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

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.

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

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.”

[…]

House Announces Two Articles of Impeachment against Trump

After 77 days of formal investigation, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, along with the chairs of the investigative committees, announced Democrats’ intent to impeach Donald Trump on two charges: abuse of power related to his attempt to extort the government of Ukraine into announcing an investigation into the son of Trump’s political rival, former V.P. Joe Biden, and obstruction of Congress related to his refusal to provide witnesses and documents for the investigation.

[…]

Pelosi Apparently Hates the Word ‘Hate’

“I don’t hate anybody. I was raised in a Catholic house, we don’t hate anybody — not anybody in the world. So don’t you accuse me of any hate. … As a Catholic I resent you using the word ‘hate.’ Don’t mess with me when it comes to words like that.”

— Speaker Nancy Pelosi lashed out at a Capitol Hill reporter who had questioned whether she “hated” President Trump following her decision to advance the Democrats’ impeachment inquiry, The Hill reports.

Presidential Historian Predicts Trump’s Popularity Will Collapse After Impeachment

“It just tells you what deep trouble Donald Trump is in. I mean, when you have 50% of the country wanting you not just impeached but removed from office, and the game hasn’t even gotten fast yet. … I think once the vote is taken by Congress to impeach him and he’s wearing the ‘I’ on his chest, you’re going to see that movement grow even more.”

— Presidential historian Douglas Brinkley predicted on CNN that public support for President Trump will collapse as House Democrats continue their impeachment inquiry against him.

Trump’s Biggest Crime Against America

“All of these arguments, ranging from the weak to the false, obscure the core reason for the impeachment inquiry, which is that the Trump administration was engaged in a conspiracy against American democracy. Fearing that the 2016 election was a fluke in which Trump prevailed only because of a successful Russian hacking and disinformation campaign, and a last-minute intervention on Trump’s behalf by the very national-security state Trump defenders supposedly loathe, Trump and his advisers sought to rig the 2020 election by forcing a foreign country to implicate the then-Democratic front-runner in a crime that did not take place. If the American people could not be trusted to choose Trump on their own, Trump would use his official powers to make the choice for them.”

Adam Serwer