The Commentariat -- October 8, 2019

Late Morning/Afternoon Update:

Ken Vogel & others at the New York Times get around to looking at Rick Perry's role in the Ukraine scandal: "Mr. Perry's role in the diplomacy between the countries highlights the degree to which Mr. Trump entrusted his Ukraine policy to an ad hoc coalition of loyalists inside and outside the government, especially after the recall of the ambassador to Ukraine amid questions among Mr. Trump's supporters about her loyalty to the president. It also reveals the extent to which Ukrainian politics and national security revolve around energy supplies. Mr. Perry's efforts, while broadly consistent with American national security and energy objectives, intersected with those of the figures involved in the pressure campaign." Mrs. McC: The AP & Politico stories I linked last week seemed more useful. The only news here seems to be that when Perry suggested names to add to Naftogaz's board, he was encouraging Naftogaz to consider "removing from the supervisory board a former Obama administration official named Amos J. Hochstein. Mr. Hochstein had worked with Mr. Biden on his Ukraine efforts as vice president." But the NYT reporters also let Perry off the hook by asserting that "the Ukrainian government had requested recommendations from Mr. Perry for Americans who could advise Naftogaz and the government...."

Jeremy Herb, et al., of CNN: "House Intelligence Chairman Adam Schiff on Tuesday called the State Department's blocking testimony of a key witness 'strong evidence of obstruction' of Democrats' impeachment investigation, and the move is prompting House Democrats to issue a subpoena for the testimony in response." ~~~

~~~ Cristina Marcos of the Hill: "The chairmen of the three House committees leading Democrats' impeachment inquiry said Tuesday that they will issue a subpoena to ... Gordon Sondland, the ambassador to the European Union..., a key official that the State Department blocked from testifying.... House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff (D-Calif.), Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Eliot Engel (D-N.Y.) and Oversight Committee Chairman Elijah Cummings (D-Md.) said they would subsequently move to subpoena Sondland later Tuesday for testimony and documents." ~~~

~~~ Allan Smith & Geoff Bennett of NBC News: Ambassador Gordon Sondland's attorney Robert Luskin said "that Sondland 'is profoundly disappointed that he will not be able to testify today.' Luskin noted that Sondland traveled to Washington from Brussels 'in order to prepare for his testimony and to be available to answer the Committee's questions. Arrangements had already been made with Joint Committee staff regarding the logistics of his testimony,' Lusin said.... Luskin said the ambassador 'hopes' the State Department's qualms that 'precludes his testimony will be resolved promptly.'... Speaking with reporters Tuesday, House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff, D-Calif., lamented that 'not only is the Congress being deprived of' Sondland's testimony, 'but we are also aware the ambassador has text messages or emails on a personal device which have been provided to the State Department.'... He called the messages 'deeply relevant to this investigation and the impeachment inquiry' and said Democrats would consider the failure to obtain Sondland's documents and testimony as evidence of obstruction." See previous linked reports for context. ~~~

~~~ The Midnight Hide of Mike Pompeo. Michael Isikoff of Yahoo! News: "he State Department waited until 12:30 a.m. on Tuesday to tell U.S. Ambassador Gordon Sondland not to show up for his scheduled deposition with three House committees later that morning, the ambassador's lawyer told Yahoo News. Robert Luskin, Sondland's attorney, said he got the extraordinary middle-of-the-night directive in a phone call from a State Department official he declined to identify. The official offered no explanation of the grounds on which the State Department was blocking Sondland's appearance at the last minute."

Jordain Carney of the Hill: "Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) said on Tuesday that he will invite President Trump's personal lawyer Rudy Giuliani to testify before the Senate Judiciary Committee about Ukraine.... Graham said that his decision came after hearing from Giuliani on 'numerous occasions disturbing allegations ... about corruption in Ukraine and the many improprieties surrounding the firing of former Prosecutor General Viktor Shokin.... Given the House of Representatives' behavior, it is time for the Senate to inquire about corruption and other improprieties involving Ukraine,' he added.... The hearing would likely give Giuliani a forum to air his claims that the former vice president pushed a former top prosecutor in Ukraine to be fired to help his son. There's been no evidence of wrongdoing by the former vice president. It would also give three 2020 Democratic presidential candidates -- Sens. Cory Booker (N.J.), Kamala Harris (Calif.) and Amy Klobuchar (Minn.) -- a high-profile stage to question Giuliani, and knock Trump. Harris quickly pounced on Graham's announcement, adding in a tweet: 'Good. I have questions.' The decision to invite Giuliani marks a reversal for Graham, who had previously indicated that he wanted 'all things Ukraine' investigated but didn't think the Senate should be the body leading the probe."

Samantha Grasso of Splinter: "Amid ... Donald Trump's insistence that this should all go away, most Americans support the impeachment inquiry into Trump, and almost half of supporters say they also support removing the president from office, according to a new Washington Post-Schar School poll. More specifically, 58 percent of Americans thinks that Congress should have launched an impeachment inquiry into Trump's behavior. Meanwhile, 49 percent of Americans go the extra mile, saying they support the impeachment inquiry and removing Trump from office.... This is a marked uptick from the last time the poll was taken, when 59 percent said they didn't support impeachment while just 37 percent were in favor. The latest poll also found 60 percent of Americans say Trump doesn't uphold adequate standards for ethics in government." The Washington Post's report is here.

Quint Forgey of Politico: "... Donald Trump on Tuesday promoted Turkey's diplomatic and economic ties to the U.S. amid withering bipartisan criticism for his decision to allow the Middle Eastern nation to invade northern Syria -- endangering the Kurdish fighters who helped the American military quash ISIS forces in the region. 'So many people conveniently forget that Turkey is a big trading partner of the United States, in fact they make the structural steel frame for our F-35 Fighter Jet,' the president wrote on Twitter.... Trump also noted that Turkey 'is an important member in good standing' of the international NATO military alliance, and revealed that Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan would be 'coming to the U.S. as my guest' on Nov. 13.... The president insisted Tuesday that America's support for its Kurdish allies would continue as U.S. troops withdraw from Syria, and again cautioned Turkey against instigating conflict in the region. 'We may be in the process of leaving Syria, but in no way have we Abandoned the Kurds, who are special people and wonderful fighters. Likewise our relationship with Turkey, a NATO and Trading partner, has been very good,' Trump tweeted."

Senate Race. John Frank of the Colorado Sun: "John Hickenlooper raised more than $2.1 million for his U.S. Senate campaign in less than six weeks, a record haul in Colorado that affirms his Democratic front-runner status in a top-tier race. The cash total positions the former two-term governor as the top fundraiser in his party primary but it falls short of Republican U.S. Sen. Cory Gardner, who will report raising $2.45 million for his reelection bid in the three-month period that ended in June."

Annals of "Journalism," Ctd. Kevin Poulsen & Maxwell Tani of the Daily Beast: "RealClearPolitics has carefully cultivated a non-partisan image -- while in the shadows its parent company pushes images of killer Clintons and a freedom-loving Kremlin. The company behind the non-partisan news site RealClearPolitics has been secretly running a Facebook page filled with far-right memes and Islamophobic smears.... Called 'Conservative Country,' the Facebook page was founded in 2014 and now boasts nearly 800,000 followers for its mix of Donald Trump hagiography and ultra-conservative memes. One recent post showed a man training two assault rifles at a closed door with the caption 'Just sitting here waiting on Beto.' Others wink at right-wing conspiracy theories about Barack Obama's 'ties to Islam' or the Clintons having their enemies killed, or portray Muslim members of Congress as terrorist infiltrators. The page is effusive with praise for Vladimir Putin, and one post portrays Russia as the last bastion of freedom in Europe." ~~~

     ~~~ Mrs. McCrabbie: I occasionally link to RealClearPolitics stories & stats, especially around election times. I plan not to do that anymore.

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Adam Schiff is speaking now (at 9:30 am ET). Schiff said Sondland also had texts & e-mails on a personal device that the State Department was withholding from Congress. He said blocking Sondland could end up as part of an Article of Impeachment.

BREAKING. Michael Schmidt & Nicholas Fandos of the New York Times: "The Trump administration directed a top American diplomat involved in its pressure campaign on Ukraine not to appear Tuesday morning for a scheduled interview in the House's impeachment inquiry. The decision to block Gordon D. Sondland, the United States ambassador to the European Union, from speaking with investigators for three House committees is certain to provoke an immediate conflict with potentially profound consequences for the White House and President Trump. House Democrats have repeatedly warned that if the administration tries to interfere with their investigation, it will be construed as obstruction, a charge they see as potentially worthy of impeachment.... Robert Luskin, Mr. Sondland's lawyer, said in a statement that as a State Department employee, his client had no choice but to comply with the administration's direction. He said Mr. Sondland had been prepared and happy to testify, and would do so in the future if allowed.... Mr. Sondland interacted directly with Mr. Trump, speaking with the president several times around key moments that House Democrats are now investigating, including before and after Mr. Trump's July call with the new Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelensky." ~~~

     ~~~ Update. New Lede: "The White House all but declared war on the House impeachment inquiry on Tuesday, intervening for the first time to block the testimony of a key witness as President Trump signaled his administration would try to starve investigators of more witnesses and documents." ~~~

     ~~~ Mrs. McCrabbie: This absolutely will go into an Article of Impeachment. CNN is reporting that "the White House" was talking about this late into the night last night before they ordered Sondland not to appear. Pompeo is right in the middle of this. According to CNN, the White House is not even asserting executive privilege, White House & State are just saying "no." Sondland had intended to testify & flew into D.C. to do so.

Faced with GOP Rebellion, Trump Tries to Backpedal Rogue Syria Decision. Peter Baker & Lara Jakes of the New York Times: "President Trump threw Middle East policy into turmoil on Monday with a series of conflicting signals after his vow to withdraw American forces from the region touched off an uprising among congressional Republicans and protests by America's allies. Defending his decision to clear the way for a Turkish military operation against America's Kurdish allies in northern Syria, announced in a White House statement on Sunday night, Mr. Trump said it was 'time for us to get out' and let others 'figure the situation out.' But his move touched off a broad rebuke by Republicans ... in some of the sharpest language they have leveled against a Trump foreign policy decision. And in response, the president pivoted sharply and said he would restrain Turkey.... A Defense Department official said the president's threat to destroy the Turkish economy should make clear that Mr. Trump had not approved a Turkish attack on the Kurds.... But Republicans were not sure. Even after Mr. Trump recalibrated his message, Senator Mitch McConnell ... warned against 'a precipitous withdrawal' that would benefit Russia, Iran, President Bashar al-Assad of Syria and the Islamic State." ...

     ... The reporters go on to describe the phone call between Trump & Erdogan: "Mr. Trump seemed to be responding instinctively to an unexpected comment by President Recep Tayyip Erdogan of Turkey near the end of a telephone call on Sunday that otherwise focused on trade and defense assistance. Mr. Erdogan, who has long threatened to send troops over the border against Kurdish fighters allied with the United States, told Mr. Trump that he was finally moving forward. Mr. Trump told Mr. Erdogan that he did not support an incursion, according to aides. But ... Mr. Trump got off the call and promptly issued a late-night statement that he would pull out about 50 American special operations troops near the border who have served as a trip wire deterring Turkey from sending forces into Syria." (The report is a major revision of a story linked yesterday afternoon.) ~~~

