The Kardashian Effect

Tariff Trouble:  Trump may have finally gone a bit too far for those Republicans in the Senate, the ones who have had little to say about the other things that he’s done like disrupting government, violating norms, and attacking the judiciary and intelligence agencies.  A number of them are so distressed by his tariff plans that they have introduced a new bill intended to take away Trump’s right to pass tariffs on products that he and the Department of Commerce, deem important to national security, the excuse that Trump is using to justify the imposition of tariffs on steel and aluminum.  The bill would require any intended tariffs to be approved by Congress and would also be retroactive for the past two years so that it could rescind the recently imposed and very controversial steel and aluminum tariffs.  The bill is sponsored by frequent Trump critics Jeff Flake of Arizona and Bob Corker of Tennessee, two Republican Senators who, because they are leaving at the end of the year, have little to fear from Trump and his twitter wrath. It also includes four other GOP senators and four Democrats. Corker wants to see his bill attached as an amendment to upcoming defense legislation and though he doesn’t yet have Majority Leader McConnel’s support, Senator Inhofe, who is shepherding the defense legislation in the absence of the ailing Senator McCain, is on board.  Trump is not at all happy about this, viewing it as a limitation on his powers and ability to negotiate.  As to that negotiation, during a recent discussion with Canada’s Prime Minister Trudeau, when Trudeau pressed Trump on how he could justify  imposing  tariffs on Canada as a "national security" issue, Trump, whose grasp of history is tenuous at best responded "Didn't you guys burn down the White House?" referring to the War of 1812.  For the record, the British were responsible for that, but then again Trump isn’t much for details.  The Senate will have plenty of time to address tariff legislation since the ever wily Majority Leader McConnell has canceled part of the usual August recess.  His stated reason for the cancellation is that there is just too much to do to go on vacation, but the real reason for the changed schedule is more politically motivated.  McConnell wants to force vulnerable red state Democrats, specifically the ones who are up for reelection in November to have to choose between campaigning and being in Washington for key votes.  As to those key votes, McConnell wants to get as many of Trump’s judicial nominees passed through the Senate as possible, a task that will be made harder, if not impossible, if the Democrats do well in November.  Senator Minority Leader Schumer has plans of his own.  He has put McConnell on notice that he wants to push health care legislation, focusing on fixing Obamacare and doing something to bring down drug prices.  His goal is to focus the electorate on health care, an issue that now benefits Democratic candidates.  As to history, Trump isn’t the only one with a distorted view of the past.  Yesterday when asked about some controversial remarks made by Richard Grenell, the recently confirmed US Ambassador to Germany who upset many when he said that he wants to “empower“ conservatives, meaning right wing ultranationalists, throughout Europe,  State Department Heather Nauert, the former Fox commentator, responded  "We have a very strong relationship with the government of Germany, Looking back in the history books…. tomorrow is the anniversary of the D-Day invasion. We obviously have a very long history with the government of Germany, and we have a strong relationship with the government of Germany." Apparently Nauert is unaware that the US and Germany were not exactly working together on D-Day.

Personnel: Despite his various transgressions, Scott Pruitt remains the head of the EPA.  However, two of his most trusted staff members, Sarah Greenwalt and Milan Hupp, announced that they are jumping ship at the end of the week.  Apparently they are tired of being dragged before Congress to testify about Pruitt’s corrupt actions and are equally annoyed that he’s turned them into his scapegoats.  Nevertheless Pruitt still has Trump’s support, at least for the moment.  At yesterday’s cabinet meeting Trump reiterated that support by turning to Pruitt and saying that the  "EPA is doing really, really well. And you know, somebody has to say that about you a little bit. EPA is doing so well...I think people are very happy with the job that's being done at the EPA."  Education Secretary Betsy DeVos is also meeting Trump’s expectations.  DeVos, who has been tasked with heading the Commission on School Safety, the one set up to respond to all of those school massacres committed by students wielding guns, has announced that the Commission will not focus on guns.  The Commission held its first “listening” session yesterday, DeVos was too busy to attend. Had she been there she wouldn’t have been all that happy with the comments expressed by Alessia Modjarrad, a graduating high school senior from Montgomery County, Maryland who said the few solutions being offered by the administration were "misguided and insufficient."  Modjarrad went on to ask the Commission to “please consider the possibilities that guns are the most important aspect of their purview.”

Pardons:  The Washington Post reports that Trump has become fixated on pardons, the one thing he really can do all on his own and something that he believes could solve all of his problems.  Even his staff is concerned about his lack of process and his “mercurial” application of his pardoning power.  To that end yesterday Trump pardoned Alice Johnson, the grandmother who was two decades into a life sentence for a cocaine related crime.  Few question that Johnson had been treated harshly, it’s the way that her pardon came about that raises eyebrows.  After viewing a viral video about Johnson’s situation, reality star Kim Kardashian, wife of Trump admirer Kanye West, had contacted Jared Kushner, who has made prison and sentencing reform one of his priorities.  Kushner arranged for Kardashian to meet with Trump. One week later, Trump who was probably more flattered by Kardashian’s attention than all that concerned about Johnson’s plight, pardoned Johnson.  White House sources report that Trump has a long list of names on his pardon list and though a few more of those names might be for people like Johnson, most of those pardons are probably for current or future members of his staff or family who may be victims of the “deep state” investigation, the one that he calls a “witch hunt” into Russian election meddling, collusion and obstruction.  As to that investigation, first daughter Ivanka Trump’s involvement in the on again, off again Moscow Trump Tower project has resurfaced.  Yesterday Buzzfeed reported that she communicated with a Russian Olympic wrestler named Dmitry Klokov during the presidential campaign.  Klokov offered to introduce her father to Putin to help out with the building of the Moscow Trump Tower.  Emails show that Ivanka forward that message to Trump’s lawyer/fixer Michael Cohen, telling him that he should speak with the Klokov.  Cohen then had at least one follow-up conversation with him and then when Klokov grew frustrated with Cohen he reached out again to Ivanka for her help.  Perhaps this is one of the reasons that Trump’s other lawyer Rudy Giuliani told various news outlets last month that any investigation of Ivanka would be a step too far for Mueller.  Giuliani is still slamming Mueller, yesterday he told reporters in Tel Aviv  that Mueller’s team is trying to “frame” Trump repeating Trump’s mantra that the investigation team includes “13 highly partisan Democrats… (who) are trying very very hard to frame him to get him in trouble when he hasn’t done anything wrong.”  As to that investigation, House Speaker Paul Ryan, another one of those Republicans about to leave Congress, finally had something to say about Trump’s “Spygate” assertion.  Ryan voiced his support for Trey Gowdy’s conclusion that the FBI had done nothing wrong by using an informant to check out the Trump aides who were sidling up to Russians.  Gowdy is also one of the Republicans leaving Congress next year.  Both he and Ryan were immediately criticized for their rational view by  several of Trump’s Congressional fanboys including Florida Congressman Matt Gaetz who called for a change in House leadership in response to Ryan’s comments.  While Giuliani was pontificating in Israel, Stormy Daniels lawyer Michael Avenatti, who doesn’t like being out of the spotlight for more than a day or so, filed a new case on her behalf.  Stormy is now suing her former lawyer, Keith Davidson, for breaching his professional duties by working with Michael Cohen and his client Trump to quash the story of her “alleged” affair with Trump.  As evidence, Avenatti provided email communication between Davidson and Cohen.   The never ending story goes on and on.