;)
The Commentariat -- July 11, 2020
Afternoon Update:
The New York Times' live updates for coronavirus developments Saturday are here.
Dennis Romero & Austin Mullen of NBC News: "The United States saw another record day for new coronavirus cases, surpassing 70,000 for the first time, according to an NBC News tally Friday.... Sunbelt states experiencing surges including California, Florida, Texas and Georgia contributed to the record tally. California reported 7,798 new cases Friday, and state officials said they're considering releasing about 8,000 inmates from a prison system battered by the virus. In South Florida, NBC Miami reported [t]hat seven area hospitals have no intensive care beds available as a result of being inundated with virus patients."
Jesse Byrnes & Tal Axelrod of the Hill: "GOP Sen. Mitt Romney (Utah) on Saturday sharply condemned President Trump's commutation for ... Roger Stone.... 'Unprecedented, historic corruption: an American president commutes the sentence of a person convicted by a jury of lying to shield that very president,' Romney tweeted Saturday morning.... Sen.
"Worse Than Nixon." Jeffrey Toobin of the New Yorker: "... Nixon never gave a pardon, or commuted a sentence, of anyone implicated in the Watergate scandal. But, on Friday night, Donald Trump commuted the prison sentence of Roger Stone.... William Barr ... had already overridden the sentencing recommendation of the prosecutors who tried the case -- a nearly unprecedented act.... But Barr's unseemly interference in the case was somehow not enough for the President.... The only trace of shame in Trump's announcement was that he delivered it on a Friday night -- supposedly when the public is least attentive.... The Stone commutation isn't just a gift to an old friend -- it is a reward to Stone for keeping his mouth shut during the Mueller investigation. It is, in other words, corruption on top of cronyism.... One of the touchstones of authoritarian political cultures is the use of the criminal-justice system to reward friends and punish enemies."
Quinta Jurecic & Benjamin Wittes of Lawfare: "... the predictable nature of Trump's action should not obscure its rank corruption. In fact, the predictability makes the commutation all the more corrupt, the capstone of an all-but-open attempt on the president's part to obstruct justice in a self-protective fashion over a protracted period of time.... Trump publicly encouraged Stone not to cooperate with Robert Mueller's investigation, he publicly dangled clemency as a reward for silence, and he has now delivered. The act is predictable precisely because the corrupt action is so naked.... According to newly unsealed material in the Mueller report, [Stone is] a person who had the power to reveal to investigators that Trump likely lied to Mueller -- and to whom Trump publicly dangled rewards if Stone refused to provide Mueller with that information.... Trump clearly knew about and encouraged Stone’s outreach to WikiLeaks, the unredacted report shows. Yet in written answers the president provided to Mueller's office..., Trump insisted that he did not recall ... any discussions with Stone of WikiLeaks."
David Frum of the Atlantic: The amazing thing about the Trump-Stone story is how much of it happened in the full light of day.... Stone told the journalist Howard Fineman why he lied and whom he was protecting. 'He knows I was under enormous pressure to turn on him. It would have eased my situation considerably. But I didn't.' You read that, and you blink. As the prominent Trump critic George Conway tweeted: 'I mean, even Tony Soprano would have used only a pay phone or burner phone to say something like this.' Stone said it on the record to one of the best-known reporters in Washington. In so many words, he seemed to imply: I could have hurt the president if I'd rolled over on him. I kept my mouth shut. He owes me."
~~~~~~~~~~
A Reprieve for Roger
Jesse Byrnes of the Hill: "P>resident Trump on Saturday morning defended his decision to commute the prison sentence for his longtime associate and political confidant Roger Stone.... 'Roger Stone was targeted by an illegal Witch Hunt that never should have taken place. It is the other side that are criminals, including the fact that Biden and Obama illegally spied on my campaign - AND GOT CAUGHT!' Trump tweeted."
Your Friday Night News Dump. Breaking at 7:53 pm ET: NBC News has confirmed that Donald Trump has phoned Roger Stone & told him he would commute Stone's prison sentence. ~~~
~~~ Update. Spencer Hsu & Rachel Weiner of the Washington Post: "President Trump has commuted the sentence of his former aide and longtime confidant Roger Stone, who was convicted at trial last year of obstructing a congressional investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 U.S. election. The president signaled his intentions on Twitter last month, saying Stone 'was a victim of a corrupt and illegal Witch Hunt' and 'can sleep well at night!' President Trump then told reporters Friday that he is 'looking at' pardoning Stone, as he continued to build suspense over whether he will intervene before Stone is scheduled to report to prison next week." ~~~
With this commutation, Trump makes clear that there are two systems of justice in America: one for his criminal friends, and one for everyone else. -- Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) ~~~
~~~ Peter Baker, et al., of the New York Times: "In a lengthy statement released late on a Friday evening, the White House denounced the prosecution against Mr. Stone on what it called 'process based charges' stemming from 'the Russia Hoax' investigation. 'Roger Stone has already suffered greatly,' the statement said. 'He was treated very unfairly, as were many others in this case. Roger Stone is now a free man!' Punctuated by the same sort of inflammatory language and angry grievances characteristic of the president's Twitter feed, the official statement assailed 'overzealous prosecutors' working for ... Robert S. Mueller III, and the 'witch hunts' aimed at the president and his associates. It attacked the 'activist juror' who led the panel that convicted Mr. Stone and went on to complain about the show of force used by federal law enforcement agents when he was arrested.... The statement did not argue that Mr. Stone was innocent, only that he should not have been pursued." The statement is here. ~~~
~~~ Tierney Sneed of TPM: "The statement announcing the commutation pointed to several bogus conspiracies Stone, Trump and their allies pushed about federal prosecutors. It alluded to the debunked claim that prosecutors tipped off CNN to Stone's arrest. It reiterated Stone's allegations, already dismissed by a judge, that his jury was biased against him because the foreperson once tweeted negatively about Trump. And the statement asserted the prosecutors only 'set their sights on Mr. Stone' because they were 'desperate for splashy headlines to compensate for a failed investigation.'"
