;)
The Commentariat -- March 16, 2018
Afternoon Update:
Sean Lahman, et al., of the (Rochester, N.Y.) Democrat & Chronicle: "Rep. Louise Slaughter, a Democrat who represented the Rochester area in Congress since 1987, died Friday morning in a Washington, DC, hospital. She was 88.... Slaughter fell at her Washington residence last week and was taken to George Washington University Hospital to receive treatment and monitoring for a concussion. Slaughter was recognized as a fierce legislator who blazed trails for other women to enter politics." ...
... Slaughter's Washington Post obituary is here.
"Trump & Friends," the New Fox "News" Slapstick Series. James Hohmann of the Washington Post: "Trump ... is actively discussing Fox News contributor John Bolton as a potential successor [to H.R. McMaster]. A leading contender to replace Veterans Affairs Secretary David Shulkin is Pete Hegseth, the co-host of 'Fox and Friends Weekend.' The president named CNBC analyst and former host Larry Kudlow ... as his chief economic adviser on Wednesday. Heather Nauert, a former co-host of 'Fox and Friends,' got promoted on Monday from being a spokeswoman for the State Department to acting undersecretary of state.... Trump's plot to poach from green rooms is an additional proof point that validates two important themes I've written about: Trump has debased the value of expertise and supercharged the celebrification of American politics.... Foreign policy pros were aghast when Trump named K.T. McFarland [-- a former Fox 'News" host --] as his deputy national security adviser, [who was a disaster who also got caught up the Russia scandal].... Trump initially named another Fox talking head, Monica Crowley as the senior director of strategic communications for the NSC... [but she had to withdraw after CNN provided evidence of her proclivity for plagiarizing everything]." And so forth. See also Marvin S.'s & Akhilleus' commentary in today's thead on this low-rated show.
First, Shoot All the Elephants. Michael Biesecker, et al., of the AP: "A new U.S. advisory board created to help rewrite federal rules for importing the heads and hides of African elephants, lions and rhinos is stacked with trophy hunters, including some members with direct ties to ... Donald Trump and his family. A review by The Associated Press of the backgrounds and social media posts of the 16 board members appointed by Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke indicates they will agree with his position that the best way to protect critically threatened or endangered species is by encouraging wealthy Americans to shoot some of them.... Appointees include celebrity hunting guides, representatives from rifle and bow manufacturers, and wealthy sportspeople who boast of bagging the coveted 'Big Five' -- elephant, rhino, lion, leopard and Cape buffalo."
Adam Raymond of New York: "A lawyer for Stormy Daniels, the porn star who says she was paid $130,000 to stay quiet about an affair with Donald Trump, said on Morning Joe Friday that his client has been 'physically threatened' as a part of the effort to cover up her relationship with Trump. It was the second major revelation Friday morning by Michael Avenatti, who previously told CNN that six other women have approached him with stories about Trump similar to his client's."
Cleta Got Her Guns. Allegra Kirkland of TPM: "A former lawyer for the National Rifle Association says she's 'totally outraged' over a report that she expressed concerns about the gun group's ties to Russia and possible use of Russian money to help Donald Trump's 2016 campaign. In a Friday email to TPM, Cleta Mitchell, a longtime conservative lawyer and former NRA board member, came out swinging against McClatchy’s report that congressional investigators have learned she was worried about the Russian links.... Mitchell, a veteran conservative election lawyer who played a key role in stoking the IRS 'scandal' under the Obama administration, blamed 'scumbags' on 'the left,' namely the House Intelligence Committee's ranking Democrat, Rep. Adam Schiff (D-CA), and the press for raising questions about reported ties between the NRA and Russia."
Robert Booth, et al., of the Guardian: "Police have launched a murder investigation into the death of the Russian businessman Nikolai Glushkov after a pathologist concluded he died from compression to the neck, suggesting he may have been strangled by hand or ligature. The Met police's counter-terrorism command is retaining its lead role in the investigation 'because of the associations Mr Glushkov is believed to have had' but has cautioned that there is no suggestion of a link with the attempted murders of the Russian former spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter, Yulia, in Salisbury almost two weeks ago. At the time of his death, Glushkov was about to defend a claim against him by the Russian airline Aeroflot at the commercial court in >London, where he was accused of fraud."
*****
Today in Federal Employment News:
Who Says Bullies Don't Have a Sense of Humor? Zeke Miller of the AP: "... Donald Trump consumed Thursday morning's TV headlines with amusement. Reports of tumult in the administration were at a feverish pitch -- even on his beloved Fox News -- as the president reflected on the latest staff departures during an Oval Office conversation with Vice President Mike Pence and Chief of Staff John Kelly. With a laugh, Trump said: 'Who's next?'" Mrs. McC: Ha ha. If I worked in the West Wing & read this, I'd quietly pack up my things, don my jacket, walk out & snail-mail my polite resignation letter to the Joker.
Ashley Parker, et al., of the Washington Post: "President Trump has decided to remove H.R. McMaster as his national security adviser and is actively discussing potential replacements, according to five people with knowledge of the plans, preparing to deliver yet another jolt to the senior ranks of his administration. Trump is now comfortable with ousting McMaster, with whom he never personally gelled, but is willing to take time executing the move because he wants to ensure both that the three-star Army general is not humiliated and that there is a strong successor lined up, these people said. The turbulence is part of a broader potential shake-up under consideration by Trump that is likely to include senior officials at the White House, where staffers are gripped by fear and uncertainty as they await the next move from an impulsive president who enjoys stoking conflict.... The mood inside the White House in recent days has verged on mania, as Trump increasingly keeps his own counsel and senior aides struggle to determine the gradations between rumor and truth. At times, they say, they are anxious and nervous, wondering what each new headline may mean for them personally." ...
... Lawrence O'Donnell of MSNBC reports that Sarah Sanders has tweeted that McMaster has not been fired. BUT the Wall Street Journal, according to O'Donnell, has confirmed that Trump has told John Kelly that McMaster is out. ...
