The Commentariat -- October 14, 2019

Late Morning Update:

** David Sanger of the New York Times: "President Trump's acquiescence to Turkey's move to send troops deep inside Syrian territory has in only one week's time turned into a bloody carnage, forced the abandonment of a successful five-year-long American project to keep the peace on a volatile border, and given an unanticipated victory to four American adversaries: Russia, Iran, the Syrian government and the Islamic State. Rarely has a presidential decision resulted so immediately in what his own party leaders have described as disastrous consequences for American allies and interests. How this decision happened -- springing from an 'off-script moment' with President Recep Tayyip Erdoganof Turkey, in the words of a senior American diplomat -- likely will be debated for years by historians, Middle East experts and conspiracy theorists. But this much already is clear: Mr. Trump ignored months of warnings from his advisers about what calamities likely would ensue if he followed his instincts to pull back from Syria and abandon America's longtime allies, the Kurds. He had no Plan B, other than to leave. The only surprise is how swiftly it all collapsed around the president and his depleted, inexperienced foreign policy team." ~~~

     ~~~ Mrs. McCrabbie: This is the most scathing assessment of any president or President* I have seen from the news side of the New York Times.

Peter Baker of the New York Times: "Fiona Hill, President Trump's former top Russia and Europe adviser, headed to Capitol Hill on Monday morning where she is prepared to testify that she and other officials objected strenuously to the removal of the ambassador to Ukraine, only to be disregarded.... Ms. Hill will be the first person who worked in the White House to be deposed by House investigators.... The White House has not attempted to stop Ms. Hill from testifying, according to the person familiar with her account, but White House lawyers have exchanged letters with Ms. Hill's lawyer about precedents regarding the confidentiality of presidential communications." Mrs. McC: According to news accounts this morning, the House issued Hill a subpoena today; whether or not this was because the Trump administration tried to quash her testimony was not clear.

New York Magazine welcomes "impeachment season" with several related stories. Jonathan Chait lays out the "(full) case" for Trump's impeachment. Gabriel Debenedetti describes Nancy Pelosi's strategy & tactics."

About That U.S. China Trade "Deal." Fred Imbert of CNBC: "China wants another round of talks before signing what ... Donald Trump called last week the first phase of a trade deal between the two nations, a source told CNBC's Kayla Tausche on Monday.... Bloomberg News first reported the news and said in its report that China also wants the U.S. to scrap a tariff hike scheduled for December. China and the U.S. held trade talks in Washington last week that ended with Trump saying both sides reached a 'very substantial phase one deal.' As part of that deal, China will address intellectual property concerns raised by the U.S. and buy $40 billion to $50 billion worth of U.S. agricultural products.... But while Trump characterized the talks' outcome as a success, Chinese state media said 'substantial progress' was made. Also, it did not call phase one a 'deal' while making little mention of the agricultural product purchases." Mrs. McC: IOW, Trump lied; there was no agreement. He needed a win, so he invented one.

U.K. Alexander Smith of NBC News: "Monday marked the state opening of Parliament, a formal procession where the government set out the legislative agenda for the coming parliamentary term.... The Queen's Speech was delivered by Queen Elizabeth II -- although the speech itself is actually written by the government as a way to announce its policy agenda. 'My Government's priority has always been to secure the United Kingdom's departure from the European Union on 31 October,' she said, reading the government's words. 'My Government intends to work towards a new partnership with the European Union, based on free trade and friendly cooperation.' In reality, [PM Boris] Johnson does not have enough power in Parliament to achieve any of the aims, however — meaning the U.K. is almost certainly headed for an election soon." ~~~

~~~ CNN here and the Guardian here are liveblogging updates.

~~~~~~~~~~

Complete Capitulation

The New York Times is live-updating developments at the Syria-Turkey border. At about 6 am ET, the headline is "Assad's Army Moves into Border Town."

Charlie Savage, et al., of the New York Times: "The American military was unable to transfer about five dozen 'high value' Islamic State detainees out of Kurdish-run wartime prisons before the Pentagon decided to move its forces out of northern Syria and pave the way for a Turkish-led invasion, according to two American officials. In the same area on Sunday, hundreds of Islamic State sympathizers escaped from a low-security detention camp in the region, taking advantage of the chaos caused by the Turkish ground invasion and the accompanying strikes. Both developments underscored the pandemonium unleashed by President Trump's sudden decision to order American troops to evacuate part of the Syrian region bordering Turkey.... Mr. Trump claimed last week that the United States had taken out the worst ISIS detainees to ensure they would not escape. But in fact the American military was able to take custody of only two British detainees.... As the week progressed and Kurdish casualties mounted, the onetime American ally ... grew increasingly angry at the United States.... The Kurds refused ... to cooperate in permitting the American military to take out any more detainees from the constellation of ad hoc wartime detention sites for captive ISIS fighters. Emphasis added. Update. The AP story is here.

** U.S. Moves Out, Syria Moves In. Liz Sly, et al., of the Washington Post: "Syrian government troops began moving toward towns near the Turkish border Sunday night under a deal struck with Syrian Kurds, following a chaotic day that saw the unraveling of the U.S. mission in northeastern Syria.... The announcement by the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) that they had reached an agreement with the Iranian- and Russian-backed government of President Bashar al-Assad further undermined the prospect of any continued U.S. presence in the country. The deal will bring forces loyal to Assad back into towns and cities that have been under Kurdish control for seven years." ~~~

     ~~~ Christopher Dickey & Spencer Ackerman of the Daily Beast: "Brett McGurk, who resigned as the presidential special envoy to the coalition against ISIS last December, told The Daily Beast on Sunday that such a move by the Syrian Kurds was predictable under the circumstances. Even last year, when McGurk was still serving, Kurdish leaders in Syria were telling the Americans that if support for them and deterrence against a Turkish attack was not going to continue, they needed to make a deal with the Assad regime and Russia for protection."

Chas Danner of New York has a good recap of developments as of Sunday evening ET.

Julian Barnes & Eric Schmitt of the New York Times: "Defense Secretary Mark T. Esper said Sunday that President Trump ordered a withdrawal of American forces from northern Syria, a decision that will effectively cede control of the area to the Syrian government and Russia, and could allow a resurgence of the Islamic State. Mr. Esper, appearing on both Fox News and CBS News, said that American troops, mostly Special Operations forces, would move south but not leave the country in the face of Turkey's incursion into the section of Syria controlled by Kurdish forces, a group of fighters trained and backed by the United States government. The Pentagon has slow-walked previous orders by Mr. Trump to evacuate from Syria, to protect its Kurdish partners and hold the ground it took back from the Islamic State. But Mr. Esper's comments Sunday indicated that this time Mr. Trump's drawdown order was being acted on with haste.... Mr. Esper said the Pentagon expected Turkish forces to annex even more territory than originally estimated." This is confirmation of reports linked earlier yesterday. (Also linked yesterday afternoon.) ~~~

~~~ Seung Min Kim & Josh Dawsey of the Washington Post: "President Trump's order to withdraw essentially all U.S. forces from northern Syria came after the commander in chief privately agitated for days to bring troops home, according to administration officials -- even while the Pentagon was making public assurances that the United States was not abandoning its Kurdish allies in the region. The officials, granted anonymity to describe internal deliberations, described Trump as 'doubling down' and 'undeterred,' despite vociferous pushback from congressional Republicans.... Behind the scenes, Trump has tried to convince advisers and lawmakers that the United States is not to blame for Turkey's military offensive.... But experts -- and many Republicans -- say otherwise." Mrs. McC: Apparently, all this had no effect because Tucker Carlson & Lou Dobbs.

~~~ Felicia Sonmez of the Washington Post: "President Trump faced bipartisan criticism Sunday for his decision to order a withdrawal of U.S. forces from northern Syria, with one congressional Republican denouncing the move as 'weak' and a former Senate Foreign Relations Committee chairman warning that it will 'diminish the character of our great nation.' Senate Minority Leader Charles E. Schumer (D-N.Y.), meanwhile, announced that both chambers are readying a joint resolution urging Trump to reverse his decision.The developments came on the same day that Defense Secretary Mark T. Esper announced the planned withdrawal of virtually all U.S. forces from northern Syria in the face of a Turkish military offensive targeting Kurdish fighters in the region. Rep. Adam Kinzinger (R-Ill.), an Air Force veteran who was a pilot in Iraq and Afghanistan, was among the most vocal members of the president's party to condemn the move."

Committee to Protect Journalists: "The Committee to Protect Journalists today condemned the Turkish air strike on a civilian convoy that killed journalist Saad Ahmed and injured at least four other reporters. At about 4:15 pm today, a Turkish airstrike hit a civilian convoy traveling between the northern Syrian towns of Qamishli and Ras al-Ain, killing Ahmed, a Syrian Kurdish reporter for the local news agency Hawar News (ANHA), according to ANHA Director Alan Roj and Editorial Director Delshad Judy, who spoke to CPJ via messaging app. At least four other journalists from local news outlets were also injured in the attack, according to news reports and sources who spoke to CPJ. According toa report by the London-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, five other civilians were killed in the strike."

Humeyra Pamuk of Reuters: "The United States is looking into reports that a Kurdish politician and captured Kurdish fighters were killed in northeastern Syria amid Turkey's offensive, a State Department spokesman told Reuters on Sunday, adding that Washington found the reports disturbing.... 'We find these reports to be extremely troubling, reflecting the overall destabilization of northeast Syria since the commencement of hostilities on Tuesday,' the spokesman said in an email." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)

Eric Schmitt, et al., of the New York Times: "... with the White House revoking protection for these Kurdish fighters, some of the Special Forces officers who battled alongside the Kurds say they feel deep remorse at orders to abandon their allies. 'They trusted us and we broke that trust,' one Army officer who has worked alongside the Kurds in northern Syria said last week in a telephone interview. 'It's a stain on the American conscience.' 'I'm ashamed,' said another officer who had also served in northern Syria. And the response from the Kurds themselves was just as stark. 'The worst thing in military logic and comrades in the trench is betrayal,' said Shervan Darwish, an official allied with the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces.... As the Americans pulled back, the Kurds moved north to try to reinforce their comrades fighting the offensive. The American soldiers could only watch from their sandbag-lined walls. Orders from Washington were simple: Hands off. Let the Kurds fight for themselves. The orders contradicted the American military's strategy in Syria over the past four years, especially when it came to the Kurdish fighters, known as the Y.P.G., who were integral to routing the Islamic State from northeastern Syria." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)

Paul LeBlanc & Jake Tapper of CNN: "A retired four-star Marine general on Sunday bluntly criticized ... Donald Trump over the ongoing Turkish military offensive in northern Syria, saying, 'There is blood on Trump's hands for abandoning our Kurdish allies.' Gen. John Allen, the former commander of American forces in Afghanistan and former special presidential envoy for the Global Coalition to Counter ISIS under the Obama administration, told CNN the unfolding crisis in Syria was 'completely foreseeable' and 'the US greenlighted it.'"

Mrs. Bea McCrabbie: Looks as if Trump is getting worried about Republican support. Shortly after patting himself on the back for his "very smart" move greenlighting Turkey's assault on Kurdish regions, he tweeted this: "Dealing with @LindseyGrahamSC and many members of Congress, including Democrats, about imposing powerful Sanctions on Turkey. Treasury is ready to go, additional legislation may be sought. There is great consensus on this. Turkey has asked that it not be done. Stay tuned!" (Also linked yesterday afternoon.) Update: The WashPo story by SMK & Dawsey linked above confirm my earlier supposition: Republicans privately had been pushing Trump.