~~~ Dave Lawler of Axios: "The White House is insisting that President Trump did not offer Turkey a 'green light' to slaughter U.S.-backed Kurdish forces in northern Syria last night and that the U.S. wouldn't bear responsibility for any Islamic State resurgence in the area.... There was an information vacuum for much of the day beyond the tweets in which Trump reiterated his desire to leave Syria, claimed the Kurds had been 'paid massive amounts' to fight ISIS and warned he would 'destroy and obliterate' Turkey's economy if it did anything he found 'off limits.'... A senior administration official ... said repeatedly that Trump was not endorsing Erdoğan's plan, but wouldn't say whether he'd warned him not to move ahead." ~~~

     ~~~ Mrs. Bea McCrabbie: Let us remind "the White House" that Trump tweeted Monday morning, "... it is time for us to get out of these ridiculous Endless Wars, many of them tribal, and bring our soldiers home. WE WILL FIGHT WHERE IT IS TO OUR BENEFIT, AND ONLY FIGHT TO WIN. Turkey, Europe, Syria, Iran, Iraq, Russia and the Kurds will now have to figure the situation out, and what they want to do with the captured ISIS fighters in their "neighborhood.'"

~~~ "Chaos in Syria, Washington." Carol Lee & Courtney Kube of NBC News: "At 3 a.m. local time, the commander of the Syrian Democratic Forces, Gen. Mazloum Kobane..., received a phone call from a senior U.S official telling him to get on a video teleconference with an American military commander who informed him ... Donald Trump had ordered U.S. troops to withdraw.... Confusion ensued in Syria and Washington in the hours after Trump agreed during a phone call with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to move U.S. troops out of northeastern Syria to clear the way for a Turkish military operation in the area.... The White House's announcement of the decision late Sunday night blindsided not just America's Kurdish partners in the fight against the Islamic State militant group, or ISIS, in Syria, but almost everyone -- senior officials at the Pentagon, the State Department and the White House, lawmakers on Capitol Hill, and U.S. allies in Europe and the Middle East.... [A statement issued by White House press secretary Stephanie Grisham] ... was the first time many in the administration, Congress and capitals across the world learned of the president's decision.... Trump, meanwhile seemed to back away from his initial statement.... 'Even Trump is starting to realize that maybe he didn't handle this too well, and is maybe trying to walk it back,' [a senior State Department] official said. 'I think you're going to see some backpedaling.'" ~~~

~~~ "Nobody Saw It Coming." Wesley Morgan of Politico: "The White House announcement upended military and State Department plans ... and it bucked views by top officials that the Turks' threat of an incursion against the Kurds was a bluff, according to current and former defense officials.... 'Everyone was absolutely flabbergasted by this. I tell you that as a fact,' retired Adm. James Stavridis said Monday on MSNBC, describing what he saw as the view from the Pentagon. 'Nobody saw it coming, and that is a real problem when you're trying to conduct not only foreign policy ... but also military operations. That kind of whipsawing effect is extremely detrimental, not only in this tactical situation, but strategically as our planners try and prepare in other theaters, from North Korea to Afghanistan.'... A person familiar with the U.S. government's policy deliberations on the issue said Trump is operating against the advice of his national security leaders -- noting that Sunday night's announcement came just three days after Defense Secretary Mark Esper spoke by phone with Turkish Defense Minister Hulusi Akar. 'POTUS went rogue,' the person said. 'It's not too surprising for those of us who've been following him, but it was a surprise and went against what Esper was talking to Akar about.'" ~~~

~~~ James LaPorta of Newsweek: "Donald Trump got 'rolled' by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, a National Security Council source with direct knowledge of the discussions told Newsweek.... 'President Trump was definitely out-negotiated and only endorsed the troop withdraw to make it look like we are getting something -- but we are not getting something,' the National Security Council source told Newsweek. 'The U.S. national security has entered a state of increased danger for decades to come because the president has no spine and that's the bottom line.'... According to the NSC official, who had first-hand knowledge of the phone call, Trump did not endorse any Turkish military operation against Kurdish Forces, but also did not threaten economic sanctions during the phone call if Turkey decided to undertake offensive operations." ~~~

~~~ Edmund DeMarche, et al., of Fox "News": "The White House announced late Sunday that Turkey will soon move forward with a planned military operation in northeast Syria, as U.S. troops who have been deployed and operating with Kurdish-led forces in the area began pulling back from their positions. The decision sent shockwaves through the region and Washington, with U.S. officials telling Fox News that top Pentagon officials were 'completely blindsided' and 'shocked' by the order to pull back hundreds of U.S. troops, a move that effectively green-lights the Turkey operation." Emphasis added. (Also linked yesterday afternoon.) ~~~