... Michael Shear & Maggie Haberman of the New York Times: "In his first full cabinet meeting last June, President Trump invited a chorus of gushing praise from his top aides by boasting that he had assembled a 'phenomenal team of people, a great group of talent.' But in the nine months since then, Mr. Trump has fired or forced out a half-dozen of the 'incredible, talented' people in the Cabinet Room that day: his secretaries of state and health, along with his chief strategist, his chief of staff, his top economic aide and his press secretary. And the purge at the top may not be over. Mr. Trump, who is famously fickle, appears to have soured on additional members of his senior leadership team.... 'There will always be change. I think you want to see change,' Mr. Trump said, ominously, on Thursday. 'I want to also see different ideas.'" ...
... Marc Fisher of the Washington Post: "Although the number of [Trump administration] departures is unusual, the biggest change in how Washington operates is the way in which Trump has gone about swapping out personnel. Tillerson learned that he was being fired via a presidential tweet. FBI Director James B. Comey found out he was sacked last year by seeing a headline on cable news. Last summer, chief of staff Reince Priebus;s White House career ended when other top officials hopped out of the black Suburban SUV that was carrying them from Air Force One back to Washington, leaving Priebus the lone passenger in a vehicle that then peeled out of the president's motorcade. In these and many other cases over the first 14 months of Trump's administration, there was no 'You're fired' moment, at least not from the president. Presidents often outsource the unseemly business of firing people to their chief of staff, but 'what's really unusual about this president is the public humiliations,' said Kathryn Dunn Tenpas, who studies presidential transitions at the Brookings Institution." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.) ...
... Carol Leonnig & Josh Dawsey of the Washington Post: "President Trump's personal assistant, John McEntee, lost his White House job this week because an investigation found he was a frequent gambler whose habit posed a security risk, according to two people familiar with his departure. A background investigation found that McEntee bet tens of thousands of dollars at a time, making him unsuitable for a sensitive position close to the president, according to a person with knowledge of the situation. There was no indication his gambling was illegal, but there was concern that the 27-year-old could be vulnerable to outside influence, the person said." ...
... Mrs. Bea McCrabbie: Yes, but how did McEntee get his job in the first place? Oh, he "... worked as a production assistant at Fox News. He joined the Trump campaign as a volunteer in July 2015 after doggedly writing to the campaign's website asking for a job. When no one responded, he offered to take a position responding to website email, according to Trump advisers."
Karoun Demirjian & Carol Morello of the Washington Post: "Two top House Democrats said Thursday that they have proof the Trump administration engaged in an intentional effort to rid the State Department of career officials they suspected of being 'disloyal' to President Trump, citing documents a whistleblower gave to the panel. The ranking Democrats on the House Foreign Affairs and Oversight [Elijah Cummings (D-Md.)] and Government Reform [Eliot Engel (D-N.Y.)] committees sent a letter to White House Chief of Staff John F. Kelly and Deputy Secretary of State John Sullivan, writing that they received documents 'indicating that high-level officials at the White House and State Department worked with a network of conservative activists to conduct a "cleaning" of employees they believed were not sufficiently "supportive" of President Trump's agenda.'"
Adele Stan of the American Progress reckons the reason Trump plans to promote Mike Pompeo to secretary of state is Pompeo's connection to (and massive campaign contributions from) the Koch brothers. "So now, we're about to have a secretary of state who denies the role of human activity in climate change, which is just as the Koch brothers, who rule over a conglomerate rooted in fossil fuels, would have it. And Trump just bought himself that much more insulation against any possibility of a Republican-majority House of Representatives turning on him."
Emily Atkin of the New Republic: "Trump's frustration with [Jeff] Sessions isn't a new development, nor is the rumor that [Scott] Pruitt could be his replacement. In January, Politico reported that Pruitt 'told friends and associates that he's interested i becoming attorney general,' a report the EPA swiftly denied. For nearly a year, speculation has swirled that Pruitt has political ambitions beyond the EPA. What's new is the belief that Pruitt himself started the rumor about replacing Sessions. On Thursday, The Atlantic's Elaina Plott tweeted that she heard as much from 'EPA sources.' Axios' Jonathan Swan followed up, saying the 'conventional wisdom' at the White House is that Pruitt is spreading the rumor about himself."
This Russia Thing, Ctd.
Michael Schmidt & Maggie Haberman of the New York Times: "The special counsel, Robert S. Mueller III, has subpoenaed the Trump Organization to turn over documents, including some related to Russia, according to two people briefed on the matter. The order is the first known time that the special counsel demanded documents directly related to President Trump's businesses, bringing the investigation closer to the president.... The subpoena is the latest indication that the investigation, which Mr. Trump's lawyers once regularly assured him would be completed by now, will drag on for at least several more months. Word of the subpoena comes as Mr. Mueller appears to be broadening his investigation to examine the role foreign money may have played in funding Mr. Trump's political activities.... Mr. Mueller could run afoul of a red line the president has warned him not to cross." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.) ...
... Cristian Farias of New York: "... it wouldn't be surprising if Mueller is interested in specific sensitive records related to Trump's long-held desire to grow his real-estate empire in Moscow. Mueller's team has already asked witnesses about those plans -- among them Felix Sater, an estranged Trump associate who knows better than most about the president's interest in Russia.... Unlike a sit-down with Trump, which Mueller is still trying to negotiate with his legal team, subpoenas are nonnegotiable and extremely hard to quash." ...
... Judd Legum of ThinkProgress: "One way to get a sense of the White House reaction to [news of the Mueller subpoena] is to turn on Fox News.... Immediately after the report, Fox News turned to its chief intelligence correspondent, Catherine Herridge. 'Every time Mr. Mueller goes beyond [his] mandate, Herridge said, 'it's not like he's a rogue actor. He has to get the permission of the deputy attorney general. What we know is that he's had Rod Rosenstein's permission to go beyond that original mandate....'... Hugh Hewitt, a conservative pundit with close ties to the administration, also used the New York Times report as a way to attack Rosenstein and suggest [in a tweet] Trump should fire Attorney General Jeff Sessions." ...
