thehuffingtonpost--2020-01-25--Twitter Users Salute Adam Schiff's 'Moving' Closing Argument In Trump Trial

All over the world , those living under oppressive regimes look to us .
They look to us because we @ @ @ @ @ .
Because in America , no one is above that law .
To my Senate @ @ @ @ @ : Give America a fair trial .
She 's worth it .
pic.twitter.com/FoPdno5Qy4

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Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) urged senators to “give America a fair trial” in his final argument in the GOP-controlled Senate impeachment trial of President Donald Trump over his Ukraine misconduct on Friday.
“I implore you,” said the lead House impeachment manager in comments that immediately trended on Twitter.
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“She’s worth it,” Schiff added.
Check out the video here:
All over the world, those living under oppressive regimes look to us.
They look to us because we have a rule of law. Because in America, no one is above that law.
To my Senate colleagues, I implore you:
Give America a fair trial.
She's worth it. pic.twitter.com/FoPdno5Qy4 — Adam Schiff (@RepAdamSchiff) January 25, 2020
Schiff also claimed each of the charges against Trump (abuse of power and obstruction of Congress) “has been proved” and urged GOP lawmakers to show “moral courage” while considering whether to remove Trump from office.
Schiff’s supporters described his speech as “eloquent,” “powerful,” “historical,” “moving” and “pitch-perfect.” MSNBC host Lawrence O’Donnell described Schiff as “so far the greatest defender of the Constitution in the 21st century.”
The hashtags #AdamSchiffHasMyRespect and #AdamSchiffROCKS also went viral on Twitter. Schiff was similarly hailed for explaining why “truth matters” during Thursday’s trial proceedings.
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Thank you @RepAdamSchiff for your eloquent summation.
And yes, she IS worth it.#GOPCorruptionOverCountry https://t.co/yvgeIUEtNO — Mark Hamill (@HamillHimself) January 25, 2020
I've written a lot of lawyers in my day, and none of them spoke as eloquently and admirably as @RepAdamSchiff did in his summation today. #AdamSchiffHasMyRespect — Jose Molina (@JoseMolinaTV) January 25, 2020
If you aren’t watching, watch @RepAdamSchiff right now. Wow. — Neal Katyal (@neal_katyal) January 25, 2020
@RepAdamSchiff should run for POTUS. If you didn’t watch his statements on the evening of 1/24 watch the clips. Historical. https://t.co/bzbPXISByL — Mana Yegani (@Law_Mana) January 25, 2020
Whatever your politics , you have to appreciate that @RepAdamSchiff was clear, eloquent, and moving today. #StanfordMan. — Michael McFaul (@McFaul) January 25, 2020
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I was fighting back tears, what a beautiful passion you clearly have for our country. The case was presented clearly and helped me realize how important character, ethics and decency are in our elected officials. You changed alot of lives this week, for the better. Hats off. 🙂 — Katie Rost (@KatieRost) January 25, 2020
Thank God I was alive to hear Adam Schiff speak these past few days. — Jennifer Rubin (@JRubinBlogger) January 25, 2020
Thank you, @RepAdamSchiff, for rising to this moment with your pitch-perfect performance, and making us proud to be American.
You did America PROUD.#shesworthit — BrooklynDad_Defiant! (@mmpadellan) January 25, 2020
One of the best decisions Speaker Pelosi made was to put Adam Schiff in charge of the impeachment trial.
Substantive, brilliant, unflappable.
He's been our Luke Skywalker against the Trumpian Death Star.
No matter what happens, he's a patriot.#AdamSchiffHasMyRespect pic.twitter.com/uVjGsc2LIH — Russell Drew (@RussOnPolitics) January 25, 2020
.@RepAdamSchiff is on 🔥
“It goes to character,” Schiff said. “You don’t realize how important character is in the highest office in the land until you don’t have it.”#truth
https://t.co/SpOWKAzwxS — Maya R. Cummings, Ph.D. (@MayaRockeymoore) January 25, 2020
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Phenomenal defense of the Republic.
Brilliant from start to finish.
We will always be in your debt.
You will be remembered in history.
Thank you.
And thank you to every single one of your staff. — Reader Adrift (@ReaderAdrift) January 25, 2020
Adam Schiff is fighting for the heart of this country. He speaks for me. He's decent and fair, and he's begging us to stand up for democracy. #ImWithSchiff#ImpeachmentTrials #AdamSchiffHasMyRespect — Kimberley Johnson (@AuthorKimberley) January 25, 2020
“No constitution can protect us if right doesn’t matter any more.”
Incisive speech by Rep. Adam Schiff on why #impeachment matters. Really cuts through all the politics. https://t.co/Ch2CFjoNcM — Matthew Kupfer (@Matthew_Kupfer) January 25, 2020
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Powerful and compelling.
As @RepAdamSchiff so eloquently stated, America is worth it.
Thank you Mr. Chairman. #DefendOurDemocracy https://t.co/fD73Ine32X — Rep. Joe Neguse (@RepJoeNeguse) January 25, 2020
The Constitution always needs defenders. @RepAdamSchiff is so far the greatest defender of the Constitution in the 21st century. https://t.co/CfW10k2jk1 — Lawrence O'Donnell (@Lawrence) January 25, 2020


thehuffingtonpost--2020-01-25--Twitter Users Blast Off On Donald Trump With Taunting Space Force Trend

The newly created U.S. Space Force again became a hot topic on Twitter Friday after President Donald Trump unveiled its @ @ @ @ @ as many tweeters debated its resemblance to the “ Starfleet ” badge in “ Star @ @ @ @ @ already imagining the outlandish reasons for why they ’ d been booted from the military @ @

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The newly created U.S. Space Force again became a hot topic on Twitter Friday after President Donald Trump unveiled its new seal.
But, as many tweeters debated its resemblance to the “Starfleet” badge from “Star Trek,” others were already imagining the outlandish reasons why they’d be booted from the military branch.
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Trump was particularly pummeled via the #IGotKickedOutOfSpaceForce hashtag that topped the service’s U.S. trends chart.
#IGotKickedOutOfSpaceForce for constantly calling trump President Skroob. — Danny B (@AugurX) January 25, 2020
#IGotKickedOutOfSpaceForce for successfully convincing Trump for several days I had discovered life on the sun — Charles Chase (@IAmCharlesChase) January 25, 2020
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#IGotKickedOutOfSpaceForce for lying about graduating from Trump University.
To be fair, they should've known no one actually graduated from Trump University. — Jimuary (@HoorayBacon) January 25, 2020
#IGotKickedOutOfSpaceForce for lying about my degree from Trump University. pic.twitter.com/rXYt1fHxzh — Famewreck (@JoeFitrzyk) January 25, 2020
#IGotKickedOutOfSpaceForce for testifying against trump — Mr. Rad (@BigHiggaHigga) January 25, 2020
#IGotKickedOutOfSpaceForce
for setting the laser intensity too high while targeting someone who tweeted mean things about Emperor Trump pic.twitter.com/gqmraY1Ana — Aidan forgets why he (@aidno) January 25, 2020
#IGotKickedOutOfSpaceForce because I asked my Sgt. why the U.S. was squandering billions of our tax dollars fucking up space before first sorting out the multiple problems facing Earth.
He wasn't amused. #FuckSpaceForce pic.twitter.com/Z5hBrNb7QN — Steven Cotterill (@socialiststeve6) January 25, 2020
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#IGotKickedOutOfSpaceForce for not collecting Trump tariffs on dilithium crystals. — Ronald Guillemette (@raguillem) January 25, 2020
#IGotKickedOutOfSpaceForce
I couldn’t find any space forests to hide in pic.twitter.com/CvJcVqKzoK — Robyn 🥀🖤 (@rawbeancoal) January 25, 2020
#IGotKickedOutOfSpaceForce for leaking Trump's corrupt conversation with the leader of the Romulan Empire. — Ronald Guillemette (@raguillem) January 25, 2020
For attempting a coup with my fellow cadets #IGotKickedOutOfSpaceForce pic.twitter.com/xiCMmDHRWQ — 🎉 ⚕ ϻυƙυи∂ ⚕ 🎉 (@Mukund_The3rd) January 25, 2020
#IGotKickedOutOfSpaceForce because I wore an actual Space Camo uniform pic.twitter.com/ryAOFrV3Rm — Robyn 🥀🖤 (@rawbeancoal) January 25, 2020
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#IGotKickedOutOfSpaceForce because all I wanted to do was cruise around space with my best pal. pic.twitter.com/aOW5s5N5Ve — 𝕲𝖗𝖆𝖛𝖊𝖞𝖆𝖗𝖉 𝕿𝖗𝖔𝖚𝖇𝖆𝖉𝖔𝖚𝖗 (@ItsAGilby) January 25, 2020
#IGotKickedOutOfSpaceForce because it turns out in space they *could* hear me scream. pic.twitter.com/LJ11ZN1Z2F — Mark Pitcavage (@egavactip) January 25, 2020
#IGotKickedOutOfSpaceForce
For too many Will Smith references pic.twitter.com/aKct6lYk7U — Emma Flinders (@FlindersEmma) January 25, 2020
#IGotKickedOutOfSpaceForce
Because those were OBVIOUSLY the droids we were looking for....🤦 pic.twitter.com/1LAs6M9kxQ — Jerry Chacon (@chaconkie) January 25, 2020
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#IGotKickedOutOfSpaceForce because I said The Space Force Logo looks too much like Star Trek's Logo! pic.twitter.com/qjkxpY53vK — Evan Van (@MadAnter) January 25, 2020


thehuffingtonpost--2020-01-25--Watch The Full Video Of Trump Ordering For Marie Yovanovitch's Ouster

A full , 80-minute video of President Donald Trump calling for the ambassador of Ukraine to be booted out of her post was released by PBS News on Saturday .
A portion of the recording shows Trump in frame of the video , which was filmed at a private dinner on April 30 , 2018 , PBS reported .
The recording also picked up Trump telling his associates to “ get rid ” of then-Ambassador Marie Yovanovitch , adding that they needed to “ take her out.
” The release of the video recording confirms that Trump indeed called for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ by reports from ABC News and MSNBC ’ s Rachel Maddow on Friday .
It also sheds more light on Trump ’ s efforts to attack Yovanovitch and push her out of her post .
While sitting presidents have the privilege to appoint and fire U.S. ambassadors , Yovanovitch testified to Congress last year that she felt threatened by the president and was a target of an unprecedented smear campaign against her reputation by the administration .
She was eventually recalled from her ambassadorship in May 2019 , a year after the video @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the footage , Trump also spoke at length about beating Hilary Clinton in the 2016 presidential race , then said he would have had an even easier time beating President Barack Obama in his 2012 race .
“ Obama would have been easier , second term , ” Trump can be heard saying .
“ [ GOP nominee Mitt ] Romney should have never lost .
Obama would have been much easier.
” Lev Parnas , an indicted associate of Trump ’ s personal attorney Rudy Giuliani , was at the dinner when @ @ @ @ @ @ @ insisted multiple times that he doesn ’ t know who Parnas is , though Parnas ’ attorney has released evidence suggesting otherwise .
Igor Fruman , another associate of Giuliani ’ s , filmed the recording , according to PBS News .
In October , Fruman was indicted along with Parnas on campaign finance charges for allegedly making straw donations and funneling foreign money into Trump ’ s presidential campaign .

