompeo, who wonders when he'll be loved, it's when he stops enabling Donald Trump.'" Mrs. McC: Mike should have known Linda Ronstadt has never been shy. Contributor Hattie seems to think that a more apropos Ronstadt classic to dedicate to Pompeo than "When Will I Be Loved" is this one:
~~~ AND Nancy Got a Standing O. Peter Marks of the Washington Post: "'Sesame Street' was one of the five honorees at the 42nd celebration of the [Kennedy Center Honors], along with rock singer Linda Ronstadt, Oscar winner Sally Field, maestro Michael Tilson Thomas and the R&B group Earth, Wind & Fire.... Political stars were more in view than in recent years, too, despite the continued absence of President Trump and first lady Melania Trump.... In attendance this year [were] Supreme Court Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr.; Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and five other members of Trump's Cabinet; and 40 members of Congress. But the audience's most boisterous reaction came when Rubenstein acknowledged House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.). The announcement of her name drew a standing ovation and a magnitude of sustained applause that appeared to startle her." Mrs. McC: The event will be broadcast on PBS on Dec. 15. Alas, dinner is not included.
Patricia Mazzei, et al., of the New York Times: "Officials said on Sunday that federal investigators were working on the presumption that the attack in Pensacola on Friday was an act of terrorism. Sailors from Alabama, Florida and Georgia were killed, and eight others were injured.... Rachel Rojas, the special agent in charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation's Jacksonville field office, said on Sunday that the presumption of terrorism allows law enforcement agencies to more quickly identify and eliminate any potential threats to the community. None have [has!] been identified so far, she said." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.) ~~~
~~~ Brendan Farrington & Mike Balsamo of the AP: "The Saudi gunman who killed three people at the Pensacola naval base had apparently gone on Twitter shortly before the shooting to blast U.S. support of Israel and accuse America of being anti-Muslim, a U.S. official said Sunday as the FBI confirmed it is operating on the assumption the attack was an act of terrorism. Investigators are also trying to establish whether the killer, 2nd Lt. Mohammed Alshamrani, 21, of the Royal Saudi Air Force, acted alone or was part of a larger plot." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.) ~~~
~~~ Toluse Olorunnipa & Josh Dawsey of the Washington Post: "Trump's defense of the Saudi government, which began just hours after Friday's shooting, steadily became a more isolated position over the weekend as more information trickled out about the gunman and other Saudi nationals who were receiving training at the base.... Some of Trump's staunchest supporters have called for a tougher stance with the Saudis, a position that has gained strength in the wake of Friday's shooting.... Earlier Sunday, Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.), normally a staunch Trump ally, was among several officials from the state pushing for more stringent scrutiny of foreigners who come to the United States for military training. Gaetz, who earlier called the killing an act of terrorism, also suggested the incident should change America's relationship with Saudi Arabia.... Florida Sen. Rick Scott (R), who immediately labeled the shooting terrorism, has called for a halt in the military program that brings hundreds of foreign nationals to U.S. bases to train alongside American troops.... Trump has yet to make a public call for full cooperation by the Saudis." ~~~
~~~ Darlene Superville of the AP: "A top Republican ally of ... Donald Trump went a step further than the White House on Sunday by calling for Saudi Arabia to be suspended from an American military training program after a student pilot from the kingdom shot and killed three sailors at a U.S. naval base in Florida. Trump had called for the program to be reviewed but Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., said he wanted more. 'We need to suspend the Saudi program until we find out what happened here,' he said, adding that he likes the idea of training foreign pilots and helping them understand how the U.S. system works." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)
Max Boot in the Washington Post: "President Trump has long held a double standard when it comes to terrorist attacks: When the perpetrator is a white supremacist, he offers anodyne expressions of sympathy for the victims (often 'thoughts and prayers'), while typically failing to label the attack an act of terrorism. When the perpetrator is a Muslim, however, he is vitriolic in his denunciations and his calls for a massive response, such as stopping all Muslims from entering the United States.... It turns out that Trump actually has a triple standard, because he treats attacks by Saudis differently than those from other Muslim nations.... Instead of expressing outrage or vowing vengeance [for the Pensacola attack], or even waiting for all the facts to come in, Trump sounded as if he were auditioning for the job of press secretary at the Saudi Embassy.... This is, of course, only the latest example of Trump's suspicious partiality to Saudi Arabia -- the site of his first trip abroad as president.... Trump's suspicious relationship with Saudi Arabia is merely another example of what happens when a president decides to run the U.S. government as if it were a family-owned business whose only objective is to benefit his bottom line." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)
Donald Trump Is Making America Insignificant Again. Tim Sullivan of the AP: "Three years into Donald Trump's presidency, America's global influence is waning. In interviews with The Associated Press, diplomats, foreign officials and scholars from numerous countries describe a changing world order in which the United States has less of a central role.... Once-close allies -- France, Egypt, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Mexico, Turkey, Germany and more -- have quietly edged away from Washington over the past three years.... For generations, America saw itself as the center of the world. For better or worse, most of the rest of the world has regarded the U.S. as its colossus -- respecting it, fearing it, turning to it for answers.... China has been delighted by what it sees as the voluntary abdication of U.S. leadership, particularly on free trade and climate change."