Just had a long talk with #RogerStone. He says he doesn't want a pardon (which implies guilt) but a commutation, and says he thinks #Trump will give it to him. 'He knows I was under enormous pressure to turn on him. It would have eased my situation considerably. But I didn't.' -- Journalist Howard Fineman, in a tweet Friday afternoon
In other words, Stone strongly implies, or outright admits, that Trump conspired with him in certain criminal acts, and a commutation should be Stone's reward for not incriminating -- "turning on" -- Trump. -- Mrs. Bea McCrabbie ~~~
~~~ And So He Did. Mrs. McCrabbie: Dan Goldman, appearing on MSNBC, goes even further, saying that Stone's remarks about the possibility of "turning on" Trump were an implied threat to Trump, and Trump knew it. That is, if Trump didn't commute Stone's sentence, Stone would squeal on Trump from a prison cell. Trump issued the commutation to protect himself, not Stone, in Goldman's view. Makes sense. That's the way criminals communicate. In fact, we know that Trump spoke to Stone about the commutation, so whether or not the two used coded crime-family language, they managed to get on the same page. ~~~
~~~ Bill Kristol agrees with Goldman. Writing in the Bulwark: "Of course Donald Trump would have preferred to wait until November 3 to commute Roger Stone's sentence. But Stone had let it be known that he might talk if he had to set foot in prison for even a short time. And so he received his get out of jail card on July 10, four days before he was to report to the federal penitentiary.... Will no elected Republican now stand up and say to the president: You chose Stone; I choose Biden."
Kevin Drum of Mother Jones: "But wait. Someone who gets a pardon can no longer invoke the Fifth Amendment as a justification for refusing to testify in court. If Stone were called in some other case, he'd be required to spill any beans he had. But if I understand the law correctly, a commutation is more limited. The conviction stands, and the possibility of putting yourself in further jeopardy remains. Thus your Fifth Amendment rights stand. So if you wanted to help out a buddy, but you also wanted to make sure he couldn't be forced to provide dangerous testimony in the future, commutation sure seems like the best bet, doesn't it?" Mrs. McC: Trump would not have known of this distinction, but -- assuming Drum is right -- Trump's lawyers knew. On the other hand, a prosecutor could give Stone full immunity to get to Trump.
Aha! Here's another reason for the Friday night news dump: Harper Neidig of the Hill: "A federal appeals court on Friday denied Roger Stone's emergency motion to delay the start of his prison term, a move that came just an hour before President Trump stepped in to commute his longtime ally's sentence. A three-judge panel on the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals rejected Stone's appeal after a federal judge set his reporting date for prison to Tuesday."
Rachel Maddow highlighted former prosecutor Aaron Zelinsky's testimony to Congress last month on "Stone's conduct" before the 2016 election & known communications between Stone & Trump. A transcript of Zelinsky's prepared statement is here. It's an easy read. Maddow also highlighted this graf from the Zelinsky statement that made her wonder about Trump's claim that he recently "aced" a cognitive test:
In his written answers to the Special Counsel's Office, President Trump denied remembering anything about his conversations with Stone during the summer of 2016, and he denied being aware that Stone had discussed WikiLeaks with anyone associated with the campaign. One week after submitting his written answers, President Trump criticized 'flipping' witnesses and stated that Stone was 'very brave' in indicating he would not cooperate with prosecutors. The Special Counsel's Report stated that the President's statements complimenting Stone 'support the inference that the President intended to communicate a message that witnesses could be rewarded for refusing to provide testimony that was adverse to the President[.]'
~~~ Mrs. McCrabbie: Sounds like witness tampering to me. Former federal prosecutor Joyce Vance suggested Trump could be prosecuted after he leaves office for commuting Stone's sentence in exchange for Stone's refusal to rat on Trump.
Washington Post Editors: "The president may have had the power to help his longtime friend. But that does not make it any less a perversion of justice -- indeed, it is one of the most nauseating instances of corrupt government favoritism the United States has ever seen. There is no doubt about Mr. Stone's guilt.... As Mr. Trump discussed granting clemency to his criminal friend, [even Bill] Barr publicly defended the sentence, perhaps to prevent a mutiny among Justice Department staff.... The president seems to be doing his best, within the confines of the U.S. constitutional system, to emulate the gangster leadership of Russian President Vladimir Putin, a man whose ruinous reign Mr. Trump has always admired. If the country needed any more evidence, Friday confirmed that the greatest threat to the Republic is the president himself."
