;)
The Commentariat -- October 23, 2019
Afternoon Update:
Michael Crowley & Lara Jakes of the New York Times: "President Trump announced on Wednesday that the United States has brokered a permanent cease-fire in northeast Syria, taking credit for a tentative deal that will be enforced by Turkey and Russia, and lifting sanctions he had imposed after Turkey invaded Kurdish-run areas south of its border. The president cast the announcement as a triumph of diplomacy. But even many leading Republicans have decried the American retreat from Syria -- which allowed the Turkish invasion into northeast Syria earlier this month -- as a foreign policy debacle. 'Let someone else fight over this long bloodstained sand,' Mr. Trump said from the Diplomatic Room at the White House, flanked by Vice President Mike Pence, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and the White House national security adviser, Robert O'Brien.... Mr. Trump seemed to reject the idea of Russian influence. 'This was an outcome created by us, the United States, and nobody else,' he said. 'No other nation. Very simple.'" ~~~
~~~ Felicia Sonmez of the Washington Post: "BREAKING: Trump says U.S will lift sanctions on Turkey, calling cease-fire in Syria permanent[.] The administration announced the sanctions on Oct. 14 after the Turkish military offensive against Kurdish-led forces in northern Syria. That offensive followed President Trump's announcement that he would pull U.S. troops from Syria -- a decision that brought stiff, bipartisan criticism. Trump called the cease-fire 'permanent' but added that permanent is a questionable word to use regarding the region -- and said that sanctions would be lifted 'unless something happens that we're not happy with.' This story will be updated." ~~~
~~~ Mrs. McCrabbie: According to MSNBC reporters, Trump has been tweet-lying about Syria all morning, so you can take that "permanent" cease-fire (it was actually negotiated as what's known as a "pause," not a cease-fire) with a desert-full of sand.
Rebels Without a Clue. Or, in one case, a suitcoat. Getty image, taken outside the SCIF.
~~~ Republicans Behaving Badly. New York Times liveblog: "President Trump took to Twitter again to denigrate the impeachment inquiry as a Defense Department official headed to Capitol Hill to testify on the Ukraine affair.... House Republicans who attempted to storm the secure room, delaying proceedings, where impeachment investigators were questioning a witness.... About two dozen House Republicans, chanting 'Let us in! Let us in!' tried to storm the secure room where a Defense Department official arrived Wednesday morning to testify in the impeachment inquiry.... The lawmakers -- most of whom do not sit on the committees conducting the inquiry and are therefore not entitled to attend its hearings -- said they were protesting the closed-door nature of the proceedings.... The chaotic scene in the bowels of the Capitol unfolded as the panel was getting ready to hear from Laura B. Cooper, the deputy assistant secretary of defense for Russia, Ukraine and Eurasia, and halted the session. [Adam] Schiff summoned the Sergeant-at-arms to disperse the uninvited Republican guests, some of whom brought cellphones, which are forbidden in the secure suite.... It is common practice for sensitive congressional investigations to be conducted behind closed doors, at least in their preliminary stages. House Republicans did just that when they controlled the chamber and opened an inquiry into the 2012 attack on the United States embassy in Benghazi, Libya. Democrats have said they plan to hold open hearings after the committees finish deposing witnesses...." Politico's story is here. ~~~
~~~ Zachary Basu of Axios: "Republicans reportedly took pictures inside the House Intelligence Committee's Sensitive Compartmented Information Facility (SCIF) -- forcing police to conduct a sweep for possible security breaches. Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) tweeted from inside the SCIF: 'BREAKING: I led over 30 of my colleagues into the SCIF where Adam Schiff is holding secret impeachment depositions. Still inside - more details to come.' Gaetz later added: '**Tweet from Staff**'.... Worth noting: The group alleges that they are being shut out of the impeachment process, but there are Republicans on the three panels conducting the investigation -- the House Intelligence, Oversight and Foreign Affairs Committees -- that are present and able to ask questions at every hearing." Mrs. McC: The NYT liveblog, linked above, now has a photo of someone -- it looks like Gaetz's backside -- walking into the SCIF while holding up his phone, as if he's recording. So that "Tweet from Staff" disclaimer is unconvincing. ~~~
~~~ Update. At 2 pm ET, according to MSNBC, Laura Cooper's deposition still has not begun because at least six Republican Congressmen are still sitting in the SCIF. Whazzamatter with that sergeant-at-arms?
