Monday
Feb172020
The Commentariat -- February 18, 2020
Late Morning/Afternoon & TrumperTantrum Update:
Peter Baker, et al., of the New York Times: "President Trump commuted the 14-year prison sentence of former Gov. Rod R. Blagojevich of Illinois, the Democrat who was convicted of trying to essentially sell Barack Obama's vacated Senate seat for personal gain, and pardoned the financier Michael R. Milken and Bernard B. Kerik, the former New York City police commissioner, the president announced on Tuesday.... The president's decision came the same day that he pardoned Edward J. DeBartolo Jr., a former owner of the San Francisco 49ers who pleaded guilty in 1998 to concealing an extortion attempt and eventually surrendered control of his team.... In conversations with advisers, Mr. Trump has also raised the prospect of commuting the sentence of Roger J. Stone.... Asked about a pardon for Mr. Stone on Tuesday, Mr. Trump said 'I haven't given it any thought.'" ~~~
~~~ Dan Mangan & Kevin Breuninger of CNBC: "In all, Trump granted some form of executive clemency to 11 individuals Tuesday, according to the White House.... Pardons were given to former CEO Ariel Friedler, who in 2014 admitted conspiring to hack into his competitors' computer systems; Paul Pogue, who pleaded guilty to underpaying on his taxes over a three-year period; David Safavian, who was convicted of perjury; and Angela Stanton, a Trump-supporting television personality. Trump also granted commutations to Tynice Nicole Hall and Crystal Munoz, both of whom were given lengthy prison sentences for drug-related offenses. He also signed an order granting a commutation for Judith Negron, who was sentenced to 35 years behind bars for Medicare fraud." Mrs. McC: All this, of course is the prep work for pardoning his rogues' gallary of co-conspirators & criminals.
Kyle Cheney of Politico: "The top lawyer for the intelligence community, whose decision to block a whistleblower's complaint about ... Donald Trump and Ukraine from reaching Congress helped jumpstart the impeachment inquiry, is resigning from his post, officials confirmed. Jason Klitenic, the general counsel for the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, will depart early next month, according to an agency spokeswoman. His exit comes as the acting DNI, Joseph Maguire, nears a March 11 deadline to depart as well. Federal law prevents Maguire from serving in an acting capacity beyond that date, meaning a new director must be nominated and confirmed by then, or Trump must pick a new acting official."
Elliot Spagat of the AP: "The Trump administration said Tuesday that it will waive federal contracting laws to speed construction of a wall at the U.S.-Mexico border. The Department of Homeland Security said waiving procurement regulations will allow 177 miles (283 kilometers) of wall to be built more quickly in California, Arizona, New Mexico and Texas. The 10 waived laws include requirements for having open competition, justifying selections and receiving all bonding from a contractor before any work can begin. The acting Homeland Security secretary, Chad Wolf, is exercising authority under a 2005 law that gives him sweeping powers to waive laws for building border barriers." Mrs. McC: But I'm sure all the contracts let will be on the up-and-up.