Carlotta Gall & Patrick Kingsley of the New York Times: "Hundreds of relatives of Islamic State fighters fled a Kurdish-run detention camp on Sunday morning after Turkish airstrikes hit the surrounding area, deepening the crisis prompted by the Turkish-led invasion of northern Syria. The escapes came hours before the United States military said it would withdraw its remaining troops from northern Syria in the coming weeks, despite a likely resurgence of the Islamic State amid chaotic efforts by Turkish-led troops to wrest the region from Kurdish control. A Kurdish official also said that the flag of the Islamic State, also known as ISIS, had been raised in the countryside between the camp in the Kurdish-held town of Ain Issa and the Turkish border, another indication of how the Kurdish authorities were losing control of a region they had freed from the extremists only months ago." This is confirmation of reports linked earlier yesterday. (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)

Joshua Posaner of Politico: "Turkey's military offensive in Syria threatens to destabilize the region and boost ISIS, German Chancellor Angela Merkel told Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan in a phone call Sunday.'The chancellor spoke in favor of an immediate end to the military operation,' said Ulrike Demmer, a spokesperson for Merkel, adding that the Turkish leader had requested the call. The call came after Berlin moved to suspend some arms exports to Turkey on Saturday after Ankara launched an offensive against Kurdish militias in northern Syria last week following ... Donald Trump's withdrawal of troops from the region.... EU foreign ministers are meeting early this week ahead of a summit of heads of state, with both sessions set to address the situation in Syria." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)

What Trump Has Wrought. Vladimir Isacenkov of the AP: "From Syria to Ukraine, new fault lines and tensions are offering the Kremlin fresh opportunities to expand its clout and advance its interests. The U.S. military withdrawal from northern Syria before a Turkish offensive leaves Russia as the ultimate power broker, allowing it to help negotiate a potential agreement between Syrian President Bashar Assad and the Kurds who were abandoned by Washington. And in Ukraine, where the new president saw his image dented by a U.S. impeachment inquiry, Russia may use the volatility to push for a deal that would secure its leverage over its western neighbor."

Mrs. McCrabbie: A pundit (and I wish I could give the person credit) said on MSNBC last week that the real reason Lindsey Graham was so upset about Trump's abandonment of the Kurds was that Trump had failed to consult him first. So this from Felicia Sonmez's WashPo report linked above tends to confirm that opinion: "Sen. Lindsey O. Graham (R-S.C.), who had previously called Trump's decision on Syria 'the biggest blunder of his presidency,' praised the president Sunday for offering his support for sanctions on Turkey. 'Good decision by President @realDonaldTrump to work with Congress to impose crippling sanctions against Turkeys outrageous aggression/war crimes in Syria,' Graham tweeted.... Earlier Sunday, Trump had tweeted that he was dealing with Graham 'and many members of Congress, including Democrats, about imposing powerful Sanctions on Turkey.'"

Mrs. McCrabbie: So many have feared "what Trump would do in an international crisis," when the more likely eventuality was "what international crisis Trump would cause." We have one answer now; the longer he remains in office, the more certain it is there were be more. safari asks today, "What fresh hell will Monday bring?" The implication of his question is that whatever it may be, there will be fresh hell.

Trump, Inc. -- The Criminal Enterprise, Ctd.

Washington Post Editors: "... President Trump's corruption in Ukraine was not limited to his pressure for politicized investigations that could help his reelection campaign. We now know that the president's unjustified firing of the U.S. ambassador to Ukraine in May advanced the interests of two businessmen who made large contributions to his political campaigns ... and did business with his personal lawyer.... According to reporting by The Post and other news organizations, Lev Parnas and Igor Fruman, two emigres from the former Soviet Union with checkered financial histories, made $630,000 in contributions to Republican candidates and political action committees beginning in 2016." ~~~

~~~ MEANWHILE, "Putin Changes the Channel on Ukraine." Michael Bennetts of Politico: "... when ... Vladimir Putin declared this month that Kremlin-funded television channels should give Ukraine a break..., [his] that Kremlin-funded television channels should give Ukraine a break, underscored a thaw in relations between the two former Soviet states since Volodymyr Zelenskiy ... came to power in Ukraine in May. Last month, in a long-awaited development, the two countries exchanged dozens of prisoners, including 24 Ukrainian sailors seized by Russia during a naval clash in the Black Sea. And then, on October 1, Ukraine agreed to hold elections in its war-torn eastern regions controlled by Kremlin-backed separatists. It's a move that could bring an end to a five-year conflict that has killed more than 13,000 people and displaced another million."

Alayna Treene of Axios: "... documents obtained by Axios show how Democrats are taking the impeachment inquiry in two tightly focused directions: Ukraine and obstruction of justice.... There are new temptations for Democrats to broaden the scope of their inquiry after developments last week including President Trump's gift to Turkey, new questions about coordination with the Chinese over Hunter Biden, and the dramatic airport arrests of two of Rudy Giuliani's associates with Eastern European backgrounds and their indictments on campaign finance violations. But ... if the document request for Trump's former Russia adviser Fiona Hill, reviewed by Axios, is a road map for what Dems plan to ask Trump administration officials this week -- and committee sources tell me that it is -- then the inquiry remains focused on Ukraine and has not yet branched out into other countries." Treene lists "some of the key areas of interest to the committees, as outlined in their Oct. 9 letter to Hill," & the link is to the full docs request to Hill.

Jon Swaine of the Guardian: "Donald Trump's secretary of defense said on Sunday the Pentagon would cooperate with the House's impeachment inquiry, while cautioning that Trump may try to restrict his disclosure of information. Mark Esper said in two interviews his department would work to comply with a subpoena from committees seeking records relating to the withholding of US military aid to Ukraine.... But Esper warned on Fox News Sunday that Trump and other officials may yet create complications for the compliance before Tuesday's deadline for him to respond. 'I don't know what restrictions we may have internally in regard to releasing them,' Esper said. 'The White House has a say on the release of documents as well.'" Mrs. McC: I find it hard to believe that Esper will stand up to Trump on Ukraine when he didn't stand up to him on the Kurds -- a life-and-death blunder. I'd like to be wrong.

Aaron Blake of the Washington Post: "Ever since former U.S. special envoy to Ukraine Kurt Volker handed over those text messages, President Trump's defenders have pointed to one of them as supposedly exonerating Trump. 'Bill, I believe you are incorrect about President Trump's intentions,' Gordon Sondland, the U.S. ambassador to the European Union, told another diplomat. 'The President has been crystal clear no quid pro quo's [sic] of any kind.' This text has been a linchpin of the Trump Ukraine defense. But on Saturday night, the linchpin broke.... Sondland will ... indicate that he was merely relaying Trump's defense, which he had discussed with the president on a phone call before the text message[.]... This is remarkable stuff, especially considering that Sondland, unlike the two diplomats he was conversing with in those text messages, was a big-time Trump donor.... Sondland's impending testimony sounds like that of a man covering his own backside and knowing his apparent defense of Trump could quickly fall apart upon further examination." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)

Nahal Toosi of Politico: "Current and former career U.S. diplomats say Trump has handed far too many ambassadorial posts to unqualified candidates, many of whom were political donors with thin diplomatic resumes and little respect for the U.S. Foreign Service. Some say it's time to rethink, if not cap or outright bar, political appointments for ambassadorships. 'It is out of whack under Trump,' said Dana Shell Smith, a former career Foreign Service officer who served as the U.S. ambassador to Qatar. 'These ambassadorships are being seen as the spoils, as opposed to being very serious jobs that act in the interest of the country.' Most modern presidents have given roughly 30 percent of U.S. ambassador postings to political appointees, with the rest drawn from career government ranks.... As of now, nearly 45 percent of his ambassador picks -- people who have been confirmed or are awaiting confirmation -- are political appointees, one database shows." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)

Maggie Haberman & Annie Karni of the New York Times: "For 24 hours last week, Trey Gowdy, the former South Carolina congressman best known for leading congressional investigations of Hillary Clinton, was the new face of President Trump's outside legal defense and a symbol of a streamlined effort to respond to a fast-moving impeachment inquiry. A day later, the arrangement fell apart, with lobbying rules prohibiting Mr. Gowdy from starting until January, possibly after the inquiry is over. Now, according to two people familiar with events, Mr. Gowdy is never expected to join the team. And Trump advisers are back to square one, searching for a different lawyer.... Several [Trump aides] pointed fingers at Mick Mulvaney, the acting White House chief of staff, suggesting he had botched the rollout." The story goes on to report what-all happened in the "botched rollout." One upside: Gowdy lost his paid gig at Fox "News" in the wake of the annoucement he would be working for Trump. Mrs. McC: I suppose Gowdy will be back on air shortly now that he's not an official frontman for our Top Mobster.

Allan Smith of NBC News: "Sen. Ted Cruz said Sunday that it was wrong for ... Donald Trump to call on China to probe former Vice President Joe Biden and his son in the Texas Republican's most direct rebuke of the president yet. Asked on CBS's 'Face the Nation' whether Trump's comments were 'appropriate,' Cruz said 'of course not. Elections in the U.S. should be decided by Americans and it's not the business of foreign countries, any foreign countries, to be interfering in our elections,' he said.... Host Margaret Brennan then asked if it was improper for Trump to ask Ukraine to probe the Bidens.... 'Listen, foreign countries should stay out of American elections,' Cruz said. 'That's true for Russia. That's true for Ukraine. That's true for China. That's true for all of them. It should be the American people deciding elections....'... Cruz added that it would make 'sense for [Rudy] Giuliani to testify before the Senate Judiciary Committee. Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., has already invited Giuliani to do so." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.) ~~~

~~~ MEANWHILE. Chris Rodrigo of the Hill: "President Trump on Sunday hit Fox News anchor Chris Wallace for his coverage of the phone call between Trump and Ukraine's president that is at the center of the House's impeachment inquiry. 'Somebody please explain to Chris Wallace of Fox, who will never be his father (and my friend), Mike Wallace, that the Phone Conversation I had with the President of Ukraine was a congenial & good one,' Trump tweeted. 'It was only Schiff's made up version of that conversation that was bad!' he added." Mrs. McC: I know many of you think it doesn't matter whether or not Trump believes his own B.S., but I think he does believe "it's all Adam Schiff's fault," and I think Trump's amazing facility for deluding himself is an essential ingredient in furtherance the problems he causes. This coping mechanism may appear to work for him, but it a plague upon the nation. ~~~

     ~~~ Michael Grynbaum & Maggie Haberman of the New York Times: "Fed up with the coverage on his favorite cable news station, President Trump ... telephoned the chief executive of Fox News, Suzanne Scott, and let loose. In a lengthy conversation, Mr. Trump complained that Fox News was not covering him fairly.... The president has rarely been satisfied with the adulation he receives from the network's prime-time and morning opinion shows. Instead, he often fixates on any hint of criticism, deeming the network ungrateful for the high ratings that he attributes to himself." The Hill has a summary report here.

Annals of Journalism, Ctd. Brittany Shammas of the Washington Post reports on WSMV Nashville reporter Nancy Amons' interview of Mike Pompeo, embedded here Saturday. Mrs. McC: It really is delicious when a reporter gets the best of a bully like Pompeo who goes out of his way to avoid situations where he might get substantive questions.

