riversedge

riversedge's Journal

October 29, 2019

Trump's Defenders Are Now Attacking the Patriotism of a Purple Heart Officer

I think Repugs can not sink lower, yet they do!!

Trump’s Defenders Are Now Attacking the Patriotism of a Purple Heart Officer

https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2019/10/appalling-attack-alexander-vindman/601000/

Without substantive defenses of the president, and deprived of process complaints, Trump’s allies resort to toxic xenophobia and baseless accusations.
10:47 AM ET

Lieutenant Colonel Alexander Vindman arrives for testimony on Capitol Hill today.Siphiwe Sibeko / Reuters

This article was updated on Tuesday, October 29 at 1:58 pm.

The White House can’t muster a substantive defense of President Donald Trump’s behavior regarding Ukraine. Democrats more or less gave way to Republican process complaints about impeachment on Monday. So with few other options left, Trump and his allies are returning to the mode that got him elected in the first place: toxic xenophobia.

Nominate a nonprofit for The Renewal Awards

Help a local organization win $40,000 in funding and make an even bigger impact.
promo image
Nominate

Monday evening, the opening statement from Lieutenant Colonel Alexander Vindman was released to the press, ahead of his appearance before House investigators today. In another age, Vindman’s statement would be called a smoking gun, though by this stage the facts are clear enough that it adds little to the established record.

Vindman wrote that he heard Ambassador Gordon Sondland, Trump’s European Union envoy, demand that Ukrainians investigate Joe Biden’s family and that he told Sondland this was inappropriate. Moreover, he was listening to Trump’s July 25 call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and was disturbed by Trump’s requests.

Read: An oral history of Trump’s bigotry

“I realized that if Ukraine pursued an investigation into the Bidens and Burisma, it would likely be interpreted as a partisan play which would undoubtedly result in Ukraine losing the bipartisan support it has thus far maintained,” Vindman said. “This would all undermine U.S. national security.”

Vindman’s testimony sidesteps the whistle-blower complaint that kicked off this scandal. Unlike the whistle-blower, whose identity is still unknown, Vindman had firsthand knowledge of the call; he also complained up the chain of command.

Vindman would seem like a difficult witness to attack: a career soldier, an active-duty lieutenant colonel in the Army, a Purple Heart recipient for a wound from an IED in Iraq. Yet imagining that Trump’s allies might struggle to impugn Vindman badly overestimates their scruples.

Shortly after the statement was released, Laura Ingraham covered his story on her Fox News show..................................

October 29, 2019

Trump approval rating drops among men

Source: the Hill

10/29/2019

President Trump’s approval rating dropped significantly among men, according to a new national poll released on Tuesday.

Trump’s approval among men fell to 47 percent, which marks an 11-point drop compared to an identical poll conducted on Sept. 28 and 29.

However, the survey also found that his approval rating was up 4 points at 45 percent among women.

Overall, Trump’s approval dipped to 46 percent after climbing to September's career-high of 49 percent.

His disapproval, meanwhile, ticked up to 54 percent, a 3-point increase.

Trump’s approval rating has barely moved over the course of his presidency,.................................
.............................................

Read more: https://thehill.com/hilltv/rising/467951-trump-approval-rating-plummets-among-men

October 29, 2019

Internal White House debate stifles release of Pence-Zelenskiy call

Source: nbc

Nearly three weeks after the vice president said he had "no objection" to releasing a transcript, administration is divided on whether it could help or hurt Trump's cause.

Oct. 29, 2019, 3:44 AM CDT

WASHINGTON — It’s been almost three weeks since Vice President Mike Pence said he had “no objection” to releasing a reconstructed transcript of his phone call with the leader of Ukraine. But as House Democrats’ impeachment inquiry continues moving swiftly into its second month, the White House still has not made a decision on whether to make those details of Pence’s call public.

The internal debate has divided White House officials over whether releasing the call would help or hurt their flailing efforts to counter accusations that President Donald Trump held up military aid to pressure Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy to investigate his political rivals, according to two people familiar with the discussions.

One concern raised by some of Trump’s allies is that releasing his call with Zelenskiy was a mistake because it fueled the impeachment inquiry rather than tamp it down, these people said. Another is that a comparison of Pence and Trump’s calls with Zelenskiy could potentially make the president’s self-described “perfect” conversation appear significantly less so.

“The media, Democrats are going to pick it apart,” one of the sources said. “So there’s a concern about that.”.............................