The Trumpidemic, Ctd.The New York Times' live updates of coronavirus developments Friday are here. The Washington Post's live updates for Friday are here. (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)
Ashley Parker, et al., of the Washington Post: "Callers on President Trump in recent weeks have come to expect what several allies and advisers describe as a 'woe-is-me' preamble. The president rants about the deadly coronavirus destroying 'the greatest economy,' one he claims to have personally built. He laments the unfair 'fake news' media, which he vents never gives him any credit. And he bemoans the 'sick, twisted' police officers in Minneapolis, whose killing of an unarmed black man in their custody provoked the nationwide racial justice protests that have confounded the president. Gone, say these advisers and confidants..., are the usual pleasantries and greetings. Instead, Trump often launches into a monologue placing himself at the center of the nation's turmoil. The president has cast himself in the starring role of the blameless victim -- of a deadly pandemic, of a stalled economy, of deep-seated racial unrest, all of which happened to him rather than the country." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)
Jeremy Diamond & Kevin Liptak of CNN: "... Donald Trump -- who has stubbornly refused to wear a mask in public, ridiculed those who have and done little to encourage his supporters to embrace the common sense public health measure -- has said he will wear a mask during a visit to Walter Reed National Medical Center on Saturday. He is also expected to be photographed wearing it, a photo opportunity that some of the President's aides practically begged him to agree to and hope will encourage skeptical Trump supporters to do the same. 'I'm going to Walter Reed to see some of our great soldiers who have been injured. Badly injured. And also see some of our Covid workers people who have such a great job,' Trump said. 'And I expect to be wearing a mask when I go into Walter Reed. You're in a hospital so I think it's a very appropriate thing.'... One presidential adviser described the effort as more than a week of 'lots of negotiation' and repeated 'pleading' by aides who urged the President to set an example for his supporters by wearing a mask on the visit."
Laurie McGinley & Josh Dawsey of the Washington Post: "White House trade adviser Peter Navarro is leading a Trump administration effort to demand the Food and Drug Administration reverse course and grant a second emergency authorization for the antimalarial drug hydroxychloroquine to treat covid-19.... Navarro, armed with a new study that he says shows the drug's effectiveness, is being cheered on by President Trump, who has long touted the drug as a 'game changer' and even used it himself as a possible preventive measure. Trump praised the study on Twitter this week, urging the FDA to 'Act Now.' The campaign also has been promoted by Rudolph W. Giuliani, the president's lawyer, and Laura Ingraham's show on Fox News. But Navarro, an economist..., faces serious challenges as he denounces what he calls 'media-induced hydroxy hysteria.' Scientists have widely criticized the new study, by Detroit's Henry Ford Health System, as flawed. In addition, just weeks ago the FDA revoked its emergency authorization for hydroxychloroquine after major studies found the medication wasn't effective for covid-19. And the unexpected revival of a politically fraught issue comes as FDA Commissioner Stephen M. Hahn tries to shake off criticism he sometimes seems overly deferential to Trump."
Roger Sollenberger of Salon, via RawStory: "Charter schools across the country tapped the federal Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) for what could have been more than $1 billion, according to a preliminary analysis of Treasury Department data.... Treasury Department does not disclose specific dollar amounts, but breaks loans into maximum and minimum ranges. Salon's research did not make clear whether this analysis covered every charter school in the nation, but that seems unlikely. Regardless, the minimum total is roughly $500 million, and [a]t the maximum, the total would appear to exceed $1 ;billion." --s
Mississippi. Giacomo Bologna of the Mississippi Clarion Ledger (July 8): "Gov. Tate Reeves is warning the public to get tested for coronavirus if they have been in contact with a state lawmaker. The number of coronavirus cases linked to an outbreak at the Capitol has grown to 36, which includes 26 legislators, according to the state's top health official. Many politicians flouted recommendations to wear a mask inside the Capitol in recent weeks. Now, about one in six of Mississippi state lawmakers have tested positive for the coronavirus." Mrs. McC: No doubt most of these infected legislators are Republicans, though they could have made Democrats sick, too.
Stephen Collinson & Caitlin Hu of CNN: "Angela Merkel may not scream down the phone at ... Donald Trump -- but she knows how to insert a dagger. Trump, as well as Brazil's Jair Bolsonaro and Russia's Vladimir Putin, must have felt his ears burning when the German Chancellor demolished their approaches to the coronavirus in a speech [to the European Parliament] Thursday. 'As we are experiencing firsthand, you cannot fight the pandemic with lies and disinformation any more than you can fight it with hate or incitement to hatred," Merkel said. "The limits of populism and denial of basic truths are being laid bare.'" Emphasis added.
