Tuesday, October 29, 2019

Trump amplified a tweet calling one of his diplomats a liar—and, by implication, absolving a Ukrainian gas mogul of any mob ties


Our new Washpost editorial explains how Alex Vindman helped shred Mike Pence’s false claims about the Ukraine quid pro quo.


Hello Missouri. Turns out your state health director has been personally tracking the menstrual periods of Missouri women, on a spreadsheet. This is how your state govt is "regulating" the last abortion provider in MO -- while trying to shut it down


Prosecutors accuse ex-Trump adviser Flynn of trying to walk-back guilty plea


Schumer: "Increasingly worried" Trump will shut down government over impeachment


A stable genius and an Einstein Visa recipient


Feeling lost? Do you keep confusing your Sondlands and your Vindmans? Whose that Lev guy again? Wait, there's an Igor? For real?! Here's the full Trump-Ukraine timeline to help you keep it all straight!


BREAKING: A three-judge panel of the DC Circuit Court of Appeals has issued an emergency stay blocking the release of the Mueller grand jury materials to the House Judiciary Committee - pending an appeal from DOJ.


Former Trump campaign adviser George Papadopoulos — who pled guilty in 2017 to making false statements to the FBI about Russian contacts — has filed his statement of candidacy with the FEC for Katie Hill's seat in California's 25th district.


UPDATE: DC Circuit has stayed Judge Howell's order requiring Justice Dept to turn over Mueller grand jury material to House. Administrative stay looks likely to be in effect at least through Nov. 5 Earlier


Source who knows LTC Vindman tells me he never complains about it but still carries shrapnel in his body from the Iraq IED attack


Dr. Fiona Hill told investigators she saw Rick Perry walk out of the room, which would put Perry in the meeting when Vindman raised his objections about Sondland's request that Ukrainian officials investigate the Bidens, which Perry has repeatedly denied.


Mitt Romney on the Vindman attacks: "It's absurd, disgusting, and way off the mark. This is a decorated American soldier and he should be given the respect that his service to our country demands."


The @GOP destroyed itself when it went all-in on you, a money laundering Kremlin prostitute, while you attacked everything the Founders stood for @realdonaldtRUmp. The party can save itself, or it can try to save you. Can’t do both. Decision time approaches...


The House passed a sanctions bill 403 to 16, sending a signal that Congress will not stand by while Turkey and its proxies slaughter our Syrian Kurdish allies and fuel the revival of ISIS. Senate must stop dithering and act—the lives of our allies and our security are at risk.


Lev Parnas—the indicted Giuliani associate currently on house arrest in Florida—can be questioned under oath about financial transfers he made to Republican political campaigns, according to a federal judge's order today.


I am horrified by the Members who stormed out of today’s vote to extend care for women veterans. They played politics to disrupt progress for veterans. Veterans issues are NOT partisan issues. If our representatives cannot take care of women veterans, then they have failed us


Acting House Oversight Chairwoman Carolyn Maloney told NBC News that she found Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman's deposition "extremely, extremely, extremely disturbing."


House Republicans walked out on women veterans by refusing to vote on an historic and monumental bill to extend care and benefits included in the #DeborahSampsonAct. This is disrespectful to everyone who served and especially to the women veterans. This is a disgrace


Testimony from Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman appeared to contradict Energy Secretary Rick Perry's ardent denials that he ever heard former Vice President Joe Biden or his son Hunter discussed in relation to U.S. requests that Ukraine investigate corruption


A top ten list of the President mishandling sensitive national security information


North Korea warns US of "Exchange of fire at any moment"


Duffy slandered Vindman. What is CNN going to do about it?


Senator Asks Whether Biden Probe Was Linked to China Trade Talks


Nicole Wallace hits back at Laura Ingraham, John Yoo and Sean Duffy for their attacks on Vindman's patriotism: "except those people aren't chickenshit like the three of you and they know that he passed a background check that the President's daughter and son-in-law didn't."


DOJ: "In an extraordinary reversal, the defendant (Flynn) now claims that he is innocent of the criminal charge in this case."


‘Are you a clown school dropout?’ GOP lawmaker ripped to shreds for trying to crash Vindman hearing


They're able to place Rick Perry in room when Vindman confronted Sondland on Biden investigation. That contradicts Perry's denials to CBN's @JenniferWishon. Let's see what Perry says when under oath


What Americans don’t know you put Halloween candy in the bag the kid is carrying and not on top of their head?


