thewashingtonexaminer--2020-01-21--Want to win an election? Pay attention to sports

If you want to win elections in Wisconsin , political operatives understand that you never call or knock doors on Sunday afternoons during football season .
In Alabama , the only teams that matter in college football are Auburn and the Alabama Crimson Tide .
You ’ re considered rude if you don ’ t smile politely and nod for the entire 30 minutes or more it takes for a fan of either team to explain why .
In Florida , it ’ s OK to poke fun at the Miami Marlins , but not too hard , and in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ all-in on Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes , you may as well move to Cleveland .
When you work in the political world , it ’ s challenging to keep up with life happening outside the Washington bubble .
Even if you ’ re a campaign operative in a swing state , you ’ re receiving messaging and direction from nerve centers in the Beltway .
There are expectations to make thousands of calls , knock on hundreds of doors , and register as many people to vote as you can every @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on top of the news-of-the-day , which largely ignores the interests of normal human beings .
People opening their doors to a campaign volunteer generally care more about missing a first down than answering questions about their satisfaction with housing policy .
Political flaks forget that .
That ’ s where sports come in .
They ’ re the common denominator among millions of voters .
Understanding sports loyalties and state-specific dynamics not only help politically focused professionals do their jobs better but also be better people .
For my friends who will @ @ @ @ @ @ @ nation to campaign for their candidate du jour , I ’ d like to offer some unsolicited advice .
Wash off that swamp water and take a dip into the local paper ’ s sports section .
It will undoubtedly help you talk to people on the ground and butter up undecided voters .
You may be thinking you don ’ t have time .
Maybe you don ’ t believe it ’ s worth the effort .
Perhaps you hate sports and think they ’ re all a waste of time .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ political hack inside that ’ s suffocating the other , better , parts of your brain .
Turn off that part of your brain for a minute and engage with the person you used to be before you moved to this tiny island surrounded by reality .
Need a reference point to get you started ?
Here are a few freebies to the good folks heading to the Good Land , also known as Milwaukee , this coming summer .
Wisconsin has three MVPs in three different sports .
Name drop any of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ ll have a captive audience .
Sure , you ’ ll have to endure a side conversation about how Christian Yelich , star of the Milwaukee Brewers , was robbed of a back-to-back MVP title thanks to injury last season but isn ’ t it worth it for one more voter registration ?
If you want to secure another phone banking volunteer , don ’ t mention that Aaron Rodgers may be past his prime .
( For the record , he ’ s still incredible , despite what happened in Sunday @ @ @ @ @ @ @ don ’ t mention that game to potential volunteers .
Even by the summer , it will still hurt . )
And if you want to recruit the ever-elusive door knocker , I ’ d talk about your overwhelming excitement that the DNC convention is being held in the same arena that Giannis Antetokounmpo is setting endless basketball records in .
Oh , and learn to pronounce his name : YAH-nis AHN-teh-tuh-KOOM-poh .
The most successful candidates can relate to people .
They can find common ground and hold a conversation that isn @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the most important election in our lifetime.
” Political operatives need to do the same , and sports is an easy way to do it .
And if you can ’ t bring yourself to skim the sports section every morning , commit this opening line to memory : `` I don ’ t really know much about [ insert sport or team or player here ] , but people won ’ t stop talking about it .
I 'd love to hear your take . ''
Then stand back and watch someone @ @ @ @ @ @ @ explain why their team , their player , their sport is the greatest while simultaneously signing your volunteer sheet .
Nicole Tieman ( @ NicoleTieman ) is a Wisconsin native , unapologetic fan of the Milwaukee Brewers , and general lover of baseball .
In her spare time , she ’ s a communications professional in Washington , D.C .

If you want to win elections in Wisconsin, political operatives understand that you never call or knock doors on Sunday afternoons during football season. In Alabama, the only teams that matter in college football are Auburn and the Alabama Crimson Tide. You’re considered rude if you don’t smile politely and nod for the entire 30 minutes or more it takes for a fan of either team to explain why. In Florida, it’s OK to poke fun at the Miami Marlins, but not too hard, and in Missouri, if you’re not all-in on Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes, you may as well move to Cleveland.
When you work in the political world, it’s challenging to keep up with life happening outside the Washington bubble. Even if you’re a campaign operative in a swing state, you’re receiving messaging and direction from nerve centers in the Beltway. There are expectations to make thousands of calls, knock on hundreds of doors, and register as many people to vote as you can every single day. Communicators need to stay on top of the news-of-the-day, which largely ignores the interests of normal human beings. People opening their doors to a campaign volunteer generally care more about missing a first down than answering questions about their satisfaction with housing policy. Political flaks forget that.
That’s where sports come in.
They’re the common denominator among millions of voters. Understanding sports loyalties and state-specific dynamics not only help politically focused professionals do their jobs better but also be better people. For my friends who will soon be deploying to states around the nation to campaign for their candidate du jour, I’d like to offer some unsolicited advice.
Wash off that swamp water and take a dip into the local paper’s sports section. It will undoubtedly help you talk to people on the ground and butter up undecided voters.
You may be thinking you don’t have time. Maybe you don’t believe it’s worth the effort. Perhaps you hate sports and think they’re all a waste of time. Again, that’s the D.C.-focused political hack inside that’s suffocating the other, better, parts of your brain. Turn off that part of your brain for a minute and engage with the person you used to be before you moved to this tiny island surrounded by reality.
Need a reference point to get you started? Here are a few freebies to the good folks heading to the Good Land, also known as Milwaukee, this coming summer.
Wisconsin has three MVPs in three different sports. Name drop any of these before your political pitch and you’ll have a captive audience. Sure, you’ll have to endure a side conversation about how Christian Yelich, star of the Milwaukee Brewers, was robbed of a back-to-back MVP title thanks to injury last season but isn’t it worth it for one more voter registration? If you want to secure another phone banking volunteer, don’t mention that Aaron Rodgers may be past his prime. (For the record, he’s still incredible, despite what happened in Sunday's NFC championship game. Also, don’t mention that game to potential volunteers. Even by the summer, it will still hurt.) And if you want to recruit the ever-elusive door knocker, I’d talk about your overwhelming excitement that the DNC convention is being held in the same arena that Giannis Antetokounmpo is setting endless basketball records in. Oh, and learn to pronounce his name: YAH-nis AHN-teh-tuh-KOOM-poh.
The most successful candidates can relate to people. They can find common ground and hold a conversation that isn’t about how “this is the most important election in our lifetime.” Political operatives need to do the same, and sports is an easy way to do it. And if you can’t bring yourself to skim the sports section every morning, commit this opening line to memory: "I don’t really know much about [insert sport or team or player here], but people won’t stop talking about it. I'd love to hear your take."
Then stand back and watch someone’s eyes light up as they explain why their team, their player, their sport is the greatest while simultaneously signing your volunteer sheet.
Nicole Tieman (@NicoleTieman) is a Wisconsin native, unapologetic fan of the Milwaukee Brewers, and general lover of baseball. In her spare time, she’s a communications professional in Washington, D.C.


thewashingtonexaminer--2020-01-21--Bloomberg campaign manager predicts Trump 2020 reelection with different nominee

Michael Bloomberg 's campaign manager conceded President Trump was on the precipice of reelection , complimenting his team 's 2020 strategy .
Kevin Sheekey , who steered the billionaire media mogul and philanthropist to victory in his three New York City mayoral races , praised his Trump campaign counterpart , Brad Parscale , during an interview with Fox News .
`` Brad is not running a national campaign .
Brad is running a campaign in six states , and he 's doing that exceptionally well .
And right now , if the election was held , I think President Trump @ @ @ @ @ @ @ one of the reasons Mike Bloomberg got into this campaign , '' Sheekey said late Monday , referring to Arizona , Florida , Michigan , North Carolina , Pennsylvania , and Wisconsin .
Meanwhile , Sheekey slammed the other Democratic 2020 presidential candidates for focusing on the four early voting states .
Bloomberg , who announced his White House bid last November , is skipping the opening contests , instead targeting the 14 Super Tuesday states with primaries on Mar .
3 .
Sheekey , the former Bloomberg L.P. executive , clarified reports @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to defeat Trump in the fall , regardless of who becomes the party 's nominee .
He also responded to the New York Times 's editorial board opinion that his boss had spent $ 217 million to date on advertising in order `` to circumvent the hard , uncomfortable work of actual campaigning , '' calling its categorization `` ridiculous . ''
`` Listen , I do n't think Mike has said $ 2 billion .
Mike has n't even said $ 1 billion , which some people have — have quoted him @ @ @ @ @ @ @ The truth is , he has said , ' I want to run a campaign to get my message out , to make a difference in this country , and I 'll spend whatever it takes . '
''

Michael Bloomberg's campaign manager conceded President Trump was on the precipice of reelection, complimenting his team's 2020 strategy.
Kevin Sheekey, who steered the billionaire media mogul and philanthropist to victory in his three New York City mayoral races, praised his Trump campaign counterpart, Brad Parscale, during an interview with Fox News.
"Brad is not running a national campaign. Brad is running a campaign in six states, and he's doing that exceptionally well. And right now, if the election was held, I think President Trump probably is reelected. And that's one of the reasons Mike Bloomberg got into this campaign," Sheekey said late Monday, referring to Arizona, Florida, Michigan, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin.
Meanwhile, Sheekey slammed the other Democratic 2020 presidential candidates for focusing on the four early voting states. Bloomberg, who announced his White House bid last November, is skipping the opening contests, instead targeting the 14 Super Tuesday states with primaries on Mar. 3.
Sheekey, the former Bloomberg L.P. executive, clarified reports Bloomberg committed to spending $2 billion to defeat Trump in the fall, regardless of who becomes the party's nominee. He also responded to the New York Times's editorial board opinion that his boss had spent $217 million to date on advertising in order "to circumvent the hard, uncomfortable work of actual campaigning," calling its categorization "ridiculous."
"Listen, I don't think Mike has said $2 billion. Mike hasn't even said $1 billion, which some people have — have quoted him on," he said. "The truth is, he has said, 'I want to run a campaign to get my message out, to make a difference in this country, and I'll spend whatever it takes.'"


