The Trump Conspiracy Unmasked

I find it so curious that the administration and all its supporters are crying foul about the process of the impeachment inquiry now going on in the Congress.  The fact of the matter is that all the members of the House Intelligence Committee are in these depositions that are occuring .  The Republican members of the committee are present and have the same opportunity to question the subpoenaed witnesses as the Democrats.  And yet, it turns out that during yesterday’s session with Ambassador Bill Taylor, all but one of the Republicans had left the deposition by the time it ended while the Democrats remained.  I wonder why?  They keep decrying the process, and yet when they have the opportunity to participate, they ask questions of the witnesses that have nothing to do with the apparent crime being investigated.  They would rather ask questions about Hillary Clinton’s emails, Benghazi,  or the spurious conspiracy theories concerning the Democrats and the 2016 election.  This is a sad situation. 

Nothing is coming out of these closed-door sessions as ‘leaks’ by the Republicans that would offer any information that was exculpatory for the President.  I wonder why?  Could it be that they cannot come up with anything given what they are hearing?  They would rather complain about process.

Here is the reality.  The evidence coming out of these depositions is clear, especially Taylor’s description of what happened and who the actors were/are.  Unless you are a cretin, there can be no doubt now that this scheme was pre-meditated, and the extortion and bribery plan was created by the President and supported by a cast of players: VP Pence; Rudolph Giuliani, Secretary Rick Perry, Amb. Sondland, Secretary Mike Pompeo, Special Envoy Kurt Volker, and the two Giuliani henchman Parnas and Furman.  They all knew it was going on and were silent on its criminality.  They are all implicated in its creation and deployment.

It is also clear from the statement by Taylor that on several occasions there were preconditions on the delivery of Congressionally approved military aid for the defense of Ukraine that included demands for a public announcement by the President of Ukraine that he was going to ‘investigate’ the Democrats and the Biden family.  According to the President, “we want him to be in a public box on this”.  This is a crime. 

It is clear now that Trump will be impeached.  The question now is what the President’s supporters in the Senate will do when the evidence is presented to them and the veracity of it is undeniable.  It will be a moment of truth for them.  We will discover whether we have elected patriots or sycophants to be our Senators. 

I think  what we will discover is an assortment of politicians who are more concerned about their careers than they are about our democracy and the rule of law.  There is a deficit of leadership and a deficit of character in these people.  If Trump is acquitted by them after the presentation of irrefutable evidence, then our democracy will have suffered a blow that we may not survive.  With his acquittal, we will see the rise of unbounded autocracy and decline of all that has made America a beacon of truth and integrity in the world.

Let us not forget that Ukraine is a fledgling democracy that is in direct military jeopardy from Russia.  America has been an energetic bi-partisan partner in supporting them politically and militarily.  For Trump and his conspirators to fritter that support away by withholding our military aid and support in the pursuit of Trump’s own political advantage is a crime.  Ukrainian lives are at stake and are being sacrificed for a political advantage.  That is unconscionable.

But more than that, this is a surrender of America’s righteousness.  All that we have stood for in the world with regard to being a champion of democracy and the rule of law will have been corrupted. 

That is the true danger of the Trump Presidency and why it must be ended.

America in Peril

That picture from the meeting at the White House says it all.  The  expression on the face of the President of the United States shows a petulant child living in a fantasy world that only he occupies.  He is not mentally balanced and does not have a grip on just about anything having to do with government, policy or process.  

That is an extremely dangerous condition for the most powerful man in the free world to be suffering from.  And most importantly, we the people are the ones in most jeopardy: from ISIS, from Russia, from a government of appointed toadies and incompetents, from our hollowed out institutions, from the Justice Department, from the Republicans.

So the problem is that  we have no immediate solution.  Impeachment, if it actually occurs, will stop the madness, but we still have a year to go until the election.  And if Trump survives the impeachment trial, his actions will only get worse—more unhinged, and the potential for unknowable kinds of disaster to our country,  our national security, even our very existence as a country, will be exponentially increased.

