Patterico's Pontifications

11/18/2019

Report: Trump Now Angry at Pompeo

Filed under: General — Patterico @ 7:42 am



Plenty of room to be upset at Pompeo here. He hired good people instead of hacks. Those good people are testifying instead of refusing to. They’re telling the truth instead of lying. I mean, they are all kinds of trouble.

The impeachment inquiry has created the first rift between President Donald Trump and the Cabinet member who has been his closest ally, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, according to four current and former senior administration officials.

Trump has fumed for weeks that Pompeo is responsible for hiring State Department officials whose congressional testimony threatens to bring down his presidency, the officials said. The president confronted Pompeo about the officials — and what he believed was a lackluster effort by the secretary of state to block their testimony — during lunch at the White House on Oct. 29, those familiar with the matter said.

Inside the White House, the view was that Trump “just felt like, ‘rein your people in,’” a senior administration official said.

Trump particularly blames Pompeo for tapping Ambassador Bill Taylor in June to be the top U.S. diplomat in Ukraine, the current and former senior administration officials said.

I’d say I feel sorry for you, Mr. Pompeo … if I did. But I don’t. You chose to work for him.

[Cross-posted at The Jury Talks Back.]

65 Responses to “Report: Trump Now Angry at Pompeo”

  1. ”I’d say I feel sorry for you, Mr. Pompeo … if I did. But I don’t. You chose to work for him.“

    Yeah, so did the (non)whistleblower.

    Only the best people, right?

    https://dailycaller.com/2019/11/17/steve-bannon-whistleblower-leaks/

    Munroe (dd6b64)

  2. then there’s this
    https://news.yahoo.com/bombshell-anonymous-book-claims-white-140800072.html

    To be clear, until we know who Mr/Ms Anonymous actually is, my basic attitude towards that book is to be highly skeptical of everything it says.

    kishnevi (496414)

  3. I can’t help but wonder whether a little pillow talk between the Fifth Avenue fancy boy and Kim Jong Un might not have preceded the current pouting. https://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/north-korea-foreign-minister-calls-pompeo-poisonous-plant-65138219 Similar to Zelensky complaining in the “read the transcript which says it’s not a transcript” that Marie Yovanovich was not nice to him. Back channels!

    nk (dbc370)

  4. I suspect Zelensky said that because Giuliani was saying it, and Zelensky desperately needs to please Trump.

    DRJ (15874d)

  5. Unfortunately for Trump, not everyone in DC is as subservient as Rick Perry.

    DRJ (15874d)

  6. Zelensky desperately needs to please Trump.
    And that’s an ongoing need. Which is why I assume that any statements coming from Ukrainian sources are more concerned with pleasing Trump than telling truths.

    kishnevi (496414)

  7. Trump says he’ll ‘strongly consider’ testifying in impeachment hearings

    Donald Trump said he would “strongly consider” testifying in the House impeachment hearings after Speaker Nancy Pelosi invited him to participate in the proceedings determining the fate of his presidency, though added in the same tweet that “she also said I could do it in writing.”

    “Even though I did nothing wrong, and don’t like giving credibility to this No Due Process Hoax, I like the idea & will, in order to get Congress focused again, strongly consider it!” the president tweeted Monday morning.

    Trump lashed out at Pelosi on Twitter Monday, yet again blasting the impeachment inquiry and lobbing familiar attacks at the speaker of the House in a two-part tweet.

    “Our Crazy, Do Nothing (where’s USMCA, infrastructure, lower drug pricing & much more?) Speaker of the House, Nervous Nancy Pelosi, who is petrified by her Radical Left knowing she will soon be gone (they & Fake News Media are her BOSS), suggested on Sunday’s DEFACE THE NATION that I testify about the phony Impeachment Witch Hunt,” he tweeted.

    If Trump were to submit a written statement rather than appearing in person, he would avoid live questioning that could put him in danger of accidentally perjuring himself, but his answers would still be considered under oath. ….

    Rip Murdock (5a2a4a)

  8. I frankly think that people who go and work for the rage monkey President are heroic patriots. They understand that the Administration still has to function, notwithstanding the personality defects of the current occupant of the Oval Office. I reserve the right to change my mind if I find out that they are just using their Administration jobs to position themselves for more lucrative work down the road, but I don’t think that applies to someone like Mike Pompeo.

    JVW (54fd0b)

  9. Friedman: Mike Pompeo: Last in His Class at West Point in Integrity

    It seems like every story you read about Secretary of State Mike Pompeo always includes the sentence that he graduated “first in his class” from West Point. That is not a small achievement. But it is even more impressive in Pompeo’s case when you consider that he finished No. 1 even though he must have flunked all his courses on ethics and leadership. I guess he was really good in math.

    I say that because Pompeo has just violated one of the cardinal rules of American military ethics and command: You look out for your soldiers, you don’t leave your wounded on the battlefield and you certainly don’t stand mute when you know a junior officer is being railroaded by a more senior commander, if not outright shot in her back.