** Rafael Bernal of the Hill: "President Trump said Friday he intends to sign an executive order on immigration within the next month that he said will include a 'road to citizenship' for recipients of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program. In an interview with Telemundo anchor José Díaz-Balart, Trump blamed Democrats from walking away from a deal on DACA and said the Supreme Court's decision last month blocking his administration's plan to end the Obama-era program gave him 'tremendous power.'" Here's Trump's word salad "explanation" of his "plan":
I'm going to do a big executive order. I have the power to do it as president and I'm going to make DACA a part of it. But, we put it in, and we'll probably going to then be taking it out. We're working out the legal complexities right now, but I'm going to be signing a very major immigration bill as an executive order, which Supreme Court now, because of the DACA decision, has given me the power to do that.... What I'm going to do is that they're going to part of a much bigger bill on immigration. It's going to be a very big bill, a very good bill, and merit-based bill and it will include DACA, and I think people are going to be very happy. But one of the aspects of the bill is going to be DACA. We're going to have a road to citizenship.
~~~ As Franco Ordoñez of NPR put it, "In an interview with Noticias Telemundo, Trump made a series of seemingly conflicting comments about his next steps." ~~~
~~~ Mrs. McCrabbie: So it's going to be an executive order or a Congressional bill or something. DACA is going to be in or it's going to be out. Further, Trump's latest "interpretation" of the recent Supreme Court ruling that the Trump administration blew its attempt to kill President Obama's executive order establishing DACA is bananas. (At the time the Court announced its DACA decision last month, Trump denounced it as "horrible & politically charged" & tweeted, "Do you get the impression that the Supreme Court doesn't like me?") Bernal writes, "The White House attempted to clarify Trump's remarks a short time after the interview aired, saying any immigration deal would not include amnesty.... It's unclear whether the president can unilaterally grant a category of undocumented immigrants -- in this case DACA beneficiaries -- permanent legal status with a road to citizenship." Since Trump has spent several years trying to rescind DACA, it's hard to believe he wasn't just playing to Díaz-Balart's Latino audience. We'll end up with, "I never said that," and "It's the Democrats' fault."
Mrs. McCrabbie: In another Friday night news dump that Rachel Maddow highlighted, Bill Barr has dumped/promoted Richard Donoghue, the U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of New York (Brooklyn), and replaced him with Seth DuCharme, who has been the EDNY U.S. Attorney before. This is like the move Barr attempted to pull against Geoffrey Berman of the SDNY, but Berman balked. I couldn't find a single print story on this Friday night, but here's the DOJ's press release. For some reason, Maddow suspects Barr has unrighteous ulterior motives.
Shayna Jacobs of the Washington Post: "A federal judge in Manhattan has given lawyers for President Trump a Wednesday deadline to say whether he will further challenge a subpoena for his tax documents, part of an ongoing investigation by local prosecutors here into hush money payments made during the 2016 election season. The order by U.S. District Judge Victor Marrero follows Thursday's highly anticipated Supreme Court ruling in favor of Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance Jr., who had been seeking the president's tax records as part of a probe into the Trump Organization's role in the payments.... Lawyers from Vance's office previously argued that delays could jeopardize their ability to file charges if any are warranted due to the timing of the payments as they apply to state statutes of limitations. The statute of limitations for a misdemeanor falsifying business records count has already passed, and the five-year deadline by which to bring a felony-level case over the transactions is approaching."
Jake Sherman of Politico: "Chris Cox..., Donald Trump's top liaison to the House of Representatives, has told associates he is leaving the White House, 15 hours after Politico raised questions about his alleged contacts with a former lobbying client while in government. On multiple occasions, Cox suggested while working in the White House that he was collecting intelligence or doing work after speaking to representatives and lobbyists from corporate interests, multiple sources said.... On Thursday afternoon, Politico raised a further series of questions about whether and how Cox was involved in a matter last month involving a former lobbying client that was pushing for help in the Trump administration...." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.) ~~~
~~~ From Thursday afternoon's Politico Playbook: "On two occasions over the last few days, CHRIS COX -- who runs House outreach for the White House legislative affairs office -- suggested to colleagues he was doing errands and collecting political intelligence for lobbyist friends on K Street. COX told colleagues in the White House that he was seeking information on the executive orders that ... DONALD TRUMP was readying to issue so he could brief people downtown -- in other words, suggesting he wanted to give lobbyists a sneak peek." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)
Ray Levy-Uyeda of Mic: "At least 68 people have driven their cars into Black Lives Matter protesters since May 25.... Data collected since late May by Ari Weil, deputy research director at the Chicago Project on Security and Threats of the University of Chicago, shows that vehicle assaults on protesters are increasingly common. According to NPR, Weil's research has found that 18 of the attacks were 'deliberate,' with many more still under investigation." --s
Whistling Dixie. Brad Kutner of Courthouse News: "Calling a Confederate general who led an uprising against the United States of America an 'American war veteran,' a state judge blocked the removal of any war monuments in the state capital Thursday afternoon. Richmond City Circuit Court Judge Bradley B. Cavedo delivered his ruling from the bench during an emergency hearing. The fight started when an anonymous Virginian claimed the July 1 removal of Confederate statutes -- ordered by Richmond Mayor Levar Stoney under emergency powers -- violated state law. Cavedo granted a similar request to block Virginia Governor Ralph Northam's attempt to remove of a Robert E. Lee Statue from state-owned land." Mrs. McC: Sorta like a statue of Emperor Hirohito at Pearl Harbor would be an homage to an American war veteran. Really, really stupid. (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)
Annals of "Journalism," Ha Ha Ha. Oliver Darcy of CNN: "The top writer for Fox News host Tucker Carlson has for years been using a pseudonym to post bigoted remarks on an online forum that is a hotbed for racist, sexist, and other offensive content, CNN Business learned this week.... [Darcy reports some of the writer's online remarks.] And over the course of five years, [writer Blake] Neff has maintained a lengthy thread in which he has derided a woman and posted information about her dating life that has invited other users to mock her and invade her privacy. There has at times also been overlap between some material he posted or saw on the forum and Carlson's show.... In a recent article in the Dartmouth Alumni Magazine, Neff said, 'Anything [Carlson is] reading off the teleprompter, the first draft was written by me.'... CNN Business contacted Neff for comment Thursday night. After he or someone acting on his behalf passed that email to Fox News spokespeople, a network spokesperson on Friday morning told CNN Business that Neff had resigned.
