;)
The Commentariat -- January 18, 2021
Late Morning/Afternoon Update:
A New York Times video op-ed:
Lisa Rein of the Washington Post: "President-elect Joe Biden on Monday plans to nominate five women to serve in the No. 2 spots at key Cabinet agencies, moving to fill out vital day-to-day operations roles in the government he will take over on Wednesday. The moves, which will install deputies with hands-on experience in critical departments, reflect Biden's push to elevate women and his desire to quickly tackle the nation's crises and repair agencies suffering from morale and other problems. The nominees, who must be confirmed by the Senate, include Jewel H. Bronaugh at Agriculture, Polly Trottenberg at Transportation, Andrea Palm at Health and Human Services, Elizabeth Klein at Interior and Cindy Marten at Education."
The Washington Post's live inauguration updates are topped with a quintessential headline: "Biden to participate in national day of service as Trump prepares pardons." MB: Another way to put it: Biden participates in presidential tradition as Trump engages in corrupt practices." Sure hope it warms up enough this afternoon for Trump to get in a round of golf with some white megadonors.
Elizabeth Dwoskin & Aaron Gregg of the Washington Post: "Five prominent anti-vaccine organizations that have been known to spread misleading information about the coronavirus received more than $850,000 in loans from the federal Paycheck Protection Program, raising questions about why the government is giving money to groups actively opposing its agenda and seeking to undermine public health during a critical period.... Several of the Facebook pages of these organizations have been penalized by the social network, including being prohibited from buying advertising, for pushing misinformation about covid-19.... While it's unclear whether the anti-vaccine groups broke any rules, their receipt of public assistance is in many ways a consequence of the scattershot way in which the Paycheck Protection Program delivered hundreds of billions of dollars into the economy with few guardrails or preconditions." Thanks to Forrest M. for the link. MB: BTW, these PPP "loans" are not really loans at all; if certain fairly easy conditions are met, the loans are forgiven.
Disappointing News. Jonathan Karl & Marc Nathanson of ABC News: Rudy "Giuliani, who has been leading the president's efforts to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election, told ABC News' ... Jonathan Karl late Sunday that [he] will not be part of Trump's legal team for the upcoming Senate impeachment trial due to his involvement in the Jan. 6 Washington, D.C., rally that led to the attack on the U.S. Capitol building." MB: So no shouting, screaming, mugging, spitting, drooling, dripping & farting on the Senate floor.
Simon Tindsall of the Guardian: "While all eyes are on Donald Trump and his Capitol Hill mob, a would-be heir and successor is running riot all by himself, storming citadels, wagging the flag and breaking china.... Mike Pompeo may not strike many people as presidential material. But Trump lowered the bar.... In a display of extraordinary chutzpah, Pompeo has spent the time since Trump lost the election setting booby traps and laying diplomatic minefields in global conflict zones. Partly he aims to secure his own and Trump's 'legacy'. Partly it's to screw Biden. But mostly it's about winning the White House.... That potentially makes the former Kansas Tea party congressman and CIA chief more dangerous to the Biden presidency, and the progressive cause, than a disgraced Trump may ever be." --s ~~~
~~~ "The Worst Secretary of State in American History." Lara Jakes of the New York Times: "Spurned by many foreign allies, ridiculed by adversaries, disliked by a significant number of his own diplomats and trying to preserve his political future, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo ... dismissed the power of persuasion, instead trying to strong-arm European leaders, taunting rulers in China and Iran, and working to keep dictators off-balance.... But by rejecting the traditional role of predictable diplomacy and mirroring President Trump's own style, Mr. Pompeo's strategy backfired, according to foreign policy analysts and a large cohort in the State Department. As he leaves office, Mr. Pompeo, 57, has been tagged by a number of officials and analysts with the dubious distinction of the worst secretary of state in American history. That will come back to haunt him as he considers running for president in 2024 or seeking another elected office, as he is widely believed to be doing. Iran is now closer to building a nuclear bomb and that North Korea has more nuclear weapons than it did at the beginning of the Trump administration. Relations with key European leaders, the United Nations and other diplomatic and economic alliances are in worse shape. The United States has less standing to promote democracy and human rights in the world than it did four years ago, according to many career diplomats. And Mr. Pompeo's role in enabling the president's shadow foreign policy in Ukraine -- undermining years of United States support to ward off Russian military aggression -- raised concerns among lawmakers...." ~~~
~~~ Marie: But kudos for making the front page of the paper of record, Mike.