As I have stated strongly before, and just to reiterate, if Turkey does anything that I, in my great and unmatched wisdom, consider to be off limits, I will totally destroy and obliterate the Economy of Turkey (I've done before!). They must, with Europe and others, watch over... ....the captured ISIS fighters and families. The U.S. has done far more than anyone could have ever expected, including the capture of 100% of the ISIS Caliphate. It is time now for others in the region, some of great wealth, to protect their own territory. THE USA IS GREAT! -- Donald Trump, in two tweets this morning (emphasis added in bold; the caps emphases are all Trump's) ~~~

~~~ James Hohmann of the Washington Post: "National security experts warn that Trump abandoning the Kurds in this manner will have a chilling effect not just in the region but around the world, further eroding American credibility against the backdrop of a rising China and a revanchist Russia. 'Well, at least the Trump Administration is consistent. We are about screwing our allies, partners and friends,' said John Sipher, who served 28 years in the Central Intelligence Agency's clandestine service'.... 'Don't trust America, even if you shed blood on their behalf. If you want favors, build a Trump tower.' Other critics of Trump's decision to withdraw from Syria were also quick to note that there is a Trump Tower complex in Istanbul." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)

Abandoning [the Kurds] to the Turks who will treat them mercilessly is just .... horrifying. Trump just shrugged and said 'fine' because he doesn't understand any of it and neither does he care. He has a hotel in Istanbul though.... When he has to choose he always backs the people who benefit him personally. -- digby

Rebecca Klar of the Hill: "President Trump's former ISIS envoy on Monday slammed the decision to pull U.S. troops out of northern Syria.... 'Donald Trump is not a Commander-in-Chief. He makes impulsive decisions with no knowledge or deliberation,' Brett McGurk tweeted. 'He sends military personnel into harm's way with no backing. He blusters and then leaves our allies exposed when adversaries call his bluff or he confronts a hard phone call.'... McGurk also said Trump made a 'similarly impulsive decision' when he served in the administration, which led to his resignation [Mrs. McC: at the same time & for the same reason Defense Secretary Jim Mattis resigned]. 'Tonight [Sunday] is a sad replay but seems even worse as US officials had since convinced the SDF that we planned to stay,' he said. 'There's a similar defect at the core of US foreign policies across the board: maximalist objectives for a minimalist president combined with no process to assess facts, develop options, or prepare contingencies. Our personnel are left exposed at the slightest moment of friction,' he added. 'Bottom line: Trump tonight after one call with a foreign leader provided a gift to Russia, Iran, and ISIS.'" ~~~

     ~~~ McGurk's Twitter account is here. (At the top of McGurk's feed are photos of him with soldiers, with Jim Mattis, with Barack Obama & with George W. Bush. Not a single shot with Cadet Bonespurs.)

Calling Senator Mitt. Gabriel Sherman of Vanity Fair: "According to people close to Romney, he's firmly decided against primarying Trump [though supporters have encouraged him to do so], an enterprise he believes to be a sure loser given Trump's enduring GOP support.... Instead, a Romney adviser told me, Romney believes he has more potential power as a senator who will decide Trump's fate in an impeachment trial. 'He could have tremendous influence in the impeachment process as the lone voice of conscience in the Republican caucus,' the adviser said. In recent days, Romney has been reaching out privately to key players in the Republican resistance, according to a person briefed on the conversations. 'Romney is the one guy who could bring along Susan Collins, Cory Gardner, Ben Sasse. Romney is the pressure point in the impeachment process. That's why the things he's saying are freaking Republicans out.... 'The Syria decision is a much bigger deal [the the Ukraine scandal],' another former West Wing official said. 'No one on the inside can hold Trump accountable. The Senate Republicans are the only check on power right now.'"

Democrats Aim to Protect Whistleblower from Devin Nunes, et al. Rachel Bade, et al., of the Washington Post: "House Democrats are weighing extraordinary steps to secure testimony from a whistleblower whose complaint prompted their impeachment inquiry, masking his identity to prevent President Trump's congressional allies from exposing the individual, according to three officials familiar with the deliberations. The steps under consideration include having the whistleblower testify from a remote location and obscuring the individual's appearance and voice, these officials said. The efforts reflect Democrats' deepening distrust of their GOP colleagues, whom they see as fully invested in defending a president who has attacked the whistleblower's credibility and demanded absolute loyalty from Republicans." ~~~

     ~~~ Mrs. McCrabbie: You read that right. In order to keep Republicans from outting the identity of a whistleblower who is protected by law (that would be a law Congress itself passed, of course), Democrats must go to extraordinary lengths. It isn't just the President* who is lawless, so are his Congressional vassals.

Cristina Marcos of the Hill: "House Democrats on Monday subpoenaed the heads of the Defense Department and Office of Management and Budget for documents related to the Trump administration's decision to withhold financial aid to Ukraine while the president pushed the allied nation for an investigation into former Vice President Joe Biden and his son, Hunter. In letters to Defense Secretary Mark Esper and Office of Management and Budget (OMB) acting director Russell Vought, the three committee chairmen leading the House's impeachment inquiry asked for the documents to be provided by Oct. 15." (Also linked yesterday.)

Washington Post liveblog at 9 am ET: "George Kent, the deputy assistant secretary of state in the European and Eurasian Bureau, did not appear for a deposition before three House committees scheduled for Monday morning. 'No, Democrats originally scheduled him for deposition today, but his appearance has not yet been worked out or confirmed,' said a person familiar with the planned deposition...." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)

Karen DeYoung, et al., of the Washington Post: "Secretary of State Mike Pompeo returned Monday morning from a European trip to a State Department workforce that is increasingly demoralized and resentful under his leadership, amid a growing belief that he has subordinated its mission and abandoned colleagues in the service of President Trump's political aims. The 'prevailing mood is low and getting lower, if it can,' said Thomas R. Pickering, a diplomatic dean who served in high-ranking department positions.... State Department officials strongly supported $141 million in department funds that Congress appropriated this year for Ukraine -- in addition to $250 million in aid from the Defense Department. But there is no indication that Pompeo objected when Trump withheld all of the assistance while ... Rudolph W. Giuliani — and the president himself -- pressed the government of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to investigate Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden and his son. Most worrisome to the department is concern that Pompeo did not intervene to protect U.S. diplomats either enlisted by Giuliani to assist his efforts or punished for being insufficiently committed to the cause.... 'All of us felt like [Marie Yovanovitch] was incredibly shabbily treated,' said a senior Western diplomat. 'My understanding is that Pompeo was quite well briefed and took a passive role when the removal of Masha [Marie] Yovanovitch happened. He couldn't have been ignorant of the subject matter or the interests at play.'"

Darrel Rowland of the Columbus (Ohio) Dispatch: "While he still says impeachment is too extreme, Sen. Rob Portman readily acknowledged Monday that ... Donald Trump should not have asked Ukraine or China for help investigating former Vice President Joe Biden. And the Ohio Republican also undercut key factual elements of Trump's explanation of his actions.... 'The president should not have raised the Biden issue on that call, period. It's not appropriate for a president to engage a foreign government in an investigation of a political opponent,' Portman said.... Portman did express openness to an investigation of Trump by a bipartisan group such as the Senate Intelligence Committee. 'Everything should be looked at,' he said, including accusations that the FBI was politicized in 2016 to go after Trump."

Caitlin Oprysko of Politico: "Kurt Volker, the president's former special envoy to Ukraine, has stepped down from yet another post, his executive directorship of the McCain Institute, amid the fallout from House Democrats' impeachment inquiry. Volker resigned from his role at the State Department a little over a week ago, and his resignation as the head of the D.C.-based think tank came days after he appeared as Democrats' first witness in their widening impeachment probe.... In a statement released Monday announcing his departure, Volker specifically referenced the growing Ukraine scandal and the ensuing media frenzy.... Cindy McCain, [who directs the center,] in a statement released in tandem with Volker's, thanked the career diplomat for his service...." (Also linked yesterday.)

The Grift. Jonathan Chait: "While Trump attorney Rudy Giuliani was leaning on the government in Kiev, he was simultaneously running a side hustle trying to extort the Ukrainians into throwing some energy business at his clients.... While he was representing Trump as a lawyer, Giuliani was being paid by two men ... Lev Parnas and Igor Fruman ... who were seeking business with Ukraine's government. Giuliani was wearing two hats: simultaneously representing the president of the United States and his paid clients. The conflict of interest between the two roles is overt. Giuliani's clients could use his name to leverage Ukraine to give them business.... As BuzzFeed reported in July, Parnas and Fruman held at least four meetings with Ukrainian prosecutors to urge investigations of Trump's enemies, and met with both President Trump and Donald Trump Jr.... And at the same time they were doing this, Parnas and Fruman were also pushing Ukraine to throw some natural-gas import business their way. Their efforts to intertwine their business agenda with the Trump political agenda were so successful that Energy Secretary Rick Perry brought up their interests in his negotiations with Ukraine.... The fact that Trump has been casting this campaign as an effort to root out 'corruption' while Rudy's boys were asking for a taste of the action just makes the whole joke funnier." See related stories linked below. (Also linked yesterday afternoon.) ~~~

     ~~~ Mrs. McCrabbie: Chait casts Trump as using Parnas & Fruman Trump "as freelance operators to extort Ukraine because the normal foreign-policy apparatus is not set up to shake down foreign countries for dirt on the president's enemies." But I suspect the money Trump's & Perry's big donor friends would garner from contracts & board positions wit Ukraine natural gas firms was just as important to Trump. ~~~

     ~~~ Also too, as Chait notes, "If it were not a sidecar to a historic scandal, the energy scam would itself constitute a large enough scandal to bring most presidencies to their knees." It's so Teapot Dome-y. As historian Robert Cherney noted, "Before the Watergate scandal, Teapot Dome was regarded as the 'greatest and most sensational scandal in the history of American politics.'" Teapot Dome, like UkraineGate, involved a Cabinet Secretary arranging secret non-competitive contracts (oil leases in Teapot Dome) to energy entrepreneurs in exchange for favors (the oil companies bribed the Secretary). One difference: the president back then wasn't privy to the scam. BUT, as a kicker, one consequence of TeaPot Dome was that "Congress subsequently passed legislation, enduring to this day, giving subpoena power to House and Senate for review of tax records of any US citizen without regard to elected or appointed position, nor subject to White House interference." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)

Kyle Balluck & Aris Folley of the Hill: President Trump late Sunday suggested that Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) was guilty of treason and should be 'immediately' impeached. 'Nancy Pelosi knew of all of the many Shifty Adam Schiff lies and massive frauds perpetrated upon Congress and the American people, in the form of a fraudulent speech knowingly delivered as a ruthless con, and the illegal meetings with a highly partisan "Whistleblower" & lawyer,' he tweeted. 'This makes Nervous Nancy every bit as guilty as Liddle’ Adam Schiff for High Crimes and Misdemeanors, and even Treason. I guess that means that they, along with all of those that evilly "Colluded" with them, must all be immediately Impeached!'... Members of Congress cannot be impeached...." Mrs. McC: Somebody should explain impeachment to Trump; despite its prominence in his life, he still doesn't get it. This is the second time Trump has urged somebody (he uses the passive voice) to impeach members of Congress; last week it was Mitt Romney for disagreeing with Trump's solicitation of China to "investigate" the Bidens. (Also linked yesterday.)

This court finds aspects of such a doctrine repugnant to the nation's governmental structure and constitutional values. -- U.S. District Judge Victor Marrero, on Trump's argument that he is above the law ~~~