Jackson Diehl of the Washington Post: "The uproar in Washington over President Trump's corruption in Ukraine and malfeasance in Syria has obscured a broader story. In little more than a month, virtually every other foreign policy initiative the Trump administration has pursued has imploded -- thanks mostly to the president's increasingly unhinged behavior." Diehl ticks of the catastrophes: the Afghan-Taliban summit at Camp David that didn't happen; the failed "maximum pressure" campaign against Iran' Kim Jong-un's refusal to accept an "interim" nuclear deal. "... there isn't [a common thread], other than Trump's mounting erraticism.... But the carnage of Trump’s foreign policy likely isn't over yet."

Michael Schmidt & Maggie Haberman of the New York Times: "A video depicting a macabre scene of a fake President Trump shooting, stabbing and brutally assaulting members of the news media and his political opponents was shown at a conference for his supporters at his Miami resort last week, according to footage obtained by The New York Times.... The video, which includes the logo for Mr. Trump's 2020 re-election campaign, comprises a series of internet memes. The most violent clip shows Mr. Trump's head superimposed on the body of a man opening fire inside the 'Church of Fake News' on parishioners who have the faces of his critics or the logos of media organizations superimposed on their bodies. It appears to be an edited scene of a church massacre from the 2014 dark comedy film 'Kingsman: The Secret Service.' The disclosure that the video was played shows how Mr. Trump's anti-media language has influenced his supporters and bled into their own propaganda.... A spokesman for Mr. Trump's campaign said ... 'That video was not produced by the campaign, and we do not condone violence.'..." ~~~

~~~ David Cohen of Politico: "The White House Correspondents' Association on Sunday night condemned 'a video reportedly shown' at a pro-Trump event held at a Trump resort in Miami that depicted graphic violence against journalists and various political figures." Cohen also summarizes the NYT story linked above.

Nancy Gibbs in a Washington Post op-ed: "What if the president wants out? There's much about the job he never liked, which is one reason he spends so much time watching TV rather than actually doing it.... He has claimed so often to love being president that it's easy to think he protests too much.... Trump escapes the frustration of failing to accomplish his agenda by not having ever had one, beyond his continued exaltation.... Resigning is out; that's for quitters. Defeat in 2020 is worse; losing is for losers. But being impeached and removed from office is the one outcome that preserves at least some ability to denounce the deep state and the quislings in the Senate who stabbed him in the back, maintain his bond with his tribe, depart the capital and launch a media business to compete with the ever more flaccid Fox News.... With a choice of bad options, impeachment doesn't look so bad, and gets you home to your gilded tower sooner. Assuming, that is, that you don't think you can just burn the Constitution to the ground and be the last one standing." ~~~

~~~ Mrs. McCrabbie: Every time I'm away from the news for several hours, I open up my computer & hope to see the bold headline, "Trump Resigns." I really do, even though I know any headline involving Trump is apt to be news of another abomination. If Gibbs' thesis is right, I'll have to count on Mitch & Lindsey & Ted to make my fantasy come true.

Presidential Race 2020. Charles Blow of the New York Times: "At a campaign rally in Minnesota, Trump said of Joe Biden: 'He was only a good vice president because he understood how to kiss Barack Obama's ass.'... The insult invokes a fear and disdain that white racists have had throughout American history: The subjugation of the white man to the black one.... The white supremacists see ... the subjugation of Biden ... to the black man ... as a particular kind of racial betrayal and racial subjugation that can never be made normal.... That is why Obama stays on the tip of Trump's tongue.... The racism is coded, received, without the burden of delivery." Mrs. McC: I was surprised that Trump didn't say "kiss his black ass," but Blow's explanation clears that up: "black ass" is understood in Trumpland. American black English has always employed a lot of code words designed to escape the understanding of white listeners. The irony is that now it is white racists who have to use coded language to appear socially acceptable to the larger population. I'm sure the racists resent that constriction of their freeedoms.

Matthew Green of Reuters: "Almost 400 scientists have endorsed a civil disobedience campaign aimed at forcing governments to take rapid action to tackle climate change, warning that failure could inflict 'incalculable human suffering.' In a joint declaration, climate scientists, physicists, biologists, engineers and others from at least 20 countries broke with the caution traditionally associated with academia to side with peaceful protesters courting arrest from Amsterdam to Melbourne. Wearing white laboratory coats to symbolize their research credentials, a group of about 20 of the signatories gathered on Saturday to read out the text outside London's century-old Science Museum in the city's upmarket Kensington district."

News Ledes

New York Times: "Harold Bloom, the prodigious literary critic who championed and defended the Western canon in an outpouring of influential books that appeared not only on college syllabuses but also -- unusual for an academic -- on best-seller lists, died on Monday at a hospital in New Haven. He was 89."

New York Times: "Three professors who have done experimental work toward alleviating poverty have been awarded the Nobel in economic sciences: Abhijit Banerjee and Esther Duflo, both of M.I.T., and Michael Kremer of Harvard University. Professor Duflo is the second woman and, at 46, the youngest person to win the economics prize." The Guardian has a liveblog here.

The Commentariat -- October 13, 2019

Afternoon Update:

Complete Capitulation. Julian Barnes & Eric Schmitt of the New York Times: "Defense Secretary Mark T. Esper said Sunday that President Trump ordered a withdrawal of American forces from northern Syria, a decision that will effectively cede control of the area to the Syrian government and Russia, and could allow a resurgence of the Islamic State. Mr. Esper, appearing on both Fox News and CBS News, said that American troops, mostly Special Operations forces, would move south but not leave the country in the face of Turkey's incursion into the section of Syria controlled by Kurdish forces, a group of fighters trained and backed by the United States government. The Pentagon has slow-walked previous orders by Mr. Trump to evacuate from Syria, to protect its Kurdish partners and hold the ground it took back from the Islamic State. But Mr. Esper's comments Sunday indicated that this time Mr. Trump's drawdown order was being acted on with haste.... Mr. Esper said the Pentagon expected Turkish forces to annex even more territory than originally estimated." This is confirmation of reports linked below. ~~~

~~~ Humeyra Pamuk of Reuters: "The United States is looking into reports that a Kurdish politician and captured Kurdish fighters were killed in northeastern Syria amid Turkey's offensive, a State Department spokesman told Reuters on Sunday, adding that Washington found the reports disturbing.... 'We find these reports to be extremely troubling, reflecting the overall destabilization of northeast Syria since the commencement of hostilities on Tuesday,' the spokesman said in an email." ~~~

~~~ Eric Schmitt, et al., of the New York Times: "... with the White House revoking protection for these Kurdish fighters, some of the Special Forces officers who battled alongside the Kurds say they feel deep remorse at orders to abandon their allies. 'They trusted us and we broke that trust,' one Army officer who has worked alongside the Kurds in northern Syria said last week in a telephone interview. 'It's a stain on the American conscience.' 'I'm ashamed,' said another officer who had also served in northern Syria. And the response from the Kurds themselves was just as stark. 'The worst thing in military logic and comrades in the trench is betrayal,' said Shervan Darwish, an official allied with the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces.... As the Americans pulled back, the Kurds moved north to try to reinforce their comrades fighting the offensive. The American soldiers could only watch from their sandbag-lined walls. Orders from Washington were simple: Hands off. Let the Kurds fight for themselves. The orders contradicted the American military's strategy in Syria over the past four years, especially when it came to the Kurdish fighters, known as the Y.P.G., who were integral to routing the Islamic State from northeastern Syria." ~~~

~~~ Mrs. McCrabbie: Looks as if Trump is getting worried about Republican support. Shortly after patting himself on the back for his "very smart" move greenlighting Turkey's assault on Kurdish regions, he tweeted this: "Dealing with @LindseyGrahamSC and many members of Congress, including Democrats, about imposing powerful Sanctions on Turkey. Treasury is ready to go, additional legislation may be sought. There is great consensus on this. Turkey has asked that it not be done. Stay tuned!" ~~~

~~~ Carlotta Gall & Patrick Kingsley of the New York Times: "Hundreds of relatives of Islamic State fighters fled a Kurdish-run detention camp on Sunday morning after Turkish airstrikes hit the surrounding area, deepening the crisis prompted by the Turkish-led invasion of northern Syria. The escapes came hours before the United States military said it would withdraw its remaining troops from northern Syria in the coming weeks, despite a likely resurgence of the Islamic State amid chaotic efforts by Turkish-led troops to wrest the region from Kurdish control. A Kurdish official also said that the flag of the Islamic State, also known as ISIS, had been raised in the countryside between the camp in the Kurdish-held town of Ain Issa and the Turkish border, another indication of how the Kurdish authorities were losing control of a region they had freed from the extremists only months ago." This is confirmation of reports linked below.

Joshua Posaner of Politico: "Turkey's military offensive in Syria threatens to destabilize the region and boost ISIS, German Chancellor Angela Merkel told Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan in a phone call Sunday. 'The chancellor spoke in favor of an immediate end to the military operation,' said ... a spokesperson for Merkel, adding that the Turkish leader had requested the call. The call came after Berlin moved to suspend some arms exports to Turkey on Saturday after Ankara launched an offensive against Kurdish militias in northern Syria last week following ... Donald Trump's withdrawal of troops from the region.... EU foreign ministers are meeting early this week ahead of a summit of heads of state, with both sessions set to address the situation in Syria."

Aaron Blake of the Washington Post: "Ever since former U.S. special envoy to Ukraine Kurt Volker handed over those text messages, President Trump's defenders have pointed to one of them as supposedly exonerating Trump. 'Bill, I believe you are incorrect about President Trump's intentions,' Gordon Sondland, the U.S. ambassador to the European Union, told another diplomat. 'The President has been crystal clear no quid pro quo's [sic] of any kind.' This text has been a linchpin of the Trump Ukraine defense. But on Saturday night, the linchpin broke.... Sondland will ... indicate that he was merely relaying Trump's defense, which he had discussed with the president on a phone call before the text message[.]... This is remarkable stuff, especially considering that Sondland, unlike the two diplomats he was conversing with in those text messages, was a big-time Trump donor.... Sondland's impending testimony sounds like that of a man covering his own backside and knowing his apparent defense of Trump could quickly fall apart upon further examination."