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A full, 80-minute video of President Donald Trump calling for the ambassador of Ukraine to be booted out of her post was released by PBS News on Saturday.
A portion of the recording shows Trump in frame of the video, which was filmed at a private dinner on April 30, 2018, PBS reported. The recording also picked up Trump telling his associates to “get rid” of then-Ambassador Marie Yovanovitch, adding that they needed to “take her out.”
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Lev Parnas, an indicted associate of Trump’s personal attorney Rudy Giuliani, was at the dinner when Trump made these claims and a voice that appears to be his can be heard during the recording.
“The biggest problem there, I think where we need to start is we got to get rid of the ambassador,” Parnas can be heard saying in the video, adding that Yovanovitch is “telling everybody” Trump is going to get impeached.
“Get rid of her! Get her out tomorrow,” Trump replies. “I don’t care. Get her out tomorrow. Take her out. OK? Do it.”
Trump has insisted multiple times that he doesn’t know who Parnas is, though Parnas’ attorney Joseph Bondy has published videos and images of Parnas with Trump and his family members on Twitter.
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The release of the video recording confirms that Trump indeed called for Yovanovitch’s ouster, as suggested by reports from ABC News and MSNBC’s Rachel Maddow on Friday.
It also sheds more light on Trump’s efforts to attack Yovanovitch and push her out of her post. While sitting presidents have the privilege to appoint and fire U.S. ambassadors, Yovanovitch testified to Congress last year that she felt threatened by the president and was a target of an unprecedented smear campaign against her reputation by the administration.
She was eventually recalled from her ambassadorship in May 2019, a year after the video published on Saturday was recorded.
About 39 minutes into the footage, Trump also expresses surprise that Ukraine produces oil, and wonders how long Ukraine would last in a war with Russia.
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“Ukraine has oil,” he says. “Ukraine? How come ― they don’t have any money? Why aren’t companies going in, too risky?”
Others respond that Ukraine is protected because other countries know it has support from the U.S., which Trump answers by complaining about European countries’ lack of support for Ukraine, echoing statements he’s made in public.
“It’s always us that has to support everybody,” Trump says. “And then you wonder, why isn’t Germany supporting? Why isn’t others?”
Trump then asks how long would Ukraine “last in a fight with Russia?”
A voice replies, “without us, not very long.”
Then someone says, “30 seconds.”
On Friday night, Bondy told Maddow that Parnas was the one who replied to that question from Trump.
Striking moment in the tape.
President Trump asks how long Ukraine would last in its war w/Russia.
- "Without us?"
- "Not long."
- "30 seconds."
The tape is from April 2018.
Then, in 2019, the president orders the withholding of all US military aid to Ukraine. https://t.co/HdPPEzf0Hz — Rachel Maddow MSNBC (@maddow) January 25, 2020
In the footage, Trump also spoke at length about beating Hilary Clinton in the 2016 presidential race, then said he would have had an even easier time beating President Barack Obama in his 2012 race.
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“Obama would have been easier, second term,” Trump can be heard saying. “[GOP nominee Mitt] Romney should have never lost. Obama would have been much easier.”
Igor Fruman, another associate of Giuliani’s, filmed the recording, according to PBS News. In October, Fruman was indicted along with Parnas on campaign finance charges for allegedly making straw donations and funneling foreign money into Trump’s presidential campaign.
Watch the full recording here:


thehuffingtonpost--2020-01-25--Donald Trump Has Been A Strong Witness Against Himself

Kevin Lamarque / Reuters President Donald Trump has explained exactly what he wanted Ukraine to do .
But even if Democrats can ’ t drag in White House officials like acting chief of staff Mick Mulvaney or former national security adviser John Bolton , they already have evidence from someone much better : Donald J. Trump himself , who has provided some of the most incriminating remarks in the impeachment trial .
After an unidentified official blew the whistle on the president last August for trying to coerce a foreign government into helping him win the 2020 election , the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the phone call that sparked the complaint .
Republicans contend that it shows Trump cares about corruption ; Democrats say that it shows Trump asking the Ukrainian president for a sham investigation into former Vice President Joe Biden .
“ I would think that , if they were honest about it , they ’ d start a major investigation into the Bidens , ” Trump said outside the White House on Oct. 3 last year .
“ It ’ s a very simple answer.
” As the president ’ s legal team assumes @ @ @ @ @ @ @ they ’ ll have to come up with a credible explanation for his comments ― something that Trump ’ s defenders in Congress have struggled to do so far .
“ I can ’ t imagine being in the position of being President Trump ’ s attorney , because he says things all the time that are directly contradictory to his own interests , to his defense strategy or to what he said yesterday , ” Sen. Chris Coons ( D-Del . )
told HuffPost this week .
The Oct. 3 clip is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ shown repeatedly at trial .
In another , from a June 12 ABC News interview , the president said that if a foreign government offered dirt on an opponent , he ’ d accept it ― contrary to campaign finance law , which prohibits candidates from accepting anything of value from foreign governments .
“ There ’ s nothing wrong with listening , ” Trump said in the video .
“ If somebody called from a country , Norway , [ and said , ] ‘ We have information on your opponent , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ d want to hear it.
” But in the months since the videos were recorded , Republicans haven ’ t come up with a compelling defense of a president openly demanding that a foreign government investigate his political opponent .
They have argued instead that the Democrats used a flawed process in the House impeachment inquiry .
Rep. Mark Meadows ( R-N.C. ) , one of the House members advising Trump ’ s trial team , seemed to concede that the president ’ s statements have not helped his case , but Meadows @ @ @ @ @ @ @ those remarks .
Many Republicans have avoided giving a yes or no answer .
Sen. Josh Hawley ( R-Mo . )
told HuffPost that , speaking hypothetically , if a president asked a foreign government for electoral assistance , “ it would not be a good thing.
” But he said that ’ s not what Trump did on his phone call .
The Department of Justice said in September that it had nothing to do with any investigation into Biden .
“ The president has not spoken with the attorney general about @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Vice President Biden or his son , ” a DOJ spokesperson said at the time .
“ The president has not asked the attorney general to contact Ukraine — on this or any other matter .
”

President Donald Trump has explained exactly what he wanted Ukraine to do. Kevin Lamarque / Reuters
WASHINGTON ― The biggest unanswered question about the impeachment trial of President Donald Trump is whether it will feature any new witness testimony.
But even if Democrats can’t drag in White House officials like acting chief of staff Mick Mulvaney or former national security adviser John Bolton, they already have evidence from someone much better: Donald J. Trump himself, who has provided some of the most incriminating remarks in the impeachment trial.
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After an unidentified official blew the whistle on the president last August for trying to coerce a foreign government into helping him win the 2020 election, the White House released a partial transcript of the phone call that sparked the complaint. Republicans contend that it shows Trump cares about corruption; Democrats say that it shows Trump asking the Ukrainian president for a sham investigation into former Vice President Joe Biden.
If there was any doubt about which side is right, Trump has explained exactly what he wanted from Ukraine.
“I would think that, if they were honest about it, they’d start a major investigation into the Bidens,” Trump said outside the White House on Oct. 3 last year. “It’s a very simple answer.”
During the first three days of arguments in front of the U.S. Senate, Democratic House impeachment managers played the clip of Trump’s comment at least four times.
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As the president’s legal team assumes control of the proceedings on Saturday, they’ll have to come up with a credible explanation for his comments ― something that Trump’s defenders in Congress have struggled to do so far.
“I can’t imagine being in the position of being President Trump’s attorney, because he says things all the time that are directly contradictory to his own interests, to his defense strategy or to what he said yesterday,” Sen. Chris Coons (D-Del.) told HuffPost this week.
The Oct. 3 clip is just one of several videos Democrats have shown repeatedly at trial. In another, from a June 12 ABC News interview, the president said that if a foreign government offered dirt on an opponent, he’d accept it ― contrary to campaign finance law, which prohibits candidates from accepting anything of value from foreign governments.
“There’s nothing wrong with listening,” Trump said in the video. “If somebody called from a country, Norway, [and said,] ‘We have information on your opponent,’ oh, I think I’d want to hear it.”
In an Oct. 17 video shown at least four times, a reporter explicitly asked Mulvaney to confirm that the Trump administration had withheld military assistance from Ukraine as a “quid pro quo” in return for political favors.
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“We do that all the time with foreign policy,” Mulvaney said, adding a moment later: “Get over it.”
Democrats, obviously, think the videos are great stuff, even though they’re not new.
“The video is telling the story very powerfully and the president of the United States and his chief of staff ... basically confessed to the violations that they’re charged with,” Sen. Tom Udall (D-N.M.) said.
Republicans are less impressed. “Old stuff,” said Sen. Pat Toomey (R-Pa.).
But in the months since the videos were recorded, Republicans haven’t come up with a compelling defense of a president openly demanding that a foreign government investigate his political opponent. They have argued instead that the Democrats used a flawed process in the House impeachment inquiry.
Sen. Mike Braun (R-Ind.) acknowledged this week that the Biden request was bad. “I wouldn’t have done it myself, but it’s not impeachable,” Braun told HuffPost.
Rep. Mark Meadows (R-N.C.), one of the House members advising Trump’s trial team, seemed to concede that the president’s statements have not helped his case, but Meadows suggested the public has already factored in those remarks.
“The poor narratives are already out there,” Meadows said. “I don’t see anything that could get any worse.”
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Trump’s call for a “major investigation” of Biden by Ukraine points to a fundamental question: Is it OK for the president to ask a foreign government to investigate his political rival?
Many Republicans have avoided giving a yes or no answer. Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) told HuffPost that, speaking hypothetically, if a president asked a foreign government for electoral assistance, “it would not be a good thing.” But he said that’s not what Trump did on his phone call.
So what did Trump do?
“I think that he asked the Ukrainian president if the government would cooperate in ongoing American investigations, DOJ investigations, which seems fine to me,” Hawley said.
On the call, Trump asked Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to talk to Rudy Giuliani, Trump’s personal attorney, and to U.S. Attorney General William Barr about investigating both Biden and a conspiracy theory (favored by Trump) that Ukraine, not Russia, meddled in the 2016 U.S. presidential election.
The Department of Justice said in September that it had nothing to do with any investigation into Biden. “The president has not spoken with the attorney general about having Ukraine investigate anything relating to former Vice President Biden or his son,” a DOJ spokesperson said at the time. “The president has not asked the attorney general to contact Ukraine — on this or any other matter.”
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Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) ― who is probably the president’s biggest Senate defender and someone who has described Trump’s impeachment as a “lynching” ― acknowledged this week that the president might be wrong about a few things.
“The president believes that what happened in the Ukraine with the Bidens was inappropriate. Now, whether or not that will withstand scrutiny, I don’t know,” Graham said, adding that the Ukrainian government was definitely not a bad actor in 2016.


