;)
The Commentariat -- Nov. 20, 2019
Afternoon Update:
About Those Javelins. Andrew Kramer of the NYT (Oct. 24, 2019): "In 2018, the Trump administration authorized sales to Ukraine of a shoulder-fired anti-tank missile called the Javelin, reversing an Obama administration policy of supplying only non-lethal aid. But there is a big catch. The Trump administration provided the missiles on the condition that they not be used in the war, Ukrainian officials and American diplomats have said, lest they provoke Russia to slip more powerful weaponry to the separatists." Mrs. McC: Kramer's full story is worth reading. Sorry I missed it.
Michael Isikoff & Zach Dorfman of Yahoo! News: "The FBI recently sought to question the CIA whistleblower who filed a complaint over President Trump's July 25 Ukraine call -- a move that came after a vigorous internal debate within the bureau over how to respond to some of the issues raised by the complaint's allegations and whether they needed to be more thoroughly investigated.... But no interview has yet to be scheduled. It is unclear what the intended scope of the interview would be or whether the whistleblower's lawyers will agree to it."
Mrs. Bea McCrabbie: During the O.J. double-murder trial, every night Court TV (I think it was) used to have re-enactors read the transcripts of the day's court proceedings for those who were otherwise occupied during the time "real court" was in session. Well, the concept is back. I give you the re-enactor-in-chief:
~~~ Update. It turns out that the re-enactor-in-chief has something else in common with the O.J. trial re-enactors. They read from hand-held scripts:
Photo via the Guardian.
~~~ Mrs. McCrabbie: Thanks to Forrest M. for the lead. Frankly, I thought the photo Forrest sent along from an Instagram account was a joke. Like Forrest, I couldn't believe even the re-enactor-in-chief would have to write this down. We were wrong.
Ann Telnaes of the WashPo. Thanks to MAG for sending this along.Jonathan Chait: “Sondland has confirmed what is obvious to everybody: The entire scheme was directed by Trump all along. 'We followed the president's orders,' he said. 'Everyone was in the loop. It was no secret.' Trump's operation has been painfully clear since May, when Rudy Giuliani boasted about his plans to the New York Times, telling the world that he was acting on the president's orders, and conceding that his actions were possibly 'improper' though not, in his view, illegal.... The White House had attempted to procure an advance copy of Sondland's testimony, to no avail.... And he provided emails showing his own communication with Andriy Yermak, a Ukrainian official...":
~~~~~~~~~~
Sondland is the sole witness at the 9 am hearing. An afternoon hearing, to begin at 2:30 pm ET, assuming the Sondland hearing ends on schedule, will take testimony from Laura Cooper, the deputy assistant secretary of defense for Russian, Ukrainian and Eurasian affairs, and David Hale, the under secretary of state for political affairs.
It's Crunch Day for Gordy
Mrs. McCrabbie: Sondland may be throwing all the other top guys under the bus, but he is giving Trump room to deny he was attempting to extort Zelensky: "President Trump never told me directly that the aid was conditioned on [investigations]," Sondland says. Beep, beep. Look out, Rudy! Eew! Too late! There's a lot Sondland conveniently "can't recall."
Peter Baker & Michael Schmidt of the New York Times are liveblogging today's testimony: "... in his written opening statement, Mr. Sondland gave away few details of any conversations with Mr. Trump.... Mr. Sondland acknowledged that he told a senior Ukrainian official that to get Mr. Trump to release $391 million in American security aid suspended by the president, the Kyiv government would likely have to publicly commit to investigating a debunked conspiracy theory involving Democrats in the 2016 election as well as former Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr. and his son's ties to Burisma, a Ukrainian energy company. But the ambassador did not attribute that linkage to any explicit direction by Mr. Trump, instead saying he came to that conclusion on his own based on the fact that the money had been held up for so long.... While he was concerned about what he called a 'potential quid pro quo' tying security aid to Ukraine's willingness to undertake the investigations that Mr. Trump wanted, he said there definitely was a clear 'quid pro quo' linking a coveted White House meeting for Ukraine's president to the investigations." ~~~
~~~ Mrs. McCrabbie: Sondland keeps claiming in his opening statement that the reason for his "faulty recollections" is that the White House has deprived him & his attorney of most records related to his work on the Ukraine scheme.