... Flying too Close to the Sun. Mrs. Bea McCrabbie: The great irony of Trump's presidency is that for decades Trump has gotten away with activity worthy of a mob boss, & it was his becoming president that will bring that illegal activity into the light & will likely finally undo him. The subpoena, which was issued "in recent weeks," kinda explains Trump's recent surge of erratic behavior. It also explains why Devin Nunes' committee rolled out its fake "no collusion" report, likely at Trump's urging. ...
... Which Makes This Report Hilarious. Kyle Cheney of Politico: "House Republicans are privately venting that they've fumbled the release of their own Russia probe report. The blaring headline the GOP wanted from this week's rollout was clear: After a year of searching, Republicans on the House Intelligence Committee found no evidence that ... Donald Trump or his associates aided Moscow's scheme to interfere in the 2016 election but that the nation must still prepare for another assault from the Kremlin. Instead, much of the focus has been on lawmakers' startling conclusion that the nation's intelligence agencies botched their analysis when they determined Russia wanted Trump to defeat Hillary Clinton.... The muddled messaging was the subject of a closed-door meeting of committee Republicans on Wednesday.... Speaker Paul Ryan's office also felt compelled to intervene as Republicans offered increasingly scattershot responses in interviews, with some more eager to criticize the agencies than others." ...
... There's This. Stephanie Kirchgaessner of the Guardian: "Donald Trump's private company was 'actively negotiating' a business deal in Moscow with a sanctioned Russian bank during the 2016 election campaign, according to a memo by Democratic lawmakers investigating possible collusion between the campaign and the Kremlin. The statement by Democrats on the House intelligence committee, who have had access to internal Trump Organization documents and interviewed key witnesses, raises new questions about the Trump Organization's financial ties to Russia and its possible willingness to deal with a bank that had been placed under US sanctions. Trump has personally denied that he ever had business dealings with Russia. In a tweet that was published shortly before his 2016 inauguration, he said he had 'nothing to do with Russia -- no deals, no loans, no nothing'. But doubts about the veracity of that statement began to emerge last August, when the New York Times published emails from a longtime business associate of Trump called Felix Sater, who boasted that he had lined up financing for a Trump Tower in Moscow with VTB Bank, which is under US sanctions." ...
... AND This. Peter Stone & Greg Gordon of McClatchy News: "Congressional investigators have learned that a longtime attorney for the National Rifle Association expressed concerns about the group's ties to Russia and possible involvement in channeling Russian money into the 2016 elections to help Donald Trump, two sources familiar with the matter say. Cleta Mitchell, a former NRA board member who has done legal work for the organization, is on a newly disclosed list of people whom Democrats on the House Intelligence Committee are seeking to interview. Democratic investigators for that committee's Senate counterpart also are interested in what she may know about relationships between the NRA or its allies and wealthy Russians, said the sources, who spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the matter.... Mitchell's name surfaced after House Republicans announced this week they were ending the panel's year-old investigation into Russia's meddling, which had been plagued by months of partisan friction.... Angry Democrats responded by issuing a wide-ranging, 21-page status report on Tuesday laying out areas of inquiry that were short-circuited by the majority's decision.... Mitchell was among more than two dozen people the Democrats said they would like to interview...."
Peter Baker of the New York Times: "President Trump's administration imposed sanctions on a series of Russian organizations and individuals on Thursday in retaliation for interference in the 2016 presidential elections and other 'malicious' cyberattacks. It was the most significant action taken against Moscow since Mr. Trump took office. The sanctions came at the same time the Trump administration joined a collective statement with Britain, France and Germany on Thursday denouncing Russia for its apparent role in a nerve gas attack on a former Russian spy and his daughter on British soil, calling it a 'clear violation' of international law. But the statement included no joint action in response. The American sanctions announced on Thursday targeted many of the same Russian organizations and operatives identified by Robert S. Mueller III, the special counsel, in an indictment that outlined an audacious attempt to spread disinformation and propaganda to disrupt American democracy and, eventually, influence the vote on behalf of Mr. Trump. The sanctions also responded to other cyberattacks, including a previously undisclosed attempt to penetrate the American energy grid." Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin made the announcement. Mrs. McC: No word from Donaldovich. (Also linked yesterday afternoon.) ...
... Rachel Maddow had a very good segment that puts this move in context:
... Andrew Desiderio of the Daily Beast: "Administration officials holding a conference call on Thursday demurred when asked whether the president himself would directly address efforts to counter Russian election-meddling in particular, on which Trump has repeatedly cast doubt. 'I'm not in any way qualified' to predict the president's public position, one official remarked.... But the fact that the Trump administration has now included these targets among its sanctions lists complicates efforts to discredit the Mueller probe -- an argument Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) made in a statement Thursday. 'The fact that the administration has issued sanctions against individuals and entities indicted by Special Counsel Mueller proves that his investigation is not a "witch hunt" as the president and his allies have claimed,' Schumer said." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.) ...
... Karla Adam & Matthew Bodner of the Washington Post: "The United States and two major European allies on Thursday formally backed Britain's claims of likely Russian links to a chemical toxin attack against a former spy, calling it the 'first offensive use of a nerve agent' in Europe since World War II. The joint statement from the leaders of France, Germany, the United States and Britain signaled another step in mounting international pressure on Russia over apparent ties to the assault. The statement said the four nations shared the view of British investigators of Russian ties to last week's attack against a former double agent and his daughter[.] There was no 'plausible alternative explanation,' the statement added, noting that Russia's 'failure to address the legitimate request by the U.K. government further underlines its responsibility.'" (Also linked yesterday afternoon.) Mrs. McC: And not a word from our top Putin puppet.
