Boxing Day Update

Rudolph, not Rudy:  The rhetoric quieted down just a little bit for the Christmas holiday though in between  Santa’s and the reindeer’s ride, calls to soldiers, a visit to a new church and an admission that he hadn’t bought anything yet for dear wife Melania, Trump did manage to stay on his message, calling the economy great and the impeachment unconstitutional, a hoax perpetrated by those do nothing Democrats.  Of course he also called out Speaker Pelosi for her failure to formally deliver the House’s articles of impeachment to the Senate.  As to Pelosi’s stall tactic, it’s purpose is to force Senate Leader Mitch McConnell to agree to the calling of a few of those witnesses who know a lot but, at least so far, have refused to talk under oath.  It’s unclear whether Pelosi really can do anything to influence McConnell’s decision but one of the consequences of her stalling is that more implicating facts keep on coming to light raising the threat that the Democrats could actually vote on another article, something they probably won’t really do though it sounds threatening.  As to more evidence, late Friday, at a time when few were paying attention, 146 pages of documents were released in response to a Freedom of Information Act request from the Center for Public Integrity.  Those documents included emails between OMB and Pentagon officials detailing their concerns that Trump’s decision to hold up Ukraine’s promised aid violated the Impoundment Control Act, a law writtten to prevent presidents from ignoring the will of Congress.  Essentially a president isn’t supposed to simply ignore Congress’s direction, no matter how inconvenient that instruction might be. If funds are withheld or shifted elsewhere, Congress is supposed to be notified.  Despite the law Trump’s decision to stop the Ukraine aid wasn’t announced, nor was any formal notification provided to Congress. Notably one of the emails included in the pre-Christmas dump was sent on July 25 shortly after Trump’s now infamous Zelensky call.  In that email Michael Duffey, a senior OMB political appointee, told the Pentagon’s comptroller about the aid halt, while asking him to keep the information on the down low because “Given the sensitive nature of the request, I appreciate your keeping that information closely held to those who need to know to execute the direction.”   

Michael Duffey is one of the witnesses that Democrats want called to testify during the Senate impeachment hearing.  Now we know why they want him.  Another one of those targeted witnesses, former national security advisor John Bolton, continues to resist testifying but has no problem talking to reporters so before the holiday, he sat down with Axios to bash Trump’s North Korea policy, saying that "the idea that we are somehow exerting maximum pressure on North Korea is just unfortunately not true." He’s probably right about that given that Kim Jong un continues to advance his nuclear program and has promised to send an as yet undelivered Christmas “present” our way, one that probably isn’t that nice vase that Trump says it could be, but rather an intercontinental missile of some sort. While interesting, and maybe even enlightening, Bolton’s public commentary on North Korea highlights the absurdity and hypocrisy of his failing to step up and talk about Trump’s Ukraine shenanigans and all around incompetence. And that email dump to the Center for Public Integrity provides more evidence of how Trump’s been obstructing Congress.  There’s something truly crazy about government watchdog organization being able to get their hands on documents, albeit redacted ones, that the House has been unable to obtain through ordinary channels. Though most Senate Republicans appear to be firmly behind Trump, Alaska’s Senator Lisa Murkowski appears to be annoyed with Mitch McConnell tying himself so closely to the White House and seems to want to see witnesses called to testify.  It’s not clear yet whether more are ready to join her.  Her sometime cohort Maine’s Susan Collins, who has formally announced that she is running for reelection, is all in on pearl clutching but is also getting lots of money from Republicans and lots of comforting support from Trump.