thewashingtonexaminer--2020-01-21--'Not my view': Bernie Sanders apologizes for supporter who claimed Biden has 'big corruption problem

'Not my view': Bernie Sanders apologizes for supporter who claimed Biden has 'big corruption problem'

Sen. Bernie Sanders apologized to Joe Biden for an opinion piece written by one of his campaign supporters that claimed the former vice president has a “ big corruption problem and it makes him a weak candidate.
” '' It is absolutely not my view that Joe is corrupt in any way .
And I 'm sorry that that op-ed appeared , '' Sanders , 78 , told CBS News on Monday , calling Biden a `` friend . ''
The 2020 Democratic presidential front-runner thanked Sanders for the apology in a tweet and added , `` These kinds of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Let 's all keep our focus on making Donald Trump a one-term president . ''
The opinion piece , written by law professor Zephyr Teachout , said Biden , 77 , “ has perfected the art of taking big contributions , then representing his corporate donors at the cost of middle- and working-class Americans.
” “ Whether or not Biden is making choices to please donors , there is no doubt his record represents the transactional , grossly corrupt culture in Washington that long precedes Trump , ” she wrote in the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ unsuccessful campaign for Congress in 2016 , has appeared with the Vermont senator on the 2020 campaign trail .
The op-ed was published amid Sanders and Biden 's feud over the latter ’ s past remarks on Social Security funding .
Biden has accused Sanders of releasing `` doctored '' footage that appears to show him agreeing with former Republican Speaker of the House Paul Ryan about privatizing the program and has asked Sanders for an apology .
“ [ Biden ] is a decent person .
He is a friend of mine @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 're not going to make personal attacks on Joe Biden , but I think the record shows that Joe 's history in the Senate and my history in Congress are very different , ” Sanders said Sunday .
`` I think it is important to know where a senator has come from and where his head is at .
And Joe 's record on [ Social Security ] is a little different than mine , '' he added .

Sen. Bernie Sanders apologized to Joe Biden for an opinion piece written by one of his campaign supporters that claimed the former vice president has a “big corruption problem and it makes him a weak candidate.”
"It is absolutely not my view that Joe is corrupt in any way. And I'm sorry that that op-ed appeared," Sanders, 78, told CBS News on Monday, calling Biden a "friend."
In an exclusive interview with CBS News' @CaraKorte, Bernie Sanders pushed back against an op-ed claiming Joe Biden has a "big corruption problem." https://t.co/qUu8renXaO pic.twitter.com/OW69A331tm — CBS News (@CBSNews) January 21, 2020
The 2020 Democratic presidential front-runner thanked Sanders for the apology in a tweet and added, "These kinds of attacks have no place in this primary. Let's all keep our focus on making Donald Trump a one-term president."
Thanks for acknowledging this, Bernie. These kinds of attacks have no place in this primary. Let’s all keep our focus on making Donald Trump a one-term president. https://t.co/tmFbLm98xd — Joe Biden (Text Join to 30330) (@JoeBiden) January 21, 2020
The opinion piece, written by law professor Zephyr Teachout, said Biden, 77, “has perfected the art of taking big contributions, then representing his corporate donors at the cost of middle- and working-class Americans.”
“Whether or not Biden is making choices to please donors, there is no doubt his record represents the transactional, grossly corrupt culture in Washington that long precedes Trump,” she wrote in the Guardian.
Teachout, who ran an unsuccessful campaign for Congress in 2016, has appeared with the Vermont senator on the 2020 campaign trail.
The op-ed was published amid Sanders and Biden's feud over the latter’s past remarks on Social Security funding. Biden has accused Sanders of releasing "doctored" footage that appears to show him agreeing with former Republican Speaker of the House Paul Ryan about privatizing the program and has asked Sanders for an apology.
“[Biden] is a decent person. He is a friend of mine. People like him. And we're not going to make personal attacks on Joe Biden, but I think the record shows that Joe's history in the Senate and my history in Congress are very different,” Sanders said Sunday.
"I think it is important to know where a senator has come from and where his head is at. And Joe's record on [Social Security] is a little different than mine," he added.
Biden called Sanders's claims about his record a "flat lie."


thewashingtonexaminer--2020-01-21--Ten years later, Citizens United has boosted megadonors more than corporations

The most significant political outcome of the Citizens United v. FEC Supreme Court decision 10 years ago on Tuesday is the rise of individual megadonors rather than the unchecked corporate politicking feared by liberals at the time .
`` The consensus is that peoples ' big fears about Citizens United opening the door to corporate spending did n't really materialize , but it did supercharge the ability of megadonors , '' said Federal Election Commission member Ellen Weintraub .
`` They have become incredibly influential and powerful in the Citizens United era .
One billionaire has so much more influence @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that 's not the way the system should work , '' said Weintraub , a Democratic appointee to the campaign finance agency .
Almost all the Democratic candidates running for president in 2020 say that Citizens United needs to be reversed .
Conservatives , meanwhile , view the past decade as evidence that Citizens United was a victory for freedom of speech .
`` If people want to band together to spend money to influence an election , it ’ s their First Amendment right to do so , but the Left 's @ @ @ @ @ @ @ our elections never transpired , '' said Citizens United President David Bossie .
In the decision , the high court ruled in favor of Bossie 's group , a conservative organization that was seeking to distribute and advertise a movie criticizing Hillary Clinton but was prevented from doing so by corporate spending prohibitions .
The Supreme Court ruled 5-4 that a longstanding prohibition on corporations and unions making independent expenditures , that is , financing election-related communications , violated the First Amendment .
The ruling did not strike down limits on direct campaign @ @ @ @ @ @ @ The ruling changed the campaign finance landscape to allow corporations , nonprofit organizations , and labor unions to spend unlimited amounts of money to support or oppose political candidates through their communications .
Such spending can help candidates , and there are no funding limits so long as the organizations do not coordinate directly with campaigns .
`` The Citizens United decision encourages more participation in America ’ s political process , and that 's a healthy thing , ” said Bossie , who was a top aide on Trump 's 2016 campaign @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Maryland campaign team for the 2020 election .
Democrats see Citizens United having led to an unequal increase in political participation , skewed toward those who already have power and privilege .
`` It ’ s a victory for free speech for billionaires but not a victory for free speech for the rest of us , '' said Weintraub .
Political power has shifted from political parties to outside groups that use their own independent expenditure committees , known as super PACs .
Nonparty independent groups spent over $ 4.5 billion in the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for Responsive Politics , a nonpartisan group that gathers data on election spending .
Such spending totaled only $ 750 million over the two decades before .
Furthermore , the wealthiest individual donors , such as Sheldon Adelson , Michael Bloomberg , and George Soros , have become big political players in federal elections , with $ 1.2 billion spent in the past decade by the top 10 individual donors .
The top 10 donors made up 7 % of total election-related giving in 2018 , up from less than 1 % in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the aisle disapprove of the change .
The shows that a majority of the public opposes Citizens United .
Two-thirds favor a constitutional amendment undoing it .
Conservatives , though , argue that the ruling has been beneficial to voters .
“ The question is , what do we get for it ?
Higher spending in elections has been shown to increase voter knowledge of candidates and issues , ” said Bradley Smith , former chairman of the Federal Elections Commission and a conservative campaign finance lawyer .
Voters , though , may @ @ @ @ @ @ @ they receive , as `` dark money '' groups , meaning political entities that do not disclose their funding sources , have amassed greater political power , to a study by the Brennan Center for Justice at New York University .
Dark money groups funnel their funds through nonprofit groups that are not required to disclose their donors .
This has led to almost a billion dollars spent by secretive groups in the past decade .
The largest dark money groups that have attempted to influence national politics since Citizens United include pro-business @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Chamber of Commerce , the National Rifle Association , and Americans for Prosperity , a free-market political nonprofit group associated with Charles Koch .
There are also some liberal dark money groups , such as the League of Conservation Voters , the Planned Parenthood Action Fund , the VoteVets Action Fund , and Patriot Majority USA .
`` 'Dark money ' has never reached as much as 5 % of spending since Citizens United , '' said Smith .
`` Note that there was 'dark money ' before C.U.
, too , though @ @ @ @ @ @ @ hasn ’ t been a lot of dark money ; a billion dollars isn ’ t a small amount .
I don ’ t think it 's an insignificant amount , and all of it goes into the most important and tightly contested races , '' said Weintraub .