Nicole Perlroth & David Sanger of the New York Times: "The Trump administration accused Russia on Thursday of engineering a series of cyberattacks that targeted American and European nuclear power plants and water and electric systems, and could have sabotaged or shut power plants off at will. United States officials and private security firms saw the attacks as a signal by Moscow that it could disrupt the West's critical facilities in the event of a conflict. They said the strikes accelerated in late 2015, at the same time the Russian interference in the American election was underway. The attackers had successfully compromised some operators in North America and Europe by spring 2017, after President Trump was inaugurated. In the following months, according to a Department of Homeland Security report issued on Thursday, Russian hackers made their way to machines with access to critical control systems at power plants that were not identified. The hackers never went so far as to sabotage or shut down the computer systems that guide the operations of the plants. Still, new computer screenshots released by the Department of Homeland Security on Thursday made clear that Russian state hackers had the foothold they would have needed to manipulate or shut down power plants." Mrs. McC: And no word from Trumpskyev himself.
Dan Diamond of Politico: "The Trump administration is finalizing a long-awaited plan that it says will solve the opioid crisis, but it also calls for law enforcement measures -- like the death penalty for some drug dealers -- that public health advocates and congressional Republicans warn will detract from efforts to reverse the epidemic. The ambitious plan, which the White House has quietly been circulating among political appointees this month, could be announced as soon as Monday when ... Donald Trump visits New Hampshire, a state hard hit by the epidemic. It includes a mix of prevention and treatment measures that advocates have long endorsed, as well as beefed-up enforcement in line with the president's frequent calls for a harsh crackdown on drug traffickers and dealers."
Trump Doubles Down on His Lie to Trudeau. Julie Davis of the New York Times: In a tweet, "President Trump repeated on Thursday his false assertion that the United States runs a trade deficit with Canada, the morning after privately telling Republican donors that he had deliberately insisted on that claim in a meeting with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau of Canada without knowing whether it was true. Mr. Trump's private admission to having a loose grasp of the facts and his public refusal to back down from the incorrect statement -- the United States has an overall surplus in trade with Canada -- were vivid illustrations of the president's cavalier attitude about the truth, and a reminder of how that approach has taken hold at the White House. Sarah Huckabee Sanders, the White House press secretary, said Mr. Trump had chosen his figures selectively in the conversation with Mr. Trudeau and in a subsequent Twitter post that repeated the claim. The president was referring only to the trade of goods, Ms. Sanders said, which ignores the larger trade surplus in services the United States exports to Canada. And in a briefing with reporters, she acknowledged that Mr. Trump had fabricated an anecdote he told the donors about unfair trading practices --- Japanese officials, he claimed, conduct a test on American cars by dropping a bowling ball on their hoods from 20 feet high, and those that dent are barred from being imported." Sanders said he was "joking." ...
Steve M. is not impressed with Trump's lie to Justin Trudeau (story linked below): "... I think Trump would dispute the notion that he 'made up information.' Yes, he admitted he 'didn't even know' what the U.S.-Canada trade balance is. But to Trump, that doesn't mean he was making stuff up.... Trump doesn't need facts -- he inevitably grasps the truth because, as he never tires of telling us, he has a very high IQ[.]... So of course he was right. And he was right without checking first. In fact, if you have to bone up before a trade meeting with another head of state, that proves you have a lower IQ than Trump, and therefore you have genes that are inferior to his!" (Also linked yesterday afternoon.) ...
... Nancy LeTourneau of the Washington Monthly: "What we have is a president who is publicly bragging about the fact that, in a meeting with a foreign head of state, he was (1) ignorant about our trade relationship and, (2) he made up a lie.... Trump's remarks ... this tell us a lot about why he lies so much. The first thing to note is the fact that he went in to that meeting with Trudeau completely ignorant of the facts. That confirms a lot of what we've learned about him: he isn't simply ignorant, he's not the least bit interested in knowing the facts.... He isn't merely shameless, he thinks there is some value in not knowing what he's talking about and simply making things up.... He bragged about this episode [Wednesday] night because he thinks it makes him look tough and Trudeau weak.... According to the Washington Post report on this speech, the president went on to denigrate almost all of this country's allies.... He thinks that berating our allies makes him look tough.... Nothing -- absolutely nothing -- matters to Donald Trump other than clinging to the idea that he is winning via dominance. He will bully, lie, cheat or steal in order to fulfill that delusion." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.) ...
... Mrs. McCrabbie: LeTourneau has it right. And Trump thinks you & are dimwitted, loser weaklings because we rely on facts to form our "theories," as Steve M. calls them. If we discover we've made a factual error, we do "weak" things, like apologize and/or change our "theories" to adapt to our corrected knowledge base. This is another reason Trump admires dictators. They spew propaganda & order everyone to accept their lies.
Gossip Page. Matthew Haag & Jacey Fortin of the New York Times: "Vanessa Haydon Trump, the wife of President Trump's oldest son, Donald Trump Jr., filed for divorce on Thursday afternoon in a Manhattan court. Ms. Trump, 40, is seeking an uncontested divorce to end her 12-year marriage with the president's son.... The New York Post first reported the divorce filing on Thursday." ...
... Mrs. McCrabbie: I am so looking forward to news reports about whom Junior is dating. He's a classy guy. According the the Times report above, "At the time of their engagement, Mr. Trump accepted a ring from the Bailey Banks & Biddle jewelry store in Short Hills, N.J., in exchange for publicity, recreating his proposal in a New Jersey mall." Everything is commercial.
Your Tax Dollars at Work. Gabrielle Bluestone of Vice News: A "report, compiled by the nonpartisan ethics watchdog Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW), relies on documents that show that [Treasury Secretary Steven] Mnuchin used military jets for at least seven separate trips last year, which cost taxpayers almost $1 million. Those trips would have cost less than $25,000 in total on commercial flights, according to analysis from the New York Times. 'The public still has no reasonable explanation for why Secretary Mnuchin apparently has never used commercial aircraft while his predecessors did, or why he needs military aircraft that can accommodate 120 passengers when his travel manifests contain far fewer names,' CREW attorney Anne Weismann said in a statement. An investigation by the Treasury Department's Office of Inspector General concluded in October that Mnuchin had not violated any laws but did note a 'disconnect between the standard of proof' required to use military jets for travel 'and the actual amount of proof provided by Treasury and accepted by the White House in justifying these trip requests.'" ...
