theguardian--2020-02-20--Who won the Nevada Democratic debate? Our panelists' verdict

So thrilled to have lived long enough to witness Mayor Bloomberg ’ s performance on the debate stage .
Oh , to revel in his deadly charisma , in his power to unify the nation and lead us into a better future .
He was so magnetic I simply kept forgetting he was on the stage .
He was so inarticulate , timid , easily flummoxed and filled with an obvious contempt for the proceedings , it ’ s no surprise so many ( who may have undisclosed financial ties to the man and his company ) have declared him @ @ @ @ @ @ @ drunk ?
Why am I not ?
Everyone ’ s inhibitions seemed lowered , including the very vocal crowd , Amy Klobuchar seemed seconds away from throwing a binder at Mayor Pete ’ s head , and we finally got angry Elizabeth Warren back for an evening .
Angry Elizabeth Warren is the best Elizabeth Warren .
Where has she been ?
Give her more to do , we miss her .
There ’ s no real winner here .
Everyone took a lot of hits from their colleagues and no one crawled @ @ @ @ @ @ @ can easily declare a loser , and that would be the moderators .
The moderators have indeed been the losers through this whole process .
They ask the same questions their colleagues asked in the last 84 Democratic debates , they often don ’ t follow up when answers are vague or misleading , they pose gotcha questions that have very low stakes .
When a host for The View has more perseverance on making a squirming Amy Klobuchar answer for her problematic prosecutorial past , particularly as it involves the lack of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is time for some soul-searching , public resignations , and replacement by journalists with spines .
We have a moderator who referred to one candidate ’ s followers as brownshirts , and he ’ s just allowed to pretend to be an objective interlocutor ?
OK , cool , seems fine .
The result was not as substantive as it could have ( should have ) been , but it made for some good TV .
And at the end of the day , that ’ s probably enough for our distinguished men @ @ @ @ @ @ @ must be something to the idea that pressure and pain have the ability to shape one ’ s character in transformative ways .
• None Jessa Crispin is the host of the Public Intellectual podcast and a Guardian US columnist Mike Bloomberg demonstrated tonight that , in his life as a billionaire , he must not have had to deal with any character-building pressures in a very long time .
All of the money in the world could not purchase charisma enough to make up for the dull and glum presentation he gave @ @ @ @ @ @ @ up until this point , I believed Bloomberg was an existential threat to our democracy because of his ability to purchase everything from talent to silence .
But no one could look at the debate tonight and honestly believe that the former mayor would stand a chance against Donald Trump .
No one could look at Bloomberg ’ s performance and believe that this man could inspire the movement necessary to win in November .
Michael Bloomberg spent more than $ 400m only to get on the national stage and show that he @ @ @ @ @ @ @ This is what happens when you sit on the outside of the democratic process and use your money to create an image of you that is bigger than life .
And it ’ s hard to live up to that image when you lack the charisma and character that those of us in the working class earned the hard way .
• None Benjamin Dixon is the host of The Benjamin Dixon Show Art Cullen : ‘ Elizabeth Warren might have saved her campaign ’ Elizabeth Warren closed Wednesday ’ s debate by @ @ @ @ @ @ @ brought plenty of punch to the stage from the get-go by slicing and dicing billionaire Michael Bloomberg .
Warren put her rivals on their heels – she said Bloomberg referred to women as “ fat broads and horse-faced lesbians ” , said Pete Buttigieg ’ s healthcare plans boiled down to a PowerPoint presentation and that Amy Klobuchar ’ s could fit on a Post-it note .
Mike Bloomberg was awful .
Klobuchar was on the defensive .
And the elephant in the room , Bernie Sanders , was able to point out @ @ @ @ @ @ @ $ 450bn – and universal healthcare is what put him at the front of the pack in the first place .
He did not appear to lose stride .
Warren saw Klobuchar ’ s breakthrough in the New Hampshire debate .
She spared no one , and savaged Bloomberg .
Everyone was throwing punches but nobody hit as hard as Warren .
With Super Tuesday less than two weeks away , this raucous debate was a clincher , and Warren might have saved her struggling campaign with direct appeals to minority women so @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Biden , not so much .
• None Art Cullen is editor of the Storm Lake Times in north-west Iowa , where he won the Pulitzer prize for editorial writing .
He is a Guardian US columnist and author of the book Storm Lake : Change , Resilience , and Hope in America ’ s Heartland .
Looks like Michael Bloomberg just found out money can ’ t buy you everything .
The multibillionaire has spent almost $ 400m on ads but apparently zero time preparing for the debate stage .
He had @ @ @ @ @ @ @ stop-and-frisk and the silencing of women in his companies with NDAs .
His lack of substance was matched with a complete lack of charisma .
According to some in the Establishment , we should forgive Bloomberg ’ s history of sexism and racism because he ’ s the only person capable of beating Trump .
If they still think that after this pitiful debate performance then we ’ re in trouble .
While Bloomberg bombed , Elizabeth Warren had her best debate ever .
She was impeccably prepared and utterly eviscerated Bloomberg .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ , leading some to prematurely write her off ; big mistake .
Pete Buttigieg ’ s performance was also noteworthy .
The mayor may be able to read Norwegian but he can ’ t seem to read a room .
Buttigieg ’ s constant attacks on Amy Klobuchar made him look like a mansplaining bully .
“ Mayo Pete ” has been gliding through this election but I wouldn ’ t be surprised if more people start to find his patronizing demeanour a little hard to stomach .
The Democrats ’ Game of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ boosted Donald Trump ’ s chances .
Obviously , that ’ s not what the Democratic National Committee intended but it ’ s what happened – a circular firing squad more intent on unloading on each other than at going at the president .
Elizabeth Warren flayed Mike Bloomberg with a helping hand from Joe Biden .
New York ’ s ex-mayor appeared rusty and unprepared .
The attacks were predictable yet he looked flatfooted .
When you ’ re defending non-disclosure agreements , you ’ re losing .
On Wednesday night , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Lest Warren get cocky , it is worth remembering that early voting in the Nevada caucuses was well under way before the Massachusetts senator took the stage .
As a result , any post-debate bounce will probably be short-lived .
Come Saturday evening , the headlines will either be about the order of finish or how Nevada botched its caucuses .
Warning : Iowa redux is a real possibility .
In the end , Bernie Sanders emerged as the winner in the room .
He entered as the Democrats ’ frontrunner and nothing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ polls , Sanders is leading by double digits both in Nevada and nationally among Democrats .
The question is whether his lead becomes insurmountable .
We will know soon enough .
• None Lloyd Green was opposition research counsel to George HW Bush ’ s 1988 campaign and served in the Department of Justice from 1990 to 1992

Jessa Crispin, Benjamin Dixon, Art Cullen, Arwa Mahdawi and Lloyd Green

Jessa Crispin: ‘Angry Elizabeth Warren is back – and that’s good’
So thrilled to have lived long enough to witness Mayor Bloomberg’s performance on the debate stage. Oh, to revel in his deadly charisma, in his power to unify the nation and lead us into a better future. He was so magnetic I simply kept forgetting he was on the stage. He was so inarticulate, timid, easily flummoxed and filled with an obvious contempt for the proceedings, it’s no surprise so many (who may have undisclosed financial ties to the man and his company) have declared him the obvious winner.
Was the audience drunk? Why am I not? Everyone’s inhibitions seemed lowered, including the very vocal crowd, Amy Klobuchar seemed seconds away from throwing a binder at Mayor Pete’s head, and we finally got angry Elizabeth Warren back for an evening. Angry Elizabeth Warren is the best Elizabeth Warren. Where has she been? Give her more to do, we miss her.
There’s no real winner here. Everyone took a lot of hits from their colleagues and no one crawled out unscathed. But I think we can easily declare a loser, and that would be the moderators. The moderators have indeed been the losers through this whole process. They ask the same questions their colleagues asked in the last 84 Democratic debates, they often don’t follow up when answers are vague or misleading, they pose gotcha questions that have very low stakes. When a host for The View has more perseverance on making a squirming Amy Klobuchar answer for her problematic prosecutorial past, particularly as it involves the lack of justice in police-related shootings, maybe it is time for some soul-searching, public resignations, and replacement by journalists with spines. We have a moderator who referred to one candidate’s followers as brownshirts, and he’s just allowed to pretend to be an objective interlocutor? OK, cool, seems fine.
The result was not as substantive as it could have (should have) been, but it made for some good TV. And at the end of the day, that’s probably enough for our distinguished men and women of television media.
There must be something to the idea that pressure and pain have the ability to shape one’s character in transformative ways.
Jessa Crispin is the host of the Public Intellectual podcast and a Guardian US columnist
Benjamin Dixon: ‘Bloomberg has no chance’
Mike Bloomberg demonstrated tonight that, in his life as a billionaire, he must not have had to deal with any character-building pressures in a very long time. All of the money in the world could not purchase charisma enough to make up for the dull and glum presentation he gave tonight.
I will admit that, up until this point, I believed Bloomberg was an existential threat to our democracy because of his ability to purchase everything from talent to silence. But no one could look at the debate tonight and honestly believe that the former mayor would stand a chance against Donald Trump. No one could look at Bloomberg’s performance and believe that this man could inspire the movement necessary to win in November.
Michael Bloomberg spent more than $400m only to get on the national stage and show that he is not ready for prime time. This is what happens when you sit on the outside of the democratic process and use your money to create an image of you that is bigger than life.
And it’s hard to live up to that image when you lack the charisma and character that those of us in the working class earned the hard way.
Benjamin Dixon is the host of The Benjamin Dixon Show
Art Cullen: ‘Elizabeth Warren might have saved her campaign’
Elizabeth Warren closed Wednesday’s debate by describing herself as a fighter. She brought plenty of punch to the stage from the get-go by slicing and dicing billionaire Michael Bloomberg. Warren put her rivals on their heels – she said Bloomberg referred to women as “fat broads and horse-faced lesbians”, said Pete Buttigieg’s healthcare plans boiled down to a PowerPoint presentation and that Amy Klobuchar’s could fit on a Post-it note. Mike Bloomberg was awful. Klobuchar was on the defensive. And the elephant in the room, Bernie Sanders, was able to point out that Medicare for All will actually save $450bn – and universal healthcare is what put him at the front of the pack in the first place. He did not appear to lose stride. Warren saw Klobuchar’s breakthrough in the New Hampshire debate. She spared no one, and savaged Bloomberg. Everyone was throwing punches but nobody hit as hard as Warren. With Super Tuesday less than two weeks away, this raucous debate was a clincher, and Warren might have saved her struggling campaign with direct appeals to minority women so important in the Nevada caususes. Joe Biden, not so much.
Art Cullen is editor of the Storm Lake Times in north-west Iowa, where he won the Pulitzer prize for editorial writing. He is a Guardian US columnist and author of the book Storm Lake: Change, Resilience, and Hope in America’s Heartland.
Arwa Mahdawi: ‘Bloomberg bombed, Warren won’
Looks like Michael Bloomberg just found out money can’t buy you everything. The multibillionaire has spent almost $400m on ads but apparently zero time preparing for the debate stage. He had embarrassingly inadequate responses for predictable questions on stop-and-frisk and the silencing of women in his companies with NDAs. His lack of substance was matched with a complete lack of charisma. According to some in the Establishment, we should forgive Bloomberg’s history of sexism and racism because he’s the only person capable of beating Trump. If they still think that after this pitiful debate performance then we’re in trouble.
While Bloomberg bombed, Elizabeth Warren had her best debate ever. She was impeccably prepared and utterly eviscerated Bloomberg. Warren has been lagging in the polls, leading some to prematurely write her off; big mistake. Pete Buttigieg’s performance was also noteworthy. The mayor may be able to read Norwegian but he can’t seem to read a room. Buttigieg’s constant attacks on Amy Klobuchar made him look like a mansplaining bully.
“Mayo Pete” has been gliding through this election but I wouldn’t be surprised if more people start to find his patronizing demeanour a little hard to stomach.
Arwa Mahdawi is a Guardian US columnist
Lloyd Green: ‘Bernie Sanders emerged as the winner’
The Democrats’ Game of Thrones-style debate was a two-hour extravaganza that boosted Donald Trump’s chances. Obviously, that’s not what the Democratic National Committee intended but it’s what happened – a circular firing squad more intent on unloading on each other than at going at the president.
Elizabeth Warren flayed Mike Bloomberg with a helping hand from Joe Biden. New York’s ex-mayor appeared rusty and unprepared. The attacks were predictable yet he looked flatfooted. When you’re defending non-disclosure agreements, you’re losing. On Wednesday night, money didn’t buy everything.
Lest Warren get cocky, it is worth remembering that early voting in the Nevada caucuses was well under way before the Massachusetts senator took the stage. As a result, any post-debate bounce will probably be short-lived.
Come Saturday evening, the headlines will either be about the order of finish or how Nevada botched its caucuses. Warning: Iowa redux is a real possibility.
In the end, Bernie Sanders emerged as the winner in the room. He entered as the Democrats’ frontrunner and nothing altered that reality. According to the polls, Sanders is leading by double digits both in Nevada and nationally among Democrats. The question is whether his lead becomes insurmountable. We will know soon enough.