The most significant political outcome of the Citizens United v. FEC Supreme Court decision 10 years ago on Tuesday is the rise of individual megadonors rather than the unchecked corporate politicking feared by liberals at the time.
"The consensus is that peoples' big fears about Citizens United opening the door to corporate spending didn't really materialize, but it did supercharge the ability of megadonors," said Federal Election Commission member Ellen Weintraub.
"They have become incredibly influential and powerful in the Citizens United era. One billionaire has so much more influence than thousands of voters combined. And that's not the way the system should work," said Weintraub, a Democratic appointee to the campaign finance agency.
Almost all the Democratic candidates running for president in 2020 say that Citizens United needs to be reversed.
Conservatives, meanwhile, view the past decade as evidence that Citizens United was a victory for freedom of speech.
"If people want to band together to spend money to influence an election, it’s their First Amendment right to do so, but the Left's dire predictions about corporate money taking over our elections never transpired," said Citizens United President David Bossie.
In the decision, the high court ruled in favor of Bossie's group, a conservative organization that was seeking to distribute and advertise a movie criticizing Hillary Clinton but was prevented from doing so by corporate spending prohibitions.
The Supreme Court ruled 5-4 that a longstanding prohibition on corporations and unions making independent expenditures, that is, financing election-related communications, violated the First Amendment. The ruling did not strike down limits on direct campaign contributions, which still exist today.
The ruling changed the campaign finance landscape to allow corporations, nonprofit organizations, and labor unions to spend unlimited amounts of money to support or oppose political candidates through their communications. Such spending can help candidates, and there are no funding limits so long as the organizations do not coordinate directly with campaigns.
"The Citizens United decision encourages more participation in America’s political process, and that's a healthy thing,” said Bossie, who was a top aide on Trump's 2016 campaign is now co-chairman of Trump’s Maryland campaign team for the 2020 election.
Democrats see Citizens United having led to an unequal increase in political participation, skewed toward those who already have power and privilege.
"It’s a victory for free speech for billionaires but not a victory for free speech for the rest of us," said Weintraub.
Political power has shifted from political parties to outside groups that use their own independent expenditure committees, known as super PACs.
Nonparty independent groups spent over $4.5 billion in the past decade, according to the Center for Responsive Politics, a nonpartisan group that gathers data on election spending. Such spending totaled only $750 million over the two decades before.
Furthermore, the wealthiest individual donors, such as Sheldon Adelson, Michael Bloomberg, and George Soros, have become big political players in federal elections, with $1.2 billion spent in the past decade by the top 10 individual donors. The top 10 donors made up 7% of total election-related giving in 2018, up from less than 1% in the previous decade.
Both sides of the aisle disapprove of the change. The latest polling shows that a majority of the public opposes Citizens United. Two-thirds of Republicans favor a constitutional amendment undoing it.
Conservatives, though, argue that the ruling has been beneficial to voters.
“The question is, what do we get for it? Higher spending in elections has been shown to increase voter knowledge of candidates and issues,” said Bradley Smith, former chairman of the Federal Elections Commission and a conservative campaign finance lawyer.
Voters, though, may not know the provenance of the information they receive, as "dark money" groups, meaning political entities that do not disclose their funding sources, have amassed greater political power, according to a study by the Brennan Center for Justice at New York University. Dark money groups funnel their funds through nonprofit groups that are not required to disclose their donors. This has led to almost a billion dollars spent by secretive groups in the past decade.
The largest dark money groups that have attempted to influence national politics since Citizens United include pro-business or right-of-center groups such as the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, the National Rifle Association, and Americans for Prosperity, a free-market political nonprofit group associated with Charles Koch. There are also some liberal dark money groups, such as the League of Conservation Voters, the Planned Parenthood Action Fund, the VoteVets Action Fund, and Patriot Majority USA.
"'Dark money' has never reached as much as 5% of spending since Citizens United," said Smith. "Note that there was 'dark money' before C.U., too, though less."
Democrats, however, approach the issue differently.
“I disagree there hasn’t been a lot of dark money; a billion dollars isn’t a small amount. I don’t think it's an insignificant amount, and all of it goes into the most important and tightly contested races," said Weintraub.


thewashingtonexaminer--2020-01-22--'I’d get up today and do it again': CIA interrogator defends waterboarding in 9/11 trial hearing

GUANTANAMO BAY , Cuba — The architect of the CIA ’ s enhanced interrogation program sparred on Tuesday with a defense lawyer during a military court appearance in Guantanamo Bay , Cuba .
James Mitchell , a clinical psychologist for the Air Force who designed the harsh interrogation techniques the agency used after 9/11 , defended his actions .
Mitchell recounted being asked by CIA officials to design the program , called torture by critics , in June 2002 .
“ In my mind , there was a genuine threat … and it would be a dereliction of my moral @ @ @ @ @ @ @ was outweighed the temporary discomfort of terrorists who had taken up arms against us … and whatever personal consequences I ’ d face , ” Mitchell said during his first day of testimony in the pretrial hearings for five men accused of plotting the attack that killed more than 3,000 Americans .
“ I ’ d get up today and do it again.
” Mitchell , along with Bruce Jessen , formed a company to manage the controversial program and were paid $ 81 million .
“ I never thought of it as @ @ @ @ @ @ @ as a CIA operation .
I thought of it as America ’ s program , ” Mitchell said .
“ I think the CIA was representing America at the tip of the spear.
” Mitchell , who waterboarded alleged 9/11 mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and other suspected terrorists , sparred with James Connell , a defense attorney for Mohammed ’ s nephew , Ammar al Baluchi .
Mohammed , Baluchi , and three other charged with plotting 9/11 watched Mitchell ’ s testimony in the packed court .
Mitchell said he overheard , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ during his initial April 2002 meeting at the CIA ’ s Counterterrorism Center , which he thought meant that , following the murder of nearly 3,000 people , the CIA was “ intending to do whatever was legal to stop the next attack.
” “ Are you going to argue that April 2002 was not right after 9/11 ?
” Mitchell sharply asked Connell .
“ I saw you roll your eyes.
” “ I ’ m not arguing anything , ” Connell replied .
“ I was just doing the math.
” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ catastrophic attack planned by the defendants , possibly involving nuclear weapons , ” Mitchell said .
When Connell thanked Mitchell for traveling to Guantanamo Bay , Mitchell fired back .
“ I actually did it for the victims and families , not for you , ” Mitchell said .
Mitchell said he ignored Connell ’ s outreach prior to the hearing because he `` assumed [ Connell ] had an agenda . ''
“ You folks have been saying untrue and malicious things about me and Dr. Jessen for years , so you @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ t want to spend a lot of time with you , ” he said .
Mitchell said there was a distinction between how the FBI and the CIA approached captured terrorists .
“ The CIA was never interested in prosecuting — the CIA was not going to let another catastrophic attack go off , ” he said .
“ They were going to walk up to the line of what was legal , put their toes on it , and lean forward.
” Connell told the judge that , although Mitchell is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ program , it was an institutional program and he is not a rogue actor .
“ This whole effort to extract information from these detainees was an interagency and governmentwide effort , ” the defense lawyer said .
“ I didn ’ t stop to think about whether it was a full government effort … or about food fighting between the FBI and CIA , ” Mitchell said .
“ My sole focus was on stopping the next attack.
” But Mitchell distanced himself from the authorization of these techniques , drawing a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ green badgers , '' and federal employees , who are “ blue badgers.
” “ I was a green badger , ” he said .
“ Green badgers don ’ t run the CIA .
Blue badgers do .
”

GUANTANAMO BAY, Cuba — The architect of the CIA’s enhanced interrogation program sparred on Tuesday with a defense lawyer during a military court appearance in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.
James Mitchell, a clinical psychologist for the Air Force who designed the harsh interrogation techniques the agency used after 9/11, defended his actions.
Mitchell recounted being asked by CIA officials to design the program, called torture by critics, in June 2002.
“In my mind, there was a genuine threat … and it would be a dereliction of my moral obligation to protect American lives if that was outweighed the temporary discomfort of terrorists who had taken up arms against us … and whatever personal consequences I’d face,” Mitchell said during his first day of testimony in the pretrial hearings for five men accused of plotting the attack that killed more than 3,000 Americans. “I’d get up today and do it again.”
Mitchell, along with Bruce Jessen, formed a company to manage the controversial program and were paid $81 million.
“I never thought of it as a Dr. Mitchell operation, or even as a CIA operation. I thought of it as America’s program,” Mitchell said. “I think the CIA was representing America at the tip of the spear.”
Mitchell, who waterboarded alleged 9/11 mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and other suspected terrorists, sparred with James Connell, a defense attorney for Mohammed’s nephew, Ammar al Baluchi. Mohammed, Baluchi, and three other charged with plotting 9/11 watched Mitchell’s testimony in the packed court.
Mitchell said he overheard, “The gloves are off,” during his initial April 2002 meeting at the CIA’s Counterterrorism Center, which he thought meant that, following the murder of nearly 3,000 people, the CIA was “intending to do whatever was legal to stop the next attack.”
“Are you going to argue that April 2002 was not right after 9/11?” Mitchell sharply asked Connell. “I saw you roll your eyes.”
“I’m not arguing anything,” Connell replied. “I was just doing the math.”
“I was told there was another catastrophic attack planned by the defendants, possibly involving nuclear weapons,” Mitchell said.
When Connell thanked Mitchell for traveling to Guantanamo Bay, Mitchell fired back.
“I actually did it for the victims and families, not for you,” Mitchell said.
Mitchell said he ignored Connell’s outreach prior to the hearing because he "assumed [Connell] had an agenda."
“You folks have been saying untrue and malicious things about me and Dr. Jessen for years, so you shouldn’t be surprised I didn’t want to spend a lot of time with you,” he said.
Mitchell said there was a distinction between how the FBI and the CIA approached captured terrorists.
“The CIA was never interested in prosecuting — the CIA was not going to let another catastrophic attack go off,” he said. “They were going to walk up to the line of what was legal, put their toes on it, and lean forward.”
Connell told the judge that, although Mitchell is often portrayed as the face of the program, it was an institutional program and he is not a rogue actor.
“This whole effort to extract information from these detainees was an interagency and governmentwide effort,” the defense lawyer said.
“I didn’t stop to think about whether it was a full government effort … or about food fighting between the FBI and CIA,” Mitchell said. “My sole focus was on stopping the next attack.”
But Mitchell distanced himself from the authorization of these techniques, drawing a distinction between government contractors, or “green badgers," and federal employees, who are “blue badgers.”
“I was a green badger,” he said. “Green badgers don’t run the CIA. Blue badgers do.”


thewashingtonexaminer--2020-01-22--Lisa Murkowski says she called Trump to clarify that she does not 'hate' him

Sen. Lisa Murkowski said she had to clear the air when she heard that President Trump thought she hated him .
The Alaska Republican told the Anchorage Daily News that the last time she spoke to Trump was to speak about his perception of her .
Murkowski said that comments Trump made about her at an event last year prompted the phone call .
“ He was just kind of off the cuff , and he said , ‘ I don ’ t know , I think Lisa Murkowski hates me .
I kind of like her , ’ ” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ I read that , and I was like , ‘ Oh gosh , I don ’ t hate him , ’ ” she recounted .
The senator said she reached out to him at about Christmastime last month .
“ And I just said , ‘ Hey , sir , you know , there 's all this stuff out there that you think I hate you , ’ ” Murkowski recalled .
“ I do n't hate you , ” she said she told the president .
“ I do n't hate anybody @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” Murkowski , who was the only Republican who didn ’ t vote to confirm Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh , said she told the president that she disagreed with him on certain policy matters but did not hold animosity toward him .
“ He was so sweet : He says : ‘ Oh , that ’ s so nice , ’ ” Murkowski said .
After the clarification , Murkowski said she and Trump discussed issues important to Alaska for about 10 minutes .
“ I think it ’ s important to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , ” she said .
“ You can not like the way somebody has said something .
But these are people that we work with , and relationships do matter .
”