Martyn McLaughlin of The Scotsman: "The Rockshiel trust, listed by Steven Mnuchin, the US Treasury secretary, among his global portfolio of property holdings, has been trying for two years to build a cluster of upmarket townhouses and apartments in a sought-after conservation area of Edinburgh.... Now, it has emerged that the trust has withdrawn its contentious blueprints for the development in Murrayfield's Kinellan Road, casting doubt on its future plans.... The US Treasury has said that Mr Mnuchin has no financial interest in the Rockshiel trust, and that the only reason it is listed on his financial disclosure forms is because of his wife, the Scottish actor, Louise Linton." --s
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Washington Post Editors: Martin Luther King, Jr. "spoke in his 'I Have a Dream' speech of the 'sweltering summer of the Negro's legitimate discontent.' This would not pass, he explained, 'until there is an invigorating autumn of freedom and equality.' He said this on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial -- not far from where armed insurrectionists this month tried to overturn an election decided, in part, by Black voters in Southern states who surmounted all manner of racist restrictions. He said it not far from the White House, where on the first day of June the president of the United States ordered the tear-gassing of peaceful [racial justice] protesters to clear his way for a photo op."
Ann Hornaday, the Washington Post's film critic, reviews "MLK/FBI": "In the exquisitely constructed, deeply unnerving 'MLK/FBI,' filmmaker Sam Pollard takes viewers behind the looking glass into the shadowy world of governmental surveillance during the mid-century civil rights movement, a program of spying, infiltration and harassment that reached its perverse apotheosis with FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover's obsession with Martin Luther King, Jr.... In this meticulously constructed narrative, which centers on FBI files that are scheduled to be declassified in 2027, Pollard reminds viewers that, at the time of his death, King was anything but universally admired. By the time he came out against the Vietnam War and began linking race and class via the Poor People's Campaign, Hoover's years-long campaign to peg King as a Communist had taken hold. Archival footage of anti-King demonstrators spouting lies they've uncritically accepted about the Baptist minister bear an uncanny resemblance to scenes of Americans who today believe that Democrats and their leaders worship Satan, traffic children and stole the 2020 election." A Guardian/Observer review is here. You can stream the film on demand on various platforms including Amazon & Google Play for about $7.
Robert Daniels of the New York Times has more suggestions for "movies to stream for Martin Luther King, Jr. Day."
Emily Davies, et al., of the Washington Post outline how Joe Biden's presidential inauguration is supposed to go, though some details are apparently not decided. The AP's story is here.
Robert Samuels of the Washington Post profiles economist Donald Harris, Kamala's father.
Biden Keeps Nominating People Who Will Do Their Jobs. Matthew Goldstein, et al., of the New York Times: "The Biden administration is tapping two financial regulators from the Obama administration to oversee key departments that had loosened their grip of the industry under President Trump, according to two people with knowledge of the plans. Gary Gensler, who led the Commodity Futures Trading Commission during the Obama administration from 2009 to 2014, will be President-elect Joseph R. Biden Jr.'s nominee to lead the Securities and Exchange Commission, these people said. Also, Rohit Chopra, the former assistant director of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, has been chosen to run that agency." The Hill has a story here.
Lauren Gardner & Ben Lefebvre of Politico: "President-elect Joe Biden will rescind the cross-border permit for TC Energy's Keystone XL pipeline on his first day in office, three sources confirm.... The move is billed as one of Biden's Day One climate change actions, according to a presentation circulating among Washington trade groups and lobbyists.... The decision was not included in incoming chief of staff Ron Klain's Saturday memo outlining Biden's planned executive actions during the first days of his presidency. Two lobbyists confirmed that Biden plans to yank the project's permit on Inauguration Day, a development first reported by CBC News [Canadian Broadcasting]. It's the latest development in a decade-long fight over the controversial pipeline and solidifies a campaign promise the Canadian government had hoped was negotiable."
