Inherent Contempt

Drip, Drip, Plop:  Trump spent yesterday in New York City at the United Nations annual meeting.  In addition to hobnobbing with a number of world leaders and making an unexpected very short flyby into a session on climate change, the theme of this year’s meetings, he answered questions and tweeted about Ukraine.  He continues to deny that he asked Ukraine’s President Zelensky to gin up an investigation into Joe and Hunter Biden in exchange for aid but did say that he could have if he wanted to. Though the White House is still sitting on both the transcript of Trump’s call with Zelensky and what is probably the far more damning whistleblower complaint that brought the whole Ukraine fiasco into the public eye, more details about the mess continue to emerge.  Last night both the Washington Post and the NY Times reported that one week before his questionable call with Zelensky took place Trump ordered acting Chief of Staff Mick Mulvaney who still serves as the Director of the Office of Management and Budget to arrange to have $400 million of military aid held back from Ukraine. He did that over the objections of then national security advisor John Bolton who expressed concern over the implications for Ukraine’s security. OMB then relayed Trump’s order to the State Department and the Pentagon who were told that Trump had “concerns” about corruption, as if corruption would ever concern him, and “wanted to analyze whether the money needed to be spent.”  OMB officials were told to tell concerned members of the House and the Senate, and there were many on both sides of the aisle, that the delays were “part of an ‘interagency process’ but to give them no additional information” about the hold up.   The hold-up continued until pressure from Congress resulted in the money finally being released on the night of September 11.  Though most Republicans in the House and Senate continue to support Trump because that’s what they do, Senator Mitt Romney has broken rank, yesterday referring to Trump’s statements, he told reporters that "Understanding exactly what he said would be very helpful I think to determine whether the allegations, which are quite serious, are allegations that will have consequence.” Though Romney’s statement was far, far, far from forceful, it hit home with Trump who responded by mocking Romney and his failed run for the presidency.  For his part, the ever loyal Moscow/Mitch McConnell  called Democratic concerns over Trump actions “regrettable” though he did confirm that the Senate Intelligence Committee is going to get a “briefing” on the whistleblower’s report and Lindsey Graham said that the public will be “blown away” by Trump’s “transparency” when they find out what Trump really said during his phone call with Zelensky whatever that means. For their part Democrats appear to have had enough.  Ukraine may not be fairing well in its battle against its land grabbing neighbor Russia but it seems to be accomplishing what the Russian scandal never managed to do: pushing moderate “at risk” House Democrats to move into the pro-impeachment camp and it’s looking more and more likely that Speaker Pelosi, who has been reluctant to act without their support is going along with them.  Late yesterday the Washington Post published an op-ed penned by seven of those vulnerable Congressional newbies, all veterans of the military and/or defense and intelligence services.  The seven say that if the allegations about Trump and Ukraine are true, they view his actions as an “impeachable offense.”  They go on to call on their colleagues in Congress “to consider the use of all congressional authorities available to us, including the power of ‘inherent contempt’ and impeachment hearings, to address these new allegations, find the truth and protect our national security.” They aren’t the only Democrats now convinced that impeachment is the right way to go, last night two other senior Democrats, Connecticut’s Rosa DeLauro, a close Pelosi ally, and Michigan’s Debbie Dingell jumped onto the pro-impeachment bandwagon with DeLauro calling the Ukraine situation a matter of “grave urgency” and a “turning point.”  Speaker Pelosi spent the night sounding out members of her caucus on impeachment and has scheduled a 4 pm all hands on deck meeting on the subject.  Stay tuned.         

Climate Denier Syndrome:  Turning back to the UN and climate change, Trump walked out before teen climate change activist Grete Thunberg delivered her impassioned and scathing speech to the UN’s General Assembly.  Thunberg, who has been nominated for the Nobel Peace prize that Trump wants so much, accused world leaders of failing her generation saying “This is all wrong.  I shouldn’t be up here.  I should be back in school on the other side of the ocean. Yet you all come to us young people for hope? How dare you!" adding “I want you to listen to the scientists, and I want you to unite behind the science. And then I want you to take real action.”  Though most reacted to Thunberg’s speech by acknowledging that her criticism is spot on and with admiration for her drive and passion, a number of right wing climate deniers attacked her with one Fox guest calling the activist who proudly refers to her Asperger’s syndrome diagnosis as her own superpower as a  “mentally ill Swedish child,” something that seemed to please Trump who mocked her by sarcastically tweeting “She seems like a very happy young girl looking forward to a bright and wonderful future. So nice to see!”  As to that whole Nobel Prize thing, Trump commented on that too.  He said that he deserves one “for a lot of things” but has not received one yet because they are not given out fairly. 

Across the Pond:  The British High Court ruled that Prime Minister Boris Johnson acted unlawfully when he suspended parliament for five weeks.  Parliament is now set to resume tomorrow.  Beyond the implications for the UK and it’s continuing Brexit problem, it is impressive that the British Courts can react so quickly to a crisis while the US courts muddle through ours at a snail’s pace.