Sen. Lisa Murkowski said she had to clear the air when she heard that President Trump thought she hated him.
The Alaska Republican told the Anchorage Daily News that the last time she spoke to Trump was to speak about his perception of her. Murkowski said that comments Trump made about her at an event last year prompted the phone call.
“He was just kind of off the cuff, and he said, ‘I don’t know, I think Lisa Murkowski hates me. I kind of like her,’” Murkowski said of the remarks.
“I read that, and I was like, ‘Oh gosh, I don’t hate him,’” she recounted.
The senator said she reached out to him at about Christmastime last month.
“And I just said, ‘Hey, sir, you know, there's all this stuff out there that you think I hate you,’” Murkowski recalled.
“I don't hate you,” she said she told the president. “I don't hate anybody, but I don't hate you.”
Murkowski, who was the only Republican who didn’t vote to confirm Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh, said she told the president that she disagreed with him on certain policy matters but did not hold animosity toward him.
“He was so sweet: He says: ‘Oh, that’s so nice,’” Murkowski said.
After the clarification, Murkowski said she and Trump discussed issues important to Alaska for about 10 minutes.
“I think it’s important to recognize that you can have policy disagreements,” she said. “You can not like the way somebody has said something. But these are people that we work with, and relationships do matter.”


thewashingtonexaminer--2020-01-22--Hillary Clinton defends 'authentic, unvarnished views' but says she will support Democratic nominee

Hillary Clinton said she would support Bernie Sanders if he received the Democratic nomination after blasting him in an interview .
Clinton appeared to backtrack after she wouldn ’ t tell the Hollywood Reporter if she would support Sanders should he win the nomination .
The former secretary of state was being interviewed about an upcoming documentary about her .
“ I thought everyone wanted my authentic , unvarnished views !
” Clinton said on Tuesday .
“ But to be serious , the number one priority for our country and world is retiring Trump , and , as I @ @ @ @ @ @ @ I can to support our nominee , ” she added .
In the four-part documentary series set to air in March , Clinton contends that “ nobody likes ” Sanders .
`` He was in Congress for years .
He had one senator support him .
Nobody likes him .
Nobody wants to work with him .
He got nothing done .
He was a career politician .
It 's all just baloney , and I feel so bad that people got sucked into it , ” she said .
Clinton , 72 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ who faced a tough challenge from the Vermont senator during the 2016 Democratic presidential primary .
She has accused Sanders of damaging her politically by delaying his endorsement of her during the last election .
“ It 's not only him , it 's the culture around him .
It 's his leadership team .
It 's his prominent supporters .
It 's his online 'Bernie bros ' and their relentless attacks on lots of his competitors , particularly the women .
And I really hope people are paying attention to that , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ has permitted this culture — not only permitted , [ he ] seems to really be very much supporting it , '' Clinton said .
A RealClearPolitics national average of polls has Sanders behind Joe Biden with 20.4 % support to Biden ’ s 28.4 % support .

Hillary Clinton said she would support Bernie Sanders if he received the Democratic nomination after blasting him in an interview.
Clinton appeared to backtrack after she wouldn’t tell the Hollywood Reporter if she would support Sanders should he win the nomination. The former secretary of state was being interviewed about an upcoming documentary about her.
“I thought everyone wanted my authentic, unvarnished views!” Clinton said on Tuesday.
“But to be serious, the number one priority for our country and world is retiring Trump, and, as I always have, I will do whatever I can to support our nominee,” she added.
I thought everyone wanted my authentic, unvarnished views!
But to be serious, the number one priority for our country and world is retiring Trump, and, as I always have, I will do whatever I can to support our nominee. — Hillary Clinton (@HillaryClinton) January 22, 2020
In the four-part documentary series set to air in March, Clinton contends that “nobody likes” Sanders.
"He was in Congress for years. He had one senator support him. Nobody likes him. Nobody wants to work with him. He got nothing done. He was a career politician. It's all just baloney, and I feel so bad that people got sucked into it,” she said.
Clinton, 72, is a political rival of Sanders who faced a tough challenge from the Vermont senator during the 2016 Democratic presidential primary. She has accused Sanders of damaging her politically by delaying his endorsement of her during the last election.
“It's not only him, it's the culture around him. It's his leadership team. It's his prominent supporters. It's his online 'Bernie bros' and their relentless attacks on lots of his competitors, particularly the women. And I really hope people are paying attention to that, because it should be worrisome that he has permitted this culture — not only permitted, [he] seems to really be very much supporting it," Clinton said.
A RealClearPolitics national average of polls has Sanders behind Joe Biden with 20.4% support to Biden’s 28.4% support.


thewashingtonexaminer--2020-01-22--'That's enough': ICE turns up the volume in campaign against sanctuary cities

Immigration and Customs Enforcement has ramped up messaging and legal efforts targeting sanctuary cities in an effort to shame them and mirror the White House ’ s tone , according to two senior administration officials aware of the change .
ICE is making a lot of noise after years of criticizing how some Democrat-run cities and states known as sanctuary zones , where police will not report illegal immigrants , will not honor the agency ’ s requests to work together .
Federal officers at ICE are able to look at local arrests and see if a person is legally @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that person appears to be an illegal immigrant , the officer can request that the local law enforcement agency notify ICE before they are released so ICE can take custody and begin deportation proceedings .
Sanctuary zones release illegal immigrants after they make bail or serve time in jail , including those with criminal convictions , without notifying ICE .
ICE is guided by the same policies that existed under the Obama administration , but it is acting more aggressively at the direction of the Trump White House .
The agency ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ speaking out more , ICE 's presence on social media has risen , and its retaliatory legal action against sanctuary zones this month is unprecedented .
“ I ’ m more than happy , more than excited the administration is stepping up the game , ” former acting ICE Director Tom Homan , who worked a year and a half under Trump , told the Washington Examiner .
“ I ’ m glad the administration reached a point of , 'That 's enough.
’ Now , they ’ re going to step up.
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ week , ICE subpoenaed a local law enforcement office .
An ICE spokeswoman wrote in an email Tuesday that , although the agency has taken this type of legal action in the past for information on people it believes were illegally present , those actions were directed at businesses and apartment complexes , not fellow law enforcement agencies .
“ What ’ s new is that ICE has not historically needed to issue these subpoenas to law enforcement agencies , ” the spokeswoman wrote in an email .
It is not just ICE @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Political appointees at ICE and its parent agency , the Department of Homeland Security , have spoken out following the recent rape and murder of a 92-year-old New York woman .
The suspect is illegally in the country and had been arrested in New York City months before the murder but was released , despite ICE asking to be alerted before he was set free .
`` Make no mistake , it is this city 's sanctuary policies that are the sole reason this criminal was allowed to roam the streets freely @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , ” Albence said on Jan. 17 .
Acting DHS Secretary Chad Wolf , acting DHS Deputy Secretary Ken Cuccinelli , and DHS spokeswoman Heather Swift all joined in , with Swift rebuking New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio ’ s defenses .
“ Hypocrisy .
De Blasio runs & hides behind police b/c he can not defend his anti-law enforcement policies .
Tell me Mr. Mayor : What are you going to tell her family ?
‘ I could have prevented your loved one ’ s rape & murder but I @ @ @ @ @ @ @ instead , ’ ” Swift wrote on Twitter .
A senior administration official familiar with the new approach said the November departure of acting DHS Secretary Kevin McAleenan freed up the department leadership to focus on the issue .
“ In the absence of McAleenan , who tried to curtail enforcement operations and messaging , DHS and Wolf has been empowered to speak more directly to the realities of immigration enforcement and illegal sanctuary city practices , ” the official wrote in a text .
An “ ICE Alerts ” Twitter page that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ was reborn in late 2019 and now posts content daily .
The page is filled with “ wanted ” ads that , in addition to listing the person ’ s name , picture , and criminal history , also shames the jail or city that ignored ICE 's request .
On top of the public campaign to shame New York City officials , ICE held a press conference in New York where Albence attempted to further castigate New York officials for not turning nine criminal immigrants over to ICE .
ICE has also @ @ @ @ @ @ @ number of convicted illegal immigrants released from jails in major cities .
ICE has called out in press releases Ohio ’ s Franklin County Sheriff ’ s Office for letting 29 people back onto the streets in November and Chicago ’ s Cook County for ignoring more than 1,000 requests to detain people last year .