    The classes on ethics and leadership at West Point would have taught all of that. I can only assume Pompeo failed or skipped them all when you observe his cowardly, slimy behavior as the leader of the State Department. I would never, ever, ever want to be in a trench with that man. Attention all U.S. diplomats: Watch your own backs, because Pompeo won’t be. …..

    Rip Murdock (5a2a4a)

  10. I think they’re power-hungry petty chieftains who want to boss the world around, but what do I know?

    nk (dbc370)

  11. And that includes the career civil service, including the Corps Diplomatique Terrestriene, as well as the political appointees, Rip.

    nk (dbc370)

  12. Pompeo, Bolton, Mulvaney, Perry, and Giuliani, among others, need to be hauled in to testify before Congress and the American people, or held in contempt.

    Imagine the hissy fit Trump on Twitter would have about that.

    There is something very wrong going on in this mess, and it’s been coordinated for at least a year. But Pelosi and Schiff don’t want the whole thing to be tied up in courts and drag on for months, as it inevitably would be. Still it would be nice to see them all twist in the wind. F*ck the primaries and the election. We need to get to the bottom of this. Instead of waiting for the hammer to fall.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5oSz8Xip_ho

    Gawain's Ghost (b25cd1)

  13. Breaking-
    AP Exclusive: US officials knew of Ukraine’s Trump anxiety

    Despite his denials, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy was feeling pressure from the Trump administration to investigate former Vice President Joe Biden before his July phone call with President Donald Trump that has led to impeachment hearings.

    In early May, staff at the U.S. Embassy in Kyiv, including then-Ambassador Marie Yovanovitch, were briefed on a meeting Zelenskiy held in which he sought advice on how to navigate the difficult position he was in, according to two people with knowledge of the briefings.

    He was concerned that Trump and associates were pressing him to take action that could affect the 2020 U.S. presidential race, the people said. They spoke only on condition of anonymity because of the diplomatic and political sensitivity of the issue.

    The briefings show that U.S. officials knew early that Zelenskiy was feeling pressure to investigate Biden, even though the Ukrainian leader later denied it in a joint news conference with Trump in September. The officials said in their notes circulated internally at the State Department that Zelenskiy tried to mask the real purpose of the May 7 meeting __ which was to talk about political problems with the White House __ by saying it was about energy, the two people said. …..

    Rip Murdock (5a2a4a)

  14. Breaking-
    House is investigating whether Trump lied to Mueller, its general counsel told a federal appeals court

    A federal appeals court in Washington is considering whether the Justice Department must immediately release to Congress secret grand-jury materials from former special counsel Robert S. Mueller III’s investigation.

    At the Monday hearing, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit is reviewing a lower-court ruling that requires disclosure of evidence the House Judiciary Committee says it needs in its “urgent efforts” to determine whether President Trump committed impeachable offenses. …..

    House lawyers told the appeals court in filings that lawmakers need to view the materials to “aid the House in determining whether the President committed impeachable offenses, including attempted obstruction of the Special Counsel’s investigation of Russian interference in the 2016 Presidential election and solicitation of Ukrainian interference in the 2020 Presidential election.” …

    Rip Murdock (5a2a4a)

  15. Trump says he’ll ‘strongly consider’ testifying in impeachment hearings

    Trump’s legal team reacts

    Dave (1bb933)

  16. He should do it. Trump should speak for himself and not let all these people speak for him.

    DRJ (15874d)

  17. Pompeo has gone native. I agree with Trump, Mike Pompeo hired a bunch of never-trumpers who couldn’t wait to cause trouble and stab Trump in the back. Its an age-old problem. Reagan and Nixon had the same problem. At least Trump didn’t appoint a backstabber like John Dean or Lee Garment as his legal counsel.

    rcocean (1a839e)

  18. Trump doesn’t need disloyal people to sink him, he’s going to do it all himself if he testifies. He will testify and out of his narcissistic need will make it all about him. Hoof in mouth disease. And that hoof is usually covered with bovine defecation. I used to think Obama was the biggest narcissist, I’m thinking it’s a tie at this point between he and Trump. Obama had one plus, he is a lawyer and understands that keeping his mouth shut at times was the best policy, the best protection. Trump has NO control over his mouth or his twitter fingers and is his own worst enemy. He doesn’t need the help of a whistleblower or unfaithful employees.

    Off-topic….. Trumps tax returns. Does nobody recognize that allowing the government to go fishing for wrong-doing, without any evidence justifying the release of these tax forms puts ALL Americans at risk of the same? So I make county commissioner Joe mad and he wants to shut me up, he gets my taxes and makes me a target one way or another…. I find this very disturbing. The IRS is very aware of what is in Trumps returns and I have to believe would have either fined him for wrong-doing or brought evasion charges…. but then maybe I’m putting too much trust in an entity I don’t trust.