Nahal Toosi of Politico: "Current and former career U.S. diplomats say Trump has handed far too many ambassadorial posts to unqualified candidates, many of whom were political donors with thin diplomatic resumes and little respect for the U.S. Foreign Service. Some say it's time to rethink, if not cap or outright bar, political appointments for ambassadorships. 'It is out of whack under Trump,' said Dana Shell Smith, a former career Foreign Service officer who served as the U.S. ambassador to Qatar. 'These ambassadorships are being seen as the spoils, as opposed to being very serious jobs that act in the interest of the country.' Most modern presidents have given roughly 30 percent of U.S. ambassador postings to political appointees, with the rest drawn from career government ranks.... As of now, nearly 45 percent of his ambassador picks -- people who have been confirmed or are awaiting confirmation -- are political appointees, one database shows.&"

Allan Smith of NBC News: "Sen. Ted Cruz said Sunday that it was wrong for ... Donald Trump to call on China to probe former Vice President Joe Biden and his son in the Texas Republican's most direct rebuke of the president yet. Asked on CBS's 'Face the Nation' whether Trump's comments were 'appropriate,' Cruz said 'of course not. Elections in the U.S. should be decided by Americans and it's not the business of foreign countries, any foreign countries, to be interfering in our elections,' he said.... Host Margaret Brennan then asked if it was improper for Trump to ask Ukraine to probe the Bidens.... 'Listen, foreign countries should stay out of American elections,' Cruz said. 'That's true for Russia. That's true for Ukraine. That's true for China. That's true for all of them. It should be the American people deciding elections....'... Cruz added that it would make 'sense for [Rudy] Giuliani to testify before the Senate Judiciary Committee. Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., has already invited Giuliani to do so."

~~~~~~~~~~

This Is Not Going Well

Mark Esper Today. Emily Tillett & Margaret Brennan of CBS News: "The U.S. is 'preparing to evacuate' about 1,000 U.S. troops from northern Syria 'as safely and quickly as possible,' Defense Secretary Mark Esper told 'Face the Nation' in an interview airing Sunday.... 'In the last 24 hours, we learned that [the Turks] likely intend to extend their attack further south than originally planned, and to the west,' Esper said. 'We also have learned in the last 24 hours that the ... SDF are looking to cut a deal, if you will, with the Syrians and the Russians to counterattack against the Turks in the north.' Esper told 'Face the Nation' the troops remaining in the country were caught between Turkish forces and the SDF..... 'So I spoke with the president last night, after discussions with the rest of the national security team, and he directed that we begin a deliberate withdrawal of [all] forces from northern Syria.'" ~~~

~~~ Mark Esper Friday. Robert Burns & Lolita Baldor of the AP: "Top Pentagon officials on Friday denied the U.S. is abandoning its Syrian Kurdish allies in the face of a Turkish military offensive, although the future of a counterterrorism partnership with the Kurds was in grave doubt. 'We have not abandoned the Kurds. Let me be clear about that,' Defense Secretary Mark Esper told reporters. 'We have not abandoned them. Nobody green-lighted this operation by Turkey -- just the opposite. We pushed back very hard at all levels for the Turks not to commence this operation.'" Emphasis added. ~~~

~~~ Liz Sly & Louisa Loveluck of the Washington Post: "U.S. troops withdrew on Sunday from another town in Syria as Turkish-backed forces pushed deeper inside Syrian territory, seizing positions along a major highway that serves as the U.S. military's main supply route into Syria -- potentially cutting off U.S. troops further west, according to a U.S. official. The withdrawal came amid reports that hundreds of Islamic State supporters may have escaped from a camp housing displaced people in the town of Ain Issa, taking advantage of the mayhem that ensued as Turkish artillery pounded the area. The Kurdish administration in northeastern Syria said in a statement that 785 people affiliated to the Islamic State were among those who got away, escaping from a camp that had housed 12,000 displaced people, mostly women and children. Around a thousand of those who had been identified as Islamic State supporters, including foreigners, were housed in a separate section of the camp known as the Annex, which is now 'completely empty,' according to an aid worker...." ~~~

~~~ Mrs. McCrabbie: MEANWHLE: Trump is unconcerned: "Others may want to come in and fight for one side or the other. Let them!" he tweeted, in part, this morning. AND: "Very smart not to be involved in the intense fighting along the Turkish Border, for a change."

America the Untrustworthy. David Kirkpatrick, et al., of the New York Times: "President Trump's surprise acquiescence to a Turkish incursion into northern Syria this week has shaken American allies, and not just because it was a betrayal of a loyal partner. What alarmed them even more was his sheer unpredictability. His inconsistent and rapidly shifting positions in the Middle East have injected a new element of chaos into an already volatile region and have left allies guessing where the United States stands and for how long.... His decision to get out of the way of the Turkish incursion ... was just the latest in a series of flip-flops in American policy in the region, including two in Syria this year alone.... Critics say that Mr. Trump’s zigzagging policies have emboldened regional foes, unnerved American partners, and invited Russia and various regional players to seek to exert their influence."

Martin Chulov & Mohammed Rasool of the Guardian & Agencies: "Turkish-backed proxies leading a ground offensive on Kurdish-held border towns in north-eastern Syria have killed nine civilians including a female politician, a human rights monitor has claimed. The civilians were executed on a highway after being taken for their cars by Turkish-backed militias who had crossed the border as the push into Syria deepened. The killings were captured on camera phones and the gruesome scenes have raised the spectre of ethnic bloodletting emerging five days into the Turkish offensive. Ankara's proxies are Syrian Arabs from elsewhere in the country and their foes are Kurdish with long ties to the territory." See also NYT report linked next re: these murders. Thanks to Hattie for the link.

Ben Hubbard, et al., of the New York Times: "Turkish-backed Syrian Arab fighters killed at least two Kurdish prisoners on Saturday, one of them lying on the ground with his hands bound behind his back, in a powerful illustration of the forces unleashed by President Trump's decision to pull back American troops shielding former Kurdish allies in northern Syria. A video that captured one of the killings shows two of the Turkish-backed group's fighters firing bullets at close range into the man with his hands tied while their colleagues shout 'God is great!'... The killing of two Kurdish captives by Arab fighters -- a possible war crime -- is an indication of the ethnically tinged hatreds flaring in the wake of President Trump's pullback of American forces in the area.... On Saturday, Turkey and its allied Syrian fighters established a foothold in a strategic Syrian border town, Ras al-Ain, and were gathering to launch an offensive against another, Tel Abyad, according to the Turkish Defense Ministry and a spokesman for the Turkish-backed fighters. The new hostilities have displaced at least 100,000 people and ignited fears that tens of thousands of ISIS fighters and their relatives held by the Kurds could escape their camps and prisons." ~~~

     ~~~ Mrs. Bea McCrabbie: According to the report, it isn't clear whether the two prisoners were among the nine murdered civilians also cited in the Guardian's report above, but the fact that the Times says one of the two people was "uniformed" suggests these were separate murders. BTW, how much do you think Trump asked Erdogan about his collaboration with these Syrian Arab forces, and exactly what demands did Trump make of Erdogan regarding the control of prisons housing ISIS members & their families before Trump gave Erdogan the go ahead? What other conditions did Trump place on his green light? Oh, none? Also, what-all did Pompeo & Esper do to push back against Trump's green light? We know they didn't resign, as Jim Mattis did after Trump announced a troop pullout late last year (before backing down). And where the hell are our NATO allies?

Dan Lamothe of the Washington Post: "Turkish forces who launched multiple artillery rounds near a U.S. Special Operations outpost in northeastern Syria on Friday have known for months that Americans were there, according to four current and former U.S. officials, raising questions whether Turkey is trying to push American troops farther from the border.... The situation, first reported by Newsweek, was more serious than characterized Friday, several officials said, speaking on the condition of anonymity.... One Army officer ... said that multiple rounds of 155mm fire were launched from Turkey's side of the border and that they had a 'bracketing effect' in which shells landed on both sides of the U.S. outpost.... The officer said that Turkey knew there were Americans on the hill and that it had to be deliberate. The service members vacated the outpost after the incident but returned on Saturday, according to a U.S. official and images circulating on social media." ~~~

     ~~~ See also the Common Dreams story republished in the Raw Story. Update: NBC News has a story here. ~~~

     ~~~ Juan Cole: "The fire was so intense that the US military seriously considered firing back, a step that could have provoked an unprecedented firefight between two NATO armies."

Barbara Starr & Ryan Browne of CNN: "The commander of the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces told a senior US diplomat, 'You are leaving us to be slaughtered," demanding to know whether the US is going to do anything to protect Syrian Kurds as Turkey continues its military operation targeting America's Kurdish allies in Syria. You have given up on us. You are leaving us to be slaughtered,' Gen. Mazloum Kobani Abdi told the Deputy Special Envoy to the Global Coalition to Defeat ISIS, William Roebuck, in a meeting Thursday, according to an internal US government readout that has been obtained exclusively by CNN. 'You are not willing to protect the people, but you do not want another force to come and protect us. You have sold us. This is immoral,' Mazloum added." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)

Christian Vasquez of Politico: "Former Defense Secretary James Mattis said ISIS 'will resurge' in Syria, in his first public comments following ... Donald Trump's withdrawal of troops from the region. 'I think Secretary of State Pompeo, the intelligence services, the foreign countries that are working with us have it about right that ISIS is not defeated. We have got to keep the pressure on ISIS so they don't recover,' Mattis said in an interview on NBC News' 'Meet the Press' set to air Sunday.... '... If we don't keep the pressure on then ISIS will resurge. It's, it's absolutely a given that they will come back,' Mattis continued.... 'The Endless Wars Must End!' Trump tweeted Saturday afternoon."

Trump, Inc. -- the Criminal Enterprise, Ctd.

Aaron Davis & John Hudson of the Washington Post: "The U.S. ambassador to the European Union, Gordon Sondland, intends to tell Congress this week that the content of a text message he wrote denying quid pro quo with Ukraine was relayed to him directly by President Trump in a phone call, according to a person familiar with his testimony. Sondland plans to tell lawmakers he has no knowledge of whether the president was telling him the truth at that moment. 'It's only true that the president said it, not that it was the truth,' said the person familiar with Sondland's planned testimony, who spoke on the condition of anonymity.... The White House and its defenders have held up Sondland's text, which included 'no quid pro quo's of any kind' [in a September 9 text exchange,] as proof that none was ever considered.... Sondland is expected to say that for months before the Sept. 9 message, he worked at the direction of Rudolph W. Giuliani ... to secure what he would call in another text message the' deliverable' sought by Trump: a public statement from Ukraine that it would investigate corruption, including mentioning Burisma, a Ukrainian energy company, by name. In exchange for the statement, the president would grant Ukraine's new president a coveted White House audience.... Sondland appears poised to say that he and other diplomats did not know that the request to mention Burisma was really an effort to impugn the reputations of Biden and his son Hunter, who had served as a Burisma board member.... To trust Sondland's testimony, members of Congress will have to believe Sondland had not seen televised appearances by Giuliani over the spring and summer, or numerous newspaper and magazine articles questioning whether Hunter Biden's role at Burisma could prove to be a drag on his father's presidential campaign." ~~~

     ~~~ Mrs. McCrabbie: This sounds like CYA testimony that could get Sondland fired. Also a perjury rap: Bill Taylor texts Sondland on Sept. 1: "Are we now saying that security assistance and WH meeting are conditioned on investigations?" Sondland's response: "Call me." On Sept. 8, Sondland texts Taylor again saying he had "multiple conversations" with Trump & Zelensky & wants to talk with Taylor. Taylor texts back, "Now is fine." Later that days Taylor texts Kurt Volker, confirming he has talked with Sondland. The next day, Sept. 9, Taylor texts Sondland, "As I said on the phone, I think it's crazy to withhold security assistance for help with a political campaign." According to the WashPo report, "Sondland contends that he didn't know about the Biden connection [to Burisma] until a whistleblower complaint and transcript surfaced in late September." That would mean that it the phone discussions Sondland had with Taylor, Taylor never mentioned that the purpose of investigating "Burisma" was to collect dirt on Biden, which seems to be what Taylor mean by "help with a political campaign." Sondland, who is apparently prepared to testify that he was working "at the direction of" Giuliani, then also is claiming Giuliani never mentioned the Bidens to Sondland, either, even as Giuliani was going on the teevee smearing them. Perhaps Sondland had his planned testimony leaked to the Post so reporters would help him clean up the gaping holes in his cover story. ~~~