Mariel Padilla of the New York Times: "The United States ambassador to Denmark [Carla Sands] barred an American NATO expert critical of President Trump from speaking at an international conference hosted by the American embassy and a Danish think tank, prompting the event's cancellation, organizers said. The expert, Stanley R. Sloan, was scheduled to give a keynote speech at the conference, which was celebrating the 70th anniversary of NATO, on Tuesday. Mr. Sloan, a visiting scholar at Middlebury College in Vermont, a fellow at the Atlantic Council and a former analyst for the Central Intelligence Agency, planned to speak about the future of trans-Atlantic relations. One day before he was set to leave for Copenhagen, Mr. Sloan was informed that the United States Embassy in Copenhagen had vetoed his participation because of his previous criticisms of President Trump, Mr. Sloan said on Facebook on Saturday.... In his book, 'Defense of the West,' published in 2016, Mr. Sloan discussed the impact that the Trump administration could have on the deterioration of trans-Atlantic relations, given its questionable support for NATO, its relationship with Russia and its response to threats from the Islamic State." ~~~
~~~ Mrs. McCrabbie: Are we supposed to ignore the fact that it appears Sloan was 100 percent right?
Nicole Acevedo of NBC: "Democratic lawmakers Thursday accused the Trump administration of 'illegally withholding' funding for hurricane recovery efforts in Puerto Rico after missing a legally required deadline to kick off the process three months ago.... Congress had mandated the housing agency [HUD, under Ben Carson] to issue funding notices to 18 disaster-stricken states and territories no later than Sept. 4. They published all the notices except Puerto Rico's. The publication of the notice would have allowed island officials to start drafting a plan that would create the structures needed to manage $10.2 billion in much-needed recovery funds." --s
BUT We Say "Merry Christmas" in Donald's USA. Tim Stelloh of NBC News: "A Southern California church is displaying a nativity scene depicting Jesus, Mary and Joseph as a family separated at the U.S.-Mexico border. A photo posted Saturday on Facebook by a senior minister at Claremont United Methodist Church, east of Los Angeles, showed the Holy Family inside three chain link cells topped with razor wire. In a statement posted by the minister, Karen Clark Ristine, the church said that after fleeing a tyrant king, Jesus, Mary and Joseph became 'the most well-known refugee family in the world.' 'What if this family sought refuge in our country today?' the church said. 'Imagine Joseph and Mary separated at the border and Jesus no older than two taken from his mother and placed behind the fences of a Border Patrol detention center.' Inside the church, the family is reunited in a separate nativity scene, the statement said."