~~~ David Fahrenthold & Anne Marimow of the Washington Post: "A federal judge on Monday dismissed President Trump's lawsuit seeking to block the Manhattan district attorney from obtaining the president's tax returns as part of an investigation into hush-money payments during the 2016 campaign. U.S. District Judge Victor Marrero rejected Trump's argument that the presidency makes him immune to any investigation by any prosecutor. In his 75-page ruling, Marrero called such a claim 'extraordinary' and wrote, 'This Court cannot endorse such a categorical and limitless assertion of presidential immunity from judicial process.' The order would allow District Attorney Cyrus Vance Jr. (D) to enforce a subpoena he sent to Trump's longtime accountants, Mazars USA.... But moments after the ruling Monday, Trump's private attorneys asked the New York-based U.S. Court of Appeals for the 2nd Circuit to intervene to put the case on hold. The appeals court responded soon after, issuing a temporary stay pending review by a three-judge panel of the court." Politico's story is here. (Also linked yesterday afternoon.) ~~~

~~~ Mrs. McCrabbie: Neal Katyal, in an appearance on Lawrence O'Donnell's show, noted that the Second Circuit planned to review Judge Marrero's decision "expeditiously," which means they will probably hear arguments within several weeks. (He didn't estimate how long it might take the three-judge panel to publish a decision.) Katyal also said that the Supreme Court were unlikely to take the case if the Appeals Court upheld Marrero's decision because Trump's arguments were so "preposterous" that the Supremes wouldn't think hearing the case was worth their while. Katyal characterized the Trump lawyers' argument as "a creative writing exercise" in which they didn't bother to cite any precedents except King George III. Katyal noted that Americans had fought a revolution over royal rule though he suggested King Donald might not appreciate that.

NEW. Daniel Lippman of Politico: "... Donald Trump has compared White House leakers to spies and mused obliquely to other officials about executing them. He's attacked individual reporters by name. He rails frequently against press accounts of his administration, dismissing them as 'fake news.' But privately, the president is so obsessed with the leaks about him that he has frequently discussed whether to order polygraphs of White House staffers after major disclosures, according to four former White House officials.... Trump has talked about ordering polygraphs 'constantly' when anything major has leaked, according to a former White House official.... 'He wanted to polygraph every employee in the building to unearth who it was who spoke to the press,' said another former official, who noted that the president tended to be especially irate when he knew specific news accounts were true." Mrs. McC: Yes, but executing staffers is just Trump being Trump.

David Fahrenthold: "An anti-Muslim group that had been planning a gala at President Trump's Mar-a-Lago Club in Florida said Monday that the Trump Organization had abruptly canceled the event. The group, ACT for America, issued a statement saying Trump's company had 'caved to the Left's bullying tactics' in canceling its Nov. 7 dinner gala. After Florida newspapers reported on the planned gala last weekend, the event was condemned by groups including the Council on American-Islamic Relations.... ACT was founded in 2007. Its leaders, who claim to have more than 1 million members, have labeled Islam a 'cancer' and spread theories of a secret plot by Muslims, Democrats, communists and the media to destroy the country from within. They have sponsored lectures on how to monitor and oppose U.S. mosques.... The Trump Organization did not respond to requests for comment."

Emma Newberger of CNBC: "Goldman Sachs said the cost of tariffs imposed by ... Donald Trump last year against Chinese goods has fallen 'entirely' on American businesses and households, with a greater impact on consumer prices than previously expected. The bank said in a note that consumer prices are higher partly because Chinese exporters have not lowered their prices to better compete in the US market. Trump has repeatedly -- and inaccurately -- claimed that China will pay for tariffs imposed by the U.S." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)

Somos el Muro. Jorge Ramos in a New York Times op-ed: "'I'm using Mexico to protect our border.' Millions of Americans didn't even notice this ... remark made [Sept. 26] by President Trump. But Mexicans certainly did. They thought Mr. Trump's words were a blatant attack on their nation's sovereignty.... A salient feature of Mexico's current foreign policy is precisely [President Andrés Manuel López Obrador]'s reluctance to confront anyone outside of the country. In short, American officials say what they want, and Mexico -- almost always -- goes along with it. The relationship between the two nations is by no means an egalitarian one. In fact, it poses a threat to Mexico: Mr. Trump has previously warned that he would impose tariffs if Mexico didn't back his immigration agenda.... Mexico's president 'basically, has accepted all terms and conditions' set by the United States, Armando Santacruz, president of Mexico United Against Crime, told me in an interview. 'Yes, we are the wall. And [Mexico's] National Guard is now spending a lot if its resources keeping immigrants away.'... Mexico may not have paid for the president's wall, but the country has, in effect, become Mr. Trump's immigration police force. Mexico itself has become the wall."

Tanya Snyder, et al., of Politico: "In her first 14 months as Transportation secretary, Elaine Chao met with officials from Kentucky, which her husband Mitch McConnell represents in the Senate, vastly more often than those from any other state. In all, 25 percent of Chao's scheduled meetings with local officials [seeking DOT grants] of any state from January 2017 to March 2018 were with Kentuckians, who make up only about 1.3 percent of the U.S. population.... At least five of Chao's 18 meetings with local Kentuckians were requested in emails from McConnell staffers, who alerted Chao's staffers which of the officials were 'friends' or 'loyal supporters,' according to records obtained under the Freedom of Information Act.... The department has long maintained that it, and [Chao], have shown no favoritism to [Kentucky], even while local officials from other states have complained about having trouble getting to see her." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)

Travis Loller of the AP: "With a bandage above his left eye and a large, red welt below it, former President Jimmy Carter was greeted by a cheering crowd Monday morning as he prepared to help build a home with Habitat for Humanity in Nashville. Carter fell at home on Sunday, requiring 14 stiches, but he did not let his injuries keep him from participating in his 36th building project with the nonprofit Christian housing organization. He turned 95 last Tuesday, becoming the first U.S. president to reach that milestone." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)

News Lede

Guardian: "Three scientists have been awarded the 2019 Nobel prize in physics for groundbreaking discoveries about the evolution of the Universe and the Earth's place within it. The Canadian scientist James Peebles has been awarded half of the 9m Swedish kronor (£740,000) prize for his theoretical discoveries about the evolution of the universe. A Swiss duo of astronomers, Michel Mayor and Didier Queloz, will share the other half of the prize for their discovery of the first planet beyond our solar system."

The Commentariat -- October 7, 2019

Afternoon Update:

Edmund DeMarche, et al., of Fox "News": "The White House announced late Sunday that Turkey will soon move forward with a planned military operation in northeast Syria, as U.S. troops who have been deployed and operating with Kurdish-led forces in the area began pulling back from their positions. The decision sent shockwaves through the region and Washington, with U.S. officials telling Fox News that top Pentagon officials were 'completely blindsided' and 'shocked' by the order to pull back hundreds of U.S. troops, a move that effectively green-lights the Turkey operation." Emphasis added. ~~~

As I have stated strongly before, and just to reiterate, if Turkey does anything that I, in my great and unmatched wisdom, consider to be off limits, I will totally destroy and obliterate the Economy of Turkey (I've done before!). They must, with Europe and others, watch over... ....the captured ISIS fighters and families. The U.S. has done far more than anyone could have ever expected, including the capture of 100% of the ISIS Caliphate. It is time now for others in the region, some of great wealth, to protect their own territory. THE USA IS GREAT! -- Donald Trump, in two tweets this morning (emphasis added in bold; the caps emphases are all Trump's) ~~~

~~~ Peter Baker of the New York Times: "President Trump vowed on Monday to pull back from military involvement in the Middle East and leave it to others 'to figure the situation out,' even as one of his strongest supporters [Lindsey Graham] condemned him for abandoning allies and emboldening regional enemies. In a series of Twitter messages, the president defended his decision to clear the way for a Turkish military operation that would sweep away America's Kurdish allies near the Syrian border.... 'I held off this fight for almost 3 years, but it is time for us to get out of these ridiculous Endless Wars, many of them tribal, and bring our soldiers home,' Mr. Trump wrote. 'WE WILL FIGHT WHERE IT IS TO OUR BENEFIT, AND ONLY FIGHT TO WIN. Turkey, Europe, Syria, Iran, Iraq, Russia and the Kurds will now have to figure the situation out.'... 'If I didn't see Donald Trump's name on the tweet, I would have thought it was Obama's rationale for getting out of Iraq,' Senator Lindsey Graham, Republican of South Carolina ... said on Fox News.... The announcement set off a swift and bipartisan backlash from other lawmakers as well, with some of the president's closest allies on Capitol Hill taking to Twitter to denounce the decision, all while carefully avoiding the president's name." The AP story is here. And this Politico story covers remarks by some GOP critics. ~~~

~~~ James Hohmann of the Washington Post: "National security experts warn that Trump abandoning the Kurds in this manner will have a chilling effect not just in the region but around the world, further eroding American credibility against the backdrop of a rising China and a revanchist Russia. 'Well, at least the Trump Administration is consistent. We are about screwing our allies, partners and friends,' said John Sipher, who served 28 years in the Central Intelligence Agency's clandestine service'.... 'Don't trust America, even if you shed blood on their behalf. If you want favors, build a Trump tower.' Other critics of Trump's decision to withdraw from Syria were also quick to note that there is a Trump Tower complex in Istanbul."

David Fahrenthold & Anne Marimow of the Washington Post: "A federal judge on Monday dismissed President Trump's lawsuit seeking to block the Manhattan district attorney from obtaining the president's tax returns as part of an investigation into hush-money payments during the 2016 campaign. U.S. District Judge Victor Marrero rejected Trump's argument that the presidency makes him immune to any investigation by any prosecutor. In his 75-page ruling, Marrero called such a claim 'extraordinary' and wrote, 'This Court cannot endorse such a categorical and limitless assertion of presidential immunity from judicial process.' The order would allow District Attorney Cyrus Vance Jr. (D) to enforce a subpoena he sent to Trump's longtime accountants, Mazars USA.... But moments after the ruling Monday, Trump's private attorneys asked the New York-based U.S. Court of Appeals for the 2nd Circuit to intervene to put the case on hold. The appeals court responded soon after, issuing a temporary stay pending review by a three-judge panel of the court." Politico's story is here.

Cristina Marcos of the Hill: "House Democrats on Monday subpoenaed the heads of the Defense Department and Office of Management and Budget for documents related to the Trump administration's decision to withhold financial aid to Ukraine while the president pushed the allied nation for an investigation into former Vice President Joe Biden and his son, Hunter. In letters to Defense Secretary Mark Esper and Office of Management and Budget (OMB) acting director Russell Vought, the three committee chairmen leading the House's impeachment inquiry asked for the documents to be provided by Oct. 15."

Washington Post liveblog at 9 am ET: "George Kent, the deputy assistant secretary of state in the European and Eurasian Bureau, did not appear for a deposition before three House committees scheduled for Monday morning. 'No, Democrats originally scheduled him for deposition today, but his appearance has not yet been worked out or confirmed,' said a person familiar with the planned deposition...."

Caitlin Oprysko of Politico: "Kurt Volker, the president's former special envoy to Ukraine, has stepped down from yet another post, his executive directorship of the McCain Institute, amid the fallout from House Democrats' impeachment inquiry. Volker resigned from his role at the State Department a little over a week ago, and his resignation as the head of the D.C.-based think tank came days after he appeared as Democrats' first witness in their widening impeachment probe.... In a statement released Monday announcing his departure, Volker specifically referenced the growing Ukraine scandal and the ensuing media frenzy.... Cindy McCain, [who directs the center,] in a statement released in tandem with Volker's, thanked the career diplomat for his service...."

The Grift. Jonathan Chait: "While Trump attorney Rudy Giuliani was leaning on the government in Kiev, he was simultaneously running a side hustle trying to extort the Ukrainians [link fixed] into throwing some energy business at his clients.... While he was representing Trump as a lawyer, Giuliani was being paid by two men ... Lev Parnas and Igor Fruman ... who were seeking business with Ukraine's government. Giuliani was wearing two hats: simultaneously representing the president of the United States and his paid clients. The conflict of interest between the two roles is overt. Giuliani's clients could use his name to leverage Ukraine to give them business.... As BuzzFeed reported in July, Parnas and Fruman held at least four meetings with Ukrainian prosecutors to urge investigations of Trump's enemies, and met with both President Trump and Donald Trump Jr.... And at the same time they were doing this, Parnas and Fruman were also pushing Ukraine to throw some natural-gas import business their way. Their efforts to intertwine their business agenda with the Trump political agenda were so successful that Energy Secretary Rick Perry brought up their interests in his negotiations with Ukraine.... The fact that Trump has been casting this campaign as an effort to root out 'corruption' while Rudy's boys were asking for a taste of the action just makes the whole joke funnier." See related stories linked below. ~~~

     ~~~ Mrs. McCrabbie: Chait casts Trump as using Parnas & Fruman Trump "as freelance operators to extort Ukraine because the normal foreign-policy apparatus is not set up to shake down foreign countries for dirt on the president's enemies." But I suspect the money Trump's & Perry's big donor friends would garner from contracts & board positions with Ukraine natural gas firms was just as important to Trump. ~~~

     ~~~ Also too, as Chait notes, "If it were not a sidecar to a historic scandal, the energy scam would itself constitute a large enough scandal to bring most presidencies to their knees." It's so Teapot Dome-y. As historian Robert Cherney noted, "Before the Watergate scandal, Teapot Dome was regarded as the 'greatest and most sensational scandal in the history of American politics.'" Teapot Dome, like UkraineGate, involved a Cabinet Secretary arranging secret non-competitive contracts (oil leases in Teapot Dome) to energy entrepreneurs in exchange for favors (the oil companies bribed the Secretary). One difference: the president back then wasn't privy to the scam. BUT, as a kicker, one consequence of TeaPot Dome was that "Congress subsequently passed legislation, enduring to this day, giving subpoena power to House and Senate for review of tax records of any US citizen without regard to elected or appointed position, nor subject to White House interference."

Kyle Balluck & Aris Folley of the Hill: "President Trump late Sunday suggested that Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) was guilty of treason and should be 'immediately' impeached. 'Nancy Pelosi knew of all of the many Shifty Adam Schiff lies and massive frauds perpetrated upon Congress and the American people, in the form of a fraudulent speech knowingly delivered as a ruthless con, and the illegal meetings with a highly partisan "Whistleblower" & lawyer,' he tweeted. 'This makes Nervous Nancy every bit as guilty as Liddle’ Adam Schiff for High Crimes and Misdemeanors, and even Treason. I guess that means that they, along with all of those that evilly "Colluded" with them, must all be immediately Impeached!'... Members of Congress cannot be impeached...." Mrs. McC: Somebody should explain impeachment to Trump; despite its prominence in his life, he still doesn't get it. This is the second time Trump has urged somebody (he uses the passive voice) to impeach members of Congress; last week it was Mitt Romney for disagreeing with Trump's solicitation of China to "investigate" the Bidens.

Emma Newberger of CNBC: "Goldman Sachs said the cost of tariffs imposed by ... Donald Trump last year against Chinese goods has fallen 'entirely' on American businesses and households, with a greater impact on consumer prices than previously expected. The bank said in a note that consumer prices are higher partly because Chinese exporters have not lowered their prices to better compete in the US market. Trump has repeatedly -- and inaccurately -- claimed that China will pay for tariffs imposed by the U.S."

Tanya Snyder, et al., of Politico: "In her first 14 months as Transportation secretary, Elaine Chao met with officials from Kentucky, which her husband Mitch McConnell represents in the Senate, vastly more often than those from any other state. In all, 25 percent of Chao's scheduled meetings with local officials [seeking DOT grants] of any state from January 2017 to March 2018 were with Kentuckians, who make up only about 1.3 percent of the U.S. population.... At least five of Chao's 18 meetings with local Kentuckians were requested in emails from McConnell staffers, who alerted Chao's staffers which of the officials were 'friends' or 'loyal supporters,' according to records obtained under the Freedom of Information Act.... The department has long maintained that it, and [Chao], have shown no favoritism to [Kentucky], even while local officials from other states have complained about having trouble getting to see her."

Travis Loller of the AP: "With a bandage above his left eye and a large, red welt below it, former President Jimmy Carter was greeted by a cheering crowd Monday morning as he prepared to help build a home with Habitat for Humanity in Nashville. Carter fell at home on Sunday, requiring 14 stitches, but he did not let his injuries keep him from participating in his 36th building project with the nonprofit Christian housing organization. He turned 95 last Tuesday, becoming the first U.S. president to reach that milestone."