The Ukraine Cover-up Is a Spectacular Failure. Today's Entries:
** (1) Erica Werner of the Washington Post: "The Trump administration has sought repeatedly to cut foreign aid programs tasked with combating corruption in Ukraine and elsewhere overseas, White House budget documents show, despite recent claims from President Trump and his administration that they have been singularly concerned with fighting corruption in Ukraine. Those claims have come as the president and his administration sought to explain away a July phone call between Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, during which Trump pressured his counterpart to open investigations into Joe Biden and his son Hunter, and into a debunked conspiracy theory involving a hacked Democratic National Committee computer server. 'I don't care about politics, but I do care about corruption. And this whole thing is about corruption,' Trump told reporters earlier this month when discussing the Ukraine issue. 'This whole thing -- this whole thing is about corruption.'" The Raw Story has a summary of the WashPo report here.
(2) Andrew Kramer & Ken Vogel of the New York Times: "Following testimony by William B. Taylor Jr. ... to House impeachment investigators on Tuesday that the freezing of [military] aid [to Ukraine] was directly linked to Mr. Trump's demand for the investigations, the president took to Twitter on Wednesday morning to approvingly quote a Republican member of Congress saying neither Mr. Taylor nor any other witness had 'provided testimony that the Ukrainians were aware that military aid was being withheld.'... [Trump's argument is that there] could not have been any quid pro quo because the Ukrainians did not know the assistance had been blocked.... But in fact, word of the aid freeze had gotten to high-level Ukrainian officials by the first week in August, according to interviews and documents obtained by The New York Times.... They were advised they should reach out to Mick Mulvaney..., according to the interviews and records.... The Ukrainian government was aware of the freeze during most of the period ... when Mr. Trump's personal lawyer, Rudolph W. Giuliani, and two American diplomats were pressing President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine to make a public commitment to the investigations being sought by Mr. Trump.... Mr. Taylor told the impeachment investigators that it was only on the sidelines of a Sept. 1 meeting in Warsaw between Mr. Zelensky and Vice President Mike Pence that the Ukrainians were directly told the aid would be dependent on Mr. Zelensky giving Mr. Trump ... an investigation into Burisma, the company that had employed Hunter Biden, former Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr.'s son." But they knew what was expected of them weeks earlier. This timeline not only contradicts Trump's claims, it corroborates the whistleblower's timeline. The Raw Story's summary report is here. ~~~
** (3) Desmond Butler & Michael Biesecker of the AP: "More than two months before the phone call that launched the impeachment inquiry into ... Donald Trump, Ukraine's newly elected leader was already worried about pressure from the U.S. president to investigate his Democratic rival Joe Biden. Volodymyr Zelenskiy gathered a small group of advisers on May 7 in Kyiv for a meeting that was supposed to be about his nation's energy needs. Instead, the group spent most of the three-hour discussion talking about how to navigate the insistence from Trump and his personal lawyer, Rudy Giuliani, for a probe and how to avoid becoming entangled in the American elections, according to three people familiar with the details of the meeting. The meeting came before Zelenskiy was inaugurated but about two weeks after Trump called to offer his congratulations on the night of the Ukrainian leader's April 21 election. The full details of what the two leaders discussed in that Easter Sunday phone call have never been publicly disclosed, and it is not clear whether Trump explicitly asked for an investigation of the Bidens.... The White House has offered only a bare-bones public readout on the April call, saying Trump urged Zelenskiy and the Ukrainian people to implement reforms, increase prosperity and 'root out corruption.' In the intervening months, Trump and his proxies have frequently used the word 'corruption' to reference the monthslong efforts to get the Ukrainians to investigate Democrats." Emphasis added. ~~~
~~~ Mrs. McCrabbie: Zelensky found out somehow that Trump wanted him to investigate Biden way back in May. We surely need to find out what-all Trump said in his April 21 "congratulatory" call to Zelensky. ~~~
~~~ "GOP Weariness Grows as Trump Defenses Give Way." Rick Klein & Maryalice Parks of ABC News: "The deeper things get and the more likely impeachment is, the more ... Donald Trump needs his Republican Party to stay loyal.... But ... he may be losing ... the ability to convince GOP leaders that loyalty is worth its increasingly evident risks.... Trump is responding with complaints about the process that are awkward for Republicans to defend -- his 'lynching' Tweet is Exhibit A -- and thinly veiled political threats at GOP leaders who dare defy him."