    Marci (405d43)

  19. Trump needs to tell the House, there’s a separation of powers and he doesn’t have to do everything they ask. They’re going to impeach in any case. He should just echo the Duke of Wellington: “Impeach and be damned”.

    rcocean (1a839e)

  20. Trump hasn’t committed a crime, so testifying wont’ cause him any trouble. The legal beagles never understand that this isn’t a legal proceeding – its politics. The Democrat House will define “High crimes/ misdemeanors” any way they wish. They don’t need or care if there’s actually a crime.

    rcocean (1a839e)

  21. Meanwhile…..

    New York Post
    @nypost
    Kavanaugh accuser Christine Blasey Ford accepts ACLU ‘courage’ award
    _ _

    Tim Carney
    @TPCarney
    This is confusing if you think of ACLU as a civil liberties organization.

    _

    harkin (337580)

  22. Marci,

    The NY State prosecutor is seeking Trump’s tax returns and he has shown the courts a legal reason:

    Vance’s investigation includes an inquiry into whether the Trump Organization violated the law in how it accounted for hush money payments to two women, Stormy Daniels and Karen McDougal, ahead of the 2016 election.

    Trump also argued he cannot be criminally investigated, which is why he sued Vance. I don’t think many regular people can argue that.

    DRJ (15874d)

  23. So “going native” means putting Truth and Country ahead of Party? We should all go native.

    DRJ (15874d)

  24. Breaking-

    IRS whistleblower case advances as Senate staff probe whether political appointee meddled with audit of Trump or Pence

    Two Senators are probing a whistleblower’s allegations that at least one political appointee at the Treasury Department may have tried to interfere with the audit of President Trump or Vice President Pence, according to two people with knowledge of the matter, a sign that lawmakers are moving to investigate the complaint lodged by a senior staffer at the Internal Revenue Service.
    Staff for Sens. Charles E. Grassley (R-Iowa) and Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), the chair and ranking Democrat on the Senate finance committee, met with the IRS whistleblower earlier this month, those people said. Follow-up interviews are being scheduled to further explore the whistleblower’s allegations. …..

    The whistleblower, a career IRS official, initially filed a complaint in July, reporting that he was told at least one Treasury political appointee attempted to improperly interfere with the annual audit of the president’s or vice president’s tax returns. In recent weeks, the whistleblower filed additional documentation related to the original complaint, which was given to congressional officials in July, the two people said. …..

    The IRS whistleblower deals with a more technical but still potentially controversial topic: the handling of the annual tax audits of the president and vice president. The initial IRS complaint, filed by a career IRS official, relays concerns from another IRS official that at least one Treasury Department political appointee attempted to improperly interfere with the annual tax audit of either Trump or Pence.

    Rip Murdock (5a2a4a)

  25. They’re telling the truth instead of lying

    I think some of them are lying. but against Trump. I mean about that phone call on July 26 between himself and Gordon Sondland which I suspect may not have happened at all, which there miht be proof of. I outlined why I felt that testimony was suspicious at the end of the “Two Bad GOP Impeachment Arguments” thread:

    Trump is asking again to be told what Zelensky told him the day before; he had also been told that, at least the Biden/Burisma investigation, would (only) start when a new prosecutor general was appointed in September; and he doesn’t ask Sondland about when Giuliani is going to talk to Ukrainian officials, which would have been the natural followup ad David Holmes tells Taylor about this too late.

    Plus what Sondland allegedly told Trump doesn’t seem to be truth.

    But Bill Taylor, and Marie Yovanovich and Kurt Volker (who hasn’t appeared on TV yet) and, yes, Gordon Sondland, seem to be telling the truth.

    From NBC News:

    Trump particularly blames Pompeo for tapping Ambassador Bill Taylor in June to be the top U.S. diplomat in Ukraine, the current and former senior administration officials said.

    That report has a real strong ring of plausibility.

    Taylor also (on the advice of John Bolton, who was visiting Kiev at the time) wrote the Aug 29 or so cable that said his hold on the aid for possible political advantage was crazy, that Pompeo carried into the Oval Office and read out loud to to Trump (Taylor heard that rumor)

    Bolton also, in a September 5 meeting I think in the Oval Office tried to get Trump to reverse his decision to suspend the aid, but he wouldn’t do it. Bolton maybe began planning to round up support.(maybe even stage an intervention like happens to an alcoholic?)

    Then Congress really got upset. Senator Ron Johnson said on Sunday, I think, that this whole controversy could have ended quietly if Trump had reversed himself at that stage. He was on a network interview show but said that afterward he was going to prepare an account of what he knew for Nunes and Jordan. Not testify, because members of the House shouldn’t really testify to a Senate committee and vice versa.

    I think maybe Bolton’s resignation may have finally gotten the aid freed. That is, maybe it was about this, and Trump took his advice but accepted his resignation.

