The Commentariat -- January 28, 2020

Late Morning/Afternoon Update:

The New York Times' live updates are here. Michael Shear: "John F. Kelly, the former chief of staff to President Trump, told an audience in Florida on Monday night that he believed the revelations in an upcoming book by John R. Bolton, the president's former national security adviser, and thought the Senate should call witnesses in the impeachment trial." Mrs. McC: It's sorta like the captain tossed the rats off his sinking ship, and the rats were waving & laughing from the shore as they watched the ship go down. ~~~

~~~ The Guardian is liveblogging impeachment developments and other stuff. Lindsey Graham says he supports allowing senators to read the Bolton ms. in a classified setting, raising the question as to why a book scheduled to be published in March must be read in secret room. ~~~

~~~ Chris Casteel of the Oklahoman: "U.S. Sen. James Lankford [R-Okla.] said Monday that senators should be given access to a manuscript written by former national security advisor John Bolton that reportedly bolsters the argument that ... Donald Trump withheld aid to Ukraine to force an investigation of former Vice President Joe Biden." Mrs. McC: Say, Jim, you know who can get you a copy of that manuscript right now? The Impeached Guy.

Erin Banco of the Daily Beast: "... in the weeks and months that followed [Volodymyr Zelensky's election to the Ukraine presidency], efforts to construct a partnership between the Zelensky and Trump administrations, one focused on fighting corruption, crumbled. It crumbled in part because the Zelensky team was pulled into an American domestic political fight spurred by Trump's push to have Ukraine investigate his rival Joe Biden, Biden's son Hunter, and supposed interference in the 2016 election. That's according to Oleksandr Danylyuk, the former chairman of Ukraine's National Security and Defense Council, who said the requests 'rattled' Zelensky's team.... Danylyuk left the Zelensky administration in September, citing multiple 'triggers' that pushed him to quit, including the ongoing struggles with the Trump administration.... Looking back almost four months after his resignation, Danylyuk says there's one person in the Trump administration he trusted to help secure a new pathway forward for the U.S. and Ukraine: former U.S. National Security Adviser John Bolton. Bolton departed the Trump administration in September, just two weeks before Danylyuk left his post."

Ann Marimow, et al., of the Washington Post: "As President Trump faces mounting legal bills from his impeachment trial, he is drawing on national party coffers flush with donations from energized supporters -- unlike the last president to be impeached who left the White House 'dead broke.' The Republican National Committee is picking up the tab for at least two of Trump's private attorneys in the ongoing trial, an arrangement that differs from the legal fund then-president Bill Clinton set up, only to see it fail to raise enough to cover his millions of dollars in bills before he left office.... Because Trump is on trial as a result of his status as an officeholder or candidate, election law allows him to dip into campaign or party funds for his legal bills.... Donors to the RNC and Trump's reelection campaign have already covered millions of dollars in attorney fees stemming from the president's other legal travails: former special counsel Robert S. Mueller III's investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election, court battles over the president's tax returns, and a now-withdrawn defamation lawsuit filed by a former campaign staffer."

Jamelle Bouie of the New York Times: "Looking from the perspective of now -- one week into the impeachment trial -- it's striking to see how, without knowledge of political parties or partisan factionalism, [the antifederalists of yore] captured the exact dynamic that will keep a corrupt president in office.... The antifederalists looked to impeachment as a prime example of everything that was wrong with the Senate.... The antifederalists did not think the Senate would ever remove the president.... The trial against our corrupt chief executive is clearly slanted in his favor. If the antifederalist opponents of the Constitution could see us struggling now, they might just say, 'We told you so.'"

This Should Work! Michael Crowley, et al., of the New York Times: "President Trump unveiled his long-awaited Middle East peace plan with a flourish on Tuesday, outlining a proposal that would give Israel most of what it has sought over decades of conflict while creating what he called a Palestinian state with limited sovereignty. Mr. Trump's plan would guarantee that Israel would control a unified Jerusalem as its capital and not require it to uproot any of the settlements in the West Bank that have provoked Palestinian outrage and alienated much of the outside world. He promised to provide $50 billion in international investment to build the new Palestinian entity and open an embassy in its new state.... Rather than a serious blueprint for peace, analysts called it a political document by a president in the middle of an impeachment trial working in tandem with a prime minister under criminal indictment and about to face his third election in the span of a year." A USA Today story is here.

Dareh Gregorian of NBC News: "... Donald Trump took a moment from presenting his plan for peace in the Middle East on Tuesday to praise his secretary of state -- for blasting an NPR reporter. 'That reporter couldn't have done too good a job on you yesterday. I think you did a good job on her, actually,' Trump told a chuckling Mike Pompeo during his speech at the White House alongside Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu." Mrs. McC: I would like to see a report from the White House doctor into whether Trump & Pompeo were separated at birth or were joined at the hip later in life. What a disgusting pair of lying, bullying pricks.

BBC News: "Israel's attorney general has filed a formal indictment in court against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. It came after Mr Netanyahu withdrew a request for parliamentary immunity from prosecution on charges of bribery, fraud and breach of trust in connection with three separate cases. He has denied any wrongdoing. The Israeli parliament had been due to open a debate on the immunity request on Tuesday. But Mr Netanyahu said he would not have got a fair hearing. He also criticised opponents for going ahead with the debate when ... Donald Trump was due to unveil his long-awaited Middle East peace plan."

Jonathan Chait: "... the totality of the evidence suggests [Bernie] Sanders is an extremely, perhaps uniquely, risky nominee. His vulnerabilities are enormous and untested. No party nomination, with the possible exception of Barry Goldwater in 1964, has put forth a presidential nominee with the level of downside risk exposure as a Sanders-led ticket would bring. To nominate Sanders would be insane."

Senate Race. Greg Blustein of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution: "U.S. Rep. Doug Collins will soon announce a challenge to U.S. Sen. Kelly Loeffler, setting up a bitter Republican showdown in November that pits one of ... Donald Trump's most vocal defenders against a wealthy former executive backed by Gov. Brian Kemp." ~~~

~~~ Mark Niesse of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution: "A bill that would force U.S. Sen. Kelly Loeffler into a Republican primary election against U.S. Rep. Doug Collins passed a committee Tuesday, clearing a path for a full vote in the Georgia House of Representatives. The House Governmental Affairs Committee approved the legislation that would replace a planned free-for-all special election in November with a partisan primary election in May. Then the Republican and Democratic nominees would compete head-to-head in a November election. The Republican-led committee and its Democratic minority joined forces in support of the proposal, with only one no vote from a Republican representative."

The New York Times is live-updating developments in the growing coronavirus epidemic. "The outbreak of the mysterious new coronavirus is rapidly spreading, the Chinese authorities said on Tuesday, as the official account of known cases jumped nearly 60 percent overnight and the death toll exceeded 100 for the first time. China said on Tuesday that 106 people had died from the virus, which is believed to have originated in the central city of Wuhan and is spreading across the country. The previous death toll, on Monday, was 81. The number of confirmed cases increased to 4,515 on Tuesday, from 2,835 on Monday, according to the National Health Commission."