Yay! Matt Whitaker Is Back. And He's Just as Smart as Ever. Justin Baragona of the Daily Beast: "Following Tuesday's devastating House testimony by acting U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine Bill Taylor..., former acting U.S. Attorney General Matthew Whitaker defended the president by claiming 'abuse of power is not a crime.'" ~~~
~~~ Jonathan Chait: "As the factual defense of Trump's behavior in the Ukraine scandal has disintegrated, Trump has slowly fallen back to the case he truly believes in his heart. Sessions was too naïve, and Barr too sophisticated, to present Trump's worldview in such bald terms. It fell to Whitaker to articulate the ethos of the 45th president -- that he is entitled to abuse power as he sees fit."
Erin Durkin & Darren Samuelsohn of Politico: "Even if ... Donald Trump shot someone in the middle of Fifth Avenue, New York authorities could not punish him while he is in office, the president's lawyers argued Wednesday. Attorneys for Trump made the claim while arguing before a federal appeals court in their suit against Manhattan District Attorney Cy Vance, who has subpoenaed Trump's tax returns.... The case is expected to ultimately make its way to the Supreme Court.... Carey Dunne, general counsel for the District Attorney, said the privilege the president's lawyers are claiming is not founded in the law. 'There's no such thing as presidential immunity for tax returns,' he said. 'He may view them as embarrassing or sensitive but tax returns do in fact get subpoenaed all the time in financial investigations,' he said. 'They're making this up, your honor.'" ~~~
~~~ Mrs. McCrabbie: Rachel Maddow said that an important element of this case was that the trial judge, Victor Marrero, ruled that not only were Trump's immunity arguments "repugnant," but that the infamous DOJ "guidance memos" that determined a sitting president cannot be indicted are incorrect. So, IMO, the whole Mueller investigation was a big honking sham. The Mueller team should have ignored the DOJ "guidance" & indicted Trump, at least in the Michael Cohen payoffs matter (where Trump showed up an an unindicted co-conspirator. If Mueller was unsure about following the DOJ guidance, he should have gone to court & argued that the guidance was flawed & should have no effect. Instead, he chose to follow the guidance in order to protect Trump. Please don't tell me about Mueller's integrity and years of public service, blah blah. He's one of those guys who sit on various "select commission" who love to catch the minnows, but don't even bring bait for the sharks & whales.
~~~~~~~~~~
Another Diplomat Burns Trump
After Bill Taylor's testimony, Ben Mathis-Lilley of Slate cranks up the Impeach-O-Meter:
** Michael Shear & Nicholas Fandos of the New York Times: "William B. Taylor Jr., the United States' top diplomat in Ukraine, told impeachment investigators privately on Tuesday that President Trump held up vital security aid for the country and refused a White House meeting with Ukraine's leader until he agreed to make a public pledge to investigate Mr. Trump's political rivals. In testimony built around careful notes he took during his tenure and delivered in defiance of State Department orders, Mr. Taylor sketched out in remarkable detail a quid-pro-quo pressure campaign on Ukraine that Mr. Trump and his allies have long denied, one in which the president conditioned the entire United States relationship with Ukraine on a promise that the country would investigate former Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr. and his family, along with other Democrats. His account implicated Mr. Trump personally in the effort, citing multiple sources inside the government, including a budget official who said during a secure National Security Council conference call in July that she had been instructed not to approve a $391 million security assistance package for Ukraine, and that, Mr. Taylor said, 'the directive had come from the president." ~~~
The Stakes. If Ukraine succeeds in breaking free of Russian influence, it is possible for Europe to be whole, free, democratic and at peace. In contrast, if Russia dominates Ukraine, Russia will again become an empire, oppressing its people and threatening its neighbors and the rest of the world. -- William Taylor, from his opening statement to House impeachment investigators
~~~ Taylor's opening statement is here, via the New York Times. Here's the statement via Time. Tuesday, the Washington Post obtained a purloined copy of Taylor's opening statement, and TPM reproduced it here. (See unwashed's comment in yesterday's thread on the quality of the WashPo copy.)
Mrs. McCrabbie: Taylor's statement is devastating. While Trump claimed he was not asking for a quid pro quo, in the same breath he said that both a White House meeting for Zelensky & millions of dollars in aid to Ukraine were contingent upon Zelensky's publicly announcing he would investigate Burisma (Hunter Biden) & 2016 U.S. presidential election interference. That is, while Trump was denying that his ask was a quid pro quo, he was demanding quos for the quids. Also worth remembering: (1) Trump had no right to withhold that military funding (he could hold it for cause, but the Pentagon quckly determined there was no cause); Congress had appropriated the money specifically for military aid to Ukraine. (2) The quid pro quo was not just an off-the-cuff remark President* Dimwitty accidentally made in a "congratulatory" phone call to Zelensky. (a) Not only did Trump emphasize what he expected Zelensky to do for him personally in exchange for the aid, (b) there was also a months-long effort, involving numerous top federal employees (and extraneous, shady characters), to put the quid pro quo into effect.