Rudy, Rudy, Lev:  Then there’s Rudy, Trump’s off kilter, increasingly demented lawyer, another guy who feels compelled to spill his guts whenever it suits him or whenever he has had too much to drink which appears to be quite often.  He gave a rambling, alcohol infused interview to New York Magazine reporter Olivia Nuzzi. It wasn’t just the drool dribbling down the side of his mouth, his bumping into walls or his unzipped fly that made the interview nuts, it was also the crazy things he had to say that were notable.  In addition to advancing his debunked Ukraine conspiracy stuff, he perpetrated the Elders of Zion anti-Semitic trope by attacking Hungarian born Holocaust survivor George Soros, saying that the financier/philanthropist had controlled former US Ambassador to Ukraine Maria Yovanovitch and continues to control the FBI while adding that he, Giuliani, is “more of a Jew than Soros is, saying “I probably know more about — he doesn’t go to church, he doesn’t go to religion — synagogue. He doesn’t belong to a synagogue, he doesn’t support Israel, he’s an enemy of Israel. He’s elected eight anarchist DA’s in the United States. He’s a horrible human being.”  Whoa.  The Anti- Defamation League’s president responded by saying that Giuliani’s “assertion that George Soros controls US Ambassadors, employs FBI agents and is ‘hardly a Jew’ is baffling and offensive. Let’s be crystal clear: Mr. Giuliani is not the arbiter of who is Jewish and who is not, or what is anti-Semitic and what is not. For decades, George Soros’ philanthropy has been used as fodder for outsized anti-Semitic conspiracy theories insisting there exists Jewish control and manipulation of countries and global events. Mr. Giuliani should apologize and retract his comments immediately, unless he seeks to dog whistle to hardcore anti-Semites and white supremacists who believe this garbage.” Rudy hasn’t and won’t apologize but was seen praying somberly in St Patrick’s Cathedral on Christmas eve.  Still he continues to insist that he’s more Jewish than half his friends. One of those friends, or at least one time friend, Lev Parnas is in the process of parting ways with one of his high priced lawyers, Edward MacMahon, not to be confused with Johnny Carson’s departed sidekick.  Apparently, despite or maybe because of the discovery of the infusion of that $1 million from a Russian oligarch, Parnas can no longer afford to keep MacMahon on his team. It’s possible that Parnas is closing in on a plea deal with Southern District of New York prosecutors and no longer has a need for two lawyers.

Religious Right:  Trump’s religious right flank appears to be splintering a bit which might account for his decision to ditch his more usual attendance at the “liberal” Episcopal church where he married Melania to go instead to a more conservative Evangelical Baptist one for Christmas services. That change is likely his response to the Christianity Today editorial calling for the end of his regime. Though one hundred or so Christian fundamentalists reiterated their support for all things Trump in response to the Christianity Today editorial and a number of people cancelled their subscriptions, a larger number have now signed on. While Trump doesn’t appear to be going anywhere other than a new church right now, the Christianity Today editorial has resulted in at least one casualty.  Napp Nazworth has resigned his position at the Christian Post magazine saying that he was leaving “rather abruptly,” after he “was forced to make the difficult choice” of leaving or publishing an editorial that positions the Post on Team Trump. He went on to say that he couldn’t “be an editor for a publication with that editorial voice.”  He then tweeted that “Christians sully the name of Christ in their alliance with Trump.”  Of course, the rather conservative Nazworth is now being called out as a liberal mouthpiece though he clearly is far from liberal or anyone’s mouthpiece.  That said he’s got company, Ramesh Ponneru a senior editor at the National Review hasn’t had to resign his position but is being criticized from the right for coming down on the side of impeachment.  He’s concluded that “The Constitution provides for impeachment and removal to protect us from officials, including presidents, who are unable or unwilling to distinguish between the common good that government is supposed to serve and their own narrow interests. Though he has done some good things in office, Trump is just such a president. Congress should act accordingly.”

Democrats:  The Democrats are still fighting over wine caves and contributions and now Mike Bloomberg, who is self-funding, appears to have hit a tripwire.  Apparently, some of those people calling you at home on Mayor Mike’s behalf have been doing so from their prison cells. It turns out that his campaign organization, contracted home dialing to an organization that employs prison labor.  Mayor Mike has apologized and ended his unintended relationship with the contractor but employing prison labor is not a good look especially given the heat Bloomberg continues to take over stop and frisk.  As to the impeachment schedule, five of the Democratic candidates, Senators Booker, Klobuchar, Warren, Sanders and Michael Bennet from Colorado who for the record is still running, are going to be very busy double tasking come the New Year as they will be on the impeachment jury in Washington DC when they’ll want to be out on the campaign trail.  

Blogs will be spotty for the next few days as we go into the new decade.  In the meantime, wishing you a happy and healthy New Year.