Obstruction of Justice in Plain Sight

Trump's flurry of activity related to the Mueller probe since the midterm election has been mind numbing. Indeed, if you have blinked, you may have missed some of his brazen efforts to obstruct justice and impede that investigation!

Let's take just a moment to recount some of those efforts. He forced his Attorney General to resign because he recused himself from the investigation and appointed a man to replace him who has publicly disparaged it and speculated about ways to impede or shut it down altogether. He has repeatedly suggested that the FBI and Justice Department investigate his political opponents (including Mueller and his team). Trump finally gave his answers to Mueller's written questions about collusion (after refusing to answer anything about obstruction). Trump's attorneys have been collecting/sharing information from/with the attorneys for the targets of Mueller's investigation. He has openly and without apology disparaged plea deals and "flipping." Trump has openly and without apology suggested that pardons are a distinct possibility for all of those who refuse to testify against him and his team. see https://www.newsweek.com/donald-trump-floats-pardoning-paul-manafort-not-table-1235513

If there is any doubt remaining in your mind about Trump's efforts to disparage and discredit the Mueller investigation, take a look at HIS most recent tweets about it.
Trump Tweet thread from 11/27:
"The Phony Witch Hunt continues, but Mueller and his gang of Angry Dems are only looking at one side, not the other. Wait until it comes out how horribly & viciously they are treating people, ruining lives for them refusing to lie. Mueller is a conflicted prosecutor gone rogue....
....The Fake News Media builds Bob Mueller up as a Saint, when in actuality he is the exact opposite. He is doing TREMENDOUS damage to our Criminal Justice System, where he is only looking at one side and not the other. Heroes will come of this, and it won’t be Mueller and his...
....terrible Gang of Angry Democrats. Look at their past, and look where they come from. The now $30,000,000 Witch Hunt continues and they’ve got nothing but ruined lives. Where is the Server? Let these terrible people go back to the Clinton Foundation and “Justice” Department!"
"The Mueller Witch Hunt is a total disgrace. They are looking at supposedly stolen Crooked Hillary Clinton Emails (even though they don’t want to look at the DNC Server), but have no interest in the Emails that Hillary DELETED & acid washed AFTER getting a Congressional Subpoena"
"While the disgusting Fake News is doing everything within their power not to report it that way, at least 3 major players are intimating that the Angry Mueller Gang of Dems is viciously telling witnesses to lie about facts & they will get relief. This is our Joseph McCarthy Era!"
A picture of Obama, Clinton, Mueller, Podesta, Rosenstein, Hillary, Huma Abedin, Holder, Lynch, Clapper and Comey behind bars with the caption "NOW THAT RUSSIA COLLUSION IS A PROVEN LIE, WHEN DO THE TRIALS FOR TREASON BEGIN?"
Trump Tweet 11/28:
"So much happening with the now discredited Witch Hunt. This total Hoax will be studied for years!"
Trump Tweet thread from 11/29:
"Did you ever see an investigation more in search of a crime? At the same time Mueller and the Angry Democrats aren’t even looking at the atrocious, and perhaps subversive, crimes that were committed by Crooked Hillary Clinton and the Democrats. A total disgrace!
When will this illegal Joseph McCarthy style Witch Hunt, one that has shattered so many innocent lives, ever end-or will it just go on forever? After wasting more than $40,000,000 (is that possible?), it has proven only one thing-there was NO Collusion with Russia. So Ridiculous!" https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump

I've said it before - This man represents a clear and present danger to our republic! And, although I have never wished him any personal harm, I do not pray for him in the same way that I have prayed for his predecessors. I do not ask God to sustain, protect or grant him success (it is not in the interest of our country to do so)!

Maybe He Did And Maybe He Didn't!