~~~~~~~~~~

** Trump Betrays Kurds, Backs Autocrat Erdogan. Eric Schmitt, et al., of the New York Times: "In a major shift in United States military policy in Syria, the White House said on Sunday that President Trump had given his endorsement for a Turkish military operation that would sweep away American-backed Kurdish forces near the border in Syria. Turkey considers the Kurdish forces to be a terrorist insurgency, and has long sought to end American support for the group. But the Kurdish fighters, which are part of the Syrian Democratic Forces, or S.D.F., have been the United States' most reliable partner in fighting the Islamic State in a strategic corner of northern Syria. Now, Mr. Trump's decision goes against the recommendations of top officials in the Pentagon and the State Department who have sought to keep a small troop presence in northeast Syria to continue operations against the Islamic State, or ISIS, and to act as a critical counterweight to Iran and Russia. Administration officials said that Mr. Trump spoke directly with President Recep Tayyip Erdogan of Turkey on the issue on Sunday." Emphasis added. The Guardian's story is here. ~~~

     ~~~ If you're wondering, "But what would Vlad say?" the answer is, "Good boy, Donnie."

~~~ Bassem Mroue of the AP: "U.S.-backed Kurdish-led forces said American troops began pulling back Monday from positions along the border in northeast Syria ahead of an expected Turkish invasion that the Syrian Kurds say will overturn five years of achievements in the battle against the Islamic State group. The Syrian Kurdish fighters also accused Washington of failing to abide by its commitments to its key allies in the fight against IS. It's a major shift in U.S. policy." ~~~

~~~ Saphora Smith of NBC News: "The U.S. decision to stand aside and allow Turkey to kick off a military operation in northeast Syria risks further destabilizing the war-torn region, undermining the fight against ISIS and sparking a wider conflict between Turkey and Kurdish fighters, analysts and Kurdish-led forces warned on Monday."

The Plot Thickens -- Grifters Gotta Grift

Mrs. Bea McCrabbie: Friday, Politico published a story by Ben Lefebvre & Daniel Lippman with this lede: "Energy Secretary Rick Perry urged Ukraine's president to root out corruption and pushed the new government for changes at its state-run oil and gas company...." Later on, they reminded us of a Politico story published a few days before that Perry was "expected to resign next month." Then, in their recitation of what-all Perry did on his jaunts to Ukraine, they let on that Perry was pushing the new Ukraine government to put his own friends on the board of Naftogaz, Ukraine's state-owned natural gas company. AND there was this: "Among Perry's numerous visits with Zelenksy and other Ukraine officials in the past year was a dinner with Zelensky, Jared Kushner and other officials in June, according to a government photo taken by the U.S. of the event." So I wrote, "AND you know there has to be something in this for the Trump Crime Family[.]" ~~~

~~~ ** Come Now Desmond Butler, et al., of the AP: "As Rudy Giuliani was pushing Ukrainian officials last spring to investigate one of Donald Trump's main political rivals, a group of individuals with ties to [Trump & Giuliani] were also active in Ukraine.... This circle of businessmen and Republican donors touted connections to Giuliani and Trump while trying to install new management at the top of Ukraine's massive state gas company [Naftogaz]. Their plan was to then steer lucrative contracts to companies controlled by Trump allies, according to two people with knowledge of their plans.... After Zelensky's surprise election, "the effort to install a friendlier management team at the helm of the gas company ... would soon be taken up with Ukraine's new president by ... Rick Perry, whose slate of candidates [to run Naftogaz] included a fellow Texan who is one of Perry's past political donors.... The affair shows how those with ties to Trump and his administration were pursuing business deals in Ukraine that went far beyond advancing the president's personal political interests. It also raises questions about whether Trump allies were mixing business and politics just as Republicans were calling for a probe of Biden and ... Hunter, who served five years on the board of another Ukrainian energy company, Burisma.... The Associated Press has interviewed four people with direct knowledge of the attempts to influence Naftogaz, and their accounts show Perry playing a key role in the effort.... The Trump and Giuliani allies driving the attempt to change the senior management at Naftogazt, however, appear to have had inside knowledge of the U.S. government's plans in Ukraine. For example, they told people that Trump would replace the U.S. ambassador there months before she was actually recalled to Washington...." ...

     ... Oh, And "At the center of the Naftogaz plan," were Giuliani's shady "clients" (or whatever) Lev Parnas & Igor Fruman, "and an oil magnate from Boca Raton, Florida, named Harry Sargeant III." Sargent, a big GOP donor, has met with Trump at the White House & at Mar-a-Lago. ~~~

     ~~~ So Then ... Alayna Treene & Jonathan Swan of Axios reported that "President Trump told House Republicans [in a conference call Friday] that he made his now infamous phone call to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky at the urging of Energy Secretary Rick Perry -- a call Trump claimed he didn't even want to make.... Perry's spokeswoman, Shaylyn Hynes, told Axios: 'Secretary Perry absolutely supported and encouraged the president to speak to the new president of Ukraine to discuss matters related to their energy security and economic development.'" ~~~

     ~~~ Mrs. McCrabbie: That is, Trump was fingering Perry not just for urging him to pick up the phone, but also for being up to his neck in the Ukraine scandal. And in this part of the Ukraine scheme, the cash would flow not from American taxpayers to Ukraine but from Ukraine to Trump's & Perry's backers. Trump & Perry's plan then, was to use Zelensky as the middle man in a scheme to move taxpayer dollars into the pockets of the Trump Gang's oil-and-gas magnates. The Ukraine "corruption" Trump was interested in quashing was not just his political rival Joe Biden & the private gas company Hunter Biden represented, but also the state-owned gas company that wasn't paying tribute to Trump/Perry backers' interests.

** Molly McKew, in a Political Magazine piece, describes the hot war Russia is waging in Ukraine, which "is the necessary context in which Americans should understand the gravity of ... Donald Trump's attempt to strong-arm Ukraine into becoming a subsidiary of his reelection campaign. In one gesture, Trump reduced the survival of Ukraine to a bargaining chip in an utterly petty pursuit; embroiled Volodymyr Zelensky, the Ukrainian president, in scandal and undercut his ability to defend the interests of his nation; and weakened the clout of U.S. leadership on Ukraine, the region and beyond. The biggest beneficiary of this latest Trump-derived scandal is the Kremlin.... Trump is bargaining away U.S. security for conspiracy theories about Ukraine and the Bidens that he hopes will not only strengthen his position for his reelection, but will also erase the evidence that Kremlin intervention helped to elect him president.... It is in our vital contemporary interest, in countless respects, to limit the further expansion of Russia's hold on the Black Sea region, which the Kremlin uses to stage its war in Syria and to project power into the Middle East and Africa, across the Mediterranean on up to the western Arctic, and beyond. It is a pattern of activity that has degraded the security environment in which we and our alliances operate...."

Matt Zapotosky, et al., of the Washington Post: "Those involved in the FBI investigation [of the origins into possible coordination between the Trump campaign & Russia] said they are mystified by the attorney general's activities and interest in the professor, Joseph Mifsud, and they suspect that [AG Bill] Barr might be using Justice Department resources to validate conjecture that Mifsud was deployed against a Trump adviser by Western intelligence to manufacture a basis to investigate the campaign.... Barr's inquiry has heartened Trump and his conservative allies.... Barr has long harbored suspicions about the Russia probe.... The unproven theory about Mifsud is that the Maltese professor was working to set up the Trump campaign." See also the NYT report, linked yesterday, on Barr's investigation of Trump's international conspiracy theories. (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~

