Congress

Backed into a corner, Trump’s last defense with respect to calling on Ukraine and China to investigate Biden is that he has an “absolute right” and/or “duty,” to investigate “corruption.” Clearly, Trump and his aides, Barr, Pompeo, and perhaps Trump-friendly allies around the globe, have determined that Trump must castigate himself as the anti-corruption president as the only way forward. Quote from Rawstory: “I don’t care about Biden’s campaign,” Trump said. “But I do care about corruption. His campaign, that’s up to him. Politics, that’s up to them. I don’t care about politics.“ He doesn’t care about politics, he cares about “corruption.” He cares about “Ukrainian corruption,” but doesn’t care about Russian corruption, perhaps the most corrupt country on Earth. Russian corruption sucks the lifeblood out of the global economy, because Russia’s only export is “lawlessness.” Trump cares about “corruption,” but gave cover to a nation borne of corruption, Saudi Arabia, that “corruptly” killed an American resident journalist in the most horrific manner, and has tortured and executed whistleblowers since MBS’s rise. Trump cares about “corruption,” but has overseen the most corrupt, grifting cabinet and “first-family” in history, and we’ve only scratched the surface. Think military spending at his Scotland resort, and the DOJ Christmas party at the Trump DC hotel. He cares about “corruption,” but when Jeff Session’s DOJ prosecuted two Republican congressman prior to the 2018 election for corruption, Trump criticized Sessions for the prosecution. I could go on. But, want to know who cannot go on? Can’t go on beyond: “I am against corruption”? Trump. On Friday, a reporter asked Trump to cite any other action Trump had taken around the globe against “corruption,” and whether Trump had asked a foreign leader for assistance in rooting out “corruption” in any setting besides political rivals, just one example. Trump had none. “You know, we would have to look,” Trump responded. “What I ask for and what I always will ask for is anything having to do with corruption with respect to our country,” he continued. “If a foreign country can help us with respect to corruption and corruption probe, and — I don’t care if it’s Biden or anybody else. If they can help us.” “If Biden is corrupt, if his son is corrupt — when his son takes out billions of dollars and he has no experience. He just got fired from the Navy. When they do that, that’s no good. So — just to finish your question. Anything having to do with corruption, I actually feel I have an obligation to do that.” So, the answer is “No, but listen to all these bad things about Joe Biden …” This is just so god-awful dangerous. Want to know the constitutional extent of the White House’s obligations? Keep its nose out of criminal investigations of all types. I know it all sounds quaint, but at one point, it would have been considered “obviously impeachable” for the president to even pick up the phone and direct the A.G. to investigate anyone, never mind pick up the phone and ask a foreign leader to investigate someone. At one point, the one sure answer you would hear from the White House about “investigations” of any type, was: “The White House does not comment about ongoing official investigations.” Indeed, even in Trump’s White House, Don […]

Lest you worried that Trump would understand the seriousness of the charges against him, and invest in the swampiest of the experienced swamp-monster attorneys in DC, fear not. Trump got a public defender. Jared. From Rawstory: As reported by CNN on Friday, the president is relying on Kushner and chief of staff Mick Mulvaney to come up with a plan aimed at beating back investigations launched by House Democrats into the president’s efforts to get Ukraine to dig up dirt on his political opponents… Kushner has been the mastermind behind some of Trump’s biggest mistakes as president, most notably the decision to fire former FBI Director James Comey, which led to the appointment of special counsel Robert Mueller and the conviction of multiple Trump associates for a wide array of offenses. If someone attempted to impeach me for the presidential crime of the century, I would be lining up the absolute best attorneys in NYC and DC, with a minimum of thirty years experience each, people who have tackled serious issues before, and won. Thankfully, it is Trump that is accused of abusing the powers of his office, not me. I get abused by my office. The internet is having a great time with the inspired choice: This is unfortunate news for the world. Now, who's going to solve the Middle East peace problem? — Jeff Dannenberg (@jecrda) October 4, 2019 😂😂😂😂😂 Kushner and Mulvaney to head impeachment defense. To my knowledge, Kushner does not have a law degree. TRUMP IS SCREWED! — Sherrie Kaw (@89wunderlust) October 4, 2019 To my knowledge, Jared’s tuition at Harvard (for undergrad) was well over a million dollars, that was the amount his father had to give the university to get his son admitted. F’ing moron. And, to remind everyone here of the stakes, and the need to keep an eye on “Kush” because he’s been known to “do whatever it takes:” Trump has tapped son in law Jared Kushner to lead his impeachment defense. While Jared is a repulsive and inept creature, we should not be overconfident. He has friends with bone saws who carve up journalists. — Jim David (@ComicJimDavid) October 4, 2019 Still, it could be much worse. Trump could have tapped someone who might have formed a plan, based upon experience, legal principles, and intelligence. Instead, he went to Jared. **** Peace, y’all Jason jmiciak@yahoo.com, and on Twitter: @MiciakZoom  