~~~~~~~~~~

Nothing in the Bolton revelations, even if true, would rise to the level of an abuse of power, or an impeachable offense. -- Alan Dershowitz, Trump's prime-time defender, Monday ~~~

~~~ Michael Shear & Nicholas Fandos of the New York Times: "The White House and Senate Republican leaders struggled on Monday to salvage their plans for a quick acquittal of President Trump after a new account by his former national security adviser John R. Bolton corroborated a central piece of the impeachment case against him. The newly disclosed revelations by Mr. Bolton, whose forthcoming book details how Mr. Trump conditioned military aid for Ukraine on the country's willingness to furnish information on his political rivals, angered key Republicans and reinvigorated a bid to call witnesses. Such a move would prolong the trial and pose new dangers for the president.... The White House team is doubling down on a defense that is directly contradicted by the account in Mr. Bolton's book.... As evening set in, [Alan] Dershowitz made the legal team's only reference to Mr. Bolton, telling senators that the description of Mr. Trump's actions in his manuscript 'would not constitute an impeachable offense.... Hosting Israeli leaders, the president told reporters that he had not seen the manuscript of the former adviser's book but disputed its claims as 'false.'... Mr. Trump later complained to associates that the presentations from his defense team were boring." ~~~

     ~~~ Mrs. McCrabbie: Senate Republicans' attempts to continue their cover-up would be hilarious if the matters weren't so serious. From the report above, "'The best I can tell from what's reported in The New York Times, it is nothing different from what we have already heard,' Senator John Cornyn, Republican of Texas, said on Fox News." This, after Trump's lawyers argued vigorously that House managers had presented no first-hand accounts that Trump had traded dollars for dirt, neverminding Gordon Sondland's testimony that he had heard this first-hand from the Perfect Caller.

Robert Costa of the Washington Post: "Sen. Patrick J. Toomey (R-Pa.), an influential conservative in the Senate, has spoken with several colleagues in recent days about possibly summoning just two witnesses to President Trump's impeachment trial, with one called by Republicans and one by Democrats, according to three Republican officials."

The Guardian's liveblog for Monday's impeachment proceedings is here. @10:19 am ET: "Mitt Romney, one of the Republican senators that has already expressed openness to calling new witnesses to testify in the impeachment trial, said it was 'increasingly likely' other Senate Republicans would support the request." BUT @10:55 am: "Republican senator Susan Collins declined to commit to supporting a subpoena for John Bolton after one of her colleagues, Mitt Romney, predicted more Senate Republicans would soon join Democrats in requesting new witness testimony." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.) ~~~

~~~ The New York Times' liveblog for Monday's proceedings is here. ~~~

~~~ "President Trump's defense lawyers are arguing about the basis of the House's impeachment inquiry and the president's rights of due process and executive privilege. So far, they have offered an alternative rationale for why he froze security aid for Ukraine, ignoring revelations from the president's former national security adviser that directly contradict their case. The defense began its promised assault on former Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr. and his son, Hunter, on Monday, describing what they said was significant evidence of corruption that made Mr. Trump's interest in the case proper."

~~~ Nicholas Fandos & Catie Edmondson: Mitch "McConnell was among those venting angrily to the White House in private on Monday about the leak of the former national security adviser's manuscript, in which he wrote that Mr. Trump was conditioning the release of military aid to Ukraine upon the country furnishing investigative information about his political opponents. That contradicts the defense that the president's lawyer's have offered the Senate.

~~~ Maggie Haberman: "By Monday morning, several Republican senators had angrily called the White House trying to determine who at the administration knew about Mr. Bolton's manuscript, which aides there have had for several weeks, and what was in it. They told the White House they felt blindsided, according to people briefed on the calls who insisted on anonymity to describe private discussions.... John Ullyot, a spokesman for the National Security Council, issued a carefully worded statement on Monday morning, 16 hours after the Times story was published. 'Ambassador Bolton's manuscript was submitted to the N.S.C. for pre-publication review and has been under initial review by the N.S.C.,' he said. 'No White House personnel outside N.S.C. have reviewed the manuscript.'" Mrs. McC: Trump's private attorney Jay Seculow, for instance, is not one of the "White House personnel." Neither are most other lawyers on Trump's defense team. (Also linked yesterday.)

You Impeached the Wrong Guy! Kyle Cheney & Andrew Desiderio of Politico: "... Donald Trump turned the Senate floor Monday into an alternate-reality impeachment of his political rivals: Joe Biden and Barack Obama.... For about two hours on Monday, Trump's attorneys Pam Bondi and Eric Herschmann argued that it was Biden and Obama who should be investigated for corruption or abuse of power, laying out a case thick with political innuendo that has been sharply refuted by sworn witnesses during the House's impeachment inquiry late last year.... Democratic senators routinely scoffed at the president's lawyers when they argued that Obama had abused his power in his relationship with Russia and engaged in a quid pro quo with then-President Dmitriy Medvedev -- identical accusations to the House's impeachment charges against Trump." Mrs. McC: In fairness to Trump's other defense lawyers, Ken Starr kinda sort argued for the impeachment of ... you guessed it ... Bill Clinton. I was disappointed none of them asked the House managers to launch an impeachment inquiry into President Jimmy Carter.

Their Master's Voice. Stephen Collinson of CNN: "Donald Trump's impeachment trial defense is a perfect mirror for his presidency. It's sometimes loose with facts, it recycles conservative media conspiracies, it praises Trump's 2016 victory, it criticizes the Obama administration and it's geared almost entirely toward his political base. It asserts brazen presidential power and insists that far from being corrupt, Trump's behavior is, as he might say, 'perfect.' Like a chip off the old block, the President's lawyers are accusing his rivals of the exact conduct for which he was impeached -- an attempt to interfere in the 2020 presidential election. They skirted over the profound implications raised by former national security adviser John Bolton in a fresh round of revelations. And his team used its second day of arguments Monday to perform the very task that got the President in trouble: roughing up Joe Biden, his potential Democratic foe in November."

Monday's Most Significant Unbelievable Lie of the Day -- And Other Lies. Eileen Sullivan of the New York Times: "President Trump on Monday pushed back on a firsthand account from his former national security adviser, John R. Bolton, about tying military aid for a foreign ally to his own personal agenda, as senators consider the president's future in the Oval Office. 'I NEVER told John Bolton that the aid to Ukraine was tied to investigations into Democrats, including the Bidens,' Mr. Trump wrote just after midnight, referring to a widely debunked theory that the president had pursued about former Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr. and his son Hunter.... Hours after his midnight posts, Mr. Trump falsely stated that the Democrats never asked Mr. Bolton to testify during the House impeachment inquiry last year.... Mr. Trump also falsely claimed that his White House released the critical military aid to Ukraine ahead of schedule.... 'There can be no doubt now that Mr. Bolton directly contradicts the heart of the president's defense,' Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senator Chuck Schumer, the minority leader, said in a joint statement on Sunday...." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.) A CNBC report is here. ~~~

~~~ Oops! Barbara McQuade in a Washington Post op-ed: Donald Trump "may have been hoping to push wavering Senate Republicans away from agreeing to call Bolton to testify in the impeachment trial. But in the process, Trump probably waived any executive privilege that he could have claimed to keep Bolton quiet if that gambit fails.... Trump's tweets directly denying the substance of Bolton's reported allegations waive any privilege that might have protected them from public disclosure. Privilege is meant to keep a president's secrets confidential. If the president reveals those secrets or publicly discusses the conversations himself, there is no longer any need to protect them from disclosure. Now that Trump has accused Bolton of lying about their communications, the time has come to put Bolton under oath and see what he has to say."