The pattern is now well-established. When Trump doesn't like the findings of the U.S. intelligence community, he seeks to discredit and/or downplay them. It has been widely reported that the CIA has found that there is a high degree of confidence that the Saudi Crown Prince ordered the murder of Jamal Khashoggi. Trump, nevertheless, told reporters: "It could very well be that the Crown Prince had knowledge of this tragic event — maybe he did and maybe he didn't! That being said, we may never know all of the facts surrounding the murder of Mr. Jamal Khashoggi." https://www.npr.org/2018/11/20/669708254/maybe-he-did-maybe-he-didnt-trump-defends-saudis-downplays-u-s-intel

In The Wall Street Journal, Mike Pompeo wrote a guest commentary the other day about efforts in the legislative branch to punish Saudi Arabia over the murder of a Washington Post reporter. He wrote: "The Trump administration’s effort to rebuild the U.S.-Saudi Arabia partnership isn’t popular in the salons of Washington, where politicians of both parties have long used the kingdom’s human-rights record to call for the alliance’s downgrading. The October murder of Saudi national Jamal Khashoggi in Turkey has heightened the Capitol Hill caterwauling and media pile-on. But degrading U.S.-Saudi ties would be a grave mistake for the national security of the U.S. and its allies." https://www.wsj.com/articles/the-u-s-saudi-partnership-is-vital-1543362363

A number of U.S. senators, however, were not buying what Trump and his Secretary of State were selling. In a rare moment of bipartisanship, a number of Republican senators joined with their Democratic colleagues to open debate on ending U.S. support for Saudi Arabia's war in Yemen as a punishment for their involvement in the murder of Khashoggi. Many senators on both sides of the aisle were "pissed" over the fact that Trump did not send CIA Director Gina Haspel to the Hill to brief them on their findings. Instead, Pompeo and Mattis were dispatched to advance Trump's argument that Saudi Arabia is simply too important to U.S. interests to let a little thing like murder and dismemberment get in the way. https://www.washingtonpost.com/powerpost/pompeo-mattis-to-brief-senate-on-saudi-arabia-khashoggi-and-yemen/2018/11/27/ee4e36c0-f28a-11e8-bc79-68604ed88993_story.html?utm_term=.bacc7311aaaf

The whole incident reminds me of a similar occurrence of the Twelfth Century. King Henry II of England was apoplectic over the behavior of one of his subjects - the Archbishop of Canterbury, Thomas Becket. Becket had openly criticized and opposed the king's efforts to exert his control over the English Catholic Church. In frustration, the king is supposed to have said aloud "will no one rid me of this turbulent/troublesome/meddlesome priest" (the various accounts of the incident differ as to the exact wording of his statement). A short time later, some of the king's supporters went to Canterbury Cathedral and murdered the troublesome archbishop. Even in those barbaric times, however, the king had to accept responsibility for what had happened and was forced to do public penance for the deed!

It seems to me that, at a bare minimum, the Crown Prince has to acknowledge his complicity in the murder of this man and acknowledge that this isn't an acceptable way to deal with opponents. Sweeping this horrendous act under the carpet is NOT going to make it go away!

Relevant, Then and Now!

As the Thanksgiving Day holiday approaches, I am reminded of President Abraham Lincoln's 1863 Proclamation:

The year that is drawing towards its close, has been filled with the blessings of fruitful fields and healthful skies. To these bounties, which are so constantly enjoyed that we are prone to forget the source from which they come, others have been added, which are of so extraordinary a nature, that they cannot fail to penetrate and soften even the heart which is habitually insensible to the ever watchful providence of Almighty God. In the midst of a civil war of unequalled magnitude and severity, which has sometimes seemed to foreign States to invite and to provoke their aggression, peace has been preserved with all nations, order has been maintained, the laws have been respected and obeyed, and harmony has prevailed everywhere except in the theatre of military conflict; while that theatre has been greatly contracted by the advancing armies and navies of the Union. Needful diversions of wealth and of strength from the fields of peaceful industry to the national defence, have not arrested the plough, the shuttle or the ship; the axe has enlarged the borders of our settlements, and the mines, as well of iron and coal as of the precious metals, have yielded even more abundantly than heretofore. Population has steadily increased, notwithstanding the waste that has been made in the camp, the siege and the battle-field; and the country, rejoicing in the consciousness of augmented strength and vigor, is permitted to expect continuance of years with large increase of freedom. No human counsel hath devised nor hath any mortal hand worked out these great things. They are the gracious gifts of the Most High God, who, while dealing with us in anger for our sins, hath nevertheless remembered mercy. It has seemed to me fit and proper that they should be solemnly, reverently and gratefully acknowledged as with one heart and one voice by the whole American People. I do therefore invite my fellow citizens in every part of the United States, and also those who are at sea and those who are sojourning in foreign lands, to set apart and observe the last Thursday of November next, as a day of Thanksgiving and Praise to our beneficent Father who dwelleth in the Heavens. And I recommend to them that while offering up the ascriptions justly due to Him for such singular deliverances and blessings, they do also, with humble penitence for our national perverseness and disobedience, commend to His tender care all those who have become widows, orphans, mourners or sufferers in the lamentable civil strife in which we are unavoidably engaged, and fervently implore the interposition of the Almighty Hand to heal the wounds of the nation and to restore it as soon as may be consistent with the Divine purposes to the full enjoyment of peace, harmony, tranquillity and Union.

http://www.abrahamlincolnonline.org/lincoln/speeches/thanks.htm

Happy Thanksgiving!

The Stark Contrast Between Trump and Mueller

The contrast between the two men at the center of the investigation into interference by the Russians in the 2016 election is truly astounding. I have assembled a list below of some of those contrasts. You are invited to form your own conclusions about what these mean for them, us and the nation.

Mueller                                                      Trump

Bachelor Degree Politics - Princeton        Degree in Economics - Wharton
Masters Intl. Relations - New York
J.D. - University of Virginia Law

Served as a Marine in Vietnam                  Received numerous deferments
Bronze Star
2 Navy Commendation Medals
Purple Heart
Vietnamese Cross of Gallantry

Attorney Pillsbury, Madison & Sutro         Inherited a large fortune from his father
Asst. U.S. Attorney N. California               CEO of The Trump Organization
Asst. U.S. Attorney Massachusetts            Host of The Apprentice
Attorney Hill, Barlow & Mueller               President of the United States (2017-    )
DOJ Criminal Division
Homicide Division U.S. Attorney D.C.
U.S. Attorney N. California
Acting Deputy Attorney General
Director of the FBI (2001-2013)
Stanford Professor and Attorney
Special Counsel (2017-    )

Married Ann Standish (1966-    )                 Married Ivana Zelníčková (1977-1992)
                                                                      Married Marla Maples (1993-1999)
                                                                      Married Melania Knavs (2005-    )

Children: 2 Daughters by Ann                     Children:  2 Sons & 1 Daughter by Ivana
                                                                                       1 Daughter by Marla
                                                                                       1 Son by Melania

Unanimously confirmed by Senate              Won in Electoral College & lost popular vote

No public statements during investigation   Numerous tweets and public statements

Has scrupulously followed procedures         Has upended numerous precedents
                                                                       Has fired the FBI Director & AG
                                                                       Has refused to sit for Mueller interview
                                                                       Claimed the ability to end investigation

The above information was largely derived from:
https://www.biography.com/people/robert-mueller-241110
https://www.biography.com/people/donald-trump-9511238

What do you think?

One Hundred Years Later

The commemoration of the one hundredth anniversary of the end of World War I in France was the perfect opportunity to confront Donald J. Trump, and French President Macron seized the moment. As any serious student of history knows, nationalism is widely recognized as one of the principal causes of that great conflagration. Hence, Trump's recent full-throated embrace of nationalism set the stage for the gathering of world leaders in France.

