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."
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Reader Comments (10)
Re: Rick Perry, Pence, et. al.
Looks like the Republicans will need bigger bus. All of those whom the Pretender will blame won't fit under a standard model.
NPR's All Things Considered Saturday night ran a segment called "Troll Watch: Impeachment Inquiry Unleashes U.S.-Driven Disinformation." I listened to this as I was driving. They talked about the debunked stories, conspiracy theories, and outright lies that are flooding the news-scape, but NOT ONCE did they say that EVERY SINGLE piece of disinformation they cite is coming from the Right Wing.
The next segment was an interview with Rachel Maddow. Was this an extreme version of "being fair" because she's known to be a Lefty? A Lefty speaking facts and talking in complete sentences is fair and balanced against absolute Right Wing mendacity? What the hell????
@Nisky: I don't listen to NPR but your "what the hell" seems to be well founded as I have heard this criticism many times before. PBS News is also frustrating at times as they tend to bring on some real doozies whose weasel-speak makes me crazy although they sometimes balance this with fact figures but still... that fair and balanced thingy that tends to confuse.
Isn't it queer that Fatty should describe his phone conversation with Zelensky as "perfect." You might use the word, "good" or "perfectly fine" but "perfect"? a word that connotes an absolute and sure as rain drops on kittens this conversation was not in that category.
"... 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 has something like 140 meetings with Russians, many of which were probably to get Russians to do some dastardly deeds to benefit Trump."
Thank you for that because quite a few Republicans have used that canard, blaming Obama, certain that most people don't know the real facts. Drives me nuts!
Hitting the road later today for a few weeks. leaving behind this LTTE for the delectation of the locals:
"Though Trump himself admitted he did, a recent poll (usatoday.com) revealed that only four of ten Republicans believe that Trump mentioned Biden in his July 25 Ukraine phone call.
Did the other six just think Trump was lying? I don’t think that’s the explanation.
Rather, it hints at the psychology of people who prefer belief to reason and blind faith to fact.
With them in mind, Republicans never let a conspiracy theory go to waste. Witness their resurrection of the Clinton email investigation (npr.com). Hillary Clinton, like Republicans before her, did use a private server prohibited by government regulations, but her use of a private server did not endanger national security (vox,com). Since the Republican Party would like its supporters to believe it did, they’re off to the races again.
How about those interminable Benghazi hearings whose conclusion, written by a Republican, cast some blame for the disaster on the military but none on Secretary Clinton (nytimes.com)?
Or that lengthy Obama-era investigation into the IRS when Republicans claimed the agency was targeting conservative groups seeking tax-exempt status. Weeks of hearings, hours of noisy indignation and what did it all come to? Nothing, because there never was a scandal. The IRS had done nothing wrong (newsweek.com).
Now Republicans are out to “prove” Ukraine, not Russia, interfered in the 2016 election to help Clinton, not Trump (businessinsider.com).
If facts mattered, the contrast between such manufactured scandals and the extensive self-and double-dealing of the Trump administration (nytimes.com) would be clear to everyone. But it’s not.
I once overheard an elderly nursing home resident assert the Clintons had murdered four people in Arkansas, and thought: She’s old enough to believe what she wants, and she’s doing the nation no harm.
The same cannot be said for the sixty percent of those Republicans recently polled."
Will check into RC when I'm able to along the road.
Keep well, All.
Have to admire he "logic" displayed by the stable genius.
Turns out, the "perfect" call corroborated by the White House itself was all manufactured "hearsay" and that the call was made at all was someone else's fault.
Hard to beat it.
@Ken Winkes:
Yeah. Also, "mike pence did it, too."
It looks like the gaslighting technique the administration has settled on is to equate actual "corruption" -- that is, bribery, influence peddling, backroom deals & so forth -- with "fake dirt/conspiracies that make Trump look good." This was evident even from the September text messages among the three diplomats. Pompeo promoted the same excuse yesterday, & so have Trump and his allies from pence to senators like Lindsey Graham to right-wing talking heads.