Lolita Baldor of the AP: "U.S. defense officials say they are worried about an insider attack or other threat from service members involved in securing President-elect Joe Biden's inauguration, prompting the FBI to vet all of the 25,000 National Guard troops coming into Washington for the event. The massive undertaking reflects the extraordinary security concerns that have gripped Washington following the deadly Jan. 6 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol by pro-Trump rioters. And it underscores fears that some of the very people assigned to protect the city over the next several days could present a threat to the incoming president and other VIPs in attendance. Army Secretary Ryan McCarthy told The Associated Press on Sunday that officials are conscious of the potential threat, and he warned commanders to be on the lookout for any problems within their ranks as the inauguration approaches. So far, however, he and other leaders say they have seen no evidence of any threats, and officials said the vetting hadn't flagged any issues that they were aware of."
Samantha Schmidt, et al., of the Washington Post: "The troops were in formation. The residents were told to stay home. The heart of Washington was a fortress of fences, concrete barriers and security checkpoints. But on Sunday, the planned and promoted 'armed march' on the nation's capital never materialized. There were no gathered crowds, large or small, and authorities reported just one arrest of an armed man carrying a handgun and ammunition near barricades surrounding the Capitol building just after midnight. The quiet Sunday brought little relief to a city on edge from an attack on the Capitol. Each day leading up to the inauguration of President-elect Joe Biden comes with fear of additional violence and ever more security. 'It's as if we are all being held hostage to people who want to bring a lot of chaos to America,' said Charlyce Wilson, a 62-year-old Washingtonian who has been to nearly every inauguration since she was 11.... 'This is the country that the whole world is looking at,' said [Dennis] Abigoe, an immigrant from Ghana. 'To see the whole place messed up like that, it's a disgrace.'" ~~~
~~~ Marie: The day of the battles of Lexington & Concord, my ancestor Benjamin Wellington is credited as the first man captured in the Revolutionary War. British troops detained him & took his gun, but for want of a proper jail, they released him before the battle. He secured another firearm & took a differentroute to join the battle at Lexington. I'd say Ben had a lot more guts than Trump's Army of Idiots. (In fairness, Ben was as good a prevaricator as Trump's Idiots: he told his captors his reason for carrying a gun was to "shoot rabbits," he promised them he would return home.) ~~~
~~~ Laura Meckler of the Washington Post: "A 22-year-old Virginia man whose Facebook page features a photo from the Jan. 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol was arrested near the Capitol complex Sunday, and police said he was carrying three high-capacity magazines, 37 rounds of unregistered ammunition and a Glock 22 firearm.... Also this weekend, U.S. Capitol Police arrested a woman accused of impersonating a police officer, stopping her at a security checkpoint in place for Wednesday's inauguration." The Hill's story is here. ~~~
~~~ Not with a Bang but a Whimper. Thomas Fuller of the New York Times: "And this is how the last weekend of the Trump presidency wound down, with state capitols across the nation ringed by barricades, military vehicles guarding closed-off streets and Washington, D.C., all but shut down. In the end, it was for a handful of protesters, most from the right, a few from the left, many looking more like ragtag stragglers than the furious mob of Trump supporters that ransacked the U.S. Capitol more than a week ago.... In Washington, 15,000 troops, more than the nation has stationed in Iraq and Afghanistan, established a Green Zone, adding to the impression of an occupied city. The National Guard said the troops came from all 50 states and three territories, a force that could grow to 25,000 by Wednesday.... Protesters in some states could be counted on one hand.... In Lansing, Mich., National Guard soldiers watched as a dozen members of the far-right Boogaloo Bois group showed up with military-style weapons.... In Concord, N.H., five masked men dressed in tactical gear and carrying assault rifles gathered on the sidewalk in front of the statehouse lawn to express concerns about 'government overreach.'" An AP story is here. ~~~
~~~ Marie: Although it's true Trump raised my taxes considerably & he irritates me every single day as I must read & record his latest stupid, corrupt stunt, yesterday was the first day he otherwise interrupted my life. I had planned to go thru downtown Concord --- the site of the state capitol -- on the way to my pharmacy, but I preemptively decided to skip the hassle by putting off my errand till Tuesday.
