The Commentariat -- January 25, 2018
Afternoon Update:
Lindsey Bever, et al., of the Washington Post: "The Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists advanced the symbolic Doomsday Clock a notch closer to the end of humanity Thursday, moving it ahead by 30 seconds after what the organization called a 'grim assessment' of the state of geopolitical affairs. 'As of today,' Bulletin president Rachel Bronson told reporters, 'it is two minutes to midnight' -- as close as the world has ever been to the hour of apocalypse. In moving the clock forward, the group cited 'the failure of President Trump and other world leaders to deal with looming threats of nuclear war and climate change.'... The organization -- which has 15 Nobel Laureates on its board -- now believes 'the world is not only more dangerous now than it was a year ago; it is as threatening as it has been since World War II'...."
Spencer Hsu of the Washington Post: "Jeffrey Wertkin had a plot to bring in business and impress his new partners after joining one of Washington's most influential law firms. As a former high-stakes corporate-fraud prosecutor with the Department of Justice, he had secretly stockpiled sealed lawsuits brought by whistleblowers. Now, he would sell copies of the suits to the very targets of the pending government investigations -- and his services to defend them. Wertkin carried out his plan for months, right up until the day an FBI agent arrested him in a California hotel lobby. The 41-year-old partner at Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld in the District was caught wearing a wig and fake mustache trying to peddle a sealed federal lawsuit for $310,000 to a Silicon Valley technology company."
Elana Schor of Politico: "The Senate Judiciary Committee will soon release the transcript of its interview with Donald Trump Jr. as well as other witness testimony related to a controversial 2016 meeting at Trump Tower with a Kremlin-linked lawyer, Chairman Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) said Thursday. Grassley's comments Thursday come the day after two Democrats on the committee publicly pressed for the release of the panel's closed-door interview transcripts to special counsel Robert Mueller. Even as partisan disputes roil the House's Russia investigation, Grassley's alignment with Democrats on releasing the transcripts signals that the Senate -- for now, at least -- remains in a more collaborative mode." ...
... Uh, Maybe Not. ...
Grassley Makes Disingenuous Excuse to Shut Down Judiciary Committee Interviews. Rebecca Savransky of the Hill: "Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) said he believes the panel's chances of getting a voluntary interview with White House adviser Jared Kushner 'have been shot.' 'I had hoped to speak with all the witnesses surrounding the Trump Tower meeting before releasing any of those transcripts,' Grassley said Thursday, according to NBC News. 'But the ranking member [Dianne Feinstein] unilaterally released the transcript of Fusion GPS founder Glenn Simpson. That has spooked other potential witnesses." ...
... Mrs. McCrabbie: Uh, Chuck, Feinstein released testimony that the interviewee Simpson begged to be released. You help up that release because it was damaging to your Republican fantasy narrative & after you & Lindsey Graham made a criminal referral -- without consulting Democrats -- to the FBI, fingering Christopher Steele, who compiled the dossier for Simpson's firm.
Johnson Backtracks on Conspiracy Theory He Advanced. Max Greenwood of the Hill: "Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.) on Thursday acknowledged that 'it's a real possibility' that a reference to a 'secret society' in a text message exchange between two FBI officials was made in jest. The Wisconsin Republican told CNN and ABC News that it was possible that there is no 'secret society' and that the FBI official who made the comment in a text message may have been joking." Mrs. McC: Who's the joke? ...
... Mike Memoli of NBC News: "Johnson backtracked somewhat on Wednesday, saying he had merely 'heard' about the existence of a secret society and did not have direct evidence of such a rump organization within the FBI." Mrs. McC: Say what? Tuesday Johnson said an "informant" had testified before the Homeland Security Committee, which he chairs, about the FBI's "secret society" or "secret cult." You're not a flat-out liar, are you, Ron?
Tim O'Brien of Bloomberg, whom Donald Trump sued in 2006, describes how Trump did when O'Brien's attorneys deposed him. Among other things, "Trump ultimately had to admit 30 times that he had lied over the years about all sorts of stuff...; Trump didn't appear to be well prepared when we deposed him...; Trump also has a well-known inability to stick to the facts and a tendency to dissemble and improvise." Mrs. McC: Trump lost the suit.