thehuffingtonpost--2020-01-25--Trump Team Launches Impeachment Defense: Actually, Dems Want To Interfere In Election

He said earlier that Democrats were asking the Senate to overturn the 2016 election and interfere in the next one ― something that could be argued for any removal from office in an election year .
“ They ’ re asking you to remove President Trump from the ballot in an election that ’ s occurring in approximately nine months , ” Cipollone said .
“ They ’ re asking you to tear up all of the ballots across this country ... take that decision away from the American people.
” Trump ’ s attorneys suggested at the beginning of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ far less time defending the president than House Democratic impeachment managers spent arguing for the prosecution .
While Democrats spent all of the 24 hours allotted by the rules , Trump ’ s team spent about two hours on Saturday and far less than the 24 total .
They argued that they don ’ t need the time , again referring to the election .
The fact that Democrats took up all of their allotted 24 hours to argue their case came up repeatedly .
Trump ’ s attorneys argued that , in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ managers had failed to include certain details .
Mike Purpura , deputy counsel to the president , noted that Ukrainian leaders have said they did not feel pressured , that some top officials in the U.S. and Ukraine have said they didn ’ t know the assistance was paused , that aid was eventually approved and that Trump ’ s support for the nation was stronger than his predecessor ’ s .
But Olena Zerkal , a former deputy minister of foreign affairs of Ukraine , said Ukrainian diplomats in Washington knew there @ @ @ @ @ @ @ early as July 25 , the day of Trump ’ s phone call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky that prompted the impeachment inquiry .
Her account was backed up by congressional testimony from Laura Cooper , the U.S. deputy assistant secretary of defense for Russia , Ukraine and Eurasia .
Trump ’ s lawyers also sought to aggressively undermine the House managers ’ arguments by suggesting the Democrats ’ witnesses only “ presumed ” Trump ’ s hold on Ukraine aid was linked to investigations , calling it a “ fatal ” blow @ @ @ @ @ @ @ footage of testimony from Gordon Sondland , the U.S. ambassador to the European Union , who told House impeachment investigators last year it was his understanding that Trump sought to extort Ukraine ’ s government for personal political gain .
Sondland later amended his testimony , saying he told a top Zelensky aide on September 1 that the aid was linked to opening investigations into Biden .
Trump ’ s team accused Democrats of acting nefariously behind the scenes ― Republicans have claimed that interviewing witnesses in a secure room ( that was @ @ @ @ @ @ @ part of a cover-up ― and holding only staged public hearings .
The first clip Trump ’ s defense played was a favorite among Republicans : video of House impeachment manager Adam Schiff ( R-Calif. ) doing an exaggerated paraphrase of Trump ’ s call with Ukraine .
“ They don ’ t contest the basic architecture of this scheme , ” Schiff said .
“ They do not contest that the president solicited a foreign nation to interfere in our election , to help him cheat .
I think they acknowledge by @ @ @ @ @ @ @ are overwhelming.
” Trump ’ s lawyers are expected to continue their opening arguments on Monday .
Following the conclusion of their arguments , and a period of questioning by senators from both sides , the senators will vote on whether to consider witnesses and other evidence .
Democrats want to hear from witnesses like Mick Mulvaney , the director of the White House Office of Management and Budget , and several of his top deputies , who could answer questions about Trump ’ s hold on Ukraine aid .
The White House @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in the House impeachment inquiry , and most Republicans are opposed to calling them in the Senate trial for fear of lengthening the proceedings .
Sen. Joe Manchin ( D-W.Va. ) said afterward that Trump ’ s defense team did a “ good job ” and is “ making me think about things.
” But the moderate Democrat added that their argument underscored the need to call witnesses like Mulvaney and former national security adviser John Bolton .

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WASHINGTON ― President Donald Trump’s defense team launched its arguments in the Senate on Saturday by repeatedly saying “the president did absolutely nothing wrong” — but that Democrats did. Trump is currently on trial in the Senate after being impeached by the House for pressuring the Ukrainian government to open an investigation that could benefit him in the 2020 presidential election and withholding military aid until it did so, and then obstructing Congress’s efforts to look into the matter. Trump himself has said he wanted Ukraine to launch an investigation into the son of potential 2020 opponent and former Vice President Joe Biden.
But Trump’s defense argued that Trump wasn’t the one interfering with the election ― in fact, they said, now Democrats are, through a process that has involved selective leaks, closed door meetings and incomplete presentation of facts.
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“They’re here to perpetrate the most massive interference in an election in American history, and we can’t allow that to happen,” said White House counsel Pat Cipollone.
He said earlier that Democrats were asking the Senate to overturn the 2016 election and interfere in the next one ― something that could be argued for any removal from office in an election year.
“They’re asking you to remove President Trump from the ballot in an election that’s occurring in approximately nine months,” Cipollone said. “They’re asking you to tear up all of the ballots across this country ... take that decision away from the American people.”
Trump’s attorneys suggested at the beginning of the day that they plan to spend far less time defending the president than House Democratic impeachment managers spent arguing for the prosecution. While Democrats spent all of the 24 hours allotted by the rules, Trump’s team spent about two hours on Saturday and far less than the 24 total. They argued that they don’t need the time, again referring to the election.
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“We will finish efficiently and quickly so we can all go have an election,” Cipollone said.
The fact that Democrats took up all of their allotted 24 hours to argue their case came up repeatedly. Trump’s attorneys argued that, in all of that time, the House managers had failed to include certain details. Mike Purpura, deputy counsel to the president, noted that Ukrainian leaders have said they did not feel pressured, that some top officials in the U.S. and Ukraine have said they didn’t know the assistance was paused, that aid was eventually approved and that Trump’s support for the nation was stronger than his predecessor’s.
Purpura said that by suggesting Trump did pressure Ukraine, Democrats were effectively accusing Ukrainian leaders of lying.
“There can’t be a quid pro quo without the quo,” Purpura said, arguing Ukrainian officials couldn’t have been pressured by the Trump administration if they were unaware of the hold on the aid.
But Olena Zerkal, a former deputy minister of foreign affairs of Ukraine, said Ukrainian diplomats in Washington knew there was a problem with the aid as early as July 25, the day of Trump’s phone call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky that prompted the impeachment inquiry. Her account was backed up by congressional testimony from Laura Cooper, the U.S. deputy assistant secretary of defense for Russia, Ukraine and Eurasia.
Ambassador to the European Union Gordon Sondland testifies before the House Intelligence Committee in November, as part of the impeachment inquiry into President Donald Trump. Jonathan Ernst / Reuters
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Trump’s lawyers also sought to aggressively undermine the House managers’ arguments by suggesting the Democrats’ witnesses only “presumed” Trump’s hold on Ukraine aid was linked to investigations, calling it a “fatal” blow to their case. They showed video footage of testimony from Gordon Sondland, the U.S. ambassador to the European Union, who told House impeachment investigators last year it was his understanding that Trump sought to extort Ukraine’s government for personal political gain. Sondland later amended his testimony, saying he told a top Zelensky aide on September 1 that the aid was linked to opening investigations into Biden.
Trump’s defense implied that Democrats were overstepping simply because they didn’t agree with the president’s decisions.
“Disagreeing with the president’s foreign policy is not an impeachable offense,” Trump attorney Jay Sekulow said.
Trump’s team accused Democrats of acting nefariously behind the scenes ― Republicans have claimed that interviewing witnesses in a secure room (that was accessible by many GOP lawmakers) was part of a cover-up ― and holding only staged public hearings. The first clip Trump’s defense played was a favorite among Republicans: video of House impeachment manager Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) doing an exaggerated paraphrase of Trump’s call with Ukraine.
They said repeatedly that the House Democrats had held something back.
“The House managers didn’t tell you ― why not?” Purpura said at one point.
Schiff responded after the Senate ended its day, writing that Trump’s defense was trying to distract from the truth but hadn’t actually contested the facts.
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“They don’t contest the basic architecture of this scheme,” Schiff said. “They do not contest that the president solicited a foreign nation to interfere in our election, to help him cheat. I think they acknowledge by not even contesting this that the facts are overwhelming.”
Trump’s lawyers are expected to continue their opening arguments on Monday. Following the conclusion of their arguments, and a period of questioning by senators from both sides, the senators will vote on whether to consider witnesses and other evidence.
Democrats want to hear from witnesses like Mick Mulvaney, the director of the White House Office of Management and Budget, and several of his top deputies, who could answer questions about Trump’s hold on Ukraine aid. The White House blocked Mulvaney and the others from testifying in the House impeachment inquiry, and most Republicans are opposed to calling them in the Senate trial for fear of lengthening the proceedings.
Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) said afterward that Trump’s defense team did a “good job” and is “making me think about things.” But the moderate Democrat added that their argument underscored the need to call witnesses like Mulvaney and former national security adviser John Bolton.
“One thing that stuck in my mind is they said there isn’t a witness they have had so far that had direct contact with the president. I’d love to hear from Mulvaney and Bolton,” Manchin said.
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But Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas) dismissed the point raised by Manchin and other Democrats on Saturday, questioning why witnesses were needed when the House managers had already described their case against Trump as rock-solid.
“They said their case was overwhelming and undisputed. In a court of law, if a party says their evidence is undisputed, then you say why do you need any more witnesses?” Cornyn said.
This story has been updated with additional comments from lawmakers.