Peter Baker of the New York Times: "At first glance, at least, John R. Bolton's account of President Trump's private remarks sounds like an echo of the so-called smoking gun tape that proved that President Richard M. Nixon really had orchestrated the Watergate cover-up and ultimately forced him from office. But this is Mr. Trump's era and Mr. Trump's Washington, and the old rules do not always apply.... The pressure on the handful of Republican senators who had been wavering on calling witnesses will now increase exponentially and the president's defense has suddenly been thrown into disarray. When Mr. Trump's lawyers address the Senate Monday afternoon, they will face the challenge of explaining how his own former top aide says the president did exactly what they say he did not do -- or trying to ignore it altogether.... In their trial brief submitted earlier last week, the president's lawyers made that one of their key points. 'Not a single witness with actual knowledge ever testified that the president suggested any connection between announcing investigations and security assistance,' the lawyers wrote. What's perhaps even more shocking is that the White House knew what Mr. Bolton had to say at least as far back as Dec. 30, when he sent his manuscript to the National Security Council for standard pre-publication review to ensure that no classified information would be released, yet continued to promote a completely opposite narrative." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.) ~~~

~~~ Steve M.: "... Senate Republicans will blame phony offenses by Democrats for their decision to end the trial quickly.... [They] will use the outrage off-ramp to dismiss the case for Bolton's testimony. And if they don't think that will work, maybe a few of them will concede that testimony from Bolton would be a good idea -- but then the question of his testimony will get mixed up in the fight for Republican witnesses[.]... I think Democrats would swap a Biden for Bolton. But an aggressive Republican move to subpoena a Trump wish list of witnesses will lead to a protracted fight, after which Republicans -- who are much better than Democrats at message discipline -- will say that no agreement could be reached because Democrats are afraid to hear witnesses. End of witness fight; end of trial." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)

** Bolton's Book Brings News from the Autocrats' Club. Michael Schmidt & Maggie Haberman of the New York Times: "John R. Bolton, the former national security adviser, privately told Attorney General William P. Barr last year that he had concerns that President Trump was effectively granting personal favors to the autocratic leaders of Turkey and China, according to an unpublished manuscript by Mr. Bolton. Mr. Barr responded by pointing to a pair of Justice Department investigations of companies in those countries and said he was worried that Mr. Trump had created the appearance that he had undue influence over what would typically be independent inquiries, according to the manuscript. Backing up his point, Mr. Barr mentioned conversations Mr. Trump had with the leaders, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan of Turkey and President Xi Jinping of China. Mr. Bolton's account underscores the fact that the unease about Mr. Trump's seeming embrace of authoritarian leaders, long expressed by experts and his opponents, also existed among some of the senior cabinet officers entrusted by the president to carry out his foreign policy and national security agendas." The Hill's summary report is here.

Time Wounds All Heels. Dahlia Lithwick of Slate: "The Republican strategy for getting ... Donald Trump off the hook in the Senate's impeachment trial has largely been rooted in the denial of the existence of a little something we, in the reality-based community, call time. The Republicans would like to pretend that the past doesn't exist, and also that the future won't exist, because doing so allows them to confine the mountains of damning evidence against the president to a minimalist public display that consists of in-the-moment rantings about 'no quid pro quo' and Adam Schiff and House Democrats' impeachment strategy.... That the future of this grotesquely corrupt for-profit presidency will rise and fall on the timing and dollar value of a book advance and a pub date is disturbing.... Until this week, GOP senators could at least plausibly have claimed that they had no idea what would come out in the future if they rushed this trial to its swift kangaroo conclusion. Today, any such argument is belied by the fact that the future happened yesterday."

Fox "News" Is Busy Discrediting Its Former Contributor. Aaron Rupar of Vox: "Faced with the news that President Trump's former National Security Adviser John Bolton's new book includes an account that undercuts one of Trump's central impeachment defenses, Fox News and the Trump-supporting Republicans who regularly appear on it went all-in on smearing him as a greedy and disgruntled former aide who only wants sell more copies. Take host Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX), who joined Monday's edition of Fox & Friends and said, 'The timing is a little interesting, isn't it?'... [Host] Maria Bartiromo ... accus[ed] Bolton ... of trying 'to sell a book.'... Sen. John Hawley (R-MO) went on Fox & Friends ... and incorrectly described Bolton's account as 'a bunch of hearsay.' White House press secretary Stephanie Grisham ... demeaned Bolton's publisher as 'the same publisher that [former FBI Director James] Comey used,' adding, 'the timing is very suspect.' (Grisham's claim is incorrect -- Comey's book was published by Macmillan while Bolton's is being published by Simon & Schuster.)... Rep. Jim Jordan (R-OH), who serves on Trump's impeachment defense team and went as far as to smear Bolton -- a Republican who worked for multiple Republican presidents -- as a Democrat. 'Coming out at this late hour is a kinda typical move from the Democrats,' he said.... It is the White House, not Bolton, that appears to be responsible for the timing of news of Bolton's book draft.... The Times reports the White House was first sent a copy of the draft last month, weeks after Trump told reporters he'd 'love' for his top aides to testify during his Senate trial. Bolton's lawyer blamed the White House for leaking about it."

Matt Ford of the New Republic: "Whatever the outcome, [the Bolton bombshell is] a poetic turn of events. The president's greatest threat may not be from high-minded civic idealists, but a grifter whose shamelessness may exceed his own."

Juliegrace Brufke of the Hill: "Rep. Mark Meadows (R-N.C.) said he believes Senate Republicans who break with President Trump on impeachment will likely face political backlash.... His comments come as centrist GOP lawmakers in the upper chamber face mounting pressure to vote to bring in additional witnesses for the trial in the wake of [the] bombshell New York Times report" on John Bolton 's unpublished book. Mrs. McC: Gee, Mark, they might end up with their heads on pikes.

Pompeo Triples Down on Punishing Girl Reporters. Darturnorro Clark of NBC News: "The State Department on Monday removed an NPR reporter from Secretary of State Mike Pompeo's upcoming trip abroad after a dayslong spat with a different NPR reporter, who said Pompeo berated her and cursed after an interview. The State Department Correspondents' Association confirmed the decision to remove NPR correspondent Michele Kelemen from Pompeo's plane on his upcoming trip to Europe and Central Asia, calling the move 'retaliation' after Pompeo's public attack on NPR's Mary Louise Kelly." Mrs. McC: Pompeo is scheduled to travel to five countries, including Ukraine. Hope he lectures them all on "American values" like freedom of the press.

John Roberts Has Not Spent All His Time Hanging Out at the Senate. Ariane de Vogue & Priscilla Alvarez of CNN: "The Supreme Court in a 5-4 vote Monday cleared the way for the Trump administration to make it more difficult for low-income immigrants seeking to come to or trying to remain legally in the United States. The so-called public charge rule, unveiled in August, impacts people who rely on public assistance, including most forms of Medicaid, food stamps and housing vouchers.... Monday's vote split along ideological lines, with the five conservative justices in the majority."

Tara Law of Time: "...Donald Trump's personal pastor, the televangelist Paula White, is facing criticism after praying for the miscarriage of 'all Satanic pregnancies' during a sermon earlier this month.... White took on a role as advisor to the White House's Office of Public Liaison as an advisor to the Faith and Opportunity Initiative in the fall, but has known the President for nearly two decades and was one of the six clergy members to speak at his inauguration. She is associated with the 'prosperity gospel,' a belief which holds that God wants his followers to be healthy and wealthy, and that many other Christians consider to be heretical." --s ~~~

~~~ Devan Cole of CNN: "... Donald Trump's spiritual adviser Paula White defended herself on Sunday against criticism over a prayer she made earlier this month in which she asked for 'all satanic pregnancies to miscarry right now,' saying her words were taken 'out of context for political gain.'" Mrs. McC: As revealed in the video clip that accompanies the story, what White said, in context, "In the name of Jesus, we command all satanic pregnancies to miscarry right now." Evidently claiming to speak for Jesus makes it okay.

Annals of "Journalism," Ctd.

Erik Wemple of the Washington Post: "The Post has suspended reporter Felicia Sonmez following her social-media activity over the death of NBA great Kobe Bryant.... What did Sonmez do to deserve this brushback? She tweeted out a very good story from the Daily Beast.... An immediate and overwhelming expression of anger piled on Sonmez from Twitter users. Sonmez had directed her followers to this April 2016 story in the Daily Beast by Marlow Stern. Written at the time of Bryant's farewell tour through NBA cities, the story takes a deep look at the sexual-assault allegation against Bryant stemming from his 2003 visit to Colorado's Lodge & Spa a Cordillera.... 'To the 10,000 people (literally) who have commented and emailed me with abuse and death threats, please take a moment and read the story -- which was written 3+ years ago, and not by me,' Sonmez tweeted...." Wemple objects to Sonmez's suspension. "By [the Post's own] standards, Sonmez's tweet would appear to invite a pat on the back from management." ~~~

     ~~~ Mrs. McCrabbie: I would not have tweeted a link to the rape story, even tho, frankly, the rape allegation is just about all I knew about Bryant before his death other than that he was a star basketball player. But I am not a journalist; I don't have a duty to report or to put a public figure's life in perspective. I can see no legitimate basis for Sonmez's suspension, other than "a man decided to suspend her." ~~~

     ~~~ Wemple's report puts the onus for Sonmez's suspension on Tracy Grant, who is the Post's first female managing editor. Rachel Abrams of the New York Times: "Ms. Sonmez received an email from The Post's executive editor, Martin Baron, at 5:38 p.m., before she was told that she would be placed on leave. The reporter shared the three-sentence email with The New York Times. 'Felicia,' Mr. Baron wrote. 'A real lack of judgment to tweet this. Please stop. You're hurting this institution by doing this.' The text of Mr. Baron's email was attached to a screen shot of Ms. Sonmez's tweet linking to the Daily Beast article."

~~~ Scott Lemieux in LG&$: "It is frankly baffling what 'policy' Sonmez's fi[r]st tweet could have violated. It can't be that it mentioned it linked to a story about Bryant being credibly accused of sexual assault, getting the criminal case dropped at least in part by doxxing his accuser, and then reaching a settlement. You can also find the news that Bryant was accused of sexual assault in ... the Washington Post's own obituary, published the same day[.]... There was a recent Oscar-winning movie about a true story of norms of silence surrounding sexual violence ended up shielding more powerful abusers. Baron may want to watch it again!" ~~~

     ~~~ Mrs. McCrabbie: The film Lemiuex links is "Spotlight," "a superbly controlled and engrossingly detailed account of the Boston Globe's Pulitzer Prize-winning investigation into the widespread pedophilia scandals and subsequent cover-ups within the Catholic Church," according to Variety critic Justin Chang. And the leader of the Globe's Pulitzer-winning team? One Marty Baron. Of course, the victims in these cases were mostly boys. So, ya know.... ~~~