*****
Josh Dawsey & David Nakamura of the Washington Post: "President Trump said Wednesday he is 'looking forward' to testifying before special counsel Robert S. Mueller III and that he would speak under oath. 'I would love to do it, and I would like to do it as soon as possible,' Trump said at the White House. 'I would do it under oath, absolutely.' The president suggested he was being investigated for obstruction of justice as part of the Russia investigation because he was 'fighting back' and reiterated there was 'no collusion' between his campaign and Moscow.... Trump also said he didn't recall asking acting FBI director Andrew McCabe whom he voted for in an Oval Office discussion earlier this year, as The Washington Post reported Wednesday night.'" ...
... Mrs. McCrabbie: At MSNBC, they're going nuts about this big "breaking news" story. I don't think it means much. Trump repeatedly used the conditional form of the verb "would," and he added he would testify "subject to my lawyers & all of that." This is not, IMO, a commitment at all. Rather, these remarks constitute a PR stunt, not the last position Trump will take on sitting for an interview. The show must go on. ...
... Update. Sure Enough. Maggie Haberman & Julie Davis of the New York Times: "Ty Cobb, the White House lawyer leading the response to the investigation, said Mr. Trump was speaking hurriedly and intended only to say that he was willing to meet. 'He's ready to meet with them, but he'll be guided by the advice of his personal counsel,' Mr. Cobb said. He said the arrangements were being worked out between Mr. Mueller's team and the president's personal lawyers." Mrs. McC: In case you still think this wasn't the PR stunt I suggested, here's how Trump wrapped up his remarks: "I was one of the greatest candidates."
... Here's a portion of the audio, via the Washington Post:
... Pamela Brown & Gloria Borger of CNN: "Special counsel Robert Mueller has provided lawyers for ... Donald Trump with a range of topics he wants to ask about as part of ongoing negotiations regarding an interview with the President, sources familiar with the matter tell CNN.... A source familiar with the matter says the special counsel has obliged by offering a list of topics, including learning more about the President allegedly asking former FBI Director James Comey to drop the investigation into former national security adviser Michael Flynn. Mueller also wants to know about Trump's reaction to Comey's May 2017 testimony on Capitol Hill, which reportedly angered the President. Additionally, investigators want to learn more about the President's outreach to intelligence leaders about the Russia investigation." ...
... Mrs. McCrabbie: As numerous pundits have pointed out, the bad news for Trump is that the Mueller team already knows the answers to the questions they will ask him. I'd guess Trump will make up "alternative" answers that won't fly. ...
... DOJ Smacks Nunes. Betsy Woodruff & Spencer Ackerman of the Daily Beast: "The Justice Department expressed deep concerns Wednesday about Republican efforts to release a controversial memo on alleged FBI surveillance of the Trump campaign that has been authored and peddled by Rep. Devin Nunes (R-CA). In a letter sent to Nunes on Jan. 24, Stephen Boyd, the Justice Department's top Congressional liaison, wrote that 'it would be extraordinarily reckless for the Committee to disclose such information publicly without giving the Department and the FBI the opportunity to review the memorandum and to advise the HPSCI [the House intelligence committee] of the risk of harm to national security and to ongoing investigations that could come from public release.'" ...
... Charlie Savage, et al., of the New York Times elaborate on the story that led to Boyd's memo: "Republicans and conservative commentators have increasingly argued that the [Trump-Russia] investigation derives from a conspiracy by biased law enforcement officials seeking to sabotage President Trump. Democrats, in turn, have accused Republicans of constructing a false narrative in an attempt to undermine the inquiry on behalf of Mr. Trump.... Democrats announced that they had drafted their own classified memo based on the same underlying materials to rebut [House Intelligence Committee chair Devin] Nunes [R-Calif. Nutz]. Representative Adam B. Schiff of California, the top Democrat on the Intelligence Committee, called the Republicans' document extraordinarily misleading." ...