... Mrs. McCrabbie: I'd like to know what these military jets are like. According to reports, the jets Mnuchin & Lady Mnuchin took were "the military version of a Gulfstream 550." I think of military jets as very bare-bones, but since private Gulfstream jets are handsomely-appointed, I assume the military planes have similar luxury interiors. If anybody knows better, let us know. Update: Patrick says my assumption is right. So the plane the Mnuchins take at our expense is more like this --
... than this --
All the Best People, Ctd. Jon Swaine of the Guardian: Naved "Jafry, 38, said he had resigned from his position with Hud after the Guardian asked him to explain multiple allegations of fraud as well as exaggerations in his biography. Jafry, who has also been known by Jafari and Jafri, apologised for inflating his military record but denied making other false claims. He said he resigned because the Guardian's questions tarnished his reputation inside Hud. 'You and I both know we live in the world of opinion and facts merging together,' he said." Mrs. McC: Yes, we all do know that. AND "exaggerations" is an understatement. As for Jafry's lies about his U.S. military service, he might be subject to federal prosecution.
Matt Zapotosky of the Washington Post: "Former FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe on Thursday made a final pitch to the Justice Department about why he should not be fired just 72 hours before his retirement, leaving Attorney General Jeff Sessions to decide the matter with a deadline rapidly approaching. McCabe arrived at the Justice Department about 1 p.m. McCabe did not meet with Sessions, who was traveling Thursday, but with other senior officials, including Scott Schools, the most senior career attorney in the department. He arrived around 1 p.m. and departed four hours later." (An earlier version was linked yesterday afternoon.)
Paul Krugman: "There's no mystery about the Republican agenda. For at least the past 40 years, the G.O.P.'s central policy goal has been upward redistribution of income: lower taxes for the wealthy, big cuts in programs that help the poor and the middle class. We've seen that agenda at work in the policies of every Republican president from Reagan to Trump, every budget proposal from party stars like Paul Ryan, the speaker of the House.... The party has mastered the tactics of bait and switch: pretending to stand for one thing, then doing something quite different in office. But if special elections in the Trump era are any indication, voters are wising up. Rick Saccone, the Republican candidate in a deep-red Pennsylvania congressional district that Trump won by almost 20 points, tried not one, not two, but three different bait-and-switch strategies. And on Tuesday he still seems to have suffered a hair-thin defeat."
Congressional Race. Natasha Korecki of Politico: "A campaign mailer from a super PAC backing [Chicago Democrat Dan] Lipinski ... featured a photo of [Barack Obama] on one side, and the words, 'Known for Leading.' The flip side offered a picture of Democratic opponent Marie Newman under the headline, 'Known for Misleading.' The idea that Lipinski -- who voted against the Affordable Care Act, Obama's signature achievement, and declined to endorse Obama's reelection in 2012 -- would try to use the former president's image resurrected such deep feelings of betrayal that the group of former staffers and supporters quickly assembled for a news conference to call out the congressman for what they called hypocrisy.... Over Twitter on Wednesday night, former Obama campaign strategist David Axelrod called the move 'galling.'... [Ten] former aides and volunteers stood in Axelrod's old offices for the Thursday news conference ... [and] recounted the difficulties of corralling enough votes to pass the Affordable Care Act eight years ago -- and lamented that Lipinski was the only Illinois Democrat to vote against it.... [Lipinski's] campaign on Thursday said it had nothing to do with the mailer."
Tara Bernard of the New York Times: "A federal appeals court ruled on Thursday that the Department of Labor overstepped its authority when it wrote a rule that required financial professionals, including brokers and insurance agents, to put their customers' financial interests ahead of their own. The United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit overturned a lower court's ruling in a 2-to-1 decision siding with the plaintiffs, which include several groups representing the financial services industry." Mrs. McC: Yes, because financial advisors are supposed to rip off their customers. Thanks, Fifth Circuit!
Beyond the Beltway
What a Surprise. Ryan Lenz of the Southern Poverty Law Center: "Stewart Rhodes, the head of the antigovernment Oath Keepers, will frequently threaten himself and his family with a weapon he always carries, and he has a history of violent outbursts against his family, including an incident in 2016 when he choked his teenage daughter by the throat. That history was outlined in a sworn petition Rhodes' wife, Tosha Vonn Adams Rhodes, filed last month in a Lincoln County, Montana, court room asking for a temporary protective order against her husband."
One Sick Family. Andy Shain of the Charleston, S.C., Post & Courier: "The sister of Charleston church shooter Dylann Roof was arrested Wednesday for carrying weapons at her affluent Columbia-area high school, authorities said. Morgan Roof, 18, also was charged with simple possession of marijuana, the Richland County Sheriff's Department said. An administrator at A.C. Flora High School alerted a school resource officer about a student having pepper spray and a knife and making a Snapchat post that alarmed the campus. The incident took place on a same day when thousands of students nationwide walked out of schools to protest gun violence.... [Morgan's Snapchat] post read: 'Your (sic) walking out for the allowed time of 17min, They are letting you do this, nothing is going to change what (the expletive) you think it's gonna do? I hope it's a trap and y'all get shot we know it's fixing to be nothing but black people walkin out anyway.'" (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)
Michael Cooper of the New York Times: "The conductor James Levine sued the Metropolitan Opera for breach of contract and defamation on Thursday, three days after the company he defined for more than four decades fired him when an investigation found he had 'engaged in sexually abusive and harassing conduct.' The lawsuit, filed in New York State Supreme Court, states that Mr. Levine 'has clearly and unequivocally denied any wrongdoing in connection with those allegations,' and paints his firing as a result of an effort by the Met's general manager, Peter Gelb, 'to oust Levine from the Met and completely erase his legacy from the organization.'"