    Sammy Finkelman (976d9e)

  26. “Lackluster.”

    ‘Nuff said.

    ____________

    @12. You mean “All the President’s Men”?!?!? 😉

    History rhymes.

    DCSCA (797bc0)

  27. The NY State prosecutor is seeking Trump’s tax returns and he has shown the courts a legal reason:

    Vance’s investigation includes an inquiry into whether the Trump Organization violated the law in how it accounted for hush money payments to two women, Stormy Daniels and Karen McDougal, ahead of the 2016 election.

    Trump also argued he cannot be criminally investigated, which is why he sued Vance. I don’t think many regular people can argue that.
    DRJ (15874d) — 11/18/2019 @ 10:00 am

    If just cause has been shown I can’t argue with their being released to the state prosecutor. I still would have issues with the media being given full access to the returns so he can be tried in the media vs. court.

    Trump hasn’t committed a crime, so testifying wont’ cause him any trouble. The legal beagles never understand that this isn’t a legal proceeding – its politics. The Democrat House will define “High crimes/ misdemeanors” any way they wish. They don’t need or care if there’s actually a crime.
    rcocean (1a839e) — 11/18/2019 @ 9:55 am

    The problem is Trump won’t stop at the issue at hand. He will just keep on going until he says something that catches him. I honestly don’t think he could control himself in testifying and while they might not say anything on topic that would sink him he would be giving them ammunition to keep the whole investigation going. Just let it die, don’t give it fuel.

    Marci (405d43)

  28. Wrong pronoun…. they should be “…..he might not say anything on topic that would sink him…..”

    Marci (405d43)

  29. Munroe (dd6b64) — 11/18/2019 @ 7:48 am

    Bannon would say that the “background and motivations of the whistleblower are far more important than the individual’s identity,” because his complaint has been mostly corroborated.

    Paul Montagu (00daa1)

  30. nk @3

    Zelensky complaining in the “read the transcript which says it’s not a transcript” that Marie Yovanovich was not nice to him.

    Nobody seems to have asked MArie Yovanovich what else thought that was all about, if anything.

    Sammy Finkelman (976d9e)

  31. Here’s how I see Trump’s House testimony on Ukraine unfolding…
    Trump: Schiff, we live in a world where the walls at my resorts must be guarded. Who’s gonna do it? You? Hillary?
    I have more responsibility than you can fathom. You weep for Zelensky and curse my friend, Vladimir. You don’t know what I know. Extorting Zelensky tragic a$$ saved profits.
    And my existence, while grotesque to you, saves Trump, Inc.!
    But deep down, in places you don’t talk about at parties, you want me at my resorts, you need me at my resorts.
    We use words like WITCH HUNT, FakeNews, HOAX. They’re the backbone of our lives. You use them as a punchline!
    I haven’t the time or inclination to explain myself to a man who’s not even 5’6″, but questions the way I do it. Better just to thank me. Or pick up a caddie suit and carry a member’s golf bag.
    But I don’t give a damn what you think you are entitled to!
    Questioner: Did you extort Zelensky to take down Biden?
    Trump: You’re goddamn right I did!

    Paul Montagu (00daa1)

  32. #30

    nk @3

    Zelensky complaining in the “read the transcript which says it’s not a transcript” that Marie Yovanovich was not nice to him.

    Nobody seems to have asked MArie Yovanovich what else thought that was all about, if anything.

    Sammy Finkelman (976d9e) — 11/18/2019 @ 10:24 am

    Thats… a decent point.

    Zelenski himself brought up issues with Yovanovich. Not Trumpo…

    So, to me, that add some credibility that Yovanovich created diplomatic issues based on alleged animus towards Trump.

    whembly (fd57f6)

  33. #16

    He should do it. Trump should speak for himself and not let all these people speak for him.

    DRJ (15874d) — 11/18/2019 @ 9:48 am

    He’d be wise not to.

    Is anyone here on this board believe that the House will NOT impeach Trump?

    I think it’s a foregone conclusion… so, why give credibility to the process?

    whembly (fd57f6)

  34. There is a story in the Talmud somewhere about a Rabbi who said he went over something 100 times and he didn’t understand it anywhere near as he did after he went over it 101 times.

    This looks to be the case also with the call record of the Trump Zelensky phone call on Thursday, July 25, 2019:

    The transcript makes it pretty clear why Trump withheld the aid.

    It was not what Ukraine didn’t do, but what Trump thought it did do:

    (maybe based on confidential disinformation from Giuliani? Or Vladimir Putin?? Maybe Putin indirectly, to Rudolph Giuliani, but Putin would have wanted disinformation to reach Trump in more than one way.)

    https://www.whitehouse.gov/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/Unclassified09.2019.pdf

    …the United States has been very very good to Ukraine. I wouldn’t say that it’s reciprocal necessarily because things are happening [N.B. in 2019 – SF] that are not good but the United States has been very very good to Ukraine…..[later] The server, they say Ukraine has it. There are a lot of things that went on, [in 2016] the whole situation. I think you are surrounding yourself with some of the same people. [Later] …. The former ambassador from the United States, the woman, was bad news and the people she was dealing with in the Ukraine were bad news so I just want to let you know that.

