I’ve got a couple of posts s-l-o-w-l-y brewing but there’s plenty to chew on in the mean time. There may be some all-caps yelling, I must warn.
~ 3 ~
Utah’s Senator Mike Lee went to Moscow this week to talk about lifting the sanctions. Because of course he did, being utterly insensitive to the ongoing attacks by Russia on U.S. elections ahead. The sanctions Russia placed against the U.S. are pure bullshit and shouldn’t be seen as anything more than that; a member of Congress negotiating with them only legitimizes them.
Curiously, Lee is one of the same Class III GOP senators whose terms end in January 2023. What a coincidence that eight of 22 Class III GOP senators have now made a visit to Moscow.
You’ll recall that last year GOP Senators Richard Shelby (AL), Steve Daines (MT), John Hoeven (ND), John Neely Kennedy (LA), Jerry Moran (KS), Ron Johnson (SD), and John Thune (SD) — all Class III senators except for Daines who is in Class II — made a visit to Moscow on July 4 last year ostensibly to ask Russia to stop meddling in our elections.
Ha. More likely to ask for help when they run for re-election.
Kind of disgusting to see Lisa Murkowski on this list; she’s been more independent of the GOP than most of the rest of her caucus. The RNC has spent $400,000 at Trump hotels since the 2016 election, setting a great example of corruption for the rest of its ranks.
Don’t even get me started on spineless Ben Sasse, he of all talk and no cattle when it comes to doing the right thing.
Have to wonder what the state of play in Louisiana, North Dakota, South Dakota, and Wisconsin for these four GOP senators to not only call on Russia on America’s holiday of independence last year but to suck up to their mobster party boss at his overpriced hotels.
One thing I couldn’t find readily: the name of the lone Democratic senator who visited a Trump hotel. Name and shame them, people. Democrats need to clearly differentiate themselves from corruption.
~ 1 ~
Meanwhile, some Democratic freshmen can’t find their butts with both hands when it comes to an impeachment inquiry. These representatives so far have resisted supporting an inquiry in spite of being elected to office in a blue wave — they were chosen to fix Trump’s Washington, in short. Most of them are holding out for more facts, a stronger case before they support impeachment.
And now a direct message to those freshmen holdouts:
It’s right there in the Special Counsel’s Report which every member of Congress has had more than ample time and at least one lengthy break to read.
Not to mention the ongoing daily abuses of power and gross negligence which speak for themselves and in some cases have cost human lives (ask Puerto Rico and the untold numbers of asylum-seeking children still in cages).
Take notes from California frosh Rep. Katie Porter on an impeachment inquiry. Nobody is above the law and you members of Congress have a constitutional duty to uphold and defend it — you’re given the power to deal with an intransigent executive by the Constitution.
You’ve read the Constitution’s Article I, haven’t you? You understood your oath of office, yes? Bloody well do what you were hired to do which is outlined in the Constitution and your oath, neither of which prescribe winning popularity contests or fundraising.
These are the representatives I’ve seen named in several reports* as reluctant to get behind an impeachment inquiry:
Susan Wild PA-7 D+1.1 (redistricted from pivot districts, doesn’t believe there’s enough evidence for impeachment)
Gil Cisneros CA-39 EVEN R+0/D+0
TJ Cox CA-21 EVEN R+0/D+0
Josh Harder CA-10 EVEN R+0/D+0
Katie Hill CA-25 EVEN R+0/D+0
Jared Golden ME-2 R+2 (called impeachment nonsense, isn’t hearing from constituents about supporting impeachment)
Angie Craig MN-2 R+2
Andrew Kim NJ-3 R+2
Conor Lamb PA-17 R+2.5 (redistricted)
Haley Stevens MI-11 R+4
Elissa Slotkin MI-8 R+4
Being from Michigan I can almost understand the concerns of the last two, BUT…they were elected in districts which have been strongly GOP for at least a decade, as a direct rebuttal of Trump policies. Trump’s bullshit trade war with China has hurt both businesses and investments of their constituents greatly (unless they’re accountants who are raking in big bucks from all the new tax code changes). They’ve also got a Democratic governor, attorney general, and secretary of state who are women and going to do their best to get their backs and assure a fair election in 2020. The excuses they have for waffling in R+4 districts are nominal, especially after Trump’s egregious behavior on so many topics this week. How badly does Trump have to meltdown before they will get behind a formal inquiry?