Way Beyond
Saudi Family Values. Carol Lee & Courtney Kube of NBC News: "When Saudi Arabia's crown prince visits the White House next week, he's expected to be welcomed as a reformer who's expanded women's rights in one of the most restrictive countries in the world, allowing them to drive and attend sports events. Yet ... fourteen current and former senior U.S. officials told NBC News that intelligence shows Prince Mohammed bin Salman -- often referred to by his initials MBS -- blocked his mother from seeing his father, King Salman, more than two years ago and has kept her away from him as the young prince rapidly amassed power. Prince Mohammed, a key ally of the Trump White House, has concocted various explanations of his mother's whereabouts.... U.S. officials interviewed for this story believe, based on several years of intelligence, that MBS took action against his mother because he was concerned that she opposed his plans for a power grab that could divide the royal family and might use her influence with the king to prevent it. The officials said MBS placed his mother under house arrest at least for some time at a palace in Saudi Arabia, without the king's knowledge.... Donald Trump defended the Saudi government for 'harshly treating' those who were imprisoned as part of the effort." (Also linked yesterday.)
News Lede
New York Times: "An American military helicopter crashed Thursday near the city of Qaim in western Iraq, killing some of the seven service members aboard, United States officials said. It was unclear why the aircraft, an HH-60 Pave Hawk, went down, the officials added. They did not rule out ground fire, and they could not confirm how many people had been killed. One official said the helicopter was not on a combat operation but was ferrying troops."
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MBS visit next week: Watch Westinghouse's stock. MBS is shopping for nuclear power plants. MBS has also mandated an increase in Saudi petroleum refining capacity to compete with USA and Russia for European gas markets. $$ Bets $$: Trump tries to sweeten a deal for Westinghouse to build the nuke plant in trade for delay in construction of Saudi refineries by throwing in a few F-35s and patriot missiles. Just what the world needs: nuclear proliferation in the middle east.
Beauregard has to look McCabe in the eye and fire him for being "not forthcoming"? This is the Borowitz report. If this is the standard, there will be no one left in daycare. The only ones who haven't lied their arses off are the ones who were too stupid (Mr Glasses and Mrs Princette).
Is there a book for which Fox & Friends muppet is going to replace McMaster? I know .... Bolton, but that mo is a red line.
It goes without saying, at least here, that sacking these people from essential posts at a turbulent time like this is, how can I say, less than desirable.
I agree with Periscope, but unless Putin sends an actual negotiator, MBS will do whatever he wants, regardless of the meetings. Bone spurs really is running this circus the way he ran his businesses.
And while I'm thinking about it, if these jamokes are as rich as they say, why are they charging tax payers a fortune in travel expenses? Why aren't they using their own private jets so that they can flit about in the manner to which they consider they should be accustomed? Cheapskates.
@ Brilliant commentary, as usual.
"Why aren't they using their own private jets so that they can flit about in the manner to which they consider they should be accustomed?"
Actually, Betsy DeVos does. And she doesn't charge the taxpayer for it. Maybe she's the only real billionaire in the Cabinet.
Bea, you are right about the USG bizjets. The VIP flights out of JB Andrews are set up for comfort, are not spartan troop haulers. Very nice way to fly.
Thanks, Patrick.
So Scott Pruitt wants to be Attorney General? Why not Surgeon General? Why not head of the Joint Chiefs? The musical chairs in the Blight House rolls on. Oh, wait, you say, Pruitt was AG in Oklahoma? That doesn’t mean shit. He spent his entire time there working for the oil and gas industries, taking healthcare away from residents, attacking Obama, and going after anyone who mentioned “same sex marriage” in the same sentence as “ought to be legal”. That’s not an AG, that’s a right-wing bag man.
But in Trump World qualifications don’t matter anyway. So a guy who answers email is suddenly on the inside in the highest echelons of the US government. So also, a former model who worked for a few months in a PR firm. If you clean the pool but laugh at Trump’s ugly broad jokes, you might be a presidential advisor. Or Attorney General! What the hell.
It’s like a big game of Clue. Let’s see. How ‘bout we put Colonel Mustard in the EPA, then move Miss Scarlet to Agriculture. No, wait. Miss Scarlet has nice boobs. Let’s make her...um, special something to the president.
And expertise doesn’t matter either. If Trump sees you on the TV machine and you’re yakking up his greatness as a tax cutter, you too can become his chief economic advisor even if your credentials as an economic savant are on a par with Bernie Madoff.
And don’t worry about looking indecisive or stupid. You have Fox ball lickers like Howard Kurtz on hand to discount any rumors of a crazed White House shake up. “No one knows anything” sez Howie, so calm down. This is the same Howard Kurtz who defended Trump against all those mean media types who were aghast at Trump’s white supremacist leanings.
Well hang in there Howie, you might become head of the FCC when Ajit Pai jumps ship to reap his rewards from the industries he has set free to plunder the American public.
Or you might be the next Attorney General.
What the hell.
Instead of producing unending chaos, I suggest a simple solution for Trump's problem finding staff. Just hire the entire FOX 'news' group. This way he will have the people actually responsible for policy actions working directly with him.
@ Marvin
And a cadre of fellow pussy-grabbers galore!
