President Trump accused Democrats of “interfering” with the 2020 presidential election and the “continuing to interfere” with the 2016 election.
Trump Blamed Rick Perry for Call to Ukraine President
“President Trump told House Republicans that he made his now infamous phone call to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky at the urging of Energy Secretary Rick Perry — a call Trump claimed he didn’t even want to make,” Axios reports.
“Trump made these comments during a conference call with House members on Friday.”
Said Trump: “Not a lot of people know this but, I didn’t even want to make the call. The only reason I made the call was because Rick asked me to.”
“Another source on the call said Trump added that ‘more of this will be coming out in the next few days’ — referring to Perry.”
Pompeo Defends Trump’s Ukraine Conspiracy Theory
“Secretary of State Mike Pompeo defiantly insisted on Saturday in Greece that the Trump administration was right to ask Ukrainian officials to investigate claims of election interference in the 2016 American presidential campaign, bolstering a widely debunked conspiracy theory that had already been dismissed by his own diplomatic envoy,” the New York Times reports.
Trump Calls for Romney to Be Impeached
President Trump called for Sen. Mitt Romney (R-UT) to be “impeached” and said Utah voters made a “big mistake” sending Romney to the Senate.
Sid Trump: “He is a fool who is playing right into the hands of the Do Nothing Democrats!”
Collins Says Trump’s Comment ‘Completely Inappropriate’
Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME) told the Bangor Daily News that it was “completely inappropriate” for President Trump to urge China to investigate Joe Biden and his son, Hunter.
Said Collins: “I thought the president made a big mistake by asking China to get involved in investigating a political opponent… It’s completely inappropriate.”
North Korea Breaks Off Nuclear Talks with U.S.
“North Korea’s top negotiator said late on Saturday that working-level nuclear talks in Sweden between officials from Pyongyang and Washington had been broken off, dashing prospects for an end to months of stalemate,” Reuters reports.
Mounting Evidence Backs Up Whistleblower Complaint
Washington Post: “Since the revelation of an explosive whistleblower complaint that sparked an impeachment crisis for President Trump, he and his Republican allies have coalesced around a central defense: The document was based on secondhand information, mere hearsay riddled with inaccuracies.”
“But over the past two weeks, documents, firsthand witness accounts and even statements by Trump himself have emerged that bolster the facts outlined in the extraordinary abuse-of-power complaint.”
Biden Struggled to Respond to Trump’s Attacks
New York Times: “For more than a week, President Trump had been hurling unfounded accusations about Mr. Biden, his son Hunter and their dealings in Ukraine. Mr. Biden and his advisers debated whether to mount a fierce counterattack or to stick to a set of policy arguments he had been planning to roll out. Bad news loomed in the background: Mr. Biden’s poll numbers had already grown wobbly, his fund-raising was uneven, and cable news was flashing chyrons by the hour showing Mr. Trump’s wild claims.”
“Mr. Biden himself was equivocating: He wanted to defend and protect his son, but he also believed the president was baiting him into a dirty fight. And as a lifelong adherent to congressional tradition, Mr. Biden was wary of acting hastily as an impeachment inquiry was getting underway.”
What Has Barr Been Investigating?
“For months, President Trump’s allies have been raising expectations for prosecutor John Durham’s investigation into the origins of the Russia probe, predicting that he will uncover a deep state plot to stage a ‘coup’ against the president,” Politico reports.
“But in the five months since Attorney General Bill Barr tapped Durham to investigate the origins of the Russia probe, and whether any inappropriate ‘spying’ occurred on members of the Trump campaign, he has not requested interviews with any of the FBI or DOJ employees who were directly involved in, or knew about, the opening of the Russia investigation in 2016, according to people familiar with the matter. The omission raises questions about what, exactly, Durham—alongside Attorney General Bill Barr—has been investigating.”
Pelosi Says Constitution ‘Hanging By a Thread’
Speaker Nancy Pelosi vehemently defended her recently launched inquiry against President Trump, framing it in sweeping moral and ethical terms as she described the U.S. Constitution as “hanging by a thread” in an interview with the Atlanta Journal. Constitution.