Trump is coming unglued, as we noted yesterday, sent into a frenzy by the seriousness of the latest allegations and increasing support for impeachment. It is good to remember, this all started due to a whistleblower report compiled by a CIA agent. In short, our intelligence and diplomatic communities are convinced that the entire United States’ executive foreign policy apparatus, has been co-opted by an foreign asset, selling secrets, and, for the first time ever, selling foreign policy itself. The nature of the threat leads to a shocking dynamic, where the people normally seen as “the good guys,” our CIA agents, FBI agents, and international envoys, are “the enemy” according to Trump and his cult-followers. I want to share a reply that I received to a Tweet yesterday. I received this reply to a tweet that I sent whereby I noted that Trump might have called upon Chinese President Xi to investigate Biden because he had already asked Xi in June – over the phone – to investigate Biden. Here is the tweet and the reply: Chalk this under, paybacks are a bitch, ain’t that right Obama, Biden, Clinton, Lynch, Comey, McCabe, McCain, Clapper, Brennan and dozens more criminally corrupt DC swamp insiders (including the msm) who orchestrated the whole Trump Russian tooth fairy conspiracy, suck it.. — Right Spin (@RightSpin1) October 4, 2019 Forget the “Obama,” “Biden” and “Clinton,” reference for a moment, those are politicians for whom the Right has a genetic-based hatred. Look at the other names on the list, Attorney General Lynch, FBI Director McCabe, “McCain,” (?) and the intelligence officials. All law enforcement, all invested in the security of the United States from foreign manipulation, and all put their loyalty to the United States, not Trump. Trump knew from day one that the foreign intelligence community would become aware of his compromised position, his personal deals, and conflicts. He set about to make the good guys, the bad guys, and it has worked. From Rawstory, today: This is the traditional way of Washington politics, now whipped to a froth by the convulsions of a dysfunctional and deregulated political system. Not only do U.S. intelligence agencies see the American presidency is vulnerable to manipulation (or capture) by pro-Trump intelligence services in Moscow, Riyadh, and Jerusalem, but the president himself is viewed as a threat to the national security process. The crisis runs even deeper than Watergate, which had the effect of empowering Congress and reining in the intelligence agencies. As in Watergate, the Trump crisis pits a president who says there are no limits on his freedom of action against the institutional forces of the CIA and FBI. These agencies were, and are, adept at defending their interests in the Washington press corps. As in Watergate, the interests of the agencies and the Democrats overlap—they both seek to curb and remove a lawless president. The tweet, along with those two paragraphs lead to a terribly depressing conclusion. Any evidence obtained about Trump’s crimes will spring from an investigation done by the FBI, CIA, and State Department, and the dynamic dictates that the stronger the evidence, the more likely Trump supporters will believe it is all the product of a vendetta by the “Deep State.” They made it all up, or it’s not a problem to begin with. Trump didn’t […]

See-Saw, Marjorie Daw, Jackie shall have a new master   English nursery rhyme July 25th, 2019 Ukrainian President Zelinsky tells President Trump in a phone call that Ukraine is almost ready to buy more javelin anti tank missiles from the US to defend itself from Russia. To which Trump replies, “We’d like you to do us a favor though,” and lays out a quid pro quo that Ukraine reopen the investigation into Joe and Hunter Biden, and presumably find something as juicy as a T-Bone. September 3rd, 2019 In response to a question from a reporter, Trump says that trade talks with Chine will be resuming soon, and that if China doesn’t do the right thing, “We are in a very strong position and there are many things we can do.” After which, the next words from Trump’s pie hole are, “But if China were smart, they’d open an investigation into the Biden’s.n” Apparently His Lowness figures that if a whistle blower can’t get