thehuffingtonpost--2020-01-25--Ayanna Pressley Throws Down Gauntlet To Betsy DeVos Over Slavery-Abortion Comparison

DeVos likened President Abraham Lincoln ’ s fight to end slavery to conservative Christians ’ fight to restrict abortion during @ @ @ @ @ on Wednesday , the Colorado Times Recorder reported .
“ Lincoln was right about the @ @ @ @ @ he would be right about the life choice today , ” DeVos claimed .
“ @ @ @ @ @ been said : Freedom is not about doing what we want .
Freedom is about @ @ @ @ @ what we ought .
”

DeVos likened President Abraham Lincoln’s fight to end slavery to conservative Christians’ fight to restrict abortion during a Colorado Christian University dinner on Wednesday, the Colorado Times Recorder reported.
“Lincoln was right about the slavery choice then, and he would be right about the life choice today,” DeVos claimed. “Because as it’s been said: Freedom is not about doing what we want. Freedom is about having the right to do what we ought.”


thehuffingtonpost--2020-01-25--Trump Defense Lawyers Begin Their Case For Acquittal On Senate Floor

The attorneys have foreshadowed an aggressive , wide-ranging defense that will assert an expansive view of presidential powers and paint Trump as besieged by political opponents determined to undo the results of the last election and ensure his defeat in the next one .
They are also expected to try to put Biden on the defensive as he campaigns for a first-place finish in the Iowa caucuses next month .
The opening of the defense ’ s case comes after a three-day presentation by House Democrats , who as they wrapped up Friday warned that the president will persist in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ unless Congress intervenes to remove him before the 2020 election .
They implored Republicans to allow new testimony to be heard before they render a final verdict .
Schiff closed Democrats ’ case after three days of methodical and impassioned arguments detailing charges that Trump abused power by asking Ukraine for politically motivated probes of political rivals , then obstructed Congress ’ investigation into the matter .
Trump ’ s lawyers get their first chance to defend him Saturday , and are expected to argue that he was within his rights as president @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
In making their case that Trump invited Ukraine to interfere in the 2020 election , the seven Democratic prosecutors peppered their arguments with video clips , email correspondence and lessons in American history .
Republicans who found the presentation tedious and redundant can expect differences in tone and style from Trump ’ s lawyers , who plan to attack the impeachment as much on political as legal grounds .
Defense lawyers have signaled that they ’ ll cast Trump as a victim not only of Democratic outrage but also of overzealous agents @ @ @ @ @ @ @ invoke mistakes made by the FBI in its surveillance of a former Trump campaign aide in the now-concluded Russia probe .
In response to allegations that he invited foreign interference , they ’ ve already argued that it ’ s no different than Hillary Clinton ’ s campaign ’ s use of a former British spy to gather opposition research on Trump in 2016 .
With acquittal likely — Republicans hold a 53-47 majority in the Senate , and a two-thirds vote would be required for conviction — the defense team is also @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to the polls in 10 months .
Trump , eyes on the audience beyond the Senate chamber , bemoaned the schedule in a tweet , saying it “ looks like my lawyers will be forced to start on Saturday , which is called Death Valley in T.V.
” The president is being tried in the Senate after the House impeached him last month on charges he abused his office by asking Ukraine for the probes at the same time the administration withheld hundreds of millions of dollars in military aid .
The second @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of obstructing Congress by refusing to turn over documents or allow officials to testify in the House probe .
The Senate is heading next week toward a pivotal vote on Democratic demands for testimony from top Trump aides , including acting chief of staff Mick Mulvaney and former national security adviser John Bolton , who refused to appear before the House .
It would take four Republican senators to join the Democratic minority to seek witnesses , and so far the numbers appear lacking .
Those include that he had a legitimate basis @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Ukraine and to pause military aid to the country .
One of the president ’ s lawyers , Alan Dershowitz , is expected to argue that an impeachable offense requires criminal-like conduct , even though many legal scholars say that ’ s not true .
Throughout the three days , Democrats balanced the legal and history lessons with plainspoken language about what they see as at stake : the security of U.S. elections , America ’ s place in the world and checks on presidential power .
The Democrats argued that Trump ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ abused power like no other president in history , swept up by a “ completely bogus ” Ukraine theory pushed by attorney Rudy Giuliani .
“ Let me tell you something .
If right doesn ’ t matter , it doesn ’ t matter how good the Constitution is , ” Schiff said in an emotional plea to a pin-drop-quiet room .
“ If you find him guilty you must find that he should be removed .
Because right matters.
” A new poll from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research @ @ @ @ @ @ @ say the Senate should convict and remove Trump from office than to say it should not , 45 % to 40 % .
But a sizable percentage , 14 % , said they didn ’ t know enough to have an opinion .

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WASHINGTON (AP) — The floor of the U.S. Senate now belongs to President Donald Trump’s lawyers as they push the Republican-led chamber for an acquittal on charges that he abused his power and obstructed Congress.
The president’s attorneys will begin their arguments Saturday in the impeachment trial and are expected to insist the president did nothing wrong when he asked Ukraine’s leader to investigate political rival Joe Biden.
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The attorneys have foreshadowed an aggressive, wide-ranging defense that will assert an expansive view of presidential powers and paint Trump as besieged by political opponents determined to undo the results of the last election and ensure his defeat in the next one. They are also expected to try to put Biden on the defensive as he campaigns for a first-place finish in the Iowa caucuses next month.
“They put their case forward. It’s our time next,” said Trump attorney Jay Sekulow.
The opening of the defense’s case comes after a three-day presentation by House Democrats, who as they wrapped up Friday warned that the president will persist in abusing his power and endangering American democracy unless Congress intervenes to remove him before the 2020 election. They implored Republicans to allow new testimony to be heard before they render a final verdict.
“Give America a fair trial,” said Rep. Adam Schiff, the lead Democratic impeachment manager. “She’s worth it.”
Schiff closed Democrats’ case after three days of methodical and impassioned arguments detailing charges that Trump abused power by asking Ukraine for politically motivated probes of political rivals, then obstructed Congress’ investigation into the matter. Trump’s lawyers get their first chance to defend him Saturday, and are expected to argue that he was within his rights as president when he asked Ukraine for the investigation.
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In making their case that Trump invited Ukraine to interfere in the 2020 election, the seven Democratic prosecutors peppered their arguments with video clips, email correspondence and lessons in American history. Republicans who found the presentation tedious and redundant can expect differences in tone and style from Trump’s lawyers, who plan to attack the impeachment as much on political as legal grounds.
“It’s really trying to remove the president from the ballot in 2020. They don’t trust the American people to make a decision,” Sekulow said.
Defense lawyers have signaled that they’ll cast Trump as a victim not only of Democratic outrage but also of overzealous agents and prosecutors. They’ll likely invoke mistakes made by the FBI in its surveillance of a former Trump campaign aide in the now-concluded Russia probe. In response to allegations that he invited foreign interference, they’ve already argued that it’s no different than Hillary Clinton’s campaign’s use of a former British spy to gather opposition research on Trump in 2016.
With acquittal likely — Republicans hold a 53-47 majority in the Senate, and a two-thirds vote would be required for conviction — the defense team is also arguing to an American public that heads to the polls in 10 months. Trump, eyes on the audience beyond the Senate chamber, bemoaned the schedule in a tweet, saying it “looks like my lawyers will be forced to start on Saturday, which is called Death Valley in T.V.”
Arguments are scheduled for just a few hours Saturday in what defense lawyers called a sneak preview. They’ll continue Monday.
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The president is being tried in the Senate after the House impeached him last month on charges he abused his office by asking Ukraine for the probes at the same time the administration withheld hundreds of millions of dollars in military aid. The second article of impeachment against Trump accuses him of obstructing Congress by refusing to turn over documents or allow officials to testify in the House probe.
The Senate is heading next week toward a pivotal vote on Democratic demands for testimony from top Trump aides, including acting chief of staff Mick Mulvaney and former national security adviser John Bolton, who refused to appear before the House. It would take four Republican senators to join the Democratic minority to seek witnesses, and so far the numbers appear lacking.
“This needs to end,” said Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., a Trump confidant. He said he doesn’t want to hear from Bolton or the Bidens.
Like a prosecutor speaking to jurors for the final time before deliberations, Democrats moved Friday to preempt anticipated arguments from Trump’s lawyers, attacking lines of defense as “laughable.”
Those include that he had a legitimate basis to be concerned about potential corruption in Ukraine and to pause military aid to the country. One of the president’s lawyers, Alan Dershowitz, is expected to argue that an impeachable offense requires criminal-like conduct, even though many legal scholars say that’s not true.
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With Chief Justice John Roberts presiding, the final day of the Democratic arguments opened with Rep. Jason Crow of Colorado, a former Army ranger, saying the only reason Trump eventually released his hold on the aid Ukraine desperately relied on to counter Russian aggression was because he had “gotten caught.”
“The scheme was unraveling,” Crow said. The money for Ukraine was put on hold after Trump’s July 25 call to Ukraine that launched the impeachment probe, and released Sept. 11 once Congress intervened.
Throughout the three days, Democrats balanced the legal and history lessons with plainspoken language about what they see as at stake: the security of U.S. elections, America’s place in the world and checks on presidential power. The Democrats argued that Trump’s motives were apparent, that he abused power like no other president in history, swept up by a “completely bogus” Ukraine theory pushed by attorney Rudy Giuliani.
“Let me tell you something. If right doesn’t matter, it doesn’t matter how good the Constitution is,” Schiff said in an emotional plea to a pin-drop-quiet room. “If you find him guilty you must find that he should be removed. Because right matters.”
They argued that Trump’s abuse was for his own personal political benefit ahead of the 2020 election, even as administration officials were warning off the theory that it was Ukraine, not Russia, that interfered in the 2016 election.
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The Democrats’ challenge was clear as they tried to convince not just fidgety senators but an American public divided over the Republican president in an election year.
A new poll from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research showed the public slightly more likely to say the Senate should convict and remove Trump from office than to say it should not, 45% to 40%. But a sizable percentage, 14%, said they didn’t know enough to have an opinion.
One issue with wide agreement: Trump should allow top aides to appear as witnesses at the trial. About 7 in 10 respondents said so, including majorities of Republicans and Democrats, according to the poll.
After both sides have concluded their arguments next week, senators will face the question of whether to call witnesses to testify. But that issue seems all but settled. Republicans rejected Democratic efforts to get Trump aides, including Bolton and Mulvaney, to testify in back-to-back votes earlier this week.
As for the Ukraine connections, evidence has shown that Trump, with Giuliani, pursued investigations of Biden and his son, Hunter, who served on a Ukrainian gas company’s board, and sought the probe of the debunked theory that Ukraine interfered in the 2016 U.S. election.
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It’s a story line many in the president’s camp are still pushing. Giuliani, in an appearance Friday on “Fox & Friends,” insisted he would present evidence on his new podcast of “collusion going on in Ukraine to fix the 2016 election in favor of Hillary” Clinton.
___


thehuffingtonpost--2020-01-25--Campaign Crunch Time Forces Progressives To Consider Using Private Jets To Get To Iowa