Quint Forgey of Politico: "... Donald Trump on Tuesday threatened to file retaliatory lawsuits 'all over the place' for damages he claims to have incurred as a result of former special counsel Robert Mueller's investigation. In a multi-post morning Twitter screed, the president fiercely criticized the 22-month-long probe into Russian interference in the 2016 election, and also appeared to weigh in once again on the federal criminal case against his longtime political adviser Roger Stone.... 'These were Mueller prosecutors, and the whole Mueller investigation was illegally set up based on a phony and now fully discredited Fake Dossier, lying and forging documents to the FISA Court, and many other things,' Trump tweeted. 'Everything having to do with this fraudulent investigation is badly tainted and, in my opinion, should be thrown out.' The president went on to accuse Mueller of lying before Congress when he told lawmakers he did not interview with Trump to apply for the job of FBI director, tweeting: 'The whole deal was a total SCAM. If I wasn't President, I'd be suing everyone all over the place. BUT MAYBE I STILL WILL. WITCH HUNT!'" Forgey also covers Trump's tweets about the Stone case. ~~~
~~~ John Wagner of the Washington Post: "President Trump on Tuesday raised the possibility of suing those involved in prosecuting the Roger Stone case after sharing the opinion of a Fox News commentator [Andrew Napolitano] who said it is 'pretty obvious' that Stone, Trump's longtime political confidant, should get a new trial.... Defense lawyers for Stone demanded a new trial Friday, one day after Trump suggested that the forewoman in the federal case had 'significant bias.'... [In tweets,] Trump quoted Napolitano as saying, 'I think almost any judge in the Country would order a new trial, I'm not so sure about Judge Jackson, I don't know.' Napolitano was referring to U.S. District Judge Amy Berman Jackson, who is presiding over Stone's case and who has drawn Trump's ire on Twitter for her treatment of another ally of his, Paul Manafort.... Trump also derided prosecutors in the Stone case as 'Mueller prosecutors'.... All four career prosecutors handling the case against Stone withdrew from the legal proceedings last week -- and one quit his job entirely -- after the Justice Department signaled it planned to undercut their sentencing recommendation. Two of those prosecutors had worked for Mueller." ~~~
~~~ Mrs. McCrabbie: Yo, Bill Barr. More tweets that "make it impossible for [you] to do your job." Better resign. ~~~
~~~ ** Update. Harper Neidig of the Hill: "A federal judge on Tuesday refused to delay Roger Stone's sentencing amid the fallout over the Trump administration's decision to intervene in the case against the president's longtime ally. The sentencing will move forward on Thursday at its originally scheduled time, the judge said, despite a new effort from Stone's defense team to get a new trial. 'I think that delaying this sentence would not be a prudent thing to do under all of the circumstances,' U.S. District Court Judge Amy Berman Jackson, an Obama appointee, said during a telephone conference with the two sides.... The new prosecution team, from the U.S. Attorney's Office in Washington, D.C., argued in favor of moving forward with the sentencing hearing as planned. Jackson said that she has not decided whether to have a hearing on the defense motion [for a new trial], but said that it would be best to move forward with Thursday's hearing and delay the sentence from going into effect until the motion is decided." ~~~
~~~ Rachel Weiner & Matt Zapotosky of the Washington Post: "Prosecutors on Tuesday filed under seal a motion opposing Stone's request [for a new trial], and the filing was approved by Attorney General William P. Barr, said a Justice Department official who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss internal deliberations. That appears to put Barr at odds with Trump, who on Tuesday quoted a Fox News segment arguing that Stone should get a new trial. Trump said last week that the jury forewoman in the case had 'significant bias.'" Mrs. McC: Wow! Barr is so "independent." Or he thought Trump wouldn't hear about the prosecutors' secret filing.
Chris Francescani of ABC News: "After hearing from 35 witnesses over more than two weeks of testimony, the New York City jury in Harvey Weinstein's rape and sexual assault case will begin deliberations this morning. Weinstein is facing five felony counts of rape and sexual assault, based on the testimony of two complaining witnesses: former 'Project Runway' production assistant Miriam 'Mimi' Haleyi -- who claims the Hollywood producer sexually assaulted her in 2006, and an accuser who claims Weinstein raped her in a Manhattan hotel suite in 2013. ABC News is not naming the rape accuser because she has never publicly identified herself. The other five women either did so, or their lawyers gave ABC permission to name them[.] The account of a third accuser, Annabella Sciorra, is too old to prosecute, but a judge allowed her to testify in support of two predatory sexual assault charges -- which require prosecutors to prove that Weinstein attacked at least three women." ~~~
~~~ Jan Ransom of the New York Times: "Over the weekend, just days before jurors in the Harvey Weinstein case were set to begin deliberations, his lead defense lawyer, Donna Rotunno, wrote an opinion piece imploring them 'to do what they know is right.'The article in Newsweek magazine infuriated the Manhattan district attorney's office, and on Tuesday the lead prosecutor, Joan Illuzzi, called Ms. Rotunno's behavior 'inappropriate,' and tantamount to jury tampering. The judge ordered the defense team not to speak to the news media until after a verdict is reached. 'Defense team you are ordered to refrain from communicating with the press until there is a verdict in the case,' Justice James M. Burke told Mr. Weinstein's lawyers. 'I would caution you about the tentacles of your public relations juggernaut.' The jurors were not in the courtroom at the time. As in many high-profile cases, jurors have been reminded every day by the judge not to follow any news media coverage of the case."