Sharon LaFraniere of the New York Times outlines six key takeaways from Taylor's testimony: "1. Taylor described an explicit quid pro quo.... 2. The White House had two channels on Ukraine policy: official and unofficial. The unofficial one included Rudolph W. Giuliani, Mr. Trump's personal lawyer.... 3. Taylor was told Ukraine had to 'pay up' before the president would 'sign a check.' 4. Taylor said Ukrainians would die at the hands of Russian led-forces as a result of the delay in American military aid.... 5. Bolton fought the effort to hijack the policy toward Ukraine and Pompeo did not respond directly to complaints, Taylor said.... 6. Demands were made for secrecy and career officials, including Taylor, were left in the dark about key events."
** Andrew Desiderio & Kyle Cheney of Politico: "... Donald Trump&'s top envoy to Ukraine told House impeachment investigators on Tuesday of intense efforts by administration officials to secure investigations of Trump's political rivals in exchange for a White House meeting with Ukraine's president and critical military aid, according to sources in the room for the testimony. William Taylor prompted sighs and gasps when he read a lengthy 15-page opening statement, two of the sources said. Another person in the room said Taylor's statement described 'how pervasive the efforts were' among Trump's allies to convince Ukrainian officials to launch an investigation targeting former Vice President Joe Biden and another probe centering on a debunked conspiracy theory regarding the 2016 election. Taylor also described the extent to which military assistance to Ukraine and a potential White House meeting with Trump and his Ukrainian counterpart were tied to those investigations, the source added. Rep. Stephen Lynch (D-Mass.), a senior member of the House Oversight and Reform Committee, characterized the testimony as a 'sea change' that 'could accelerate' the impeachment inquiry. Another lawmaker, Democratic Rep. Tom Malinowski of New Jersey, said it was 'the most thorough accounting we've had of the timeline.'" The New York Times story is here.
** Anne Gearan, et al., of the Washington Post: "The senior U.S. diplomat in Ukraine said Tuesday he was told release of military aid was contingent on public declarations from Ukraine that it would investigate the Bidens and the 2016 election, contradicting President Trump's denial that he used the money as leverage for political gain. Acting ambassador William B. Taylor Jr. testified behind closed doors in the House impeachment probe of Trump that he stands by his characterization that it was 'crazy' to make the assistance contingent on investigations he found troubling. Upon arriving in Kyiv last spring he became alarmed by secondary diplomatic channels involving U.S. officials that he called 'weird,' Taylor said, according to a copy of his lengthy opening statement obtained by The Washington Post." (Also linked yesterday.)
Peter Baker of the New York Times: "He stood on one side of a war-damaged bridge in Ukraine staring across at Russian-backed forces and saw the real-world consequences of President Trump's efforts to advance a personal agenda. 'More Ukrainians,' he said, 'would undoubtedly die.' Recalling that moment during explosive testimony on Tuesday, William B. Taylor Jr., the top American diplomat in Ukraine, laid out in visceral terms the stakes of what he saw as an illegitimate scheme to pressure the Kiev government for political help by suspending American security aid. In by far the most damning account yet to become public in the House impeachment inquiry Mr. Taylor described a president holding up $391 million in assistance for the clear purpose of forcing Ukraine to help incriminate Mr. Trump's domestic rivals.... The Ukraine scandal also extends to matters of life and death, as well as geopolitics on a grand scale. Mr. Taylor's testimony could make it harder for Republicans to brush off Mr. Trump's actions as unimportant or distorted by partisan rivals."
Jonathan Chait: "For several weeks, Republicans have implicitly set the bar for an impeachable offense in the Ukraine scandal as evidence of a direct link between military aid and an investigation of Joe Biden.... Asked this week if any possible evidence could make him support impeachment, Lindsey Graham replied, 'Sure ... If you could show me that, you know Trump actually was engaging in a quid pro quo.' Clearly, they assumed no such evidence would be found. But William Taylor, the U.S.'s acting ambassador to Ukraine, has blown apart that in his testimony to the House. Taylor's testimony includes several instances in which Gordon Sondland confirms the direct quid pro quo.... ([Taylor's testimony also] blows up a favorite conservative defense that the Ukrainians had not been informed of why their aid was being held up.)... As Taylor documents, Sondland and Trump both became aware over the summer that they needed to deny a formal quid pro quo."