And that’s what should be pounded into the rest of the freshmen who are holding out ‘because we don’t have all the facts’ or ‘we need the strongest case’ or ‘I don’t jump on a bandwagon’: DO THE RIGHT THING BY SUPPORTING AN IMPEACHMENT INQUIRY.
We will get all the facts and make the strongest case with a formal inquiry which has Constitutional support.
And the bandwagon is to DO THE RIGHT THING, not worry about re-election, Rep. Wild. None of your bills are going anywhere so long as Senate Majority Leader #MoscowMitch McConnell is in thrall to both Trump and Russia. Quit dragging your feet and get the hell on board.
~ 0 ~
I’ve got a post in progress on the Epstein-MIT Media Lab scandal and another on Scotland. Later this week we’ll have to do another whip count now that I’ve laid out the problem with freshmen Democrats.
If you haven’t called your representative lately, do so — Congressional switchboard: (202) 224-3121 — and ask them to support an impeachment inquiry. Thank them if they already have committed to supporting an inquiry. They count calls, I can see it reflected in media reports.
Let’s get back to school, people. Treat this as an open thread.
________
https://www.emptywheel.net/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/Rusty3_MarkusSpiske-Unsplash_08SEP2019-1.jpg10001500Raynehttps://www.emptywheel.net/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/Logo-Web.pngRayne2019-09-08 17:16:192019-09-08 17:17:45Three Things: Corrupt, More Corrupt, and Stumbling Naifs
If Trump were to commute Blago’s sentence…..it would be one of the few pardon power actions he has taken that would be justified.
The other was, obviously, the woman Kim Kardashian talked him into commuting.
Don’t get me started about governance by reality show/sex tape idiots like Kimye, but still that was good.
Here is the thing though. Hate on Rod Blagojevich all you want. Laugh at him all you want. Sure, all that is good and proper.
What was not, however, was his sentence. Judge James Zagel got a bug up his ass and sentenced Blago to twice as much time as was possibly appropriate for his purported offenses. There is a long history of Illinois Governors, criminal charges, and prison. But no sentence remotely like Zagel gave Blago.
Then there was Bob McDonnell of Virginia, who ended up not ever serving a day on things that were, mostly, more obvious pay to play corruption than Blago. Also, there was Don Siegelman, who arguably met potential charging elements, even if they were mostly innocuous acts, and who was only ever charged because of a Rove/Cheney effort to insure the same. Siegelman got just over six years.
Don’t get me started about Bob Menendez. The point being, even if Blago was corrupt, needed to be found guilty, and needed to be sentenced…..The sentence of 14 years Zagel gave Mr. Blagojevich was insane and ludicrous.
As big of a narcissistic and useless asshole as Trump is, he would be right to commute the insanely over sentenced punishment Zagel gave to Rod Blagojevich.
People, especially the more liberal than not among us, constantly scream for criminal justice reform. Abolish cash bail (a good thought, but one with far different and deeper implications than you think as Scott Greenfield at Simple Justice has noted), less incarceration, shorter sentences, better programs for those incarcerated. End the death penalty. Less solitary confinement. Etc. All good things.
But part and parcel of all of it is recognizing crazy stupid sentences too. Blago is pretty much a joke of a historical character. Fine. He was never Public Enemy Number One either. His sentence from Zagel was outrageous. If Trump is willing to commute it, he should, and that should be cheered.
But, because of pushback from the very same people that usually scream and squawk, and rightfully so, about criminal justice reform when it is not one of their pet pariahs, i.e. people on the left and, here, Blago, Trump will certainly chicken out from doing the right thing. Because Trump doesn’t know the facts, and he is a pussy that is too easily grabbed by Republicans and, in this case, bullshit liberals too.
Free Blago. It needs to be done.
https://www.emptywheel.net/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/AP_rod_blagojevich_as_160809_12x5_608-e1567372198574.jpg109260bmazhttps://www.emptywheel.net/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/Logo-Web.pngbmaz2019-09-01 17:16:352019-09-02 09:18:22Commuting Blago’s Wildly Excessive Sentence Would Be Right For Trump To Do
[NB: Check the byline, thanks. Updates will appear at the bottom of the post before the whip count table. /~Rayne]
I was really torn about sharing this video — watching it induced a wicked flashback to my salad days. As problematic as the images in it are now, the lyrics are effective and the tune snappy.