Immigration and Customs Enforcement has ramped up messaging and legal efforts targeting sanctuary cities in an effort to shame them and mirror the White House’s tone, according to two senior administration officials aware of the change.
ICE is making a lot of noise after years of criticizing how some Democrat-run cities and states known as sanctuary zones, where police will not report illegal immigrants, will not honor the agency’s requests to work together.
Federal officers at ICE are able to look at local arrests and see if a person is legally or illegally in the country. If that person appears to be an illegal immigrant, the officer can request that the local law enforcement agency notify ICE before they are released so ICE can take custody and begin deportation proceedings. Sanctuary zones release illegal immigrants after they make bail or serve time in jail, including those with criminal convictions, without notifying ICE.
ICE is guided by the same policies that existed under the Obama administration, but it is acting more aggressively at the direction of the Trump White House. The agency’s acting director, Matt Albence, is speaking out more, ICE's presence on social media has risen, and its retaliatory legal action against sanctuary zones this month is unprecedented.
“I’m more than happy, more than excited the administration is stepping up the game,” former acting ICE Director Tom Homan, who worked a year and a half under Trump, told the Washington Examiner. “I’m glad the administration reached a point of, 'That's enough.’ Now, they’re going to step up.”
For the first time ever last week, ICE subpoenaed a local law enforcement office. An ICE spokeswoman wrote in an email Tuesday that, although the agency has taken this type of legal action in the past for information on people it believes were illegally present, those actions were directed at businesses and apartment complexes, not fellow law enforcement agencies.
“What’s new is that ICE has not historically needed to issue these subpoenas to law enforcement agencies,” the spokeswoman wrote in an email.
It is not just ICE taking a tougher approach to sanctuary cities. Political appointees at ICE and its parent agency, the Department of Homeland Security, have spoken out following the recent rape and murder of a 92-year-old New York woman. The suspect is illegally in the country and had been arrested in New York City months before the murder but was released, despite ICE asking to be alerted before he was set free.
"Make no mistake, it is this city's sanctuary policies that are the sole reason this criminal was allowed to roam the streets freely and end an innocent woman's life,” Albence said on Jan. 17. Acting DHS Secretary Chad Wolf, acting DHS Deputy Secretary Ken Cuccinelli, and DHS spokeswoman Heather Swift all joined in, with Swift rebuking New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio’s defenses.
“Hypocrisy. De Blasio runs & hides behind police b/c he cannot defend his anti-law enforcement policies. Tell me Mr. Mayor: What are you going to tell her family? ‘I could have prevented your loved one’s rape & murder but I decided to provide sanctuary to criminal aliens instead,’” Swift wrote on Twitter.
A senior administration official familiar with the new approach said the November departure of acting DHS Secretary Kevin McAleenan freed up the department leadership to focus on the issue.
“In the absence of McAleenan, who tried to curtail enforcement operations and messaging, DHS and Wolf has been empowered to speak more directly to the realities of immigration enforcement and illegal sanctuary city practices,” the official wrote in a text.
An “ICE Alerts” Twitter page that sat unused for more than five years was reborn in late 2019 and now posts content daily. The page is filled with “wanted” ads that, in addition to listing the person’s name, picture, and criminal history, also shames the jail or city that ignored ICE's request.
Here is an example of a foreign national with an active ICE detainer who has been detained for serious criminal offenses. The only way a person is subject to an ICE detainer is if they are handcuffed & arrested for a crime committed in the local community. https://t.co/RfYfSU5wSD pic.twitter.com/5KB79CdOYR — ICE Alerts (@ICEAlerts) January 21, 2020
On top of the public campaign to shame New York City officials, ICE held a press conference in New York where Albence attempted to further castigate New York officials for not turning nine criminal immigrants over to ICE.
ICE has also put a higher focus on publicizing the number of convicted illegal immigrants released from jails in major cities. ICE has called out in press releases Ohio’s Franklin County Sheriff’s Office for letting 29 people back onto the streets in November and Chicago’s Cook County for ignoring more than 1,000 requests to detain people last year.


thewashingtonexaminer--2020-01-21--Robert Mueller’s friends think ‘something happened’ to him during Russia investigation: Author

People close to Robert Mueller believe `` something happened '' to the former special counsel over the course of his two-year Russia investigation , according to a reporter .
The Washington Post 's Carol Leonnig , who is the co-author of the new book A Very Stable Genius about President Trump , described on Tuesday how difficult it was for some of Mueller 's close family friends to watch his shaky testimony before Congress last summer .
“ Phil [ Rucker ] and I , my co-author , we are not medical professionals , but over and over again , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ are very close to Bob Mueller who found him a different person , a changed person , after two years of this investigation , ” Leonnig told CNN host John Berman .
“ They don ’ t know what that ’ s about , ” Leonnig continued .
“ Some of them do and haven ’ t shared that with us .
But they know that something happened .
He ’ s a different person .
He was stumbling over his words .
You saw him in July in his testimony before Congress @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to who are very , very good family friends of his who said , ‘ I couldn ’ t watch the television anymore , I had to turn it off .
It wasn ’ t the Bob I knew . '
'' After a 22-month investigation , Mueller 's team did not find sufficient evidence to establish a criminal conspiracy took place between the Trump campaign and the Russian government .
He also declined to make a determination about whether Trump may have obstructed justice but did lay out 10 instances of possible @ @ @ @ @ @ @ map to continue investigating and possibly seek impeachment .
Trump is now facing two articles of impeachment stemming from his dealings with Ukraine .
Speculation about Mueller 's health began to swirl when the former FBI director , known for being sharp and competent , appeared to have difficulty hearing lawmakers ' questions and failed to recall key facts from his report when he testified before the House Judiciary and Intelligence committees in July .
In their book , Leonnig and Rucker wrote that when Attorney General William Barr met Mueller before his @ @ @ @ @ @ @ his notes , and his `` hands shook as he held the paper .
His voice was shaky , too . ''
Barr and his deputy , Rod Rosenstein , `` couldn ’ t help but worry about Mueller ’ s health.
” The Washington Post reported in July that Mueller 's team denied rumors that the then-74-year-old 's cognitive acuity was wavering , prompting Democrats to compel him to appear publicly .
His resulting performance had some Democrats privately questioning whether Mueller was all there mentally .
“ It was a painful @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of us , ” one unnamed House Democrat who questioned Mueller said at the time .
“ Here you have this Vietnam hero and this post-Sept. 11 FBI director .
You could tell he was having a hard time hearing , and it was like , ‘ Ugh !
This is not how I want him to be remembered . '
'' Some critics , Berman said , believe Mueller just was not up to grappling with the `` modern era of political warfare and may have got gamed out by the presidency @ @ @ @ @ @ @ felt very strongly that Bob Mueller was playing a 1950s Boy Scout game , '' Leonnig said .
`` He was being an honorable icon and standard-bearer of the Department of Justice , whereas Bill Barr was playing in Trump ’ s 2000s , and he was messaging this very well .
He was the first person to get out the message : Donald Trump ’ s been exonerated . ''
In early October , it was announced that Mueller had returned to work at the private law firm WilmerHale .

People close to Robert Mueller believe "something happened" to the former special counsel over the course of his two-year Russia investigation, according to a reporter.
The Washington Post's Carol Leonnig, who is the co-author of the new book A Very Stable Genius about President Trump, described on Tuesday how difficult it was for some of Mueller's close family friends to watch his shaky testimony before Congress last summer.
“Phil [Rucker] and I, my co-author, we are not medical professionals, but over and over again, John, we heard from people who are very close to Bob Mueller who found him a different person, a changed person, after two years of this investigation,” Leonnig told CNN host John Berman.
“They don’t know what that’s about,” Leonnig continued. “Some of them do and haven’t shared that with us. But they know that something happened. He’s a different person. He was stumbling over his words. You saw him in July in his testimony before Congress, there were people that I spoke to who are very, very good family friends of his who said, ‘I couldn’t watch the television anymore, I had to turn it off. It wasn’t the Bob I knew.'"
After a 22-month investigation, Mueller's team did not find sufficient evidence to establish a criminal conspiracy took place between the Trump campaign and the Russian government. He also declined to make a determination about whether Trump may have obstructed justice but did lay out 10 instances of possible obstruction that Democrats viewed as a road map to continue investigating and possibly seek impeachment. Trump is now facing two articles of impeachment stemming from his dealings with Ukraine.
Speculation about Mueller's health began to swirl when the former FBI director, known for being sharp and competent, appeared to have difficulty hearing lawmakers' questions and failed to recall key facts from his report when he testified before the House Judiciary and Intelligence committees in July.
In their book, Leonnig and Rucker wrote that when Attorney General William Barr met Mueller before his report was released, Mueller read from his notes, and his "hands shook as he held the paper. His voice was shaky, too." Barr and his deputy, Rod Rosenstein, "couldn’t help but worry about Mueller’s health.”
The Washington Post reported in July that Mueller's team denied rumors that the then-74-year-old's cognitive acuity was wavering, prompting Democrats to compel him to appear publicly. His resulting performance had some Democrats privately questioning whether Mueller was all there mentally.
“It was a painful reminder that age catches up to all of us,” one unnamed House Democrat who questioned Mueller said at the time. “Here you have this Vietnam hero and this post-Sept. 11 FBI director. You could tell he was having a hard time hearing, and it was like, ‘Ugh! This is not how I want him to be remembered.'"
Some critics, Berman said, believe Mueller just was not up to grappling with the "modern era of political warfare and may have got gamed out by the presidency."
“Many of our sources felt very strongly that Bob Mueller was playing a 1950s Boy Scout game," Leonnig said. "He was being an honorable icon and standard-bearer of the Department of Justice, whereas Bill Barr was playing in Trump’s 2000s, and he was messaging this very well. He was the first person to get out the message: Donald Trump’s been exonerated."
In early October, it was announced that Mueller had returned to work at the private law firm WilmerHale.


thewashingtonexaminer--2020-01-22--'Pissing in the wind': Why not a single Republican is poised to vote to convict Trump