Elections 2020
This Matters. David Siders of Politico: "... while new voter registrations had plummeted amid the coronavirus pandemic, those who were registering in competitive states tended to be whiter, older and less Democratic than before.... For months last year and in early 2020, Democrats had been registering voters at a faster clip than Republicans in many competitive states that register by party, including Iowa, Florida, Maine, New Hampshire, Arizona and Nevada. That was in part a function of the Democratic Party's competitive presidential primary, and in part a reflection of animosity toward Trump. But the effect of the pandemic on voter registrations was severe.... In a majority of 10 [battleground] states..., registrations skewed older and whiter than before the pandemic."
Apparently the Crazy Man in the White House heard that his campaign against mail-in ballots was causing Republicans to shun them, so he contrived a fix:
Mail-In Ballot fraud found in many elections. People are just now seeing how bad, dishonest and slow it is. Election results could be delayed for months. No more big election night answers? 1% not even counted in 2016. Ridiculous! Just a formula for RIGGING an Election.... ....Absentee Ballots are fine because you have to go through a precise process to get your voting privilege. Not so with Mail-Ins. Rigged Election!!! 20% fraudulent ballots? -- Donald Trump, in a pair of tweets Friday
There's one big problem with that: Absentee and mail-in ballots are the same thing. --Kathryn Krawczyk of the Week
Krawczyk might think Trump is nuts, but it looks to me as if his plan is to assert that Republicans are filing honest absentee ballots and Democrats are stuffing ballotboxes with fake mail-in ballots. My guess is that Trump is right: there are plenty of Republicans dumb enough to fall for that. -- Mrs. Bea McCrabbie
Betsy Klein of CNN: "... Donald Trump's Portsmouth, New Hampshire, rally has been delayed, White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany said Friday. McEnany told reporters aboard Air Force One that the rally would be postponed a week or two due to the impending storms in the area. The rally wa slated to be held outside at an airplane hangar amid the coronavirus pandemic.... Plans for an Alabama rally, which had been tentatively scheduled for July 11 before the New Hampshire rally was announced, were scrapped after local officials voiced opposition to holding a large gathering as cases rise in the state." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.) ~~~
~~~ Annie Karni of the New York Times: "Amid ongoing concerns about President Trump attracting only small crowds at his re-election events, officials said Friday that his campaign was postponing a planned rally for the following evening in Portsmouth, N.H., citing safety concerns associated with an incoming tropical storm.... Current weather forecasts for Portsmouth indicate that the rain is supposed to stop there around noon on Saturday; the rally was scheduled for 8 p.m.... It was not clear whether the New Hampshire rally was on track to fill up. Aides were adamant they'd fill the venue. But people familiar with the sign-ups said the interest in the rally was significantly lower than for rallies that took place before the coronavirus paused campaigning. There was also a lack of local interest in the rally in Portsmouth, a blue town without a red base to draw from, according to a New Hampshire Republican familiar with the event." Mrs. McC: However, earlier reports did predict fairly severe weather, and I think there could have been a problem flying through the storm. ~~~
~~~ Monica Alba, et al., of NBC News: "Well before the call was made to postpone ... Donald Trump's Saturday re-election rally in New Hampshire, the warning lights were flashing red. There were no signs of the typical throngs of supporters camped out days in advance for a good spot; the Republican governor said he would skip it, advising anyone at high risk to stay home over coronavirus concerns; fears of a repeat of Tulsa's disappointing turnout weighed heavily; and then came the stormy weather reports, which could have further stifled attendance. By the time the campaign announced that the Portsmouth event was off, citing 'safety concerns' over a tropical storm barreling toward the Northeast on Friday afternoon, people close to the campaign said fears over low turnout also motivated the decision to scrap the event.... The decision to reschedule over bad weather is a 'convenient excuse' for the Trump 2020 team, one outside adviser [to Trump] told NBC News."
Dan Diamond of Politico: The Trump campaign's headquarters in Arlington, Va. "was shut down for its first deep cleaning in weeks after a senior campaign official tested positive for the virus. The decision to conduct the cleaning came after two months of flouting the Trump administration's own public health guidance: There are no face coverings or temporary barriers between desks at headquarters, and leaders have limited efforts to implement social distancing.... 'You get made fun of, if you wear a mask,' said one person. 'There's social pressure not to do it.'" Besides being contrary to CDC advice, the campaign's office configuration & policies violates state policies on social distancing & mask-wearing. Gov. Ralph Northam (D) decided to let it go to avoid a fight with the campaign.