Here's the Times' reporters' livestream snark. Includes live video of the hearing. Ken Vogel: "A key distinction from Sondland: Trump and Giuliani didn't necessarily care whether the Ukrainians actually proceeded with the investigations into the Bidens and Burisma. Rather, the Ukrainians 'would have to announce that they were going to do it' to get the White House meeting with Trump." Mrs. McC: So not vaguely interested in stamping out Ukraine corruption; the demand was for a campaign talking point.
It's Going to Be a Bumpy Ride. There Are a Lot of People Under the Bus. Kyle Cheney & Andrew Desiderio of Politico: "... Gordon Sondland said Trump conditioned a valuable White House meeting for Ukraine's new president on his willingness to launch investigations into Trump's Democratic adversaries, including former Vice President Joe Biden. 'Was there a "quid pro quo?"' said Sondland ... in his opening remarks Wednesday to impeachment investigators. 'The answer is yes.' Sondland framed the matter as widely understood across the Trump administration, indicating that senior officials and even cabinet secretaries were aware of the arrangement -- and that it was carried out at the 'express direction' of the president. 'Everyone was in the loop. It was no secret,' Sondland said, according to his prepared remarks. And he directly communicated the quid pro quo to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, Sondland said. He specifically cited a July 19 email copied to acting White House chief of staff Mick Mulvaney, Energy Secretary Rick Perry, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and 'a lot of senior officials.' In that email, he reveals that he 'just talked to Zelensky' and secured a commitment for a 'fully transparent investigation.'... Sondland also told lawmakers that he told Vice President Mike Pence on Sept. 1 that he was concerned that the delay in military assistance was tied to 'the issue of investigations.'... Sondland said he has no doubt [Rudy] Giuliani was 'expressing the desires of the President of the United States, and we knew that these investigations were important to the President.' He also said he had no desire to work with Giuliani but felt it was a requirement imposed by Trump...." Emphasis added. Includes live video of the hearing.
Here's Sondland's opening statement, via the Hill.
Aaron Davis & Rachel Bade of the Washington Post: "The evidence gathered to date points to [Gordon] Sondland as the witness who, more than any other, could tie President Trump directly to the effort to persuade Ukraine to launch investigations that might benefit him politically. On Wednesday, with cameras rolling, the millionaire Republican donor-turned-ambassador could solidify the case against Trump, though doing so would require that he revise his previous testimony or acknowledge significant omissions. Or he could stand by his statements and face withering questioning from Democrats.... Sondland's potential legal exposure is rooted in seven hours of closed-door testimony he provided to congressional investigators Oct. 17. Sondland said then that he had little contact with Trump and knew of no link between a freeze on U.S. aid to Ukraine and investigations sought by Trump into the energy company Burisma ... or into a widely discredited theory that Ukraine had circulated misinformation to influence the 2016 U.S. presidential election. Sondland told Congress that he would not have assisted in any effort by the president to press Ukraine to investigate a potential 2020 challenger and that he would have viewed such an effort as inappropriate. Already, Sondland has reversed himself on a key point.... [With his memory 'refreshed,'] Sondland wrote that on Sept. 1 he warned a top Ukrainian official that $400 million in U.S. assistance would probably flow to the country only if its president publicly promised to launch the investigations."
Lisa Mascaro, et al., of the AP: "Ambassador Gordon Sondland, the most anticipated witness in the impeachment inquiry, is likely to be unpredictable when he faces questions about his evolving accounts of the Trump administration's dealings with Ukraine and a newly revealed summertime phone call with ... Donald Trump.... Sondland routinely bragged about his proximity to Trump and drew alarm from the foreign service and national security apparatus as part of an irregular channel of diplomacy led by ... Rudy Giuliani.... Former National Security Council official Timothy Morrison told investigators that he witnessed a key September conversation in Warsaw between Sondland and a top aide to Zelenskiy. Afterward, Sondland said he had relayed to the Ukrainian that U.S. aid might be freed if the country would announce the investigations, Morrison testified.... Former special envoy to Ukraine Kurt Volker, shifted his own account of the July 10 meeting to say Sondland did, in fact, discuss investigations with the visiting Ukrainians."