theguardian--2020-02-20--Bernie Sanders is cruising towards the Democratic nomination. But can he win? | Richard Wolffe

We have officially reached the Hunger Games stage of this Democratic primary season .
The stage where you can grab the “ horse-faced lesbian ” weapon and hurl it at an “ arrogant ” billionaire within the first minutes of the show starting .
It ’ s the stage where a young midwestern mayor can trash the experience of a midwestern senator , who turns right back at him and says , “ Are you trying to say I ’ m dumb or are you mocking me here ?
” So much for all that midwestern niceness .
There ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in Las Vegas on Wednesday turned into such an epic donnybrook .
It ’ s called the primary calendar , which is inexorably counting down to the Super Tuesday contests in less than two weeks .
At that point , one of the candidates on stage will emerge with a delegate lead that puts an end to all the quadrennial talk of a brokered convention .
At this point , that candidate looks like Bernie Sanders .
In the meantime , his five rivals on the debate stage have engaged in an entirely @ @ @ @ @ @ @ odds will never be in their favor .
They don ’ t have the time for all the cannon fire before they lose the Nevada caucus and then watch Sanders sweep the majority of California delegates .
Instead they engaged in an entirely futile effort to knock each other out of the contest so they could confront the frontrunner alone .
This is something that Mike Bloomberg ’ s advisers acknowledged is the only realistic prospect of stopping Sanders .
Which prompted Amy Klobuchar to accuse Bloomberg of telling women like her to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ If Elizabeth Warren hadn ’ t already thrown the horse-faced line at Bloomberg , Klobuchar might have earned a few of the many gasps of shock and awe that rumbled through the audience .
Until now , each new frontrunner in this long primary contest has faded under the fire of everyone else .
At various points over the last year , Kamala Harris hemmed , Elizabeth Warren wilted and Pete Buttigieg bumbled .
By the time it was Bernie Sanders ’ turn in the barrel , it was his great good fortune @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on everyone else .
“ Mayor Bloomberg , should you exist ?
” asked NBC ’ s Chuck Todd , crystallizing in one short question how ludicrous this primary contest has become .
Faced with a metaphysical question about his own existence , the Democrats ’ favorite billionaire admitted the obvious .
“ I ’ ve made a lot of money , and I ’ m giving it away , ” he said , justifying his existence with his munificence .
On stage alongside a hostile gang of millionaires , our beleaguered billionaire @ @ @ @ @ @ @ defenseless figure of the American economy .
“ We ’ re not going to throw out capitalism , ” he said , sounding unscripted and unplugged for the first time .
“ We tried that .
Other countries tried that .
It was called communism and it doesn ’ t work.
” For the first time during the debate , there were more gasps from the people on stage than from those in the audience .
This topical argument about capitalism v communism led to an awesome series of counterpunches .
Bernie said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ million Americans .
Mike said Bernie was a socialist millionaire with three homes .
Elizabeth talked about a wealth tax .
Mike said he wanted to roll back the tax cuts of the Obama , um , Trump administration .
One of the many pitfalls of political analysis is the temptation to treat the next election like the last one .
But hindsight is not foresight , even when the names and faces look familiar .
This Democratic primary is not the same as it was four years ago ; nor is it @ @ @ @ @ @ @ cycle .
After three years of Trumpian dysfunction and disinformation , nothing is the same .
Take Bernie Sanders .
Four years ago he was the bitter insurgent , railing against the establishment and capitalism , while trashing the delegate count .
Today he is the clear frontrunner , railing against the establishment and capitalism , while loving the delegate count .
Wednesday ’ s debate was meant to be the biggest test for the former New York mayor Mike Bloomberg , whose lavish spending has launched him late into the primary spotlight @ @ @ @ @ @ @ somewhere between subway and sewer levels .
He was supposedly so ill-prepared for public gaze , and such a clunky gazillionaire , that his ability to communicate with the great unwashed was limited to him buying the services of professional meme-bots .
Somehow Bloomberg was underwhelming at the same time as overperforming .
He crossed the bar in the most boring way possible .
In substance and style , this is Sanders ’ contest .
He has skewed the entire field towards his socialized healthcare proposal known as Medicare for All , so @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for a Sanders-lite plan that Barack Obama never proposed – because he couldn ’ t pass it through a Senate where Democrats held a filibuster-proof 60 votes .
But it is the tone of the debate that Bernie owns , not just the policy frame .
Nobody can turn his fire on other candidates like the Vermont senator .
When pushed hard on how he would pay for his new public healthcare system , Sanders accused his critics of being owned by healthcare CEOs .
When pushed for his long-promised medical records , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for pushups on the campaign trail .
Sanders doesn ’ t just dodge questions ; he destroys the questioner .
On those terms , the other angry candidates sounded like pale imitations of the angry old socialist .
Joe Biden said he was best equipped to beat Donald Trump .
Mike Bloomberg said he would spend his money to beat Donald Trump .
Amy Klobuchar said she won in Minnesota so she would obviously beat Donald Trump .
Only Bernie Sanders sounded like he would dismember Donald Trump .
This would be fine @ @ @ @ @ @ @ dollars of disinformation headed towards Sanders for his socialism and his medical records .
If there weren ’ t endless examples of successful scare tactics against socialists , Sanders could sail on regardless .
Instead we face an election between a Democratic nominee who was pro-Soviet Russia versus a Republican president who is pro-Putin Russia .
What a time to be alive .
“ We shouldn ’ t have to choose between a candidate who wants to burn this party down and another who wants to buy this party out , ” said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ his developers hardcoded into his haircut .
They shouldn ’ t .
But they will .