Colby Hall of Mediaite: "After a quick debate [with Sean Hannity Thursday during a telephone interview] over whether [Joe] Biden recently revealed he had passed a COVID or cognitive test, Trump revealed that he is tested for the coronavirus all the time before saying that Biden 'didn't take a cognitive test because he couldn't pass one.' It was then that he revealed that he had submitted to a cognitive test himself. 'I actually took one very recently when I was -- when the radical left was saying "is he all there, is he all there?'" Trump offered. 'I proved I was all there because I aced it. I aced the test and he should take the same exact test, a very standard test.... I took it at Walter Reed, a medical center in front of doctors, and they were very surprised,' Trump continued. 'They said "that's an unbelievable thing. Rarely does anybody do what you just did."'" ~~~
~~~ Tommy Christopher of Mediaite lists the tasks on the "Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MOCA), the test that Trump first took as president in 2018 according to then-White House physician Dr. Ronny Jackson." For someone with normal cognitive skills, the tasks are simple, like, "Correctly identifying pictures of a lion, a rhinoceros, and a camel." Mrs. McC: This test seems to be given fairly commonly to people older than 65 as I know a number of people who have taken it. I've taken it at least three times, and I think I "aced" it each time -- except once when I forgot one of the items in a list of five things named earlier. I don't know why doctors would be "very surprised" that Trump passed unless they thought he was a basket case. And it simply is not credible that "They said 'that's an unbelievable thing. Rarely does anybody do what you just did.'" If doctors said that, they were lying, as I'm sure doing well on the simple test is neither "rare" nor "unbelievable." Most adults know what a camel looks like. ~~~
Michael Balsamo of the AP: "Federal officials were so worried Jeffrey Epstein's longtime confidant Ghislaine Maxwell might take her own life after her arrest that they took away her clothes and bedsheets and made her wear paper attire while in custody, an official familiar with the matter told The Associated Press...The other protocols put in place for Maxwell's confinement include ensuring that she has a roommate in her cell, that she is monitored and that someone is always with her while she's behind bars, the official said." --s
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Reader Comments (22)
Bea,
Perhaps the docs were very surprised, even incredulous, because they've heard the Pretender speak.
I am.
On pardons and commutations:
The Pretender has shown mercy to (now 17) people by pardoning them or commutiomg their sentences.
With the exception of possibly two, maybe three if you count the dead Jack Johnson, all were real crooks, racists or murderers.
By their pardons, ye shall know them.
I think it says that in the Pretender's bible.
Ken: The Pretender has a Bible? That surprises me-- he sure wasn't comfortable handling one in late May for the photo op... I would feel like a fool holding one myself, as a Unitarian, but remember, the Idiot-in-Chief claims to have "thoughts and prayers" on a regular basis when taunted into showing fake empathy.
I could not bear to watch Rachel or Lawrence tonight-- too many people to hate. #DisBarr and TrumpieDump are quite the pair for crimes against everyone not them, so I enjoyed Acorn instead. So much nicer to watch quirky little towns in Australia and New Zealand, where people are happy living by the sea...
I did glimpse Daniel Goldman somewhere in the lineup--and I was reminded of how good he was during impeachment hearings, back many many years ago...
Jeanne,
Note I didn't capitalize the Pretender's... It could have been that Art of the Deal we've all heard about, the other bestseller of all time.
This morning when I read that fat little Barr, the Unjust, had declared Stone’s sentence just (just what he didn’t say), I was 100% positive that the fix was in. First, no way would he have stated any such thing if he wasn’t absolutely sure that Fatty was going to spring his fellow crook, Roger the Dodger. This way he can pretend that his filthy hands are clean and that he, Barr the Unjust, is not a complete charlatan.
These guys make mafia mouthpieces look like Solon of Athens.
Also, one has to wonder if Stone had a lot more on Trump than just the bit about Russia helping him steal the election.
The Trump Cognition Test
1. What is your first name? Now don’t be nervous, Donald.
2. Here are two items: an apple, and an apple. Remember them.
3. Count backwards from 1.
4. Spell the word “a”.
5. Now spell it backwards. Take your time...
6. Here is a picture of a zebra. What animal is this?
Congratulations, donnie, you almost aced the test! Unbelievable! You couldn’t remember the second apple, but we’ll give you credit for working hard at it.
@Akhilleus: You think of all the angles. It never occurred to me that "the doctors" would have "modified" the test to better accommodate Donnie's interests & abilities. However, I think you're wrong about "count backwards from 1." This would have confused Donnie & he would have started wailing about how "unfair" the "fake test" was.
Anyhow, whatever the exact tasks "the doctors" gave Donnie, since the test was unique, they might well have said, "Rarely does anybody do what you just did." In fact, there are numerous contexts in which "the doctors" might have said, "Rarely does anybody do what you just did."