DES MOINES , Iowa ( AP ) — Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren have spent the past year courting the Democratic Party ’ s base with appeals to the working class and sweeping promises to curb climate change .
But as they balance their responsibilities to participate in the Senate ’ s impeachment trial and rally voters on the campaign trail , they ’ re turning to private air travel , an option typically reserved for the elite and criticized as environmentally unfriendly .
The senators are facing an unprecedented challenge in the final days before the Feb. 3 Iowa @ @ @ @ @ @ @ would typically barnstorm the state , they ’ re instead stuck in Washington as jurors in President Donald Trump ’ s impeachment case .
The little time they have for campaigning makes commercial travel tough .
But the private planes present unique issues for Warren and Sanders .
As the leading progressive voices in a crowded Democratic primary , they often criticize rivals they deem insufficiently loyal to those values .
The sudden use of private travel is an example of how ideological rigidity can sometimes collide with White House aspirations .
“ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ purity above your practicality , ” said Democratic strategist Chris Lippincott , who has not endorsed any of the 2020 primary candidates .
“ When we think about certain candidates who talk a lot about the environment ... you ’ re going to hold them to a different standard .
Transportation emissions overall make up the largest share of U.S. climate-damaging emissions , according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration .
Globally , air travel pumps out about 3 % of overall emissions of climate-destroying carbon dioxide from burning fossil fuels .
Surging @ @ @ @ @ @ @ around the world means those emissions will triple by 2050 , the United Nations says , and recent studies say even that figure underestimates the explosive growth of air travel and its emissions .
In March , Sanders ’ campaign became the first to announce it would provide carbon offsets , donations to environmental groups meant to mitigate the environmental effects of extra emissions .
Since then , it had spent about $ 9,000 on them through September .
And during his primary challenge to Hillary Clinton in 2016 , Sanders paid around @ @ @ @ @ @ @ campaign is making payments to NativeEnergy , based in Burlington , Vermont , which is the same company that Clinton used for them during her presidential bid in 2016 .
That ’ s also the same firm Warren uses , with her campaign paying a little more than $ 10,000 to it in September .
Some climate advocates said they weren ’ t bothered by the private travel , especially because they view a more carbon-conscious administration as a far better result for the climate than four more years of Trump in the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ re a presidential candidate running to try to beat Donald Trump , who is a climate denier to his bones , and that requires you to move around the country ... you should do that , ” said Leah Stokes , a professor and researcher into climate and energy politics at the University of California-Santa Barbara .
Sanders has pledged a $ 16.3 trillion environmental plan that would declare climate change a national emergency and calls for the U.S. to move to renewable energy across the economy until 2050 .
Warren wants to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to move the U.S. to 100 % clean energy .
And both are aggressive supporters of the “ Green New Deal , ” a sweeping plan to combat climate change .
Sanders recently suggested on “ The Late Show with Stephen Colbert ” that he ’ d consider a kind of “ jet-pooling ” arrangement in which he and other candidates could share private flights , saying , “ Maybe we can all chip in , get one plane and come back.
” That opportunity might have presented itself last weekend since Sanders @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Iowa and then went to South Carolina for Martin Luther King Jr. Day celebrations and then on to Washington to be in the Senate .
But they didn ’ t share private flights .
Still , Sanders ’ campaign says the senator ’ s comment to Colbert wasn ’ t realistic .
Even if several senators were looking to decamp from Washington to Iowa quickly after the impeachment trial concludes each day , they would be headed to different parts of the state .
It ’ s not just those candidates tethered to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ opt to fly private .
Former Vice President Joe Biden spent at least $ 1.2 million on charter jets through September , while Pete Buttigieg , the former mayor of South Bend , Indiana , had spent at least $ 750,000 .
That was more than Sanders ( at least $ 377,000 ) and Warren ( at least $ 190,000 ) over the same period , though impeachment could change that .
Spending data through December 2019 won ’ t be ready until the end of the month .
Former New York Mayor @ @ @ @ @ @ @ stops .
Buttigieg faced criticism this summer for his penchant for flying private from presidential rival Beto O ’ Rourke , who produced an online ad filmed aboard a commercial jet proclaiming “ No private planes for this campaign.
” Buttigieg responded during a CNN climate change town hall by saying , “ This is a very big country , and I ’ m running to be president of the whole country.
” O ’ Rourke , a former Texas congressman , dropped out of the race in November .

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DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren have spent the past year courting the Democratic Party’s base with appeals to the working class and sweeping promises to curb climate change. But as they balance their responsibilities to participate in the Senate’s impeachment trial and rally voters on the campaign trail, they’re turning to private air travel, an option typically reserved for the elite and criticized as environmentally unfriendly.
Sanders is expected to charter a flight to Iowa this weekend while the Senate trial is in recess. Warren hasn’t finalized her plans but is also considering private travel, and Amy Klobuchar hasn’t ruled it out. Only Michael Bennet says he’ll be flying commercial.
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The senators are facing an unprecedented challenge in the final days before the Feb. 3 Iowa caucuses. At a time when they would typically barnstorm the state, they’re instead stuck in Washington as jurors in President Donald Trump’s impeachment case. The little time they have for campaigning makes commercial travel tough.
But the private planes present unique issues for Warren and Sanders. As the leading progressive voices in a crowded Democratic primary, they often criticize rivals they deem insufficiently loyal to those values. The sudden use of private travel is an example of how ideological rigidity can sometimes collide with White House aspirations.
“This is the problem of presenting your purity above your practicality,” said Democratic strategist Chris Lippincott, who has not endorsed any of the 2020 primary candidates. “When we think about certain candidates who talk a lot about the environment ... you’re going to hold them to a different standard.
Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., walks outside the Senate chamber at the Capitol in Washington during a break in the impeachment trial of President Donald Trump, on Jan. 24, 2020. ASSOCIATED PRESS
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Lippincott applauded the 2020 presidential hopefuls in the Senate for being willing to fly privately, if that’s what their campaigns need.
“I understand it,” he said of trying to live progressive values at all times, “but the reality is, there’s a big risk of being perceived as being an ideologue and not a problem-solver.”
Transportation emissions overall make up the largest share of U.S. climate-damaging emissions, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration. Globally, air travel pumps out about 3% of overall emissions of climate-destroying carbon dioxide from burning fossil fuels. Surging growth of air travel in Asia and around the world means those emissions will triple by 2050, the United Nations says, and recent studies say even that figure underestimates the explosive growth of air travel and its emissions.
In March, Sanders’ campaign became the first to announce it would provide carbon offsets, donations to environmental groups meant to mitigate the environmental effects of extra emissions. Since then, it had spent about $9,000 on them through September. And during his primary challenge to Hillary Clinton in 2016, Sanders paid around $14,000 for such offsets.
His campaign is making payments to NativeEnergy, based in Burlington, Vermont, which is the same company that Clinton used for them during her presidential bid in 2016. That’s also the same firm Warren uses, with her campaign paying a little more than $10,000 to it in September.
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Some climate advocates said they weren’t bothered by the private travel, especially because they view a more carbon-conscious administration as a far better result for the climate than four more years of Trump in the White House.
“If you’re a presidential candidate running to try to beat Donald Trump, who is a climate denier to his bones, and that requires you to move around the country ... you should do that,” said Leah Stokes, a professor and researcher into climate and energy politics at the University of California-Santa Barbara.
“World leaders fly around in airplanes — this is the modern era,” Stokes said. They can’t just hop a speedy train to Iowa, she said.
Trump has made a similar point for the opposite reason, poking fun at Democratic environmental plans.
“I really don’t like their policy of taking away your car, of taking away your airplane rights, of ‘Let’s hop a train to California,’” Trump said during a rally last February.
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Sanders has pledged a $16.3 trillion environmental plan that would declare climate change a national emergency and calls for the U.S. to move to renewable energy across the economy until 2050. Warren wants to spend $3 trillion over 10 years to move the U.S. to 100% clean energy. And both are aggressive supporters of the “Green New Deal,” a sweeping plan to combat climate change.
Sanders recently suggested on “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert” that he’d consider a kind of “jet-pooling” arrangement in which he and other candidates could share private flights, saying, “Maybe we can all chip in, get one plane and come back.”
That opportunity might have presented itself last weekend since Sanders, Warren and others were campaigning in Iowa and then went to South Carolina for Martin Luther King Jr. Day celebrations and then on to Washington to be in the Senate. But they didn’t share private flights.
Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., talks to reporters as he arrives at the Senate for the start of the impeachment trial of President Donald Trump on Jan. 21, 2020. ASSOCIATED PRESS
Still, Sanders’ campaign says the senator’s comment to Colbert wasn’t realistic. Even if several senators were looking to decamp from Washington to Iowa quickly after the impeachment trial concludes each day, they would be headed to different parts of the state.
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It’s not just those candidates tethered to Washington by the impeachment trial who often opt to fly private. Former Vice President Joe Biden spent at least $1.2 million on charter jets through September, while Pete Buttigieg, the former mayor of South Bend, Indiana, had spent at least $750,000.
That was more than Sanders (at least $377,000) and Warren (at least $190,000) over the same period, though impeachment could change that. Spending data through December 2019 won’t be ready until the end of the month. Former New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg mostly flies private to campaign stops.
Buttigieg’s, Biden’s and Bloomberg’s campaigns all say they are also paying for carbon offsets.
Buttigieg faced criticism this summer for his penchant for flying private from presidential rival Beto O’Rourke, who produced an online ad filmed aboard a commercial jet proclaiming “No private planes for this campaign.” Buttigieg responded during a CNN climate change town hall by saying, “This is a very big country, and I’m running to be president of the whole country.” O’Rourke, a former Texas congressman, dropped out of the race in November.
Sanders, meanwhile, drew fire after spending nearly $300,000 on private jets in September 2018, as he crisscrossed the country campaigning for other candidates during the midterm elections.
The issue also came up in August, when Sanders traveled to Paradise, California, which had been ravaged by wildfires, to unveil his plan to fight climate change. He was unapologetic.
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“I’m not going to walk to California,” Sanders replied when asked about flying private. “We do the best we can as an example, but I’m not going to sit here and tell you that we’re not going to use fossil fuels.”
___
Knickmeyer reported from Washington. Associated Press writers Brian Slodysko in Washington and Kathleen Ronayne in Sacramento, Calif., contributed to this report.
___


thehuffingtonpost--2020-01-25--75 Years After Auschwitz Liberation, Holocaust Survivors Alarmed By Rise Of Anti-Semitism