Just the thing to get you pumped up to make a phone call to your representative. Now crack that whip!
Since the last Whip It post we’ve picked up these Democrats in support of an impeachment inquiry:
Rep. Lauren Underwood IL-14 (rated R+5*)
Rep. Anthony Brown MD-4 (rated D+28)
Rep. Ben Ray Luján NM-3 (rated D+8)
As the current Assistant Speaker and former Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee Chair during the last session, Luján is the highest ranking representative to commit to date.
According to POLITICO’s most recent count, we’re at 131 Democrats in support of an impeachment inquiry. We need 87 more to pass an authorizing resolution.
We’re entering the tough slog. It’s not going to be pretty when representatives are offering tepid support in spite of their very blue district, or flipping only after claiming their district is too conservative. I’m rather annoyed at Anthony Brown, for example, whose district is D+28 — ridiculous to string this out so long and make such a tepid statement when declaring support.
There are 104 Democrats who have not yet committed to supporting an impeachment inquiry. This means 17 Democrats can remain uncommitted and a resolution would still pass.
But there are 75 Democrats in districts ranked D+0 or better who have yet to get behind an inquiry. There are no excuses for this; surely they can see the 2018 wave will continue, especially as a recession begins and Trump continues to put the nation at risk nearly every damned time he tweets.
12 of the 29 Democrats in R+1 or worse districts must also eventually give their support. They will lose their existing Democratic base if they don’t. If they don’t already see obvious reasons why an impeachment inquiry must begin, they need to be primaried for having failed their oath of office.
You’ll notice if you haven’t in past Whip It posts that I’ve given up on the House GOP members. They are wholly committed to a transnational organized crime syndicate’s omertà, willing to kowtow to foreign entities to obtain continuing support, willing to turn a blind eye to the many gross failings of the Trump administration.
They’ve completely thrown in the towel on democracy by refusing to protect voting infrastructure and ensuring every citizen has access to the polls.
Their oath of fealty to their syndicate is stronger than their loyalty to their fellow Americans and the Constitution.
This is the moment of differentiation for Democrats. This is when the rubber meets the road, when bullshit walks. Do not be found wanting when weighed and measured; do not be Republican light. Be a true (little r) republican and defend this democracy.
That goes for us as constituents as well. It’s still upon us to keep this republic, showing up at town halls our representatives have during the remaining summer recess, by calling their offices in D.C. or locally, by sending faxes or using Resistbot to make our sentiments heard.
Congressional switchboard: (202) 224-3121
Call your representative (and only your representative) and ask them to support an impeachment inquiry, even if they are a Republican. If your representative has already thrown their support behind an inquiry, do be sure to thank them.
This whip count will continue to be updated. Share in comments any new announcements by House members throwing support behind an impeachment inquiry.
And thank community member harpie for staying on top of the count as new commitments are made.
UPDATE-1 — 7:00 PM EDT —
Looks like another Democrat declared support for an impeachment inquiry while I was drafting this post.
Rep. Jim Langevin RI-2 (D+6)
UPDATE-2 — 11:30 PM EDT —
Oops, my count was off by two and now I know why. I missed Ruppersberger and Trone.
UPDATE: POLITICO’s official impeachment inquriy whip count is at 131 Democrats (132 overall w/ Amash).
Come on, Hoyer. Your Maryland district is a D+11 like Ruppersberger’s. Don’t think for a moment we’ve forgotten you.
UPDATE-3 — 3:40 PM EDT 22-AUG-2019 —
Add another to the tally, now at 134.
Rep. Bruce Schneider IL-10 (D+10)
UPDATE-4 — 6:00 PM EDT 22-AUG-2019 —
Feels like things are picking up steam. We have two more to add to the count:
Rep. Bill Keating MD-09 (D+4)
Rep. Mark Takano CA-41 (D+12)
That’s 136. Who’s next?
UPDATE-5 — 5:50 PM EDT 23-AUG-2019 —
Politico added Ro Khanna to their count; he’s made tepid statements over the last two months like Anthony Brown MD-4 so we hadn’t added him before now. I guess we’ll add him and then hold his feet to the fire to ensure he delivers, hmm?