Julie Zauzmer & Michael Brice-Saddler of the Washington Post: As Trump & his followers conspire to shut down the national capital, Washington, D.C., Mayor Muriel Bowser takes center-stage: "When it became clear that the U.S. Secret Service would attempt to shut down a large swath of the city due to the seriousness of the threat of right-wing violence on Inauguration Day, it was Bowser -- not Trump or Biden -- who made the announcement. It was Bowser who told Americans in stark terms not to travel to town for inaugural events. People across the 50 states heard her words and canceled their plane tickets."
The Last Days of the Mad Kaiser
Carol Leonnig, et al., of the Washington Post: "President Trump is preparing to pardon or commute the sentences of more than 100 people in his final hours in office, decisions that are expected to be announced Monday or Tuesday, according to two people familiar with the discussions.... Trump met Sunday with ... Jared Kushner..., Ivanka Trump and other aides for a significant amount of the day to review a long list of pardon requests.... The president was personally engaged with the details of specific cases, one person said. CNN's story is here. ~~~
~~~ John Avlon of CNN has written an interesting commentary on presidential pardons & raises the question (MB: for me) of why the House didn't "suspend" Trump when it impeached him this time, thus depriving -- or attempting to deprive -- him of his pardon power.
Stephen Collinson of CNN: "A battered nation haunted by sickness, death and division is heading into an epic week in which constitutional principles will triumph over lies and insurrection with the transfer of power from one president to the next. President-elect Joe Biden's shouldering of the presidency on Wednesday will end twice-impeached Donald Trump's four-year assault on truth and tranquility and an administration awash in corruption that tested US democracy to the limit. His new team will face the gravest national challenges of any new White House in 90 years, with the pandemic running riot, nearly 400,000 citizens dead, an economy in ruins and a vaccine rollout faltering. The week begins amid unmistakable signs of a new presidency getting up to speed while an old administration dissolves in disgrace and disarray...."
Matt Flegenheimer & Maggie Haberman of the New York Times: "... in the final frames of his presidency, Mr. Trump is confronting an unfamiliar fate. He is being held to account as never before for things he has said, finding his typical defenses -- denial, obfuscation, powerful friends, claiming it was all a big joke -- insufficient in explaining away a violent mob acting in his name.... Those who have known and watched Mr. Trump across the years cannot shake the irony of a president felled by the very formula that powered his rise: inflammatory speech and a self-regard that has congealed at times into functional self-delusion.... As president, Mr. Trump benefited daily from an army of defenders, in Congress and across the conservative media, who dedicated themselves to interpreting his often-inexplicable words as charitably as possible."
Jennifer Agiesta of CNN: "... Donald Trump will leave office with the lowest approval rating of his presidency, according to a new CNN Poll conducted by SSRS, with more Americans than ever in support of removing him from office.... Overall, 34% of Americans approve of the way Trump is handling the presidency, down from 42% in a pre-election poll and one point below his previous low point in CNN's polling. Among his own partisans, Trump's approval rating has dropped 14 points since October but remains largely positive with 80% approving. It has held steady in the low single digits among Democrats (3% pre-election, 2% now).... A majority, 54%, say Trump ought to be removed from office before January 20 because of his role in the events of January 6.... Nearly all Democrats (93%) favor removing Trump from office before January 20, while just 10% of Republicans feel the same."
I Really Don't Care. Do You? Kate Bennett & Jennifer Agiesta of CNN: "Melania Trump will be exiting the White House with the lowest favorability rating of her tenure as first lady, according to a new CNN poll. At 47%, more people have an unfavorable view of the first lady now than at any point since CNN first asked about views of her in February 2016.... According to a CNN/ORC poll in January 2017, Michelle Obama departed the White House with a 69% favorable rating, which was the same number as when she entered, eight years prior. Laura Bush's parting ranking was also largely positive, despite her husband's unpopularity at the time. In 2009, a CNN/ORC poll put Bush at a 67% favorable rating...."