Republican voters ’ overwhelming opposition to impeachment and aggressive maneuvering by Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell are conspiring to deliver President Trump a unanimous GOP vote of acquittal at his trial in the Senate .
That Senate Republicans are on track to acquit Trump and shield him from expulsion was not in doubt as the trial adjudicating two articles of impeachment opened on Tuesday .
But , as House Democratic prosecutors and the White House defense team began litigating charges of abuse of power and obstruction of Congress , McConnell ’ s push for unity and grassroots loyalty to Trump @ @ @ @ @ @ @ toward unanimous acquittal .
“ It wouldn ’ t surprise me to have all 53 Republicans ” acquit , Sen. Josh Hawley of Missouri told the Washington Examiner .
“ If we ’ re voting based on the evidence , I think , clearly , we vote to acquit.
” Since Dec. 18 , when House Democrats impeached Trump on a near party-line vote , new revelations emerged about White House dealings with Ukraine that might further substantiate allegations against the president .
The information has not swayed most Senate Republicans , who @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of the chamber , had confidently concluded that the case against Trump was flimsy .
Even as many GOP senators doubt the case on the merits , GOP insiders concede privately that key political factors are influencing Senate Republicans as they weigh Trump ’ s culpability .
How compelling they find the prosecution ’ s argument and their assessment of Trump temporarily withholding $ 391 million in military aid to Ukraine while asking Kyiv to launch an investigation into political rival Joe Biden are secondary .
Impeachment has strengthened Trump ’ s hold @ @ @ @ @ @ @ as true in blue states and 2020 battlegrounds as in reliably GOP territory .
Combined with Trump ’ s stable job approval numbers nationally and his uncommonly strong bond with the conservative base , the pressure to stick with the president is immense .
One Republican lobbyist said impeachment was such a significant party litmus test that the bar for breaking ranks is too high .
“ Bipartisanship and moderation can be achieved , but they can ’ t be achieved with threshold questions like this , ” the source said .
If @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on conclusion of the trial , a prospect far from guaranteed , 20 Republicans would have to join with them for Trump to be removed from office .
Since early in the House investigation last fall , it has been apparent the president is not in danger of this sort of large-scale defection .
McConnell has worked to maintain a united GOP front among members of his conference and with Trump .
So far , the majority leader ’ s effort is paying dividends , beginning with the unanimous Republican support he won @ @ @ @ @ @ @ trial will unfold .
The few who might entertain convicting Trump are experiencing peer pressure , however .
“ It ’ s easier to vote on the merits if it ’ s going to matter , ” said a Republican lobbyist with relationships in the Senate .
“ Otherwise , you ’ re just pissing in the wind.
” Underscoring the political concerns driving Senate Republicans , party strategists are not concerned about four of the five GOP incumbents whose reelection is in peril and stand to lose the most in November if @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Collins of Maine , Joni Ernst of Iowa , Cory Gardner of Colorado , Martha McSally of Arizona , and Thom Tillis of North Carolina are the most threatened Republicans on the 2020 ballot .
Only Collins is considered a possible “ yes ” vote to convict , but doing so would risk a backlash in the primary or general election by Republican voters .
The others to watch are Sen. Lamar Alexander of Tennessee , one of McConnell ’ s oldest friends , who is retiring this year , Sen. Lisa Murkowski @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of Utah .
These three have maintained their neutrality throughout the process .
Some GOP insiders suspect that most Senate Republicans will maintain the veneer of indecision only to vote with their party in the end , if not on the merits , then because of political considerations .

Aggressive maneuvering by Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and Republican voters’ overwhelming opposition to impeachment are conspiring to deliver President Trump a unanimous GOP vote of acquittal at his trial in the Senate.
That Senate Republicans are on track to acquit Trump and shield him from expulsion was not in doubt as the trial adjudicating two articles of impeachment opened on Tuesday. But, as House Democratic prosecutors and the White House defense team began litigating charges of abuse of power and obstruction of Congress, McConnell’s push for unity and grassroots loyalty to Trump were moving Senate Republicans behind the scenes toward unanimous acquittal.
“It wouldn’t surprise me to have all 53 Republicans” acquit, Sen. Josh Hawley of Missouri told the Washington Examiner. “If we’re voting based on the evidence, I think, clearly, we vote to acquit.”
Since Dec. 18, when House Democrats impeached Trump on a near party-line vote, new revelations emerged about White House dealings with Ukraine that might further substantiate allegations against the president. The information has not swayed most Senate Republicans, who, before hearing arguments in the well of the chamber, had confidently concluded that the case against Trump was flimsy.
Even as many GOP senators doubt the case on the merits, GOP insiders concede privately that key political factors are influencing Senate Republicans as they weigh Trump’s culpability. How compelling they find the prosecution’s argument and their assessment of Trump temporarily withholding $391 million in military aid to Ukraine while asking Kyiv to launch an investigation into political rival Joe Biden are secondary.
Impeachment has strengthened Trump’s hold on Republicans broadly. This development is as true in blue states and 2020 battlegrounds as in reliably GOP territory. Combined with Trump’s stable job approval numbers nationally and his uncommonly strong bond with the conservative base, the pressure to stick with the president is immense.
One Republican lobbyist said impeachment was such a significant party litmus test that the bar for breaking ranks is too high. “Bipartisanship and moderation can be achieved, but they can’t be achieved with threshold questions like this,” the source said.
If all 47 Senate Democrats vote to convict on conclusion of the trial, a prospect far from guaranteed, 20 Republicans would have to join with them for Trump to be removed from office. Since early in the House investigation last fall, it has been apparent the president is not in danger of this sort of large-scale defection.
McConnell has worked to maintain a united GOP front among members of his conference and with Trump. So far, the majority leader’s effort is paying dividends, beginning with the unanimous Republican support he won for the resolution determining how the impeachment trial will unfold.
The few who might entertain convicting Trump are experiencing peer pressure, however.
“It’s easier to vote on the merits if it’s going to matter,” said a Republican lobbyist with relationships in the Senate. “Otherwise, you’re just pissing in the wind.”
Underscoring the political concerns driving Senate Republicans, party strategists are not concerned about four of the five GOP incumbents whose reelection is in peril and stand to lose the most in November if they oppose impeachment.
Sens. Susan Collins of Maine, Joni Ernst of Iowa, Cory Gardner of Colorado, Martha McSally of Arizona, and Thom Tillis of North Carolina are the most threatened Republicans on the 2020 ballot. Only Collins is considered a possible “yes” vote to convict, but doing so would risk a backlash in the primary or general election by Republican voters.
The others to watch are Sen. Lamar Alexander of Tennessee, one of McConnell’s oldest friends, who is retiring this year, Sen. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, and Sen. Mitt Romney of Utah. These three have maintained their neutrality throughout the process. Some GOP insiders suspect that most Senate Republicans will maintain the veneer of indecision only to vote with their party in the end, if not on the merits, then because of political considerations.


thewashingtonexaminer--2020-01-22--Tulsi Gabbard criticizes her coverage compared to fellow veteran Buttigieg

KEENE , New Hampshire — Tulsi Gabbard expressed frustration with media coverage of her campaign compared to that of Pete Buttigieg , even though both are veterans .
`` Did you ever expect to be smeared so viciously like Bernie Sanders by the media ? ''
a young attendee in the crowd of over 100 at a Gabbard presidential campaign event asked the Hawaii congresswoman .
`` I knew I was n't gon na get any favors , '' said Gabbard , 38 .
`` Unfortunately , from the very first day that I began running for president , the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ their friends to smear my character and make false accusations against me , and so on , began immediately . ''
Gabbard mentioned a graphic she saw that compared headlines in the first month of announcing her candidacy for president in January 2019 to that of Buttigieg , the 38-year-old former mayor of South Bend , Indiana , in the month after he entered the race .
`` The contrast was very stark , '' she said .
`` The headlines were largely negative , nothing about making history as the first female @ @ @ @ @ @ @ or any one of another number of things .
And it was a very different narrative and story that was largely positive for the other veteran who 's running for president . ''
Gabbard has served in the Hawaii Army National Guard for almost 17 years and still deploys for training , taking her away from the campaign trail .
She deployed to Iraq for 12 months starting in 2004 and was awarded a Combat Medical Badge for supporting infantry engaged in active combat .
In 2009 , she led a military police @ @ @ @ @ @ @ major in the Guard .
Buttigieg was in the Navy Reserve from 2009 to 2017 and , during his first mayoral term in 2014 , served about six months in Kabul , Afghanistan .
He was an intelligence officer and spent most of his time on the base but has often mentioned that he left base while driving an armored vehicle and `` crossed the wire '' 119 times , by his own count .
Buttigieg skyrocketed to stardom due in part to glowing media profiles and is now in the top tier @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Hampshire while Gabbard lags in the polls with single digits both nationally and in early voting states .
`` All we expect and hope for from the media is fairness and the truth , '' Gabbard said , mentioning that she introduced legislation to reinstate the Fairness Doctrine , a policy that required media outlets to present contrasting views .
`` More and more people are , unfortunately — they 're looking for their news elsewhere , questioning if what they 're seeing in the media is true or fair or real .
@

KEENE, New Hampshire — Tulsi Gabbard expressed frustration with media coverage of her campaign compared to that of Pete Buttigieg, even though both are veterans.
"Did you ever expect to be smeared so viciously like Bernie Sanders by the media?" a young attendee in the crowd of over 100 at a Gabbard presidential campaign event asked the Hawaii congresswoman.
"I knew I wasn't gonna get any favors," said Gabbard, 38. "Unfortunately, from the very first day that I began running for president, the efforts coming from within the media and their friends to smear my character and make false accusations against me, and so on, began immediately."
Gabbard mentioned a graphic she saw that compared headlines in the first month of announcing her candidacy for president in January 2019 to that of Buttigieg, the 38-year-old former mayor of South Bend, Indiana, in the month after he entered the race.
"The contrast was very stark," she said. "The headlines were largely negative, nothing about making history as the first female combat veteran ever to run for president or any one of another number of things. And it was a very different narrative and story that was largely positive for the other veteran who's running for president."
Gabbard has served in the Hawaii Army National Guard for almost 17 years and still deploys for training, taking her away from the campaign trail. She deployed to Iraq for 12 months starting in 2004 and was awarded a Combat Medical Badge for supporting infantry engaged in active combat. In 2009, she led a military police platoon in Kuwait. She remains a major in the Guard.
Buttigieg was in the Navy Reserve from 2009 to 2017 and, during his first mayoral term in 2014, served about six months in Kabul, Afghanistan. He was an intelligence officer and spent most of his time on the base but has often mentioned that he left base while driving an armored vehicle and "crossed the wire" 119 times, by his own count.
Buttigieg skyrocketed to stardom due in part to glowing media profiles and is now in the top tier of four candidates in Iowa and New Hampshire while Gabbard lags in the polls with single digits both nationally and in early voting states.
"All we expect and hope for from the media is fairness and the truth," Gabbard said, mentioning that she introduced legislation to reinstate the Fairness Doctrine, a policy that required media outlets to present contrasting views. "More and more people are, unfortunately — they're looking for their news elsewhere, questioning if what they're seeing in the media is true or fair or real."


thewashingtonexaminer--2020-01-22--'This isn't high school': Tulsi Gabbard scolds Hillary Clinton for Bernie Sanders comments