Hundreds of Holocaust survivors from around the world are traveling to Auschwitz-Birkenau to commemorate the 75th anniversary of the death camp ’ s liberation on Monday , a date the United Nations has set apart as International Holocaust Remembrance Day .
Over 45 world leaders gathered at Jerusalem ’ s Yad Vashem Holocaust memorial on Thursday to denounce the modern-day rise of anti-Semitism .
Additional ceremonies are expected to take place on Monday at Auschwitz-Birkenau .
Tel Aviv University researchers recorded nearly 400 violent attacks against Jews worldwide in 2018 , with the most dramatic spike occurring in western Europe @ @ @ @ @ @ @ major violent cases that year occurred in the U.S. , including a deadly massacre at Pittsburgh ’ s Tree of Life synagogue that killed 11 worshippers .
Jewish institutions have been targeted with threats , vandalism , arson and protests .
More recently , attacks on Hasidic Jews in the New York-New Jersey region ― including a shooting at a kosher market and a stabbing at a rabbi ’ s home ― have raised alarms .
Jack Lewin was born in Lodz , Poland , in 1927 to secular Jewish parents .
The @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of desperation that washed over him when he picked up a Yiddish newspaper on the day that Germany invaded Poland and read the headline , “ Hitler ’ s Hoards Cross the Polish Border.
” Soon after , his family was forced to relocate to a ghetto .
Lewin ’ s father volunteered to work at a labor camp in Poznan , hoping to earn money for the family .
A few months later , his father ’ s letters and checks stopped arriving and they never heard from him again .
After @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 1944 , Lewin and his mother were deported to Auschwitz-Birkenau .
He saw Dr. Josef Mengele , the notorious Nazi physician , send his mother to the gas chambers .
The teenager was selected to perform hard labor .
After enduring months of back-breaking work and a death march , Lewin was starving and sick by the time Russian soldiers liberated the camp .
He was the only surviving member of his family .
He said the desperation he felt reading about Germany ’ s invasion of Poland returned to him two years @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Trump saying there were “ very fine people on both sides ” of a violent white nationalist gathering in Charlottesville , Virginia .
Lewin was furious about this , saying he couldn ’ t believe that Nazis were marching on American streets wearing swastikas .
He said that young people give him hope for the future of the U.S.
He ’ s hoping they will pay attention to Holocaust survivors ’ stories and resist anti-Semitism .
“ Listen to our message , ” he said .
“ We tell them as much of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ our heads .
It ’ s the truth.
” Terna was 15 years old when the Nazis invaded his hometown .
He spent over three years being shuttled between various Nazi concentration camps , spending a few weeks in Auschwitz in the fall of 1944 .
His father , who had contracted tuberculosis while doing forced labor , was immediately sent to the death camp ’ s gas chambers .
Terna was eventually liberated by American troops at the Kaufering concentration camp complex in April 1945 .
The only survivor in his family @ @ @ @ @ @ @ eventually moved to New York City .
Terna said he sees several similarities between the climate in the U.S. today and that of Europe in the 1930s .
He pointed to the proliferation of alternative facts , propaganda and harmful ideologies in Germany during that time , and how politicians rose to power by stirring up nationalistic fervor and proclaiming their own country ’ s exceptionalism .
Maritza Shelley was born in Budapest , Hungary , in 1928 .
The 91-year-old remembered the way that religious divisions were enforced in her city even @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on the playground .
When a newcomer arrived at school , the first thing the children in her class would do was determine their religion , she said .
After that , the kids stuck to their own religious groups , rarely developing close relationships with children of other faiths .
After the Nazis invaded Hungary in 1944 , Shelley and her sister were selected to perform forced labor in grueling conditions , digging ditches to try to stop Soviet tanks from entering Budapest .
She was allowed to return to the city @ @ @ @ @ @ @ with her mother ― but a roundup occurred and Budapest ’ s Jews were sent on a death march to a concentration camp , she said .
Through the boldness and quick-thinking of her mother , they were able to reunite with Shelley ’ s sister during the death march , escape by hiding under a bridge when the soldiers weren ’ t watching , and hitchhike back to Budapest with a Nazi convoy ― somehow convincing the Germans that they were not Jewish .
The family used false papers to stay in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
“ The extermination of the Jews was on such a mass scale , it was relentless , it was so sudden with no place to escape , ” she said .
“ It ’ s true that there were incidents of anti-Semitism and pogroms in the past but when we talk about the Holocaust that was different.
” Shelley moved to New York City in 1947 .
She said she has experienced anti-Semitism in this country , but that it was mostly verbal and not as violent as what is happening today @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Pittsburgh massacre , Shelley said she had a hard time accepting that it was real .
Hearing about vandalism at synagogues and on school campuses breaks her heart , she said .