Donald Trump, the consummate snake oil salesman, has convinced his supporters that the cure for all of their ills is a big dose of nationalism. For Trump, America has been playing second fiddle for far too long - it's time to put America first again! Trump tells anyone who will listen that the past leadership of our country was simply too focused on the rest of the world - that they embraced a disease known as globalism.

This notion is at the heart of Trump's take on both domestic and foreign affairs. In the realm of foreign policy, it informs his views on everything from trade to alliances. On the domestic side, it manifests itself most clearly in his attitudes and pronouncements on immigration. And, for Trump, anyone who doesn't share his views on these subject is simply not patriotic - they betray the United States and its interests!

In researching this post, I found this interesting quote from Sydney Harris on what distinguishes nationalism from patriotism. He wrote: "The difference between patriotism and nationalism is that the patriot is proud of his country for what it does, and the nationalist is proud of his country no matter what it does; the first attitude creates a feeling of responsibility, but the second a feeling of blind arrogance that leads to war." see https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Sydney_J._Harris

The ripeness of the moment was not lost on President Macron. On the anniversary of this monument to the horror which nationalism once wrought on the world stage, Macron warned that "old demons" were surfacing once again. He said: “Patriotism is the exact opposite of nationalism. Nationalism is a betrayal of patriotism. By saying our interests first, who cares about the others, we erase what a nation holds dearest, what gives it life, what makes it great and what is essential: its moral values.” see https://www.marketwatch.com/story/in-jab-at-trump-macron-denounces-nationalism-as-betrayal-of-patriotism-2018-11-11

I would like to take this opportunity to say that I wholeheartedly agree with President Macron and repudiate Trump's nationalism! And, just for the record, I served honorably in the United States Army and love my country. Mr. Trump, for you to suggest that a patriot's heart does not beat in my chest is not just insulting - it is a dangerous lie! What do you think? Have you learned the lessons of World War I? Are you a patriot or a nationalist?

Undermining the Florida Election

With almost 8.2 million total votes counted in the Florida race for a seat in the U.S. Senate, less than 12,600 votes separate the candidates (Scott and Nelson). see https://www.politico.com/election-results/2018/senate/ The Republican candidate, current Governor Rick Scott, has the lead and has alleged that the Democratic candidate, current Senator Bill Nelson, is attempting to perpetrate fraud and steal the election. Under Florida law, the slim margin has triggered an automatic machine recount of the ballots in this election.

As one would expect of the combative occupant of the Oval Office, Trump has wasted no time in giving his opinion about what's going on in Florida. On November 10, he tweeted: "Trying to STEAL two big elections in Florida! We are watching closely!" This morning, Trump tweeted: "The Florida Election should be called in favor of Rick Scott and Ron DeSantis in that large numbers of new ballots showed up out of nowhere, and many ballots are missing or forged. An honest vote count is no longer possible-ballots massively infected. Must go with Election Night!" see https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1061335051294728194&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.cnbc.com%2F2018%2F11%2F10%2Ftrump-doubles-down-on-claims-of-election-stealing-in-florida.html In other words, stop counting those ballots - or we may end up with a result that we don't want!

Unfortunately, whatever happens now in the Florida recount, the result will now be regarded by whichever side loses as illegitimate. These statements by Scott and Trump have accomplished ONE thing - they have served to undermine voter confidence in the results of the election. Talk about voter suppression! But who cares about such trivial matters when there is an election at stake! Once again, for Trump and his supporters, the ends (another Republican vote in the Senate) seem to justify ANY means.

What A Roller Coaster Ride!

I allowed myself a moment of hope only to have it swallowed up in a new crisis. The forced resignation of Attorney General Jeff Sessions and replacement of him with his chief of staff (Matthew Whitaker) is a constitutional crisis of the first order. Not only is this a clear instance of obstruction of justice (without waiting for Whitaker to do anything negative toward the Mueller investigation), it is not clear that anyone will be able to do much of anything about it! In other words, this Charlatan in the Oval Office may have just found a way to triumph over the Constitution and make the Justice Department protect him from any legal jeopardy.