... Betsy Woodruff & Spencer Ackerman: "A controversial Republican memo alleging surveillance abuse specifically names FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe and Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein along with former FBI Director James Comey. Capitol Hill sources on both sides of the aisle say the memo's release is only a matter of time. And when it comes out, these current and former officials -- all GOP bêtes noires -- are likely to face even more criticism from the right over their involvement in FBI counterintelligence work.... To make the memo public, House Republicans are considering the use of an arcane, little-known process from the House of Representatives' rules of procedure (PDF). Rule X, subsection 11(g), lays out a process for releasing classified material even over objections by the president of the United States." AND here's a rub: "The president, however, can simply decide on his own to declassify anything. And in Trump's case, his spokesperson is on the record supporting declassification. 'We certainly support full transparency. We believe that's at the House intel committee to make that decision at this point,' Sarah Huckabee Sanders ... said Tuesday." Emphasis added. ...
... Donie O'Sullivan of CNN: "The viral hashtag campaign #ReleaseTheMemo appears to have been driven at least in part by a swarm of Twitter accounts set up in the past week, a CNN analysis has found. More than 1,000 accounts that were set up between Thursday -- when the hashtag first appeared -- and Sunday night have tweeted the hashtag. 460 of those were what are known as 'egg accounts,' accounts that don't even have a profile picture. About 200 of the accounts had sent only four or fewer tweets by Sunday night, with at least one of those featuring the #ReleaseTheMemo hashtag." O'Sullivan summarizes what this means & where the debate on the origins of #ReleaseTheMemo accounts stands. ...
... Matt Zapotosky of the Washington Post: "The FBI failed to save text messages sent from thousands of cellphones -- apparently because of the same technical glitch that affected the retention of messages from two senior bureau officials who investigated both Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump, a Justice Department official said. The missing messages from senior FBI lawyer Lisa Page and senior counterintelligence agent Peter Strzok have sparked a political firestorm in recent days, as GOP lawmakers and the president have questioned how it could be that the bureau did not keep their potentially unflattering and revealing exchanges. That the glitch that affected their messages also impacted other FBI phones might cast doubt on the theory that the two officials' texts were specifically and intentionally withheld." ...
... Mrs. McCrabbie: Oh, Matt. Not fair to trim the sails of the vast Alex Jones wing of the GOP. 'Fraid we're going to have to install you in the "fake news" club. ...
... Speaking of Which ... Mark Sumner of Daily Kos: "On Tuesday, Wisconsin Sen. Ron Johnson -- the chair of the Senate Homeland Security Committee -- went full black helicopter when he announced that there was a secret cult within the FBI which had been conspiring against Donald Trump." Johnson claimed an "informant" told the committee of the secret FBI anti-Trump cult. ...
... Zack Beauchamp of Vox explains "the growing conservative conspiracy theory about missing FBI texts.... The 'texts,' in this narrative, are the new version of Hillary Clinton's private server emails -- a kind of totem that conservatives can point to in order to prove that their enemies really are nefarious and that proof of their wildest theories is there if only someone could find it. This is typical in conspiracy theories; strange coincidences are strung together in a narrative that looks scary if you squint at it right. The absence of proof is taken as its own kind of proof. What's atypical about this conspiracy is that it's being embraced by much of the conservative movement -- up to and including the president of the United States." ...
... Kevin Drum: "The hell of it is that there was a sort of secret society in the FBI. It was a bunch of agents in the New York office who were obsessed with destroying Hillary Clinton during the 2016 campaign. And they had enough clout that they were able to effectively blackmail FBI director James Comey into releasing the infamous letter that, in the end, did destroy Hillary Clinton.... [Today] The FBI's leadership knows they can stop the heat they're getting anytime they want. All they have to do is agree to support Trump and smear Democrats whenever they're asked to." ...
... Philip Bump of the Washington Post reviews a host of Confederate conspiracy theories on how all kinds of bad guys are going after Donald Trump: "In recent weeks, we've seen a bumper crop of allegations woven into the Trump defenders' tapestry. They've captured the attention of both conservative media and Republican members of Congress. In light of that, we've assembled an overview of the emergent allegations, including, where appropriate, the reasons that they might be considered with a grain of salt." ...
... Mrs. McCrabbie: The best part of the conspiracy claims is, as Bump puts it, "the absence of evidence was itself evidence of malfeasance." That is, a lack of evidence is proof of a well-kept secret plot. Paranoia writ large. ...