Rep. Ro Khanna CA-17 (D+25)
Really no excuses not to be bolder when you’re in a true blue district. Be a leader, for crying out loud.
Emphasis indicates those who have committed to supporting an inquiry since the last whip update.
(1) Vice Chair, House Democratic Caucus
(2) Chair, House Ethics Committee
(3) Chair, House Foreign Affairs Committee
(4) Chair, House Appropriations Committee
(5) Chair, House Rules Committee
(6) Chair, House Armed Services Committee
(7) Member, House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence
(8) Chair, House Homeland Security Committee
(9) Chair, House Small Business Committee
(10) Chair, House Energy and Commerce Committee
(11) Chair, House Veterans’ Affairs Committee
* Ranking by Cook Partisan Voter Index (2018), indicating degree to which a House congressional district leans toward one of the two major parties.
https://www.emptywheel.net/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/Phone2_QuinoAl-Unsplash_21AUG2019_3.jpg26664000Raynehttps://www.emptywheel.net/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/Logo-Web.pngRayne2019-08-21 18:45:002019-10-18 11:25:45Whip It Good: Crack That Whip [UPDATED-5]
We could use a boost now as we work our way through the dog days of summer. Take a look at how far we’ve come even if it seems too slowly, measure our progress.
As of today we have 123 House Democrats supporting an impeachment inquiry.
This means we’ve picked up four more votes since the last Whip It post.
We need 95 more representatives to support a resolution approving an impeachment inquiry. It’s slow but steady progress.
Sure, we continue to hear that the House Judiciary Committee is working toward impeachment. HJC chair Jerry Nadler told CNN last week,
“This is formal impeachment proceedings…We are investigating all the evidence, we’re gathering the evidence. And we will at the conclusion of this — hopefully by the end of the year — vote to vote articles of impeachment to the House floor. Or we won’t. That’s a decision that we’ll have to make. But that’s exactly the process we’re in right now.”
But the HJC neither has a majority vote approving an impeachment inquiry within the committee nor a majority of the votes across the entire House — yet.
This only fuels the right-wing pundits who assure us attempts to impeach are doomed, DOOMED, they say.
Bah. Do take note of the source, like conservative think tanks’ thinky-tankers who are paid to both promote their conservative donor’s aspirations and sow fear, uncertainty, and doubt.
As I’ve noted before in previous Whip It posts, it’s still on us to make this happen by showing up at town halls our representatives have over the summer recess, by calling their offices in D.C. or locally, by sending faxes or using Resistbot to make our sentiments heard.
Congressional switchboard: (202) 224-3121
Call your representative (and only your representative) and ask them to support an impeachment inquiry. If your representative has already thrown their support behind an inquiry, do be sure to thank them.
It’s also time to take note of states in which too few Dems have thrown their support behind an inquiry. Like Connecticut — what the hell, Nutmeg State? What the actual hell?
This whip count will continue to be updated. Share in comments any new announcements by House members throwing support behind an impeachment inquiry.
Emphasis indicates those who have committed to supporting an inquiry since the last whip update.
(1) Vice Chair, House Democratic Caucus
(2) Chair, House Ethics Committee
(3) Chair, House Foreign Affairs Committee
(4) Chair, House Appropriations Committee
(5) Chair, House Rules Committee
(6) Chair, House Armed Services Committee
(7) Member, House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence
(8) Chair, House Homeland Security Committee
(9) Chair, House Small Business Committee
(10) Chair, House Energy and Commerce Committee
https://www.emptywheel.net/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/TelephoneCall_QuinoAl-Unsplash_mod3.jpg10001500Raynehttps://www.emptywheel.net/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/Logo-Web.pngRayne2019-08-14 16:00:152019-10-18 11:26:00Whip It Good: Higher and Higher
[NB: Note the byline, thanks. Caveat: This post contains speculative content. Updates at the bottom of this post. / ~Rayne]
I have to run an errand, can’t take the time to follow this line of inquiry further. But something about ICE raids conducted in Mississippi today set off my hinky meter.
Why Mississippi, which long-time community member earlofhuntington describes as “so reliably Republican”? Why wouldn’t ICE conduct raids in blue states as they’ve intended to twice this year in order to rattle the Latinx and other brown-skinned voters?