~~~~~~~~~~
Aw, Everybody's Picking on Bill Barr*
*OR, as Ian Bassin of Protect Democracy puts it, Wow. After more than 2,000 former DOJ expressed alarm about challenges to rule of law, now the Federal Judges' Association has called an emergency meeting re concerns around independent law enforcement. Our institutions are sounding alarms.
Kevin Johnson of USA Today: "A national association of federal judges has called an emergency meeting Tuesday to address growing concerns about the intervention of Justice Department officials and President Donald Trump in politically sensitive cases, the group's president said Monday. Philadelphia U.S. District Judge Cynthia Rufe, who heads the independent Federal Judges Association, said the group 'could not wait' until its spring conference to weigh in on a deepening crisis that has enveloped the Justice Department and Attorney General William Barr."
** Donald Ayer, U.S. Deputy Attorney General under Bush I, in the Atlantic assembles a long & helpful list of the many ways Bill Barr has interfered, on Trump's behalf & often at Trump's behest, to pervert the even-handed administration of justice. "All of this conduct -- including Barr's personal interventions to influence or negate independent investigations or the pursuit of criminal cases, and his use of the department's resources to frustrate the checks and balances provided by other branches -- is incompatible with the rule of law.... Under Barr, the Department of Justice is actively engaged on many fronts in helping realize Trump's stated goal of being able to do whatever he wants, free from interference from any branch of government.... For whatever twisted reasons, he believes that the president should be above the law, and he has as his foil in pursuit of that goal a president who, uniquely in our history, actually aspires to that status. And Barr has acted repeatedly on those beliefs in ways that are more damaging at every turn. Presently he is moving forward with active misuse of the criminal sanction, as one more tool of the president's personal interests. Bill Barr's America ... is a banana republic where all are subject to the whims of a dictatorial president and his henchmen. To prevent that, we need a public uprising demanding that Bill Barr resign immediately, or failing that, be impeached."
Get Out! Ctd. Luke Barr (no relation, we presume) of ABC News: "More than 2,000 former Department of Justice officials are calling on Attorney General William Barr to resign, according to the group Protect Democracy. 'Political interference in the conduct of a criminal prosecution is anathema to the Department's core mission and to its sacred obligation to ensure equal justice under the law,' according to the group, which has been critical of the administration in the past. The nonpartisan, nonprofit group said that the attorney general has 'flouted' that fundamental principal. The former DOJ officials said it is 'outrageous' the way Barr interfered in the Roger Stone case."
Josh Gerstein of Politico: "The judge handling the criminal case that set off a white-hot, national political controversy last week -- the prosecution of ... Donald Trump's longtime adviser Roger Stone -- has ordered both sides to take part in a telephone hearing Tuesday to discuss the status of the case. U.S. District Court Judge Amy Berman Jackson issued the unusual Sunday order after the entire four-person prosecution team withdrew from the case following Attorney General Bill Barr's intervention to rescind their recommendation of a seven-to-nine year sentence for Stone.... Defense attorneys for Stone also filed a second motion for a new trial last week, after Jackson rejected one such motion filed last year.... Stone is currently set to be sentenced Thursday morning in Washington on the seven felony counts that a jury convicted him on last November.... It's unclear whether the judge will decide to proceed with the sentencing as scheduled...." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)
Mary Papenfuss of the Huffington Post: "Attorney General William Barr attempted to block U.S. prosecution of a Turkish bank last year after Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan asked Donald Trump for help in the matter, according to a new CNN report that supports earlier accounts. Barr personally attempted to head off prosecution of Halkbank in a suspected multibillion-dollar scheme to evade sanctions against Iran, CNN reported, citing 'a person familiar with the discussions.' He reportedly tried to steer a settlement that would have allowed the bank to dodge an indictment shortly after Erdogan pressed Trump for help last spring. Barr ultimately failed to stop an indictment, however. U.S. Attorney Geoffrey Berman of the Southern District of New York insisted on criminal prosecution, CNN reported. Barr faces increasing criticism for appearing to do Trump's bidding to manipulate Justice Department cases to punish the president's enemies or help his allies. In this situation, Barr's reported efforts seemed aimed at attempting to satisfy the request of an authoritarian foreign leader."