     ~~~ David Atkins in the Washington Monthly: "So it turns out that when Trump tweeted this: '... Importantly, Ambassador Sondland's tweet, which few report, stated, "I believe you are incorrect about President Trump's intentions. The President has been crystal clear: no quid pro quo's of any kind." That says it ALL!' He was apparently quoting himself having told Sondland what to say. This is the sort of comical coverup one only engages in either under desperation or a belief that no public accounting of your crimes will ever be made under oath." ~~~

~~~ David Graham of the Atlantic: "... the fact that State Department employees are testifying shows that the White House's total-obstruction strategy doesn't work as well when the players aren't sycophants like [Corey] Lewandowski who are willing to buy the claims of executive shield. It is, after all, a privilege and not a right." ~~~

     ~~~ Mrs. McCrabbie: Although I think Trump's behavior as outlined in the Mueller report were grounds for impeachment, the reaction of State Department & other agency personnel to the Ukraine conspiracy shows that -- for many people -- Ukraine was a bridge too far. The public's reactions back that up. Apparently people are not nearly as offended by obstruction as they are by the crimes underlying obstruction. Perhaps they see stonewalling as more of a political act but selling out the U.S. as treasonous. I don't agree with that, but it's not a nutty distinction to make.

Ken Vogel & Maggie Haberman of the New York Times: "President Trump had lunch on Saturday with Rudolph W. Giuliani amid revelations that prosecutors were investigating Mr. Giuliani for possible lobbying violations, and speculation that his position as the president's personal lawyer was in jeopardy. The lunch, at Mr. Trump's golf course in Sterling, Va., was among several shows of the president's support for Mr. Giuliani on Saturday. They seemed meant to tamp down questions about Mr. Giuliani's status with a client famous for distancing himself from advisers when they encounter legal problems of their own. Mr. Trump, during a Saturday night appearance on Fox News, called Mr. Giuliani 'a great gentleman' and said he is still his lawyer. 'I know nothing about him being under investigation. I can't imagine it,' he told the host Jeanine Pirro.... It is not clear what was discussed at the lunch. The lunch is unlikely to end speculation over whether the president will ultimately consider Mr. Giuliani a liability." ~~~

~~~ John Hudson of the Washington Post: "President Trump defended his personal attorney Rudolph W. Giuliani on Saturday amid reports that federal prosecutors are investigating whether the former New York City mayor broke lobbying laws in his efforts to oust the former U.S. ambassador to Ukraine Marie Yavonovitch. 'So now they are after the legendary "crime buster" and greatest Mayor in the history of NYC, Rudy Giuliani,' Trump tweeted. 'He may seem a little rough around the edges sometimes, but he is also a great guy and wonderful lawyer.' In defending Giuliani, Trump revived one of his recurring conspiracy theories that a 'Deep State' of entrenched bureaucrats and law enforcement officers are continuing to undermine him and his associates. 'Such a one sided Witch Hunt going on in USA. Deep State. Shameful!' he said." The Hill's story is here. Mrs McC: Trump calling anybody "a little rough around the edges" is a joke. Update: Trump's describing Giuliani as "a great gentleman" is laughable. Obviously, neither knows the meaning of the word. (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~

     ~~~ Some people in Twitterland are unconvinced by Trump's stand-by-your-man pose.

** Michelle Goldberg of the New York Times: "In [Rudy] Giuliani's fevered alternative reality, Ukraine's most stalwart foes of corruption are actually corruption's embodiment. Deeply compromised figures with vendettas against the activists -- particularly the ex-prosecutors Viktor Shokin and Yuriy Lutsenko -- are transformed into heroes. This addled, through-the-looking glass fantasy came to drive American foreign policy in Ukraine.... If America can be said to have a foreign policy at this debased stage of the Trump administration, it mostly consists of sucking up to strongmen while betraying everyone who ever believed in America's putative ideals.... Throughout our history, America has committed many sins against democracy around the world, but we used to be on the right side in Ukraine. Not anymore.... We're with the oligarchs now."

I don't know those gentleman.... I don't know, maybe they were clients of Rudy. You'd have to ask Rudy. -- Donald Trump, Thursday, speaking of Lev Parnas & Igor Fruman ~~~

~~~ Ben Schreckinger of Politico: "A photograph of ... Donald Trump posing with [Lev Parnas,] a recently indicted associate of Rudy Giuliani, was posted online in April 2014, two years prior to what had been their first known interaction.... The circumstances of the meeting captured in the photograph remain unclear.... [A Facebook] post [published two weeks earlier] suggests the meeting captured in the photo was not a chance interaction, and that Parnas had discussed his access to Trump [with the owner of the Facebook account]. Trump has sought to distance himself from Parnas, the Florida businessman at the center of a ballooning scandal over illicit foreign influence in his administration and, more broadly, the American political system. But the photograph and post provide further evidence that the two men are more closely tied than Trump has let on." Mrs. McC: There are quite a few people I would say I know, even tho I haven't appeared in any photos with them, much less in multiple photos beginning more than five years ago. ~~~

~~~ "Always Hustling." Rosalind Helderman, et al., of the Washington Post: "... a $50,000 donation to Trump's campaign and the Republican Party, [delivered just after the WashPo published the 'Access Hollywood' tape] ... helped propel [Lev] Parnas and his business partner..., Igor Fruman, on an extraordinarily rapid rise into the upper echelon of Trump allies -- before they became central figures in the presidential impeachment inquiry. By spring 2018, the two men had dined with Trump, breakfasted with his son and attended exclusive events at Mar-a-Lago and the White House, all while jetting around the world and spending lavishly, particularly at Trump hotels in New York and Washington. That May, a pro-Trump super PAC reported receiving a $325,000 donation from an energy company the duo had recently formed.... Parnas and Fruman demonstrated a remarkable facility for capitalizing on their newfound connections.... They also appeared to be constantly in pursuit of new business ventures.... In 2018, they hired ... Rudolph W. Giuliani, to serve as a consultant as they launched a security business -- and then helped Giuliani, in turn, reach Ukrainian officials in his quest to find information damaging to Democrats.... '"We'e best friends with Rudy Giuliani,&"' [Anthony] Scaramucci said the two men told him. "We work with him on everything."'

Deb Riechmann of the AP reports on how presidential and presidential* phone calls with foreign leaders are handled. Here's one part of her report: "One individual with firsthand knowledge of how the Trump calls with foreign leaders are handled said the president 'hates' [customary] 'pre-briefs' and frequently has refused to do them. Trump doesn't like written background materials either, preferring to handle the calls himself, often in the morning from the residence. Occasionally, while on the phone with foreign heads of state, Trump has handed the receiver to his daughter, Ivanka Trump, so she can talk with the leader, according to this individual. The person said a six-page pre-brief with attachments was once prepared for Trump before a call to a foreign leader. But that turned out to be too long, as did a single-page version. Preparing pre-brief note cards that offered about three talking points for Trump to make on a call was the norm.... The individual said that when Trump is done with the note cards, he often rips them up and tosses them in a burn bag. Staff who handle records have had to retrieve the burn bags from the residence, put the papers out on a table and tape them back together to preserve them as official presidential records, this person said." ~~~

     ~~~ Mrs. McCrabbie: So here's a report about Trump's SOP that, besides amply demonstrating that Trump likes to conduct "international diplomacy" by purposely going in stupid, almost casually mentions that it is his practice to violate the Federal Records Act, which requires retention of briefing notes. And that part about putting Ivanka on the phone to chat? Yeesh! "Yo, Recep. Sure, go ahead, attack the Kurds. After all, we paid them too much for defeating ISIS, which they couldn't have done without me. But first my little girl wants to tell you how much she appreciated you dropping by the fantastic Trump Towers Instanbul.... Here, Honey, take the phone. Recep wants to tell you there's nothing like Trump Istanbul anywhere in the world. Be sure to mention the other deals we have going in Turkey."

Justin Wise of the Hill: "President Trump on Saturday night lambasted the House Democrats' impeachment inquiry, saying his administration would look into possibly suing Speaker >Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) over the probe. 'We're going to take a look at it. We're going after these people. These are bad, bad people,' Trump said while speaking at the Values Voter Summit in Washington, D.C. 'I actually told my lawyer, I said sue [Schiff] anyway. I said, even if we lose, the American public will understand,' Trump said.... 'And sue Nancy Pelosi, or maybe we should just impeach them, because they're lying and what they're doing is a terrible thing for our country.' The U.S. Constitution stipulates that members of Congress cannot be impeached." ~~~

     ~~~ Mrs. McCrabbie: Yeah, the U.S. Constitution also specifies that "The House of Representatives ... shall have the sole Power of Impeachment." Trump would have a better case if he sued for not impeaching him sooner. Even Trump acknowledges that what he's threatening is a nuisance lawsuit.

Forgot this one. Brett Samuels of the Hill (Oct. 10): "President Trump on Thursday said former Rep. Trey Gowdy (R-S.C.) can't to join his outside legal team for a 'couple months' because of lobbying rules one day after it was announced that Gowdy would serve as his counsel.... 'I think there's a problem with -- he can't start for another couple months because of lobbying rules and regulations,' he added. '... So I don't know. We'll have to see.' Trump's lead personal attorney, Jay Sekulow, said Wednesday night that Gowdy would serve as counsel to the president in response to the House's impeachment inquiry." Mrs. McC: So if you were wondering why the ever-venomous Gowdy wasn't out there making fake accusations, apparently it's an ethics thing. Ironic.

Barbie Nadeau of the Daily Beast: "Joe Biden's son, Hunter Biden, is stepping down from the board of a Chinese-backed private equity company, according to a statement given to Bloomberg. The younger Biden, whose business interests in Ukraine are at the center of Donald Trump's impeachment scandal, also promises to 'forego all foreign work' if his dad is elected president in 2020." Mrs. McC: Surprising, isn't it, that Uday & Qusay haven't done the same, what with their being so upset at Hunter's international exploits.

Mark Stern of Slate: "One of Donald Trump's most controversial judicial nominees unleashed a bizarre and embarrassing dissent on Friday that seeks to shield the president from congressional oversight while flouting Supreme Court precedent. The author of Friday's dissent [in Trump v. Mazars], Neomi Rao, was Trump's choice to fill Brett Kavanaugh's old seat on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit. Her opinion marks a lawless effort to insert the judiciary into the House of Representatives&' investigations into Trump, limiting lawmakers' ability to access potentially incriminating evidence. It also implies that federal courts could stop the House from impeaching Trump. In short, Rao is running interference for the president who put her on the bench.... [Rao's dissent in the 2-1 ruling], is utterly detached from Supreme Court precedent and instead rooted in a startling and novel conception of presidential power. It rests on the assertion that 'allegations of illegal conduct against the President cannot be investigated by Congress except through impeachment.' According to Rao, impeachment 'provides the exclusive method for Congress to investigate accusations of illegal conduct by impeachable officials.' If the House attempts to probe the president's alleged wrongdoing on any basis other than impeachment, he is insulated from its demands." ~~~

     ~~~ Mrs. McCrabbie: Commonly reports will include, somewhere down the page, that "Judge So-and-So was appointed by Bill Clinton." Some of Dubya's far-right appointees get a little more attention. But what the future holds, no doubt, is commentary on court cases that amounts to dismissing an opinion with, "Oh, well, s/he's a Trump judge." Unfortunately, there are a lot of "Trump judges."

Jonathan Blitzer of the New Yorker paints a nuanced portrait of Kevin McAleenan, the acting Secretary of Homeland Security, who quit that job Friday. But, Blitzer warns, with the "two partisan appointees ... Ken Cuccinelli ... and Mark Morgan ... [who] have been auditioning for [McAleenan's] job ... D.H.S. runs the risk of becoming an overt arm of the Trump reëlection campaign, which is a genuinely frightening prospect.... We'll never know all the outlandish policies McAleenan probably had to avert, redirect, or quietly defuse during his tenure at D.H.S. Now, without him there, we're about to find out."