Sharon LaFraniere of the New York Times: "At a public hearing on Wednesday, impeachment investigators are expected to confront Mr. Sondland about holes and inconsistencies in his closed-door testimony last month. Chief among them is his failure to disclose a July 26 phone call with Mr. Trump during which, another witness suggested, the two discussed whether Ukraine's president would publicly announce an investigation into Mr. Trump's political rival.... Even if Mr. Sondland is now a damaged witness, he remains an important one. So far, he is the only one cooperating with the inquiry who dealt directly with Mr. Trump on Ukraine."
See also Michael Schmidt's new NYT report (also linked below) that Sondland kept Mike Pompeo apprised of his efforts to pressure Ukraine into doing stuff to satisify Trump's demands. Schmidt points out, "Mr. Sondland's exchanges with Mr. Pompeo suggest that he could use his testimony to counter the testimonies of other administration officials, who have said that Mr. Sondland was part of a team operating outside of normal foreign policy and national security channels...."
Erin Banco & Asawin Suebsaeng of the Daily Beast: "... Gordon Sondland was in communication with individuals close to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in mid-May about investigations the Trump administration wanted the country to pursue, according to two individuals with knowledge of those conversations.... It has been unclear -- until now -- when Sondland, one of the key characters in the House impeachment inquiry, first began trying to convince the Ukrainians to work with the U.S. in launching investigations into the Bidens."
Mrs. McCrabbie: So if Sondland testifies truthfully today, what are the odds Trump will tweet-fire him mid-hearing?
Nicholas Fandos & Michael Shear of the New York Times: "Two White House national security officials testified before the House's impeachment inquiry on Tuesday that President Trump's request to Ukraine's president to investigate Democratic rivals was inappropriate, and one of them said it validated his 'worst fear' that American policy toward that country would veer off course. Hours later, two more witnesses -- another former White House national security official and a former top American diplomat -- charted a more careful course but said under oath that the president's requests on a July 25 phone call with President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine were not in line with American national security goals.... Public testimony from both [Tim Morrison & Kurt Volker] had been requested by Republicans, but they also confirmed key details of the case Democrats are building against Mr. Trump."
Karoun Demirjian, et al., of the Washington Post: "Three current and former Trump administration officials described Tuesday how they harbored a variety of concerns surrounding a July phone call in which President Trump pressed his Ukrainian counterpart to investigate former vice president Joe Biden -- boosting Democrats' inquiry into whether Trump should be impeached and substantially undercutting the president's assertion that the conversation was 'perfect.'... Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman ... said he considered the president's demand of the Ukrainian leader 'inappropriate,' because it could have 'significant national security implications' for the United States. Jennifer Williams ... said she thought the call was 'unusual' because 'it involved discussion of what appeared to be a domestic political matter.' And Tim Morrison, the NSC's former top Russia and Europe adviser, said he worried what might happen if the call was made public -- as it ultimately was...."
Peter Baker & Michael Shear of the New York Times report key moments from the hearings. This is an update of liveblog of the hearings linked yesterday. Mrs. McC: It's pretty helpful. ~~~
~~~ Adam Edelman of NBC News also lists key takeaways from Tuesday's hearings. Mrs. McC: Also helpful.
Natasha Bertrand, et al., of Politico report on the "biggest moments" in the afternoon hearing, when Kurt Volker & Tim Morrison -- witnesses requested by Republicans -- testified.