~~~ Bill Barr Is a Threat to National Security. Aruna Viswanatha, et al., of the Wall Street Journal: "Attorney General William Barr is sparking discord in several foreign capitals, going outside usual channels to seek help from allies in reviewing the origins of a U.S. counterintelligence investigation begun during the 2016 presidential campaign. By meeting directly with foreign leaders -- rather than relying on investigator-to-investigator channels -- Mr. Barr has stirred up domestic politics in some of the countries he has tapped for assistance. In Rome, the national-security committee of Italy's Parliament this past week asked Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte to appear and answer questions about his contacts with Mr. Barr.... In Canberra, Australian authorities said they were cooperating with Mr. Barr but disputed allegations that one of its diplomats acted inappropriately in 2016 -- an allegation at the center of Mr. Barr's inquiry.... In London, Mr. Barr's personal requests have irked counterintelligence officials over a perceived thwarting of procedural norms.... Mr. Trump has said he expects the review to show that crimes were committed by his political opponents, but no evidence of that has emerged.... 'This could put the Five Eyes relationship in jeopardy,' [Sen. Mark] Warner [D-Va.] said, using the term to describe an intelligence-sharing agreement among the U.S., U.K., Canada, Australia and New Zealand. 'If Australia starts to feel that their intelligence is being used for American domestic political purposes to smear an opponent of Mr. Trump, then that trust breaks down.'" Firewalled. Mrs. McC: So far (7 pm ET Sunday), I haven't found any summaries of the story." ~~~

~~~ Matt Yglesias of Vox tries, without success, to make some sense of the crazy conspiracy theory that Bill Barr, International P.I., is pursuing around the globe on our dime. As Scott Lemieux puts it in LG&$, the theory "is roughly on a par with 'Sandy Hook was a false flag operation.'" Lemieux, BTW, seems a bit skeptical of "the highly principled anti-corruption crusade of Donald Trump and Rudy Giuliani" vis-a-vis the Naftogaz "reform."

We invited the White House on to answer questions on the show this morning, [but] they did not offer a guest. We also invited both of the president's personal lawyers, Rudy Giuliani and Jay Sekulow. They declined to appear. We invited every member of Senate leadership and the top House Republicans. They all declined or did not even respond. [The Republican no-show happened' 'on one of the most critical news weeks of the last three years.... -- Jake Tapper, on air, Sunday ~~~

~~~ Republicans in Hiding. David Boddiger of Splinter: "With the exception of Chuck Todd, of all people, Sunday saw a lot less shouting.... As several news show hosts pointed out, Republican leaders are in hiding after damning evidence surfaced this week in the Trump impeachment inquiry...." ~~~

~~~ Tim Hains of Real Clear Politics: "During a heated interview on Sunday's 'Meet The Press,' Republican Senator Ron Johnson accused former members of the FBI and CIA of conspiring to frame President Trump. Host Chuck Todd fired back by calling Johnson's accusations 'Fox News conspiracy propaganda stuff.' [There follwed a contentious back & forth, with Todd trying to get Johnson to answer his questions about Ukraine.]... 'So do you not trust the FBI? Do you not trust the CIA?' Todd asked. Johnson replied: 'No, no, I don't. Absolutely not. After Peter Strzok and Lisa Page, after James Comey?!' 'I'm sorry that you chose to come on this way, senator,' Chuck Todd said as he ended the interview." Includes video. (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~

     ... Amber Phillips of the Washington Post: "On Friday..., [Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.)] indicated to the Wall Street Journal that he had been concerned this summer that President Trump was creating a quid pro quo with Ukraine by holding up military aid.... It was probably not a coincidence then that on Sunday, Sen. ... Johnson..., chairman of the Homeland Security ... Committee, went on TV to try to defend the president. But arguably, he did more damage to the president's cause by showing just how difficult it is to defend Trump.... Johnson refused to answer basic questions about why he was concerned about Trump, instead bringing up a completely unrelated conspiracy theory about a former FBI official.... To defend Trump...., Republicans ... increasingly have to ignore or ditch the facts altogether.... [Chuck] Todd spends the [the full interview] trying to get Johnson to answer [his first question].... Johnson tries to deflect by throwing out false summaries of the Mueller report...." ~~~

     ~~~ Pema Levy of Mother Jones: "The bizarre interview is a demonstration of how ... Donald Trump's allies have responded to the impeachment inquiry by rallying around debunked theories about Democratic plots and deep state set-ups during the 2016 election, while dismissing the findings of Robert Mueller's investigation into Russian interference.

     ~~~ Annals of Journalism, Ctd. Chuck Todd Seeks His Inner Walter Cronkite. Peter Wade of Rolling Stone: "Of late Todd has taken a stronger approach on matters concerning the president's controversies. On Thursday, the host opened his show and put aside his propensity for going out his way to come across as unbiased and said, 'I don't say this lightly, but let's be frank. A national nightmare is upon us. The basic rules of our democracy are under attack, from the president.'"

~~~ Rudy Was on the TeeVee, After All. John Amato of Crooks & Liars: "He joined Howard Kurtz on Fox News' Media Buzz and Kurtz asked him about the impeachable crime of investigating a political rival, 'When he [Trump] came on the camera and urged China and Ukraine to investigate the Bidens --- he ... doesn't see anything wrong with it, he admitted it... Didn't he undercut your defense?' Giuliani replied, 'The President of the United States has every right to ask countries to help us in a criminal investigation that should be undertaken.'... It happens to involve a political opponent, Kurtz interjected. 'I can't help that. I mean, suppose the political opponent committed murder. What are we supposed to do if he's a political opponent? Don't investigate them?' Giuliani is presenting this as a extreme hypothetical, but at some point, 'Joe Biden committed murder' will filter through the alt-right sites and become yet another conspiracy theory upon which the GOP will demand investigations (see: Vince Foster, Seth Rich, et al.)" Emphasis added. ~~~

~~~ Aidan McLaughlin of Mediaite: "As Team Trump seeks to expand the eye of their Biden conspiracy to East Asia, the president and his lawyer Rudy Giuliani have wheeled out an absurd new claim: that Hunter Biden was paid $1.5 BILLION by China.... While Republican lawmakers attempt to defend Trump by claiming his China comments were simply a joke, Trump defended his call for China to investigate Biden on Twitter. [Trump tweeted,] 'It is INCREDIBLE to watch and read the Fake News and how they pull out all stops to protect Sleepy Joe Biden and his thrown out of the Military son, Hunter, who was handed $100,000 a month (Plus,Plus) from a Ukrainian based company, even though he had no experience in energy..., and separately got 1.5 Billion Dollars from China despite no experience and for no apparent reason....' Giuliani repeated the false claim during his bitter clash with Fox News host Howard Kurtz. 'The Chinese were paying $1.5 billion to this kid!' he exclaimed. Read The Washington Post's thorough fact check of the Biden-China conspiracy here."

Kathy Gilsinan of the Atlantic: "Military and other security-assistance aid eats up about a third of the U.S. foreign-aid budget, which itself has been a target of Trump's ire. And it has a spotty record -- both in achieving stated American goals when it's offered, and in forcing better behavior when it's withheld.... Ukraine does suffer from corruption, but it's by no means the worst offender among the recipients of American largesse.... U.S. foreign policy relies a great deal on giving military aid, in the form of arms sales and training foreign forces, in an effort to advance security interests without committing large forces overseas. The public should be scrutinizing where it's going and what ends it's achieving -- and at what cost. But in the Ukraine instance, the bigger question now is whether, in the course of a phone call, the president dangled $400 million not in the American interest, but in his own."

Robert Barnes of the Washington Post: "The Supreme Court has a powerfully controversial docket for its term beginning Monday that will test Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr.'s efforts to portray the institution as above the noisy and partisan battles of the moment. Two unknowns -- the health of the court's oldest member, Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, and whether the court will be drawn into legal controversies arising from the House Democrats' impeachment inquiry into President Trump -- add to the uncertainty. Resolution of the most contentious cases could happen in June, in the heat of a presidential campaign in which the future of the court has emerged as a galvanizing issue for conservatives and liberals." ~~~

~~~ An Umpire Whose Calls Favor His Home Team. Aaron Belkin & Sean McElwee, in a New York Times op-ed: "The term is likely to signal how far the court's conservative majority will go to block the agenda of the next Democratic president and Congress. With the court on the precipice of a dangerous lurch rightward, polling data indicate that Democrats have a positive view of Chief Justice John Roberts, who has expressed regard for precedent and concern for the court's legitimacy, encouraging a view that he will step in to prevent partisan excess. Yet history suggests that Democrats have much to fear. The chief justice is neither a swing vote among his four liberal and four conservative justices, nor a moderate. Expect him to land time and again with the conservatives.... He [has] compiled a voting record that is among the most partisan of any justice in the modern era when it comes to cases overturning precedent, according to our analysis.... Our analysis shows that the chief justice's voting record is as conservative as those of his most extreme current and former colleagues.... The chief justice's strong public defense of the court's integrity has had the effect of camouflaging a subtle, long-game strategy to tilt the court's jurisprudence decidedly to the right."