Jacey Fortin of the New York Times: "Penzeys Spices, a family-owned company in Wauwatosa, spent nearly $92,000 on Facebook advertisements related to impeachment from Sept. 29 to Oct. 5, according to data from a communications agency that tracks political spending.... Penzeys sells spices online and has dozens of brick-and-mortar stores across the United States.... The company's ads aren't subtle. 'This week the curtain href="https://www.facebook.com/Penzeys/posts/10157762425507834">Facebook post on Oct. 3, referring to the impeachment inquiry against Mr. Trump. The same post encouraged readers to sign up for a cooking newsletter." Last week Penzeys was the second biggest spender on Facebook ads related to impeachment; the first was Donald Trump's re-election campaign. Thanks to unwashed for the link. See also commentary in yesterday's thread. You might want to put in an order for "Justice" or "Tsardust Memories."

Presidential Race 2020. Warren Trolls Facebook Fake Ads Policy. Emma Newberger of CNBC: "Elizabeth Warren is buying ads on Facebook that falsely claim Mark Zuckerberg has endorsed ... Donald Trump, in a deliberate ploy that targets Facebook's controversial decision to allow politicians to make false claims in paid advertising.... 'Breaking news: Mark Zuckerberg and Facebook just endorsed Donald Trump for re-election,' the ads reads.... Facebook's own policy exempts ads by politicians from third-party fact-checking. That includes Warren' trolling ad, which includes a disclaimer that says the content isn't true."

Beyond the Beltway

Louisiana. Mark Ballard of the Baton Rouge Advocate: "Republican millionaire Eddie Rispone, making his first bid for public office, edged his way into a Nov. 16 runoff with incumbent Democratic Gov. John Bel Edwards. By a margin of about 50,000 votes, Rispone, of Baton Rouge, beat his Republican rival, U.S. Rep. Ralph Abraham, to face off with Edwards, who led the field Saturday night but not by enough to win outright. Edwards garnered 626,000 votes, 47% of the total cast, according to the Secretary of State's complete but unofficial results. Rispone, who spent about $11.5 million -- mostly of his own money -- on the campaign, came in second with 368,318 votes, or 27%, followed by three-term Congressman Abraham ... with 317,115, or 24% of the vote."

Texas. Staying at Home, Minding Your Own Business While Black. Ryan Mac & David Mack of BuzzFeed News: "A black woman was shot and killed by police inside her own home early Saturday morning in Fort Worth, Texas, after her neighbor called a non-emergency police number for a wellness check on her [because the caller noticed her doors were ajar]. Atatiana Koquice Jefferson, 28, was killed in a bedroom at the home at around 2:30 a.m., according to the Tarrant County Medical Examiner.... One officer [who is white], after seeing someone through the window of the home, drew his weapon and fired one shot, killing the woman.... Body camera footage ... [shows] the officer peer[ing] through a window, where he presumably sees a person. He quickly raises his flashlight in one hand, gun in another. 'Put your hands up, show me your hands,' he shouts before firing a shot -- all in less than four seconds. The Forth Worth shooting comes weeks after Amber Guyger, a former cop in neighboring Dallas, was found guilty of murder for fatally shooting her unarmed neighbor in his apartment. Her neighbor, Botham Jean, was a 26-year-old black man from Saint Lucia."

The Commentariat -- October 12, 2019

Afternoon Update:

Barbara Starr & Ryan Browne of CNN: "The commander of the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces told a senior US diplomat, 'You are leaving us to be slaughtered," demanding to know whether the US is going to do anything to protect Syrian Kurds as Turkey continues its military operation targeting America's Kurdish allies in Syria. You have given up on us. You are leaving us to be slaughtered,' Gen. Mazloum Kobani Abdi told the Deputy Special Envoy to the Global Coalition to Defeat ISIS, William Roebuck, in a meeting Thursday, according to an internal US government readout that has been obtained exclusively by CNN. 'You are not willing to protect the people, but you do not want another force to come and protect us. You have sold us. This is immoral,' Mazloum added."

John Hudson of the Washington Post: "President Trump defended his personal attorney Rudolph W. Giuliani on Saturday amid reports that federal prosecutors are investigating whether the former New York City mayor broke lobbying laws in his efforts to oust the former U.S. ambassador to Ukraine Marie Yavonovitch. 'So now they are after the legendary 'crime buster' and greatest Mayor in the history of NYC, Rudy Giuliani,' Trump tweeted. 'He may seem a little rough around the edges sometimes, but he is also a great guy and wonderful lawyer.' In defending Giuliani, Trump revived one of his recurring conspiracy theories that a 'Deep State' of entrenched bureaucrats and law enforcement officers are continuing to undermine him and his associates. 'Such a one sided Witch Hunt going on in USA. Deep State. Shameful!' he said." The Hill's story is here.

~~~~~~~~~~

Thanks to MAG.

Trump Nominates Guy Who Fired Yovanovitch as Ambassador to Russia. Morgan Chalfant of the Hill: "President Trump plans to nominate John Sullivan, currently the No. 2 State Department official, as U.S. ambassador to Russia, the White House announced Friday.... The announcement came just as former U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine Marie Yovanovitch told Congress ... told Congress that Sullivan told her Trump had 'lost confidence' in her and 'no longer wished' for her to serve as ambassador." Mrs. McC: Shouldn't Trump have nominated Rudy? (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~

~~~ Mike Lillis of the Hill: "The Trump administration sought to block the congressional deposition Friday of the former U.S. ambassador to Ukraine, leading House Democrats to issue a subpoena for her appearance -- and ultimately compelling her to testify Friday, according to Democratic committee leaders. Marie Yovanovitch ... arrived at the Capitol Friday morning and is testifying behind closed doors before members of the three House committees -- Intelligence, Oversight and Reform, and Foreign Affairs -- leading the Democrats' impeachment inquiry into President Trump. Her appearance came just three days after the White House counsel issued a letter warning House Democrats that the administration will not cooperate with requests for documents or witness testimony as part of the ongoing probe.... 'Last night, the Committees learned that the State Department, at the direction of the White House, directed Ambassador Marie Yovanovitch not to appear for her voluntary interview today'" Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff (D-Calif.), Oversight and Reform Chairman Elijah Cummings (D-Md.) and Foreign Affairs Chairman Eliot Engel (D-N.Y.) said in a joint statement Friday afternoon.... The committee heads issued a subpoena on Friday morning..., they said. 'This duly authorized subpoena is mandatory, and the illegitimate order from the Trump Administration not to cooperate has no force,' the Democrats said. 'As is required of her, the Ambassador is now complying with the subpoena and answering questions from both Democratic and Republican Members and staff.'" ~~~

~~~ Yovanovtich Unloads on Trump Regime. Sharon LaFraniere & Nicholas Fandos of the New York Times: "Marie L. Yovanovitch, who was recalled as the American ambassador to Ukraine, testified to impeachment investigators on Friday that a top State Department official told her that President Trump had pushed for her removal for months even though the department believed she had 'done nothing wrong.' In a closed-door deposition that could further fuel calls for Mr. Trump's impeachment, Ms. Yovanovitch delivered a scathing indictment of his administration's conduct of foreign policy. She warned that private influence and personal gain have usurped diplomats' judgment, threatening to undermine the nation's interests and drive talented professionals out of public service. According to a copy of her opening statement..., the longtime diplomat said she was 'incredulous' that she was removed as ambassador 'based, as far as I can tell, on unfounded and false claims by people with clearly questionable motives.'... 'Today we see the State Department attacked and hollowed out from within,' she said. She said the allegations that she was disloyal to Mr. Trump, circulated by allies of Rudolph W. Giuliani, the president's personal lawyer, were totally 'fictitious.'" The Washington Post story is here. (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~

~~~ Yovanovitch's full opening statement is here (pdf), via PBS. It's pretty powerful. ~~~

     ~~~ Mrs. Bea McCrabbie: As we know, two of the guys responsible for sliming Yovanovitch -- Lev & Igor -- are sitting in the slammer today (unless either or both came up with $1MM bail) and a third -- Rudy -- is sweating like a man in a Turkish bath. Wouldn't it be nice if SDNY -- which Giuliani once ran -- indicted him? (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~

     ~~~ Evan Perez of CNN: "Rudy Giuliani's financial dealings with two associates indicted on campaign finance-related charges are under scrutiny by investigators overseeing the case, law enforcement officials briefed on the matter said. The FBI and prosecutors in Manhattan are examining Giuliani's involvement in the broader flow of money that have become the focus of alleged violations that are at the center of the allegations against Lev Parnas and Igor Fruman, the sources said. The sources did not say that Giuliani was a target of the investigation. Giuliani told CNN he is not aware of any law enforcement scrutiny on his financial dealings with the men and he said he has not been interviewed by the FBI...." (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~

     ~~~ Aaron Katesky & Josh Margolin of ABC News: "The business relationship between ... Rudy Giuliani and the men charged Thursday in a campaign finance scheme is a subject of the ongoing criminal investigation being conducted by federal authorities in New York, according to two sources familiar with the matter.... The investigation is being conducted by the FBI's New York field office and prosecutors in the Southern District of New York, the same U.S. Attorney's office Giuliani ran before he became mayor of New York." ~~~

     ~~~ AND That's Not All. Michael Schmidt, et al., of the New York Times: "Federal prosecutors in Manhattan are investigating whether ... Rudolph W. Giuliani broke lobbying laws in hisdealings in Ukraine, according to two people familiar with the inquiry. The investigators are examining Mr. Giuliani's efforts to undermine the American ambassador to Ukraine, Marie L. Yovanovitch, one of the people said.... Federal law requires American citizens to disclose to the Justice Department any contacts with the government or media in the United States at the direction or request of foreign politicians or government officials, regardless of whether they pay for the representation. Law enforcement officials have made clear in recent years that covert foreign influence is as great a threat to the country as spies trying to steal government secrets." ~~~

~~~ So Trump Tap Dances Away. Michael Collins, et al., of USA Today: "... Donald Trump sought Friday to distance himself from attorney Rudy Giuliani.... Asked whether Giuliani remained his personal attorney, Trump said: 'I don't know. I haven't spoken to Rudy,' Trump told reporters as he was leaving the White House for a political rally in Louisiana. 'I spoke to him yesterday, briefly. He's a very good attorney and he has been my attorney, yeah sure.' Giuliani told USA Today shortly afterward that he's still Trump's lawyer. 'He hasn't told me otherwise,' he said." Mrs. McC: Another former Trump attorney, Michael Cohen, now doing hard time, no doubt will recognize that step. ~~~

~~~ Lev & Igor's Other Client: Corrupt Ukrainian Oligarch. Aram Roston, et al., of Reuters: "One of the two Florida businessmen who helped ... Donald Trump's personal attorney investigate his political rival, Democrat Joe Biden, also has been working for the legal team of a Ukrainian oligarch who faces bribery charges in the United States, according to attorneys for the businessmen and the oligarch. Lev Parnas, one of the two associates of ... Rudy Giuliani, served as a translator for lawyers representing oligarch Dmytro Firtash. Parnas was arrested on Thursday along with the other Florida businessman, Igor Fruman, on unrelated charges that included illegally funneling $325,000 to a political action committee supporting pro-Trump candidates. Both men had worked in an unspecified capacity for Firtash before Parnas joined the Ukrainian's legal team, according to a person familiar with the Florida men's business dealings with Firtash.... Firtash, one of Ukraine's wealthiest businessmen, is battling extradition by U.S. authorities on bribery charges from Vienna, where he has lived for five years.... Federal prosecutors in Illinois said in court papers in 2017 that Firtash was an 'upper-echelon' associate of Russian organized crime.'" ~~~