The violence that Americans witnessed -- and that might recur in the coming days -- is not a protest gone awry or the work of 'a few bad apples.' It is the blossoming of a rotten seed that took root in the Republican Party some time ago and has been nourished by treachery, poor political judgment, and cowardice.... Until last week, many party leaders and consultants thought they could preach the Constitution while winking at QAnon. They can't. The GOP must reject conspiracy theories or be consumed by them. Now is the time to decide what this party is about. -- Sen. Ben Sasse (R-Neb.), in the Atlantic
Amy Wang of the Washington Post: "As [Joe] Biden prepares to be sworn into office surrounded by more than 20,000 National Guard troops protecting the inauguration from one of the gravest domestic terrorism threats in U.S. history, Democrats and other Trump critics are pushing Republicans to renounce the party's embrace of the falsehood that inspired the Capitol attack and is motivating many of the Trump supporters vowing to take up arms again.... [BUT] Even as much of corporate America threatens to withhold donations from lawmakers who objected to the election results, and social media companies cancel accounts -- including Trump's -- spreading the false conspiracy theories, the bulk of elected Republicans continue to follow Trump's lead in refusing to acknowledge that Biden's win was legitimate and fair.... In their comments about the election, congressional Republicans have hedged, equivocated and accused Democrats of being divisive -- even as they continue to promote a falsehood linked to ongoing violence..., [and even though] The allegation of widespread election fraud has been debunked over and over again."
Lindsey Graham Blames Nancy Pelosi for Capitol Siege. Hayley Miller of the Huffington Post: "Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) on Sunday expressed outrage over the deadly Capitol riot, pointing a finger at House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) for not doing more to secure the building instead of at ... Donald Trump, whose rhetoric inspired the violence. During an appearance on Fox News' 'Sunday Morning Futures,' Graham called on his fellow Republicans to unite against Trump's impeachment despite the insurrectionist attack on the Capitol, which left at least five people dead. 'I understand what happened on January the 6th was one of the low points in my time in office,' Graham told host Maria Bartiromo, one of Trump's most vocal defenders on cable news. 'It was horrendous to see people take over the Capitol, the House and the Senate, beat officers, defile the seat of government,' he continued. 'How in the hell did that happen? Where was Nancy Pelosi? It's her job to provide Capitol security. We'll get to the bottom of that.'"
Today is the day American patriots start taking down names and kicking ass! Our ancestors sacrificed their blood, their sweat, their tears, their fortunes and sometimes their lives.... Are you willing to do the same?... The question is really simple. Are you as an American citizen going to surrender in the face of unparalleled, massive voter fraud and election theft? Or are you going to do what your ancestors did and fight for your country, your republic? -- Rep. Mo Brooks (R-Ala.), January 6 speech encouraging violent revolution against the federal government
As one of America's most effective conservative leaders, I defend my honor and reputation against scurrilous, George Orwellian, 1984, Socialist Democrats Politics of Personal Destruction.... This entire smear campaign is about intimidating, censoring and suppressing the ability of American citizens to fight at the ballot box the efforts of Socialist Democrats to seize control of the United States of America. -- Mo Brooks, in a statement issued January 12
The New Yorker on Sunday published this footage, recorded by reporter Luke Mogelson, of the siege of the Capitol January 6:
Peter Lewis of the Ashville [N.C.] Watchdog: "In the middle of the siege of the Capitol on Jan. 6, while a mob of insurrectionists still roamed the halls and ransacked offices, leaving five dead and dozens injured, Madison Cawthorn called a friendly conservative radio host and blamed the violence on left-wing agitators sent by 'the Democratic machine' to make President Trump look bad.... Cawthorn confirmed to the radio host, Charlie Kirk, that he carried loaded weapons into the House that day. 'Me being in a wheelchair, I am able to carry multiple weapons at one time,' he said." ~~~
~~~ From the Lardner-Smith AP story, also linked below: "The AP reviewed social media posts, voter registrations, court files and other public records for more than 120 people either facing criminal charges related to the Jan. 6 unrest or who, going maskless during the pandemic, were later identified through photographs and videos taken during the melee. The review found the crowd was overwhelmingly made up of longtime Trump supporters, including Republican Party officials, GOP political donors, far-right militants, white supremacists, off-duty police, members of the military and adherents of the QAnon myth.... Even after police cleared the rioters, dead bodies, and injured police officers from the Capitol, and in defiance of appeals for unity, Cawthorn once again voted to contest the legitimacy of the Biden-Harris electoral victory, in an effort to disrupt the peaceful transfer of power." Emphasis added.