    Now Trump doesn’t say more, and presumably wants Giuliani to brief Zelensky on who are the bad people in Ukraine.

    Rudy very much knows what’s happening [present tense = 2019 – SF] and he is a very capable guy. If you could speak to him that would be great.

    Trump withheld the aid mainly because he thought there were bad people in the Ukrainian government, some of them being the same people who had done whatever he imagined happened in 2016, and he wanted Zelensky to get rid of them.

    Sammy Finkelman (976d9e)

  35. Zelenski himself brought up issues with Yovanovich. Not Trumpo

    That’s false. Trump brought up Yovanovitch first. Zelensky made agreeable noises in response, like a good junior partner would. After all, the guy needs Javelin missiles and needs to stay on Trump’s mercurial good side. Quote:

    The former ambassador from the United States, the woman, was bad news and the people she was dealing with in the Ukraine were bad news so I just want to let you know that.

    Zelensky responded with this:

    On top of that, I would kindly ask you if you have any additional information that you can provide to us, it would be very helpful for the investigation to make sure that we administer justice in our country with regard to the Ambassador to the United States from Ukraine as far as I recall her name was Ivanovich. It was great that you were the first one, who told me that she was a bad ambassador because I agree with you 100%.

    Paul Montagu (00daa1)

  36. I wonder if “the bad news” was that Ivanovich was looking at Rick Perry’s oil-drilling buddies violating the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act. You know, the ones that got the oil rights for less than their competitors were offering.

    nk (dbc370)

  37. Trump knows the charges are real, and could affect the election. He knows the outcome depends on politics, but that’s not a reason to disregard it. He just wants more due process rights. I’ve never felt he’s absolutely standing in the way here.

    Sammy Finkelman (976d9e)

  38. I stand corrected Paul… thanks.

    whembly (fd57f6)

  39. #37

    Trump knows the charges are real, and could affect the election. He knows the outcome depends on politics, but that’s not a reason to disregard it. He just wants more due process rights. I’ve never felt he’s absolutely standing in the way here.

    Sammy Finkelman (976d9e) — 11/18/2019 @ 10:50 am

    Um… I think he *is* standing in the way, but not letting much of his appointees (Pompeo/Bolten/etc) to testify.

    I think he’s playing keep away here because… he can. This is a tug of war between two co-equal branches.

    whembly (fd57f6)

  40. Paul Montagu @35. The “additional information” has to do with Biden/Burisma. There should be a period after the word country and before the word with.

    Zelinsky’s response about the ambassador goes:

    With regard to the Ambassador [new topic – SF] to [Zelensky uses the wrong English prepositions [SF} the United States from Ukraine [of course, that should be FROM the United States TO Ukraine -SF] as far as I recall her name was Ivanovich. [Possibly Zelensky had her name right as Yovanovich, but that name was not in the voice-to-text’s software’s dictionary. Zelensky had sensed that Trump couldn’t remember her name, and part of his extreme friendliness to Trump was supplying her name here -SF]

    Continuing Zelensky’s words:

    It was great that you were the first one who told me that she was a bad ambassador [Does he mean now, or does he mean a previous message conveyed by Giuliani or somebody else? – SF] because I agree with you 100%. Her attitude towards me was far from the best as she admired the
    previous President and she was on his side. She would not accept me as a new President well enough.

    [I think this is Zelensky speaking English, unlike in the first call, which was through an interpreter.

    I don’t know if any of that is true. Yovanovich distrusted Zelensky?

    It could be, of course, that the (corrupt) people smearing Yovanovich were also smearing her to Zelensky and his people. But it could be true that Yovanovich distrusted Zelensky because they could also also have been smearing Zelensky to Yovanovich! – SF]

    The President: Well, she’s going to go through some things.

    “Some things” is vague, and possibly Trump couldn’t describe it exactly even if he wanted to, but probably means Trump wants her brought up on some kind of charges to get fired. (Pompeo probably pulled her out of Ukraine very quickly in order to forestall that. She was told that she did nothing wrong. Nothing happened to her, but she was reassigned as a teacher.)

    Trump says that to reassure Zelensky that his complaints against the ambassador have merit. He quickly leaves this subject. And then Trump I think goes on to other things. And pivots to:

    He is going to have Giuliani give him a call (maybe about the bad people who he might be associating with, and also maybe about Burisma) and will have Barr give him a call (about the counterintelligence investigation – it was not yet in any respect a criminal investigation – into 2016, although Barr was surely surprised on September 26 to see the servers mentioned in that connection. Barr’s investigation actually was into how the counterintelligence investigation into Trump’s 2016 campaign got started. The only genuine issue involving Ukraine is who leaked the “black ledger” which showed Paul Manafort to be the beneficiary of cash = stolen or laundered money – got Paul Manafort deposed as campaign chief.