     ~~~ Mrs. McCrabbie: So Trump's guy's guys were doing the bidding of both a crooked Ukrainian oligarch & a crooked American oligarch a/k/a POTUS*. Clearly, the interests of the American people was uppermost in all their minds. ~~~

~~~ In 2016 Victory Party, Parnas Described Trump as a Friend & Neighbor. Darren Samuelsohn & Ben Schreckinger of Politico: "Donald Trump tried to distance himself from the latest scandal that threatens his presidency on Thursday by saying he didn't know either of the foreign-born Rudy Giuliani associates that his own Justice Department had just indicted for alleged campaign finance violations. But that's not what one of the men said three years ago -- while attending Trump's invite-only 2016 election night party in New York.... Lev Parnas described himself to a foreign correspondent at the cash-bar event in midtown Manhattan as a friend of the president-elect who didn't live far from his South Florida winter home." ~~~

~~~ Tom Winter, et al., of NBC News: "The unnamed Ukrainian official referenced in a federal indictment as directing a plot to oust the then-U.S. ambassador [Marie Yovanovitch] is Ukraine's former chief prosecutor Yuriy Lutsenko, according to a U.S. official familiar with the events.... Two former U.S. officials said Lutsenko had sharp disagreements with Yovanovitch over his handling of corruption cases, and was also seeking to curry favor with the Trump administration.... In his July call with Ukrainian President Zelenskiy, Trump praised Lutsenko and lamented that he was on his way out. 'I heard you had a prosecutor who was very good and he was shut down and that's really unfair,' Trump said in the call. 'A lot of people are talking about that.' Lutsenko told NBC News last month that he's known Giuliani for 'many years' and met with him while vacationing in New York. Lutsenko said he counted Giuliani as a friend and has spoken to him 'maybe 10 times.' Lutsenko said they discussed former Vice President Biden and his son, Hunter...."

"All the President's Henchmen." Michelle Cottle of the New York Times: "... Mr. Trump's dreams of dominance tend to bump up against the hard realities of incompetence -- his and that of his cronies. It has long been apparent that the president has a peculiar eye for talent. The repercussions of this were on display this week as the Ukraine scandal at the heart of the impeachment inquiry continued to unspool, spotlighting a fresh batch of colorful characters and questionable behavior." ~~~

~~~ Ryan Broderick of Buzzfeed: "If you're struggling to make sense of ... Donald Trump's obsession with Ukraine, the best place to look is inside the mind of a lawyer working for him, Rudy Giuliani ... and the near-constant stream of Spygate fanfiction he's been spewing online for the last six months.... Spygate's central (false) claim is that the Obama administration embedded a spy in Trump's 2016 presidential campaign for political purposes.... This is the petri dish in which Giuliani has been growing his ongoing investigation." Includes an explainer on "spygate." --s (Also linked yesterday.)

Crack White House Staff Sends GOP Talking Points to Democrats -- Again. Mike Lillis & Juliegrace Brufke of the Hill: "The White House accidentally sent Democrats a list of talking points related to ex-Ukraine Ambassador Marie Yovanovitch's Friday House deposition..., the second time in a month the administration has sent its Ukraine talking points to Democrats. The email included guidance for Republicans seeking to defend the president from potentially damaging witness testimony from an ambassador who was removed from her post in May under controversial circumstances. In copies of the guidance shared with The Hill, the White House encouraged Republicans to adopt a series of messages designed to turn the tables back on Democrats, including attacks on House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff's (D-Calif.) handling of the investigation."

Trump Thrills Coarse, Ignorant People Again. Katie Rogers of the New York Times: "President Trump left a dizzying trail of developments behind him in Washington on Friday evening, swapping the confines of the capital for a fiery rally where he used foul language, fierce political attacks and personal grievances to light up his supporters for the second day in a row. The president lashed out at the House speaker, Nancy Pelosi, saying that the top Democrat in Congress 'hates this country' and ridiculing her decision to begin an impeachment inquiry into his efforts to get foreign countries to dig up damaging information on his rivals. 'The radical Democrats' policies are crazy. Their politicians are corrupt. Their candidates are terrible,' Mr. Trump said to huge applause. 'And they know they can't win on Election Day so they're pursuing an illegal, invalid and unconstitutional bullshit impeachment.'" Politico's story is here. ~~~

Donald Trump's Idea of Appropriate Presidential* Rhetoric. He was only a good vice president because he understood how to kiss Barack Obama's ass. -- Donald Trump, at a rally in Minnesota Thursday night, speaking of Joe Biden

Mrs. McCrabbie: I'll bet jolly bully Mike Pompeo was expecting a typical "how do you like Nashville, Mr. Secretary?" exchange when he agreed to an interview with reporter Nancy Amons of Nashville's WSMV. That's not what Amons had in mind:

Spencer Ackerman, et al., of the Daily Beast: "New potential whistleblowers are coming forward to the House Democrats' impeachment inquiry, two congressional sources tell The Daily Beast. They seem to be emboldened by the actions of the whistleblower whose explosive account of ... Donald Trump's phone call to Ukraine's Volodymyr Zelensky about investigating Trump's domestic political rivals ignited the impeachment inquiry. Another whistleblower is known to have come forward. Congressional investigators are currently vetting the new accounts they've received for credibility."

** Darren Samuelsohn & Josh Gerstein of Politico: "... Donald Trump lost a key court decision in his bid to block a subpoena from House Democrats pressing to see his financial records. The 2-1 ruling from the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit stems from a case where Trump sued to block Democrats from seeing a vast trove of materials as Congress probes Trump over potential conflicts of interest and payments from foreign governments. 'Contrary to the President's arguments, the Committee possesses authority under both the House Rules and the Constitution to issue the subpoena,' Judge David Tatel wrote in an opinion joined by Judge Patricia Millett. The 66-page opinion against Trump issued by the two Democrat-appointed judges backs up Congress by citing a long history of lawmakers using subpoenas to demand information in connection with investigations. It leans on more than two centuries of history, including Watergate-era precedent that 'strongly implies that Presidents enjoy no blanket immunity from congressional subpoenas.' At issue is a House Oversight and Government Reform Committee subpoena issued in mid-April seeking financial records from Trump's longtime accounting firm, Mazars USA, related to work it did for the president before and after he took office." (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~

     ~~~ Update: The Washington Post story is here. The New York Times story is here. (Also linked yesterday.)

DOJ Moves on Trump's Personal Behalf. Benjamin Weiser & William Rashbaum of the New York Times: "The Justice Department asked a federal appeals court on Friday to stop the release of President Trump's tax returns to the Manhattan district attorney's office, arguing that local prosecutors should have to meet a very high legal bar before investigating a sitting president.... The district attorney's office issued the subpoena in late August as part of an investigation into hush-money payments made in the run-up to the 2016 presidential election. But in its filing, the Justice Department, which is led by Attorney General William P. Barr, stopped short of endorsing Mr. Trump's most sweeping argument: that sitting presidents are totally immune from all criminal investigations. On Monday, Judge Victor Marrero of United States District Court in Manhattan rejected Mr. Trump's effort to shield his tax returns from the Manhattan district attorney, Cyrus R. Vance Jr. Mr. Trump had argued that the Constitution prevented sitting presidents from being subject to criminal investigations, especially from a local prosecutor, such as Mr. Vance." ~~~

     ~~~ The Hill's report, by Naomi Jagoda, is here. ~~~

~~~ Same Case. David Fahrenthold & Anne Marimow of the Washington Post: "President Trump on Friday repeated his assertion of sweeping executive immunity -- arguing in court that, because he is president, he cannot be investigated by any prosecutor, anywhere. Trump's personal attorneys made the argument in a filing with the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 2nd Circuit in New York. They are seeking to overturn a lower court's dismissal of a suit the president filed seeking to block Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance Jr. (D) from obtaining Trump's tax returns.... Earlier this week, U.S. District Judge Victor Marrero dismissed Trump's lawsuit, saying that Trumps assertion of sweeping immunity was 'repugnant' to constitutional values."

Zachary Warmbrodt of Politico: "A federal appeals court revealed Thursday that Deutsche Bank does not have copies of ... Donald Trump's tax returns that House Democrats are seeking in an investigation of his finances. The disclosure came as judges ruled against a coalition of media companies that had asked the court to unseal an unredacted letter from Deutsche Bank identifying whose tax returns targeted by the House subpoenas were in its possession." (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~

~~~ Shane Croucher of Newsweek: "A former Deutsche Bank executive who reviewed President Donald Trump's tax returns reportedly said it is 'not normal' that the institution no longer holds copies of those records.... David Enrich, finance editor at The New York Times, posted to Twitter a screenshot of his conversation with the unnamed executive in which they expressed surprise that Deutsche told a federal appeals court it did not have the president's tax returns anymore. 'Holy f**k,' the executive wrote, per the screenshot. 'The circumstance could be that they returned any physical copies or destroyed any physical copies under an agreement with a client and cleansed their servers. Not normal though.'" --s (Also linked yesterday.)

Martyn McClauglin of The Scotsman: "The US president's Turnberry resort ran up losses of more than £10.7m last year, meaning that since he took over the historic property in 2014, it has lost nearly £43m.... It comes as Mr Trump's most prestigious overseas resort is at the centre of a Congressional investigation into US Defence Department spending and patronage." --s (Also linked yesterday.)

Elizabeth McLaughlin & Luis Martinez of ABC News: "U.S. special forces operating in northern Syria have been moved from their location after Turkish artillery exploded near their outpost, according to a U.S. official. Two other U.S. officials said the explosion occurred Friday afternoon, Eastern Daylight Time, in the vicinity of U.S. special forces operating near the Syrian city of Kobane, just across the border from Turkey. No U.S. forces were killed or injured. The explosion was not a 'direct hit' on U.S. forces, one official said, and it does not appear to have been deliberate. In a statement, Turkey's defense ministry said the strike was in response to mortars coming from 'terrorists' operating near the U.S. special forces outpost. The statement said that Turkey was not targeting the U.S. troops and that precautions were taken to prevent damage to the U.S. fortification." ~~~

~~~ Carlotta Gall & Patrick Kingsley of the New York Times: "The Turkish invasion of Kurdish-held territory in northern Syria raised new fears of a resurgence of the Islamic State on Friday, as five militants escaped from a Kurdish-run prison and the extremist group claimed responsibility for a bomb that exploded in the regional capital. As Turkish troops launched a third night of airstrikes and ground incursions, Kurdish fighters said they had thwarted a second attempt to break out of a detention camp for families of Islamic State members. The moves compounded a mounting sense of turmoil in northeast Syria, where tens of thousands of residents were reported fleeing south. The Turkish government said its troops had advanced five miles inside part of the country. Several major roads had been blocked and a major hospital abandoned." ~~~

     ~~~ Mrs. McCrabbie: It's worth bearing in mind that Trump's argument for letting Turkey attack Kurdish-held territory is (1) We've already defeated ISIS, so there's no need to stick around; (2) even though stepping aside effectively guarantees ISIS fighters will escape & regroup. The test of dimwittery is "the ability to hold two opposed ideas in mind at the same time" and make no sense to any sane person.

Jacob Pramuk of CNBC: "... Donald Trump has given his administration broad authority to slap sanctions on Turkey, Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said Friday. Trump signed an executive order authorizing the powers, though the administration will not move yet to punish Turkish individuals or entities after the country's offensive in northern Syria. Still, Mnuchin threatened devastating actions in the wake of Turkish strikes that the U.S. has condemned. 'These are very powerful sanctions. We hope we don't have to use them. But we can shut down the Turkish economy if we need to,' the Treasury chief told reporters."