Also, why does it take a whole team of doctors to administer this simple test to Donnie? Were they all sitting around, props called upon to express "surprise" and delight over the beautiful clock he drew? BTW, this could be a tougher question for young people who grew up in the digital age. I can remember as a pre-schooler learning to "tell time," but I'll bet many kids grow up in homes where "telling time" is reading a digital display. On a similar note, decades ago I was working the concession stand at a Tee-ball game when one of the players asked me if he could use the phone. He was a perfectly intelligent little kid, but I had to dial the number for him (and of course I showed him how to do it) because he had never seen a rotary dial.
Trump postponing his New Hampshire shindig was definitely because of the storm. He was afraid he wouldn't be the biggest blowhard in the state.
Since I know you all are concerned about the Portsmouth NH area being lashed by a "Big Storm"--to use Kay-lee McNinny's technical meteorologic term--here in my town, about 15 miles southwest of Portsmouth, we had two hours of light rain last night. Currently, at 8 am, we've got heavy low clouds, a light breeze. According to the forecast, the clouds will clear in a few hours, it will be hot and humid, and we'll have a chance of thunderstorms in the late afternoon, as is typical with a hot and humid summer day. So, thanks to all of you for your thoughts and prayers. They worked.
I heard about the rally being canceled while visiting with friends I hadn't seen in seven months. We were outside and appropriately distanced, and I brought my own food and drink for our lunch. After the three of us vented for a few minutes about the absurdity and danger of a rally at this time, when we could be certain people would not be wearing masks and maintaining physical distance, we started in with the mockery. This orange-faced presidouche is such an easy target. Does he get that at all, that really, people are laughing at him? I'm not discounting the many threats he and the GOP and their rabid fans pose, but really, he's a buffoon, and a lily-livered lying one at that. Of course, they canceled the rally out of fear that only a couple hundred people would show up, if that. And then all the negative press if New Hampshire, which has done a good job controlling the coronavirus so far, starts seeing cases go up two to three weeks later.
I spent the first half of this year immunocompromised, and was enormously grateful as NH residents, from the governor on down, took this threat seriously. I still don't go out much, though, still do the curbswerve around people walking outside who aren't wearing masks. I hope to return to my part-time retail job--in Portsmouth--the end of this month, but I will rethink that if we do start seeing cases go up. Honestly, why can't people get that it's not just them--"Oh, I don't care if I get it and it's not real anyway"--and about all of us?
I do believe we now can say, without hesitation, that our justice system is in serious trouble and that this country is absent an Attorney General––he doesn't work for thee but works for the guy whose whole world revolves around himself–––ME-Me–––"I see only what's in front of me––I got no empathy, I got no concern; I deal with an artful arrogance as you can see––with a stroke of my pen I can punish or free someone like Stone who coulda been mighty mean to me––who coulda brought me down."
So what we have been dealt–-and not too deftly–-is Barr getting rid of thems that were out to get to the bottom of that Art of the Deal guy's arts of the dealings and put in place his own henchmen–-the kind that can put roadblocks in the investigations re: the aforementioned person of interest.
"These guys make mafia mouthpieces look like Solon of Athens."
Good to hear from you, Elizabeth.
Yes, as you say, it's easy to make fun of the presidunce, the boob, the clown, whatever, of his public displays of stupidity, his endless store of mendacity, the blatant corruption, all of it, so much so that I wondered the other day what I'd do for subject material for my bi-weekly letters to the editor after his reign ends. He has been the gift that keeps on giving. I even thought that in that limited sense, I might miss him.
But that lip-smacking thought was followed by two others. It's become a pattern: After a disastrous Republican presidency, Democrats inherit the mess. The one the Pretender and the Republican Senate, with a little help from the Covid they did nothing about*, has created will be ever bigger than the shambles Bush II left behind; and if Democrats don't take back the Senate, all their efforts at clean up will be impeded by the nihilists on the Right who are in office only to feather their own nests and to make sure government can't possibly work.
And outside of Washington, D. C., what will Democrats have to work with? After four years of Pretender promulgated lunacy, forty percent of the country is even more mentally unprepared to deal with reality than it was. See Dana Milbank in today's WAPO:
https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2020/07/10/trumps-gop-is-becoming-garish-opera-paranoia
In fact, the Pretender has done deep and abiding damage to an already frayed nation that has a lot in common with the situation Grant inherited after the Southern sympathizer Andrew Johnson occupied the White House, veered off Lincoln's post-war course and survived his own impeachment.
In short, we will be entering another period of Reconstruction, short on effective tools and bitterly conscious of how poorly the first one worked out.
*My conspiracy theory?
Republican nihilists, desperate to prove government's ineffectiveness, have deliberately let more than 100,000 people die to prove their point--and as their political fate seems more dire they are making sure to destroy the temple on their way out the door.
Yes, I think they are that mean.
Oh, Elizabeth, I can't laugh at the orange buffoon. I hate him. I get so mad when I see his face on the tee vee that I change the channel. I want that operatic statue to move, grab that ratbastard's arm and drag him howling right down to hell. Now.
In my saner moments, I want him to lose, get convicted of - anything, really - and to rot in prison til he dies of overeating baloney sandwiches.