    Trump then tells Zelensky: “I’m sure you will figure it out” (I don’t think Trump is dictating an outcome here.)

    And then he tells him again about the “very fair prosecutor” who was treated very badly (meaning Viktor Shokin whom Joe Biden took credit for replacing.)

    Trump finishes here with wishing him good luck “with everything.” This means solving the various mysteries. Because Trump doesn’t have a clear picture of what is supposed to have happened.

    Sammy Finkelman (976d9e)

  41. 39 Trump is standing in the way, but I think he’s only bargaining for the right to call his own witnesses and more of this to be done in public and more rights for Republicans o cross-examine.

    Without having to give up 100% of executive privilege

    Sammy Finkelman (976d9e)

  42. bk @36. There’s this about energy from Zelensky:

    As to the economy, there is much potential for our two countries and one of the issues that is very important for Ukraine is energy
    independence. I believe we can be very successful, and cooperating on energy independence with United States. We are already working on cooperation. We are buying American oil but I am very hopeful for- a future meeting.

    Sammy Finkelman (976d9e)

  43. OT: Wow… I didn’t expect SCOTUS to intervene here (I was betting they’d run away from this case):
    https://www.nationalreview.com/news/supreme-court-temporarily-blocks-subpoena-of-trump-financial-documents/

    whembly (fd57f6)

  44. The “additional information” has to do with Biden/Burisma.

    Um, no Sammy. It had to with Yovanovitch. Quote: “On top of that, I would kindly ask you if you have any additional information that you can provide to us, it would be very helpful for the investigation to make sure that we administer justice in our country with regard to the Ambassador to the United States from Ukraine as far as I recall her name was Ivanovich.”
    Why would a Ukrainian president “administer justice” to a reassigned US Ambassador?

    Paul Montagu (00daa1)

  45. So “going native” means putting Truth and Country ahead of Party? We should all go native.

    That was Benedict Arnold’s defense too.

    rcocean (1a839e)

  46. Strangely, Linda Tripp and Whittaker Chambers put “Truth and Country” ahead of “Party” and got zero love from the Liberal/Left. Funny, dat.

    rcocean (1a839e)

  47. That was Benedict Arnold’s defense too.

    Do you seriously believe that saying or reporting things that reflect poorly on Donald Trump is equivalent to treason?
    Just because Trump himself believes it is doesn’t make it so.

    Radegunda (539c00)

  48. 44.

    SF: The “additional information” has to do with Biden/Burisma.

    Paul Montagu:

    Um, no Sammy. It had to with Yovanovitch. Quote: “On top of that, I would kindly ask you if you have any additional information that you can provide to us, it would be very helpful for the investigation to make sure that we administer justice in our country with regard to the Ambassador to the United States from Ukraine as far as I recall her name was Ivanovich.”

    That’s two separate sentences, with a period before the word “with.”

    What would Zelensky be talking about administering justice “with regard to the Ambassador?” Is she being accused of anything criminal? And how would Ukraine be administering justice to someone with diplomatic immunity? And doesn’t Trump later indicate that she’ll be going through some things, i.e. in the United States, not Ukraine?

    And besides, whst “on top of that” refers to Ukraine’s working (starting in September) on the Burisma case (he doesn’t say Biden.) Here President Zelensky assures President Trump that he considers that investigation fully legitimate (meaning that they’ll do it) Then he says “on top of that” – on top of their own investigation – they’d appreciate “any additional information that you can provide to us.”

    Zelensky has thought this whole matter through. He’s trying to satisfy Trump without doing anything wrong.

    Even if you parse the words you quoted the way you do, you’ll still need an extra period, in that excerpt because then there should be one after the word “Ukraine” and before the words “as far as I recall”

    Why would you rely absolutely on the voice-to-text algorithm? Do you think the automated voice to text software has really that good artificial intelligence?

    It was probably even worse before the note takers and the country experts made their corrections – a process which was apparently cut short by the call record being placed in a very secure computer because Alexander Vindman went with his twin brother to John Eisenberg, the chief lawyer for the National Security Council.

    Sammy Finkelman (976d9e)

  49. Strangely, Linda Tripp and Whittaker Chambers put “Truth and Country” ahead of “Party” and got zero love from the Liberal/Left. Funny, dat.

    IOW, because “the Liberal/Left” put partisanship (or ideology) first in those cases, therefore no one on the right should put country over party either?

    Radegunda (539c00)

  50. That was Benedict Arnold’s defense too.

    Benedict Arnold’s “defense” had nothing whatsoever to do with “putting Truth and Country ahead of Party”.