Devlin Barrett & Spencer Hsu of the Washington Post: "A heavy-metal guitarist, the alleged leader of a Colorado paramilitary training group and two ex-military militia members from Ohio have been charged with allegedly taking part in the riot at the Capitol last week [MB: ???], as the FBI ratchets up its investigation into the role extremist groups played in storming the building.... The Oath Keepers, the Three Percenters, and the Proud Boys, a male-chauvinist group with ties to white nationalism, have drawn particular attention from FBI agents investigating the attack on Congress, as they work to determine whether those groups organized or directed the violence to block certification of President-elect Joe Biden's election victory."
Andrew Goudsward of the Asbury Park [N.J.] Press: "A Colts Neck[, N.J.,] man who is a military contractor and an 'avowed white supremacist and Nazi sympathizer' was part of the pro-Trump mob that stormed the U.S. Capitol building earlier this month, according to federal authorities. Timothy Louis Hale-Cusanelli, a U.S. Army Reservist who works as a contractor at Naval Weapons Station Earle, was charged Friday with five federal counts in connection with his role in the riot that disrupted a Congressional vote to affirm President-elect Joe Biden's election victory.... Investigators noted that because of Hale-Cusanelli's position as a military contractor he has a 'Secret' security clearance and 'access to a variety of munitions,' according to the NCIS affidavit." MB: So nice to be reminded on MLKJr. Day that our tax dollars are going to "an avowed white supremacist and Nazi sympathizer." And so nice to know these particular sympathies are no impediment to obtaining a secret security clearance. In context, of course, we already know that our tax dollars are going to support the white supremacist & Nazi sympathizer temporarily residing at 1600 Pennsylvania Ave.
Kyle Cheney of Politico: "The FBI is investigating evidence that a woman who entered the Capitol on Jan. 6 stole a laptop or hard drive from Speaker Nancy Pelosi's office and intended to sell it to Russians. The bizarre claim, which the FBI emphasized remains under investigation, was included in an affidavit describing the criminal case against Riley June Williams, a Pennsylvania woman who was seen in footage of the Jan. 6 insurrection in area of the Capitol near Pelosi's office.... According to the affidavit..., a witness who spoke to authorities claimed to have seen a video of Williams 'taking a laptop computer or hard drive from Speaker Pelosi's office.... [Witness 1] stated that WILLIAMS intended to send the computer device to a friend in Russia, who then planned to sell the device to SVR, Russia's foreign intelligence service,' the agent noted. 'According to [Witness 1], the transfer of the computer device to Russia fell through for unknown reasons and WILLIAMS still has the computer device or destroyed it.'" MB: Now, Riley June is a person Trump should pardon. A woman who intends to (a) profit off an illegal act AND (b) conspire with Russia is a woman after his own heart (figure of speech; I know Trump doesn't have a heart).
Rebecca Falconer of Axios: "A New Mexico County commissioner who founded the 'Cowboys for Trump' group was arrested and charged Sunday [link fixed] in connection with the U.S. Capitol insurrection, after returning to Washington, D.C., to participate in inauguration protests, the Justice Department said.... Couy Griffin, of Otero County, N.M., told FBI agents he got 'caught up' in the Capitol siege and remained outside the building, but video posted to his Facebook page shows him in restricted areas of the complex, according to an affidavit.... Prosecutors say Griffin pushed his way past the building's security barriers and onto an outside deck, where he allegedly used a bullhorn to lead the mob in a prayer."