~~~ Emily Stewart of Vox tries to piece together why the WashPo suspended Sonmez. "There is a bigger debate beyond the circumstances of Sonmez's tweets: How do we talk about revered figures when they die, including the good and the bad? Sonmez is hardly the only person to mention the allegation against Bryant in the wake of his death. Plenty of other people did the same and did not get the same amount of backlash; many of the posters were men, and men often don't experience the same amount of vitriol online as their female counterparts.... The Post's decision to suspend her is perplexing, as is its murky reasoning. Journalists are supposed to be dedicated to the truth and shining light on things that are sometimes ugly and painful. The Post should recognize that -- or at the very least have an explanation beyond seemingly responding to a Twitter mob."

Presidential Race

Bill Barrow & Alexandra Jaffe of the AP: "As Bernie Sanders exudes confidence in his ability to win next week's Iowa caucuses, his moderate rivals are struggling with how -- and whether -- to directly take on the progressive Vermont senator who some Democrats worry won't be able to defeat ... Donald Trump.... Sanders has long identified as a democratic socialist, and the prospect that he could win the caucuses and gain momentum heading into later contests has alarmed the establishment wing of the Democratic Party. But that anxiety was hard to detect on the campaign trail as [Joe] Biden and [Pete] Buttigieg, two of the leading moderate candidates, declined to take him head-on, opting instead to speak about the need to unify the party and the urgency of beating Trump.... While they largely avoided talking about Sanders during campaign events, the moderate candidates displayed less reluctance to knock Sanders in appeals to potential donors.... Buttigieg's campaign issued a fundraising plea, warning of Sanders' strength and declaring, 'we risk nominating a candidate who cannot beat Donald Trump in November.' Biden's campaign also sent a fundraising solicitation citing Sanders' strength...."

Americans Warming to Autocrat. Martin Pengelly of the Guardian: "Amid signs that more voters are in general less worried about the economy and their own economic wellbeing, and a week out from the Iowa caucuses, the national [Washington Post-ABC News] poll gave the president encouraging scores against contenders for the Democratic presidential nomination. In notional general election match-ups, Trump trailed former vice-president Joe Biden with registered voters by four points (50%-46%); Vermont senator Bernie Sanders by two (49%-47%); and Minnesota senator Amy Klobuchar by one (48%-47%). Those deficits against the top Democrats have roughly halved since a similar poll at the end of 2019." --s

Kevin Hall of the Miami Herald: "... a top U.S. Justice Department official [said Monday] that Britain's Prince Andrew has provided 'zero cooperation' to an ongoing investigation into the late accused sex trafficker Jeffrey E. Epstein. Although Epstein was found dead in the Metropolitan Correctional Center in Manhattan last Aug. 10, U.S. Attorney Geoffrey Berman, the top prosecutor for the Southern District of New York, continues to investigate the disgraced financier with an eye toward bringing charges against his enablers and possible co-conspirators. 'Ordinarily our office doesn't comment on whether an individual cooperates or doesn't cooperate with our investigation. However, in Prince Andrew's case, he publicly offered, indeed in a press release offered to cooperate with law enforcement investigating the crimes committed by Jeffrey Epstein and his co-conspirators,' Berman explained to reporters gathered outside Epstein's Manhattan mansion.... 'So let me say that the Southern District of New York and the FBI have contacted Prince Andrew's attorneys and requested to interview Prince Andrew, and to date Prince Andrew has provided zero cooperation.'"

Chris Francescani of ABC News: "One of two women that Harvey Weinstein is on trial for sexually assaulting took the witness stand on Monday to describe how the Hollywood producer violently sexually assaulted her and explain why she returned to him within a month and endured a second unwanted sexual encounter. Miriam 'Mimi' Haleyi is the second of six women expected to testify that the disgraced Hollywood mega-producer sexually assaulted them, following dramatic testimony last week from 'Sopranos' actress Annabella Sciorra."

Way Beyond the Beltway

Brazil. Dom Phillips of the Guardian: "When Jair Bolsonaro's culture secretary published an official video paraphrasing Nazi propaganda minister Joseph Goebbels, it wasn't just Brazilians who were stunned. The video, in which Roberto Alvim called for a 'rebirth of art and culture in Brazil' while Adolf Hitler's favourite Wagner opera played in the background, sent shockwaves around the world. Alvim was sacked within hours.... Analysts said the use of such extremist tactics is typical of the brinksmanship, trolling and meme tactics used by the US 'alt-right' who are often referenced by powerful members of Bolsonaro's government.... Pushing the limits and goading liberals are classic alt-right tactics, said Rodrigo Nunes, a political philosophy professor at Rio de Janeiro's Pontifical Catholic University.... 'The playbook is the American alt-right,' Nunes said. 'In that sense, Brazil is the first alt-right government in the world.'" --s

News Ledes

CNN: "The NTSB, which is investigating the cause of the crash [that killed Kobe Bryant and eight others], detailed the helicopter's final moments before it crashed into a hillside in Calabasas, California, under foggy conditions. Visibility was so low Sunday morning that the Los Angeles Police Department grounded its helicopters, department spokesman Josh Rubenstein said." ~~~

~~~ Washington Post: "The helicopter pilot flying Kobe Bryant, the basketball star's daughter and six other passengers Sunday grappled with poor weather, asking at one point for special permission to fly by sight in worse than normal visibility, but he displayed no signs of concern in his communications with air traffic controllers. Shortly after he got special clearance to continue through controlled airspace, he veered from Highway 101 below and crashed into the Calabasas, Calif., hills. All nine onboard were killed."

The Commentariat -- January 27, 2020

Late Morning Update:

The Guardian's liveblog for today's impeachment proceedings is here. @10:19 am ET: "Mitt Romney, one of the Republican senators that has already expressed openness to calling new witnesses to testify in the impeachment trial, said it was 'increasingly likely' other Senate Republicans would support the request." BUT @10:55 am: "Republican senator Susan Collins declined to commit to supporting a subpoena for John Bolton after one of her colleagues, Mitt Romney, predicted more Senate Republicans would soon join Democrats in requesting new witness testimony." Mrs. McC: I guess she's "concerned" about something. ~~~

~~~ The New York Times' liveblog is here. Mrs. McC: Sadly, I have to be away this afternoon, so I'll miss some of the dissembling. ~~~

~~~ Maggie Haberman: "By Monday morning, several Republican senators had angrily called the White House trying to determine who at the administration knew about Mr. Bolton's manuscript, which aides there have had for several weeks, and what was in it. They told the White House they felt blindsided, according to people briefed on the calls who insisted on anonymity to describe private discussions.... John Ullyot, a spokesman for the National Security Council, issued a carefully worded statement on Monday morning, 16 hours after the Times story was published. 'Ambassador Bolton's manuscript was submitted to the N.S.C. for pre-publication review and has been under initial review by the N.S.C.,' he said. 'No White House personnel outside N.S.C. have reviewed the manuscript.'" Mrs. McC: Trump's private attorney Jay Seculow, for instance, is not one of the "White House personnel." Neither are most other lawyers on Trump's defense team.

Today's Most Significant Unbelievable Lie of the Day -- And Other Lies. Eileen Sullivan of the New York Times: "President Trump on Monday pushed back on a firsthand account from his former national security adviser, John R. Bolton, about tying military aid for a foreign ally to his own personal agenda, as senators consider the president's future in the Oval Office. 'I NEVER told John Bolton that the aid to Ukraine was tied to investigations into Democrats, including the Bidens,' Mr. Trump wrote just after midnight, referring to a widely debunked theory that the president had pursued about former Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr. and his son Hunter.... Hours after his midnight posts, Mr. Trump falsely stated that the Democrats never asked Mr. Bolton to testify during the House impeachment inquiry last year.... Mr. Trump also falsely claimed that his White House released the critical military aid to Ukraine ahead of schedule.... 'There can be no doubt now that Mr. Bolton directly contradicts the heart of the president's defense,' Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senator Chuck Schumer, the minority leader, said in a joint statement on Sunday...."

Peter Baker of the New York Times: "At first glance, at least, John R. Bolton's account of President Trump's private remarks sounds like an echo of the so-called smoking gun tape that proved that President Richard M. Nixon really had orchestrated the Watergate cover-up and ultimately forced him from office. But this is Mr. Trump's era and Mr. Trump's Washington, and the old rules do not always apply.... The pressure on the handful of Republican senators who had been wavering on calling witnesses will now increase exponentially and the president's defense has suddenly been thrown into disarray. When Mr. Trump's lawyers address the Senate Monday afternoon, they will face the challenge of explaining how his own former top aide says the president did exactly what they say he did not do -- or trying to ignore it altogether.... In their trial brief submitted earlier last week, the president's lawyers made that one of their key points. 'Not a single witness with actual knowledge ever testified that the president suggested any connection between announcing investigations and security assistance,' the lawyers wrote. What's perhaps even more shocking is that the White House knew what Mr. Bolton had to say at least as far back as Dec. 30, when he sent his manuscript to the National Security Council for standard pre-publication review to ensure that no classified information would be released, yet continued to promote a completely opposite narrative." ~~~