Anneken Tappe of CNN: "The US economy got off to a rough start this month, with various data pointing at a slowdown. Now economists are saying this trend will only get worse. The National Association for Business Economics said in a survey released Monday that US GDP growth next year will drop below 2% for the first time since 2016. In the previous survey, the consensus expectation for next year was 2.1% -- now it has dropped to 1.8%.... Donald Trump promised as much as 4% GDP growth earlier in his presidency, which the economy achieved in the second quarter of 2018. For the year, however, the economy grew by a more modest 2.8%. Although the 54 economists surveyed by NABE don't yet expect a recession, the dour forecast is the latest example that a slowdown is no longer merely an expectation. It's here now, and it's likely to stay."

Way Beyond the Beltway

Iraq. Bobby Allyn of NPR: "Iraqi authorities say at least seven more people were killed in clashes between protesters and police in eastern Baghdad on Sunday, bringing the death toll from nearly a week of anti-government rallies throughout Iraq to more than 100 with thousands of others injured. Protesters, who took to the streets on Tuesday frustrated over joblessness and corruption, have been met with live ammunition from security forces attempting to break up the mass demonstrations that have convulsed Baghdad and parts of southern Iraq for days. So far, 104 people have been killed and 6,107 have been wounded in the unrest, according to figures released by Iraqi security officials. More than 1,200 security members are among the injured."

News Lede

CNN: "The 2019 Nobel Prize for Medicine has been jointly awarded to William Kaelin Jr., Sir Peter Ratcliffe and Gregg Semenza for their pioneering research into how human cells respond to changing oxygen levels. Announcing the prize at the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm on Monday, the Nobel committee said that the trio's discoveries have paved the way for 'promising new strategies to fight anaemia, cancer and many other diseases.'"

The Commentariat -- October 6, 2019

Late Morning Update:

Matt Zapotosky, et al., of the Washington Post: "Those involved in the FBI investigation [of the origins into possible coordination between the Trump campaign & Russia] said they are mystified by the attorney general's activities and interest in the professor, Joseph Mifsud, and they suspect that [AG Bill] Barr might be using Justice Department resources to validate conjecture that Mifsud was deployed against a Trump adviser by Western intelligence to manufacture a basis to investigate the campaign.... Barr's inquiry has heartened Trump and his conservative allies.... Barr has long harbored suspicions about the Russia probe.... The unproven theory about Mifsud is that the Maltese professor was working to set up the Trump campaign." See also the NYT report, linked below, on Barr's investigation of Trump's conspiracy theories.

Tim Hains of Real Clear Politics: "During a heated interview on Sunday's 'Meet The Press,' Republican Senator Ron Johnson accused former members of the FBI and CIA of conspiring to frame President Trump. Host Chuck Todd fired back by calling Johnson's accusations 'Fox News conspiracy propaganda stuff.' [There follwed a contentious back & forth, with Todd trying to get Johnson to answer his questions about Ukraine.]... 'So do you not trust the FBI? Do you not trust the CIA?' Todd asked. Johnson replied: 'No, no, I don't. Absolutely not. After Peter Strzok and Lisa Page, after James Comey?!' 'I'm sorry that you chose to come on this way, senator,' Chuck Todd said as he ended the interview." Includes video.

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Corruption Corroboration. Max Burman of NBC News: "... a second whistleblower has now come forward with information. 'I can confirm that my firm and my team represent multiple whistleblowers in connection to the underlying August 12, 2019, disclosure to the Intelligence Community Inspector General,' attorney Andrew Bakaj told NBC News." ~~~

I can confirm this report of a second #whistleblower being represented by our legal team. They also made a protected disclosure under the law and cannot be retaliated against. This WBer has first hand knowledge. -- Mark Zaid, in a tweet @9:37 am ET ~~~

~~~ James Meek & Anne Flaherty of ABC News: "Mark Zaid, the attorney representing the whistleblower who sounded the alarm on ... Donald Trump's dealings with Ukraine..., tells ABC News that he is now representing a second whistleblower who has spoken with the inspector general.... While this second official has spoken with the IG -- the internal watchdog office created to handle complaints -- this person has not communicated yet with the congressional committees conducting the investigation. The New York Times on Friday cited anonymous sources in reporting that a second intelligence official was weighing whether to file his own former complaint and testify to Congress." Mrs. McC Note: Zaid & Bakaj are working together "in conjunction with Whistleblower Aid, a nonprofit that exists to support and assist whistleblowers." ~~~

~~~ Annie Karni of the New York Times: "The New York Times reported on Friday that an intelligence official with more direct knowledge of Mr. Trump's dealing with Ukraine than the first whistle-blower ... was weighing whether to come forward. The second official was among those interviewed by the intelligence community inspector general to corroborate the allegations of the original whistle-blower, one of the people briefed on the matter said. The new whistle-blower matches the description of the official that The Times reported on last week. But Mr. Stephanapoulos said that Mark Zaid, one of the lawyers representing the whistle-blower, did not know whether the individual was the same person."

Per @maggieNYT [Maggie Haberman], 'no one from the White House' is booked on the Sunday shows this week. Not for lack of trying. 'And no one in House or Senate GOP leadership,' @JakeTapper [of CNN] adds. Again, not for lack of trying. -- Brian Stelter of CNN, in a tweet

Rosalind Helderman of the Washington Post: "Since the revelation of an explosive whistleblower complaint that sparked an impeachment crisis for President Trump, he and his Republican allies have coalesced around a central defense: The document was based on secondhand information, mere hearsay riddled with inaccuracies.... Independent evidence now supports the central elements laid out in the seven-page document. Even if they disregarded the complaint, legal experts said lawmakers have obtained dramatic testimony and documents that provide ammunition for the whistleblower's core assertion: that the president of the United States used 'the power of his office to solicit interference from a foreign country in the 2020 U.S. election.'... In the complaint, the whistleblower described other internal government deliberations that were not public at the time the document was filed.... Despite the growing body of evidence supporting the whistleblower's factual narration, Trump has continued to maintain that the description in the complaint is false or unsubstantiated. 'The so-called Whistleblower's account of my perfect phone call is "way off," not even close,' Trump tweeted Saturday morning, adding that Democratic leaders 'never thought I would release the transcript of the call. Got them by surprise, they got caught. This is a fraud against the American people!'" Helderman compares some of the whistleblower's assertions to facts that later became public.

It's Rick Perry's Fault. Alayna Treene & Jonathan Swan of Axios: "President Trump told House Republicans that he made his now infamous phone call to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky at the urging of Energy Secretary Rick Perry -- a call Trump claimed he didn't even want to make. Trump made these comments during a conference call with House members on Friday, according to 3 sources on the call.... Text messages released this week between Trump administration officials and Andrey Yermak, a top aide to Zelensky, suggest that Trump's personal lawyer, Rudy Giuliani, was a primary advocate for arranging the call. There is no mention in the text messages of Perry playing a role in making this call happen.... Perry's spokeswoman, Shaylyn Hynes, told Axios: 'Secretary Perry absolutely supported and encouraged the president to speak to the new president of Ukraine to discuss matters related to their energy security and economic development.'" ~~~

     ~~~ The Perils of Pence & Perry. Mrs. McCrabbie: As many others have pointed out, Trump will besmirch anyone and everyone it is tangentially plausible (or even implausible) to blame for his "perfect" impeachable shakedown of Zelensky. He had already involved pence & Perry in his own misadventures in Ukraine; now he's tying them to the tracks & running them over with the Trump train. ~~~

     ~~~ Update. Tom Boddiger of Splinter: "This might be Donald Trump's most comedic excuse yet for betraying his oath of office as president of the United States. We all knew Trump couldn't withstand the heat of an impeachment inquiry by Congress without throwing someone under the bus. In fact, he's already blurted out the vice president's involvement, practically ensuring that lawmakers take a hard look at Mike Pence. But it also appears that just a day after Energy Secretary Rick Perry tried to tiptoe out the back door, Trump threw a proverbial ax at the center of his back. Unfortunately, no one feels the least bit sorry about any of this, true or not." ~~~

~~~ Ben Lefebvre & Daniel Lippman of Politico: "Energy Secretary Rick Perry urged Ukraine's president to root out corruption and pushed the new government for changes at its state-run oil and gas company, people familiar with his work said Friday -- indications that he was more deeply involved than previously known in ... Donald Trump's efforts to pressure officials in Kiev.... Perry..., is expected to resign next month, attended [Ukraine President] Zelensky's May inauguration in Kiev in place of Vice President Mike Pence. In addition, he was one of the administration's 'three amigos' on Ukrainian policy, along with Kurt Volker, the U.S. special representative for the Ukraine conflict, and Gordon Sondland, the U.S. ambassador to the European Union, as Sondland described their relationship in a July broadcast interview." Mrs. McC: It appears from the report that Perry was pushing the new Ukraine government to put his (Perry's) friends on the board of Naftogaz, Ukraine's state-owned natural gas company. "Two long-time energy executives based in Perry's home state of Texas were among those under consideration for that role, one source familiar with the administration's dealings with the company said." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.) ~~~

     ~~~ AND you know there has to be something in this for the Trump Crime Family: "Among Perry's numerous visits with Zelenksy and other Ukraine officials in the past year was a dinner with Zelensky, Jared Kushner and other officials in June, according to a government photo taken by the U.S. of the event." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)

Keeping It Classy. Somebody please wake up Mitt Romney and tell him that my conversation with the Ukrainian President was a congenial and very appropriate one, and my statement on China pertained to corruption, not politics. If Mitt worked this hard on Obama, he could have won. Sadly, he choked! Mitt Romney never knew how to win. He is a pompous 'ass' who has been fighting me from the beginning, except when he begged me for my endorsement for his Senate run (I gave it to him), and when he begged me to be Secretary of State (I didn't give it to him). He is so bad for R's! -- Donald Trump, in two tweets Saturday morning ~~~