SPRING CLEANING:
McMaster, having earned a Silver Star for gallantry in the first Gulf War, and showing his prowess during the U.S. occupation in Iraq, also earned between these two wars, a Ph.D. in American History. His dissertation was a book on civil-military relations, "Dereliction of Duty" whose main thesis was that during the Vietnam War the Joint Chiefs of Staff became politicized. H.R. was known for speaking truth to power, and he appeared to have the organizational skills and command bearing befitting a three-star general. Here was a man, we thought, would stand up to Trump and the anti-establishment crazies like Bannon. That didn't happen. McMaster evidently didn't take Donaldo's "I'm the only one that matters" seriously. It is more than a little rich, some have said, that a soldier who made his intellectual reputation as a truth-teller should become a stooge of the most mendacious U.S. president in history. On the other hand the alt-right media outlets sought to discredit McMaster as a subversive force. But through it all he was certainly aware that he was working for an unfit president*––Buzzfeed reported that after a meeting, McMaster privately characterized Trump as an "idiot" and a "dope" "with the mind of a kindergartener." So for him to take the job but then refrain from using those sterling qualities he possesses to try to steer US policy in the right direction might very well be called a dereliction of duty.
I tremble at whom will take his place. The position of national security advisor is a difficult and some say, the most powerful foreign policy job in the US government aside from the president (thanks to Kissinger who elevated that position). Bret Scowcroft is the exemplary leader here. During Obama Thomas Donilon and Susan Rice approached the job like Scowcroft as much as possible.
"... Marc Fisher of the Washington Post: "Although the number of [Trump administration] departures is unusual,..."
A number? That smacks of maybe four or five, and "unusual"? How about catastrophic! Rachel has a list of departures covering all agencies and it looks to me the number is close to over 75.
Admiral James Stavridis has coined North Korea rule as "A mob family with a flag masquerading as a country."
During a budget hearing with interior sec. Ryan Zinke, Ron Wyden castigated Zinke for his deplorable increase of public land from government protected ones and said, "I voted for you––now it's something I deeply regret."
Felix Sater will be on Chris Hayes MSNBC show at eight tonight.
A nifty way to end a Friday.
Way Beyond Fucked Up.
Speaking of employment and departures (and chaos, natch) in the Trumpskyev administration, how about a little thought experiment?
Likely all of us have worked at one time or another (or perhaps our entire careers) at a job that depended on the knowledge and experience of co-workers. And when two or three of the longest serving employees (or even those with 9 or 10 years) depart, it's a loss. A couple of years ago my department experienced the departure of six people who had been there, collectively, about 50 years. We tend to have turnover but that was a tough one. Especially because of the highly technical nature of the job. It's not easy to replace that kind of experience. It takes years to do so, and it immediately impacts the entire workflow. Stopgaps have to be developed, newer hires have to be put into positions that they're not fully ready for. It's tough.
Now think about this.
The State Department, under Tillerson and Trump, has lost 60% of its career diplomats. In one year. I wondered what meant, so I looked it up. State employs (or used to) over 30,000 people. The United States Foreign Service, the diplomatic corps for the US Government under the State Department, lists 8,000 foreign service officers (diplomats) and another 5,800 foreign service specialists (per Wikipedia).
If the percentage is correct, we're talking thousands of people lost. Thousands. If it's 60% of that 8,000, then we're talking about 4,800. Even it were half that (it's not, but let's say), we're talking something on the order of 40 or 50 thousand years of experience out the door in one year. And I'm basing that on about 20 years of experience per person although it's likely far higher. The Foreign Service is a career in a way many other jobs are not. You join the State Department, in that capacity, it's more often than not a lifetime job.
There's a movie called "Deadline USA" in which Humphrey Bogart plays a tough managing editor working for Ethel Barrymore who plays a sort of Katie Graham publisher. At one point, a cub reporter (do they have those anymore?) approaches Bogart asking if he could become a foreign correspondent in a place like, oh, say, Egypt. Bogart smiles and asks what the kid knows about that country's history, it's customs, if he can speak the languages, understands the local political scene, the religious groups, its business environment, various cultures, it's economy, and has an intimate understanding of that country's connections to its neighbors and its place on the world stage. You get the idea.
And that's just to be a reporter.
The Foreign Service requires all of that and a lot more. So it takes years of education and experience to develop a proficiency in not only the customs, language and politics of a region, but the various elements of the art of statecraft and diplomacy. And it ain't just which fork to use at state dinners.
But the Trump people don't even know that. (They probably eat with their fingers.)
And now he's forced out tens of thousands of years of experience.
I'm not saying we haven't had problems with the diplomatic service. A lot of the issues have arisen from questionable cronies being placed in sensitive ambassadorial positions. But it's the career diplomats and specialists who keep everything running.
If you were talking about a company that lost that many highly trained, experienced personnel in one year or less, you'd have to be thinking "Lehman Brothers" or "Enron".
This is life under the big brain, best words, really smart, big deal maker Trump. Tens of thousands of years out the door. And they're not hiring either. Tillerson put a stop to that.
This is way beyond "fucked up". And that's just at the State Department. Just imagine the career people at HUD or Energy. Jesus.
Now you're thinking (I know I am), how in the bloody hell could all this happen in one year? Is the United States Government, that's been up and running for over 200 years, really this close to implosion in twelve months, or as close as we've ever been in our history? I think we're in the middle of a perfect storm. The founders anticipated a lot, but they likely never envisioned a complete breakdown in all three branches in which the checks and balances have been eviscerated. We could probably weather a corrupt piece of shit like Trump (vide Nixon), or a terrible congress, or even a see no evil, hear no evil Supreme Court.
But not all three at the same time.
Midterms can't get here soon enough.
Marvin and Safari,
You mean like this guy?
"Fox News is in sleazy Watters yet again.
The network’s prominent host Jesse Watters — who dined on Monday with President Trump — is in the midst of divorce due to an affair with a 25-year-old associate producer. Watters’ wife, Noelle Watters, filed for divorce in October. The couple has twin girls. Sources said the 39-year-old host informed the network of his adulterous relationship with Emma DiGiovine shortly after Noelle filed divorce papers."
So here we have one of Bill O'Reilly's ratfuck proteges boinking a much younger staffer while he's married with kids. The Fox Way.