Certainly the 25th Amendment, while a viable option in writing, is unlikely, given the people who would have to invoke it.  They are all appointed by the Madman-in-Chief.

Perhaps the only option now is prayer…..God Help Us.

Uh Oh!

The inevitable crumbling of the Trump Administration has finally begun, it seems.  We are by no means out of the woods as far as the potential damage this republic will endure before he finally is ousted either by impeachment or the election of 2020, but the signs are there.  The straw that broke this camel’s back appears to be the Ukraine incident which will ultimately result in Articles of Impeachment against Trump.  It is actually fascinating to watch as cracks in the foundation of Trump’s corruption filled government widen and reveal the rot that is far more pervasive than we ever thought.

And the road we take as a nation is perhaps finally taking a turn that many of us yearned for but thought a hopeless dream.

How ironic that a scheme conceived by the President and his henchmen to hang the mantle of corruption on Joe Biden has revealed the massive corruption being perpetrated on the American people every day by the Trump Administration.  With the arrest of the two slimeball lackeys of Rudolph Guiliani this past week, the desiccated skin of the whole ruse has been ripped off for all to see.

And the view is not pretty. 

As each revelation is revealed, we can see the methodology employed to erase each impediment to the success of this dastardly plot.  We can also see the structure of the plan and individuals who have taken part in its execution.  From Trump to Giuliani to Pompeo to Sonderland to Rick Perry to Pete Sessions to the two creeps sowing false accusations against Biden and Marie Yovanovich.   The intent to corrupt and lie to the world about what was going on in this episode with Ukraine is sickening. 

We now finally see underneath the reptilian surface of what is surely this kind of corruption at every level of the Trump Administration.  Trump and his Cabinet lackeys have been pushing aside loyal career government employees who find themselves in positions that impede the progress of the Trumpification of the programs and safeguards that have taken 242 years to evolve into our system of government.  That is why Marie Yovanovich was removed as Ambassador to Ukraine with no reason other than she ‘had lost the confidence of the President’. (BTW, in an interview on TV the other day he said he didn’t even know her!) She was an impediment to the accomplishment of the Trump/Guiliani plan to corrupt the Ukrainian government. 

That is also why 2 White House staffers responsible for disbursing and monitoring the $400 Million Congress appropriated for Ukraine’s defense, were pushed aside and control of that money was put in the hands of a new Trump lackey with no experience working with Congressional disbursement—his experience?---former Chairman of the Wisconsin Republican Party.  The result was that Trump was able to stall payment to Ukraine so he could force the Ukrainians to support his scheme to slime Joe Biden.

Think about this—Many of Trump’s current cabinet and cabinet level appointees are “Acting”.-- Labor, Homeland Security, Chief of Staff, National Intelligence, Office of Management and Budget, SBA.  Other positions in “Acting” status are heads of OSHA, FDA, FEMA, ICE, US Citizenship and Immigration Service, US Customs and Border Services, These positions are supposed to be approved by the Senate.  And yet, they have not been, which means they are appointed without approval and there is no action being taken to submit their names to the Senate for approval.  The net result is that these powerful branches of our government are being led by Trump people that he can manipulate to his own ends. 

Note this example: with the resignation of “Acting Secretary of Homeland Security” Kevin McAleenan, Trump is considering appointing “Acting Head of US Citizenship and Immigration Services” Ken Cuccinelli to the role of “Acting Secretary of Homeland Security”---a role that the Senate rejected him for when his name was submitted for approval.  In fact when Cuccinelli was appointed to USCIS, Rep. Bennie Thompson, D-Miss, chair of the House Homeland Security Committee said, “"With both Democrats and Republicans opposing him, there is no reason for President Trump to install someone who has no chance of Senate confirmation,” Thompson said. 