Karen Scannell & Erica Orden of CNN: "Federal prosecutors are weighing new charges against associates of Rudy Giuliani in connection with a company that paid him $500,000, according to people familiar with the investigation. Prosecutors with the US attorney's office for the Southern District of New York are considering whether to charge Giuliani associate Lev Parnas and at least one of his business partners with misleading potential investors for Fraud Guarantee, the Florida-based company that paid Giuliani.... Parnas co-founded Fraud Guarantee with the idea of providing insurance to companies to protect against fraud. The scrutiny of Fraud Guarantee brings the investigation closer to Giuliani ... and raises questions about what role the former mayor played, if any, in the marketing of the company. A lawyer for Giuliani said his client never had any conversations about investor pitches or marketing with Parnas or his business partner David Correia." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)
Karen DeYoung & Kirk Ross of the Washington Post: "Former White House national security adviser John Bolton on Monday questioned whether it was 'fair' that President Trump has called him a liar on the subject of Ukraine, but 'I can't talk about it.' In his first public remarks since Trump was impeached by the House and acquitted by the Senate, Bolton said his own views of national security policies, and descriptions of interactions with Trump on Ukraine and other issues, risk being 'suppressed' and censored by the administration.... In a 90-minute question-and-answer session before students, faculty and members of the public at Duke University, Bolton voiced familiar hard-line views on North Korea, Iran and other issues. He said he viewed Ukraine and the impeachment 'as sprinkles on the ice cream sundae' compared with other subjects he deals with in the book. Asked whether he agreed with the president's assessment that Trump's July call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky was 'perfect,' Bolton said 'You'll love Chapter 14.'" A CNN story is here. ~~~
~~~ Peter Baker of the New York Times: "Mr. Bolton refused to go into the details of the Ukraine matter that led to Mr. Trump's impeachment, and he did not offer an opinion about the outcome of the trial that acquitted the president. At various points, he instead offered coy answers, suggesting it would all come out in his book if he is allowed to publish it.... His reluctance to speak out more explicitly has been enormously frustrating for months to Democrats who say that he could simply tell what he knows without waiting for a subpoena or White House permission. Indeed, the Duke audience applauded twice at suggestions that he should have testified in the House or simply given a news conference telling what he knew."
~~~ Mrs. McCrabbie: IOW, this was an event in which Bolton said nothing about the matter of greatest interest, and for which he probably was paid (I can't confirm this), to promote sales of his book which he "hints" covers what people came to hear. Capitalism is awesome. I watched part of the History Channel's "Washington" show last night. Benedict Arnold betrayed the nation for money, too.
Jonathan Swan & Margaret Talev of Axios: "Top Trump administration officials are in discussions to reassign deputy national security adviser Victoria Coates to the Department of Energy from the National Security Council, per two sources familiar with the planning.... Coates' working relationship with National Security Adviser Robert O'Brien, who elevated her to the deputy role only months ago, has strained amid an effort by some people inside the administration to tag her as 'Anonymous' -- a charge she has vehemently denied to colleagues.... As Politico first reported, Coates has been the target of a whisper campaign in recent weeks making a circumstantial case that she was the identity behind an op-ed in the New York Times and later a bestselling book describing a resistance movement against President Trump in his own White House. One of the literary agents behind Anonymous' book, 'A Warning,' went so far as to release a statement saying explicitly that Coates is not the author, did not edit the book, did not see it in advance and did not know about it."