... ** David Graham of the Atlantic: "While there is no evidence to suggest inappropriate surveillance [by the FBI or other intelligence agencies] of the Trump campaign..., past abuses suggest that it's hardly inconceivable. The trouble is that no one who has leveled the charge in this case has produced evidence to back it.... Still, the requirement to rely on the say-so of an intelligence community that has abused its powers, obfuscated, and retaliated against political opponents must give pause. There's no comfortable position to be found."
Peter Baker of the New York Times: "... when President Trump arrives in ... [Davos, Switzerland,] where financial titans mingle with heads of state in an annual saturnalia of capitalism, it may feel like a moment of vindication. Never invited when he was merely a businessman, Mr. Trump will arrive on Thursday as leader of the world's last superpower, commanding attention if not admiration.... Not only will he finally crash the party that would not have him, but he will also bring his protectionist, 'America First' message to the ground zero of globalization, addressing the very people he has cast as the villains of his political narrative." ...
... America in the Middle. Ana Swanson & Jim Tankersley of the New York Times write a Eulogy for the former "greatest nation on earth": "The world marked a turning point in global trade on Tuesday, when 11 countries agreed to join the Trans-Pacific Partnership, announcing they had finalized the pact and expected to sign a deal on March 8 in Chile. It was a remarkable moment for a beleaguered agreement that was conceived and constructed by the United States, then abandoned by Washington when Mr. Trump took office last year. As the world's largest economy and architect of many international organizations and treaties, the United States remains an indispensable partner. But as the global economy gains strength, Europe and countries including Japan and China are forging ahead with deals that do not include the United States. Thirty-five new bilateral and regional trade pacts are under consideration around the world, according to the World Trade Organization. The United States is party to just one of them, with the European Union, and that negotiation has gone dormant." ...
... Making Europe Great Again. Peter Goodman of the New York Times: "Collectively, [at Davos, French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Angela Merkel and Italian Prime Minister Paolo Gentiloni] signaled that Europe -- only a year ago dismissed as a crippled economic realm fraught with political recrimination -- has regained force. Europe's leaders left no doubt that they aim to channel their newfound economic strength toward advancing the project of European integration first launched in the middle of the last century, seen as an antidote to the brutalities of two world wars. President Trump was not in the room (he is not due to speak here until Friday). But the shadow of his America First policies hung heavily. The three speeches [by the European leaders] resonated as a broad rebuttal of the doctrine that Mr. Trump has made his own." ...
... Erica Werner, et al., of the Washington Post: "Prominent Republicans warned President Trump on Wednesday against taking further trade actions that could harm American workers, even as top administration officials meeting in Davos, Switzerland, rose to the defense of the president's 'America First' rhetoric on the eve of his arrival. The blowback came as Trump moved this week to impose tariffs on imported solar panels and washing machines, incurring fierce criticism in the United States, where experts said such a move would cost jobs, and abroad, where at least one major maker of washing machines notified U.S. retailers that it would raise prices. In Washington, at least half a dozen Republican senators condemned Trump's decision -- his first tariff action — exposing GOP divisions over international trade that threaten the uneasy alliance between the president and lawmakers of his own party." ...
... Life's Good -- Till Your Clothes Get Dirty. Aaron Gregg of the Washington Post: "President Trump's decision on Tuesday to impose steep new tariffs on washing machines and solar gear is already rippling through the U.S. retail market, with at least one importer saying it will hike prices in response. South Korean electronics giant LG [Life's Good] has told U.S. retailers it plans to increase the price of washing machines in response to new import duties that will range from 20 percent to 50 percent, according to a company document reviewed by The Washington Post."
Trump Shows His Support for Dreamers. Louis Nelson of Politico: "... Donald Trump reiterated late Tuesday night that funding for his promised wall along the U.S.-Mexico border remains a requirement for any deal to shield undocumented immigrants brought here as children from deportation, a declaration that came hours after Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said he would take wall funding off the table in upcoming negotiations. 'Cryin' Chuck Schumer fully understands, especially after his humiliating defeat, that if there is no Wall, there is no DACA,' Trump wrote on Twitter. 'We must have safety and security, together with a strong Military, for our great people!'" (Also linked yesterday afternoon.) ...