Robert O'Harrow of the Washington Post: "The fiery rallies that preceded the deadly riot at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6 were organized and promoted by an array of established conservative insiders and activists, documents and videos show. The Republican Attorneys General Association was involved, as were the activist groups Turning Point Action and Tea Party Patriots. At least six current or former members of the Council for National Policy (CNP), an influential group that for decades has served as a hub for conservative and Christian activists, also played roles in promoting the rallies. The two days of rallies were staged not by white nationalists and other extremists, but by well-funded nonprofit groups and individuals that figure prominently in the machinery of conservative activism in Washington.... Organizing warm-up events is not the same thing as plotting to invade the Capitol. But before the rallies, some used extreme rhetoric, including references to the American Revolution, and made false claims about the election to rouse supporters to challenge President-elect Joe Biden's victory[.]" ~~~
~~~ ** Richard Lardner & Michelle Smith of the AP: "Members of ... Donald Trump's failed presidential campaign played key roles in orchestrating the Washington rally that spawned a deadly assault on the U.S. Capitol, according to an Associated Press review of records, undercutting claims the event was the brainchild of the president's grassroots supporters. A pro-Trump nonprofit group called Women for America First hosted the 'Save America Rally; on Jan. 6 at the Ellipse.... But an attachment to the National Park Service public gathering permit ... lists more than half a dozen people in staff positions for the event who just weeks earlier had been paid thousands of dollars by Trump's 202 reelection campaign. Other staff scheduled to be 'on site' during the demonstration have close ties to the White House." Organizers "rushed to obscure their connections to the demonstration."
Julian Barnes & Michael Schmidt of the New York Times: "The National Security Agency is moving forward with hiring a Trump administration loyalist, the agency said on Sunday, after the acting defense secretary ordered he be made the spy agency's top lawyer. Christopher C. Miller, the acting defense secretary, gave Gen. Paul M. Nakasone, the spy agency's director, until 6 p.m. on Saturday to install Michael Ellis as its general counsel. The deadline came and went with the National Security Agency remaining silent. But the agency said in a statement on Sunday that 'Mr. Ellis accepted his final job offer yesterday afternoon. N.S.A. is moving forward with his employment.'... Mr. Ellis has been accused of having a hand in one of the more contentious legal decisions the Trump administration made: the attempt to stop John R. Bolton ... from publishing a damning book about the president.... While it will be difficult to fire Mr. Ellis under Civil Service rules, the Biden administration could easily reassign him to another, less important post." A Politico story is here. MB: While seeking to remove him, how about putting Ellis in charge of ensuring that federal bathrooms & broom closets meet OSHA standards? I can think of a lav & closet to-do list that would keep Devin's toady busy with his nose in toilets & cleaning fluids for years.
The Trumpidemic, Ctd.
"How the U.S. Guaranteed Its Own Failure."* Sarah Mervosh, et al., of the New York Times: "For nearly the entire pandemic, political polarization and a rejection of science have stymied the United States' ability to control the coronavirus. That has been clearest and most damaging at the federal level, where Mr. Trump claimed that the virus would disappear,' clashed with his top scientists and, in a pivotal failure, abdicated responsibility for a pandemic that required a national effort to defeat it, handing key decisions over to states under the assumption that they would take on the fight and get the country back to business. But governors and local officials who were left in charge of the crisis squandered the little momentum the country had as they sidelined health experts, ignored warnings from their own advisers and, in some cases, stocked their advisory committees with more business representatives than doctors." MB: I put this failure entirely on Trump & Sycophants, Ltd. Had Trump been honest about the trajectory of the coronavirus spread & the means to mitigate it, there would have been little or no "political polarization."
Way Beyond the Beltway
Russia. Anton Troianovski & Ivan Nechepurenko of the New York Times: "Aleksei A. Navalny returned to his home country Sunday, five months after a near-fatal nerve-agent attack, and was arrested at the border, a show of fearlessness by Russia's most prominent opposition leader and of anxiety by President Vladimir V. Putin. In hours of live-streamed drama that played out in Berlin, in the air and at two Moscow airports, Mr. Navalny careened headlong into near-certain detention after deciding to leave the relative safety of Germany, where he had been recovering from last summer's poisoning. Hundreds of people braved the bitter cold outside Moscow's Vnukovo Airport to greet Mr. Navalny, but the low-cost Russian airline he was flying was diverted just before landing to a different Moscow airport. There, at passport control, Mr. Navalny was confronted by uniformed policemen in black masks. He embraced his wife, Yuliya Navalnaya, before being led away." An AP story is here. ~~~
~~~ Shaun Walker of the Guardian: By purchasing flight records & phone data on the black market, a Bellingcat investigator named Christo Grozev has found that a "poison squad" working for the Russian government's FSB security services followed Aleksei Navalny on 40 flights over several years.