Knowing Taylor's testimony would cook his goose, Trump decided Tuesday morning to deflect its impact by issuing a racist tweet: ~~~
~~~ Quint Forgey of Politico: "... Donald Trump on Tuesday referred to the impeachment inquiry in the House of Representatives as a 'lynching,' deploying perhaps his most incendiary rhetoric yet to describe the Democratic-led probe into his conduct. 'So some day, if a Democrat becomes President and the Republicans win the House, even by a tiny margin, they can impeach the President, without due process or fairness or any legal rights,' he wrote on Twitter. 'All Republicans must remember what they are witnessing here - a lynching. But we will WIN!' That morning post by the president tore open a fresh cycle of outrage on Capitol Hill -- infuriating African-American legislators and further inflaming tensions in a Congress already deeply divided along party lines amid the Ukraine-focused investigation.... The invocation of 'lynching' to characterize a process explicitly sanctioned by the Constitution marked a new, racially insensitive show of malice by the president toward lawmakers seeking to remove him from office." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.) ~~~
~~~ Rebecca Falconer of Axios: "Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden tweeted an apology Tuesday night after CNN reported he'd criticized President Trump for referring to the impeachment inquiry as a 'lynching' yet called then-President Clinton's impeachment investigation a 'partisan lynching.'... Biden was one of at least five Democrats to refer to Clinton's impeachment inquiry as a 'lynching,' a Washington Post investigation found -- including two lawmakers who criticized Trump on Tuesday for his use of the word...." ~~~
~~~ J.M. Rieger of the Washington Post: "At least five House Democrats talked about a 'lynching' or 'lynch mob' as pertaining to [President Bill] Clinton...." They are Danny K. Davis (D-Ill.), Gregory W. Meeks (D-N.Y.), Jerrold Nadler (D-N.Y.), Jim McDermott (D-Wash.), and then-Rep. Then-Rep. Charles B. Rangel (D-N.Y.).
McConnell Contradicts Trump's Claim about "Perfect" Phone Call. Jordain Carney of the Hill: "Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) said he hasn't discussed the Ukraine phone call at the center of the House impeachment inquiry with President Trump. 'We have not had any conversations on this subject,' McConnell said Tuesday during a weekly press conference. McConnell's comments appear to contradict Trump, who earlier this month said that the GOP leader had told him the phone call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky was 'innocent' and 'perfect.' When asked if the president was lying, McConnell demurred and directed reporters to speak with the president." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)
The Misadventures of Rudy, Lev & Igor, Ctd. Matt Zapotosky, et al., of the Washington Post: "When two business associates of Rudolph W. Giuliani ... were arrested this month on charges that they funneled foreign money into U.S. elections, federal prosecutors working on a different case in Chicago took note. The investigators had previously come across the two men, Lev Parnas and Igor Fruman, as they pursued a long-standing case against a Ukrainian gas tycoon [Dmytro Firtash] accused of bribery, according to two people familiar with the matter. They, like others interviewed regarding the case, spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss the ongoing litigation. The Chicago prosecutors reached out to their counterparts in New York, where the foreign money charges had been brought, to offer assistance, the people said. Parnas had been working as an interpreter for [Firtash's] lawyers ... since late July. Chicago prosecutors suspect there might be a broader relationship among Firtash, Parnas and Fruman, the people familiar with the matter said.... The Ukrainian energy mogul is now facing questions about whether he has played a shadow role in [Giuliani's effort to get dirt on Democrats]." ~~~
~~~ Michael Sallah, et al., of BuzzFeed News: "A federal grand jury investigating activities surrounding Rudy Giuliani's back-channel campaign in Ukraine has demanded legal documents that include records of extravagant spending at Trump hotels and millions of dollars in financial transfers by Lev Parnas and Igor Fruman, two key operatives who carried out the plan, according to a source familiar with the demand. The documents requested by a subpoena that was issued in Florida last week could shed light on whether other people, including foreign nationals, were trying to influence the top levels of government and impact the 2020 presidential campaign. The subpoena also shows the investigation has extended beyond campaign finance violations -- the current charges against two of the defendants in the shadow campaign -- and may examine more serious financial crimes. The documents in question, some of which were previously obtained by BuzzFeed News, show dozens of transfers totaling more than $3 million into accounts belonging to Parnas last year as he and his business partner Fruman jetted into Ukraine and other countries in search of damaging information on Joe Biden. The demand for the documents comes after at least one US bank raised concerns about a series of suspicious transactions in Parnas's accounts, which had hallmark signs of money laundering and fraud...." ~~~
~~~ Josh Gerstein of Politico: "Igor Fruman ... has retained a lawyer who is also representing former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort. Fruman, who is set to be arraigned on campaign finance-related charges Wednesday in federal court in New York, is expected to be represented by Todd Blanche, a former federal prosecutor."