... Mrs. McCrabbie: So the Rule remains. Innocent young people must pay for Trump's fake campaign promise. The lowest of the low. ...
... Update. Trump Takes Yet Another Position on Dreamers. David Nakamura of the Washington Post: "President Trump said for the first time Wednesday that he is open to a path to citizenship for some younger undocumented immigrants known as 'dreamers' in an immigration deal being negotiated by Congress, a potential breakthrough in the stalled talks. In an impromptu discussion with reporters, Trump emphasized that his support of a citizenship path for about 690,000 immigrants would be contingent on security $25 billion for a wall on the southwest border with Mexico and another $5 billion for additional border security upgrades." Mrs. McC: Pay this no mind, altho I suppose it's worth noting that the cost of the Wall he wants the Dreamers to build for him has risen to $25BB (although he assures us he can build it for less). ...
... Maggie Haberman, et al., of the New York Times: "Mr. Trump once again seemed to undercut his administration's message, telling reporters at the White House that he would allow the young immigrants, known as Dreamers, to 'morph into' citizens over a period of time.... 'Over a period of 10 to 12 years,' Mr. Trump said, 'somebody does a great job, they work hard -- that gives incentive to do a great job. Whatever they're doing, if they do a great job, I think it's a nice thing to have the incentive of, after a period of years, being able to become a citizen.'... His remarks sent the White House staff scrambling in what one official called a 'fire drill.' After delaying the briefing for nearly an hour, Mr. Trump's aides decided to postpone it until Thursday as they tried to reconcile their plans with the president's words." ...
... Richard Wolf of USA Today: "The Supreme Court is racing Congress to decide the future of the Dreamers. The justices agreed Tuesday to decide quickly whether to hear the Trump administration's appeal of a federal district court's order to restart the DACA program without waiting for an appeals court ruling. By setting up a fast track for both sides to submit court papers, the high court likely will consider the Justice Department's request at its Feb. 16 conference. If it decides to take the case, it could hear arguments in the spring."
Sarah Lynch of Reuters: "... Donald Trump's administration on Wednesday escalated it battle with so-called sanctuary cities that protect illegal immigrants from deportation, demanding documents on whether local law enforcement agencies are illegally withholding information from U.S. immigration authorities. The Justice Department said it was seeking records from 23 jurisdictions -- including America's three largest cities, New York, Los Angeles and Chicago, as well as three states, California, Illinois and Oregon -- and will issue subpoenas if they do not comply fully and promptly." ...
... Mrs. McCrabbie: Excellent timing, gentlemen. Because ...
... John Verhovek of ABC News: "Mayors of the three largest U.S. cities skipped a previously scheduled meeting at the White House Wednesday after the Department of Justice sent a letter threatening to subpoena jurisdictions across the country for failing to share information with federal authorities related to undocumented immigrants. The mayors of New York City, Los Angeles and Chicago, all cities on the DOJ's list of jurisdictions, not only snubbed the meeting but blasted ... Donald Trump as well.... At the White House meeting..., Trump ... [said,] 'The mayors who choose to boycott this event have put the needs of criminal illegal immigrants over law-abiding Americans,' Trump said. 'But let me tell you, the vast majority of people showed up ... because the vast majority believe in safety for your city.' New Orleans Mayor Mitch Landrieu, the president of the U.S. Conference of Mayors, also skipped the meeting, saying that while the entire conference of mayors is usually invited every year, that was not the case this year, and he could not attend the meeting 'in good conscience' after the DOJ letter was sent."
The NSA's Homage to Trump. Jean Manach of the Intercept: "The National Security Agency maintains a page on its website that outlines its mission statement. But earlier this month, the agency made a discreet change: It removed 'honesty' as its top priority. Since at least May 2016, the surveillance agency had featured honesty as the first of four 'core values' listed on NSA.gov, alongside 'respect for the law,' 'integrity,' and 'transparency.' The agency vowed on the site to 'be truthful with each other.' On January 12, however, the NSA removed the mission statement page – which can still be viewed through the Internet Archive -- and replaced it with a new version. Now, the parts about honesty and the pledge to be truthful have been deleted.... In its old core values, the NSA explained that it would strive to be deserving of the 'great trust' placed in it by national leaders and American citizens. It said that it would 'honor the public's need for openness.' But those phrases are now gone; all references to 'trust,' 'honor,' and 'openness' have disappeared." An NSA spokesperson said, "It's nothing more than a Website update." Uh-huh.