Why wouldn’t they conduct a raid closer to the Mexican border since the Trump administration and its state media organ Fox News have drummed up a manufactured ‘invasion’ crisis?
Why pick established businesses in a deep red state only days after mass shootings of Latinx Americans in El Paso?
This raid was planned, though, they don’t just sweep in. The two businesses, Peco Foods Inc. and Koch Foods Inc. were on somebody’s radar, earmarked in advance.
But why these two over any other businesses — say, golf courses competing with Trump org courses which likely hire undocumented personnel the way Trump’s courses did?
Would golf courses be too obvious and yield too few results? Would such raids piss off the same class of customers who frequent Trump’s courses?
There’s some other reason not obvious to the public.
Perhaps the companies are owned and operated by people who don’t fit Trump and Trump’s minions political ideology? But this is where I have to leave it to run an errand.
I’ll leave you with this (already posted in comments and on Twitter):
And with this:
What do you think? I haven’t had time to look at the other five companies raided today, including PH Food Inc., MP Food Inc., and Pearl River Foods Inc.
Does this also suggest Mississippi is at risk politically if the administration had to pick “so reliably Republican” a state, in spite of a 130-year-old state law preventing black Mississippians from holding elected statewide office if they don’t win 55% of the vote?
UPDATE — 11:10 PM EDT —
Add in unionization of workers as another factor in selection of businesses to raid:
I'm sure it's a coincidence that some of these workers had unionized and had reported sexual and racial harassment by supervisors to the EEOC. This will get the employment dynamics back the way the employers like them. https://t.co/SL0tqRusYihttps://t.co/qSeY2sbxbKpic.twitter.com/6qlX92j4Ro
And while some folks note unhappily the workers have been detained and owners/management haven’t been arrested, I’m not certain that won’t yet happen. Somebody might be very happy to see a Democratic donor (or two) behind bars before the 2020 general election primaries begin.
UPDATE — 11:15 PM EDT —
Yeah, Mississippi is undergoing a political tectonic shift; statewide races may be in play.
It is not coincidental that ICE conducted the largest single-state raid in history in Mississippi the day after Jody Owens was elected the first Black DA of Hinds County. https://t.co/6u7aQKqwCU
This is an open thread. Bring all the stray cats and dogs here.
https://www.emptywheel.net/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/Question_EmilyMorter-Unsplash.jpg10001500Raynehttps://www.emptywheel.net/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/Logo-Web.pngRayne2019-08-07 21:22:332019-08-07 23:15:55Chickens on ICE Raid: The Odd Luck of Peco and Koch Foods [UPDATE-2]
At the time we had 85 votes in support of an impeachment inquiry representing 39% of the needed 218 votes to pass a resolution authorizing an inquiry’s formal launch.
Today we’re better than half way to 218. The table below reflects the new tally of 118 House Democrats and one Independent in support of an impeachment inquiry. We now need 100 or 45% more of the House Dems.
It’s still on us to make this happen by showing up at town halls our representatives have over the summer recess, by calling their offices in D.C. or locally, by sending faxes or using Resistbot to make our sentiments heard.
Congressional switchboard: (202) 224-3121
This whip count will continue to be updated. Share in comments any new announcements by House members throwing support behind an impeachment inquiry.
House Judiciary Chair Jerry Nadler has said his committee has “in effect” been conducting an impeachment inquiry, but his statement does not have the full force that a majority-supported resolution would have. It’d be much harder for a federal court to deny Constitutional powers to an inquiry authorized by a majority of the House. Nadler and the Judiciary Committee (HJC) filed an application for the release of grand jury materials (pdf) on July 26, relying on Watergate- and Clinton-era arguments to bolster this request. I’m not a lawyer but I think this could go either way after the recent McKeever v. Barr decision.
House Oversight is other committee steadily chipping away at Trump’s corruption. Chair Elijah Cummings must be making serious inroads if Trump’s bashing of Baltimore and Cummings as a Maryland rep is any indication. I saw a chart somewhere outlining the progress of Oversight investigations but I can’t find it now — it must have terrified Trump and his minions. Oversight’s work also looks like a precursor to an impeachment inquiry, but whether it can likewise wield clout like an impeachment inquiry remains to be seen.
The surest approach is an impeachment inquiry, freighted with authority directly from the Constitution. Let’s get one in gear — call your representatives. And do thank those who’ve already thrown behind an inquiry.