The Kupperman case is fast-tracked for THURSDAY according to federal judge Leon. This will destroy Trump’s “constitutional immunity” argument. There will be no appeal. Couple that with the house vote on impeachment and every GOP narrative crumbles.


House approves sweeping Turkey sanctions bill that could cripple the country's economy and recognizes the Armenian genocide


George Papadopoulos is running for Katie Hill’s seat


Why did Justice Kennedy retire so abruptly? What role did his son Justin at Deutsche Bank play? Who paid off Brett Kavanaugh’s $1.5 million debts, and purchased themselves a SCOTUS seat? Raise your hand if you demand an answer to these goddamn questions.


New - Text of resolution to detail procedures in impeachment probe has been released.


First-hand on Quid Pro Quo. Vindman alerted NSC lawyer to July 10 meeting in which Sondland, demanded Ukrainian leaders deliver “specific investigations” to secure a meeting between Zelensky and Trump


New poll from Suffolk University & USA Today shows most Americans want Trump to stop stonewalling. Asked if the White House has an obligation to comply with the subpoenas from Congress, 66% say yes. Only 26% say no. Even 35% of R's say WH ought to comply.


Federal Prosecutors Are Lining Up Witnesses Against Jeffrey Epstein’s Cronies


Oh, clearly, Captain Flopsweat Depends. You’re totally not nervously ragetweeting from the crapper.


White House staffer twice raised concerns after listening to Trump's Ukraine call, testimony reveals


“Outing the whistleblower is an unpatriotic action. They shouldn’t even go near that,” Pelosi just told me. — Manu Raju

“Outing the whistleblower is an unpatriotic action. They shouldn’t even go near that,” Pelosi just told me. — Manu Raju

Shouting match erupts in Vindman deposition as Democrats accuse Republicans of trying to out whistleblower


Meet the pro-choice, pro-climate Republican who's trying to take down Trump. I talked with @GovBillWeld in the latest edition of #20Questionsfor2020


Lawyers representing Trump argue he is beyond the law while in office


IF Boeing came to SC due to massive state give aways and now Nikki Haley is on Boeing BoD is that a quid pro quo?


Prediction: Mike Flynn will rue the day he hired Sidney Powell


NEW: Fresh testimony from Vindman has put the credibility of Sondland, Trump’s most favorable witness, into serious doubt. “Based on all the testimony so far, I believe that Amb. Gordon Sondland committed perjury,” Rep. @JoaquinCastrotx said last night.


And lastly, prosecutors say they were prepared to file a detailed rebuttal of Flynn's new claims before Sulilvan decided he has all the info he needs to rule. They want to make sure he plans to dismiss the new allegations, or offer prosecutors a chance to respond before he rules.


The RedState writer who gleefully violated California’s revenge porn laws should be prosecuted along with anyone who participated in this horrific violation of Rep Hill and the campaign staffer. We cannot normalize the politics of cyber exploitation.


Former prosecutor Joyce White Vance: "Democrats are increasingly cutting off the legal escape routes while developing the facts." Shifting from litigation to focus on factfinding in the House makes sense because there's not much time left to act.


That’s called: Pay for play - is anyone keeping a list??? In recording, payday lenders say giving money to Trump's campaign buys White House access


House Speaker Nancy Pelosi responded to President Trump's comments about his top Ukraine expert's testimony, writing on Twitter, "Everybody has read your words on the call."


A growing number of Republicans are privately warning of increasing fears of a total wipeout in 2020: House, Senate, and White House


You and Devin “Nunez” are the “oppidite” of smart. Oh also this testimony is really bad for you and you’re going to be impeached.


For those attacking Lt.Col. Vindman for doing what he is legally and ethically REQUIRED to do as an active duty Army officer (report wrongdoing), you are shamefully corrupting the ethical system that underpins our military. Shameful.


The suspended official is charged with running a human smuggling scheme that brought pregnant women to the U.S. then paid them to give up their children for adoption.