~~~ Nuts AND Ignorant. Colby Itkowitz of the Washington Post: "Hours later, Trump hit Romney again, this time suggesting Utah voters regretted their choice and that Romney should be impeached. 'I'm hearing that the Great People of Utah are considering their vote for their Pompous Senator, Mitt Romney, to be a big mistake. I agree! He is a fool who is playing right into the hands of the Do Nothing Democrats! #IMPEACHMITTROMNEY,' Trump tweeted. Romney won his Senate seat in 2018, with 62.6 percent of the vote. It is not clear what Romney did in Trump's opinion to deserve impeachment other than condemn the behavior that led to an impeachment inquiry into the president. A U.S. senator cannot be impeached. Instead, the Constitution gives the House or Senate the power to expel one of its own by a two-thirds vote." Politico's story is here. ~~~

~~~ Nick Schroeder of the Bangor Daily News: "U.S. Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, joined two other GOP senators in criticizing the president this week after he publicly asked the Chinese government to investigate a political opponent while talking to reporters outside the White House this week. The Maine senator was unequivocal in her statements, which came after a firefighters memorial service in Augusta on Saturday morning, joining Mitt Romney, R-Utah, and Ben Sasse, R-Nevada, in breaking rank with GOP support for the president. 'I thought the president made a big mistake by asking China to get involved in investigating a political opponent,' Collins said. 'It's completely inappropriate.'... Collins also said that she was concerned that U.S. Rep. Adam Schiff, D-California, chair of the House Intelligence Committee, 'misrepresented and misled people about what was in the transcript in the call,' joining Republican efforts to discredit the congressman."

Mark Mazzetti & others of the New York Times on Bill Barr, International Sleuth: "Mr. Barr and a top federal prosecutor, John H. Durham, who is reviewing the origins of the Russia investigation, [link fixed] [traveled to Rome late last month seeking] evidence that might bolster a conspiracy theory long nurtured by President Trump: that some of America's closest allies plotted with his 'deep state' enemies in 2016 to try to prevent him from winning the presidency. Mr. Trump has embraced the theory in his interactions with world leaders since the days after the special counsel, Robert S. Mueller III, testified to lawmakers in July that his investigation found insufficient evidence to charge any Trump associates with conspiring with Russia to help subvert the election. An emboldened Mr. Trump — who could benefit politically if Mr. Durham were to unearth facts that undermined Mr. Mueller's investigation -- began pressing close allies to cooperate with the review.... Mr. Barr seems to have embraced his role, signaling that he has made the investigation a priority and is personally overseeing it." ~~~

     ~~~ Mrs. McCrabbie: So what we have for "governance" in this country is a globetrotting gang of crazy old men -- Trump, pence, Barr, Pompeo, Giuliani (Perry??), et al. -- prodding allies & enemies alike to manufacture fake evidence of paranoid conspiracy theories. It isn't the Zelensky call that's so shocking -- it's the whole operation. No wonder Trump thinks his Zelensky call was "perfect"; it was one tiny piece of his insane & costly political conspiracy operation.

Zachary Cohen & Caroline Kelly of CNN: "A House Foreign Affairs Committee aide told CNN that 'Secretary Pompeo has failed to meet the deadline to produce documents required by the subpoena. However, the State Department has contacted the Committees on this matter and we hope the Department will cooperate in full promptly. Apart from the outstanding subpoena, we look forward to hearing from Ambassadors Sondland and Yovanovitch next week.'" (Also linked yesterday afternoon.) ~~~

     ~~~ Update. Karen DeYoung, et al., of the Washington Post: "Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said Saturday that he had sent a response to the House committees seeking documents in their impeachment inquiry of President Trump, but congressional investigators are still waiting for their subpoena to be complied with.... At a news conference with the foreign minister of Greece, Pompeo said he had sent a letter to Capitol Hill as 'our initial response to the document request. We'll obviously do all the things we're required to do by law.'... Pompeo repeated charges made a week ago that the congressional inquiries have 'harassed and abused State Department employees' by contacting them directly and failing to go through proper channels to request both testimony and documents.... He also it was 'very reasonable' and 'our duty' to ask other governments to help investigate interference in the 2016 U.S. election, as Trump has." ~~~

     ~~~ AND Mike Pompeo, Professional Gaslighter. "Pompeo Defends Trump's Ukraine Conspiracy Theory." Lara James of the New York Times: "Secretary of State Mike Pompeo defiantly insisted on Saturday in Greece that the Trump administration was right to ask Ukrainian officials to investigate claims of election interference in the 2016 American presidential campaign, bolstering a widely debunked conspiracy theory that had already been dismissed by his own diplomatic envoy. In comments to journalists in Athens, where he was meeting with Greek leaders, Mr. Pompeo said it was the 'duty' of the Trump administration to pursue whether efforts to tamper in the United States election were rooted in Ukraine, even though the American intelligence agencies have long concluded Russia was to blame.... Mr. Pompeo also appeared to try to shift blame for the election interference -- which has overshadowed Mr. Trump and his government since taking office -- onto the Obama administration. 'I only wish that the previous administration had protected our elections back in 2016,' he told journalists. 'You'll recall that the interference that took place took place under the previous administration.'" ~~~

     ~~~ Russia, If You're Listening ... Mrs. McCrabbie: Somehow I think Mikey knows MoscowMitch said nyet to that, and Pompeo might be aware that Trump not only asked Russia for election help, his staff had something like 140 meetings with Russians, many of which were probably to get Russians to do some dastardly deeds to benefit Trump. ~~~

~~~ Nicole Gaouette of CNN: "... Donald Trump's attempts to compel Ukraine to investigate the family of his chief political rival are deepening anger and concern inside the State Department as Secretary Mike Pompeo's role in the drama comes under greater scrutiny. A dozen current and former staff from different areas of the State Department and at different stages of their careers who spoke to CNN said the Ukraine controversy has exacerbated divisions between political appointees and career diplomats, many of whom say the department is being politicized in ways that undermine US ties to other countries. State Department staff also tell CNN that frustration is building as Pompeo tries to steer the currents created by Trump's personal lawyer Rudy Giuliani, who has inserted himself into foreign policy, and the President's expectations of complete loyalty. Pompeo seems to 'lack the backbone' to push back on Trump, one veteran career official said, even as the President appears to use the department to meet his political aims."

Russia Is Already Taking Advantage of Trump/Giuliani/Pompeo Blunders. Will Englund of the Washington Post: "If any country stands to gain from the developing turmoil, analysts and politicians in Kiev say, it is Russia. And they expect President Vladimir Putin' government to exploit every opportunity it can find.... Russian officials are already publicly telling Ukrainians (and the rest of the world) that the United States has proved itself to be an unreliable friend, with the release of the White House account of the embarrassing July 25 phone call between President Trump and Ukraine's new president, Volodymyr Zelensky.... Russia's foreign ministry spokeswoman, Maria Zakharova, said on Russian television, '... now everyone understands that it is dangerous to call to Washington, to hold talks and meet with it.'" More important in Ukraine is that Russia will likely use the scandal to portray Zelensky as a minor leaguer and Ukraine as an incorrigibly misgoverned country.... Last month, Zelensky met with Trump in New York. 'I really hope you and President Putin get together and can solve your problem,' Trump told him. 'A tremendous achievement and I know you're trying to do that.' That comment, said Konstantin Batotsky, an analyst [in Kiev], was 'a disaster' for Ukraine. It signaled to Putin, he said, that the United States could not be counted on to always be in Ukraine's corner. It was worse than the phone call, he said.... The loss of Kurt Volker, the special U.S. envoy to Ukraine who resigned following the revelation of the Trump administration's pressure on Kiev, was another blow, Batotsky said. 'He was the gamer' who could have helped Ukraine find a way out of its mess, he said. 'The Russians are extremely happy about this.'"

Jeff Toobin of the New Yorker: "... the Russia and Ukraine scandals are, in fact, one story." Mrs. McC: There's no news in Toobin's column, but he does a fair job of demonstrating that Trump's attempts to manipulate Zelensky are an outgrowth -- and an escalation, because Trump is now putting the power of the U.S. government behind his entreaties -- of his campaign-era courting of Russian assistance.

Chris Hayes did a good dramatic reading of the text messages among U.S. diplomats Kurt Volker, Gordon Sondland & Bill Taylor re: Trump's cash-for-dirt scheme (except I had to listen to the last sentence five times to guess at what he said -- I think it's "Trump releases the aid"). The set-up to the reading starts at about 2:15 min. in, but Hayes' initial remarks are a set-up to the set-up:

Presidential Race 2020

Joe Biden in a Washington Post op-ed: "Enough is enough. Every day -- every few hours, seemingly -- more evidence is uncovered revealing that President Trump is abusing the power of the presidency and is wholly unfit to be president. He is using the highest office in the land to advance his personal political interests instead of the national interest. The president's most recent violation of the rule of law -- openly calling for China to interfere in our elections, as he stood on the South Lawn of the White House -- is so outrageous, it's clear he considers the presidency a free pass to do whatever he wants, with no accountability.... He slanders anyone he sees as a threat. That is why is he is frantically pushing flat-out lies, debunked conspiracy theories and smears against me and my family, no doubt hoping to undermine my candidacy for the presidency." ~~~

~~~ Jonathan Martin, et al., of the New York Times: "... [Joe] Biden looks more vulnerable than at any point since he entered the campaign. Facing one of the greatest challenges of his candidacy, Mr. Biden has plainly struggled to meet the moment, or fully reconcile his own cautious instincts with his protectiveness of his family's privacy and his preference for taking the moral high road against Mr. Trump. Interviews with more than 50 Democratic strategists, lawmakers and lobbyists provide a portrait of a candidacy facing challenges on all sides, and one at risk of losing its core argument that Mr. Biden is the Democrat best able to defeat Mr. Trump in a general election.... David Plouffe, former President Barack Obama's campaign manager, was mystified. Mr. Biden 'should use this moment and become Trump's opponent,' Mr. Plouffe said. 'I don't understand it.'"

News Ledes

AP: "A witness in the murder trial of a white Dallas police officer who fatally shot her black neighbor has been killed in a shooting, the Dallas Morning News reported, citing authorities. The newspaper reported that authorities said Joshua Brown, who lived in the same apartment complex as Amber Guyger and Botham Jean, was shot and killed Friday in Dallas."

AP: "Two men opened fire inside a bar in Kansas City, Kansas, early Sunday, killing four people and wounding five others in a shooting believed to have stemmed from an earlier dispute, police said.Authorities were searching Sunday for the two gunmen, said Officer Thomas Tomasic, a police spokesman."