Emphasis indicates those who have committed to supporting an inquiry since the last whip update.
(1) Vice Chair, House Democratic Caucus
(2) Chair, House Ethics Committee
(3) Chair, House Foreign Affairs Committee
(4) Chair, House Appropriations Committee
(5) Chair, House Rules Committee
(6) Chair, House Armed Services Committee
(7) Member, House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence
(8) Chair, House Homeland Security Committee
(9) Chair, House Small Business Committee
https://www.emptywheel.net/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/YellowPhone_MikeMeyers-Unsplash_21JUN2019_mod3_1500pxw.jpg9971499Raynehttps://www.emptywheel.net/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/Logo-Web.pngRayne2019-08-05 22:08:312019-10-18 11:26:13Whip It Good: Impeachment Inquiry — Better than Half Way
Rep. Paul Mitchell of Michigan’s 10th congressional district announced Wednesday he would not seek re-election.
He explained to Politico, “You look at the rhetoric and vitriol, it overwhelms policy, politics becomes the norm. Everything’s about politics. Everything’s about an election. And at some point of time, that’s not why I came here.”
Mitchell also said “A career in Washington was never my objective,” wanting to focus on issues while in office. He had also criticized the racist remarks made about the House Democrats’ freshman “squad” which includes fellow Michigander Rashida Tlaib. Tlaib’s 13th congressional district is on the other side of Detroit from Mitchell’s.
In Mitchell’s case more time with family is a key reason for leaving; he has a child with special needs at home in Michigan.
~ ~ ~
Here’s where it gets interesting. Really can’t blame Mitchell for wanting to get out of the cesspool before it gets any worse, especially when his family needs him at home.
Mitchell had been asked for his opinion about Trump’s ‘Go Back’ remarks:
Even so, Representative Paul Mitchell, the conservative Republican who represents the Port Huron area, struck a note of caution. “I do believe this strategy will be damaging to this election,” Mr. Mitchell said in a telephone interview. He has asked for a meeting with the president, hoping to add his voice to other Republicans who have urged Mr. Trump to restrain himself.
All of the women whom Mr. Trump told to “go back” to their countries — Ms. Tlaib and Representatives Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York, Ilhan Omar of Minnesota and Ayanna S. Pressley of Massachusetts — are United States citizens, and only one, Ms. Omar, was born outside the country, in Somalia.
“I was appalled by the chanting ‘send her back,’” Mr. Mitchell said of the crowd at Mr. Trump’s rally Wednesday in North Carolina, where the chant was directed at Ms. Omar. For Mr. Mitchell, the message struck close to home. “My youngest son was born in Russia,” he said. “We adopted him. He’s an American.”
Mitchell also felt Trump’s racist remarks would spur minority voter turnout, which seems like an odd thing to worry about in a district that’s so very white.
Did the NYT get this wrong, perhaps talking to an insufficiency of MI-10 voters only to come away with the sentiment that Trump’s xenophobia could be a winner?
Or did Mitchell feel he was unable to reconcile his personal beliefs with that of his constituents?
There’s one other darker possibility. Did the GOP ask Mitchell to step down and let a pro-Trump white nationalist run for MI-10 in order to assure Trump carries the district in 2020?
Stranger things have happened.
~ ~ ~
A couple more things to keep in mind about MI-10:
The district is extremely rural — it has approximately 705,000 residents but one of the largest areas of Michigan’s districts. It’s also inside the reach of a Sinclair TV station, received more reliably than internet across the district.
The city of Flint’s new water pipeline runs through the middle of the district from Flint to Lake Huron. Two drivers pushing the pipeline’s development and subsequently forcing Flint off Detroit’s water system were the bank(s) funding the pipeline and development of fracking near the water pipeline in MI-10. Fracking needs more water than can be obtained by simply drilling wells.
Enbridge’s Line 5 also runs through the district. Michiganders want the pipeline shut down because it runs under water through the straits between lakes Michigan and Huron, posing a massive risk to these Great Lakes should the aged pipe fail.
How these factors feature in Mitchell’s decision and the 2020 race is anybody’s guess at this point but they shouldn’t be disregarded.
Adder: Ran across this article in MetroTimes published here in Michigan. Seems John James, black candidate running for the U.S. Senate seat currently held by Gary Peters, has removed all references to Trump from his social media sites.