We have officially reached the Hunger Games stage of this Democratic primary season. The stage where you can grab the “horse-faced lesbian” weapon and hurl it at an “arrogant” billionaire within the first minutes of the show starting.
It’s the stage where a young midwestern mayor can trash the experience of a midwestern senator, who turns right back at him and says, “Are you trying to say I’m dumb or are you mocking me here?” So much for all that midwestern niceness.
There’s a reason why the Democratic debate in Las Vegas on Wednesday turned into such an epic donnybrook. It’s called the primary calendar, which is inexorably counting down to the Super Tuesday contests in less than two weeks.
At that point, one of the candidates on stage will emerge with a delegate lead that puts an end to all the quadrennial talk of a brokered convention. At this point, that candidate looks like Bernie Sanders.
In the meantime, his five rivals on the debate stage have engaged in an entirely delusional sideshow of mutual annihilation.
The odds will never be in their favor. They don’t have the time for all the cannon fire before they lose the Nevada caucus and then watch Sanders sweep the majority of California delegates.
Instead they engaged in an entirely futile effort to knock each other out of the contest so they could confront the frontrunner alone. This is something that Mike Bloomberg’s advisers acknowledged is the only realistic prospect of stopping Sanders.
Which prompted Amy Klobuchar to accuse Bloomberg of telling women like her to wait her turn and step aside. If Elizabeth Warren hadn’t already thrown the horse-faced line at Bloomberg, Klobuchar might have earned a few of the many gasps of shock and awe that rumbled through the audience.
Until now, each new frontrunner in this long primary contest has faded under the fire of everyone else. At various points over the last year, Kamala Harris hemmed, Elizabeth Warren wilted and Pete Buttigieg bumbled.
By the time it was Bernie Sanders’ turn in the barrel, it was his great good fortune that most of the fire was turned on everyone else.
“Mayor Bloomberg, should you exist?” asked NBC’s Chuck Todd, crystallizing in one short question how ludicrous this primary contest has become. Faced with a metaphysical question about his own existence, the Democrats’ favorite billionaire admitted the obvious. “I’ve made a lot of money, and I’m giving it away,” he said, justifying his existence with his munificence.
On stage alongside a hostile gang of millionaires, our beleaguered billionaire found his stride by defending the otherwise defenseless figure of the American economy. “We’re not going to throw out capitalism,” he said, sounding unscripted and unplugged for the first time. “We tried that. Other countries tried that. It was called communism and it doesn’t work.”
For the first time during the debate, there were more gasps from the people on stage than from those in the audience.
‘The expectations of Bloomberg were somewhere between subway and sewer levels.’ Photograph: Mike Blake/Reuters
This topical argument about capitalism v communism led to an awesome series of counterpunches. Bernie said Mike was wealthier than the bottom 125 million Americans. Mike said Bernie was a socialist millionaire with three homes. Elizabeth talked about a wealth tax. Mike said he wanted to roll back the tax cuts of the Obama, um, Trump administration.
One of the many pitfalls of political analysis is the temptation to treat the next election like the last one. But hindsight is not foresight, even when the names and faces look familiar.
This Democratic primary is not the same as it was four years ago; nor is it like the Republican contest of the same cycle. After three years of Trumpian dysfunction and disinformation, nothing is the same.
Take Bernie Sanders. Four years ago he was the bitter insurgent, railing against the establishment and capitalism, while trashing the delegate count. Today he is the clear frontrunner, railing against the establishment and capitalism, while loving the delegate count.
The other angry candidates sounded like pale imitations of the angry old socialist
Wednesday’s debate was meant to be the biggest test for the former New York mayor Mike Bloomberg, whose lavish spending has launched him late into the primary spotlight.
But the expectations of Bloomberg were somewhere between subway and sewer levels. He was supposedly so ill-prepared for public gaze, and such a clunky gazillionaire, that his ability to communicate with the great unwashed was limited to him buying the services of professional meme-bots.
Somehow Bloomberg was underwhelming at the same time as overperforming. He crossed the bar in the most boring way possible.
In substance and style, this is Sanders’ contest. He has skewed the entire field towards his socialized healthcare proposal known as Medicare for All, so that the supposedly centrist candidates are calling for a Sanders-lite plan that Barack Obama never proposed – because he couldn’t pass it through a Senate where Democrats held a filibuster-proof 60 votes.
But it is the tone of the debate that Bernie owns, not just the policy frame. Nobody can turn his fire on other candidates like the Vermont senator. When pushed hard on how he would pay for his new public healthcare system, Sanders accused his critics of being owned by healthcare CEOs. When pushed for his long-promised medical records, Sanders challenged his questioners to join him for pushups on the campaign trail.
Sanders doesn’t just dodge questions; he destroys the questioner. On those terms, the other angry candidates sounded like pale imitations of the angry old socialist.
Joe Biden said he was best equipped to beat Donald Trump. Mike Bloomberg said he would spend his money to beat Donald Trump. Amy Klobuchar said she won in Minnesota so she would obviously beat Donald Trump. Only Bernie Sanders sounded like he would dismember Donald Trump.
This would be fine if there weren’t a billion dollars of disinformation headed towards Sanders for his socialism and his medical records. If there weren’t endless examples of successful scare tactics against socialists, Sanders could sail on regardless.
Instead we face an election between a Democratic nominee who was pro-Soviet Russia versus a Republican president who is pro-Putin Russia. What a time to be alive.
“We shouldn’t have to choose between a candidate who wants to burn this party down and another who wants to buy this party out,” said Mayor Pete in one of the lines his developers hardcoded into his haircut.
They shouldn’t. But they will.


theguardian--2020-02-20--Michael Bloomberg was mercilessly attacked in his first debate – and he flopped | Nathan Robinson

Before Wednesday night ’ s debate , Mike Bloomberg ’ s critics had been furious with the Democratic National Committee for changing its rules to allow Bloomberg on the debate stage .
But it turned out the critics should have been thanking the DNC .
Bloomberg was absolutely terrible .
His campaign may not literally have ended on the debate stage , but it ’ s hard to see how any viewer could come away believing his pitch that he is “ the best candidate to take on Trump ” .
Bloomberg was ill-prepared , uncharismatic and unlikable .
The @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Elizabeth Warren sank her teeth in early , interrupting Bloomberg ’ s opening statement to point out how his long history of sexist comments about women made him a lot like Donald Trump .
Warren landed even more brutal blows later in the debate , when she challenged Bloomberg to release women from the non-disclosure agreements his company had forced them to sign in sexual harassment lawsuits .
Bloomberg mumbled some lame excuse about how the agreements were consensual , but was clearly caught off-guard , and Warren wouldn ’ t let the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and after the debate some Democratic bigwigs were already reportedly concluding that “ Bloomberg isn ’ t the answer.
” Bloomberg was mercilessly attacked all night by the rest of the candidates over stop-and-frisk , Wall Street , his Republican past and his opposition to raising the minimum wage .
He did not have any idea how to respond to the barrage .
On stop-and-frisk , he simply lied , saying that he had tried to end the policy when in fact he had escalated it .
Warren was having none of this @ @ @ @ @ @ @ was failing to take responsibility for the consequences his policy had for African Americans .
Joe Biden echoed the sentiment , saying that Bloomberg ’ s apologies for stop-and-frisk were insufficient .
“ It ’ s not whether he apologized or not .
It ’ s the policy .
And the policy was abhorrent.
” Biden energetically opposed Bloomberg throughout the night , showing a passion and lucidity that has been missing from the last months of his flagging campaign .
It wasn ’ t just Bloomberg who came under fire .
Amy @ @ @ @ @ @ @ each other , and they became downright nasty .
Klobuchar once again took the opportunity to point out that Pete has never won a statewide race , while Buttigieg replied with a canned line about how if Minnesotan senators made good nominees , Walter Mondale would have been president .
Buttigieg also seized the opportunity to poke at Klobuchar over forgetting the president of Mexico ’ s name .
Klobuchar struggled , asking Pete if he was calling her “ dumb ” .
Buttigieg is a practiced debater and delivers his lines well @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ Washington ” doesn ’ t respect small-city rust belt mayors clearly gets on Klobuchar ’ s nerves to no end .
Warren was unusually vicious toward other candidates , making direct attacks on nearly every one of her opponents .
She was spirited and articulate , and with her memorable exchanges with Bloomberg , she will widely be seen as the “ winner ” of the debate .
But it also seemed as if she was desperate to strike as many blows in as many directions as possible , conscious that her @ @ @ @ @ @ @ going to survive .
In terms of who the debate served best , Sanders was the clear winner .
He went into it the frontrunner , and mostly just needed to avoid embarrassing himself .
The debate went far better than he could even have hoped .
His chief rival , Bloomberg , flopped completely .
The other centrists spent time bickering with each other that could have been spent trying to undermine Sanders .
Warren did the “ dirty work ” of eviscerating Bloomberg , allowing Sanders to make a more elevated @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
He was given plenty of time to talk , and while he stuck close to his usual talking points he had above-average energy and was clearly enjoying himself .
He was effective in pointing out how Buttigieg dishonestly presents the costs of Medicare For All without mentioning the benefits , and easily parried Bloomberg ’ s absurd attempt to conflate Sanders ’ democratic socialism with “ communism ” .
Bloomberg was a perfect foil for Sanders ; Sanders probably wishes Bloomberg had been there all along , a cartoon of an evil @ @ @ @ @ @ @ an example of everything wrong with the country .
Sanders went into the debate the frontrunner and he left the frontrunner .
If Biden , Buttigieg , and Klobuchar were to stand any chance of overtaking Sanders , they needed to make him look foolish , and they didn ’ t .
Instead , they looked petty , and he survived .
Warren was in good form , but she ’ s simply not going to reclaim the lead over Sanders at this point .
Bloomberg was the only serious threat , and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ electability ” case for his candidacy is laughable .
It ’ s increasingly clear that Sanders has no serious opposition and Democrats are going to need to start reconciling himself to the inevitability of his nomination .
But some clearly aren ’ t reconciled .
One concerning moment in the debate came at the very end , where each candidate was asked if they believed that the candidate with the most delegates should be given the nomination , or the “ superdelegates ” should be allowed to intervene .
Sanders was the only @ @ @ @ @ @ @ should go to the individual with the most delegates .
Every other candidate is apparently leaving open the possibility of the Democratic party overriding the popular vote at the convention , presumably in order to deny Sanders the nomination .
Alarmingly , even if Sanders is the clear public favorite , there are still those Democrats who think he needs to be stopped at all costs .