the syntax right, he may as well just lay it all out himself, on national television. It’s true, trade talks with China about ending the trade war are supposed to resume shortly. But did Hair Furor just reprised one of his greatest hits, That’s a nice little economy you got there, be a shame if anything happened to it? This is the kind of blazing stupid that you can’t even learn at Trump U, you have to be born with it, kid of like a drop-from-the-table slider. Here’s why this goes beyond being criminally stupid, and enters the realm of Hannibal Lecter stupid. Ukraine was a traditional patsy. Ukraine had two choices, they could comply with Trump, or go back to borscht six days a week. Ukraine had no discernible pressure that they could put on Trump in response, nor any way to exact any effective revenge for Trump’s extortion. China on the other hand is a legitimate super power, not only nuclear armed, but an economic power almost equal to the united States. If Trump decides to slap more sanctions on China in a fit of pique for China not complying with Trump’s demand for dirt on the Bidens, China can slap back just as hard, and the US economy is already showing steady signs of weakening. Trump could literally start a recession in the US as punishment to China for refusing to pay up. But more importantly, China is in a position to turn the tables on Trump. There are things that China wants too, and they can use those as bargaining chips in return for dirt on the Biden’s. Let’s just say that China cobbles up some manufactured bullshit to please Trump. China can tease the dirt to Trump, and then turn around in the negotiations and say, “Now, about this little ‘intellectual property’ nonsense you keep droning on about. Do you agree that maybe it’s not such a big deal after all?” Trump would almost certainly sell U.S. entrepreneurs and companies down the river to China in return for the manufactured dirt on the Biden’s. This is unbelievable. I’ll tell you something. If I’m running some crappy little authoritarian country somewhere, and anybody with the name of Biden has ever set foot in the place, I’m telling my best forgers to start inventing shit, and don’t […]

I sure like to think that I am smart enough to read the tea leaves and predict the ebb and flow of public opinion. Not. This shocked me, and it changes everything. New USA Today poll: Americans support House *impeaching* Trump by 45-38 They support *Senate conviction and removal* by 44-35 (!) Note: 30% of Republicans say pressure on Ukraine to smear Biden is an abuse of power. And it's early. More will come out.https://t.co/nIaJRZgP7E — Greg Sargent (@ThePlumLineGS) October 3, 2019 I recognize the apparent discrepancy, that more favor “removal” – by 9% – than favor “impeachment,” by 7%. I suspect the discrepancy is rooted in how the question was asked, and what the respondents know about the process. The major point, as you sophisticated Zoomers well know, is that somewhere very close to double digit percentages of Americans believe Trump needs to be removed over his abuse of power. Impeachment is necessarily a political process. The Founders could have created a process that provided for a real jury of citizens, a judge, and a prosecutor, with a conviction equaling removal. But they did not. The founders created a political process. All political processes depend – to varying degrees – on public opinion. Republican senators, facing double digit percentages favoring removal (as likely will be the case if evidence keeps dripping out, and it will), will be forced to strongly considering removing Trump. As I have said already today, before I saw the poll, I am no longer convinced that Republicans will acquit Trump in the Senate. They have to be getting tired of this, we know Americans are: Schiff is a lowlife who should resign (at least!). https://t.co/nGp9aFP3rX — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 3, 2019 and Schiff is a lying disaster for our Country. He should resign! https://t.co/ytwEy5NasJ — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 3, 2019 I am now starting to think it might be 50-50 whether Trump stays in office. UPDATE: It gets worse: By a 52-21 margin, Americans think asking Ukraine to investigate Biden is an abuse of power, per USAToday poll. The gap among independents is huge: 45%-16%. It's even close among Republicans: 30%-40%. Doubling down like this is … unbelievably risky. https://t.co/PDVrJrMxSB — Derek Thompson (@DKThomp) October 3, 2019   **** Peace, y’all Jason jmiciak@yahoo.com, and on Twitter: @MiciakZoom