JUST IN: Prosecutors say Joseph Mifsud's phones are "not favorable" to FLYNN or relevant to his case. "Mifsud has no connection to the defendant’s communications with the Russian Ambassador in December 2016, or to the defendant’s work on behalf of the Republic of Turkey"


WATCH: @CNN’s new hire former GOP congressman @RepSeanDuffy attempts to slime the top White House Ukraine expert Vindman who is speaking out about the Quid Pro Quo, suggesting his allegiance is to Ukraine. Clearly the new White House line. SHAMEFUL.


EU Amb. Gordon Sondland now tells Congress that there was a quid pro quo involved with Ukraine after previously denying it, Wall Street Journal reports.


The DOJ is appealing Judge Howell’s order directing the release of the Mueller grand jury transcripts & the unredacted Mueller report. The DOJ further seeks a stay, asking that they not have to turn over the materials until the case is heard on appeal.


Authorities say a pastor and popular Christian radio show host who was charged with raping a teenage girl appears to have killed himself.


New: After ProPublica sued the IRS, the agency released emails that show it has allowed the tax preparation industry to write the rules.


A senior White House official will be testifying today that he believed Trump undermined national security with his request to Ukrainian leaders to investigate political rivals


Charles Kupperman, a former aide to one-time national security adviser John Bolton, defied a Congressional subpoena to testify before House investigators and instead filed a lawsuit to determine whether he had to comply with the subpoena


Rep. Greg Walden's recently announced retirement is the latest sign that Republicans see a struggle to retake the House in 2020


White House aides including Kushner have urged a cautious approach to impeachment, operating under the belief that because Trump withstood the Mueller probe he can overcome this one, too. But there are pretty major differences between the investigations.


More insanity from @DevinNunes. His aide, Derek Harvey, is leaking the whistle-blower's name, in order to intimidate, discourage others, and potentially put him at risk. The corruption runs deep with Nunes' team, and it's time for #CA22 to do better.


Nunes Aide Is Leaking the Ukraine Whistleblower’s Name, Sources Say


Latest records show Trump campaign money keeps flowing into his businesses.


Perspective | It isn’t baseball that unites Washington. It’s the chant: "Lock him up!"


Russia’s Rosneft accuses US of ‘hypocrisy’ over Venezuela


Well said...worth reading. Taylor, Hill, Yovanovitch, Morrison, Vindman now and possibly even Bolton cannot be wrong. These are the cream of the US’ Russia/Ukraine policy elite. Do we trust these or Fruman, Parnas, Firtash and Giuliani?


Does anyone know if Brett Kavanaugh was at the World Series? I seem to recall him being a big fan of the Nationals, and of having a season ticket package.


It's actually pretty alarming that the Trump administration is incapable of keeping highly sensitive, real time operational details secret. They are lucky these journalists were a lot more responsible than whoever was tipping them off.


So Ukraine was no isolated instance but part of a pattern of Trump pressing our trading partners for dirt on his main political rival. The upshot: Trump is a serial abuser of presidential power and a repeat violator of US election laws.


Had an interesting exchange with GOP Rep. Mark Amodei of Nevada tonight where I tried to ask for his views on Trump asking Ukraine and China to investigate the Bidens


Army officer who heard Trump's Ukraine call voiced his concerns to superiors


Schiff: "This week, we will bring to the Floor a resolution that establishes the format for open hearings that will be conducted by the House Intel Cmte as part of the House's ongoing impeachment inquiry...The American people will hear firsthand about the President's misconduct.”


Sen. Johnson, ally of Trump and Ukraine, surfaces in crucial episodes in the saga


This is just shameful. I really cannot believe that Mr. Yoo, a law professor @UCBerkeley , would insinuate that Colonel Vindman, was practicing "espionage" without a shred of evidence. In some countries, that would be a crime called libel.


North Carolina judges rule gerrymandered election maps must be thrown out.


Actually, no. Every interview I’ve ever done with @RepAdamSchiff started with the admonition that he only speaks on the record for attribution that all can see- no background, and nothing off the record.


For those joking about the classified dog name, there’s actually a security reason for it: -Knowing dog’s name, u can determine the handler -Knowing the handler, u can determine the unit -Knowing the unit, tells which Delta unit(s) was part of the raid.