Amy Goldstein of the Washington Post: "The Senate voted Wednesday to confirm Alex Azar, a former drug industry executive with pristine conservative credentials, as the next secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services. The 55 to 43 vote for Azar ushers in his return to the government's largest domestic agency, where he held senior roles during the tenure of the last Republican president. He will become the Trump administration's second HHS leader in 11 months; his predecessor, Tom Price, resigned in the fall amid an investigation of his use of expensive private planes for official business." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)
Another of the Best People Resigns. Robert O'Harrow of the Washington Post: "A 24-year-old former Trump campaign worker who rose rapidly to a senior post in the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy will step down by the end of the month because of controversy surrounding his appointment, the White House said late Wednesday. Taylor Weyeneth, who graduated from college in May 2016, was named a White House liaison to the drug office the following March and then promoted to deputy chief of staff in July, at age 23. His only professional experience after college and before becoming a political appointee was working on the Trump presidential campaign."
Alan Blinder & Daniel Victor of the New York Times: "Gunfire ringing out in American schools used to be rare, and shocking. Now it seems to happen all the time. The scene in Benton, Ky., on Tuesday was the worst so far in 2018: Two 15-year-old students were killed and 18 more people were injured. But it was one of at least 11 shootings on school property recorded since Jan. 1, and roughly the 50th of the academic year. Researchers and gun control advocates say that since 2013, they have logged school shootings at a rate of about one a week." ...
... Gail Collins: "'It is unbelievable that this would happen in a small, close-knit community like Marshall County,' said the governor [of Kentucky], Matt Bevin. Actually, that part is completely believable. Given that another school shooting this week was in Italy, Tex., population under 2,000. And that two months ago, 25 people were shot to death while attending church in Sutherland Springs, Tex., population 362. It's about guns, not population density.... Donald Trump -- who yelled about 'carnage' in big cities during his inauguration speech -- has said not a word about the Kentucky shooting except to tweet his 'thoughts and prayers.'... We are resigned to the fact that there is nothing, no matter how horrific, that will convince any politician in the thrall of the National Rifle Association to consider even the most modest gun-safety legislation."
Josh Gerstein of Politico: "A spokesman for Rick Gates, the former Trump campaign official indicted in the Russia investigation, was killed over the weekend in Afghanistan during the bombing and siege of a hotel that catered to foreigners. Glenn Selig, 49, was in Kabul on business related to his Florida public relations firm when he became one of at least 22 people killed during a 14-hour attack that began Saturday night and stretched into Sunday, a colleague said."
David Jesse of the Detroit Free Press: "Michigan State University President Lou Anna Simon will step down as leader of MSU, the school announced late Wednesday. 'As tragedies are politicized, blame is inevitable,' she said in statement. 'As president, it is only natural that I am the focus of this anger. I understand, and that is why I have limited my personal statements...."... She said in her resignation statement there was no cover-up at MSU." ...
... Tracy Connor of NBC News: "After a remarkable hearing that featured gut-wrenching statements from 156 of his accusers and an apology that the judge said rang hollow, former Olympic gymnastics doctor Larry Nassar was sentenced Wednesday to 40 to 175 years in prison for molesting young girls under the guise of treatment.... Nassar, 54, agreed to a minimum 40-year sentence when he pleaded guilty last year to seven counts of first-degree criminal sexual misconduct in Ingham County. He still faces sentencing in Eaton County for three more counts, and he's already been sentenced to 60 years in federal prison for possession of child pornography. The judge could have given Nassar a stiffer sentence than the one he agreed to, but that would have given him the option of withdrawing his plea and asking for a trial." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)
Ruby Cramer & Ema O'Connor of BuzzFeed: "Planned Parenthood's Cecile Richards is planning to step down from her role as president after more than a decade at the helm, according to two sources familiar with the matter. She has served as the president of the women's health and reproductive rights organization since 2006. Richards, 60, has informed at least some members of the organization's board of directors...."
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