In fact, I would urge all of you to read the following article which describes the Trump Administration’s strategy for placing unapproved personnel to head top agencies.  You will notice in the text of this article the description of how long-time experienced loyal and patriotic agency employees are removed to make way for Acting Directors and support staff that Trump can control and manipulate.  This results in directions that these agencies then take to radically change their function and authority to more closely adhere to the questionable Trump motives and designs.  This is how our government is being corrupted by Trump.  The danger is ongoing and pervasive.  Link to article.   

The courageous patriotic action taken by Marie Yovanovich in testifying before the House Intelligence Committee is an example for all of us, and most specifically for others working in government who have witnessed the growing decay in department after department.  Have you noticed that the State Department has hollowed out?  Career diplomats are resigning because they are ‘in the way’ of the new way of doing diplomacy.  The new standard being set by Trump and his administration is a standard built on corruption—lies, deception, conspiracies and coercion are the tools of the trade.

The day of reckoning is coming, not only for Trump and the perfidious men he surrounds himself with, but for all the Republican stooges who have blindly supported his actions because they have chosen party over country for the past 4 years.   As the corrupt schemes are unveiled over the coming weeks and months, these Republicans will be faced with the awful truth that they have been cowards and lackeys;  not patriots.  When the weight of the evidence for the variety of egregious things Trump has done over his term coalesces into Articles of Impeachment, Republican representatives ,and more importantly, senators will be forced to take a position on whether they condone and support what has happened.  I wonder what they will do?  As public pressure increases as the evidence becomes more comprehensive, will they still blindly support this President?  They will have a fateful decision to make; they will be faced with their own ultimate legacy that will be recorded in the history books.  We will see who the real patriots are……

It appears that Nancy Pelosi is the consummate strategist, and her path to exercising the Congress’s constitutionally mandated power of oversight of the Executive branch is steadfast, considered and cautious.  Trump screams foul, is vitriolic in his criticism, claims all sorts of non-existing privileges , and denigrates the Democrats with crude, disgusting language and lies about their motives.  His continued stonewalling of all legitimate requests by Congress will only seal his fate.  It is all going to be revealed over time as Congress inexorably follows the Constitutional process for impeachment.  I predict that the wave of revulsion that Americans will express as they learn the extent of his motives and the pervasiveness of his illegal actions will be his final undoing.

Can There Be Any Doubt?

If there was any doubt or fear that eventually Trump’s presidency would lead to loss of life, there is no remaining doubt at all.  As many as 15,000 Kurds are at risk of being victims of genocide as a direct result of Trump’s decision to pull American troops out of Syria with absolutely no consultation, inter-agency discussion or policy analysis ramifications.  He decided after a phone call with his admired autocrat Erdogan of Turkey, that he would simply acceded to Erdogan’s demand.  (new research and reporting is revealing long term associations dating back to Michael Flynn’s secretive payments from Turkey; and Trump’s financial interests in Istanbul, as well as his constant effort to support the aims of Putin in Russia, that perhaps influenced Trump’s decision).  

The only winners here are Turkey and Russia, and the consummate losers are the Kurds who are already being attacked and killed and the US,  because now the ISIS fanatics who were being incarcerated by the Kurds will now find freedom to pursue their terroristic aims.  Trump is not acting in the security interests of the United States of America.  In fact he is destroying our ability to make new alliances and ruining our reputation as a steadfast partner.

And the righteous indignation and criticism by Trump’s fellow Republicans about this decision is so hypocritical.  How can they be so enraged about this and at the same time stand idly by while Trump makes Swiss cheese out of the Constitution?  Amazing.

Trump is just doing all he possibly can to indict himself and show his incapacity to understand his responsibility as President.  His every action seems to betray an ally and elevate an adversary.  There can be no doubt that this man is acting in a traitorous manner.

Then there is Trump’s clear effort to obstruct and stonewall the Constitutional obligation of the co-equal branch of government to exercise their oversight obligations as well as their sole responsibility to manage an inquiry to impeach him.