I have some information ... about the Obama administration -- which will be disclosed in a lawsuit at some point, but I'm not prepared to disclose it now -- about how President Obama personally asked the FBI to investigate somebody on behalf of George Soros, who was a close ally of his. -- Alan Dershowitz to Breitbart News
This citation comes via a right-wing source, so I can't verify it. If Dershowitz really said this, he's nuttier than I thought. -- Mrs. Bea McCrabbie
Jennifer Rubin of the Washington Post: "... Harvard Law school graduate Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.) descended into sheer quackery and decided to perpetrate conspiracies about the origin of the coronavirus.... It is not as if anti-intellectualism suddenly appeared with the election of President Trump. The habitual rejection of expertise on everything from climate change to the economic impact of immigration has been rampant in the Republican Party for some time.... [Add to this,] Trump's authoritarian contempt for truth [which] sets the tone, forcing military hawks such as Cotton to remain mum when Trump dismisses traumatic brain injuries as 'headaches' and former Cold Warriors such as Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Tex.) to parrot Russian propaganda on Ukraine. Their know-nothingism is sustained and hardened inside the right-wing media loop.... Know-nothingism and authoritarianism are mutually reinforcing. A dictator commandeers reality...."
Presidential Race
Dareh Gregorian, et al., of NBC News: "Former New York City Mayor Mike Bloomberg on Tuesday qualified for his first appearance in a Democratic presidential primary debate.... The DNC announced last month that it was doing away with the grassroots donor threshold that had been used in the qualifications for the previous eight debates. The campaign of [Bernie] Sanders -- who leads in national polls, according to a RealClearPolitics average -- has accused the DNC of doing Bloomberg's bidding with the rule change. Bloomberg had not qualified for earlier debates because he was not accepting campaign donations." Other candidates who have qualified for the upcoming debate, by NBC's calculation are Joe Biden, Pete Buttigieg, Amy Klobuchar, Bernie Sanders, and Elizabeth Warren. Tom Steyer, who appeared in the last debate, has not qualified. ~~~
~~~ Christopher Cadelago & Sally Goldenberg of Politico: "... making the debate stage threatens to lay bare one vulnerability Bloomberg's wealth cannot guard against: himself.... His rivals, who have been piling on in recent days, will try to rattle him by attacking his record, campaign aides have told Politico.... So Bloomberg has spent weeks getting ready. 'You know me: I like a fight, and so I think it'd be fun to go and compete,' he said during an interview in Detroit earlier this month. Likening it to his sometimes contentious press conferences during his 12 years as mayor, he added, 'I always thought that was fun to joust.'... Bloomberg has a history of losing his cool in public. He once grew visibly annoyed at a reporter in a wheelchair who interrupted his press conference when he dropped a recording device. More recently, he urged a reporter to 'get on with it' when he was pressed about his controversial stop-and-frisk policing tactic."
Thomas Kaplan, et al., of the New York Times: "Former Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg's presidential campaign, which has largely focused its attacks on President Trump, on Monday mounted a frontal offensive against one of his Democratic rivals for the first time, comparing Senator Bernie Sanders's campaign tactics with those employed by the president. Mr. Sanders struck back at a campaign rally later in the afternoon, drawing comparisons between Mr. Bloomberg and Mr. Trump. But Mr. Bloomberg was not alone in targeting the Vermont liberal: Former Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr., in a television interview, called on Mr. Sanders to disavow attacks by some of his supporters on officials at a Nevada labor union, behavior that Mr. Biden said was 'Trump-like.'... Mr. Bloomberg's campaign began the day by posting a video cataloging instances of online aggression and threats from Sanders supporters toward rival Democrats, then followed with a statement offering an unflattering comparison of Mr. Sanders and Mr. Trump."