Some folks have speculated that Mueller may have already had some indictments sealed and/or handed over parts of his investigation to various state attorneys general. I hope so, but I wonder if anyone could have seen this coming. Trump is slippery and has demonstrated that he feels like the ends justify any means (the ends in this instance being protecting him). We should all remember that the Democrats will not formally take control of the House until January (Trump obviously hasn't overlooked this fact). Hence, it is foolish to look for the Legislative Branch of our government to fix this (Does anyone honestly believe that ANY Republicans will have the spine to stand up to Trump?) Sure, there have been calls for Whitaker to recuse himself from overseeing the Mueller investigation, but anyone who thinks that is likely to happen is delusional (that's what got Sessions fired in the first place)!

What happens next? I think that's anybody's guess. One thing we know for sure - we all better buckle up and hold on tight - this is going to be a hell of a ride!

The Republic Survives for Now!

The U.S. House of Representatives will soon be in the hands of the Democrats - THANK GOD! There will now be a check on this reckless and dangerous demagogue who now inhabits the residence of U.S. Presidents. I hope that the Democrats will exercise appropriate oversight and seek to work with Republicans on the issues where they can find agreement (e.g. infrastructure).

However, none of us should have any illusions about what just happened. We have been given an opportunity to correct course and rein in the tyrannical impulses of Trump - that does not mean that we will avail ourselves of that opportunity. Moreover, it is deeply disturbing to me that Republicans increased their majority in the Senate and retained control of so many of our statehouses/governor's mansions. It is not just that Republicans support his policies - it is also the fact that almost all of them remain silent about what everyone generally acknowledges as his excesses.

Once again, we have some breathing room - the ship of state is still afloat; but it is still headed for the shoals! Trump was talking about 2020 today; and, if you don't think that he has a chance, you haven't taken a good look at the results of yesterday! 

The Approaching U.S. Election

If you don't think elections matter, then you haven't been paying attention to events of the last two years. Donald Trump has ruthlessly exploited the divisions extant in this country, reshaped immigration policy in a way that hurts innocents and closes the door to those seeking asylum in the U.S., undermined the FBI and the institutions of our Government responsible for gathering intelligence, threatened the independence of the Office of the Attorney General, threatened allies and embraced long-standing enemies, ignored abuses of human rights around the world, threatened the world economic order with a potential trade war, exploded the budget deficit, undermined the stability and economic viability of the U.S. healthcare system, made significant headway in reshaping the Federal Judiciary, rolled back environmental regulations, shrunken the amount of public lands subject to Federal protection and encouraged the development of carbon polluting fossil fuels. In short, the evidence is overwhelming that IT MATTERS WHO IS IN CHARGE of the levers of power!

I warned my friends prior to the last election (2016) that Trump's personality and experience made him ill-suited for the Presidency. He is an egocentric bully who is accustomed to having his way and hiring and firing at will. Moreover, his lack of familiarity with the way government operates, history and foreign affairs has proved to be very dangerous (as I predicted, and it gives me no pleasure to say I told you so). And, what if Trump or his associates colluded with the Russians to get him elected? What if the evidence demonstrates that Trump has obstructed justice? What if the evidence demonstrates that Trump has been in violation of the emoluments clause of the U.S. Constitution since the day he took the oath of office?

It's time to place a real and meaningful check on Trump's power. And, if you think that it's a sure thing that the Democrats are going to take control of the House, then you weren't paying attention in 2016! The folks who actually vote get to decide whose hands control the levers of power, not the folks who sit on the sidelines and bitch/gripe/complain. There are a lot of folks in this country who support Trump, and it doesn't matter if they are a minority if they're the only ones voting! I can assure you that Trump's folks will be in line on election day - will you?

**This will probably be my last post before the vote (unless, God forbid, we have another surprise) - See you on the other side**