I wrote last night that Trump’s defenses are so utterly predictable at this point that one knows the script beforehand, Schiff is the real criminal who should be going to jail, Biden is corrupt, and on and on. We have seen this for three years, so have Republicans. The difference being, Republicans are now tiring of it, and no longer buying it, according to those who know. Additionally, the media isn’t cowering away, either. There is a dramatic shift occurring. Politico’s Jake Sherman appeared on Morning Joe this morning, and laid out what he’s heard from Republican sources on Capitol Hill: “The president’s strategy here is a little bit worn out, according to all the Republicans we talk to,” Sherman said. “He’s trying to employ the same tool he’s used for the last two years, and it’s not been successful because he’s dealing with a entirely new set of facts. An impeachment inquiry that is obviously extremely legitimate — Congress has the right do this.” “We’ve heard him talk about the media like this before,” Sherman added. “We’ve heard him call people crooked, we know he doesn’t like Democrats. We know all of these things and, frankly, it’s not having much effect because we’ve heard it now for two years.” The key: Republicans recognize the inquiry is very legitimate. In light of a legitimate inquiry (as if Mueller was not a legitimate inquiry), they are aware that simply yelling at accusers is not a defense. It never was. But it’s been years now. Republicans have to know that the scandals are not going away because Trump can’t do business of any kind legitimately. And if the scandals aren’t going away, the yelling isn’t going away. Everyone gets tired of the drama, never mind the boy that cried wolf. Additionally, Republicans are having to deal with a media that seems to be learning its lesson. Sherman pointed to a remarkable exchange between an angry Trump and a calmly persistent Jeff Mason, a reporter for Reuters who repeatedly pressed the president to explain what he wanted the Ukrainian president to do for him regarding Joe Biden. “Reporters are standing up to the president and not cowering down when he bullies them, not that any reporter has before,” Sherman said. “But it’s important to keep that in mind. So these tricks that he’s employed for two years are not terribly successful. We have heard so much criticism of the media over the last few years, especially at the mothership, some of it deserved, some of it highly unfair. It should be noted just how damn difficult it must be to stand there and have the most powerful, obnoxious person on Earth screaming at you in front of hundreds of people, while remaining calm. Yet he did it. It is all having an impact: “You hear all around Washington the last couple weeks Republicans are very concerned that this White House has no strategy,” he said. “Why does it have no strategy? Two important things to keep in mind. No. 1, he has no surrogates that are willing to go on television to defend him. Why is that? Because they don’t know where the bottom is, they don’t know the entirety of the story, because the president has not been forthright.” “People like Rudy […]

Trump’s defenses are all too predictable, and now threatened with the most massive scandal to ever rock the presidency, Trump has resorted to the “usual,” with ruthlessness. Defense one: Always have a fall guy, one big enough to make news, and shield Trump. Amazingly, this time, he may be the first president to ever bring a Vice President along with him in impeachment: Breaking news from the Washington Post, Trump “used” Vice President Mike Pence to convey the threat to Ukraine, i.e., both directly and indirectly: In one instance, Trump ordered Pence not to attend Zelensky’s inauguration — despite the fact that other White House officials had lobbied hard for the event to be included on his calendar. This may have had the purpose of reinforcing to Zelensky that he had to work to earn allyship from Washington. In another instance, Pence was tasked with delivering the message to Zelensky that hundreds of millions in military aid to the country was being suspended — and that he needed to do more to fight “corruption.” Defense, the second: Attack whomever needed, use whomever needed. Not one single “good person” has ever said anything cross about Trump. Every single person who has ever uttered anything remotely critical of Trump is a “loser” – if they’re lucky, because others are called much worse. He has used this “defense strategy” from the beginning, but it is getting “tired” according to Washington insiders, from Rawstory, quoting Dana Bash on CNN: “He puts it right out there, and today, unfortunately for Republicans on the Hill and those in his staff, he had two events where he could let it all out and, boy, did he let it all out. Those were the personal attacks which are, even for him, pretty egregious …” “.. .That is just one example of how exhausting it is frankly to fact-check him, and how exhausted some of his fellow Republicans are getting on Capitol Hill, and probably why we haven’t heard from a lot of them,” added Bash. Defense three: Know your allies, and use them. Every single person who has ever flattered Trump is a “good person,” a “smart guy,” “beautiful,” “perfect,” you know the drill. This extends to known torturing murderers: Vladimir Putin, “Count Doo Ku” Kim, and Bonesaw-MBS, all great guys, because they love Trump, or at least “say” they do. The only “character trait” Trump admires is whether that person’s character submits to Trump. Witness the utter perfection of Mike Pompeo – in Trump’s eyes, the “First in Class at West Point,” who directly lied to the press earlier in the week. But, Pompeo is impeccable in his defense of Trump – “good guy.” Defense Four: Normalize lawbreaking, accuse others of doing what he himself did.  