    Much like Trump, Arnold sold out his country to foreign enemies for personal profit and aggrandizement.

    Dave (1bb933)

  51. IOW, because “the Liberal/Left” put partisanship (or ideology) first in those cases, therefore no one on the right should put country over party either?

    He just spits hatred without concern for whether any of it makes sense.

    Dave (1bb933)

  52. I don;t think anybody (except some of the witnesses) is putting truth ahead of party. The democrats seem to be pushing a narrative that doesn’t quite fit the facts, moving closer to the facts but then compensating for it by expanding the grounds for impeachment, and the Republicans can’t say that Trump did anything even stupid.

    Sammy Finkelman (976d9e)

  53. That’s two separate sentences, with a period before the word “with.”

    I’m reading the grammar as written, Sammy, but if that’s the way you want to go, the “additional information” refers to Crowdstrike and Biden, not Burisma.

    Paul Montagu (00daa1)

  54. 53. SF: That’s two separate sentences, with a period before the word “with.”

    Paul Montagu (00daa1) — 11/18/2019 @ 2:10 pm

    I’m reading the grammar as written, Sammy,

    But that’s not good. That grammar comes from a computer program, which didn’t get completely corrected.

    One thing that surrpised me is that during the hearings last week, members were quoting from the transcript, evenn though they had gone to the trouble of interviewung Vindman (and another person) and Vindman had told them there were things left out. They just skipped over the ellipses without even refering to the fact that some words were missing (only from President Trump, three times)

    Vindman had told them Burisma and a recrding of Biden were mentioned at the spot where the dots are – between “look into it” and “it sounded horrible to me.”

    Of course mention of a recording would fit very well before the words “it sounded”

    I think it is possible that Chairman Adam Schiff had forbidden the mebers of the committee to make reference to anyting that was in the transcripts that had nt yet been released (but Vindman’s was released before the hearing on zfriiday) because it sounded to me like Republicans complained about that. In any case the New York Times reported it here:

    https://www.nytimes.com/2019/10/29/us/politics/alexander-vindman-trump-ukraine.html

    So the way it works out it goes:

    The other thing: There’s a lot of. talk about Biden’s son, that Biden stopped the prosecution and a lot of people want to find out about that so whatever you can do with the Attorney General would be great. Biden went around bragging that he stopped the prosecution so if you ·can look into it [the words Burisma and recording are here] … It sounds horrible to me. ,

    Vindmans full testimony is here:

    https://assets.documentcloud.org/documents/6543468/Alexander-Vindman-Testimony.pdf

    but if that’s the way you want to go, the “additional information” refers to Crowdstrike and Biden, not Burisma.

    No, Zelensky was very careful

    He never mentions Biden.

    Sammy Finkelman (02a146)

  55. 34: SF: Trump…..and presumably wants Giuliani to brief Zelensky on who are the bad people in Ukraine.

    The Whistleblower complaint has this (unfortunately this summary doesn’t make clear about what time period Giuliani was talking about.)

    Mr. Giuliani subsequently stated in an interview with a Ukrainian journalist published on 14 May that Ambassador Yovanovich was “removed…because she was part of the efforts against the President.

    But this probably refers to 2019.

    The Wall Street Journal reported on October 3 5:12 pm:

    https://www.wsj.com/articles/trump-ordered-ukraine-ambassador-removed-after-complaints-from-giuliani-others-11570137147

    In an interview, Mr. Giuliani told The Wall Street Journal that in the lead-up to Ms. Yovanovitch’s removal, he reminded the president of complaints percolating among Trump supporters that she had displayed an anti-Trump bias in private conversations. In Mr. Giuliani’s view, she also had been an obstacle to efforts to push Ukraine to investigate Mr. Biden and his son Hunter….Mr. Giuliani told the Journal that when he mentioned the ambassador to the president this spring, Mr. Trump “remembered he had a problem with her earlier and thought she had been dismissed.” Mr. Giuliani said he subsequently received a call from a White House official—whom he declined to identify—asking him to list his concerns about the ambassador again.

    Mr. Giuliani said he gave Mr. Pompeo a nine-page document dated March 28 that included a detailed timeline of the Bidens’ dealings in Ukraine and allegations of impropriety against Ms. Yovanovitch, including that she was “very close” to Mr. Biden.

    “He called me back and he said they were going to investigate,” Mr. Giuliani said of the secretary of state, saying Mr. Pompeo asked for additional documents to back up the allegations. “The reason I gave the information to the secretary was I believed that he should know that the president’s orders to fire her were being blocked by the State Department.”

    …Andrew Bates, a Biden campaign spokesman, said Mr. Biden has professional respect for Ms. Yovanovitch but that the two aren’t close. “She became our ambassador during the final 6 months of the administration,” he said. “This is standard Rudy Giuliani: noun, verb, lie about Joe Biden. ”

    When asked about Ms. Yovanovitch’s removal Thursday, Mr. Trump told reporters: “I don’t know if I recalled her or somebody recalled her but I heard very, very bad things about her for a long period of time. Not good.”