Hmm.
https://www.emptywheel.net/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/Lake_AaronBurden-Unsplash_25JUL2019.jpg11251500Raynehttps://www.emptywheel.net/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/Logo-Web.pngRayne2019-07-25 08:00:452019-07-25 08:24:52Something in the Water: GOP Rep. Mitchell Bows out in Michigan
Former Special Counsel Robert Mueller testifies before two different House committees today. This post is dedicated to these hearings. Please take any other topics to the open thread.
Hearing schedule:
• 8:30 a.m. ET – House Judiciary Committee (HJC) Hearing
https://twitter.com/BarbMcQuade – will be on MSNBC to cover at least one of these hearings
https://twitter.com/ZoeTillman – BuzzFeedNews
https://twitter.com/NatashaBertrand – Politico
https://twitter.com/BBuchman_CNS – CourthouseNews
https://twitter.com/jentaub – (late adder – she’s live tweeting a numbered thread)
Apart from our team, here’s a list containing these and other folks who cover Trump-Russia at https://twitter.com/raynetoday/lists/trump-russia.
According to late Tuesday evening reports, Aaron Zebley, former deputy to Mueller, will be sworn in and appear alongside Mueller during at least one of the House committee hearings. (I see differing reports that Zebley will appear before the Judiciary, Intelligence, or both committees.)
The right-wing/Trump supporters are completely freaking out about Zebley’s appearance, blabbering he “was an attorney for Justin Cooper, the IT staffer who set up #HillaryClinton’s private email server & the aide who destroyed Clinton’s old Blackberry phones with a hammer.” (source on Twitter)
The likely loudest GOP voices on the House Judiciary Committee: Doug Collins (ranking minority member, GA-9); Louis Gohmert (TX-1); Jim Jordan (OH-4); Matt Gaetz (FL-1). If past HJC hearings are predictive, expect lots of hot-headed pontificating and few rational questions. Hard to say who will be the worst of the lot but Gaetz has the foolhardiness of youth and past approval from Trump to goad him on. Jordan will focus on “insufficient evidence” to sow fear, uncertainty and doubt about the Special Counsel’s report and the investigation.
As for the HPSCI, the GOP’s most problematic participant will be Devin Nunes (CA-22) who is the ranking minority member. He’s been meeting with Trump this week about a replacement for Director of National Intelligence Dan Coats (who Trump wants to jettison for being too determined to protect the country). At least the explanation offered is Coats’ replacement; it’s possible that Nunes has been meeting with Trump about Mueller’s appearance before the HPSCI.
Content here may be subject to updates.
Again, this post is dedicated to these hearings. Please take any other topics to the open thread.
https://www.emptywheel.net/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/RobertMueller_PeteSouza_2012_Wikimedia.jpg10541500Raynehttps://www.emptywheel.net/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/Logo-Web.pngRayne2019-07-24 08:00:272019-07-24 09:49:31HEARING THREAD: Special Counsel Robert Mueller
Okay, as you may recall, the Judge William Pauley in the Southern District of New York had indicated he would release additional materials from the Cohen case there. As some background, here is our friend Adam Klasfeld of Courthouse News (if you are on Twitter and not following Adam, you are doing it wrong). Here is a Twitter thread Adam did as background.
The first time a tranche of search warrants against former Trump fixer Michael Cohen became public, U.S. prosecutors aggressively redacted those materials to protect what was then an ongoing campaign-finance probe.
Michael Cohen, President Donald Trump’s former personal attorney, stops to talk to a member of the press on May 4, 2019, in New York. Cohen reported to a federal prison on May 6 to begin serving a three-year sentence for campaign-finance violations, tax evasion, bank fraud and lying to Congress. AP Photo/Jonathan Carroll)
Announcing that investigation’s end, a judge ordered prosecutors on Wednesday to quickly disclose new information about how Cohen paid two women to silence their stories about supposed affairs with President Donald Trump.
“The campaign finance violations discussed in the materials are a matter of national importance,” U.S. District Judge William H Pauley III wrote. “Now that the government’s investigation into those violations has concluded, it is time that every American has an opportunity to scrutinize the materials.”