Meredith McGraw of Politico: "... Donald Trump's reelection machine took full advantage of the millions of NASCAR eyeballs watching on race day by airing an ad on Fox and flying a bright red 'KEEP AMERICA GREAT!' banner near the track. Fox carried the event live on television, and Fox News commentator and Trump stalwart Judge Jeanine Pirro, Donald Trump Jr. and girlfriend Kimberly Guilfoyle watched from a VIP section of the track. Trump's President's Day weekend in Florida demonstrated how Trump plans to approach his 2020 campaign -- showcasing the presidency to his MAGA base and raising money with high dollar donors across the country. Before heading to Daytona, Trump raised $10 million for his reelection and the Republican National Committee with a small private dinner of 40 of his wealthiest supporters." (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~
~~~ David Edwards of the Raw Story: "The FOX broadcast network seemingly snubbed the president of the United States on Sunday when it cut to commercial while he was speaking. Viewers complained on Twitter that FOX Sports cut away prior to ... Donald Trump's campaign-style speech at the Daytona 500, where he was named grand marshal. FOX's cameras were also criticized for cutting away from Trump's lap at the Daytona 500 in his presidential limo. Instead, fans were treated to a commercial from Democratic presidential candidate Michael Bloomberg." One view complained that Fox network cut away because "Communists own the media." (Also linked yesterday.)
Mike Baker of the New York Times: "The Boy Scouts of America, an iconic presence in the nation's experience for more than a century, filed for bankruptcy protection early Tuesday, succumbing to financial pressures that included a surge in legal costs over its handling of sexual abuse allegations. Founded in 1910, the Boy Scouts have long maintained internal files at their headquarters in Texas detailing decades of allegations involving nearly 8,000 'perpetrators,' according to an expert hired by the organization. Lawyers have said in recent months that former scouts have come forward to identify hundreds of other abusers not included in those files. The bankruptcy filing, in Delaware, is expected to disrupt continuing litigation and establish a deadline for when former scouts can pursue claims.... The Boy Scouts' troubles have lingered for decades. In a 1935 article in The New York Times, the organization described having files on hundreds of people who had been leaders in the scouts but had been labeled 'degenerates.'" An NBC News story is here.
The Rich Are Different from You and Me. If you have enough money, your little horse can ride first-class air, at least for now.
Beyond the Beltway
AP & WJLA (Washington, D.C.): "Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam's push to ban the sale of assault weapons failed on Monday after some of his fellow Democrats balked at the proposal. Senators voted to shelve the bill for the year and ask the state crime commission to study the issue, an outcome that drew cheers from a committee room packed with gun advocates. Four moderate Democrats joined Republicans in Monday's committee vote, rejecting legislation that would have prohibited the sale of certain semiautomatic firearms, including popular AR-15 style rifles, and banned the possession of magazines that hold more than 12 rounds." (Also linked yesterday.)
News Ledes
The New York Times' live updates of developments in the coronavirus epidemic are here. ~~~
~~~ The Washington Post's live updates are here. "A respected neurologist who was director of Wuchang Hospital in Wuhan died Tuesday after contracting the novel coronavirus, despite a 'full-effort rescue,' according to Wuhan's municipal health commission. Liu Zhiming, 51, became the most prominent victim of the outbreak since another doctor, whistleblower Li Wenliang, died Feb 7, sparking an outpouring of public anger and grief. Liu's death follows that last week of a nurse, Liu Fan, from the same hospital. A total of eight front-line health workers have died, while as many as 3,000 have been infected with the coronavirus."
8 Comments
Reader Comments (8)
"Alarms were expressed" with huge numbers of lawyers etc. about Russian interference in 2016/Mueller report and other things, and they didn't shame any of these people. I doubt if judges or DOJ alums will sway them either...
Love the graphic of the droopy dog--Barr is such a drip. Last night someone played Kamala Harris' questioning of Barr during his hearing to get the job, and the hesitating and playing-for-time-and-the-right-weenie-words were AGAIN completely outrageous and phony. He needs to be hauled up before the bar(r) but that ain't gonna happen either.
@Jeanne: You're right, he should be disBarred. After all, we the people are his clients, and he sure as hell has failed to zealously represent us.
Well, we'll see if Billy Barr gets barred. It will be most interesting if all the backlash on this guy has an impact. I remain flummoxed as to why he has put himself in this position. He came into the A.G. role with this administration with his reputation at least intact––so why would he put himself in this big fat pickle of a problem?