Wesley Morgan of Politico: "Defense Secretary Mark Esper urged his Turkish counterpart Thursday to halt Turkey's unfolding cross-border offensive against Syrian Kurdish militias, Pentagon spokesperson Jonathan Hoffman said today. Esper and Turkish Defense Minister Hulusi Akar 'spoke by phone where they discussed the situation in northeast Syria,' Hoffman said in a statement. 'As part of the call, Secretary Esper strongly encouraged Turkey to discontinue actions in northeastern Syria in order to increase the possibility that the United States, Turkey and our partners could find a common way to deescalate the situation before it becomes irreparable.'" (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~

~~~ MEANWHILE. Wesley Morgan: “The Pentagon is sending about 2,000 more troops to Saudi Arabia, including squadrons of fighter jets and air defense missile batteries, Defense Department officials said Friday. Defense Secretary Mark Esper authorized the deployment of two fighter squadrons, two batteries of Patriot missiles, a Terminal High Altitude Area Defense missile system, and an Air Force headquarters unit 'at the request of U.S. Central Command,' Pentagon spokesperson Jonathan Hoffman said in a statement." Mrs. McC: Sorry, Kurds, while you were fighting & dying for our shared objectives, you forgot to take time out to give Trump a golden orb. (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~

     ~~~ Ah, It's Okay Because ... Dan Lamothe of the Washington Post: "President Trump ... said late Friday that the kingdom 'has agreed to pay us for everything we're doing to help them.'" Mrs. McC: So now we're selling soldiers, too -- turning our military into mercenaries. It's not foolish to argue we've done it before, but this is the first time I can recall that a president* admitted we were trading American soldiers for oil and placing a dollar value on that. I don't know that this is what young men & women had in mind when they signed up for service.

Kevin Brueninger of CNBC: "The U.S. has come to a 'very substantial phase one deal' with China in the high-stakes trade negotiations between the two economic superpowers..., Donald Trump said Friday.... The first portion of the trade deal will be written over the next three weeks, Trump said. It will address intellectual property and financial services concerns, along with purchases of about $40 billion to $50 billion worth of agricultural products by China, Trump said.... Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin also announced in the Oval Office that the White House has scrapped a new round of tariffs on imports of Chinese goods, which were set to go into effect Oct. 15."

** Jake Tapper of CNN: "Kevin McAleenan, the acting secretary of homeland security since April and the fourth person to serve in that post since the Trump presidency began, submitted his resignation to the White House on Friday, a source tells CNN." Mrs. McC: Trump tweeted Friday night that McAleenan quit "to spend more time with his family" & we shouldn't worry because "I will be announcing the new Acting Secretary next week. Many wonderful candidates!" Update: The Washington Post story is here.

Priscilla Alvarez of CNN: "A federal judge in Texas ruled Friday that ... Donald Trump's national emergency declaration to build a border wall is unlawful and appears poised to block the use of those funds. Judge David Briones of the US District Court for the Western District of Texas, asked challengers of the wall to propose the scope of a preliminary injunction. The lawsuit, brought by El Paso County, Texas, and Border Network for Human Rights, seeks an injunction to block Trump's national emergency declaration. It argues that Trump overstepped his authority when he issued the declaration to gain access to additional funds for his border wall, despite receiving $1.375 billion from Congress. The complaint also alleges that the declaration doesn't meet the National Emergencies Act's definition of 'emergency' and pushes back against Trump's remarks that border barriers led to a drop in crime in El Paso. At issue, in Friday's ruling, is the military construction funds that have been diverted to build a border wall. The judge found that the plaintiffs have standing to bring the case because ... they've suffered harm as a result."

Three Strikes. Miriam Jordan of the New York Times: "Three federal judges issued injunctions on Friday blocking a new federal policy that could change the face of immigration to the United States by denying legal residency to people who are likely to depend on public welfare. In a day of legal setbacks for the Trump administration's attempts to limit immigration, federal judges in New York, California and Washington State issued injunctions temporarily blocking the 'public charge' rule, which would impose serious impediments to legal residency for those who use benefits such as Medicaid and food stamps. Two of the judges issued nationwide injunctions on implementation of the policy, while the judge in California limited her ruling to the nine western states within the Ninth Circuit."

Katie Lobosco of CNN: "Education Secretary Betsy DeVos violated a court order to stop collecting on the debts of some former Corinthian College students and now a judge is weighing sanctions or finding her in contempt of court. 'I feel like there have to be some consequences for the violation of my order 16,000 times,' said US Magistrate Judge Sallie Kim at a hearing held Monday in San Francisco, according to an audio recording released by the court. The Department of Education has said that more than 16,000 borrowers were incorrectly informed that they owed a payment on their debt, according to a September court filing. About 1,800 had their wages garnished and more than 800 were mistakenly subject to adverse credit reporting.... 'I'm not sending anyone to jail yet, but it's good to know I have that ability.'" --s (Also linked yesterday.)

William "Wild Bill" Pendley.** Sarak Okeson of DCReport: "William Perry Pendley, the attorney now running the Bureau of Land Management, oversees federal coal leases despite pushing for a fire sale of coal leases more than three decades ago that led to a federal probe in which he was referred for possible criminal prosecution.... Interior Secretary David Bernhardt ... plans to move BLM headquarters to Grand Junction, Colo., where the agency will share an office building with oil and gas companies that it will regulate. The move and Pendley's appointment are widely viewed as an effort to force out employees much like the forced relocation to Kansas City, Mo., for researchers at the Department of Agriculture. The bureau has not had a Senate-confirmed director since Trump took office. Bernhardt sidestepped the Senate confirmation needed for the appointee who runs the BLM and appointed Pendley as acting director.... Just before Trump took office, then-Interior Secretary Sally Jewell released a review of the coal leasing program with recommendations on how to make it more competitive, but her successor, Ryan Zinke, squashed that." --s (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~

     ~~~ Mrs. McCrabbie: Do see Akhilleus' discourse on Pendley in yesterday's Comments.

Michael Grynbaum of the New York Times: "Shepard Smith, the chief news anchor of Fox News whose reporting often drew the ire of President Trump, said on Friday that he was leaving the cable news network after 23 years, an abrupt move that left some of his co-workers openly stunned. 'Recently, I asked the company to allow me to leave Fox News,' Mr. Smith told viewers at the close of his regular broadcast. 'After requesting that I stay, they obliged.'... He is leaving in the middle of his current contract, a rarity in the cutthroat television business, and he told viewers on Friday that, under his exit agreement, 'I won't be reporting elsewhere at least in the near future.'" The Hill's story is here. Brian Stelter of CNN has more.

Marianne Garvey of CNN: "Jane Fonda was taken into police custody Friday in Washington, DC, while participating in a climate crisis demonstration. The incident comes as the actress and activist launched her Fire Drill Fridays campaign, a civil disobedience effort to raise awareness of environmental challenges. 'The United States Capitol Police arrested 16 individuals for unlawfully demonstrating on the East Front of the U.S. Capitol,' Eva Malecki, spokeswoman for the Capitol police told CNN. All were charged with 'crowding, obstructing or incommoding,' she said."

Matthew Taylor & Jonathan Watts of the Guardian: "The Guardian today reveals the 20 fossil fuel companies whose relentless exploitation of the world's oil, gas and coal reserves can be directly linked to more than one-third of all greenhouse gas emissions in the modern era.... The top 20 companies on the list have contributed to 35% of all energy-related carbon dioxide and methane worldwide, totalling 480bn tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent (GtCO2e) since 1965." --s (Also linked yesterday.)

Beyond the Beltway

Arizona. AP: "Paul Petersen, the Republican assessor of Arizona's most populous county, was charged in Utah, Arizona and Arkansas with counts including human smuggling, sale of a child, fraud, forgery and conspiracy to commit money laundering.... Petersen served a two-year mission in the Marshall Islands for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.... He was later recruited by an international adoption agency while in law school.... Prosecutors say Petersen used associates [in the Marshall Islands] to recruit pregnant women by offering many of them $10,000 each to give up their babies for adoption.... Women got little to no prenatal care in Utah, and in one house slept on mattresses laid on bare floors in what one shocked adoptive family described as a 'baby mill.'... Petersen charged families $25,000-$40,000 per adoption and brought about $2.7 million into a bank account for adoption fees in less than two years, according to court documents. Petersen's Mesa, Arizona, home is worth more than $600,000 and located in an affluent, gated community."--s (Also linked yesterday.)

California. Susie Cagle of the Guardian: "When the United States' largest investor-owned utility, Pacific Gas and Electric, shut down power to millions of Californians this week, nearly no one was ready.... The widescale public safety power shutdown revealed the depth of California's infrastructure problems amid a growing climate crisis, as 'de-energizing' policy trades one possible disaster for another.... PG&E may be a public utility -- the biggest electric utility in the US ..., but it is not, and has never been, owned by the public. With their huge monopoly markets and guaranteed rates of return, California utilities are attractive businesses for investors. Earlier this year, utilities asked the state for an even bigger payday. Meanwhile, PG&E invested millions in state lobbying, paid out $4.5bn in profits to shareholders over the last five years, and millions in executive bonuses -- all while deferring necessary maintenance and repairs to its system.... PG&E equipment has been blamed for sparking 17 out of 23 major fires across the state in 2017, and the 2018 Camp fire that all but destroyed the town of Paradise and killed 85 people. Following those two devastating fire seasons, PG&E filed for bankruptcy protection to cover its liability costs, which are expected to total upwards of $30bn.... 'The only way out of this bind is not only public ownership of the company but a massive scale public investment in building the kind of safe, clean energy infrastructure that we need,' said [Keith Brower] Brown [, co-chair of the East Bay chapter of Democratic Socialists of America, which launched a campaign for the public takeover of PG&E in 2018]."

New York. The Judge Wears an Ankle Bracelet. Ed Shanahan of the New York Times: "When the former chief executive of the [New York City?] Municipal Credit Union [Kam Wong] pleaded guilty last year to stealing nearly $10 million from the 500,000-member financial institution, federal prosecutors said he had ... 'tried to cover up what he had done by making false statements to federal investigators and creating false and misleading documents.'... On Friday, federal prosecutors said that Mr. Wong had been helped in the cover-up by ... [Justice Sylvia G. Ash of State Supreme Court] a Brooklyn judge who led the credit union's board of directors. [Ash] was arrested after arriving at La Guardia Airport from Miami. She was charged in a criminal complaint.... Justice Ash, prosecutors said, had signed a false memo that tried to justify millions of dollars in improper payments that Mr. Wong received from the credit union; concealed and deleted text messages and emails, and wiped clean her iPhone issued by the credit union; and made false and misleading statements to federal investigators."

Wisconsin. Patrick Marley of The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: "A paralyzed Wisconsin lawmaker [Rep. Jimmy Anderson of Fitchburg] lashed out at his Republican colleagues Thursday, saying accommodations they gave him after a months-long fight were short of what he needed.... On a 61-35 party-line vote, the Assembly adjusted its rules to allow those with disabilities to phone into committee meetings. Democrats opposed the rule because it didn't include everything Anderson wanted, such as a ban on overnight sessions.... In a floor speech, Anderson described months of therapy he has had to go through after he got ulcers from spending too much time in his wheelchair during an overnight session in December. Republicans held the overnight session so they could pass lame-duck laws limiting the powers of Democratic Gov. Tony Evers.... Assembly Speaker Robin Vos of Rochester [R]...for months refused to change the rules and accused Anderson of 'political grandstanding.'" --s (Also linked yesterday.)