Pema Levy of Mother Jones: "Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) released evidence on Tuesday that the Justice Department buried the whistleblower complaint about ... Donald Trump's call with the Ukrainian president by failing to refer the matter to the Federal Election Commission (FEC). Klobuchar suggested the Justice Department violated a longstanding agreement between the agencies to share information about possible campaign finance violations for potential enforcement action.... What's unclear so far is why no such referral was made. Either the Justice Department dropped the ball, or Klobuchar has helped discover another avenue in the administration's sprawling coverup."
Matt Apuzzo & Benjamin Novak of the New York Times: "Since becoming [U.S.] ambassador [to Hungary] in June 2018, [David] Cornstein has assiduously courted [President Viktor] Orban, giving the Hungarian leader unexpected influence in the Trump administration. Mr. Cornstein used his decades-long friendship with President Trump to help broker a coveted Oval Office meeting for Mr. Orban last May == a meeting now under scrutiny by impeachment investigators in Washington. At the time, some White House officials tried to stop the meeting, citing Mr. Orban's anti-democratic record in Hungary and his growing closeness to Russia. The meeting went ahead, and Mr. Orban is said to have used it to fuel the president's suspicions about Ukraine.... Mr. Cornstein's ... freewheeling diplomacy and courtship of Mr. Orban have alarmed career civil servants and contributed to broader criticism, even among Republicans, that some members of the president's foreign policy team are dangerously unprepared for the job.... He has undermined efforts by career diplomats to deliver messages to Washington about corruption and democratic backsliding in Hungary. And he has privately acted as a broker for Mr. Orban's point of view, taking positions contrary to United States policy...." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.) ~~~
~~~ Mrs. McCrabbie: When the U.S. gets a real president, NATO countries should take a hard look at member countries and think about what to do with those countries not aspiring to Western democratic liberal ideals (or what Trump would call "California").
In yesterday's comments, RAS is wondering if the Electoral College is a phony part of the Constitution. Mrs. McC: I'll have to agree with RAS; the Electoral College provision is just as phony as the emoluments language.
Sarah Burris of the Raw Story: "Senior counselor to ... Donald Trump, Kellyanne Conway, is now under consideration to replace Mick Mulvaney as the White House chief of staff. Conway is one of few aides who have managed to stay with the president, despite numerous violations of the Hatch Act. Bloomberg reported Tuesday that despite his willingness to make a fool of himself for the president, Mulvaney accidentally admitted the president held back aid to Ukraine until they agreed to help investigate former Vice President Joe Biden. As a defense, Mulvaney then went on the Sunday morning talk shows and claimed he never said it. It only made things worse for him.... Bloomberg also reported that the president has been asking his advisers what they think about possibly nominating Conway.... It's an odd choice given Conway's troubling history of leaking information to the press and trying to diminish other White House staffers in the press.... Steve Mnuchin is also under consideration, due to his willingness to defend the president."
What Trump Hath Wrought. Anton Troianovski & Patrick Kingsley of the New York Times: "... on Tuesday, President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia played host to President Recep Tayyip Erdogan of Turkey, for more than six hours of talks on how they and other regional players will divide control of Syria, a land devastated by eight years of civil war. The negotiations ended with a victory for Mr. Putin: Russian and Turkish troops will take joint control over a vast swath of formerly Kurdish-held territory in northern Syria, in a move that cements the rapid expansion of Russian influence in Syria at the expense of the United States and its Kurdish former allies. Under the terms of the agreement, Syrian Kurdish forces must now retreat more than 20 miles from the border, abandoning land that they had controlled uncontested until earlier this month -- when their protectors, the American military, suddenly began to withdraw from the region." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.) ~~~
~~~ Teevee Show-and-Tell. Courtney Kube & Carol Lee of NBC News: Lindsey Graham brought a Fox "News" general to the White House with a map to talk Trump into leaving some troops in Syria to "secure the oil." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)
Alan Fram of the AP: "Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell introduced legislation Tuesday denouncing Turkey's invasion of northern Syria and gently prodding ... Donald Trump to halt his withdrawal of U.S. troops from the embattled country. But McConnell, R-Ky., said lawmakers should refrain from imposing sanctions on Turkey for now, saying, 'We don't want to further drive a NATO ally into the arms of the Russians.' That puts him into conflict with the Democratic-led House, where a vote on a sanctions measure is planned for next week. Senate Democrats also said they wanted to plunge ahead with sanctions legislation. A bipartisan package by Sens. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C. and Chris Van Hollen, D-Md., would bar arms sales to Turkey and place sanctions on the assets of top officials in Ankara."
