Belgian Malinois

Second City:  Trump headed to Chicago yesterday, his first visit to Obama’s hometown since he took office.  Speaking in front of the International Association of Chiefs of Police Conference, he slammed "crime ridden" Chicago, slammed its mayor and its Superintendent of Police who, though he hosted the conference, boycotted Trump’s speech.  And of course Trump bragged endlessly about the raid that eliminated ISIS head Al Baghdadi, saying others had wanted him dead but only, he, Trump, could get the deed done.  While Trump was bragging, no one in the military would confirm that Baghdadi had “whimpered” but just about everyone agreed that the raid had been put in jeopardy by Trump’s rash decision to withdraw from Syria and that the Kurd’s were the source of valuable intelligence. Trump doubled down on keeping the third in line for the presidency Speaker Pelosi and others in Democratic leadership in the dark about the mission, saying that they are all known leakers, though neither he nor Deputy Press Secretary Hogan Gidley offered up any example of Pelosi, who was on the House Intelligence Committee before ascending to her leadership position, leaking.  Trump, who is generally no fan of canines, did celebrate the hero dog, a Belgian Malinois, whose picture was declassified and released during the day, promising to invite him to the White House when the time was right, which for the dog’s sake, should be never.         

Impeachment Inquiry: All the raid and dog talk provided Trump with much needed distractions from the continuing barrage of news on the impeachment front.  Though, as expected, former deputy national security adviser Charles Kupperman defied a congressional subpoena Monday by failing to appear for his closed-door deposition, late yesterday it was revealed that  Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman, the National Security Council's top Ukraine expert, a Ukraine born US citizen and a decorated Iraq war veteran, does plan to testify today.  He will say that he conveyed concerns internally to officials after listening to Trump's July 25 phone call. Vindman, will be the first official from the White House testifying who actually  listened to the call between Trump and Ukraine President Zelensky, the one where they discussed the Bidens. In his introductory remarks, a draft of which was circulating last night, he says that he “did not think it was proper to demand that a foreign government investigate a US citizen,” and that he “was worried about the implications for the US government’s support of Ukraine."  Vindman’s testimony is expected to track the Whistleblower’s report, so much so that some on the right are claiming that  he is the Whistleblower.  He’s not, however Trump and his supporters are very concerned about his testimony, so much so that a few on Fox are now suggesting that Vindman must be a double agent. He’s not that either, as he says, he’s a patriot who believes it is his “sacred duty and honor to advance and defend our country irrespective of party or politics.”  Separately, NBC reports that Fiona Hill, then the national security council’s Russia expert, grew concerned as early as May that Rudy Giuliani and EU Ambassador Gordon Sondland, together with Rudy’s buddies Lev and Igor, were “rattling” Zelensky, a concern that she shared with John Bolton at that time. As to Sondland, he’s been laying low, missing some meetings related to his EU position, however, he did show up on Capitol Hill yesterday to review a transcript of his testimony, possibly to “correct” some of his misstatements because a lot of what he said has been contradicted by others and will be further proven wrong during today’s VIndman testimony.

Also on the impeachment front, Speaker Pelosi plans to have the House vote on a resolution on Thursday that will formalize procedures for the next phase of the impeachment inquiry. Pelosi says that the vote will “eliminate any doubt as to whether the Trump administration may withhold documents, prevent witness testimony, disregard duly authorized subpoenas, or continue obstructing the House of Representatives."  It will also pave the way for the release of testimony transcripts and for public hearings.  No doubt Trump and his supporters who’ve been arguing that the current impeachment inquiry is unconstitutional because it hasn't been voted on by the full House won’t be satisfied and will come with another excuse to obstruct.

Revolving Door:  Former Alabama Senator/Attorney General Sessions is exploring running for his old Alabama Senate seat which won’t make Trump who is hardly one of his fans all that happy.  In any case Sessions will first have to survive a crowded Republican primary, one that includes former candidate Judge Roy Moore, the pedophile who lost to vulnerable Democrat Doug Jones during the special election for the seat that he vacated to become Attorney General. Congressman Greg Walden, the sole remaining Republican in the Oregon delegation, announced that he will not be running for reelection in 2020.  He is now the nineteenth Republican making an exit.  Also exiting, but for far different reasons is Katie Hill.  The freshman Democrat is stepping down in response to accusations that she had an inappropriate relationship with a staffer.  Though she denies that she had a relationship with a congressional staffer, something that is an ethics violation, she does admit to having had one with one of her campaign staffers.  She asserts that she is the victim of a revenge porn campaign initiated by her soon to be abusive, ex-husband, and then exploited by right wing media.  While commending Hill for acknowledging her errors in judgment, Speaker Pelosi said that her continued service as a member is untenable. We must ensure a climate of integrity and dignity in the Congress, and in all workplaces.”  Nancy has no time for distractions right now, she’s busy doing other things!