Nothing is surprising in today's Washington, I guess, but in a qtr. century here I have not previously seen an official WH account or press release questioning the competence of an official currently working in that WH. If they had concerns about his judgment, why was he there? -- David Sanger, in a tweet
Carol Leonnig of the Washington Post: "Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman told a House investigative committee Tuesday that he spoke to an intelligence official about President Trump's July 25 request that Ukraine investigate his political opponents, but he declined to identify the official when pressed to do so. His refusal came as Rep. Devin Nunes (Calif.), the House Intelligence Committee's ranking Republican -- who kicked off the hearing by calling for the testimony of the whistleblower whose complaint launched the impeachment investigation -- asked witnesses to identify anyone outside the White House with whom they shared details of Trump's phone call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. Republicans used the exchange to raise questions about whether Vindman was the source for information that ended up in the whistleblower's complaint, which alleged that Trump appeared to have abused his public office for personal political gain." ~~~
~~~ Jonathan Allen of NBC News: Alexander "Vindman was just the most riveting of four witnesses who delivered testimony that was deeply damaging to Trump's remaining defenses against allegations that he was personally involved in pushing for an arms-for-investigations deal. Taken together, over nearly a dozen hours, they testified to the direct access that Ambassador to the E.U. Gordon Sondland had to Trump as Sondland, Rudy Giuliani..., [Kurt] Volker and others operated a special channel of Ukraine negotiations in which the investigations of Biden and his son were discussed. They testified that chasing [Joe] Biden for political advantage was neither consistent with established U.S. foreign policy goals nor consistent with appropriate conduct by the president. And Volker dismissed the probes sought as 'conspiracy theories.'... Volker, Morrison and Jennifer Williams -- were expected to provide testimony helpful to the president. They did not."
Here's Devin Nunes making a cow's butt of himself. Schiff, Vindman, & Vindman's attorney push back on Devin Nunes' cow:
Zack Beauchamp of Vox: "... Tuesday's testimony was, from practically top to bottom, a disaster for the president and his Republican allies. All four of the witnesses confirmed key parts of the overall case against the president -- that he twisted US foreign policy into a tool of his reelection campaign by using military aid in an effort force Ukraine into opening an investigation into the Biden family.... Meanwhile, the Republicans on the intelligence committee, from ranking member Devin Nunes on down, did not present a consistent and compelling counternarrative. They did little to contest the facts, preferring instead to attack the media, the whistleblower whose complaint kicked off this saga, or the witnesses themselves. The day underscored the fundamental fact of the situation: Trump did what Democrats are accusing him of doing. The only issue is whether congressional Republicans are willing to punish him for it."
Mrs. McCrabbie: I get my news from Stephen Colbert. And why wouldn't I? ~~~
Former Ukraine Official Knocks Down GOP Smear. Erin Banco of the Daily Beast: During impeachment hearings on Tuesday morning, the lead Republican counsel pressed Lt. Colonel Alexander Vindman on an offer he'd received to take the position of defense minister in Kiev. The line of questioning seemed designed to raise doubts about Vindman's allegiance to the U.S. right as he was testifying about his concerns over ... Donald Trump's efforts to dig up dirt in Ukraine on his domestic political rivals. But a former top national security official in Ukraine [Oleksander Danylyuk] told The Daily Beast that he was 'joking' when he offered Vindman the post and never actually had the authority to make such an offer.... Republican House investigators consistently questioned Vindman during his public hearing about his interactions with Danylyuk, including whether the former Ukrainian national security official offered him the job of defense minister. Vindman said that Danylyuk had suggested he take the job three times but that he 'immediately dismissed' the offers and reported the encounters to his superiors at the National Security Council. Vindman also noted that Danylyuk might have been joking when they spoke about the position."
Axios reprints the transcript of Alexander Vindman's opening statement.