~~~ Steve M.: "... Senate Republicans will blame phony offenses by Democrats for their decision to end the trial quickly.... [They] will use the outrage off-ramp to dismiss the case for Bolton's testimony. And if they don't think that will work, maybe a few of them will concede that testimony from Bolton would be a good idea -- but then the question of his testimony will get mixed up in the fight for Republican witnesses[.]... I think Democrats would swap a Biden for Bolton. But an aggressive Republican move to subpoena a Trump wish list of witnesses will lead to a protracted fight, after which Republicans -- who are much better than Democrats at message discipline -- will say that no agreement could be reached because Democrats are afraid to hear witnesses. End of witness fight; end of trial."

~~~~~~~~~~

Mrs. Bea McCrabbie: Once John Bolton indicated he would testify before the Senate, the odds that he would get his story out, one way or another. went up. So ~~~

~~~ ** Maggie Haberman & Michael Schmidt of the New York Times: "President Trump told his national security adviser in August that he wanted to continue freezing $391 million in security assistance to Ukraine until officials there helped with investigations into Democrats including the Bidens, according to an unpublished manuscript by the former adviser, John R. Bolton.... Mr. Bolton's explosive account of the matter at the center of Mr. Trump's impeachment trial ... was included in drafts of a manuscript he has circulated in recent weeks to close associates. He also sent a draft to the White House for a standard review process for some current and former administration officials who write books. Multiple people described Mr. Bolton's account of the Ukraine affair. The book presents an outline of what Mr. Bolton might testify to if he is called as a witness in the Senate impeachment trial, the people said. The White House could use the pre-publication review process ... to delay or even kill the book's publication or omit key passages." Read on. Bolton whacks Pompeo, Barr, Mulvaney and of course Giuliani. The Hill's summary report is here. ~~~

~~~ Noah Weiland of the New York Times outlines key takeaways from the draft of Bolton's book. Here's one: "The revelations from the draft of Mr. Bolton's book could complicate the impeachment trial.... Mr. Bolton's revelations could unearth support among ... a handful of [Republican] senators who have indicated they might be open to hearing from him.... If the Senate does vote to hear from Mr. Bolton, the trial could stretch deep into February." ~~~

~~~ Seung Min Kim & Felicia Sonmez of the Washington Post: "Congressional Democrats called for former national security adviser John Bolton to testify in President Trump's impeachment trial following a new report that the president told Bolton last August that he wanted to withhold military aid to Ukraine unless it aided investigations into the Bidens.... In a joint statement, the seven House impeachment managers called the report 'explosive' and urged the Senate ... to agree to call Bolton as a witness in Trump's trial.... The revelation from the Bolton book was certain to roil the dynamics of the trial this week, when the Senate was expected to face a critical vote on whether to allow witnesses at all. Charles Cooper, a lawyer for Bolton, said he submitted the manuscript to the National Security Council's records management division on Dec. 30 for a standard review process to examine potentially classified information. Cooper said they believed the book manuscript did not include any classified material.... Sarah Tinsley, a spokeswoman for Bolton, added: 'The ambassador has not passed the draft manuscript to anyone else. Period.'" Here's NBC News's story. ~~~

     ~~~ Mrs. McCrabbie: So the White House has had Bolton's book for nearly four weeks, yet the lying lawyers defending Trump still got up before the Senate & claimed Trump's "real" purpose for withholding funds from Ukraine was over his deep concerns about general corruption in Ukraine.

~~~ Dan Nexon of LG&$: "... you should read the piece -- and then reflect on the fact that nothing matters, the Senate will acquit Trump, there's a good chance he'll be reelected, and everything is terrible. NB: think about the fact that Giuliani could've been a cabinet official, but he was seen as too compromised for this administration." ~~~

~~~ Adam Silverman of Balloon Juice has some thoughts worth considering. Here's one of them: "Bolton's real concern, according to Haberman's and Schmidt's reporting is that if he doesn't get to testify in the President's impeachment trial in the Senate, that people will think he's only interested in his personal profit.... Ambassador Bolton doesn't have to worry about [that].... That ship has sailed, got caught in a storm after leaving port, and has sunk. I'd call Ambassador Bolton a selfish, egomaniacal, megalomaniacal whore, but that would be insulting to selfish people, egomaniacs, megalomaniacs, and whores!" ~~~

~~~ ** Josh Marshall gets to the nub of it: "I think there is little chance -- but not no chance -- that this is will shift the equation on Senate Republicans voting to hear testimony from witnesses. But it is still important to note that during the trial we have a clear indication that the President's then-foreign policy chief says that his entire impeachment defense is bogus. But the biggest thing is we shouldn't lose track of what a disgrace this is. Bolton, as we've suspected, denied critical information to a lawful and constitutional judicial inquiry while making it available for what is at the end of the day a private business venture. There is just no conceivable justification for this from any, any perspective." ~~~

~~~ Mrs. McCrabbie: Besides, isn't this eleventh-hour ploy just a spectacular kickoff to Bolton's book tour? I mean, what's the last time a book draft was the NYT's top story? And the Times never quotes any passages from the book. Rather, if you want to know what Bolton actually wrote, you have to buy the book!* Ka-ching! Talk about drug deals. It also seems possible that Bolton a friend of Bolton's leaked the draft because Bolton was worried that the White House would hold onto the draft forevah, or at least until the money quotes had diminished in value -- like until after the November election.

     ~~~ * Update: Reserve your copy now!

Rebecca Klar of the Hill: Donald "Trump tweeted early Sunday morning that [Adam] Schiff, whom he called a 'CORRUPT POLITICIAN,' has 'not paid the price, yet, for what he has done to our Country!'... Schiff ... said Sunday that [the] tweet from the president is 'intended to be a threat." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.) ~~~

~~~ Jeremy Schulman of Mother Jones: "Trump's tweet drew immediate outrage, with many suggesting it might incite violence against Schiff. 'What do you say to somebody who says, "President Trump is saying that Adam Schiff needs to pay a price -- this is in the midst of Adam Schiff getting death threats,"' asked CNN's Jake Tapper during an interview with GOP Sen. James Lankford (Okla.). 'I just don't think it's a death threat,' Lankford responded. 'People who are supporters of the president have heard his rhetoric and then actually tried to bomb and kill politicians and the media,' Tapper shot back -- a reference to Cesar Sayoc, a Trump supporter who last year pleaded guilty to mailing pipe bombs to prominent Democrats and CNN in 2018.... Trump didn't just call Schiff 'corrupt.' [In another tweet Sunday,] he called him a 'conman' who made a 'fraudulent statement to Congress.' And Trump once again accused Schiff of 'illegally making up my phone call.'... Trump's accusations are entirely meritless. Even if they weren't, it's incredibly unlikely that he'd succeed in suing, let along criminally prosecuting, Schiff -- members of Congress enjoy broad legal immunity for what they say in committee hearings."

Justine Coleman of the Hill: "Alan Dershowitz, a member of President Trump's legal team, said the Democrats 'completely failed' to meet the constitutional standard for removing Trump from office in their opening argument last week. Dershowitz told Chris Wallace on 'Fox News Sunday' that he thought the House managers presented the strongest case they could' but 'didn't come close to alleging impeachable offenses.' 'They completely failed to meet that high constitutional standard, and therefore it would be unconstitutional to remove a president based on the allegations that were made against him in the articles of impeachment,' he said." Mrs. McC: If you don't have the facts, make up something. If you don't have the law & the Constitution, make up something else. If you don't have the facts or the law, go on Fox "News." (Apologies to Carl Sandburg.) (Also linked yesterday afternoon.) ~~~

~~~ BUT Maybe Not on "Fox 'News' Sunday." Ken Meyer of Mediaite: "... Alan Dershowitz faced a bruising interview on Sunday when confronted with his abandoned position that a federal crime isn't necessary to form the legitimate basis to impeach the president.... As Dershowitz laid out the historical precedents he's using as the basis for his argument, Wallace called several of them into question before quoting Alexander Hamilton and George Mason arguing that the violation of a criminal statute 'is not essential to impeachment.'"