Before Wednesday night’s debate, Mike Bloomberg’s critics had been furious with the Democratic National Committee for changing its rules to allow Bloomberg on the debate stage. But it turned out the critics should have been thanking the DNC. Bloomberg was absolutely terrible. His campaign may not literally have ended on the debate stage, but it’s hard to see how any viewer could come away believing his pitch that he is “the best candidate to take on Trump”.
Bloomberg was ill-prepared, uncharismatic and unlikable. The other candidates ran rings around him. Elizabeth Warren sank her teeth in early, interrupting Bloomberg’s opening statement to point out how his long history of sexist comments about women made him a lot like Donald Trump. Warren landed even more brutal blows later in the debate, when she challenged Bloomberg to release women from the non-disclosure agreements his company had forced them to sign in sexual harassment lawsuits. Bloomberg mumbled some lame excuse about how the agreements were consensual, but was clearly caught off-guard, and Warren wouldn’t let the issue go.
Bloomberg looked feeble, and after the debate some Democratic bigwigs were already reportedly concluding that “Bloomberg isn’t the answer.”
Bloomberg was mercilessly attacked all night by the rest of the candidates over stop-and-frisk, Wall Street, his Republican past and his opposition to raising the minimum wage. He did not have any idea how to respond to the barrage. On stop-and-frisk, he simply lied, saying that he had tried to end the policy when in fact he had escalated it. Warren was having none of this, and correctly pointed out that Bloomberg was failing to take responsibility for the consequences his policy had for African Americans. Joe Biden echoed the sentiment, saying that Bloomberg’s apologies for stop-and-frisk were insufficient. “It’s not whether he apologized or not. It’s the policy. And the policy was abhorrent.” Biden energetically opposed Bloomberg throughout the night, showing a passion and lucidity that has been missing from the last months of his flagging campaign.
It wasn’t just Bloomberg who came under fire. Amy Klobuchar and Pete Buttigieg have never liked each other, and they became downright nasty. Klobuchar once again took the opportunity to point out that Pete has never won a statewide race, while Buttigieg replied with a canned line about how if Minnesotan senators made good nominees, Walter Mondale would have been president. Buttigieg also seized the opportunity to poke at Klobuchar over forgetting the president of Mexico’s name. Klobuchar struggled, asking Pete if he was calling her “dumb”. Buttigieg is a practiced debater and delivers his lines well, and his polished hokum about how “Washington” doesn’t respect small-city rust belt mayors clearly gets on Klobuchar’s nerves to no end.
In terms of who the debate served best, Bernie Sanders was the clear winner
Warren was unusually vicious toward other candidates, making direct attacks on nearly every one of her opponents. She was spirited and articulate, and with her memorable exchanges with Bloomberg, she will widely be seen as the “winner” of the debate. But it also seemed as if she was desperate to strike as many blows in as many directions as possible, conscious that her campaign needs a miracle if it is going to survive.
In terms of who the debate served best, Sanders was the clear winner. He went into it the frontrunner, and mostly just needed to avoid embarrassing himself. The debate went far better than he could even have hoped. His chief rival, Bloomberg, flopped completely. The other centrists spent time bickering with each other that could have been spent trying to undermine Sanders. Warren did the “dirty work” of eviscerating Bloomberg, allowing Sanders to make a more elevated pitch and somewhat rise above the fray. He was given plenty of time to talk, and while he stuck close to his usual talking points he had above-average energy and was clearly enjoying himself. He was effective in pointing out how Buttigieg dishonestly presents the costs of Medicare For All without mentioning the benefits, and easily parried Bloomberg’s absurd attempt to conflate Sanders’ democratic socialism with “communism”. Bloomberg was a perfect foil for Sanders; Sanders probably wishes Bloomberg had been there all along, a cartoon of an evil billionaire for Sanders to point to as an example of everything wrong with the country.
Sanders went into the debate the frontrunner and he left the frontrunner. If Biden, Buttigieg, and Klobuchar were to stand any chance of overtaking Sanders, they needed to make him look foolish, and they didn’t. Instead, they looked petty, and he survived. Warren was in good form, but she’s simply not going to reclaim the lead over Sanders at this point. Bloomberg was the only serious threat, and he fizzled, showing that the “electability” case for his candidacy is laughable. It’s increasingly clear that Sanders has no serious opposition and Democrats are going to need to start reconciling themselves to the inevitability of his nomination.
But some clearly aren’t reconciled. One concerning moment in the debate came at the very end, where each candidate was asked if they believed that the candidate with the most delegates should be given the nomination, or the “superdelegates” should be allowed to intervene. Sanders was the only candidate who would say that the nomination should go to the individual with the most delegates. Every other candidate is apparently leaving open the possibility of the Democratic party overriding the popular vote at the convention, presumably in order to deny Sanders the nomination.
Alarmingly, even if Sanders is the clear public favorite, there are still those Democrats who think he needs to be stopped at all costs.


theguardian--2020-02-19--Amy Klobuchar's Spanish name: latest on the list of 2020 attempts at 'relatability'

On Tuesday , Amy Klobuchar opened the Culinary Union forum in Nevada with a very interesting introduction .
“ My name is Amy , but when I was in fourth-grade Spanish they gave me the name Elena , ” she said to the room .
Presumably she was trying to appeal to the large number of Latinx people present – the Culinary Union is Nevada ’ s largest immigrant organization , and about 54 % of its members identify as Latinx .
But it ’ s hard to be sure .
One reporter tweeted from the scene : “ Klobuchar @ @ @ @ @ @ @ her name was ‘ Elena ’ because she couldn ’ t roll her r ’ s ” .
Which would make sense , if Amy had an “ r ” in it .
Perhaps Klobuchar was just hoping to make amends for earlier this month when she forgot the name of the Mexican president , right after voting for his trade treaty ?
This grasp at “ relatability ” is cringe-worthy – the desperate , out-of-touch candidate trying so hard to resonate that they end up accidentally proving their own ignorance .
But @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , Klobuchar is not alone .
Here are some of the worst attempts from her opponents in the race ( so far ) .
When Joe Biden tried to appeal to women Before November ’ s Democratic presidential candidates ’ debate in Georgia , Joe Biden was on a good footing .
He was ahead in the polls .
And despite allegations of unwanted touching , and repeated calls for him to apologize over his intrusive questioning of Anita Hill in the 90s , he still had strong support among women .
And @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a question about domestic violence , Biden highlighted an interesting tactic : domestic violence should be punched .
Repeatedly , he said .
On stage in Atlanta , Biden said : “ No man has a right to raise a hand to a woman in anger other than in self-defense and that rarely ever occurs .
And so we have to just change the culture .
Period .
And keep punching at it and punching at it and punching at it.
” Ouch .
When Elizabeth Warren tried to appeal to Native Americans @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Warren was touted as a Native American faculty member while working at Harvard in the 90s .
Then , in 2018 , after years of justifying that she was indeed American Indian , Elizabeth Warren came out with the proof .
She brandished DNA test results which revealed that she – wait for it – maybe had a Native American ancestor six to ten generations ago .
All the American Indians who have been asked for their 23andMe results before being subjected to discrimination sighed a breath of relief that a presidential candidate @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ) .
And then we all remembered that race is a social construct and not a biological reality – oh , and that DNA tests really aren ’ t that reliable .
Warren has since apologized .
But it was a real pie-in-the-face moment .
When Bloomberg tried to appeal to farmers I don ’ t know about you , but if I was a billionaire trying to appeal to working-class America , I might not do it by suggesting that they ’ re all commoners with less brain matter than me .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ m just not as smart as Mike Bloomberg – who this week said he could probably “ teach anybody to be a farmer ” – despite the fact that he is not a farmer .
Wow , very down to earth .
When Buttigieg tries to appeal to … anyone Pete Buttigieg would bring chips and salsa to the cookout .
He eats beef jerky on the campaign trail .
And he eats a cinnamon roll like a chicken wing .
And yes , he once intimated that having a difficult to pronounce @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Which leaves a lot of people wondering : just who is Mayor Pete trying to appeal to ?
Maybe sometimes better to stick to what you know – like being white and bland ?
Sorry , Mayo ’ Pete .

On Tuesday, Amy Klobuchar opened the Culinary Union forum in Nevada with a very interesting introduction.
“My name is Amy, but when I was in fourth-grade Spanish they gave me the name Elena,” she said to the room. Presumably she was trying to appeal to the large number of Latinx people present – the Culinary Union is Nevada’s largest immigrant organization, and about 54% of its members identify as Latinx.
But it’s hard to be sure. One reporter tweeted from the scene: “Klobuchar says that in elementary school Spanish class her name was ‘Elena’ because she couldn’t roll her r’s”. Which would make sense, if Amy had an “r” in it. Perhaps Klobuchar was just hoping to make amends for earlier this month when she forgot the name of the Mexican president, right after voting for his trade treaty?
aside from the absurdity of this comment, Amy Klobuchar, an elected US Senator, remembers her name from 4th-grade Spanish but does not know the name of the President of Mexico https://t.co/ORFBYHam2I — Megan Newsome (@ItsMeganNewsome) February 19, 2020
This grasp at “relatability” is cringe-worthy – the desperate, out-of-touch candidate trying so hard to resonate that they end up accidentally proving their own ignorance. But we’ve seen this all before, Klobuchar is not alone. Here are some of the worst attempts from her opponents in the race (so far).
When Joe Biden tried to appeal to women
Before November’s Democratic presidential candidates’ debate in Georgia, Joe Biden was on a good footing. He was ahead in the polls. And despite allegations of unwanted touching, and repeated calls for him to apologize over his intrusive questioning of Anita Hill in the 90s, he still had strong support among women.
And then this happened. In response to a question about domestic violence, Biden highlighted an interesting tactic: domestic violence should be punched. Repeatedly, he said.
On stage in Atlanta, Biden said: “No man has a right to raise a hand to a woman in anger other than in self-defense and that rarely ever occurs. And so we have to just change the culture. Period. And keep punching at it and punching at it and punching at it.” Ouch.
When Elizabeth Warren tried to appeal to Native Americans
In 2012, reports surfaced that Elizabeth Warren was touted as a Native American faculty member while working at Harvard in the 90s.
Then, in 2018, after years of justifying that she was indeed American Indian, Elizabeth Warren came out with the proof. She brandished DNA test results which revealed that she – wait for it – maybe had a Native American ancestor six to ten generations ago.
All the American Indians who have been asked for their 23andMe results before being subjected to discrimination sighed a breath of relief that a presidential candidate finally understood their lived experience (JK). And then we all remembered that race is a social construct and not a biological reality – oh, and that DNA tests really aren’t that reliable. Warren has since apologized. But it was a real pie-in-the-face moment.
When Bloomberg tried to appeal to farmers
I don’t know about you, but if I was a billionaire trying to appeal to working-class America, I might not do it by suggesting that they’re all commoners with less brain matter than me.
But then again, maybe I’m just not as smart as Mike Bloomberg – who this week said he could probably “teach anybody to be a farmer” – despite the fact that he is not a farmer. Wow, very down to earth.
Billionaire Bloomberg claims he "could teach anybody to be a farmer," even implying that farmers don't have the same level of "skillset" or "grey matter" as folks in tech jobs.
So demeaning, elitist, and out-of-touch it's appalling. pic.twitter.com/Auplmdq56m — Anna Kelly (@AnnaKellyWI) February 17, 2020
When Buttigieg tries to appeal to … anyone
Pete Buttigieg would bring chips and salsa to the cookout. He eats beef jerky on the campaign trail. And he eats a cinnamon roll like a chicken wing. And yes, he once intimated that having a difficult to pronounce surname helps him to understand racism. Which leaves a lot of people wondering: just who is Mayor Pete trying to appeal to? Maybe sometimes better to stick to what you know – like being white and bland? Sorry, Mayo’ Pete.