    Sammy Finkelman (976d9e)

  56. Senior Trump admin official Mina Chang resigns after embellishing resumé

    Senior Trump administration official Mina Chang resigned from her job at the State Department two and a half hours after NBC News went to her spokesperson to ask about newly discovered false claims she had made about her charity work.

    NBC News had previously reported that Chang, the deputy assistant secretary in the State Department’s Bureau of Conflict and Stability Operations, had embellished her resume with misleading claims about her educational achievements and the scope of her nonprofit’s work — even posting a fake cover of Time magazine with her face on it.

    “It is essential that my resignation be seen as a protest and not as surrender because I will not surrender my commitment to serve, my fidelity to the truth, or my love of country,” Chang wrote in her resignation letter to Secretary of State Mike Pompeo. “Indeed, I intend to fight for those things as a citizen in the days and years to come.”

    Chang said she had been “unfairly maligned, unprotected by my superiors, and exposed to a media with an insatiable desire for gossip and scandal, genuine or otherwise.”

    Rip Murdock (5a2a4a)

  57. Prosecutors preparing to file charges against Epstein prison guards

    Federal prosecutors in New York are preparing to file criminal charges as early as this week against two Bureau of Prisons workers who were supposed to check regularly on millionaire sex offender Jeffrey Epstein the night he hanged himself in his cell, according to people familiar with the matter.

    The two corrections workers, whose names have not been released, fell under suspicion immediately after Epstein was found early on the morning of Aug. 10 in his cell at the Metropolitan Correctional Center, a federal jail used primarily for people awaiting trial……

    Prosecutors have been focused on charges against the officers of falsifying federal records, people familiar with the matter said. In recent weeks, they sought to have the officers plead guilty, though they refused, the people said. ….

    Rip Murdock (5a2a4a)

  58. even posting a fake cover of Time magazine with her face on it

    Now where in the world did she get that idea?

    “It is essential that my resignation be seen as a protest and not as surrender because I will not surrender my commitment to serve, my fidelity to the truth, or my love of country”

    Riiight.

    Dave (1bb933)

  59. @31 That was hilarious, Paul. Very well done.

    Gawain's Ghost (b25cd1)

  60. That fake magazine cover may be a fairly common thing. The dealership where I buy and service my last four cars has one featuring the dealership owner next to its Toyota of the Year plaques for everyone to see.

    Kishnevi (bfcc0b)

  61. Actually, Pompeo, like many others, chose to work for America. In some people’s world letting the USA die to spite Trump makes sense. I guess.

    Kevin M (19357e)

  62. Sure, sure, and Frank Nitti worked for Chicago not Al Capone. It’s Trump who is killing America and he couldn’t do it without it henchmen like Pompeo.

    nk (dbc370)

  63. 60. Donald Trump did it too:

    https://www.pbs.org/weta/washingtonweek/web-video/trumps-fake-time-cover-backlash-tweets-about-cable-anchor-and-future-planned-parenthood

    Let’s talk a little bit about fake news. We found out this week just how much President Trump loves seeing himself on the cover of TIME Magazine. He has copies of a cover featuring him hanging in several of his golf clubs. Only problem is, the cover isn’t real. Michael, you work for TIME. Tell us the story….

    …..NANCY CORDES: The irony is there’s so many real covers of TIME Magazine with him on it that could be posted in the golf clubs instead.

    MR. COSTA: He was first on it in, I think, the late ’80s.

    MR. SCHERER: ’89, and he could have – I mean, I assume this cover was put there before he ran for president. I think it’s been there for a long time, so this isn’t a recent thing that he put up in his golf club. So we didn’t have a lot of covers between 1989 and 2015. Yeah, August 2015 we put him back on the cover. But he did have one from ’89. It was back during his Atlantic City casino days, and I think he’s holding up the ace of diamonds. And it’s real, 100 percent. (Laughter.)

    Sammy Finkelman (976d9e)

  64. nk @62. Wikipedia doesn’t have anything about Frank Nitti working for the city of Chicago. What did y mean by that?

    Also, his name was Frank Nitto, not Frank Nitti. Only the police and the media (and criminals not close to him) called him Frank Nitti. Was the use of the wrong name maybe to avoid lawsuits or subpoenas?

    Sammy Finkelman (976d9e)

  65. The mob controlled the City of Chicago for a time through Mayor Big Bill Thompson and its own goombahs as ward bosses, Sammy.

    There could be any number of reasons for Nittoni => Nitto => Nitti. Like Siegel => Segal, Karpowicz => Karpis, Saxe-Coburg-Gotha => Windsor, or Drumpf => Trump.

    nk (dbc370)


Powered by WordPress.

Page loaded in: 0.1059 secs.