Nahal Toosi of Politico: "In his Twitter bio, Chinese diplomat Lijian Zhao says he wants to 'spread the voice of China.' That voice apparently has a lot of nasty things to say about the United States.... Zhao is the most glaring example of a new trend in Chinese diplomacy: using social media, mainly Twitter, in an aggressive, decidedly undiplomatic manner. He and other Chinese officials are swinging in particular at the U.S., which under ... Donald Trump -- himself famous for mean tweets -- has taken a combative stance toward the ruling Chinese Communist Party.... The new Chinese effort appears to rely heavily on an old tactic, used extensively by the Soviets during the Cold War, called 'whataboutism': pointing out another nation's problems as a way to deflect from one's own." --s
Presidential Race 2020
Annie Linskey of the Washington Post: "Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) earned nearly $2 million working as a consultant for corporations and financial firms while she was a law professor at Harvard University, the University of Pennsylvania and other law schools, according to records her campaign abruptly released Sunday evening. Warren's consulting work often involved companies dealing with bankruptcy, which was her specialty as an academic. Her campaign had been asked repeatedly for the information and had declined to release it multiple times. Her work for some of the companies doesn't fit neatly with her current presidential campaign brand as a crusader against corporate interests. For instance, the documents released Sunday show that Warren made about $80,000 from work she did for creditors in the energy company Enron's bankruptcy and $20,000 as a consultant for Dow Chemical, a company that was trying to limit the liability it faced from silicone breast implants that were made by a connected firm."
Margaret Talev of Axios: "Former Vice President Joe Biden, in an interview with 'Axios on HBO,' promised to prohibit his son Hunter, and other family members, from cashing in on his name and position overseas if he wins the presidency.... Biden told Axios' Mike Allen that Hunter did nothing wrong -- but that he has not dug into what Hunter actually did while working in Ukraine. 'I don't know what he was doing. I know he was on the board. I found out he was on the board after he was on the board and that was it,' Biden told us. Asked whether he wants to get to the bottom of it, Biden said, "No. Because I trust my son.'"
Trump Trots Out Pardoned Soldiers at Campaign Event. Samantha Gross & David Smiley of the Miami Herald: "... during a closed-door speech to Republican Party of Florida donors at the state party's annual Statesman's Dinner..., [Donald Trump brought] on stage Army 1st Lt. Clint Lorance and Maj. Mathew Golsteyn, who[m] Trump pardoned last month for cases involving war crimes.... The dinner ... raised $3.5 million for the state party...." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.) ~~~
~~~ Al Vicens of Mother Jones: "Lorance was serving a 19-year prison sentence for murder after ordering soldiers to open fire on three unarmed Afghan men in 2012, killing two. Golsteyn had been charged with premeditated murder after admitting to shooting a detained, unarmed Afghan man in 2010. Golsteyn killed the prisoner off-base and buried his body, only to dig it up later, bring it back to the base, and burn it in a pit used to dispose of trash, according to the Washington Post." Mrs. McC: Are these guys really great campaign props? Did they get a standing O at the "Statesman's" Dinner? I'd like to think at least some dyed-in-the-wool Republicans think "convicted/accused war criminal" is not an admirable descriptor. (Also linked yesterday.)
** Michael Gordon of Business Insider: "Today, representative democracy is on the brink as our government demonstrates an unprecedented disconnect from public opinion.... We see time and time again that even overwhelmingly popular public views don't translate to policy. That's because our three branches of government live under minority rule.... The GOP['s] ... desperation to lock in unpopular Republican policies is the basis for their embrace of Trump, their efforts to pack the federal courts, their embrace of the Electoral College system that advantages them (for now), and their gerrymandering. Given these moves, Democrats must make minority rule the rallying cry for 2020 and beyond. Democratic arguments and ideas reflect the majority of Americans' views, and Democrats need to make the case that voters should be outraged by the disconnect between public opinion and public policy." --s
** Craig Whitlock of the Washington Post: "A confidential trove of government documents obtained by The Washington Post reveals that senior U.S. officials failed to tell the truth about the war in Afghanistan throughout the 18-year campaign, making rosy pronouncements they knew to be false and hiding unmistakable evidence the war had become unwinnable. The documents ... include more than 2,000 pages of previously unpublished notes of interviews with people who played a direct role in the war, from generals and diplomats to aid workers and Afghan officials.... With a bluntness rarely expressed in public, the interviews lay pent-up complaints, frustrations and confessions, along with second-guessing and backbiting.... With most speaking on the assumption that their remarks would not become public, U.S. officials acknowledged that their warfighting strategies were fatally flawed and that Washington wasted enormous sums of money trying to remake Afghanistan into a modern nation. The interviews also highlight the U.S. government's botched attempts to curtail runaway corruption, build a competent Afghan army and police force, and put a dent in Afghanistan's thriving opium trade."