theguardian--2020-02-19--Rod Blagojevich thanks Donald Trump for prison release – video

The former Democratic Illinois governor called himself a ‘ Trumpocrat ’ as he thanked Donald Trump for commuting his prison @ @ @ @ @ s ‘ kind heart ’ .
Blagojevich had been recorded trying to sell the Senate @ @ @ @ @ when he became president , but Trump has claimed it did not happen

The former Democratic Illinois governor called himself a ‘Trumpocrat’ as he thanked Donald Trump for commuting his prison sentence, praising Trump’s ‘kind heart’. Blagojevich had been recorded trying to sell the Senate seat vacated by Barack Obama when he became president, but Trump has claimed it did not happen


theguardian--2020-02-20--US intelligence warned House members Russia is working to get Trump re-elected – reports

US intelligence officials are reported to have warned members of Congress last week that Russia was trying to interfere in the 2020 election campaign in favour of Donald Trump , in a briefing that led to the abrupt removal of the acting director of national intelligence .
When Trump heard about the briefing , he blamed the acting DNI , Joseph Maguire in the Oval Office , over what the president saw as disloyalty , the Washington Post reported .
Until then , Maguire had been a leading candidate to become permanent DNI , and is understood to have told @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the position .
But in the wake of the briefing and subsequent Oval Office confrontation , Trump announced the appointment of a hardline loyalist , the US ambassador to Germany , Richard Grenell , in an acting capacity which does not require Senate confirmation .
According to the New York Times , the briefing last Thursday to the House intelligence committee was delivered by an aide to Maguire , Shelby Pierson , described as having “ a reputation for delivering intelligence in somewhat blunt terms ” .
The Washington Post reported that Trump @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the briefing had been provided exclusively to the House intelligence committee chair , Adam Schiff , who had acted as chief prosecutor in the president ’ s impeachment trial .
Trump is said to have become convinced that the briefing would be used against him in the election .
Unlike Maguire , a retired vice admiral who ran the National Counterterrorism Center , Grenell has no intelligence experience ( he was a spokesman for the US mission at the UN before being named ambassador ) and is an outspoken partisan , particularly on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ appointment is exactly what it looks like – a bid to politicize intelligence and hide information from Congress in an election year where Russia is again helping Trump , ” said Matthew Miller , a former justice department spokesman , in a tweet .
According to the New York Times account , last week ’ s briefing was contentious with Trump ’ s allies on the intelligence committee challenging the conclusions , arguing that the administration had been tough on Russia .
As Grenell was confirmed in his ambassadorial job , the president @ @ @ @ @ @ @ acting DNI under the Federal Vacancies Reform Act , but under the same act , he can only serve until 11 March , unless the president formally nominates a candidate for the permanent position .
If a nomination is being reviewed by the Senate , the acting director could stay in the post for a few more months during the confirmation process .
Grenell said on Twitter that “ the president will announce the nominee ( not me ) sometime soon .
”

US intelligence officials are reported to have warned members of Congress last week that Russia was trying to interfere in the 2020 election campaign in favour of Donald Trump, in a briefing that led to the abrupt removal of the acting director of national intelligence.
When Trump heard about the briefing, he railed at the acting DNI, Joseph Maguire, in the Oval Office, over what the president saw as disloyalty, the Washington Post reported. Until then, Maguire had been a leading candidate to become permanent DNI and is understood to have told colleagues he expected to stay on in the position.
But in the wake of the briefing and Oval Office confrontation, Trump announced the appointment of a hardline loyalist, the US ambassador to Germany, Richard Grenell, in an acting capacity, which does not require Senate confirmation.
According to the New York Times, the briefing last Thursday to the House intelligence committee was delivered by an aide to Maguire, Shelby Pierson, described as having “a reputation for delivering intelligence in somewhat blunt terms”.
The Washington Post reported that Trump had been under the false impression that the briefing had been provided exclusively to the House intelligence committee chair, Adam Schiff, who had acted as chief prosecutor in the president’s impeachment trial. Trump is said to have become convinced that the briefing would be used against him in the election.
Unlike Maguire, a retired vice-admiral who ran the National Counterterrorism Center, Grenell has no intelligence experience (he was a spokesman for the US mission at the UN before being named ambassador) and is an outspoken partisan, particularly on social media.
“So the Grenell appointment is exactly what it looks like – a bid to politicize intelligence and hide information from Congress in an election year where Russia is again helping Trump,” said Matthew Miller, a former justice department spokesman, in a tweet.
According to the New York Times account, last week’s briefing was contentious, with Trump’s allies on the intelligence committee challenging the conclusions, arguing that the administration had been tough on Russia.
As Grenell was confirmed in his ambassadorial job, the president has the authority to install him as acting DNI under the Federal Vacancies Reform Act, but under the same act, he can only serve until 11 March, unless the president formally nominates a candidate for the permanent position. If a nomination is being reviewed by the Senate, the acting director could stay in the post for a few more months during the confirmation process.
Grenell said on Twitter that “the president will announce the nominee (not me) sometime soon”.


theguardian--2020-02-20--Roger Stone sentenced to 40 months in prison despite request for new trial

Roger Stone , a longtime ally of Donald Trump and a self-described political dirty trickster , was sentenced on Thursday to more than three years in prison for his attempts to sabotage a congressional investigation that posed a political threat to the president .
In handing down the sentence , Judge Amy Berman Jackson of the US district court for the District of Columbia lambasted Stone , 67 , calling his attempts to thwart a congressional inquiry of “ great national significance ” a “ threat to our most fundamental institutions , to the very foundation of our democracy ” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ months in prison , far less than the punishment prosecutors originally sought .
Stone was convicted in November on seven felony charges , including lying to Congress , tampering with a witness and obstructing the House investigation into whether the Trump campaign conspired with Russia in the 2016 presidential election .
Stone had denied wrongdoing .
Jackson argued Stone ’ s disregard for the truth should worry all those who care about American democracy and accused him of covering up for Trump .
“ The dismay and disgust at the defendant ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ said .
“ The truth still exists , ” she said .
“ The truth still matters.
” After the sentencing , a spokeswoman for Stone appealed directly to Trump for a pardon .
“ It falls on President Trump to use the power of a pardon as the final means of checks and balances to right this horrible wrong , ” Kristin Davis said in a statement .
Trump , who issued 11 high-profile pardons earlier this week , said he was holding off for now .
“ I ’ m not @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the great powers bestowed upon a president of the United States , ” Trump said during an appearance in Las Vegas .
“ I want the process to play out .
I think that ’ s the best thing to do because I would love to see Roger exonerated.
” Adam Schiff , a high-profile California Democrat who chairs the House intelligence committee , said to pardon Stone when his crimes were committed to protect Trump would be a “ breathtaking act of corruption ” .
Stone wore a bemused look for much @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , standing with his defense team to receive his sentence .
A small group of male supporters with mostly trendy haircuts , designer bags and Make America Great Again embellishments watched the proceedings from an overflow room next to where Stone was being sentenced .
At one point , security removed one of the men after he began protesting against Jackson ’ s remarks .
“ Ridiculous .
This is a sham , ” he cried as he was escorted out of the room .
Outside the courtroom , rightwing activists chanted “ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ : “ Lock him up.
” The sentencing went ahead despite an 11th-hour request by Stone ’ s defense team for a new trial .
Jackson has not yet ruled definitively on that motion , but she determined that postponing the sentencing would not be “ a prudent thing to do given all the circumstances ” .
Stone will not have to report to prison until the court rules on that motion , which is based on a claim of juror bias .
Stone , a flamboyant Republican operative who began his political @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Nixon ’ s re-election campaign in 1972 , had become a cause célèbre for supporters of the president , who said he was being punished for defending his longtime friend .
Jackson forcefully rejected such claims , stating that Stone was not being prosecuted “ for standing up for the president ” but for “ covering up for the president ” .
Stone ’ s sentencing hearing followed an extraordinary series of events in which justice department officials overruled a sentencing recommendation by the prosecutors of between seven and nine years in federal @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Twitter as “ horrible and very unfair ” .
After the president condemned the prosecutors directly and decried a “ miscarriage of justice ” , the attorney general , William Barr , intervened and sought a more lenient punishment .
His intervention prompted the entire prosecution team to resign in protest , including one member who left the justice department altogether .
Barr – a close ally of the president – also publicly reproached Trump , saying the president ’ s online commentary about politically sensitive investigations made it “ impossible ” for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ eventually said on Twitter that he had not asked the attorney general to “ do anything in a criminal case ” , but argued that , as president , he had “ the legal right to do so ” and had “ so far chosen not to !
” Despite Barr ’ s rebuke , Trump continued to weigh in on the case on Twitter .
On Tuesday , he quoted the Fox News analyst Andrew Napolitano who claimed that the jury harbored biases against the president and that “ almost any judge @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the conviction .
“ Everything having to do with this fraudulent investigation is badly tainted and , in my opinion , should be thrown out , ” Trump wrote in another tweet .
On Thursday , Jackson asked the new prosecution team to explain its position , noting that the justice department had not actually withdrawn its initial sentencing recommendation of seven to nine years in prison .
“ I fear that you know less about the case than just about everybody else in the courtroom , ” Jackson told John Crabb , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Crabb apologized for the “ confusion ” surrounding the sentencing recommendation and defended the initial trial team , who he said had received approval to submit the initial sentencing memo .
“ This prosecution was , and this prosecution is , righteous , ” Crabb said .
Asked by Jackson whether he had written the court filing that reversed the original sentencing recommendation , Crabb declined to say .
Jackson told the court that she believed the original recommendation was well-researched but unnecessarily punitive , a conclusion she said she reached notwithstanding @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of Justice in the past week ” .
Stone ’ s attorney , Seth Ginsberg , asked Jackson to consider the man and not the “ larger-than-life ” public persona his client had cultivated over the course of decades .
Stone , Ginsberg argued , is a faithful family man with no criminal record whose political activism includes support for football players who suffered concussions and animal rights groups .
“ Mr Stone is , in fact , not simply that public persona , but a human being , ” Ginsberg said .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ of charges that he abused power and obstructed Congress , he has embarked on a campaign of retribution against his perceived political enemies while intervening to protect allies who have been loyal .
His defense of Stone came just days after the conclusion of the Senate impeachment trial .
Trump has not ruled out pardoning his longtime friend .
On Thursday he appeared to raise that possibility again .
The president tweeted out a clip of the Fox News host Tucker Carlson saying Stone should be pardoned and also pinned it to the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s convictions stem from the former special counsel Robert Mueller ’ s investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election .
During the course of the week-long trial , the jury heard from Steve Bannon , Trump ’ s former campaign chairman , that Stone was the campaign ’ s “ access point ” to WikiLeaks , which published a trove of stolen Democratic emails in the final weeks of the last presidential campaign .
The Associated Press contributed to this story