Paul Farhi of the Washington Post: "Secretary of State Mike Pompeo says an NPR host lied in setting up an interview with him on Friday, but email records support the journalist's account of how the contentious exchange came to be. The emails, obtained by The Washington Post, indicate that Pompeo's staff was aware that NPR's Mary Louise Kelly would ask Pompeo about several topics in the interview and raised no objections, contrary to Pompeo's characterization. In an extraordinary statement issued on State Department letterhead on Saturday, Pompeo blasted Kelly for repeatedly asking him why he refused to express support for the former U.S. ambassador to Ukraine, Marie Yovanovitch.... 'NPR reporter Mary Louise Kelly lied to me, twice.... First, last month, in setting up our interview and, then again yesterday, in agreeing to have our post-interview conversation off the record. It is shameful that this reporter chose to violate the basic rules of journalism and decency.' [In an exchange with Pompeo's press aide Katie Martin,] Kelly responded, 'I am indeed just back from Tehran and plan to start there. Also Ukraine.... I never agree to take anything off the table.'" ~~~

     ~~~ Mrs. McCrabbie: You know that Bible you so proudly keep open on your desk, Mike? You should consult it from time to time on the many passages that warn against lying. Looks as if you're going to wind up "in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur." Seems fair to me.

This is another example of how unhinged the media has become in its quest to hurt President Trump and this administration. It is no wonder that the American people distrust many in the media when they so consistently demonstrate their agenda and their absence of integrity. -- Mike Pompeo, in his statement Saturday, condemning NPR reporter Mary Kelly, et al. ~~~

~~~ Edward Wong of the New York Times: Pompeo's "statement ... ignited outrage online among foreign policy experts, scholars of diplomacy and press freedom advocates. Mr. Pompeo violated the goals and nonpartisan nature of his office, whose core mission is to promote American values worldwide, including freedom of the press, they said.... Mr. Pompeo has occasionally issued statements calling on authoritarian governments to respect press freedoms. But he has insulted journalists and has even cursed at diplomatic reporters in private meetings. His Saturday statement was notable for the public -- and broad -- denunciation of the news media.... Five Democratic senators sent a letter on Saturday to Mr. Pompeo denouncing his 'irresponsible' comments and the 'corrosive effects of your behavior on American values and standing in the world.'... For some, Mr. Pompeo's treatment of Ms. Kelly underlined a persistent hostility toward women." ~~~

~~~ ** Former Ambassador Bill Taylor takes another whack at Pompeo in this New York Times op-ed: "As Secretary of State Mike Pompeo prepares to meet Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in Kyiv later this week, he has reportedly asked, 'Do Americans care about Ukraine?' Here's why the answer should be yes: Ukraine is defending itself and the West against Russian attack. No matter the outcome of the debate about the propriety of a phone call between the two presidents, the relationship between the United States and Ukraine is key to our national security. Americans should care about Ukraine. Russia is fighting a hybrid war against Ukraine, Europe and the United States." Worth reading every word. And worth knowing that the POTUS* doesn't give a flying fuck about any of it.

~~~ Max Boot in the Washington Post: Rex "Tillerson might not have known what he was doing once he left ExxonMobil, but he was at least ethical and well-intentioned -- and not afraid to stand up to President Trump.... [Mike Pompeo's] reward for being Trump's enabler is to amass far more influence than Tillerson ever did. Pompeo is the most powerful member of the Cabinet.... Pompeo has become a Trump mini-me who emulates his master in boorishness, bombast, bullying -- and dishonesty. Every day that Pompeo stays in office, he makes Tillerson -- once seen as the worst secretary of state ever -- look better by comparison. Pompeo has become a Trump mini-me who emulates his master in boorishness, bombast, bullying -- and dishonesty. Every day that Pompeo stays in office, he makes Tillerson -- once seen as the worst secretary of state ever -- look better by comparison."

Evan Semones of Politico: "Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin's wife on Saturday appeared to publicly break with her husband over support for Greta Thunberg's climate change activism. 'I stand with Greta on this issue. (I don't have a degree in economics either),' actress Louise Linton wrote in a now-deleted Instagram post after Mnuchin chided the 17-year-old's call for governments to end their support of fossil fuels at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, saying she should attend college and study economics." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)

Mark Landler of the New York Times: Benjamin Netanyahu "will return to the White House for meetings Monday and Tuesday, and Mr. Trump is expected at last to lay out the details of that long-awaited plan. Mr. Netanyahu said Sunday he hoped to 'make history' on the visit. But far from a bold effort to bring old enemies together ... Middle East experts now expect the plan to be mainly a booster shot for Mr. Netanyahu's desperate campaign to stay in power. Benny Gantz, again Mr. Netanyahu's rival in Israel's third election in less than a year, will have his own separate meeting with Mr. Trump on Monday."

That's the way Jews work. They are deceivers. They plot, they lie, they do whatever they have to do to accomplish their political agenda. This 'Impeach Trump' movement is a Jew coup, and the American people better wake up to it really fast.... When Jews take over a country, they kill millions of Christians. -- Rick Wiles, founder of TruNews & a Trump fave, in a radio broadcast ~~~

~~~ Michael Grynbaum of the New York Times: "Five employees of TruNews ... received formal credentials from the White House to cover the president's trip [last week to Davos, Switzerland, TruNews founder Rick] Wiles said in an interview last week from his hotel room in Switzerland -- a room in a ski lodge reserved by the Trump administration for traveling members of the American press.... TruNews, a website aimed at conservative Christians ... recently described Mr. Trump's impeachment as 'a Jew coup' planned by 'a Jewish cabal.'... TruNews, which Mr. Wiles ... has a history of spreading conspiracy theories and proclaiming an imminent apocalypse." After Jonathan Karl, president of the White House Correspondent's Association, said he was "puzzled" as to why the White House credentialed a "hate group" after it had denied credentials to Jim Acosta of CNN, "Mr. Wiles ... said that he had been unfairly attacked by 'the self-appointed gods and goddesses of the news media....' He went on to blame George Soros, the Jewish financier often cited in anti-Semitic conspiracy theories, for coordinating a campaign against him." Wiles says he bears "no ill will toward the Jewish people."

The Commentariat -- January 26, 2020

Afternoon Update:

Justine Coleman of the Hill: "Alan Dershowitz, a member of President Trump's legal team, said the Democrats 'completely failed' to meet the constitutional standard for removing Trump from office in their opening argument last week. Dershowitz told Chris Wallace on 'Fox News Sunday' that he thought the House managers presented the strongest case they could' but 'didn't come close to alleging impeachable offenses.' 'They completely failed to meet that high constitutional standard, and therefore it would be unconstitutional to remove a president based on the allegations that were made against him in the articles of impeachment,' he said." Mrs. McC: If you don't have the facts, make up something. If you don't have the law & the Constitution, make up something else. If you don't have the facts or the law, go on Fox "News."

Rebecca Klar of the Hill: Donald "Trump tweeted early Sunday morning that [Adam] Schiff, whom he called a 'CORRUPT POLITICIAN,' has 'not paid the price, yet, for what he has done to our Country!'... Schiff ... said Sunday that [the] tweet from the president is 'intended to be a threat."