Greg Mankiw, who was George W. Bush's CEA director and who advised Mitt Romney's presidential campaigns, says he's no longer a Republican


Jared and Ivanka's guiding credo is PR above everything else. Ivanka thinks she is brilliant at public relations.


I understand why Trump doesn’t want more witnesses testifying. But I can’t understand why my GOP colleagues are enabling his obstruction. Where is their duty to this institution? Where is their duty to the Constitution? Where is their respect for the rule of law?

No one can.

BREAKING: An advertisement pushing for Donald Trump's impeachment is set to air on Trump's favorite news show, Fox News' @FoxandFriends on Wednesday morning, according to the celebrity-studded #ImpeachmentTaskForce dedicated to removing Trump from office.


Is there anyone still defending the president that is not directly implicated in his crimes or a credibly accused pedo?


Tell that to the troops serving in Afghanistan right now, @realDonaldTrump. Tell that to their families. A five-time draft dodger has no business trying to minimize the horrors of a war zone.


Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin is abusing a federal program to enrich his friends at taxpayers’ expense.


ICYMI - late last Friday the Council of the Inspectors General released a scathing 5 page letter. 70+ Inspectors General sharply criticized the @TheJusticeDept “handling of the original whistleblower’s Complaint. DOJ-OIG Horowitz signed said letter


MoMA naming stirs outrage over Jeffrey Epstein ties


Pelosi announces a vote on continuing impeachment proceedings and moving them to the public phase. You asked for it, you got it Trump and @HouseGOP


I don’t know who needs to hear this, but Rep. Duncan Hunter *had an affair with one of his Congressional staffers (plus others) and used his campaign funds to pay for his affairs*. He still hasn’t resigned. & AFAICT GOP leaders haven’t asked him to resign.


CREW found that the rate for a room at Trump Hotel is 3x average during a Senate Republican retreat that it is hosting. 8 Senators, and Trump himself are billed to attend.


"He has no filter," the official added. "But also if he knows something, and he thinks it's going to be good to say or make him appear smarter or stronger, he'll just blurt it out."


"There is nothing worse than a dog in Donald Trump's world."


Time to have a little chat with @IngrahamAngle sponsors


Oh my God, look at the spin they are using right now, actually saying that Vindman is a Ukrainian double agent....this is so freaking bananas


Here’s a link to Sondland’s Provenence Hotels. They removed his name from the website recently, but he owns them. Just in case you want to be mindful of whom you enrich.


His name is: Derek Harvey. He works for Devin Nunes & has provided notes for House Republicans identifying the whistleblower’s name ahead of high-profile depositions of Trump administration appointees and civil servants in the impeachment inquiry. SINCE he's down on anonymity...


Hi, @GOPleader McCarthy, Did you miss the federal court ruling last week stating that the House’s impeachment investigation was legal and legitimate even without a formal vote by lawmakers? The judge also held that the White House is “openly stonewalling” Congress.


Trump’s news conference should have been his shining hour. Instead, it showed yet again why he is utterly unfit to be commander in chief


Opinion: The White House touts Trump’s deregulation. It’s actually been a bust.


Breaking via NYT: A W.H. national security official who's a decorated Iraq war vet plans to tell investigators he heard Trump appeal to Ukraine’s president to investigate Biden, a request he considered so damaging that he reported it to a superior.


Sondland testimony directly contradicted by Vindman. According to Vindman, after Sondland told the Ukrainians that it was important they launch Biden/Burisma investigations, Fiona Hill “entered the room and asserted to Amb. Sondland that his statements were inappropriate.”


NEW: A top aide to Rep. Devin Nunes has been providing conservative politicians and journalists with information—and misinformation—about the anonymous whistleblower who triggered the biggest crisis of Trump’s presidency


Mr. President, I’m grateful to our armed forces and intelligence professionals who did such a brilliant job of eliminating this brutal terrorist from the battlefield, and focused on the continuing fight against ISIS. I would encourage you to do the same.


NYT Breaking: "The top Ukraine expert at the White House will tell impeachment investigators he twice reported concerns about President Trump’s pressure tactics on Ukraine, acting out of a “sense of duty.”"


Rachel Maddow reads highlights from the statement of Lt. Col. Alexander S. Vindman who is scheduled to testify to House impeachment committees tomorrow:


Vindman instantly knew what Trump was saying was wrong and illegal. But not Pence. Not Pompeo. They all must go.