So at this point, we don't know if pence & Rick Perry said to Zelensky, (1) "In exchange for our support, the U.S. expects Ukraine to eschew corrupt practices," or (2) "In exchange for weapons, the U.S. needs you to dig up some dirt on Hillary Clinton's secret Ukraine backers & Joe Biden's holding back loan guarantees to help his son make a pile of cash at Burisma." If it was the second, pence & Perry probably would have coded their message, but in such a way that even someone who didn't have a good grasp of English could understand. That is, they might have been more subtle than Trump & Giuliani.
We do know, however, that Giuliani/Trump forced the U.S. diplomats to be specific. NYT: “On the morning of Aug. 13, Mr. Volker sent Mr. Sondland language they wanted added to an earlier draft sent by the Ukrainians. 'We intend to initiate and complete a transparent and unbiased investigation of all available facts and episodes, including those involving Burisma and the 2016 U.S. elections, which in turn will prevent the recurrence of this problem in the future,' Mr. Volker said in what appears to be the language he was proposing. Mr. Sondland quickly replied, 'Perfect.'...."
Ah, "perfect." There's that word again. Sondland's use of "perfect" fits right into Trump's odd description of his convo with Zelensky.
It looks as if Ron Johnson is a fact witness in Trump's impeachment.
Therefore shouldn't Johnson be disqualified from being on the Senate jury if the trial goes forward? If the Democrats could ensnare enough Republican Senators to take the stand and give testimony then they might actually have a chance of getting a 2/3 vote in the Senate without having to rely on any "responsible" Republicans.
@RAS: I don't know what the Senate rules are, but I know that Mitch McConnell is the majority leader & John Roberts is the chief justice. I don't think Ron Johnson or any other Senate GOP fact witness will be precluded from voting.
Would someone please begin schooling Senator Warren on how to win at cage fighting!
The R tactic is clear: they only need to take out Biden to win in 2020, and they will do it with lies and smears and fabrications repeated often enough and loud enough to create confusion. (Bernie may drop out for health reasons).They're hoping Warren wins the D nomination because they will use the tried and true knock-out punch in late October 2020. You know the one: the swift boat crew that discredits Kerry's military leadership, or the gaggle of generals that Trump recruits to say that they would never follow the command of Hillary. Boom! Just lost the military-industrial complex and several million voters that still fall in line with central command - and just before voting day!
Senator Warren has some great ideas and plans. I adore her courage. (She's the one who always raised her hand first in class with the answers). But to play politics to win she'll have to get inside the chain link fence and confront the crazed and corrupt who fight dirty. The big question is how she will defend herself in late October 2020 from the knock out punch. What does she have to say to the Drumpf-supporting generals who say that they will never follow her? This is why her running mate selection will be so important.
Today's embarrassing confrontation between Chuck Todd and Ron Johnson is the kind of battle we are up against. We think we will win by telling the truth, not so anymore.
Mark Zaid, @MarkSZaidEsq posted several tweets after Ingraham had made false assertions (wait, I need my fainting couch before I proceed) on her program on 10/3/19 in re: to partisanship and Zaid previously working for Schumer and Clinton. Zaid stated he has always been a registered independent. His co-counsel Andrew Bakaj was an intern for Schumer and Clinton in college, when he was 19/20, some 20 years ago. Zaid had never worked for either of them. He provided many examples of litigation for clients on both the right and left, including (gag gag) the RNC on Clinton's emails and Nunes on his book. The twitter thread, without question, debunks the partisanship accusations. Here's the unroll:
https://threadreaderapp.com/thread/1179877593618751494.html
Apparently Colin Powell has just woken up from his long winter's nap and weighed in on the shitshow in the WH.
"“They need to get a grip, and when they see things that aren’t right they need to say something about it. Because our foreign policy is a shambles right now, in my humble judgement.....”
https://time.com/5693929/colin-powell-republican-party-trump/?linkId=74849214