Read more: https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/trump-impeachment-inquiry/internal-white-house-debate-stifles-release-pence-zelenskiy-call-n1073091?cid=public-rss_20191029

October 29, 2019

Ron Johnson discussed conspiracy theory with Ukrainian diplomat 2weeks before Trump sought invest

Report: Ron Johnson discussed conspiracy theory with Ukrainian diplomat two weeks before Trump sought investigation

https://www.jsonline.com/story/news/politics/2019/10/28/ron-johnson-met-ukrainian-diplomat-two-weeks-before-trump-call/3942618002/

Patrick Marley, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel Updated 7:12 p.m. CT Oct. 28, 2019

MADISON - U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson discussed a conspiracy theory about Ukrainian involvement in the 2016 election with a Ukrainian diplomat this summer, further drawing the Republican from Oshkosh into issues at the heart of the impeachment inquiry of President Donald Trump.

The Washington Post reported Monday that Johnson met with Ukrainian diplomat Andrii Telizhenko for at least 30 minutes in July. Telizhenko told the newspaper he talked to Johnson about an unsubstantiated claim that Ukraine interfered in the 2016 election and that in addition to his conversation with Johnson he met with Senate staff for about five hours.

.................Johnson and his aides have repeatedly declined to answer questions from the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel for more than two weeks.

He has declined to say whether he believes he could participate in proceedings in the Senate if the House votes to impeach Trump. Two ethics experts told the Journal Sentinel this month that Johnson should consider recusing himself from a vote on removing Trump because of Johnson's involvement in the matter.

Johnson's name has come up in key closed-door testimony over impeachment.
'Irregular channel' on Ukraine

Johnson attended a May 23 Oval Office meeting where an “irregular channel began” for U.S. foreign policy with Ukraine, diplomat William Taylor testified last week.

At that meeting, Trump directed those in the meeting to talk to his personal attorney, Rudy Giuliani, about his concerns with Ukraine, according to testimony this month from Gordon Sondland, the U.S. ambassador to the European Union.

“It was apparent to all of us that the key to changing the president's mind on Ukraine was Mr. Giuliani,” Sondland said in his testimony.

Johnson told the Washington Post he did not recall Trump mentioning Giuliani at the meeting. .................................

October 29, 2019

John Kerry: Yes! Now that's why we call @springsteen "The Boss"!

Missed this one a few days ago.
BTW--John Kerry is trending on twitter but I do not know why.

John Kerry @JohnKerry
·
Oct 25
Yes! Now that's why we call @springsteen
"The Boss"!
https://twitter.com/JohnKerry/status/1187774565004566529?s=20

October 29, 2019

Murkowski Won't Sponsor Senate Condemnation Of Impeachment Investigation

Source: TPM

Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) chairs a hearing of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee on Capitol Hill, September 25, 2018. Getty Images)

October 29, 2019 1:47 pm

Like Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME), Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-AL) will not co-sponsor Sen. Lindsey Graham’s (R-SC) resolution to condemn the House impeachment investigation.

In an emailed statement sent to TPM on Tuesday, Murkowski said that House Democrats have “handled this impeachment inquiry poorly,” but echoed almost word-for-word Collins’ skepticism of the Senate getting involved in House proceedings.

“As awful as their process is, the formal impeachment inquiry lies in the House, and it’s not the Senate’s role to dictate to the House how to determine their own rules,” said the Alaska Republican.

Collins gave a similar reason for not signing the resolution................................

Read more: https://talkingpointsmemo.com/news/romney-murkowski-wont-sign-resolution-condemn-impeachment-probe

October 29, 2019

'Why so many?' Trump groans as White House officials testify against him one after another

Source: raw story

Published 2 hours ago on October 29, 2019

President Donald Trump on Tuesday bitterly complained about officials from his own administration who have been testifying against him on Capitol Hill.

In an angry tweet published just ahead of Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman’s testimony in the House impeachment inquiry, Trump bemoaned the fact that so many government officials have been cooperating with the probe.

“How many more Never Trumpers will be allowed to testify about a perfectly appropriate phone call when all anyone has to do is READ THE TRANSCRIPT!” the president wrote. “I knew people were listening in on the call (why would I say something inappropriate?), which was fine with me, but why so many?”......................................

Read more: https://www.rawstory.com/2019/10/why-so-many-trump-groans-as-white-house-officials-testify-against-him-one-after-another/

Little dumpy trumpy is having and Ego sad today. tsk tsk

https://twitter.com/PrincessBravato/status/1189199428554354693?s=20

https://twitter.com/jaketapper/status/1189207744148054016?s=20

https://twitter.com/LeeHolly81/status/1189162100687626240?s=20

https://twitter.com/C_doc_911/status/1189181622714802176?s=20

October 29, 2019

Sean Duffy Goes After Decorated War Vet Alexander Vindman: 'He Speaks Ukrainian'

Source: dailybeast

SMEAR

The new CNN hire expressed doubts over whether the wounded Iraq War vet had America's interests in mind when he raised flags over Trump’s call.