Trump committed the quintessential political crime, extorting a foreign country to bring down a political rival. Trump refers to it as the “perfect call.” Meanwhile, Trump accuses the person leading the investigation of treason, a crime punishable by death, for daring to paraphrase Trump’s message. Schiff is getting death threats. Congressman Adam Schiff should resign for the Crime of, after reading a transcript of my conversation with the President of Ukraine (it was perfect), fraudulently fabricating a statement of the President of the United States and reading it to Congress, as though mine! […]

This whole Trump Ukraine phone call scandal is devastating for Trump, and not only is the State Department Inspector General going to make it even worse in a couple of hours, Trump himself is making it worse. But there’s nothing he can do about it, after all, he’s Trump and a dog’s gotta howl. Trump has always been a small, petty, childish, mean, vindictive man, but for the last almost 5 years now, he’s made that work for him. And he did that by controlling the messaging. When he insulted Democratic lawmakers, or recalcitrant Republicans, or anybody else who displeased him, especially Robert Mueller, he did it by setting the narrative and the context of the conversation or issue. Then, when he let lose his barrage of insane shit on Twitter, it ca,e across to some as cutting, sarcastic, and funny, instead of stupid, childish and insulting. But the days of His Lowness controlling the narrative are over and done with, and as long as the Democrats keep the pressure on, they ain’t coming back. Which presents yet another problem for Trump. Many Trump supporters, even those who continue to insist that they still back and support Emperor Numbus Nuttus, freely admit that they wish he’d just cut out all of the Twitter bullshit and do the job they ut him there to do. They voted for change and an outsider, and they never found his Twitter or oral stunts particularly funny or endearing. And that was when things were going relatively well. But things are no longer going well, and Trump is no longer controlling the controlling the conversation. And if there’s one thing that everybody hates, even Trump supporters, it’s a sore loser.Nobody, including Trombies. hates it when their kid continues to insist tht he’s innocent, instead of just admitting that he fucked up, and owning it. Hell, Trump and the GOP writ large have accused the Democrats of this, whining and creating excuses for fucking up an election that they should have easily won. But now the shoe is on the other foot. At the moment, the Democrats are pitch perfect. Democratic presidential candidates shake their heads sadly, and intone on how they wish that they didn’t have to embark on this sad course. Speaker Pelosi, in her presser today with Intel Chair Adam Schiff, set the tone. She spoke of the House’s continuing work on lower drug prices and the new NAFTA agreement, and wouldn’t let reporters question her and Schiff about Trump until they discuss the other important issues to the American people first. They came across as sane, sober adults, saddened by the impeachment, but resolute in seeing it through, all while continuing to legislate on behalf of the American people that they were elected to serve. And then along came The Pampers President, out own beloved Toddler in Chief. With a real, actual President sitting next to him in the Oval Office, it was a steady stream of “Shifty Schiff,” and “Nasty Nancy,” far right wing conspiracy theories, and vague muttered threats at all and sundry who oppose him. In other words, a classic Trumper tantrum. Carried live on national television. Show me another two year old who wouldn’t have instantly qualified for a time out in the corner, followed by a nap for antics like that. Look, there are plenty […]