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Reader Comments (14)
Mere Giuliani headline grabbing I'd guess, but just maybe Marie may get her wish:
https://www.vox.com/2021/1/17/22235836/rudy-giuliani-trump-defense-impeachment-senate-trial
Should it come to pass, if my busy Covid/Retirement schedule allows, I may even watch it.
Could be fun.
Call me suspicious, but regarding the vaccine doses that were supposed to be released from the "reserve" that they now say didn't exist, I wouldn't be surprised to find out they went to the Jared stash, along with all of the commandeered PPE from earlier last year.
To anyone who hasn't yet been scheduled for covid vaccination do what I did. I called out county health department 5 days in a row and left my name and phone number on their machine.
They finally called back to schedule us for the first shot.
When the doubt came up about availability of the second shot I emailed them and got a reply this morning that it is in reserve.
So keep at it and be patient.
The internet (or something) ate my comment about this yesterday.
It was about how these tools love using the flag for clothing articles, truck decorations, doormats, do-rags etc. and have no respect for flag etiquette (although they don't want you to burn it, which is the proper way to dispose of one).
But it is OK with them to use it as a weapon with which to beat police.
And some yada yada ... lost to the ether. Oh, yeah, that they will now get to see the proper flag display a LOT, in courtrooms and over prison offices.
https://people.com/crime/man-seen-video-beating-police-officer-american-flag-arrested/
@ Patrick, your comment didn't disappear. It's #11, the last, of yesterday's comments.
Marie wrote "MB: So no shouting, screaming, mugging, spitting, drooling, dripping & farting on the Senate floor." Because no Rudy.
To which I say, hey, Rudy's not the only drooler in town! We can still get all that. Just have faith. Mebbe someone like, say, Judge Moore could come on down to the well. One thing about the DiJiT mob is that they have an infinite supply of jest. Jest sech folks, I mean.
@Patrick: Aw, you're just trying to make me feel better. Thanks.
Re Rudy's reported now-certain absence from the Senate chamber, where I so looked forward to his rising to the Pretender's defense, spinning more arguments of the iron-clad legal logic we have come to expect from him.
Alas and alack.
Oh, so early in my morning to have last night's high hopes utterly dashed.
I've been thinking a lot about all of the people I've known and some of whom I have loved that have died; some like my parents and close friends who left this world decades ago. I like to imagine bringing them back for just a day or two and fill them in––-how astonished they would be to see how much has changed. So today brought back King on his days of days and wondered what his take would be on our country's progress in all its guises, but especially the racial disparity still with us. Would his dream seem still deferred? I think he would see progress and be pleased but at the same time mourn that we still are grappling with this century old problem of white supremacy.
I also think what this world will look like centuries ahead when all of us will be dead. Will we still have a planet that is habitable? As the world burns and the bugs take over the color of one's skin will be the least of human's concerns.
I wonder what the likelihood will be that on Jan. 20, after the president** takes his last ride in AF1 at our expense, when at 12:01pm officials of Palm Beach revoke the business license for Marred-a-Lardo with an order to evacuate and lock its doors? Well, maybe not exactly at 12:01, but any time that afternoon would work for me.
On Pompeo:
No surprise that a Secretary of State who modeled himself and the policies he espoused on a corrupt, ignorant, unimaginative and autocratic boss would show little interest in democracy abroad, let alone in the subtleties of international relations or the perils of going it (what "it" was) alone.
From the beginning neither demonstrated an understanding of or interest in the complexities of our own nation and certainly none in fair-dealing or democracy here at home.
Now, like so many others, the mess he left is Biden's.
Regarding Biden's promise to rescind the cross border deal with Keystone XL pipeline: today's WSJ online headline read "Keystone XL Oil Project Pledges Zero Carbon Emissions. The controversial pipeline project would be powered by renewable energy and built by union labor in a series of planned overhauls to avoid being axed by the Biden administration." Jeez! After more than four years of the public being lied to you thought this one would sneak under the radar? Greenwash much?
Keystone forgot to offer free birth control to the pipetown fancy ladies and free college scholarships to all Native Americans in the pipe path. Also, Canadian entry passes for border state Murricans complimentary hockey pucks signed by all the Habs.
"CREW put together some excellent graphics illustrating what we know about Trump Administration's corruption