Updated 10.29.19 9:03AM ET Published 10.29.19 8:51AM ET

New CNN hire Sean Duffy launched an extraordinary attack on Army Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman, saying the fact he was born in Ukraine may have been a factor in his decision to report concerns about President Trump’s July telephone call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.

The former Wisconsin GOP congressman appeared on CNN’s New Day hours before Vindman is set to become the first sitting White House official to testify in the impeachment inquiry into Trump’s dealings with Ukraine. Vindman is the top Ukraine expert on the National Security Council and is expected to tell House investigators that he was so alarmed by what he heard on Trump’s call to Zelensky that he felt obliged to reported it to one of his superiors.

Vindman—and his twin, who also works for the NSC—was born in Ukraine but left for the U.S. when they were 3 years old, according to a profile of him published by The New York Times on Tuesday. That fact raised alarmed for Duffy, who appears to have doubts over whether Vindman had America’s best interests in mind when reporting the call....................................

Read more: https://www.thedailybeast.com/sean-duffy-new-cnn-hire-goes-after-decorated-war-vet-alexander-vindman-he-speaks-ukrainian?via=twitter_page

Duffy is a Trump fool.

https://twitter.com/thedailybeast/status/1189164206567968768?s=20

https://twitter.com/lagloriacubano/status/1189169847810379782?s=20

October 29, 2019

First Snowfall Totals for Oct 28-29 Happy Halloween-Winter......Pics...Wisconsin

October 28, 2019

Trump claims in his book that he predicted that bin Laden had to be killed before

he would knock down the Trade center. He said this Yesterday during his announcement of Al-Baghdadi's death. But a fact check says otherwise.

Sure am glad Pelosi is going fill steam ahead with the impeachment process.

Fifteen stunning moments from Trump's announcement of al-Baghdadi's death

Trump said the ISIS leader "died like a dog, he died like a coward. He was whimpering, screaming, and crying."

https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/donald-trump/fifteen-stunning-moments-trump-s-press-conference-al-baghdadi-s-n1072536?cid=sm_npd_nn_tw_ma

'He died like a coward' President Trump announces death of al-Baghdadi
Oct. 27, 201908:32
Oct. 27, 2019, 10:41 AM CDT
By Allan Smith

.......... "I also want Hamza bin Laden because he's a young man around 30, looks just like his father, tall, very handsome, and he was talking bad things just like his father."
"You know, if you read my book, there was a book just before the World Trade Center came down. And I don't get any credit for this but that's OK. I never do. But here we are. I wrote a book, a really very successful book and in that book about a year before the World Trade Center was blown up, I said there is somebody named Osama bin Laden, you better kill him or take him out, something to that effect, he's big trouble. Now, I wasn't in government. I was building buildings and doing what I did but I always found it fascinating. But I saw this man, tall, handsome, very charismatic making horrible statements about wanting to destroy our country. And I'm writing a book. I think I wrote 12 books. All did very well. And I'm writing a book, World Trade Center had not come down. I think it was about, if you check it was a year before the World Trade Center came down. And nobody heard of al-Baghdadi. And no one heard of Osama bin Laden until really the World Trade Center. But about a year, a year and a half before the World Trade Center, before the book came out, I was talking about Osama bin Laden, you have to kill him, you have to take him out. Nobody listened to me.

And to this day I get people coming up to me and they said you know what, one of the most amazing things I've seen about you is that you predicted that Osama bin Laden had to be killed before he knocked down the World Trade Center. It's true. Most of the press doesn't want to write that but it is true. If you go back and look at my book, I think it's 'The America We Deserve.' I made a prediction — let's put it this way, if they would have listened to me, a lot of things would have been different."

Of note, Trump made just one passing reference to bin Laden in that book, published in January 2000.

......................................

Fact Check of the Day
Trump’s Misleading Claim That He Warned About Osama bin Laden

https://www.nytimes.com/2018/11/19/us/politics/fact-check-trump-bin-laden-pakistan-mcraven.html

The warning amounted to a fleeting mention in his 2000 book, which was published after Osama bin Laden was already one of the world’s most wanted terrorists.

By Linda Qiu

Nov. 19, 2018

What Mr. Trump Said

https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/1064540462848098304?s=20

Profile Information

Member since: Wed Aug 15, 2012, 03:24 PM
Number of posts: 70,214

About riversedge

Within national parks is room—glorious room—room in which to find ourselves, in which to think and hope, to dream and plan, to rest and resolve. —Enos Mills

« Prev 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 Next »