Roger Stone, a longtime ally of Donald Trump and a self-described political dirty trickster, was sentenced on Thursday to more than three years in prison for his attempts to sabotage a congressional investigation that posed a political threat to the president.
In handing down the sentence, Judge Amy Berman Jackson of the US district court for the District of Columbia lambasted Stone, 67, calling his attempts to thwart a congressional inquiry of “great national significance” a “threat to our most fundamental institutions, to the very foundation of our democracy”.
But she sentenced Stone to 40 months in prison, far less than the punishment prosecutors originally sought. Stone was convicted in November on seven felony charges, including lying to Congress, tampering with a witness and obstructing the House investigation into whether the Trump campaign conspired with Russia in the 2016 presidential election. Stone had denied wrongdoing.
Jackson argued Stone’s disregard for the truth should worry all those who care about American democracy and accused him of covering up for Trump. “The dismay and disgust at the defendant’s belligerence should transcend party,” Jackson said.
“The truth still exists,” she said. “The truth still matters.”
After the sentencing, a spokeswoman for Stone appealed directly to Trump for a pardon.
“It falls on President Trump to use the power of a pardon as the final means of checks and balances to right this horrible wrong,” Kristin Davis said in a statement.
Trump, who issued 11 high-profile pardons earlier this week, said he was holding off for now.
“I’m not going to do anything in terms of the great powers bestowed upon a president of the United States,” Trump said during an appearance in Las Vegas. “I want the process to play out. I think that’s the best thing to do because I would love to see Roger exonerated.”
Adam Schiff, a high-profile California Democrat who chairs the House intelligence committee, said to pardon Stone when his crimes were committed to protect Trump would be a “breathtaking act of corruption”.
Roger Stone was found guilty of lying to Congress and threatening a witness.
He did it to cover up for Trump. His sentence is justified.
It should go without saying, but to pardon Stone when his crimes were committed to protect Trump would be a breathtaking act of corruption. — Adam Schiff (@RepAdamSchiff) February 20, 2020
Stone wore a bemused look for much of the nearly three-hour hearing on Thursday, standing with his defense team to receive his sentence. A small group of male supporters with mostly trendy haircuts, designer bags and Make America Great Again embellishments watched the proceedings from an overflow room next to where Stone was being sentenced.
At one point, security removed one of the men after he began protesting against Jackson’s remarks. “Ridiculous. This is a sham,” he cried as he was escorted out of the room. Outside the courtroom, rightwing activists chanted “Pardon Roger Stone” while opponents shouted:“Lock him up.”
The sentencing went ahead despite an 11th-hour request by Stone’s defense team for a new trial.
Jackson has not yet ruled definitively on that motion, but she determined that postponing the sentencing would not be “a prudent thing to do given all the circumstances”. Stone will not have to report to prison until the court rules on that motion, which is based on a claim of juror bias.
Stone, a flamboyant Republican operative who began his political career as a junior staffer on Richard Nixon’s re-election campaign in 1972, had become a cause célèbre for supporters of the president, who said he was being punished for defending his longtime friend.
Roger Stone has 'very good chance of exoneration', says Trump in February – video
Jackson forcefully rejected such claims, stating that Stone was not being prosecuted “for standing up for the president” but for “covering up for the president”.
Stone’s sentencing hearing followed an extraordinary series of events in which justice department officials overruled a sentencing recommendation by the prosecutors of between seven and nine years in federal prison, a punishment Trump assailed on Twitter as “horrible and very unfair”.
After the president condemned the prosecutors directly and decried a “miscarriage of justice”, the attorney general, William Barr, intervened and sought a more lenient punishment. His intervention prompted the entire prosecution team to resign in protest, including one member who left the justice department altogether.
Barr – a close ally of the president – also publicly reproached Trump, saying the president’s online commentary about politically sensitive investigations made it “impossible” for him to do his job.
Trump eventually said on Twitter that he had not asked the attorney general to “do anything in a criminal case”, but argued that, as president, he had “the legal right to do so” and had “so far chosen not to!”
Despite Barr’s rebuke, Trump continued to weigh in on the case on Twitter. On Tuesday, he quoted the Fox News analyst Andrew Napolitano who claimed that the jury harbored biases against the president and that “almost any judge in the country” would throw out the conviction.
“Everything having to do with this fraudulent investigation is badly tainted and, in my opinion, should be thrown out,” Trump wrote in another tweet.
On Thursday, Jackson asked the new prosecution team to explain its position, noting that the justice department had not actually withdrawn its initial sentencing recommendation of seven to nine years in prison.
“I fear that you know less about the case than just about everybody else in the courtroom,” Jackson told John Crabb, the prosecutor newly assigned to the case.
Crabb apologized for the “confusion” surrounding the sentencing recommendation and defended the initial trial team, who he said had received approval to submit the initial sentencing memo.
“This prosecution was, and this prosecution is, righteous,” Crabb said.
Asked by Jackson whether he had written the court filing that reversed the original sentencing recommendation, Crabb declined to say.
Jackson told the court that she believed the original recommendation was well-researched but unnecessarily punitive, a conclusion she said she reached notwithstanding the “unprecedented actions of the Department of Justice in the past week”.
Stone’s attorney, Seth Ginsberg, asked Jackson to consider the man and not the “larger-than-life” public persona his client had cultivated over the course of decades. Stone, Ginsberg argued, is a faithful family man with no criminal record whose political activism includes support for football players who suffered concussions and animal rights groups.
“Mr Stone is, in fact, not simply that public persona, but a human being,” Ginsberg said.
Since Trump was acquitted by the Senate of charges that he abused power and obstructed Congress, he has embarked on a campaign of retribution against his perceived political enemies while intervening to protect allies who have been loyal. His defense of Stone came just days after the conclusion of the Senate impeachment trial. Trump has not ruled out pardoning his longtime friend.
On Thursday he appeared to raise that possibility again. The president tweeted out a clip of the Fox News host Tucker Carlson saying Stone should be pardoned and also pinned it to the top of his feed.
Stone’s convictions stem from the former special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election.
During the course of the week-long trial, the jury heard from Steve Bannon, Trump’s former campaign chairman, that Stone was the campaign’s “access point” to WikiLeaks, which published a trove of stolen Democratic emails in the final weeks of the last presidential campaign.
The Associated Press contributed to this story


theguardian--2020-02-20--House members reportedly told Russia is working to get Trump re-elected – live

Here ’ s some bad news for Democrats : a new poll found Trump leading all of the top presidential @ @ @ @ @ state of Wisconsin .
According to the Quinnipiac University poll , the 2020 Democratic field @ @ @ @ @ president in Michigan and Pennsylvania , which Trump carried in 2016 .
But the poll @ @ @ @ @ the candidates are trailing Trump in the key toss-up state of Wisconsin .
If the @ @ @ @ @ steady this year , and Trump is able to hold Wisconsin while Democrats pick up @ @ @ @ @ president will still win reelection .
Democrats have said they expect to be competitive in @ @ @ @ @ Trump in 2016 , such as Arizona and Georgia .
But for the many Democrats @ @ @ @ @ to the White House runs through the Midwest , those polling numbers could cause alarm @

Lois Beckett in San Francisco (now), and Joan E Greve in Washington and Martin Belam  (earlier)