Evan Semones of Politico: "Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin's wife on Saturday appeared to publicly break with her husband over support for Greta Thunberg's climate change activism. 'I stand with Greta on this issue. (I don't have a degree in economics either),' actress Louise Linton wrote in a now-deleted Instagram post after Mnuchin chided the 17-year-old's call for governments to end their support of fossil fuels at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, saying she should attend college and study economics."

~~~~~~~~~~

The Democrats are relying on facts, but the Republicans are relying on Fox. -- Maureen Dowd, in today's NYT column

Peter Baker of the New York Times: "President Trump's legal defense team mounted an aggressive offense on Saturday as it opened its side in the Senate impeachment trial by attacking his Democratic accusers as partisan witch-hunters trying to remove him from office because they could not beat him at the ballot box. After three days of arguments by the House managers prosecuting Mr. Trump for high crimes and misdemeanors, the president's lawyers presented the senators a radically different view of the facts and the Constitution, seeking to turn the Democrats' charges back on them while denouncing the whole process as illegitimate." ~~~

~~~ Elise Viebeck, et al., of the Washington Post: "In a two-hour presentation that reserved their most provocative attacks for Monday, members of Trump's legal team echoed the president's justifications for his actions toward Ukraine and sought to plant doubts about both the prosecutors' case and its lead advocate, Rep. Adam B. Schiff (D-Calif.). Yet, in arguing that the case for Trump's removal was partisan and misleading, lawyers for the president omitted facts, presented claims that lacked context or minimized evidence gathered by House investigators. Their most sweeping arguments did not specifically defend Trump but instead framed impeachment as no more than a politically motivated effort to remove him from the ballot in November.... The lawyers landed repeatedly on themes that matter to Trump, including what he has described as his 'perfect' July 25 phone call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, special counsel Robert S. Mueller III's report, and omissions and errors by the FBI in document submitted to the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court.... The next session is expected to include full-throated attacks on [Joe] Biden and his son Hunter...." ~~~

~~~ Lauren Gambino of the Guardian: "Jay Sekulow, Trump's personal lawyer and a member of his legal team, had promised that there would be 'plenty' of material to delight the Sunday talk shows. He vowed to fill their 24 hours of allotted time over three days with all manner of conspiracies that ping from Fox News segments to the president's Twitter feed: the Bidens, the FBI warrants, FISA court orders and the like. But on Saturday, the team mostly avoided the fever swamps, focusing instead on rebutting the prosecution's case. Pat Cipollone, the White House counsel whose surname the prosecution never quite agreed on how to pronounce (it's SIP-uh-loan-ee), began with a time-honored trick of the trade: he flipped the script, seeking to turn those trying to impeach Trump into the villains who undermine American democracy." ~~~

     ~~~ Mrs. McCrabbie: SIP-uh-loan-ee may be the way Pat Cipollone pronounces his surname, but Italians would pronounce it CHEEP-uhl-low-nay, "dragging out" that double "L".

~~~ New York Times liveblog: "President Trump's lawyers wrapped up a brief opening argument against his impeachment on Saturday much as they had begun, seeking to turn accusations of wrongdoing back on Democrats and insisting that there were innocent explanations for Mr. Trump's actions toward Ukraine.... The president's legal team spent only two of the 24 hours allotted to them on Saturday opening his defense, in what Mr. Trump's lawyers said was a preview of a fuller set of arguments to come on Monday. Their focus was on dismissing the House impeachment inquiry as a partisan ploy that ignored the facts in order to cast Mr. Trump's actions in the worst possible light...." ~~~

~~~ Michael Shear: "Immediately after the White House lawyers finished their opening arguments on Saturday, Democrats sought to pick the presentation apart.... House managers held a news conference to rebut the White House case, point by point. Over 30 minutes, Representative Adam B. Schiff of California, the lead manager, and Representative Jerrold Nadler of New York, another manager, accused the president's lawyers of having little substance. Mr. Schiff said their case amounted to a single argument: that the president has the power to do whatever he wants. 'That is so deeply destructive of our national security, the integrity of our elections. It's hard to overstate the matter,' Mr. Schiff said." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.) ~~~

~~~ Mrs. McCrabbie: I would have posted this sooner, but I was busy. Unlike Akhilleus, who was watching other Saturday morning cartoons (see yesterday's Comments), I opted for an old movie starring Richard Gere. ~~~

~~~ Trump's Lawyers Cut Impeachment Clause out of Constitution. Eric Tucker, et al., of the AP: "... Donald Trump's lawyers plunged into his impeachment trial defense Saturday by accusing Democrats of striving to overturn the 2016 election, arguing that investigations of Trump's dealings with Ukraine have not been a fact-finding mission but a politically motivated effort to drive him from the White House. 'They're here to perpetrate the most massive interference in an election in American history,' White House Counsel Pat Cipollone told senators.... From the White House, Trump tweeted his response: 'Any fair minded person watching the Senate trial today would be able to see how unfairly I have been treated and that this is indeed the totally partisan Impeachment Hoax that EVERYBODY, including the Democrats, truly knows it is.'" (Also linked yesterday afternoon.) ~~~

Now, the first point that I would like to make is that the president's counsel did something that they did not intend: They made a really compelling case for why the Senate should call witnesses and documents. They kept saying there are no eyewitness accounts, but there are people who eyewitness accounts, the very four witnesses and the very four sets of documents that we have asked for.... -- Chuck Schumer, in comments following yesterday's proceedings ~~~

~~~ Sonam Sheth of Business Insider: "... on Saturday, Trump's lawyers seemed to bolster Democrats' case [for witnesses & documents] by repeatedly claiming that they hadn't heard from a single witness who had 'direct contact' with the president.... Their statements were misleading (Gordon Sondland, the US's ambassador to the European Union, was in frequent touch with Trump and testified to Congress that the president engaged in a quid pro quo with Ukraine).... It's worth noting, too, that though the president's lawyers complain of not hearing testimony from witnesses who spoke to Trump directly, the defense team led by White House counsel Pat Cipollone could easily solve that problem by retracting Trump's sweeping directive last year barring all executive branch officials across six agencies from cooperating with the House of Representatives' impeachment inquiry." Thanks to Ken W. for the link.

Mrs. McCrabbie: I think the head-on-a-pike story is essentially superfluous, but Jonathan Chait does a good job of disposing of it: "How convenient for the Republicans, that being accused implicitly of violating their conscience for political expediency should be the very thing that gives them license to violate their conscience for political expediency. It is as if stating the accusation grants them permission to fulfill it."

Mrs. McCrabbie: It seems to me that the main difference between elected Republicans & elected Russian Communists is that there are, percentage-wise, fewer elected Republicans than elected Communists. But their fealty to their respective dictators is identical.

Ken Vogel & Ben Protess of the New York Times: "For more than an hour one evening in 2018, President Trump sat around a dinner table in a private suite in his Washington hotel with a group of donors, including two men at the center of the impeachment inquiry, talking about golf, trade, politics -- and removing the United States ambassador to Ukraine. The conversation, captured on a recording made public Saturday, contradicted Mr. Trump's repeated statements that he does not know the two men, Lev Parnas and Igor Fruman, who went on to work with the president's personal lawyer Rudolph W. Giuliani to carry out a pressure campaign on Ukraine.... [The tape] does seem to shed light on the origins of Mr. Trump's interest in the issue, and to foreshadow his administration's withholding of military assistance from the country as part of the pressure campaign. It hints at the motivations of Mr. Parnas and Mr. Fruman, who had come to believe that [Ambassador Marie] Yovanovitch was opposed to their business plans in Ukraine, where they had tried to break into the natural gas market, according to associates of the two men.... And it provides a glimpse of something rarely seen: top-tier political donors getting a chance in an intimate setting to share their views with the president and press their agendas with him." ~~~

~~~ Zeke Miller, et al., of the AP: "... Donald Trump inquired how long Ukraine would be able to resist Russian aggression without U.S. assistance during a 2018 meeting with donors that included the indicted associates of his personal attorney Rudy Giuliani. 'How long would they last in a fight with Russia?' Trump is heard asking in the audio portion of a video recording, moments before he calls for the firing of U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine Marie Yovanovitch. She was removed a year later after a campaign to discredit her by Giuliani and others, an action that is part of Democrats' case arguing for the removal of the president in his Senate impeachment trial." The report goes on to relate some of Trump's other remarks recorded in the 80-minute tape.

     ~~~ Mrs. McCrabbie: Oddly, however, the report does not include the answer to Trump's question about Ukraine's need for U.S. assistance. According to this PBS News report by Yamiche Alcindor, "Someone replies, 'Without us, not very long.' Trump appears to echo the voice saying, 'Without us.'" The report includes the full video, most -- but not all -- of which pictures the ceiling. More on this in yesterday's Commentariat. ~~~

~~~ Marcy Wheeler zeroes in on the original source of the videotape, who she believes is Lev Parnas. She explains her theory, "All of which suggests Parnas is trying to carefully manage what he'd sharing with HPSCI [House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence], presumably focusing on the latter period of his work to get Masha fired, when he could claim to be doing Rudy Giuliani's bidding, and not the earlier part, when prosecutors claim he was working for some Ukrainian. For better and worse, that likely means that Rudy is at least partly a victim of Parnas, someone who was desperate and weak and easily manipulated into doing really stupid things -- just like Trump -- who could then be claimed as the real actor behind this operation."