Ari Feldman of the Forward: "The Army has placed Alexander Vindman ... and his family under 24-hour security monitoring after Trump targeted Vindman in tweets accusing Vindman of being politically opposed to Trump.... U.S. officials told The Wall Street Journal that the Army has in recent weeks conducted a security assessment of Vindman and his family's home and internet presence, and said they are prepared to move the Vindman's to a military base if there are any threats to their safety." ~~~
~~~ Knowing That ... Asawin Suebsaeng & Sam Stein of the Daily Beast: "The Trump White House has taken the extraordinary step of distributing talking points to allies of the president trashing one of its employees.... Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman.... On Tuesday morning, White House aide Julia Hahn emailed Trump surrogates under the subject line, 'Vindman's Complaints Are Nothing More Than Policy Disagreements,' according to messages reviewed by The Daily Beast. Hahn, a Steve Bannon protégée and one of his former allies in the White House, works on outreach and communications involving pro-Trump talking heads and other players in conservative media.... In another email blasted out a few minutes later, Hahn wrote: 'Vindman Has Major Credibility Issues.'" ~~~
~~~ Peter Baker of the New York Times: "In President Trump's Washington, where attacks on his enemies real or perceived have become so routine that they now often pass unnoticed, [Trump's attacks on Alexander Vindman & Jennifer Williams] might not seem all that remarkable -- but for the fact that Colonel Vindman and Ms. Williams both still work for the very same White House that was publicly assailing them. With the president's allies joining in, the two aides found themselves condemned as nobodies, as plotting bureaucrats, as traitors within and, in Colonel Vindman's case, as an immigrant with dual loyalties. Even for a president who rarely spares the rhetorical howitzer, that represents a new level of bombardment. 'This White House appears to be cannibalizing itself,' said William C. Inboden, a former national security aide to President George W. Bush. 'While many previous White House staffs have feuded with each other and leaked against each other, this is the first time in history I am aware of a White House openly attacking its own staff -- especially for merely upholding their constitutional duties.'"
Tina Nguyen of Politico: "On another day of wall-to-wall impeachment hearings..., Donald Trump convened his Cabinet to push the message that he's focused on everything but impeachment. The focus didn't last long. He could not resist the urge to share his take on the news of the day -- and finally comment on the fevered speculation that he'd experienced a medical emergency over the weekend.... It was Trump's first public appearance since his mysterious and unscheduled trip to Walter Reed Medical Center on Saturday, a sudden hospital visit that spurred rampant speculation about his health in recent days." Trump denounced Nancy Pelosi, Adam Schiff, the "dangerous" press, said he doesn't know who Alexander Vindman is. "Ahead of the meeting, the White House said 'the American people will hear updates on the Trump Cabinet's whole-of-government approach to supporting America's veterans.' Trump himself did not discuss veterans during the 16 minutes the press was present." ~~~
~~~ Mrs. McCrabbie: Trump said the when he told Melanie he was going to Walter Reed for a physical, "My wife said, 'Oh darling, that's wonderful."' I suspect Trump thinks that's the way wives should address their husbands & the way wives should react to whatever decisions their husbands make. I'd be surprised if Melanie really said "Oh, Darling, that's wonderful." ~~~
~~~ Oh Wait, There's More. Caitlyn Oprysko of Politico: "Speaking before a Cabinet meeting at the White House, Trump ... told reporters that he was greeted by a panicked first lady and communications department when he arrived back at the White House due to media coverage of the trip. 'I went for a physical. and I came back and my wife said, "Darling are you OK? ... Oh they're reporting you may have had a heart attack,"' Trump explained." ~~~
~~~ Mrs. McCrabbie: So with a fine medical team in the White House capable of administering standard tests, Trump went on an unscheduled, off-the-record trip to Walter Reed, without informing staff there he was on his way, and without even telling his wife. A real husband would discuss his plans with his wife beforehand. Even if the visit to Walter Reed were necessitated by a medical emergency, a real husband (and/or -- in this case -- his staff) would make sure his wife knew what was happening. Instead, we're supposed to believe the "sick, dangerous" press had "panicked" Melanie, who had no other way of knowing what was going on. Not only is Trump a liar, he doesn't seem to know how stupid his lies are.
Putin's Ukraine Puppets Would Help Putin's Biggest U.S. Puppet. Simon Shuster of Time: "As ... Donald Trump faces another tough week of public testimony in the impeachment inquiry, his push for investigations in Ukraine has found an unexpected support base: Ukrainian lawmakers. In particular, some of the politicians in Ukraine seen as closest to Russia have taken up the call to investigate Trump's rivals. Speaking to Time last week, three of these politicians -- including the co-chairman of Ukraine's biggest pro-Russian party -- echoed the call for the two investigations that Trump has urged Ukraine to open. The first would look into the Ukrainian business dealings of Joe Biden's son Hunter, and the second into whether Ukraine interfered in the 2016 elections to help Hillary Clinton."