KEENE , New Hampshire — Tulsi Gabbard scolded Hillary Clinton for claiming no one likes Bernie Sanders , suggesting that the former secretary of state 's comments sounded more like gossip found among school lockers than analysis by a former Democratic presidential nominee .
`` This is n't high school .
This is real life , everyday issues that people are really struggling with and dealing with that they 're looking to leaders in Washington to solve , '' the Hawaii congresswoman , 38 , told reporters on Tuesday .
Clinton , in an interview published on Tuesday , said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Vermont senator , whom she defeated in the 2016 primary , should he win the Democratic presidential nomination .
“ I ’ m not going to go there yet , ” she said .
In a Hulu documentary about Clinton premiering in March , the former secretary of state said that `` nobody likes him . ''
`` He was in Congress for years .
He had one senator support him .
Nobody likes him .
Nobody wants to work with him .
He got nothing done .
He was a career politician @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and I feel so bad that people got sucked into it , ” she said .
After backlash for her comment , Clinton said she will support the party 's nominee .
Earlier on Tuesday , Gabbard tweeted , `` I like Bernie , '' which became a trending hashtag on social media in response to Clinton .
In 2016 , Gabbard resigned as vice chairwoman of the Democratic National Committee to endorse Sanders in the primary .
Gabbard was a target of Clinton in an October interview in which the former secretary @ @ @ @ @ @ @ `` groomed '' by Russia or the Republicans to run as a third-party spoiler candidate .
Gabbard responded to Clinton in part by calling her `` the queen of warmongers , embodiment of corruption , and personification of the rot that has sickened the Democratic Party for so long . ''
`` Bernie Sanders has joined the exclusive club in his 2020 primary with Tulsi , being attacked by a former secretary of state that will not be named , '' said New Hampshire political organizer Eric Jackman while introducing Gabbard at a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Gabbard said , without hesitation , however , that she would accept Clinton 's endorsement if she is the nominee .
`` I think it 's important that we get past this popularity contest in Washington and actually stand up , stand up and listen to the people who are calling out for leaders to listen to them and to work for them , '' Gabbard said Tuesday .

KEENE, New Hampshire — Tulsi Gabbard scolded Hillary Clinton for claiming no one likes Bernie Sanders, suggesting that the former secretary of state's comments sounded more like gossip found among school lockers than analysis by a former Democratic presidential nominee.
"This isn't high school. This is real life, everyday issues that people are really struggling with and dealing with that they're looking to leaders in Washington to solve," the Hawaii congresswoman, 38, told reporters on Tuesday.
Clinton, in an interview published on Tuesday, said she was not ready to endorse the Vermont senator, whom she defeated in the 2016 primary, should he win the Democratic presidential nomination. “I’m not going to go there yet,” she said.
In a Hulu documentary about Clinton premiering in March, the former secretary of state said that "nobody likes him."
"He was in Congress for years. He had one senator support him. Nobody likes him. Nobody wants to work with him. He got nothing done. He was a career politician. It's all just baloney, and I feel so bad that people got sucked into it,” she said.
After backlash for her comment, Clinton said she will support the party's nominee.
Earlier on Tuesday, Gabbard tweeted, "I like Bernie," which became a trending hashtag on social media in response to Clinton. In 2016, Gabbard resigned as vice chairwoman of the Democratic National Committee to endorse Sanders in the primary.
Gabbard was a target of Clinton in an October interview in which the former secretary of state suggested that Gabbard is being "groomed" by Russia or the Republicans to run as a third-party spoiler candidate. Gabbard responded to Clinton in part by calling her "the queen of warmongers, embodiment of corruption, and personification of the rot that has sickened the Democratic Party for so long."
"Bernie Sanders has joined the exclusive club in his 2020 primary with Tulsi, being attacked by a former secretary of state that will not be named," said New Hampshire political organizer Eric Jackman while introducing Gabbard at a campaign event that drew over 100 people.
Gabbard said, without hesitation, however, that she would accept Clinton's endorsement if she is the nominee.
"I think it's important that we get past this popularity contest in Washington and actually stand up, stand up and listen to the people who are calling out for leaders to listen to them and to work for them," Gabbard said Tuesday.


thewashingtonexaminer--2020-01-23--Eleven million people watched first day of impeachment trial

About 11 million people tuned in to watch the start of President Trump ’ s impeachment trial .
The start of the trial was Tuesday and lasted more than 12 hours .
The numbers were calculated by factoring in viewers from six cable and broadcast networks .
Fox News had the most viewers , with 2.65 million watching the 12:30 p.m. to 5 p.m. time slot .
CBS came in second , with 1.94 million tuning in during that time frame .
MSNBC came in third with 1.9 million viewers , and CNN trailed , with about 1.44 million watching @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 11 million was less than the 13.8 million who watched the first day of the House ’ s impeachment proceedings against Trump , which led to the two charges , abuse of power and obstruction of Congress , that the president is facing now .
Tuesday ’ s proceedings lasted until almost 2 a.m. Trump is accused of pressuring Ukraine to investigate his 2020 political rival Joe Biden , as well as the time the former vice president 's son spent on the board of a Ukrainian energy company .
The president has @ @ @ @

About 11 million people tuned in to watch the start of President Trump’s impeachment trial.
The start of the trial was Tuesday and lasted more than 12 hours. The numbers were calculated by factoring in viewers from six cable and broadcast networks.
Fox News had the most viewers, with 2.65 million watching the 12:30 p.m. to 5 p.m. time slot. CBS came in second, with 1.94 million tuning in during that time frame. MSNBC came in third with 1.9 million viewers, and CNN trailed, with about 1.44 million watching the trial.
The total number of 11 million was less than the 13.8 million who watched the first day of the House’s impeachment proceedings against Trump, which led to the two charges, abuse of power and obstruction of Congress, that the president is facing now.
Tuesday’s proceedings lasted until almost 2 a.m.
Trump is accused of pressuring Ukraine to investigate his 2020 political rival Joe Biden, as well as the time the former vice president's son spent on the board of a Ukrainian energy company. The president has denied all wrongdoing.


thewashingtonexaminer--2020-01-23--Trump breaks record for number of tweets in one day as president

President Trump tweeted more on the day the House presented its impeachment case against him than any other day during @ @ @ @ @ 6:35 p.m. EST on Wednesday , Trump had tweeted 142 times , according to Factbase @ @ @ @ @ president ’ s tweets , Facebook posts , speeches , and interviews .
The previous @ @ @ @ @ one day , which was set in December .
It also looked possible that Trump @ @ @ @ @ of tweets from his personal Twitter handle @ realDonaldTrump , which registered 161 tweets in @ @ @ @ @ Trump ’ s day was spent traveling to D.C. from a meeting at the World @ @ @ @ @ Most of the tweets were focused on his impeachment and included both original tweets and @ @ @ @ @

President Trump tweeted more on the day the House presented its impeachment case against him than any other day during his presidency.
As of 6:35 p.m. EST on Wednesday, Trump had tweeted 142 times, according to Factbase Feed, which monitors the president’s tweets, Facebook posts, speeches, and interviews. The previous record was 123 tweets in one day, which was set in December.
And, for your information, we have a record as of 4:25 pm on @realDonaldTrump. The most tweets of his presidency at 125 and counting. The most retweets ever at 110 and counting. Closing on the all time record set in 2015... pic.twitter.com/V9hLmN2lEu — Factba.se (@FactbaseFeed) January 22, 2020
It also looked possible that Trump could beat the record number of tweets from his personal Twitter handle @realDonaldTrump, which registered 161 tweets in January 2015.
142 tweets on @realDonaldTrump and holding as of 6:35 pm... 124 retweets. 161 is the number to hit to tie 1/5/15's record... — Factba.se (@FactbaseFeed) January 22, 2020
Most of Trump’s day was spent traveling to D.C. from a meeting at the World Economic Forum in Switzerland. Most of the tweets were focused on his impeachment and included both original tweets and retweets from other lawmakers.


thewashingtonexaminer--2020-01-22--Adam Schiff: Case against Trump 'cannot be decided at the ballot box'

House Judiciary Chairman Adam Schiff said that President Trump ’ s alleged misconduct can ’ t be proven at the @ @ @ @ @ his impeachment .
The California Democrat is one of the House ’ s impeachment managers @ @ @ @ @ his opening statement on Wednesday .
“ If not remedied by his conviction in the @ @ @ @ @ , President Trump ’ s abuse of his office and obstruction of Congress will permanently @ @ @ @ @ among the branches of government , ” the 59-year-old congressman said .
Schiff accused Trump @ @ @ @ @ the powers of the presidency to cheat in an election.
” “ For precisely this @ @ @ @ @ s misconduct can not be decided at the ballot box , for we can not @ @ @ @ @ will be fairly won , ” he said .
“ The president has shown he @ @ @ @ @ law and scornful of constraint , ” Schiff added .