NEW: Five senior Trump administration officials who watched in real time told The Daily Beast that they had no idea where Trump got the “whimpering and crying and screaming” Baghdadi detail


"I am a patriot," Colonel Vindman plans to tell the investigators, "and it is my sacred duty and honor to advance and defend our country irrespective of party or politics."


"The colonel, a Ukrainian-American immigrant who received a Purple Heart after being wounded in Iraq by a roadside bomb & whose statement is full of references to duty & patriotism," understood that what he saw happening in the WH on Ukraine wasn't correct


Sondland is in deep, deep legal trouble. On the left: Lieutenant Colonel Vindman's opening statement (corroborated by Fiona Hill's and Bill Taylor's testimony). On the right: Sondland's opening statement. 18 USC 1001


BREAKING: A senior White House insider will testify tomorrow that he thought Trump undermined national security when he asked Ukrainian officials to investigate political rivals.


Lieutenant Colonel Alexander Vindman is the director of European affairs at the National Security Council (NSC). He went through multiple, intense background checks. This isn't some random Private who overheard something.


Another government official is risking his career out of duty to country. Army officer on National Security Council will defy White House and testify that Trump call to Ukraine undermined national security. GOP can’t ignore these patriots forever.


Facebook's own employees know just how dangerous their policy allowing politicians to lie in political ads will be for our democracy. Mark Zuckerberg should listen to them—and I applaud their brave efforts to hold their own company accountable.


Devin Nunes: I don’t talk to reporters on “Ukraine hoax” because “they are assassins”


Vindman: “I was concerned by the call. I did not think it was proper to demand that a foreign government investigate a U.S. citizen, and I was worried about the implications for the U.S. government's support of Ukraine.”


Seriously? Wow. So shameful. Vindman is a patriot, who has served his country with honor both on and off the battlefield. He was a first rate officer at the embassy, one of the best on the team.


EU Amb. Gordon Sondland now tells Congress that there was a quid pro quo involved with Ukraine after previously denying it, Wall Street Journal reports.


Republican congressman Matt Gaetz did not take kindly to being called a "f**king tool" by the executive producer of the "Ellen Degeneres Show."


A few of the details from Trump's al-Baghdadi presser were wrong. Many of the rest were either highly classified or tactically sensitive, and their disclosure by Trump made intelligence and military officials cringe, according to current and ex-officials


It’s been six months since Chairman Schiff referred Erik Prince to Barr’s DOJ for prosecution for lying to the Intelligence Committee. Erik Prince has not been prosecuted.


I actually agree with what President Trump said this morning about the impeachment inquiry in the House. The president said: “I’d rather go into the details of the case rather than the process." The president is absolutely right about that.


The top Ukraine expert on the National Security Council, decorated Iraq veteran Lt. Col. Alexander S. Vindman, twice registered objections about how Trump and his inner circle were treating Ukraine, out of what he called a “sense of duty.”


Witness after witness is telling the exact same story. The White House pressured Ukraine to help destroy Trump’s political rivals in exchange for U.S. support. Republicans are going to try to complain about the “process” because the conduct is impeachable. And they know it.


Some GOP Senators, speaking on condition of anonymity to @costareports, "are dreading having to weigh their conscience against their political calculations" in deciding whether to vote to remove Trump following his likely impeachment.


After Betraying the Kurds, the U.S. Isn’t Leaving Syria After All


So.....Judge Sullivan just canceled next week's hearing on Flynn's motions for dozens of categories of evidence on alleged government misconduct related to his case.....Says he's seen enough paper... Doesn't quite say he won't hold hearing but sounds like he may rule on the paper


Congratulations Lindsey Graham on making the 1,500th visit to a Trump property by a government official! Graham's 17 visits are 50% more than anyone else in Congress!


NBCUniversal offers NDA releases over harassment claim concerns


NSC Ukraine expert describes Trump pressure on Ukraine officials


Trump Baghdadi blurting hurts US operations and national security


Impeachment witness says he reported Trump's Ukraine ploy —twice


Trump reportedly also pressured China for political help


- 17 fires are actively burning across California - More than 94,000 acres have been burned - 200,000 people have been displaced near the San Francisco Bay area