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Seventy-five years after Jack Lewin was liberated from the Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration camp, the specter of anti-Semitism is rising once again.
Recent violent attacks on Jewish Americans ― in Pittsburgh, Poway, Jersey City ― have left the 93-year-old Holocaust survivor shocked and angry.
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“I didn’t believe that in my lifetime, we would have a repetition of what happened almost 80 years ago,” Lewin told HuffPost.
Hundreds of Holocaust survivors from around the world are traveling to Auschwitz-Birkenau to commemorate the 75th anniversary of the death camp’s liberation on Monday, a date the United Nations has set apart as International Holocaust Remembrance Day. Over 45 world leaders gathered at Jerusalem’s Yad Vashem Holocaust memorial on Thursday to denounce the modern-day rise of anti-Semitism. Additional ceremonies are expected to take place on Monday at Auschwitz-Birkenau.
The Nazis used forced labor to turn an abandoned military base near the town of Oświęcim, in German-occupied Poland, into a sprawling prison complex and killing center. Families from across Europe were deported to Auschwitz-Birkenau in cramped cattle trains. Some were selected as forced labor, while others deemed too weak to work ― older people, women, children, the sick ― were killed in gas chambers.
Auschwitz was liberated by the Soviet army on Jan. 27, 1945. Between 1940 and 1945, more than 1.1 million people were murdered there, most of whom were Jews. In total, about 6 million European Jews perished during the Holocaust, effectively a third of the world’s Jewish population.
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Decades later, Jewish communities in Europe and the U.S. have been alarmed by an uptick in anti-Jewish violence, harassment and vandalism, as well as a rise in Holocaust denial.
Tel Aviv University researchers recorded nearly 400 violent attacks against Jews worldwide in 2018, with the most dramatic spike occurring in western Europe. More than a quarter of the major violent cases that year occurred in the U.S., including a deadly massacre at Pittsburgh’s Tree of Life synagogue that killed 11 worshippers. Jewish institutions have been targeted with threats, vandalism, arson and protests. More recently, attacks on Hasidic Jews in the New York-New Jersey region ― including a shooting at a kosher market and a stabbing at a rabbi’s home ― have raised alarms.
The Anti-Defamation League has also documented an increase in anti-Semitic rhetoric on social media and at schools.
As the 75th anniversary of Auschwitz’s liberation approaches, HuffPost asked three Holocaust survivors to share their reflections on the modern rise of anti-Semitism ― and to offer wisdom to those who want to stop this hatred from spreading.
Jack Lewin
Jack Lewin speaks at the Los Angeles Museum of the Holocaust on a recent Holocaust Remembrance Day. Courtesy of The Los Angeles Museum of the Holocaust
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Jack Lewin was born in Lodz, Poland, in 1927 to secular Jewish parents. The 93-year-old said he still remembers the feeling of desperation that washed over him when he picked up a Yiddish newspaper on the day that Germany invaded Poland and read the headline, “Hitler’s Hoards Cross the Polish Border.” Soon after, his family was forced to relocate to a ghetto. Lewin’s father volunteered to work at a labor camp in Poznan, hoping to earn money for the family. A few months later, his father’s letters and checks stopped arriving and they never heard from him again.
After the Germans liquidated the Lodz Ghetto in 1944, Lewin and his mother were deported to Auschwitz-Birkenau. He saw Dr. Josef Mengele, the notorious Nazi physician, send his mother to the gas chambers. The teenager was selected to perform hard labor. After enduring months of back-breaking work and a death march, Lewin was starving and sick by the time Russian soldiers liberated the camp. He was the only surviving member of his family.
“I was born again,” Lewin told HuffPost about his liberation day. “We talk about miracles. This was one big miracle.”
He said the desperation he felt reading about Germany’s invasion of Poland returned to him two years ago, when he heard President Donald Trump saying there were “very fine people on both sides” of a violent white nationalist gathering in Charlottesville, Virginia. Lewin was furious about this, saying he couldn’t believe that Nazis were marching on American streets wearing swastikas.
In the 55 years since he relocated to Los Angeles, Lewin says anti-Semitism in the U.S. has never felt as prevalent to him as it does now.
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“It’s like a flame,” Lewin said about anti-Jewish hatred. “If we don’t do anything about it, God knows what’s going to happen.”
He said that young people give him hope for the future of the U.S. He’s hoping they will pay attention to Holocaust survivors’ stories and resist anti-Semitism.
“Listen to our message,” he said. “We tell them as much of the story that is coming out of our heads. It’s the truth.”
Fred Terna
Fred Terna is pictured here in his Brooklyn art studio. Photo by Daniel Terna
Fred Terna is a 96-year-old painter and Holocaust survivor who lives in Brooklyn. Originally from Prague, he remembers a childhood filled with art, theater, music and family gatherings.
Terna was 15 years old when the Nazis invaded his hometown. He spent over three years being shuttled between various Nazi concentration camps, spending a few weeks in Auschwitz in the fall of 1944. His father, who had contracted tuberculosis while doing forced labor, was immediately sent to the death camp’s gas chambers. Terna was eventually liberated by American troops at the Kaufering concentration camp complex in April 1945. The only survivor in his family, he studied art in Paris and eventually moved to New York City.
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Terna said he sees several similarities between the climate in the U.S. today and that of Europe in the 1930s. He pointed to the proliferation of alternative facts, propaganda and harmful ideologies in Germany during that time, and how politicians rose to power by stirring up nationalistic fervor and proclaiming their own country’s exceptionalism.
“Inventing truth, making fake claims, proclaiming it as the truth. Super-nationalism, religious exceptionalism,” he said. “Those were the evils of the times then and those are the evils of the time now.”
Terna now thinks of anti-Semitism as a “social disease” that begins when people find their own identity through hatred of the “other.” He encouraged allies who are not Jewish to fight this disease by condemning lies and refusing to allow hatred of the other to shape their communities.
“Speak the truth, repeat the truth,” he said. “Point out that those who hate Jews, who hate the other, any group, are destructive and have to be opposed ― in our case, by voice, by financial contributions and certainly by voting.”
Maritza Shelley
Maritza Shelley poses after sharing her story with high school students at the Museum of Jewish Heritage - A Living Memorial To The Holocaust in New York City. Carol Kuruvilla
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Maritza Shelley was born in Budapest, Hungary, in 1928. The 91-year-old remembered the way that religious divisions were enforced in her city even before the war, starting with children on the playground. When a newcomer arrived at school, the first thing the children in her class would do was determine their religion, she said. After that, the kids stuck to their own religious groups, rarely developing close relationships with children of other faiths.
After the Nazis invaded Hungary in 1944, Shelley and her sister were selected to perform forced labor in grueling conditions, digging ditches to try to stop Soviet tanks from entering Budapest. She was allowed to return to the city’s Jewish ghetto briefly and reunite with her mother ― but a roundup occurred and Budapest’s Jews were sent on a death march to a concentration camp, she said.
Through the boldness and quick-thinking of her mother, they were able to reunite with Shelley’s sister during the death march, escape by hiding under a bridge when the soldiers weren’t watching, and hitchhike back to Budapest with a Nazi convoy ― somehow convincing the Germans that they were not Jewish. The family used false papers to stay in Budapest until the end of the war.
Shelley emphasized that the anti-Semitism emerging in the U.S. today can’t be compared to the systemic, organized mass atrocities perpetuated against Jews during the Holocaust.
“The extermination of the Jews was on such a mass scale, it was relentless, it was so sudden with no place to escape,” she said. “It’s true that there were incidents of anti-Semitism and pogroms in the past but when we talk about the Holocaust that was different.”
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Shelley moved to New York City in 1947. She said she has experienced anti-Semitism in this country, but that it was mostly verbal and not as violent as what is happening today. When she first heard about the Pittsburgh massacre, Shelley said she had a hard time accepting that it was real. Hearing about vandalism at synagogues and on school campuses breaks her heart, she said.
“I’m convinced that all this has to do with the general atmosphere in the country since the last election,” Shelley said. “That people who do these acts feel encouraged or feel free to do the acts.”
For most of her life, only close family members knew about Shelley’s experiences as a Holocaust survivor. But recently, she has felt compelled to share her story with the world, specifically with people who are not Jewish.
On Thursday, Shelley spoke to a group of students visiting New York City’s Museum of Jewish Heritage - A Living Memorial to the Holocaust, telling them what she had witnessed and experienced during the Holocaust. She encouraged the teens to not only make friends from other faiths, but to also learn more about those traditions ― perhaps by attending a seder with a Jewish friend or fasting with a Muslim friend for Ramadan.
Despite everything she’s witnessed, Shelley is still hopeful about the future.
“I’m an optimist, in spite of everything,” she said.


thehuffingtonpost--2020-01-25--6 Wild Things Said In The Secret Recording Of Trump's Dinner

A video that directly contradicts President Donald Trump ’ s claim that he ’ s never spoken to indicted associates of his personal attorney surfaced on Saturday and with it came a whole barrage of wild statements .
The video , secretly filmed for 80 minutes in April 2018 , shows a rare glimpse into a private conversation between Trump and a group of people over dinner at the Trump Hotel in Washington D.C. , the Associated Press reported .
Trump and his son Donald Trump Jr. can be seen clearly in the video .
Lev Parnas , an indicted @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Rudy Giuliani , was also there , according to Parnas ’ attorney .
While the most notable moments in the recording show Trump appearing to speak directly to Parnas and his urging to “ get rid ” of then-U.S .
Ambassador to Ukraine Marie Yovanovitch , Trump also managed to cover other strange topics .
1 .
Trump said he could ’ ve beat former President Barack Obama in 2012 .
As he ’ s known to do , Trump boasted about beating Hillary Clinton during the 2016 presidential election but he added @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Barack Obama in the 2012 race , too .
“ Obama would have been easier , second term , ” Trump said of Obama ’ s re-election campaign .
“ Romney should have never lost , ” he added .
“ Obama would have been much easier.
” 2 .
Trump claimed the European Union formed to “ screw ” the U.S .
The union allows citizens of the countries to move freely between the countries , and allows for a single market for goods , capital and services , according to The @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a “ see-through ” border wall .
The president noted that drug smugglers use catapults to hurl drugs across the border , and claimed , without proof , that a 100-pound package of drugs struck a Border Patrol agent after being thrown over .
“ They actually said , that these drug dealers , it ’ s so dangerous now with a solid wall , because they take the drugs , it weighs 100 pounds approximately , ” Trump said .
“ A bag , a satchel , they call it a satchel @ @ @ @ @ @ @ wall and it goes over the wall and it will land on a guy ’ s head and he kills him.
” “ Yeah no , our border guys will be walking and they throw it , ” he added .
“ So if you can ’ t see through the wall , they throw the drugs , they have a catapult , they throw it over the wall and it lands on the other side of the wall and it can hit people.
” While it ’ s true catapults have been @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , there ’ s no evidence that people have been hit by it , according to fact-checking site Politifact .
“ You have this one woman , Maxine Waters , I say she ’ s a very low IQ person , ” he said .
“ You don ’ t hear from her anymore .
It ’ s the craziest thing ― since I ’ ve said that , I don ’ t hear from her anymore.
” 5 .
Trump asked how long Ukraine would survive in a war against Russia .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ later .
A year later , in the summer of 2019 , the Trump administration withheld funds from Ukraine while Trump pressured the Ukrainian president to investigate his opponent ― an issue that is now at the center of his ongoing impeachment trial .
6 .
A numerology calculation of Donald Trump ’ s name adds up to the same number for the Messiah , according to Lev Parnas .
Parnas and his indicted Ukrainian American business colleague Igor Fruman told the president about a Jewish numerology calculation a rabbi in Ukraine conducted @ @ @ @ @ @ @ They informed Trump that the numbers that correspond to the letters in his name add up to 424 , which they informed the president has the same values as the words “ Messiah , Son of David .
”

LOADING ERROR LOADING
A video that directly contradicts President Donald Trump’s claim that he’s never spoken to indicted associates of his personal attorney surfaced on Saturday and with it came a whole barrage of wild statements.
The video, secretly filmed for 80 minutes in April 2018, shows a rare glimpse into a private conversation between Trump and a group of people over dinner at the Trump International Hotel in Washington, D.C., The Associated Press reported.
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PBS NewsHour was the first to release the full-length footage.
Trump and his son Donald Trump Jr. can be seen clearly in the video. Lev Parnas, an indicted associate of Trump’s personal attorney Rudy Giuliani, was also there, according to Parnas’ attorney.
While the most notable moments in the recording show Trump appearing to speak directly to Parnas and his urging to “get rid” of then-U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine Marie Yovanovitch, Trump also managed to cover other strange topics.
Here are six of the wildest things that happened in the recording of Trump’s private dinner.
1. Trump said he could have beaten former President Barack Obama in 2012
As he’s known to do, Trump boasted about beating Hillary Clinton during the 2016 presidential election but he added that he could have beaten former President Barack Obama in the 2012 race, too.
“Obama would have been easier, second term,” Trump said of Obama’s reelection campaign. “Romney should have never lost,” he added. “Obama would have been much easier.”
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2. Trump claimed the European Union formed to “screw” the U.S.
“The European Union is a group of countries that got together to screw the United States,” Trump told the table. “It’s as simple as that.”
The European Union, which includes 28 countries, was officially formed in 1993, though it stems from an effort to bring Germany and France closer after World War II four decades earlier.
The union allows citizens of the countries to move freely between the countries, and allows for a single market for goods, capital and services, according to The Telegraph.
3. Trump floated plans for a “see-through” border wall
Trump expressed the need for a “see-through” border wall. The president noted that drug smugglers use catapults to hurl drugs across the border and claimed, without proof, that a 100-pound package of drugs struck a Border Patrol agent after being thrown over.
“They actually said, that these drug dealers, it’s so dangerous now with a solid wall, because they take the drugs, it weighs 100 pounds approximately,” Trump said. “A bag, a satchel, they call it a satchel, they throw it out over the wall and it goes over the wall and it will land on a guy’s head and he kills him.”
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The other guests laugh as Trump continues.
“Yeah no, our border guys will be walking and they throw it,” he added. “So if you can’t see through the wall, they throw the drugs, they have a catapult, they throw it over the wall and it lands on the other side of the wall and it can hit people.”
While it’s true catapults have been used to get drugs across the border, there’s no evidence that people have been hit by it, according to fact-checking site PolitiFact.
4. Trump bragged about insulting Rep. Maxine Waters’ IQ
He suggested that he was able to keep Rep. Maxine Waters (D-Calif.) quiet after he called her a “very low IQ individual” during a rally in March 2018.
“You have this one woman, Maxine Waters, I say she’s a very low IQ person,” he said. “You don’t hear from her anymore. It’s the craziest thing ― since I’ve said that, I don’t hear from her anymore.”
5. Trump asked how long Ukraine would survive in a war against Russia; he withheld funds from them a year later
Trump appeared surprised when someone suggested that Ukraine produces oil, then asked how long Ukraine could last in a war with Russia.
“Ukraine has oil,” he said. “Ukraine? How come ― they don’t have any money? Why aren’t companies going in, too risky?”
Then he complained about other European countries’ lack of aid before asking how long Ukraine would “last in a fight with Russia.”
A voice replied, “Without us, not very long.”
Then someone said, “30 seconds.”
A year later, in the summer of 2019, the Trump administration withheld funds from Ukraine while Trump pressured the Ukrainian president to investigate his opponent ― an issue that is now at the center of his ongoing impeachment trial.
6. A numerology calculation of Donald Trump’s name adds up to the same number for the Messiah, according to Lev Parnas
Parnas and his indicted business colleague Igor Fruman told the president about a Jewish numerology calculation a rabbi in Ukraine conducted for Donald Trump’s name. They informed Trump that the numbers that correspond to the letters in his name add up to 424, which they informed the president has the same values as the words “Messiah, Son of David.”
“It’s like a miracle,” said Fruman. “It’s exactly the number.” Parnas noted: “Messiah is the person that comes to save the whole world. It’s like you’re the savior.” He added: “Talk to Jared; he’ll explain.”
Trump seemed confused. “What is that?” he asked. “What other numbers you got?”