House Judiciary Chairman Adam Schiff said that President Trump’s alleged misconduct can’t be proven at the ballot box but only through his impeachment.
The California Democrat is one of the House’s impeachment managers and made the remarks during his opening statement on Wednesday.
“If not remedied by his conviction in the Senate and removal from office, President Trump’s abuse of his office and obstruction of Congress will permanently alter the balance of power among the branches of government,” the 59-year-old congressman said.
Schiff accused Trump of attempting to “use the powers of the presidency to cheat in an election.”
“For precisely this reason, the president’s misconduct cannot be decided at the ballot box, for we cannot be assured that the vote will be fairly won,” he said.
“The president has shown he believes he is above the law and scornful of constraint,” Schiff added.


thewashingtonexaminer--2020-01-22--Celebrate Taylor Swift’s career, not her politics

A new Netflix documentary aims to tell us more about the Taylor Swift we think we know — by focusing on her politics .
In Miss Americana , Taylor Swift ’ s career is traced from that of a young starlet to a global superstar with a political voice .
Variety that it will reveal Swift ’ s evolution into a “ political animal.
” “ It ’ s the story of an earnest young woman with a self-described ‘ good girl ’ fixation working through her last remaining fears of being shamed as she comes to embrace her claws @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Americana is , according to the magazine , “ a portrait of the birth of an activist.
” But for the woman who 's been in the spotlight since she was a teenager , her recently revealed political opinions are probably the least interesting thing about her .
Since Swift released her debut album when she was 16 years old , she has navigated megafame , sexual harassment , industry blow-ups , severe critiques , and a genre change with a measure of grace not often seen in the entertainment industry .
So @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Swift herself says she ’ s finally interested in talking politics , and she ’ s not afraid of suffering from Dixie Chicks syndrome .
After she endorsed Phil Bredesen for Senate , she said , “ This was a situation where , from a humanity perspective and from what my moral compass was telling me I needed to do , I knew I was right , and I really didn ’ t care about repercussions.
” In the trailer for Miss Americana , she says , `` I need to be on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Bredesen lost in the 2018 midterm elections , but since then , Swift has weighed in on , and she says when it comes to talking politics , she ’ s .
“ I ’ m finding my voice in terms of politics .
I took a lot of time educating myself on the political system and the branches of government that are signing off on bills that affect our day-to-day life , ” she told Elle last year .
“ I saw so many issues that put our most vulnerable citizens at @ @ @ @ @ @ @ speak up to try and help make a change.
” Swift may have just found her political voice , but her standard Democratic positions are not groundbreaking .
If the documentary wants to focus on Swift ’ s career , it should look primarily at how she changed pop stardom and how she turned herself into a powerful brand while still maintaining a sense of authenticity .
Everything about her story is fascinating — everything but the part where she starts sounding like every other celebrity .
That does n't necessarily mean she @ @ @ @ @ @ @ . ''
But if music fans and casual Netflix viewers want to learn anything from Swift , it surely wo n't have to do with Phil Bredesen or Hillary Clinton .
In every aspect of Taylor Swift 's career , she has been unique — except for her politics .

A new Netflix documentary aims to tell us more about the Taylor Swift we think we know — by focusing on her politics.
In Miss Americana, Taylor Swift’s career is traced from that of a young starlet to a global superstar with a political voice. Variety reports that it will reveal Swift’s evolution into a “political animal.” “It’s the story of an earnest young woman with a self-described ‘good girl’ fixation working through her last remaining fears of being shamed as she comes to embrace her claws, and her causes."
Miss Americana is, according to the magazine, “a portrait of the birth of an activist.”
But for the woman who's been in the spotlight since she was a teenager, her recently revealed political opinions are probably the least interesting thing about her.
Since Swift released her debut album when she was 16 years old, she has navigated megafame, sexual harassment, industry blow-ups, severe critiques, and a genre change with a measure of grace not often seen in the entertainment industry.
So why focus on her political beliefs?
Swift herself says she’s finally interested in talking politics, and she’s not afraid of suffering from Dixie Chicks syndrome. After she endorsed Phil Bredesen for Senate, she said, “This was a situation where, from a humanity perspective and from what my moral compass was telling me I needed to do, I knew I was right, and I really didn’t care about repercussions.”
In the trailer for Miss Americana, she says, "I need to be on the right side of history."
Bredesen lost in the 2018 midterm elections, but since then, Swift has weighed in on the Equality Act , and she says when it comes to talking politics, she’s just getting started .
“I’m finding my voice in terms of politics. I took a lot of time educating myself on the political system and the branches of government that are signing off on bills that affect our day-to-day life,” she told Elle last year. “I saw so many issues that put our most vulnerable citizens at risk and felt like I had to speak up to try and help make a change.”
Swift may have just found her political voice, but her standard Democratic positions are not groundbreaking. If the documentary wants to focus on Swift’s career, it should look primarily at how she changed pop stardom and how she turned herself into a powerful brand while still maintaining a sense of authenticity. Everything about her story is fascinating — everything but the part where she starts sounding like every other celebrity.
That doesn't necessarily mean she has to "shut up and sing." But if music fans and casual Netflix viewers want to learn anything from Swift, it surely won't have to do with Phil Bredesen or Hillary Clinton. In every aspect of Taylor Swift's career, she has been unique — except for her politics.


thewashingtonexaminer--2020-01-22--Military lawyer sees historical parallel in defending 9/11 terrorist

GUANTANAMO BAY , Cuba — A military lawyer defending the suspected mastermind of the 9/11 terrorist attacks compared his representation of Khalid Sheikh Mohammed to John Adams defending British troops after the Boston Massacre .
Lt. Col. Derek Poteet has represented Mohammed for nearly a decade in the death penalty case at Guantanamo Bay , Cuba , and he ’ s passionate in his defense of the man suspected of planning the Sept. 11 , 2001 , attacks that killed nearly 3,000 Americans , condemning the harsh interrogation tactics used against his client , including waterboarding , which the tall @ @ @ @ @ @ @ one of my kids was in approximately seventh or eighth grade , she came home from school and said that they were learning about John Adams and the Boston Massacre , ” Poteet told the Washington Examiner .
“ And she said it struck her that , ‘ That ’ s what like dad does !
’ And I was very , very happy and proud that she had made that connection herself about that situation.
” In the Boston Massacre , a rallying cry for colonial revolutionaries , British soldiers stationed in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ laws fired into an angry crowd in 1770 .
Adams defended the troops in the interest of a fair trial , and six were acquitted , while two were found guilty of manslaughter , not murder .
The defense of al Qaeda members is likely even more controversial than that of British redcoats .
“ I was responsible for the 9/11 operation , from A to Z , ” Mohammed , 55 , said in a 2007 statement to a now-defunct Guantanamo Bay tribunal .
Mohammed was captured in 2003 and was put @ @ @ @ @ @ @ which water was poured on his face 183 times .
His legal team has sought to have his statements to the FBI tossed as tainted by the CIA ’ s enhanced interrogation program .
Mohammed , short and squat with a long beard dyed red , appeared with a black scarf wrapped around his head , tied in a long tail , along with a white tunic , over which he wore a bulky camouflage hunting jacket .
His attention was raptly focused on the daylong testimony by his former interrogator , 67-year-old @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , a thin man with a trimmed white beard wearing a white dress shirt , charcoal suit , and red tie .
“ If they did this to U.S. service members , we ’ d be outraged , and it absolutely would be torture , ” Poteet said .
“ But when we do it to people who aren ’ t wearing the uniform and who aren ’ t from our country and it ’ s Americans who are doing it , well , let ’ s argue about the justifications that we @ @ @ @ @ @ @ . ''
Mohammed also confessed to planning assassination plots against presidents and a pope and is suspected of participating in other terrorist attacks , including the 1993 World Trade Center bombing that killed six people , “ shoe bomber ” Richard Reid 's 2001 attempt to blow up an airliner , and the 2002 Bali nightclub bombing in Indonesia that killed 202 people .
He further admitted to murdering Wall Street Journal reporter Daniel Pearl in 2002 .
“ On the one hand , it 's no different than having any other defendant @ @ @ @ @ @ @ attorney-client relationship of trust and open communication , ” Poteet said .
“ And on the other hand , of course , it ’ s very different than sort of an average defendant client , but it 's been a really great experience to get to know and build that relationship of trust and communication with Mr. Mohammed .
”

GUANTANAMO BAY, Cuba — A military lawyer defending the suspected mastermind of the 9/11 terrorist attacks compared his representation of Khalid Sheikh Mohammed to John Adams defending British troops after the Boston Massacre.
Lt. Col. Derek Poteet has represented Mohammed for nearly a decade in the death penalty case at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, and he’s passionate in his defense of the man suspected of planning the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks that killed nearly 3,000 Americans, condemning the harsh interrogation tactics used against his client, including waterboarding, which the tall Marine attorney considers torture.
“When one of my kids was in approximately seventh or eighth grade, she came home from school and said that they were learning about John Adams and the Boston Massacre,” Poteet told the Washington Examiner. “And she said it struck her that, ‘That’s what like dad does!’ And I was very, very happy and proud that she had made that connection herself about that situation.”
In the Boston Massacre, a rallying cry for colonial revolutionaries, British soldiers stationed in the city to enforce Parliament's unpopular laws fired into an angry crowd in 1770. Adams defended the troops in the interest of a fair trial, and six were acquitted, while two were found guilty of manslaughter, not murder.
The defense of al Qaeda members is likely even more controversial than that of British redcoats.
“I was responsible for the 9/11 operation, from A to Z,” Mohammed, 55, said in a 2007 statement to a now-defunct Guantanamo Bay tribunal.
Mohammed was captured in 2003 and was put through multiple, extended waterboarding sessions during which water was poured on his face 183 times.
His legal team has sought to have his statements to the FBI tossed as tainted by the CIA’s enhanced interrogation program.
Mohammed, short and squat with a long beard dyed red, appeared with a black scarf wrapped around his head, tied in a long tail, along with a white tunic, over which he wore a bulky camouflage hunting jacket. His attention was raptly focused on the daylong testimony by his former interrogator, 67-year-old former Air Force psychologist Dr. James Mitchell, a thin man with a trimmed white beard wearing a white dress shirt, charcoal suit, and red tie.
“If they did this to U.S. service members, we’d be outraged, and it absolutely would be torture,” Poteet said. “But when we do it to people who aren’t wearing the uniform and who aren’t from our country and it’s Americans who are doing it, well, let’s argue about the justifications that we might be able to come up with."
Mohammed also confessed to planning assassination plots against presidents and a pope and is suspected of participating in other terrorist attacks, including the 1993 World Trade Center bombing that killed six people, “shoe bomber” Richard Reid's 2001 attempt to blow up an airliner, and the 2002 Bali nightclub bombing in Indonesia that killed 202 people. He further admitted to murdering Wall Street Journal reporter Daniel Pearl in 2002.
“On the one hand, it's no different than having any other defendant client. You have to develop an attorney-client relationship of trust and open communication,” Poteet said. “And on the other hand, of course, it’s very different than sort of an average defendant client, but it's been a really great experience to get to know and build that relationship of trust and communication with Mr. Mohammed.”