Mehdi Hasan of the Intercept writes an open letter to Mark Zuckerberg: "Mark, how does it feel to be complicit in an actual genocide? I'm talking of course about the Rohingya Muslims in Myanmar.... Your company has, basically, admitted to it. In November 2018, your own product policy manager, Alex Warofka, acknowledged that ... Facebook had not done enough 'to help prevent our platform from being used to foment division and incite offline violence' in Myanmar.... How about the Muslims of Sri Lanka?...[Despite] multiple examples of inflammatory and Islamophobic videos and posts on Facebook -- including a post declaring, 'Kill all Muslims, don't even save an infant' -- ... nearly every complaint... 'got the same response: the content did not violate Facebook's standards.'... The sad reality is that ... far-right nationalists are being aided and abetted, whether directly or indirectly, by self-styled liberals in Silicon Valley. By Facebook. By you, Mark." --s
Fiona Harvey of the Guardian: "Oxygen in the oceans is being lost at an unprecedented rate, with 'dead zones' proliferating and hundreds more areas showing oxygen dangerously depleted, as a result of the climate emergency and intensive farming, experts have warned.... [T]here are also at least 700 areas where oxygen is at dangerously low levels, up from 45 when research was undertaken in the 1960s." --s
Beyond the Beltway
Michigan/Canada. Bisma Parvez of the Detroit Free Press: "A Detroit property contaminated with uranium and other dangerous chemicals partially collapsed into the Detroit River on Nov. 26, the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy has confirmed.... The news is especially concerning because the Detroit drinking water intake lines are nearby downriver.... Member of Canadian Parliament Brian Masse of Windsor West ... hand-delivered a letter to the Minister of Environment and Climate Change, Honourable Jonathan Wilkinson, calling for an immediate binational investigation into the Revere Copper Site dock collapse, according to a public statement." --s
Mississippi. Adam Ganucheau & Bobby Harrison of Mississippi Today: "State Rep. Ashley Henley, a Southaven Republican, is asking the GOP-led Mississippi House to overturn the results of the election she narrowly lost to Democrat Hester Jackson-McCray. Jackson-McCray won the Nov. 5 general election by 14 votes, according to election results certified this week by the Secretary of State's office.... In an interview on Thursday, Henley told Mississippi Today she was challenging the election results because of what she called 'voter irregularities' in House District 40, located in northern DeSoto County. Jackson-McCray said Thursday that Henley's challenge 'is much to do about nothing.'" --s
Way Beyond
Finland. Tarmo Virki of Reuters: "Finland's transportation minister Sanna Marin was selected by her Democratic party on Sunday to become the country's youngest prime minister ever, taking over after the resignation of Antti Rinne. The 34-year-old Marin, whose party is the largest in a five-member governing coalition, will be the world's youngest serving prime minister when she takes office in the coming days. Rinne resigned on Tuesday after a party in the coalition, the Centre Party, said it had lost confidence in him following his handling of a postal strike."
U.K. Clint Hendler of Mother Jones: "With less to a week to go before the United Kingdom heads to the polls on Thursday for a nearly unprecedented December parliamentary election, the race has been rocked by suspicions that Russia was involved in spreading secret leaked records that have become central to the debate. The chain of events raises the possibility that, just as in the United States in 2016, online forces linked to the Kremlin are working to shape the information landscape as a national election of enormous consequence unfolds." --s ~~~
~~~ Shanti Das & Andrew Gregory of The Times: "Amazon has been handed the keys to a trove of NHS data it can use to develop products to sell internationally without paying a penny to the UK. A government contract [was] revealed under freedom of information laws.... The $863bn company can access 'all healthcare information' gathered by the NHS at the UK taxpayers' expense[.]" Article is firewalled. --s ~~~
~~~ Toby Helm of the Guardian: "Data about millions of NHS patients has been sold to US and other international pharmaceutical companies for research, the Observer has learned, raising new fears about America's growing ambitions to access lucrative parts of the health service after Brexit.... America appears to be pressing for unrestricted access to Britain's 55 million health records, which are estimated to have a total value of £10bn a year." --s
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