Ken - we won't miss him when he's gone.
The Idiocracy has a whole farm team of walking sick jokes. You can be sure they will expand to fill the vacuum.
I agree with Ken-- they are that mean. But they are also much more adept at skullduggery. I think DisBarr must spend most of his time making lists of people he can fire or otherwise ruin. It is actually a brilliant move to fire all the people who are gunning for one, and put in pals or idiots. Berman's was classic: there was no reason given for the firing, other than to give a job to the golf buddy, and make balderdashery the order of the day. He also thought he was the brightest bulb in the room, hence the crap about Berman's resume needing padding. DisBarr is a big slug with poisonous spines. (Just typing his name gives me the willies...) But I must say, his hiring was the most brilliant move Dumpie ever made.
Victoria,
Your reference to the ultimate fate of Mozart (and Da Ponte’s) Don Giovanni poses some intriguing questions. Yes, the Don is dragged to hell by the statue of the Commendatore, a man he killed, after defiling his daughter. Now consider the current Don (Trumpy). How many has he killed? How many women has he defiled? There should be an army of statues waiting to drag his fat ass to hell.
Mozart’s Don exemplifies the limits of Christian morality. How does a society that relies on conscience and religious rules deal with a man—a sociopath—who has no conscience and who laughs at rules? The current Don, everyday, demonstrates the limits of a society that relies on the rule of law, by spitting on the law, by laughing at justice and rules. An unethical, amoral monster.
Mozart and Da Ponte (who wrote the exemplary libretto) employ a deus ex machina (or perhaps that should be a demon ex machina) to restore order to the land. Although we, today, have the means of dealing with our own monster, we also have our very own demons working overtime to ensure that this Don’s reign of terror continues unabated. It will be up to voters (and Democrats, god help them) to try to restore some semblance of order and decency after this Don is dragged to hell (the ignominy of being a yuuuuge loser).
But there’s an enormous difference between these two Dons. Mozart’s Don, given a chance at the very end to save himself by repenting (or pretending to repent) of his evil deeds, will have none of it. He takes full responsibility for his actions and accepts the consequences. In this way, he assumes the role of a tragic hero, brought down by his own set of standards which he refuses to decry.
Our Trump has no such convictions, as we see on a daily basis. He squirms and squeals and lies at every opportunity to avoid both responsibility and the consequences of his actions.
He is no tragic hero as much as loves to imagine himself as such.
He is, at last, a base, sad, lying clown.
But one who still needs to be dragged to hell.
Cue the statues!
As today's Portsmouth Herald online headline reads:
"‘We’re safe for now.’ City officials relieved by cancellation of Trump rally.
So much can be read into that statement :-)
https://www.seacoastonline.com/news/20200710/rsquowersquore-safe-for-nowrsquo-city-officials-relieved-by-cancellation-of-trump-rally
MAG,
I’m sure the Portsmouth officials are also relieved because they won’t have to foot the bill for Fat Ass and his parade of clown cars and mouth breathers, since everywhere he goes, he leaves the locals to pick up the check. An asshole by so many measures.
I’m going to Walter Reed to see . . . some of our Covid workers, *people who have such a great job* . . . “. (*my emphasis*)
Right. Sharing / re-using PPE and placing yourself in harm’s way every single moment you’re at your ‘great job’, whether serving medical or clean-up duty, is nothing but ‘great’. In fact, it becomes a twin-thrill upon returning home to others whom you may infect.
While Orange Orrifice made the magnanimous gesture of mask-sporting for a hospital setting, he’s (IMO) likely freaked about contagion. Nope. Not spreading his microorganisms to already immune compromised patients. But catching something from them.
I’ve two close friends who’ve had this virus (both in their 50’s). And are still dealing with after-effects. To quote one:
“Covid. The gift that keeps on giving.”
I despise this heinous creature and his psycho-phants. And don’t possess the words that come close to expressing my fury. The only “good news” - and small comfort - is that he no longer resides in my hometown.
Back when Jacksonville's "Pick me, pick me" was approved the story was that no taxpayer funds would be required. Now with the C-19 virus surge, calls to downsize the convention, and lawsuits to even rescind it, those assurances aren't so firm. Jacksonville mayor Curry doesn't seem to want to get pinned down either.
https://www.jacksonville.com/news/20200710/jacksonville-rnc-costs-draw-questions-from-city-council-president-hazouri
From The Borowitz Report
Trump Warns That Social Distancing In Schools Would Make It Harder To Cheat
https://www.newyorker.com/humor/borowitz-report/trump-warns-that-social-distancing-in-schools-would-make-it-harder-for-students-to-cheat-off-one-anothers-papers
This man could say so much more.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2020/07/11/mueller-stone-oped/?arc404=true
Hope he does repeatedly in September and October
Why is Alexander Vindman being driven out of the Army?
He’s not a suck-up.
“To thrive in the Army, you have to kiss butt — I should know. Alexander Vindman goes out as a true patriot.”
I found this personal account of interest. And one more example of how forked-up our military and government are.
https://www.salon.com/2020/07/11/the-colonels-list-why-is-alexander-vindman-being-driven-out-of-the-army-hes-not-a-suck-up/