Fellow Americans, we are in grave danger.  This man currently has over 15 months left in office during which time his accelerating unhinged decision-making can continue.   By the time he is defeated in the election of 2020, he will have created more damage with our standing with other countries, done additional damage to the rule of law, made other new and ill-conceived decisions that will possibly cause additional death and destruction around the world.

He clearly believes he is above any law according to our Constitutional form of government.  And most horribly, he has a Greek chorus of Republicans infected by some unknown alchemy supporting this man’s twisted view of truth, honesty and integrity.  History will record their perfidy and sycophancy for all time.  All the more reason for a clean sweep in Congress as well as from the Presidency.

As each day unfolds, more and more Americans see the necessity of removing this man from office.  The latest Fox News poll says it all, doesn’t it?  More than 50% of those polled support the impeachment inquiry and removal from office.  That has to upset Trump.  The Democratic House needs to keep on assembling the evidence, which he seems to provide on a daily basis, and submit articles of impeachment for a vote in the House.  Then we will let the Republican Senate record their support for a clearly unhinged and dangerous President.  The true disaster is when he is acquitted in the Senate and then somehow wins re-election.  In that scenario, our country is lost.

Say Goodbye to the Rule of Law

I sit here with my fingers on the keyboard and am wondering if expressing myself has any value at all.  I have just watched the Sunday morning News analysis programs (Meet the Press and ABC’s This Week) and I am filled with a dread and despair that is new for me.  I have always felt that at some level the citizenry of America was smart enough to discern truth and facts from the blizzard of disinformation we hear every day from the administration, the Republican Congress and the right wing media. 

I am not what some might call a radical liberal.  I am a believer in truth and in factual evidence.  What I hear from the right wing media, the Republican Congress and the Trump administration, with a few exceptions, is exactly the opposite.  If you saw the appearances by Senator Ron Johnson from Wisconsin and Rep. Jim Jordan, neither one would answer the very basic question posed as to whether it was right or wrong to enlist either Ukraine or China to investigate the Bidens.  In the case of Johnson, he raged on, and wouldn’t be stopped, about all the injustices Trump has suffered since he was inaugurated and never answered the question; and Jordan simply queried over and over whether Stephanopolous actually believed what the President said about China. Both never answered the same question, even though both Todd and Stephanopolous repeatedly asked them whether they thought it was proper to solicit a foreign country’s help to affect our elections.  It is incredible that these smart human beings are so deluded with debunked conspiracies and lies that spew forth from their allies that they cannot accept anything that aligns with proven fact and the results of extensive investigation that has already proven their beliefs to be false.

What we are witnessing is the dessication of our institutions and our democracy.  What we witnessed this morning is the absolute abandonment of our Constitutional precepts, values and the oaths of  office taken by a very large segment of our elected leaders.  Their fear of attack on them by ‘their’ President has exposed them for what they are: sycophants who are more concerned about their party than the institutions and rule of law enshrined in the American Constitution.

Their defenses of what has been exposed by the Whistleblowers, the WH released transcripts, the texts released yesterday, the corroborated evidence presented so far have been weak, fractured and frankly abandoned when they don’t immediately get traction.  In reality there is no defense for what we have seen over the past two weeks.

The evidence will continue to come out, eventually Trump will be impeached, and the Senate will acquit him…..unless, and this is a tragically remote possibility….the public can somehow be brought along to see the nefarious nature of what Trump has done to our democracy and prevail upon their elected representatives to do the right thing.  More likely, the Republican toadies in the Senate will lie down in supplication to their ‘leader’ while abandoning their sacred oath to support the Constitution.  And then they will have to live with the history they will have created.

At the end of the trail, next November, we, alone, will have a final chance to redeem ourselves.  I can only hope it won’t be too late and that there will still be a majority of patriots who honor the incredible sacrifice of the founding fathers of this great nation, and will elect a President and a legislature that will rebuild the greatness we once had and so carelessly surrendered.