But he's not just a cheating, adulterous creep. Like many at Fox, he's a misogynistic and racist prick:
"In July 2014, he called voters who are single women 'Beyoncé voters' after her 'Single Ladies' hit. 'They depend on government because they’re not depending on their husbands,” he said. “They need things like contraception, health care and they love to talk about equal pay.' Watters also filled the role of 'political humorist' on 'The O’Reilly Factor.' His conservative humor bombed in October 2016 when he filmed a segment in Chinatown full of racist stereotypes. He greeted a Chinatown resident with a bow and asked another if he knew karate."
What have we said about wingers and comedy? They're about as funny as an eviction notice.
Another prick in the Fox Hall of Shame. He'd fit right in at the Blight House....Oh, wait, maybe not:
Watters "...landed in hot water again in April 2017 when he made what appeared to be a lewd comment about Ivanka Trump. 'I really liked how she was speaking into that microphone,' he said, while making a vulgar gesture."
Vulgar. That's the word. Yup, he COULD work there.
If you're a woman, the only thing Trump notices about you is your face and your body. None of the rest matters. Not even your name. You're just a bauble.
Here's Vanessa Trump recalling Daddy Trump trying to corral her for Junior:
"'I’m at this fashion show,' Vanessa Trump said, recalling their meeting in 2003. 'Donald Trump comes up to me with his son: ‘Hi, I’m Donald Trump. I wanted to introduce you to my son Donald Trump Jr.'
The three engaged in a brief, awkward conversation. [awkward...ya think?]
At intermission, the elder Trump again noticed a gorgeous girl nearby.
'Donald comes back up to me again, ‘I don’t think you’ve met my son Donald Trump Jr.,' Vanessa Trump recalled. She remembers responding, 'Yeah, we just met, five minutes ago.'"
QED.
Akhilleus, your right, Watters is the perfect example of a Trumpist.
Required characteristics for a job:
Racist
Divorced
Misogynist
And true conservative: No taxes, no government for anyone but me.
Akhilleus - the loss of 60% in the Foreign Service is inaccurate. Last year the president of the American Foreign Service Association (State Department's bargaining unit, but not a union - can't strike!) pointed out the loss of 60% of Career Ambassadors. Those are like four-star generals. I think the raw numbers were three of five departed.
State Department senior positions are not as rigid-to-rank as military; bottom line is that while all those CAs are worthy folk, you don't need people with that actual rank to fill the most senior jobs. It gets really complicated, but the Foreign Service has a grade distribution that is more like a light bulb than a pyramid, and there are relatively many senior people but few of the most senior.
Since last year, one of the remaining two CAs has announced he will retire.
It is true that Rex's program caused large reductions in intake and promotions and that it encourages senior people to retire. And that there has been a serious talent drain. But the 60% figure is wrong. Rex's overall goal has been an 8% reduction.
I think there's a lot to be said for Marie's Icarus-Trump comparison, or in this case, perhaps it should be Ick-arus.
He's gotten away with murder for his entire life. Anything that bombed or bottomed out, he walked away from and left others to pay the bill. He's lied, cheated, stolen, and sued anyone who won't go along with his criminal actions. He's gotten a few raps on the knuckles, but nothing that has really hurt him.
This is different. He's not ensconced in his Trump World bubble anymore or driving down all those eponymous streets, Trump Lane, Trump Drive, Trump Avenue, leading to eponymous country clubs and hotels.
All those who talked about a Trump "pivot" from criminal to presidential were smoking some good shit. He was never gonna change. He can't. He only knows one way to do things. The slipshod, end around, half-assed, backroom, shady way. He couldn't close an honest deal if he had to. He doesn't know how.
But now he's careening down Pennsylvania Avenue, not Trump Drive. And the whole world's watching.
I think, barring incontrovertible proof of criminal, treasonous activity on his part, we still won't get the sort of catharsis many of us hope for (perp walk out of the White House in cuffs and a 6x8 cell in a federal prison).
Not much will happen. The very best we can hope for is that he says fuck it all, and resigns. But then he'll think of all the money he'd be leaving on the table, money he's been making off his gig as president. So, he won't resign either. And it doesn't look like the Democrats will take back the Senate. The House, maybe, if we're really lucky. So he will never be made to stand for his bad actions.
But it will be nice to see him squirm once the Mueller Report comes out. In any event, those wax wings will take a beating.
Patrick,
Then that figure is being incorrectly reported in a lot of places.
In any event, even if the number comes down to 1,000 lost, it's still an incredible loss of experience and knowledge. And that may have been Tillerson's goal, but it appears a lot more have left because of the lack of leadership at the top.
Losing that many experienced personnel in any operation impacts the entire group and severely curtails our ability as a nation to respond to crises around the world.
Whoa, what's this all about?
"Vanessa Trump hired a criminal defense attorney to represent her in her divorce from Donald Trump Jr. just as special counsel Robert Mueller subpoenaed the president’s family business, The Post has learned.
White Plains, NY-based lawyer David Feureisen is representing Vanessa Trump, according to paperwork filed in Manhattan Supreme Court late Thursday.
Feureisen is best known for securing the release of a New York man named Anthony DiSimone from federal prison in 2007 after a judge overturned a murder conviction related to a bar fight in 1994."
A criminal attorney? For a divorce?
Things must be worse than it seems in the House of Trumpy Treason.
There must be a dozen world-class divorce lawyers in New York (unless Trump has them all on retainer) who could make sure she gets Junior's last available dime. Why a criminal attorney?
Curiouser and curiouser.
Also there's this.
An asshole by any other name...
Just wondering if Trumpsyev is returning the favor for his Товарищ, Влади́мир in his upcoming "election".
Is he ratfucking the Russian electoral process with a troll farm somewhere in Kansas, helping Tovarisch Vladimir as he assisted Trumpskyev?
My guess is that the best way for Donaldavich to help his pal Vlad get elected ('cough' 'cough') is to keep his fat mouth shut. Besides anyone who had any chance of challenging Putin is dead, in prison, or awaiting trial.
Doesn't Trump wish he could do that?