Month: December 2019

If You Haven’t Read Trump’s Letter to Pelosi, You Should

Buck Banks

Donald Trump’s rambling (doddering??) six-page letter to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi on the eve of his impeachment has been widely — and selectively — excerpted in the press. But to get a glimpse into Trump’s mind, you should read the whole thing.

According to the New York Times, “Some of the president’s closest advisers were involved in drafting the letter, but they did not include Pat A. Cipollone, the White House counsel who will play a large role in a Senate trial.”

“Instead, Eric Ueland, the director of the Office of Legislative Affairs, led the process, with input from Stephen Miller, the president’s top policy adviser, who often scripts many of Mr. Trump’s public remarks. Michael Williams, an adviser to Mick Mulvaney, the president’s acting chief of staff, also weighed in, and Mr. Ueland’s draft was framed over the last few days.”

Despite the efforts of that brain trust, the letter reads like the rantings of an aggrieved, combative, cornered animal trying to make lofty-sounding rhetoric. But don’t take my word for it, read it here.

Georgia Clears 300k Voters from the Rolls Overnight

Buck Banks

300,000

“Overnight, the number of registered voters in Georgia shrank by more than 300,000 in a contested but court-sanctioned action that could redefine the 2020 election,” the Washington Post reports. “State officials have downplayed the mass cancellation, arguing it is routine ‘list maintenance.’ Others say the practice amounts to a large-scale and undemocratic voter purge, which comes just over three months before Georgia’s presidential primaries.”

Five Aides Quite Party-Changing Congressman

Buck Banks

5

“Much of the staff serving a freshman Democratic congressman resigned on Sunday after sources said the lawmaker prepares to switch to the Republican Party,” CNN reports. Politico says the aides in Rep. Jeff Van Drew’s Washington office wrote in a joint letter to his chief of staff that Van Drew’s decision to become a Republican “does not align with the values we brought to this job.”

McConnell’s Coordinating with Trump’s Impeachment Defense Renders the Verdict Moot

Jon Ponder
McConnell on Fox News with Hannity: “There’s no chance the president will be removed from office.”

On Thursday, as the articles of impeachment against Donald Trump were being debated by the House Judiciary Committee, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) met privately with White House Counsel Pat Cipollone to discuss rigging Trump’s Senate trial to guarantee acquittal. As has become routine in the Trump era, this brazenly corrupt act was not meant to be kept secret. A few hours later, McConnell was on Fox News boasting about it to Sean Hannity, the right-wing outlet’s most strident propagandist.

McConnell told Hannity he would remain in “total coordination” with Trump during the trial. “There will be no difference between the president’s position and our position as to how to handle this,” McConnell said. “There’s no chance the president will be removed from office.”

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