Here's something I read today that I was not aware of re: the extent this has taken: Bibi boasts he "destroyed free speech in America" by Juan Cole:
https://www.truthdig.com/articles/netanyahu-boasts-he-destroyed-free-speech-in-america/
The film, "Suffragette" that Marie mentions (see side bar) is powerful and yes, if knowledge of women's plight doesn't wake up those females who dither and don't deliver a vote nothing will.
"AP & WJLA (Washington, D.C.): "Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam's push to ban the sale of assault weapons failed on Monday after some of his fellow Democrats balked at the proposal." THIS MAKES ME CRAZY! Let's have the names of those democrats who owe their allegiance to the gun lobby and whose constituents must be them gun toting, high noon nincompoops.
"A bolt is shot back somewhere in our breast and a lost pulse of feeling stirs again. The eye sinks inward and the heart lies plain, and what we mean, we say, and what we would we know."
"The Buried Life" M. Arnold
The catharsis triggered (at long last) by Bill Barr's essential hackery (for he is, like nearly everyone in the Trump orbit, an unqualified hyper-partisan hack) is significant if for no other reason than it reminds us that not everyone has been tainted and damaged by the Trumpian world view. Despite his sad claim of independence, he is no more free from the influence of Trump criminality than a parasite can exist without a host to leech off.
If you listen to the mainstream media (never mind the confederate edition), a Trumpian re-election seems a near inevitability. Day after day we are treated (if that's the word) to a dreary litany of the faults of each Democratic candidate. Too old, too dense, too young, too gay, too socialist, too something. Michael Bloomberg's past utterances are held up as proof of his immorality and racism. And yet the most immoral and racist character in this play is allowed to skate free of the most outrageous evidence of his stunning disqualifications. This isn't to say that Bloomberg's past statements should be likewise dispensed with. He needs to answer for them or provide some indication that he has moved in a different direction. We see reports that a couple of the Democrats couldn't name the president of Mexico. Trump couldn't find Mexico on a map! Buttigieg is somehow unqualified on moral grounds, this assured by serial philanderers Trump and Limbaugh.
We were told by the Republican Solons that Trump has learned his lesson, and yet here he is, traveling to the states of Democratic primaries to amp up the dissension and divisions in the country. Make no mistake. He WILL ratfuck this election, and he WILL get away with it if we have to rely on the likes of Chuck Todd to hold him to accounts.
But he is NOT invincible. At least not at the polls. He has a rock solid base, with rocks in their heads and their hearts, but they are, at best, 40% of the electorate. They WILL, however, turn out to vote in droves.
Democrats need to get it together. And fast. Fatty is relying on them to tear each other to pieces so he and the MSM can sweep whatever remains off the stage so he can move on to the next act in his destruction of the United States.
If everyone who claims to hate the fact of Trump goes out and votes, he will lose. And those whose excuse at every election is that "they're all the same" cannot play that card this time around. There has never been a time when the differences are this stark. It's like saying "Black and white? No difference."
I'm trying to stave off depression here, but I also need to remind myself that Trump, like a shit stain on the floor, will only remain so long as someone doesn't get up off their ass to clean it up.
Get rid of the big turd and the little turds like Barr and Pompeo will follow. Right down the crapper. Because as cathartic as it is to see the smackdown of hack-man Barr, just think of the unbridled joy of seeing that Fat piece of shit having to leave the office his diseased presence has disgraced.
It's all about the vote at this point.
Akhilleus says "I'm trying to stave off depression here."
February 18 is National Drink Wine Day. We started yesterday in
my neighborhood with a pot luck and wine tasting. Depression gone.
Forrest,
Have a couple for me, willya?
With his pardons and commutations of the prominent could Trump be piling up nominees for cabinet positions in a second term?
There are more to come, the only question is when. Trump is the white collar criminals ultimate "get out of jail" card.
The pardons and the commutations make no sense at all. He is choosing random putrid individuals to smear it in our faces. He is doing it solely because he can do it. There is no "there" there in his thinking.
I date the origin of this total mental breakdown to his being briefed on the existence of the whistleblower in late September. It's been straight downhill since. He is going to start a war. Or worse. And soon.