Michael Biesecker & Desmond Butler of the AP: "Federal prosecutors are planning to interview an executive with Ukraine's state-owned gas company as part of an ongoing probe into the business dealings of Rudy Giuliani and two of his Soviet-born business associates [Lev & Igor]. A lawyer for Andrew Favorov confirmed Tuesday that he is scheduled to meet voluntarily with the U.S. Justice Department. Favorov is the director of the integrated gas division at Naftogaz, the state-owned gas provider in Ukraine."
Cristina Cabrera of TPM: "The Trump administration is reportedly still withholding some of the congressionally approved military aid to Ukraine.... The Los Angeles Times reported on Tuesday that it had obtained a Pentagon document showing that Ukraine has not received $35.2 million from the nearly $400 million in military aid that ... Donald Trump had halted when he was pressuring Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky into investigating his political rivals.... A spokesperson for the Pentagon told the Times that $36 million in aid has not yet been disbursed to Ukraine but that Ukraine will receive the funds 'over the next several weeks.' The spokesperson did not provide an explanation for the delay."
Navy Brass, Secretary Push Back at Trump. Dave Philipps of the New York Times: "The Navy SEAL at the center of a high-profile war crimes case has been ordered to appear before Navy leaders Wednesday morning, and is expected to be notified that the Navy intends to oust him from the elite commando force, two Navy officials said on Tuesday. The move could put the SEAL commander, Rear Adm. Collin Green, in direct conflict with President Trump, who last week cleared the sailor, Chief Petty Officer Edward Gallagher, of any judicial punishment in the war crimes case. Military leaders opposed that action as well as Mr. Trump's pardons of two soldiers involved in other murder cases.... The Navy also plans to take the Tridents [-- the symbol of SEAL membership --] of three SEAL officers who oversaw Chief Gallagher -- Lt. Cmdr. Robert Breisch, Lt. Jacob Portier and Lt. Thomas MacNeil -- and their letters have been drafted as well, one of the officials said.... Removing a Trident does not entail a reduction in rank, but it effectively ends a SEAL's career.... One Navy official ... said [Adm. Green] was making the move knowing that it could end his career, but that he had the backing of Adm. Michael M. Gilday, the chief of naval operations, and Richard V. Spencer, the secretary of the Navy."
John Walcott & W. J. Hennigan of Time: "Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has told three prominent Republicans in recent weeks that he plans to resign from the Trump Administration to run for the U.S. Senate from Kansas in next year's elections. The problem: how to get out in one piece. Pompeo's plan had been to remain at the State Department until early spring next year, the three Republicans tell Time, but recent developments, including the House impeachment inquiry, are hurting him politically and straining his relationship with Trump. So Pompeo is rethinking his calendar, say the top Republicans.... The timing of Pompeo's resignation now will be decided by his ability to navigate the smoothest possible exit from the administration, the three Republicans say. There is no indication whether Pompeo has discussed his plans with President Trump." ~~~
~~~ Mrs. McCrabbie: Leave us not forget that Secretary Mike has gone to Kansas four times, on the taxpayer's dime, since current Kansas Sen. Pat Roberts (R) announced his retirement. On one of these visits, Pompeo stopped by to see "billionaire Charles Koch, a longtime political benefactor, and reportedly discussed the Senate race" with Koch. Sen. Bob Menendez (D-N.J.) asked a federal watchdog to investigate whether these trips violated the Hatch Act, which limits campaign activities of federal officials. ~~~
~~~ ** But Mike Has Bigger Problems Now. Breaking This Morning. Michael Schmidt of the New York Times: "Gordon D. Sondland ... kept Secretary of State Mike Pompeo apprised of key developments in the campaign to pressure Ukraine's leader into public commitments that would satisfy President Trump, two people briefed on the matter said. Mr. Sondland informed Mr. Pompeo in mid-August about a draft statement that Mr. Sondland and another American diplomat had worked on with the Ukrainians that they hoped would persuade Mr. Trump to grant Ukraine's new president the Oval Office meeting he was seeking, the people said. Later that month, Mr. Sondland discussed with Mr. Pompeo the possibility of pushing the Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelensky, to pledge during a planned meeting with Mr. Trump in Warsaw that he would take the steps being sought by Mr. Trump as a way to break the logjam in relations between the two countries, the people said. Mr. Pompeo expressed his approval of the plan, they said, but Mr. Trump later canceled his trip to Poland. The disclosures link Mr. Pompeo more directly to the Trump administration's pressure campaign on Ukraine."