Lauren Egan of NBC News: "Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Saturday attacked an NPR correspondent who reported that he berated and cursed at her following questioning over Ukraine, claiming 'she lied to me' and describing her actions as 'shameful.' 'NPR reporter Mary Louise Kelly lied to me, twice. First, last month, in setting up our interview and, then again yesterday, in agreeing to have our post-interview conversation off the record,' Pompeo said in a statement. 'It is shameful that this reporter chose to violate the basic rules of journalism and decency.' Pompeo did not challenge the details of Kelly's claims about his statements or demeanor during their conversation.... Kelly said she did not agree to be off the record at any point, and had communicated in advance to Pompeo's office that she intended to ask him about Iran and Ukraine." Mrs. McC: Gee, I can't decide whom to believe, a seasoned liar or a seasoned reporter. (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~

~~~ Pompeo Confuses Ukraine with Bangladesh. Deirdre Shesgreen of USA Today: "Pompeo, in his Saturday statement, suggested Kelly, a long-time reporter, did not correctly identify the location of Ukraine on the map. 'It is worth noting that Bangladesh is NOT Ukraine,' Pompeo's statement said. Mrs. McC: It is remotely plausible that Kelly could have confused the location of Ukraine with, say, Romania. It is not even barely plausible that she confused Ukraine with Bangladesh. The two countries are 3,600 miles apart and, obviously, in different regions of the world. But you, Mikey? I'm not so sure. (Also linked yesterday afternoon.) ~~~

     ~~~ Update: Aaron Blake of the Washington Post agrees with me. ~~~

     ~~~ Jonathan Chait, too: "The notion that an experienced foreign affairs reporter would be unable to locate a country that has been at the center of domestic and world news -- and would think it's next to India, not Russia! -- is implausible, and indicates not only Pompeo's dishonesty but the sheer level of absurdity he believes he can pass off.... It would be tempting to say the pressure of the Ukraine scandal is getting to Pompeo, but it's probably more likely that this is just the kind of person Pompeo is -- and the sort of behavior that has drawn him to Trump, and Trump to him." Mrs. McC: It's like a Fat Liars club.

Do you think Americans care about Ukraine? -- Mike Pompeo to NPR reporter, Friday ~~~

~~~ Top U.S. Diplomat to Fly to Ukraine or Bangladesh or Someplace. Nahal Toosi of Politico: "Mike Pompeo was already expecting to navigate a political minefield when he landed in Kyiv next week. But after the secretary of State's explosion at a respected NPR journalist, his trip just got a little more complicated.... 'Do you think Americans care about Ukraine?' he asked her -- a question arguably insulting to Ukraine as well as Americans. 'He used the F-word in that sentence and many others,' said Kelly, who has a master's degree in European studies from Cambridge University and said she correctly identified Ukraine.... Pompeo, whose own role in the impeachment scandal remains something of a mystery, faces a series of politically perilous questions[.]..." Related stories linked yesterday. (Also linked yesterday afternoon.) ~~~

~~~ Nik Steinberg in a Politico Magazine opinion piece: "Since the House hearings, I’ve spoken to more than a dozen career Foreign Service officers, and it has become clear that the impeachment process has had a major collateral effect that reaches well beyond Trump himself. They say it has sharply hurt morale within the department, and in particular has eroded their faith in Pompeo. Many of the interviewees had initially hoped the secretary would rebuild the department after Rex Tillerson's efforts to strip it down, but they have instead seen Pompeo stand by silently as his employees were sidestepped and smeared. And they worry the loss of bipartisan trust in career diplomats, whom the president and his allies in Congress have cast as 'radical unelected bureaucrats,' will inflict lasting damage on the institution's role in foreign policy-making. I've agreed to keep the interviewees anonymous because of the Trump administration's record of harassing or marginalizing public servants they see as questioning their policies. But the people I spoke with serve primarily in senior roles in the department, and almost all have served for over a decade." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.) ~~~

     ~~~ Mrs. McCrabbie: Is it any wonder? After serving your country for years or decades in posts far and wide, you can be abruptly fired and your personal safety threatened because the POTUS* hears a rumor from some guy he says he doesn't know & has never spoken to. Even if your difficult work has been exemplary, if somebody says -- without evidence -- that he heard you said something that hurts Trump's feelings, he will "take you out." That audio tape reported yesterday is among the best evidence that Trump doesn't give a rat's ass about U.S. international policy. Related stories linked yesterday. (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)

Presidential Race

Des Moines Register Editors: "The outstanding caliber of Democratic candidates makes it difficult to choose just one.... The Des Moines Register editorial board endorses Elizabeth Warren in the 2020 Iowa Democratic caucuses as the best leader for these times. The senior U.S. senator from Massachusetts is not the radical some perceive her to be. She was a registered Republican until 1996. She is a capitalist.... But she wants fair markets, with rules and accountability. She wants a government that works for people, not one corrupted by cash.... A qualification: Some of her ideas for 'big, structural change' go too far."

Presidential Race 2016. Obama Got That Right. Daniel Arkin of NBC News: "Barack Obama called Donald Trump a 'fascist' in a phone conversation with Sen. Tim Kaine of Virginia during the 2016 presidential election, Kaine says in a video clip featured in an upcoming documentary about Hillary Clinton. Kaine, Clinton's running mate on the Democratic ticket, recounts the call during an exchange with Clinton that was caught on camera in 2016.... The clip appears in an episode of 'Hillary,' a four-part documentary series that will be available on Hulu on March 6.... Obama has rarely publicly attacked Trump since leaving office, and his description of Trump as a fascist -- as recalled by Kaine -- is a far sharper attack than he offered in public during or after the campaign." ~~~

~~~ Edward-Isaac Dovere of the Atlantic: "In the Sundance interview [on Saturday], Clinton said that Obama had never used the word fascist in conversations with her about Trump. But, she said, what Obama 'observed was this populism untethered to facts, evidence, or truth; this total rejection of so much of the progress that America has made, in order to incite a cultural reaction that would play into the fear and the anxiety and the insecurity of people -- predominantly in small-town and rural areas -- who felt like they were losing something. And [Trump] gave them a voice for what they were losing and who was responsible.'" Mrs. McC: Of course Trump is a fascist. I'm only sorry the House managers didn't mention it. Kudos to Jerry Nadler; he came close. In his closing argument he called Trump a "dictator." Though he certainly aspires to be and believes he has a right to be a dictator, Trump isn't technically a dictator yet. There are still some checks & balances. The Senate, alas, is not one of them.

Shoshana Zuboff has a longish op-ed in the New York Times about "surveillance capitalism," which she doesn't clearly define but seems to be something like, "Big Brother is here, and he's not Donald Trump; he's Mark Zuckerberg." ~~~

~~~ As a sort of companion piece, Adrienne LaFrance of the Atlantic and Hillary Clinton are horrified by Zuckerberg's totalitarian, Trumpian views of "truth."

News Ledes

ABC News: "Basketball legend Kobe Bryant is among five people who died in a helicopter crash in the wealthy Southern California residential neighborhood of Calabasas, ESPN has confirmed." An AP story is here. ~~~

~~~ A Sports Illustrated obituary for Bryant & his daughter Gianna, who also died in the crash, is here.