21 Feb 2020 03.04 GMT Late evening summary It was another evening of late-breaking news. Here’s a summary as our live politics coverage ends for the night: House members were reportedly warned by intelligence officials last week that Russia is interfering in the 2020 campaign to try to get Trump re-elected, the New York Times and the Washington Post reported. The account Trump heard of the briefing reportedly enraged him, prompting him to lash out at his acting director of national intelligence, Joseph Maguire , who had expected to stay in the position.
re-elected, the New York Times and the Washington Post reported. The account Trump heard of the briefing reportedly enraged him, prompting him to lash out at his acting director of national intelligence, , who had expected to stay in the position. Instead, Trump replaced Maguire with Richard Grenell, a hardcore Trump loyalist, the current US ambassador to Germany, and a person with no intelligence experience.
a hardcore Trump loyalist, the current US ambassador to Germany, and a person with no intelligence experience. One sign of how Grenell will operate in this role: one of his new senior advisers, in his new role as the top intelligence official for the Trump White House, is Kash Patel, a former Hill staffer who made his reputation as the lead author of a Republican report “questioning the conduct of FBI and DOJ officials investigating Russia’s election interference,” Politico reported.
a former Hill staffer who made his reputation as the lead author of a Republican report “questioning the conduct of FBI and DOJ officials investigating Russia’s election interference,” Politico reported. Also: among the new information reportedly shared with lawmakers at the House intelligence briefing: “Russia intends to interfere with the ongoing Democratic primaries as well as the general election,” the Times reported.
as well as the general election,” the Times reported. Meanwhile: Democrats discussed what they will do if Bernie Sanders wins the most voters in the Democratic primary, but not an outright majority of votes, a contentious issue.
wins the most voters in the Democratic primary, but not an outright majority of votes, a contentious issue. Elizabeth Warren renewed her demand that Michael Bloomberg release former employees who sued him or his company from their non-disclosure agreements, so they can speak promptly and publicly about the behavior that prompted their lawsuits.
renewed her demand that release former employees who sued him or his company from their non-disclosure agreements, so they can speak promptly and publicly about the behavior that prompted their lawsuits. At a rally in Colorado, Trump complained that Parasite, a South Korean film, had won the best picture Oscar. “Can we get Gone with the Wind back. please?” he asked.
21 Feb 2020 02.32 GMT Elizabeth Warren is not done with her demans that Michael Bloomberg, billionaire former New York mayor and late entrant into the 2020 Democratic primary, release former employees who have brought lawsuits against Bloomberg and his company from their nondisclosure agreements. The goal, Warren has said: allowing women to talk candidly about the behavior that prompted the lawsuits, and ensuring transparency in the primary. Elizabeth Warren opens her CNN town hall by saying she brought something with her -- a contract she wrote up that she says would release former Bloomberg employees from NDAs.
"I used to teach contract law... All he has to do is sign it. I’ll text it." — Alex Seitz-Wald (@aseitzwald) February 21, 2020
21 Feb 2020 01.27 GMT Colorado Sen. Cory Gardner, speaking alongside the president at a rally for Trump supporters in Colorado Springs, is now attacking “the normalization of socialism by Bernie Sanders.” Gardner, facing a rocky path to reelection this year, pledged to fight hard to keep Republican control of the Senate and the White House. “They want to take our guns. They want to take our healthcare. That’s their platform,” Gardner said of the Democratic Party.
21 Feb 2020 01.22 GMT Former Senate majority leader Harry Reid, a Nevada Democrat, told the Washington Post that none of the Democratic presidential primary candidates should get the nomination with less than a majority of delegates. Reid was pushing back on “suggestions from Sanders and his supporters that he should become the nominee if he finishes with a plurality lead ahead of the still large pack of candidates,” the Post reported. “Reid even suggested that a group of moderate candidates, trailing Sanders overall, could assemble a coalition ahead of the Democratic convention in July in Milwaukee to hand the nomination to someone else.” Bloomberg’s campaign has already been pushing to position himself as a candidate who could benefit from the support of other “moderate” candidates like Joe Biden or Pete Buttigieg in this situation, Politico reported earlier today. Harry Reid still doesn't mince words, on Bernie or anything:
“Let’s say that he has 35 percent. Well, 65 percent he doesn’t have. ... I do not believe anyone should get the nomination unless they have 50-plus-one.”
1st cut from HMR-PK talk. https://t.co/Gh7IycMtTy — Paul Kane (@pkcapitol) February 21, 2020
21 Feb 2020 01.04 GMT A group co-founded by Hollywood actor Eva Longoria and DNC Finance Chair Henry R. Muñoz III has endorsed Joe Biden for president. NEW: @latinovictoryus announces they are endorsing @JoeBiden for President, just 2 days ahead of the Nevada caucuses
"Our country will need an experienced leader who will hit the ground running on day one, and that candidate is Vice President Biden,” the groups chair says — Johnny Verhovek (@JTHVerhovek) February 21, 2020
21 Feb 2020 00.57 GMT A Democratic political strategist notes that Trump’s praise at this Colorado Springs rally for Sen. Cory Gardner, a Colorado Republican facing a tough reelection campaign, will likely be used in attack ads against him. “Cory was with us all the way. He didn’t move, he didn’t budge,” Trump added later in the speech, saluting Gardner for voting against impeaching him, a vote that was reportedly a tough one for Gardner. Coming soon to a million Democratic ads this fall! https://t.co/oKDjNq59bX — Emmy Bengtson (@EmmyA2) February 21, 2020
21 Feb 2020 00.45 GMT President Trump is now at a rally in Colorado complaining that the Oscar for Best Picture went to Parasite, a film from South Korea, and complaining that the country has trade problems with South Korea. “Can we get Gone with the Wind back please?” Trump asked. Trump goes off on the Oscars for giving Best Picture to Parasite because it's a South Korean movie pic.twitter.com/GUGKdExTbw — Claudia Koerner (@ClaudiaKoerner) February 21, 2020
Updated at 00.49 GMT
21 Feb 2020 00.37 GMT John Brennan, the former director of the Central Intelligence Agency and a prominent public critic of Donald Trump, weighs in on the significance of the new report about Trump being furious about an intelligence briefing for members of Congress that included the conclusion that Russia is still attempting to interfere in the 2020 election with the goal of supporting him. We are now in a full-blown national security crisis. By trying to prevent the flow of intelligence to Congress, Trump is abetting a Russian covert operation to keep him in office for Moscow’s interests, not America’s. https://t.co/Vj6lUV5ZNu — John O. Brennan (@JohnBrennan) February 21, 2020
21 Feb 2020 00.30 GMT “Russia intends to interfere with the ongoing Democratic primaries as well as the general election.” That’s key new information that House lawmakers heard during an intelligence briefing last week, according to the New York Times. The briefing, which reportedly angered the president, once again conveyed to lawmakers the conclusion from intelligence officials that Russia was interfering in the election with goal of electing Trump. Last week’s briefing did contain what appeared to be new information, according to NYT, including that Russia intends to interfere with the ongoing Democratic primaries as well as the general election. https://t.co/NEdqx6ee8b — Kyle Griffin (@kylegriffin1) February 21, 2020
20 Feb 2020 23.30 GMT Mike Bloomberg is quietly lobbying Democratic Party officials and donors allied with moderate opponents like Joe Biden and Pete Buttigieg to flip their allegiance to him —and defeat Bernie Sanders — if Democrats fail to choose a presidential nominee during the first round of voting, Politico reports. “It’s a presumptuous play for a candidate who hasn’t yet won a delegate or even appeared on a ballot,” Politico’s David Siders writes. “And it could also bring havoc to the convention, raising the prospect of party insiders delivering the nomination to a billionaire over a progressive populist.” if Bernie Sanders goes into the Democratic National Convention with a plurality and Mike Bloomberg signs up superdelegates to wrest it away from him, as this story suggests, I am genuinely uncertain what will happen to the Democratic Party https://t.co/SHasxfe5Hv — Matt Pearce 🦅 (@mattdpearce) February 20, 2020
20 Feb 2020 23.19 GMT A heavily edited video posted by the Bloomberg campaign to Instagram on Thursday paints a flattering, and false, portrait of the former New York mayor’s widely panned debate performance. My colleague Kari Paul reports on how tech companies are responding to this kind of misleading political content. Facebook and Instagram: nothing. Twitter: would be flagged as misleading... under a new policy that hasn’t started yet. Twitter told me this video should be flagged as misleading under its new policy regarding disinformation, but that policy doesn't go into effect until March 5 https://t.co/WXoqWPZJaS https://t.co/xtB2ttGLuu — Kari Paul (@kari_paul) February 20, 2020
20 Feb 2020 23.10 GMT The Washington Post obtained a recording of a private speech in London at which the acting White House chief of staff, Mick Mulvaney, said that the United States desperately needs more immigrants to fuel its economy, a position starkly different from the senior White House adviser Stephen Miller and others who have pushed to reduce any kind of immigration.
“We are desperate – desperate – for more people,” Mulvaney said, according to the Post. “We are running out of people to fuel the economic growth that we’ve had in our nation over the last four years. We need more immigrants.” The Trump administration wants those immigrants to come in a “legal fashion”, Mulvaney said, according to the Post. "We are desperate -- desperate -- for more people," Mulvaney said during private speech in London. "We are running out of people to fuel the economic growth that we’ve had in our nation over the last four years. We need more immigrants.” w/@nickmiroff: https://t.co/q1WtDMYYwd — Josh Dawsey (@jdawsey1) February 20, 2020
Updated at 23.15 GMT
20 Feb 2020 22.13 GMT House members reportedly told Russia interfering in 2020 election House members were reportedly warned by intelligence officials last week that Russia is interfering in the 2020 campaign to try to get Trump re-elected, mirroring the country’s meddling in the 2016 race. The New York Times reports: The day after the Feb. 13 briefing to lawmakers, Mr. Trump berated Joseph Maguire, the outgoing acting director of national intelligence, for allowing it to take place, people familiar with the exchange said. Mr. Trump cited the presence in the briefing of Representative Adam B. Schiff, the California Democrat who led the impeachment proceedings against him, as a particular irritant.
During the briefing to the House Intelligence Committee, Mr. Trump’s allies challenged the conclusions, arguing that Mr. Trump has been tough on Russia and strengthened European security. Some intelligence officials viewed the briefing as a tactical error, saying that had the official who delivered the conclusion spoken less pointedly or left it out, they would have avoided angering the Republicans. That intelligence official, Shelby Pierson, is an aide to Mr. Maguire who has a reputation of delivering intelligence in somewhat blunt terms. The president announced on Wednesday that he was replacing Mr. Maguire with Richard Grenell, the ambassador to Germany and long an aggressively vocal Trump supporter. The Washington Post reported earlier today about the confrontation between Trump and Maguire, but the content of the intelligence briefing was not previously known. Trump has repeatedly pushed back against the intelligence community’s conclusion that Russia interfered in the 2016 race to help him defeat Hillary Clinton. During the impeachment inquiry and trial, some of the president’s allies tried to peddle the baseless conspiracy theory that it was actually Ukraine who meddled in the 2016 race. That claim was dismissed by Fiona Hill, the White House’s former top Russia expert, as a “fictional narrative” pushed by Vladimir Putin’s government.
Updated at 23.15 GMT
20 Feb 2020 22.03 GMT Evening summary That’s it from me today. My west coast colleague, Lois Beckett, will take over the blog for the next few hours. Here’s where the day stands so far: Trump said he would not yet pardon Roger Stone, his former associate who was sentenced to 40 months in prison today, and would instead wait for “the process to play out”. But the president added he thinks Stone has a “very good chance of exoneration”.
said he would not yet pardon his former associate who was sentenced to 40 months in prison today, and would instead wait for “the process to play out”. But the president added he thinks Stone has a “very good chance of exoneration”. While delivering Stone’s sentence, Judge Amy Berman Jackson denounced Stone’s actions and warned that his disregard for the truth represented “a threat to the very foundation of this democracy”.
denounced Stone’s actions and warned that his disregard for the truth represented “a threat to the very foundation of this democracy”. Trump reportedly lashed out against the acting director of national intelligence Joseph Maguire last week, after one of his staffers privately testified to the House intelligence committee on election security. The president announced yesterday that Richard Grenell, the US ambassador to Germany and a Trump loyalist, would replace Maguire.
last week, after one of his staffers privately testified to the House intelligence committee on election security. The president announced yesterday that the US ambassador to Germany and a Trump loyalist, would replace Maguire. Nearly 20 million people, a new record for a Democratic primary debate, watched last night’s event. That could be bad news for Mike Bloomberg, whose first debate performance was widely panned. Lois will have more coming up, so stay tuned.
Updated at 23.16 GMT
20 Feb 2020 21.49 GMT Coming off her strong debate performance, Elizabeth Warren said her campaign has raised more than $5 million since she took the stage last night. Since I stepped on the #DemDebate stage, our grassroots campaign has raised more than $5 million. We’ve not only reached our critical goal of raising $7 million before the Nevada caucuses—we're now raising it to $12 million. I'm so grateful. Keep it up! https://t.co/9kjAWYs2zq — Elizabeth Warren (@ewarren) February 20, 2020 Warren had set a goal of raising $7 million before Saturday’s Nevada caucuses, and she is now raising that number to $12 million. But Warren is also attracting some criticism today for refusing to distance herself from a new super PAC supporting her candidacy. NEW: Here is video of Warren declining to disavow the new super PAC supporting her:
“If all the candidates want to get rid of super PACs, count me in. I'll lead the charge. But that's how it has to be. It can't be the case that a bunch of people keep them and only 1 or 2 don’t.” pic.twitter.com/byxQRjGMfs — Shane Goldmacher (@ShaneGoldmacher) February 20, 2020 The Massachusetts senator said she would support all the candidates disavowing super PACs but would not be the sole opponent. (This comes after Warren previously said she would reject the groups’ support.)
20 Feb 2020 21.30 GMT Shortly after Roger Stone was sentenced today, senator Lindsey Graham tweeted that Trump “has all the legal authority in the world to review this case.” This presidential power is available to all presidents in all cases brought before our justice system.
This is the way our legal system is intended to work and provides a brilliant and intricate system of checks and balances we should all honor. — Lindsey Graham (@LindseyGrahamSC) February 20, 2020 The tweet was read as a possible indication that Trump’s congressional allies will not push back much if the president chooses to pardon his former associate. In contrast, House intelligence committee chairman Adam Schiff said such a move would be a “breathtaking act of corruption.”