Jane Timm, et al., of NBC News: "White House press secretary Stephanie Grisham claimed on Tuesday that departing former aides to President Barack Obama left notes saying 'you will fail' and 'you aren't going to make it' for the incoming staff of Donald Trump. Former Obama aides quickly denied Grisham's claim.... 'This is another bald faced lie,' Obama's national security adviser Susan Rice wrote on Twitter.... Valerie Jarrett, a senior adviser to Obama, said Grisham should produce the notes. 'I cannot imagine a single one of my former colleagues who would do this,' she said in a tweet." NBC News obtained a photo (included with the story) of a note from a man who previously held Grisham's current job: Obama press secretary Josh Earnest wrote to his successor Sean Spicer, wishing Spicer success and saying he was rooting for Spicer. Joanna Rosholm, who was Michelle Obama's press secretary wrote a sweet & encouraging letter to her successor, who turned out to be Grisham. Mrs. McC: So Grisham doesn't just tell lies; she makes them up from whole cloth, lies that are the exact opposite of the truth. ~~~
~~~ Steve M. has more. It seems Trump White House staffers willing to back up Grisham's claim would do so only anonymously. "I'll lie for you, Steph, but I'm not putting my name on it, for Pete's sake!" As for Grisham, in a follow-up to the pushback, she said, "I don't know why everyone is so sensitive!" Steve sez, "Oh, I see: not wanting to be publicly slandered is being 'sensitive.'"
Clare Foran of CNN: "The House of Representatives on Tuesday passed a short-term funding bill in an effort to avert a government shutdown before funds expire later in the week. The vote was 231-192. The stopgap legislation, known as a continuing resolution, will extend funding through December 20, setting up another spending deadline on the eve of the winter holidays. The current deadline for funding is Thursday. The measure now needs to be taken up by the Senate and then signed by the President to prevent a shutdown. The expectation is that if the House and Senate both pass a funding bill, the President will sign it.... Lawmakers have not yet been able to reach bipartisan agreement on the twelve regular annual appropriations bills needed to fund the government...."
Washington Post artwork.Washington Post: "The fifth Democratic debate is Wednesday night and is be co-hosted by The Washington Post and MSNBC. Here's what you need to know. When: Coverage starts at 8 p.m. Eastern time, and the debate will run from 9 to 11 p.m. Eastern time. Where: It's being in Atlanta, at Tyler Perry Studios, and you can watch it on washingtonpost.com or our apps or on MSNBC."
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Reader Comments (13)
"You will fail". Such a giveaway. Secretary of Lying, Stephanie Whatshername, the lady no one ever sees, except, I guess, on Fox, sez this is the message left by many Obama people to the wonderful Trumpies as they slithered into the White House. Such a giveaway.
You mean these notes didn't say "Your mother wears army boots?"
First, I'm guessing that most of the Obama people were not semi-literate fifth grade level schoolyard bullies like Trump and his minions. That being the case, had some of them decided to pass on snarky messages to the incoming horde of traitors, they might have left something a tad more creative than "You will fail". Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz.
How about "Your names will be inscribed on the rolls of Acheron, waiting to ferry your sullied and treasonous souls to the lake of pain in which you shall flounder for an eternity of punishment and inextinguishable anguish. Cerberus has already been informed of your place of honor in the netherworld and is waiting patiently to show you all to your rooms of brimstone and bile. Have a nice day"?
Not just liars, but boring liars.
@Akhilleus: Jon Favreau, Obama's most prominent speechwriter, agrees with you: "It's appalling that she thinks our notes would have been that lame," he tweeted. A couple of the responses to Favreau's tweet: "I heard you guys uncapped all the Sharpies before you left so DJT couldn't sign any bills." -- Chris. "or do any meteorology." -- John Irvine.