That moment is now. And, without further adieu, here are the newly released materials:
Okay folks, this is a working thread. I have gotten it up as fast as possible, but there was a LOT of documents to download, and then upload. Have at it. There are many fascinating things in there, but many were known already. It is the newly unredacted stuff that is important. Happy hunting!
https://www.emptywheel.net/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/181212124008-michael-cohen-sentencing-1212-exlarge-169.jpg438780bmazhttps://www.emptywheel.net/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/Logo-Web.pngbmaz2019-07-18 11:54:322019-07-18 14:12:17The Cohen Material Just Released By The Court
Vice President Mike Pence was scheduled to travel to New Hampshire yesterday. That didn’t happen.
Source close to VP tells me:
“Something came up and the VP had to be back at the White House. It is not a cause for alarm. “. We await more information on @vp abrupt change of travel plans that canceled or postponed NH event.
Nearly 24 hours later this still smells really fishy.
Pence was scheduled to speak at 1:20 p.m. EDT at an addiction treatment center about the opioid crisis. Prepared remarks sounded less like an attack on the Sackler family, responsible for manufacturing opioids in the U.S., and more like an excuse for the crimes against humanity perpetrated along the Mexican border (because so many families with babies must surely be carrying fentanyl into the country).
Details are sketchy about when and how Pence’s trip was canceled. There were reports that Air Force 2 was already in the air and called back mid-flight; some of these reports were based on feedback from Pence’s aide Randy Gentry:
Pence Aide Randy Gentry: “Air Force 2 was heading this way. There’s been an emergency call back. The Vice President was asked to return to Washington so at this time we’re going to cancel today’s event.” https://t.co/eBdX6GOBMJ
— Alison King NBC10 Boston (@AlisonNBCBoston) July 2, 2019
White House spokesman Judd Deere told AP that “Something came up and the VP needed to be in D.C.,” “there is no cause for alarm.”
Two more anonymous White House officials told AP that the matter was not national security-related or related to a health issue.
Whatever happened caught the Veep’s staff by surprise based on their flip-flopping messages:
Pence’s COS Marc Short told @meridithmcgraw that the Vice President was on the plane but it didn’t take off. Then he turned around, back to the White House. He told her we’ll find out “in a few weeks” what happened.
What could have happened at the White House to cancel Pence’s speech on such short notice — the room in which he was to speak was already packed, waiting his arrival — and subsequent confusing press handling?
A fire aboard a Russian research submarine killed 14 aboard the vessel. But the timing of the actual fire and Pence’s reversal don’t sync. The fire was on July 1 and Putin offered remarks about the fatal event yesterday according to the U.S. Naval Institute news outlet.
Yet others attributed the problem to a local problem in New Hampshire after reports of gunfire at Pease Air National Guard Base, located a circuitous 50 miles northeast from where Pence was to speak and 50 miles east of the Manchester-Boston Regional Airport where Pence was scheduled to arrive before his engagement at Granite Recovery Center.
None of this adds up and all stinks of manufactured fog. We’ll have to hope the press remembers to follow up with Pence’s chief of staff in a couple weeks.
There was one other key event yesterday that did not affect Pence directly but could easily have triggered a malignant narcissist’s meltdown.
Sometime after 11:00 a.m. yesterday news outlets reported the House Ways and Means Committee had filed suit against the Treasury Department and the Internal Revenue Service to obtain Trump’s tax returns.
I imagine somebody in the Oval Office is squirming about Congress crossing the red line.
Another tetchy subject may be the Second Circuit’s order yesterday unsealing the summary judgment record in the Jeffrey Epstein case; additional sealed materials are now subject to a particularized review for release to public.
NEW: As expected, the Second Circuit orders the unsealing of a tranche of files related to wealthy sex offender Jeffrey Epstein and his underage victims.
Is somebody worried their name will come up in the unsealing process?
What other events might have created enough havoc in the White House that forced Pence to reverse his trip and his staff to perform communications contortions with the reason to be known “in a few weeks”?
This is an open thread.
https://www.emptywheel.net/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/Question_EmilyMorter-Unsplash.jpg10001500Raynehttps://www.emptywheel.net/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/Logo-Web.pngRayne2019-07-03 14:00:382019-07-03 14:02:59The Mysterious Rapid Reverse Veep with a Press Backflip
![[Photo: Emily Morter via Unsplash]](https://www.emptywheel.net/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/Question_EmilyMorter-Unsplash.jpg)