Said Pelosi: “Nobody came to Congress to impeach a president, but we do take an oath to protect and defend our Constitution and to protect our Republic if we need it.”
The Cult of Trump
Coming soon: The Cult of Trump: A Leading Cult Expert Explains How the President Uses Mind Control by Steven Hassan.
“Hassan draws parallels between our current president and people like Jim Jones, David Koresh, Ron Hubbard and Sun Myung Moon, arguing that this presidency is in many ways like a destructive cult. He specifically details the ways in which people are influenced through an array of social psychology methods and how they become fiercely loyal and obedient.”
The Cult of Trump: A Leading Cult Expert Explains How the President Uses Mind Control
- Amazon Kindle Edition
- Hassan, Steven (Author)
- English (Publication Language)
- 301 Pages - 10/15/2019 (Publication Date) - Free Press (Publisher)
Ambassador to Give Deposition to House Panels
“Gordon Sondland, the U.S. ambassador to the European Union ensnared in the impeachment inquiry of President Trump, will give a deposition to House committees investigating the president’s pressure on a foreign leader to investigate a domestic political rival,” the Washington Post reports.
“Sondland will meet behind closed doors Tuesday with the three panels — Intelligence, Foreign Affairs and House Oversight — spearheading the probe.”
Trump Slams Romney for Criticism
President Trump lashed out at Sen. Mitt Romney (R-UT) after the Republican senator criticized Trump over his dealings with Ukraine.
Said Trump: “Somebody please wake up Mitt Romney and tell him that my conversation with the Ukrainian President was a congenial and very appropriate one.”
He added: “If Mitt worked this hard on Obama, he could have won. Sadly, he choked!”
In a subsequent tweet he called Romney a “pompous ass” who has been fighting me from the beginning.
No Sign of Backlash for Impeachment Inquiry
Harry Enten: “Throughout the Trump administration, Democrats were arguing among themselves over whether to impeach or, at minimum, start an impeachment inquiry against the President. One of the political arguments against it was that it would cause an electoral backlash — that is, trying to impeach Trump would allow his consistently low approval ratings to rise.”
“So far, that hasn’t happened. Trump, at this point, has not improved his position following the impeachment inquiry. If anything, his numbers have dipped.”
Graham Defends Trump for Talking Like ‘Normal Person’
Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) told the Washington Post that President Trump’s call with the Ukrainian president, saying that Trump seemed like a “normal person” on the call.
Said Graham: “If you take half of my phone calls with him, it wouldn’t read as cleanly and nicely.”
Impeachment Inquiry Rattles State Department
“The State Department has been deeply shaken by the rapidly escalating impeachment inquiry, as revelations that President Trump enlisted diplomats to dig up dirt on a political rival threaten to tarnish its reputation as a nonpartisan arm of U.S. foreign policy,” the AP reports.
“A department where morale was already low under a president who, at times, has seemed hostile to its mission is now reeling from days of disclosures that place it at the center of an escalating political scandal, say former diplomats who fear that the turmoil will damage American foreign policy objectives around the world.”
The Senate Impeachment Math
Robert Reich: “House Democrats will vote to impeach, but will Senate Republicans vote to convict? Until now that seemed implausible. Democrats hold 47 Senate seats. If they all vote to convict, 20 Republicans would have to join them in order to have the necessary two-thirds of the Senate.”
“What was implausible is now possible. If the vote were held in secret, says Republican strategist Mike Murphy, 30 Republicans would vote today for impeachment. Former Republican senator Jeff Flake puts the likely number at 35.”
“Will they go public? Twenty-three Republicans are up for re-election next fall. Most are from red states that support Trump. But in a few months they’ll be safe from primary challenges. They’ll be free to vote him out.”
Quote of the Day
“Look, nothing is going gently into the night at the end of this drama, no matter who wins. Nixon was a reflection of Nixon. Watergate was not about the country. It was, above all, about Nixon. The Trump story is all tied up with the country itself. I felt even before this started that we are in a cold civil war. And Trump has brought the cold civil war to the point of near ignition.”
— Carl Bernstein, quoted by the New Yorker, on how the effort to impeach President Trump is very different than the Watergate era.