theguardian--2020-02-20--'This is not just Roger being Roger': Stone gets 40 months – and a scolding from the judge

Roger Stone , a longtime friend of Donald Trump and a self-styled dirty trickster of American politics , showed little emotion as he stood , squeezed between his defense team , at the front of the courtroom to await his sentence on Thursday .
“ Unsurprisingly , I have a lot to say , ” the federal district court judge Amy Berman Jackson began .
She was aware , of course , of the extraordinary public interest surrounding this high-stakes case , which is at the center of a political firestorm at the Department of Justice over fears of political @ @ @ @ @ @ @ said , there have been letters and calls to the chamber , op-eds in every major newspaper , hours of punditry on cable news , and , perhaps most remarkable of all , a stream of tweets from the president of the United States , who has attacked her as biased .
“ The only people who think this is easy [ are ] the people who don ’ t have to make the decision , ” she lamented from the bench .
Stone ’ s presence in the courtroom on Thursday had @ @ @ @ @ @ @ or personal association .
He would not be sentenced , Jackson said , “ for who his friends are or who his enemies are ” .
The case , she said , “ arose because Roger Stone characteristically inserted himself smack in the middle of one of the most incendiary issues of the day ” .
At issue , she explained , is only what he has been convicted of : attempting to sabotage a congressional investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election .
“ He was not prosecuted for standing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ said .
“ He was prosecuted for covering up for the president.
” She laced into the defense offered by Stone ’ s attorneys in response to his conviction on charges that he lied to congressional investigators and attempted to block the testimony of a witness , which she said amounted to : “ ‘ So what ?
’ ” “ Of all the circumstances in this case , that may be the most pernicious , ” Jackson said , in comments that quickly traveled far beyond the E Barrett Prettyman courthouse in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , the truth still matters.
” Stone stood unflinching , hands clasped in front of him , as she continued to excoriate him .
“ Roger Stone ’ s insistence that it doesn ’ t … his belligerence , his pride in his own lies , are a threat to our most fundamental institutions , to the very foundation of our democracy , ” she said emphatically .
The judge forcefully rejected claims by Stone and his supporters that law enforcement was carrying out a political vendetta against the president by prosecuting his @ @ @ @ @ @ @ unfair , phony , or disgraceful about the investigation or the prosecution , ” she said .
She accepted that Stone had cultivated a reputation as an “ agent provocateur ” who is belligerent and hyperbolic – noting humorously that these are descriptions of him from “ people who wrote [ to the court ] on his behalf ” .
“ The problem is that nothing about this case was a joke .
It wasn ’ t funny , it wasn ’ t a stunt , ” she said , adding : “ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ great national and international significance .
This is not campaign hi-jinks .
This is not just Roger being Roger.
” The prosecution team had originally recommended a sentence of seven to nine years , which Trump decried earlier this month as “ horrible and unfair ” .
Almost immediately , William Barr , the attorney general , intervened and overruled the prosecutors , recommending a far more lenient sentence .
Jackson called the what the justice department did “ unprecedented ” .
In what appeared to be a reference to the president ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , Jackson said : “ The court can not be influenced by those comments .
They were entirely inappropriate.
” Nevertheless , she believed the initial recommendation was unduly punitive .
Probation , however , would not fit the gravity of the crimes committed , she said .
In the end , she arrived at her decision : Stone would be sentenced to 40 months in prison .
But Stone would not be imprisoned until the judge rules on a motion brought by his defense team requesting a new trial .
After the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Jackson for sentencing him before reaching a decision on the defense team ’ s motion claiming juror bias .
“ It falls on President Trump to use the power of a pardon as the final means of checks and balances to right this horrible wrong , ” the spokeswoman , Kristin Davis , wrote in a statement .
Speaking at a graduation ceremony in Las Vegas on Thursday , Trump said he was following Stone ’ s trial “ very closely ” .
“ I want to see it play out to its @ @ @ @ @ @ @ chance of exoneration , in my opinion , ” he said .

Roger Stone, a longtime friend of Donald Trump and a self-styled dirty trickster of American politics, showed little emotion as he stood, squeezed between his defense team, at the front of the courtroom to await his sentence on Thursday.
“Unsurprisingly, I have a lot to say,” the federal district court judge Amy Berman Jackson began.
She was aware, of course, of the extraordinary public interest surrounding this high-stakes case that last week triggered a political firestorm at the Department of Justice over fears of political influence. In recent weeks, Jackson said, there have been letters and calls to the chamber, op-eds in every major newspaper, hours of punditry on cable news, and, perhaps most remarkable of all, a stream of tweets from the president of the United States, who has attacked her as biased.
“The only people who think this is easy [are] the people who don’t have to make the decision,” she lamented from the bench.
Stone’s presence in her courtroom on Thursday had nothing to do with his political views or personal association. He was there, Jackson said, because “Roger Stone characteristically inserted himself smack in the middle of one of the most incendiary issues of the day”.
His sentence had nothing to do with “who his friends are or who his enemies are,” Jackson said. At issue, she explained, is only what he has been convicted of: attempting to sabotage a congressional investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election.
“He was not prosecuted for standing up for the president,” she said. “He was prosecuted for covering up for the president.”
She laced into the defense offered by Stone’s attorneys in response to his conviction on charges that he lied to congressional investigators and attempted to block the testimony of a witness, which she said amounted to: “‘So what?’”
“Of all the circumstances in this case, that may be the most pernicious,” Jackson said, in comments that quickly traveled far beyond the E Barrett Prettyman courthouse in Washington. “The truth still exists, the truth still matters.”
Stone stood unflinching, hands clasped in front of him, as she continued her excoriation.
“Roger Stone’s insistence that it doesn’t … his belligerence, his pride in his own lies, are a threat to our most fundamental institutions, to the very foundation of our democracy,” she said emphatically.
The judge forcefully rejected claims by Stone and his supporters that law enforcement was carrying out a political vendetta against the president by prosecuting his longtime friend.
“There was nothing unfair, phony, or disgraceful about the investigation or the prosecution,” she said.
He lied about a matter of great national and international significance. This is not campaign hi-jinks Amy Berman Jackson
Jackson has overseen several of the high-profile cases stemming from the special counsel’s investigation of Russian interference in the 2016 election, including the prosecutions of Paul Manafort, Trump’s former campaign chairman and Rick Gates, his former deputy campaign chairman. But Stone’s case – which turned in part on a Godfather reference, alleged threats made against a therapy dog and a series of profane texts messages that Jackson read from the bench on Thursday – was perhaps the most colorful.
She accepted that Stone had cultivated a reputation as an “agent provocateur” who is belligerent and hyperbolic – noting humorously that these are descriptions of him from “people who wrote [to the court] on his behalf”.
“The problem is that nothing about this case was a joke. It wasn’t funny, it wasn’t a stunt,” she said, adding: “The defendant lied about a matter of great national and international significance. This is not campaign hi-jinks. This is not just Roger being Roger.”
The prosecution team had originally recommended a sentence of seven to nine years, which Trump decried earlier this month as “horrible and unfair”. Almost immediately, William Barr, the attorney general, intervened and overruled the prosecutors, recommending a far more lenient sentence. Jackson called the what the justice department did “unprecedented”.
In what appeared to be a reference to the president’s running Twitter commentary on the case, Jackson said: “The court cannot be influenced by those comments. They were entirely inappropriate.”
Nevertheless, she believed the initial recommendation was unduly punitive. Probation, however, would not fit the gravity of the crimes committed, she said.
Roger Stone has 'very good chance of exoneration', says Trump in February – video
In the end, she arrived at her decision: Stone would be sentenced to 40 months in prison. But the case is not quite closed. Stone would not be imprisoned until the judge rules on a motion brought by his defense team requesting a new trial.
Emerging from the courthouse after his sentencing, Stone looked bemused by the media frenzy. He was, after all, a man who believed the “only thing worse than being talked about is not being talked about.” But there was no flamboyant displays, no Nixon-esque victory salute. He simply placed a hat atop his head and slipped into a waiting car.
After the sentencing, a representative for Stone appealed to Trump directly.
“It falls on President Trump to use the power of a pardon as the final means of checks and balances to right this horrible wrong,” the spokeswoman, Kristin Davis, said in a statement.
Speaking in Las Vegas at a graduation ceremony for prisoners leaving incarceration on Thursday, Trump said he was following the case “ very closely”.
“I want to see it play out to its fullest,” he told the graduates, “because Roger has a very good chance of exoneration, in my opinion.”