No Kurd-Lovers Need Apply. Joshua Partlow of the Washington Post: "A Christian aid group that planned a gathering to honor and pray for the Kurdish people at President Trump's hotel in Washington were told by hotel staff this week that the event was canceled, according to two members of the aid group. The event ... was to be hosted by Frontier Alliance International (FAI), a religious nonprofit group that provides medical help in the Middle East, including to the Kurds, according to its website.... 'They said they've gotten a lot of security concerns and they couldn't accommodate enough security, [an official of the group, Charlene] Struebing, said. 'I think it's more related to people protesting our event than it was anything we were doing.'... A D.C. police spokeswoman said the department 'has not received any information regarding potential security threats or concerns with this event.'" A summary report by the Hill is here.
Danielle Douglas-Gabriel of the Washington Post: "A trove of documents released Tuesday by the House Education and Labor Committee shows the Education Department provided $10.7 million in federal loans and grants to students at the Illinois Institute of Art and the Art Institute of Colorado even though officials knew the for-profit colleges were not accredited and ineligible to receive such aid. The documents build on prior reports from the committee describing efforts by Education Department officials to shield Dream Center Education Holdings, owner of the Art Institutes and Argosy University, from the consequences of lying to students about the accreditation of its since-closed schools. Now it appears the Education Department tried to shield itself from an ill-fated decision to allow millions of dollars to flow to those schools. Rep. Robert C. 'Bobby' Scott (D-Va.), chairman of the House Education Committee..., says the agency has obstructed the committee's investigation and refused to answer questions, as emails and letters paint a picture of a federal agency complicit in an effort to place profits before students." The Hill's story is here.
The White House is not to be trusted right now. -- Jim Mattis, March 2018 ~~~
~~~ Bryan Bender of Politico reports on some of the content of Guy Snodgrass's book, "'Holding the Line: Inside Trump's Pentagon with Secretary Mattis,' which will be published on Oct. 29.... [Former Defense Secretary Jim] Mattis' public solidarity crumbled in private as his frustration grew at Trump's dismissal of allies and shoot-from-the-hip pronouncements, writes Snodgrass, a retired Navy commander and fighter pilot and Mattis' former speechwriter at the Pentagon.... The book is the first account from inside the highest reaches of the Pentagon of how Trump has remade the American national security apparatus, reporting that Mattis respected the president for having highly tuned political skills but came to believe his policies were undermining the nation. And it reveals that even a Cabinet member like Mattis ... found himself unable to make a difference in shaping major decisions."
Brett Samuels of the Hill: "The anonymous author of a bombshell New York Times op-ed piece that ran a year ago describing resistance efforts within the Trump administration is now publishing a tell-all book. 'A Warning' is described as an 'unprecedented behind-the-scenes portrait of the Trump presidency' and is scheduled to be released next month. The author is listed only as 'anonymous.' The book is being published by D.C.-based agency Javelin. Matt Latimer, one of the literary agents representing the author, said Javelin was able to confirm that the author is the same individual who wrote the op-ed in The New York Times. He declined to elaborate on how. The New York Times published the op-ed in early September 2018 in which an anonymous author identified only as a senior administration official described coordinated efforts from staff to 'thwart' President Trump's worst instincts. The identity of the author has remained unknown since their op-ed was first published in early September 2018...." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.) ~~~
~~~ Jake Tapper of CNN: "A draft press release from the publisher obtained by CNN describes the book as 'picking up from where those first words of warning left off, this explosive book offers a shocking, first-hand account of President Trump and his record.'... The author's clear intention is to convince the nation to not reelect Trump in 2020.... Asked if the author remained part of the Trump administration, [agent Matt] Latimer declined to comment further.... The author of A WARNING refused the chance at a seven figure advance and intends to donate a substantial amount of any royalties to the White House Correspondents Association and other organizations that fight for a free press that seeks the truth,' Latimer said, adding that the book 'was not written by the author lightly, or for the purpose of financial enrichment. It has been written as an act of conscience and of duty.'"