Unbelievable. That was the conclusion that Senator Angus King’s staff came to, after reading the transcript/memo of the phone call to Ukrainian president Zelensky. They had no trouble believing that an obvious shakedown that took place. No, that wasn’t what they had trouble understanding. Rather, they couldn’t understand how an undisputed thirty minute phone call yielded transcripts that King’s staff could not make last more than ten minutes, reading at normal conversational pace. According to Rawstory: Speaking to CNN’s Anderson Cooper on Tuesday, King asserted that according to an analysis by his staff, roughly two-thirds of the call time remain unaccounted for. The 75-year-old King (who was a Democrat before 1993) told Cooper, “I had two staff members from my office the other day read it aloud, and we timed it. They read it in normal speaking pace. It took them ten minutes and 40 seconds; the phone call was 30 minutes. Now, we don’t know what is missing.” Now that is interesting, no? I can’t help but note how many times we have heard that the phone call was “perfect,” how quickly the White House released the “transcript” (when have they ever done that?), and how often we have heard “no quid pro quo.” Perhaps the most damaging portions of the call are still on the server? We have seen the administration attempt to “spin” release of documents before, the Mueller report being exhibit one. King does allow that perhaps a translator was used, despite the fact that Ukrainian president Zelensky speaks English: The senator, however, noted that some of that time might have been taking up by translators. The 41-year-old Zelensky speaks English as well as Russian and Ukrainian, but English is not his native language. Whatever else is going on, King is no fool: “The problem is the president feels that he is the state — you know, like Louis XIV,” King told Cooper. Trump, King added, wrongly believes that “criticism of him is treason against the United States.” Yes. Just ask Adam Schiff. I want the tapes of the phone call, all of it, and I want it analyzed by forensic experts, because this White House is capable of anything. It does seem to me that a thirty minute phone call would entail a lengthier discussion than what appears in the memo. **** Peace, y’all Jason jmiciak@yahoo.com and on Twitter @MiciakZoom  

As this critical day dawns, we learn that the American people increasingly appreciate the threat the lawless president poses, and support the ultimate penalty. A majority of Americans now favor the impeachment process, and they favor it even prior to learning of the unprecedented State Department inspector general’s report to congress about the conflicted Mike Pompeo. According to Politico, A batch of recent polling confirms the Democratic impeachment push is gaining steam — including a new POLITICO/Morning Consult survey that shows for the first time that more voters support than oppose proceedings to remove Trump from office. The uptick is primarily among Democrats, as Republican voters surveyed continue to have Trump’s back. In the POLITICO/Morning Consult poll, 46 percent of voters said Congress should begin impeachment proceedings vs. 43 percent who said they should not. Eleven percent had no opinion. That support represented a 3-point bump from last week, when voters were evenly split. The fact that a majority of Americans now favor impeachment represents a seismic shift that could ultimately determine the timeframe by which the process goes forward. Trump remains in office today only because it is widely believed that few Republicans would vote to remove him. But each Republican sitting in the Senate now has to recalculate all previous assumptions, sticking beside Trump at all costs may incur the ultimate cost to their political career. Before anyone breaks into a dance, it should be noted that the poll reflects whether the public favors the impeachment inquiry itself, and not “removal.” At this point, the people favoring “removal” still remain in the minority, at 44%. Additionally, the impeachment question, like near everything else in this nation right now, remains deeply divided along partisan lines: Voters are becoming even more divided along partisan lines on impeachment. The POLITICO/Morning Consult poll shows eight-in-10 Democrats support starting impeachment proceedings, while only 11 percent oppose that. Among Republicans, only 9 percent support impeachment proceedings, compared to 85 percent who oppose. Independents are split: 43 percent support beginning impeachment proceedings, while 39 percent are in opposition. Among the 41 percent of all voters who approve of the job Trump is doing as president, only 5 percent say Congress should begin impeachment proceedings against him, while 88 percent say Congress should not. Make of that what you will. For me, it tells me that there is no point in doing the “narrow and fast” impeachment proceeding advocated by so many in Congress. The public is not supportive of removal itself, not quite yet. Still, the public has shifted its views after only seeing the tip of the corruption iceberg. Consider all we’ve learned in just the last week. And with each revelation, it seems the support to remove Trump grows. I cannot help but think that even larger scandals, more damning information – taxes, Deutsche Bank records – are coming, and sooner than we might think. But, for now, the important takeaway is that public opinion is shifting, increasing the risk to each Republican senator who continues to defend Trump at all costs, oh, and increasing the risk to Trump, too. **** Peace, y’all Jason jmiciak@yahoo.com and on Twitter @MiciakZoom