thehuffingtonpost--2020-01-25--Pompeo Doubles Down On NPR Reporter Attack. No One Buys It.

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo came out swinging — again — Saturday in yet another attack on a National Public Radio host , indicating she mistook Bangladesh for Ukraine in his map challenge .
Pompeo exploded in a profanity-laced tirade at “ All Things Considered ” host Mary Louise Kelly after she dared to ask him questions about Ukraine in an interview Friday .
He led her to a private office after the interview and yelled at her , using the “ F-word and many others , ” said Kelly .
“ He shouted at me for about the same @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , ” which was 10 minutes .
Pompeo also asked : “ Do you think Americans care about Ukraine ?
” Kelly recounted .
He then challenged her to find Ukraine on a blank map , which Kelly did .
On Saturday , Pompeo appeared to indicate that she mistook Bangladesh for Ukraine , which is 3,600 miles away .
“ It ’ s worth noting that Bangladesh is not the Ukraine , ” he scoffed in his statement .
He also claimed that the ugly confrontation was off the record , which @ @ @ @ @ @ @ report ) , and that Kelly “ lied , ” was “ shameful ” and violated the “ basic rules of journalism and decency.
” Some observers speculated that it was Pompeo who made the geographical goof in his attempt to call out Kelly — by confusing Bangladesh with Belarus , which borders Ukraine .
There is “ absolutely no way ” Kelly mistook Bangladesh for Ukraine , the Post declared .
To mention just a couple of issues , the countries are on different continents , and Bangladesh clearly doesn ’ t @ @ @ @ @ @ @ it would be difficult to engage in a border war with that nation , something a journalist would know .
In addition , Kelly is a former national security reporter who has traveled extensively abroad and has a master ’ s degree in European studies from prestigious Cambridge University .
“ The mere fact ” that Pompeo challenged Kelly to begin with suggests he didn ’ t “ know who he was dealing with , ” the Post wrote .
Former White House ethics chief Walter Shaub blasted Pompeo ’ s statement as @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ever issued by a secretary of state in “ over two centuries.
” Pompeo claims @ NPRKelly mistakenly identified Bangladesh as Ukraine .
As we evaluate what may be the most breathtakingly childish official statement ever issued by a Secretary of State in over two centuries , consider the magnitude of the mistake he implausibly claims she made : https : //t.co/ShLL4eDWzn pic.twitter.com/K5WlJkIwzl — Walter Shaub ( @ waltshaub ) January 25 , 2020 Mr. @ SecPompeo , please provide evidence to support your contention that @ NPRKelly confused Bangladesh with Ukraine .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ slander , and embarrassing to those of us who pay your salary .
You are a public servant .
You work for us .
— Michael McFaul ( @ McFaul ) January 25 , 2020 See that red ?
That ’ s Bangladesh , to the east of India and south of China , 3600 miles from Ukraine .
Mary Louise Kelly has a masters in European Studies from Cambridge .
She knows where Ukraine is located .
Mike Pompeo is blantantly slandering a journalist for questioning him .
pic.twitter.com/AQY7XfKJK0 — Charlotte Clymer🏳🌈 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 2020 First , no educated person would confuse Ukraine with Bangladesh .
Please .
🙄 Second , is there *anyone* in this administration who is not an unhinged , narcissistic toddler ?
?
https : //t.co/9F6lXl2ZDY — Asha Rangappa ( @ AshaRangappa_ ) January 25 , 2020 Oh my God this is exactly what happened .
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo tried to slander a reporter who knows far more about European geography that he does , by insinuating that she has misidentified Ukraine as Belarus .
But he is such a dingdong @ @ @ @ @ @ @ //t.co/BLHygyuV48 — Ken Tremendous ( @ KenTremendous ) January 25 , 2020 “ Unhinged.
” The notion that @ NPRKelly would confuse Ukraine with Bangladesh on a map is so ludicrous it doesn ’ t even merit comment .
As for the other accusations , I trust our reporter .
And as for “ basic rules of decency ” : well .
pic.twitter.com/2HrKUbzZaN — melissa block ( @ NPRmelissablock ) January 25 , 2020

LOADING ERROR LOADING
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo came out swinging — again — Saturday in yet another attack on a National Public Radio host, indicating she mistook Bangladesh for Ukraine in his map challenge.
But no one is buying it.
Pompeo exploded in a profanity-laced tirade at “All Things Considered” host Mary Louise Kelly after she dared to ask him questions about Ukraine in an interview Friday. He led her to a private office after the interview and yelled at her, using the “F-word and many others,” said Kelly. “He shouted at me for about the same amount of time as the interview itself,” which was 10 minutes. Pompeo also asked: “Do you think Americans care about Ukraine?” Kelly recounted.
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He then challenged her to find Ukraine on a blank map, which Kelly did.
On Saturday, Pompeo appeared to indicate that she mistook Bangladesh for Ukraine, which is 3,600 miles away. “It’s worth noting that Bangladesh is not the Ukraine,” he scoffed in his statement. He also claimed that the ugly confrontation was off the record, which NPR denies (and stands by its report), and that Kelly “lied,” was “shameful” and violated the “basic rules of journalism and decency.”
Some observers speculated that it was Pompeo who made the geographical goof in his attempt to call out Kelly — by confusing Bangladesh with Belarus, which borders Ukraine.
The Washington Post blasted Pompeo’s tale as a “blatant gaslighting attempt.”
There is “absolutely no way” Kelly mistook Bangladesh for Ukraine, the Post declared. To mention just a couple of issues, the countries are on different continents, and Bangladesh clearly doesn’t share a border with Russia, so it would be difficult to engage in a border war with that nation, something a journalist would know.
In addition, Kelly is a former national security reporter who has traveled extensively abroad and has a master’s degree in European studies from prestigious Cambridge University. “The mere fact” that Pompeo challenged Kelly to begin with suggests he didn’t “know who he was dealing with,” the Post wrote.
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Former White House ethics chief Walter Shaub blasted Pompeo’s statement as possibly the “most breathtakingly childish” ever issued by a secretary of state in “over two centuries.”
Pompeo claims @NPRKelly mistakenly identified Bangladesh as Ukraine. As we evaluate what may be the most breathtakingly childish official statement ever issued by a Secretary of State in over two centuries, consider the magnitude of the mistake he implausibly claims she made: https://t.co/ShLL4eDWzn pic.twitter.com/K5WlJkIwzl — Walter Shaub (@waltshaub) January 25, 2020
Then other Twitter critics piled on.
Mr. @SecPompeo , please provide evidence to support your contention that @NPRKelly confused Bangladesh with Ukraine. Otherwise, your statement is disinformation, slander, and embarrassing to those of us who pay your salary. You are a public servant. You work for us. — Michael McFaul (@McFaul) January 25, 2020
The path from Ukraine to Bangladesh looks like a graph of Pompeo's credibility. pic.twitter.com/ezznkObPc4 — Ben Greenman (@bengreenman) January 25, 2020
What are the odds that it was Pompeo who misidentified Ukraine and thought it was actually Bangladesh? Pretty good. https://t.co/FH3QyuOYfa — Malcolm Nance (@MalcolmNance) January 25, 2020
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See that red? That’s Bangladesh, to the east of India and south of China, 3600 miles from Ukraine.
Mary Louise Kelly has a masters in European Studies from Cambridge. She knows where Ukraine is located.
Mike Pompeo is blantantly slandering a journalist for questioning him. pic.twitter.com/AQY7XfKJK0 — Charlotte Clymer🏳🌈 (@cmclymer) January 25, 2020
That Bangladesh jibe negates the entire statement. An obvious lie. https://t.co/MSOmyq2aAf — Dave Weigel (@daveweigel) January 25, 2020
First, no educated person would confuse Ukraine with Bangladesh. Please. 🙄
Second, is there *anyone* in this administration who is not an unhinged, narcissistic toddler?? https://t.co/9F6lXl2ZDY — Asha Rangappa (@AshaRangappa_) January 25, 2020
Oh my God this is exactly what happened. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo tried to slander a reporter who knows far more about European geography that he does, by insinuating that she has misidentified Ukraine as Belarus. But he is such a dingdong he accidentally wrote Bangladesh. https://t.co/BLHygyuV48 — Ken Tremendous (@KenTremendous) January 25, 2020
“Unhinged.” The notion that @NPRKelly would confuse Ukraine with Bangladesh on a map is so ludicrous it doesn’t even merit comment. As for the other accusations, I trust our reporter. And as for “basic rules of decency”: well. pic.twitter.com/2HrKUbzZaN — melissa block (@NPRmelissablock) January 25, 2020