Philip Bump & David Fahrenthold of the Washington Post: "At two of President Trump's oldest businesses -- a pair of ice rinks in Central Park, which Trump has run since the 1980s -- Trump Organization employees [have] ... started removing the Trump name. Now, as skating season begins, the president's name is gone from the boards around each rink where large red 'TRUMP' signs once surrounded skaters.... For the first time since Trump took office, two of Trump's own businesses seem to be trying to downplay their connection to his name.... A city spokeswoman ... said the city did not ask for the change and that the company did not explain why it did it." The Guardian's summary of the story is here. ~~~
~~~ Mrs. McCrabbie: Could it be that Trump needs the money more than he needs the ego boost?
Kristine Phillips of USA Today: "A venture capitalist who donated $900,000 to ... Donald Trump's inaugural committee is admitting to several charges, including hiding his work as foreign agent while lobbying U.S. government officials and making illegal campaign contributions, federal prosecutors announced Tuesday. Imaad Shah Zuberi, who ran a venture capital firm called Avenue Ventures, solicited money from foreign nationals, funneled some of that money to American political campaigns, falsified records in order to conceal his work as a foreign agent from the Justice Department, and failed to report millions of dollars in income he earned from a foreign government, prosecutors say. Zuberi, 49, of California, will plead guilty to submitting false statements to the Justice Department about his foreign lobbying efforts, tax evasion and campaign finance violation. He faces up to 15 years in prison.... From 2011 to 2017, Zuberi contributed more than $3 million to federal and state campaigns from both parties, according to court records..., including Trump, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and President Barack Obama." ~~~
~~~ Eric Banco & Pilar Melendez of the Daily Beast have more on Zuberi, including his interactions with Michael Cohen, former Trump fixer & current jailbird.
Colin Moynihan of the New York Times: "On Tuesday, two members of the Proud Boys, Maxwell Hare and John Kinsman, were each sentenced to four years in prison by a State Supreme Court judge in Manhattan, who criticized their participation in a 'political street fight.' Justice Mark Dwyer said the punishment was meant in part to deter others who seek to resolve political differences through partisan violence. 'I know enough about history to know what happened in Europe in the 30s when political street brawls were allowed to go ahead without any type of check from the criminal justice system,' he said." The BuzzFeed News story is here. (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)
Janelle Griffith of NBC News: "Actress Lori Loughlin and 10 other parents in a massive college admissions scandal are facing additional charges, the Justice Department announced Tuesday. A grand jury in the District of Massachusetts brought new charges against 11 of the 15 parents charged in the college admissions case, including Loughlin. All of the 11 parents facing new charges have pleaded not guilty to the previous charges in the alleged admissions scheme." (Also linked yesterday.)
Presidential Race 2020. Jennifer Agiesta of CNN: "Former Vice President Joe Biden's lead in the race for the Democratic nomination for president has rebounded, and now stands at its widest margin since April, according to a new CNN poll conducted by SSRS. Biden has the support of 34% of Democratic and Democratic-leaning registered voters, his best showing in CNN polling since just after his campaign's formal launch on April 25."
Way Beyond the Beltway
Heather Stewart of the Guardian: "Boris Johnson's plan to fast-track his Brexit deal through parliament in time for next week's 31 October deadline has been rejected by MPs, even after he threatened to pull his deal and press for a general election. After a day of cajoling and inducements from the prime minister and the Conservative whips, the government lost a crunch vote by 322 to 308 -- a majority of 14.... The legislation was only published late on Monday, and the chancellor, Sajid Javid, declined to publish an economic analysis of the deal. Even some MPs minded to back Johnson's deal said they could not accept such a truncated debate." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)
News Lede
CNN:: "Police have launched a murder investigation in southeast England after 39 people were found dead in a truck container at an Essex industrial park. One of the victims was in their teens. Authorities believe the truck, which originated in Bulgaria, entered the UK through the Welsh port of Holyhead over the weekend. A regular ferry service connects Holyhead with the Irish capital, Dublin. 'We are in the process of identifying the victims, however I anticipate that this could be a lengthy process,' Chief Superintendent Andrew Mariner said in a statement. They have arrested a 25-year-old Northern Irish truck driver 'on suspicion of murder' after finding the bodies early on Wednesday morning, Essex Police said."
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