This "you will fail" thing seems to me a case of reverse projection.
As the Pretender presidency wallows in the stink of its own obvious corruption, it has become so desperate to avoid responsibility for what they have done that blaming the media, Democrats, Never Pretenders and even current White House employees for the mess and mire, is no longer enough.
Having no real idea what to do as the country's leader beyond serving his own interests, the Pretender targeted the Obama legacy piece by piece, presenting himself to the nation as the Anti-Obama. Everything that was "wrong" with the country was the black man's fault. The tolerant, internationist, humane Obama years were a failure. We needed to reverse course.
Now that the stench created by the Pretender and his entire party has reached the suburbs, the need to blame has become even more desperate.
They have to blame Obama staffers for the nasty notes they didn't leave.
Next? Voodoo (moppets?) dolls with pins stuck in them, left behind by the evil black man in the White House?
Reading along with the NYT live
blogsnark (as Bea McCrab called it) on Sondland's testimony, I found this lovely comment from Maggie Haberman :"And this is also another reminder of why the White House’s widespread credibility problem, created by the president’s lack of truthfulness on matters big and small over the last five years, is so corrosive over time. When Trump officials inevitably say that Sondland isn’t being truthful, they will get less of the benefit of the doubt.
“Again, everyone was in the loop,” Sondland says, backing up the bus and then driving it forward again."
“Everyone was in the loop”. Great title for a future book about Trump’s impeachment.
And it refers to a lot more than just Fatty’s gangster moves against Ukraine. It’s everything. And everyone in that White House is in on it. They’re all in the loop. They may not know the ins and outs of every crooked little scheme, but just because you’re a street level made man who isn’t privy to the don’s plans doesn’t mean you’re without blame in everything. You’re still out there supporting his every scam and con and treasonous actions.
Everyone is in the loop.
The publisher of my favorite dictionary has notified me that there
has been a change in the word 'obfuscate'.
Obfuscate: A tactic used by Republicans in Congress too obscure or
confuse (a mind or topic, etc.) or to stupefy; bewilder.
In other words, if you got nothin', change the subject, like, why are
you wearing that military uniform when normally we wear suits
here?
@Akhilleus: You're right. But Sondland's testimony -- which admittedly is not wholly believable -- also shows how clever Trump has been at not bringing in anyone on every piece of the scheme. For example, according to Sondland, Trump never directly told him the Biden investigation was part of the deal. But Trump told him to talk to Rudy, and Rudy made it part of the deal. So Trump has plausible deniability: "I never said that to Rudy." And how hard would it be to characterize Gordy & Rudy as a couple of bumbling idiots who were all confused about what they were doing?
Maybe Trump keeps lowlifes & incompetents around him is that they don't make very good witnesses. So mob-bossy.
Bea,
Yes, the Pretender is a clever idiot. A lifetime of scheming practice has served him well.
But what if prostrate Rudy squeaks from under the bus tire that the Pretender made me do it?
Can't see how lawyer-client privilege applies in such a case, and I don't picture Rudy falling on anyone's sword. Honor is not in any Pretender henchmen's vocabulary. Even a whiff of it would be a non-starter.
You can tell Colbert’s graphic is fake: trump is running.
Here's a photo of trump's sharpie notes to himself. He had to write
this down?
I want nothing
I want nothing
I want no quid pro quo
https://www.instagram.com/p/B5GJqSrALfr/?utm_source=ig_web_
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@Forrest: It goes against every fiber of his being to have his lips moving and not be asking for something in return. So yes, he had to write it down.
How does Dear Leader react upon arriving at the White House tonight from Texas to meet a grim faced group of GOP Senators?
Ken Starr raises the question and opines it could be time for GOP senators to consider the "Nixon Walk" down to 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue.
Marie wrote:
"So if Sondland testifies truthfully today, what are the odds Trump will tweet-fire him mid-hearing?"
Not possible. According to the Orange Monster, he has practically never even met the guy. Doesn't know anything about him, and has never spoken to him.
I wonder if that will be storyline when Fatty dumps Melanie. "Never met her. Don't know her."