occupydemocrats--2020-01-06--Speaker Pelosi announces War Powers Resolution to check Trump’s brewing war with Iran

On Monday , the Speaker of the House announced that her chamber of Congress will vote on a resolution aimed at stopping the President ’ s hostilities with Iran .
Congress has decided to respond to President Trump ’ s unauthorized assassination of Iran ’ s most powerful general , Qassem Soleimani , by pursuing a vote under the Vietnam-era War Powers Act and require the 3,000 American troops sent to Iraq this week to come home within 30 days .
According to Speaker Nancy Pelosi ( D-CA ) , the resolution is sponsored by freshman Rep. Elissa Slotkin ( @ @ @ @ @ @ @ leader of a group of seven “ national security Democrats ” that have all served in the military or intelligence agencies and recently emerged as Congressional leaders .
Pelosi says the resolution will be substantially similar to the one filed in the Senate by Virginia Democrat Tim Kaine .
( embedded below ) McConnell admitted coordinating impeachment with Trump .
Add your name to demand he recuse himself from the trial !
Since Congress enacted the War Powers Act in 1973 , only one War Powers Act resolution has successfully passed both the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Sen. Bernie Sanders ( D-VT ) convinced the Republican-controlled Senate to vote in favor of keeping American troops out of Saudi Arabia ’ s war in Yemen , and Rep. Barbara Lee ( D-CA ) —who also filed a resolution co-sponsored by Rep. Ilhan Omar ( D-MN ) this week—shepherded the measure through the House .
Find out more in Grant Stern ’ s new book “ Meet the Candidates 2020 : Bernie Sanders .
” Unfortunately , President Trump vetoed that resolution and the Senate failed to override him , highlighting the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ these resolutions but gaining enough votes to fully enact it .
All of this could have been averted because as far back as this summer when the House tried to stop President Trump from waging a war against Iran in the last major defense spending bill .
A bipartisan group of lawmakers led by Rep. Ro Khanna ( D-CA ) passed an amendment to that bill in July 2019 , which would have prohibited spending any funds—and therefore any action—against Iran .
Even the infamous Rep. Matt Gaetz ( R-FL ) co-sponsored the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ war with Iran .
Yet the measure was stripped out of the final bill in a compromise with the GOP-controlled senate before its passage in late December , averting another Trump shutdown of the federal government .
Firstly , Trump ’ s strike on Iran has given a second lease on life to Speaker Pelosi ’ s use of strategic ambiguity by withholding the articles of impeachment because all business in the Senate grinds to a halt during the trial .
Since they won ’ t be able to debate the War Powers @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Speaker of the House practically has no choice but to hold the charges until the upper chamber decides if they want to plunge our nation into war without reason .
Secondly , it will put the Republican congressional caucus into a political logjam because they ’ ll have to choose between Trump sending their constituents off to die in an unpopular war with no exit strategy nor real excuse for beginning it in the first place besides an impeached President needing a distraction from the trial they all voted against .
In fact @ @ @ @ @ @ @ over how to handle Iran , and are not united in favor of a major strike .
As of last summer , a Gallup poll found that a whopping 78 % of Americans preferred reasonable alternatives to deploying our military in a conflict with Iran .
As recently as September , public opinion was 3:1 against taking action against Iran , even after the nation attacked a Saudi oil field that threatened to send gas prices skyrocketing ( but didn ’ t ) .
House Democrats are unified against Trump ’ s war @ @ @ @ @ @ @ moderate and progressive wings of the party submitting these War Powers Act resolutions .
“ Perhaps this time , a stand-alone bill such as the one that passed the Democratic House and was stripped from the defense conference report by the Republican President and Senate can pass , ” says Democratic National Committee member Christine Pelosi .
That ’ s because a Republican vote in favor of a new war in Iran isn ’ t a given .
On these difficult votes on a matter of life or death , the War Powers @ @ @ @ @ @ @ publicly rob President Trump of the only thing—undying loyalty—that has kept him in the Oval Office while he uses our federal government ’ s foreign policy for his own personal gain .
The last time Republicans rushed into a War of Choice in the Middle East , they lied about the intelligence , spent trillions of US dollars , destabilized the region , and sacrificed the blood of Americans and Iraqis for 17 years – attacking peacemakers along the way .
What do you think ?

On Monday, the Speaker of the House announced that her chamber of Congress will vote on a resolution aimed at stopping the President’s hostilities with Iran.
Congress has decided to respond to President Trump’s unauthorized assassination of Iran’s most powerful general, Qassem Soleimani, by pursuing a vote under the Vietnam-era War Powers Act and require the 3,000 American troops sent to Iraq this week to come home within 30 days.
According to Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA), the resolution is sponsored by freshman Rep. Elissa Slotkin (D-MI) who has emerged as a leader of a group of seven “national security Democrats” that have all served in the military or intelligence agencies and recently emerged as Congressional leaders.
The Speaker’s office wrote:
This week, the House will introduce and vote on a War Powers Resolution to limit the President’s military actions regarding Iran. It reasserts Congress’s long-established oversight responsibilities by mandating that if no further Congressional action is taken, the Administration’s military hostilities with regard to Iran cease within 30 days.
Pelosi says the resolution will be substantially similar to the one filed in the Senate by Virginia Democrat Tim Kaine. (embedded below)
McConnell admitted coordinating impeachment with Trump. Add your name to demand he recuse himself from the trial!
Since Congress enacted the War Powers Act in 1973, only one War Powers Act resolution has successfully passed both the House and Senate.
Last April, Sen. Bernie Sanders (D-VT) convinced the Republican-controlled Senate to vote in favor of keeping American troops out of Saudi Arabia’s war in Yemen, and Rep. Barbara Lee (D-CA)—who also filed a resolution co-sponsored by Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN) this week—shepherded the measure through the House.
Unfortunately, President Trump vetoed that resolution and the Senate failed to override him, highlighting the difficulty of not only passing one of these resolutions but gaining enough votes to fully enact it.
All of this could have been averted because as far back as this summer when the House tried to stop President Trump from waging a war against Iran in the last major defense spending bill. A bipartisan group of lawmakers led by Rep. Ro Khanna (D-CA) passed an amendment to that bill in July 2019, which would have prohibited spending any funds—and therefore any action—against Iran. Even the infamous Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL) co-sponsored the legislation to stop Trump from igniting a war with Iran.
Yet the measure was stripped out of the final bill in a compromise with the GOP-controlled senate before its passage in late December, averting another Trump shutdown of the federal government.
Any member who voted for the NDAA — a blank check — can't now express dismay that Trump may have launched another war in the Middle East. My Amendment, which was stripped, would have cut off $$ for any offensive attack against Iran including against officials like Soleimani /1 — Rep. Ro Khanna (@RepRoKhanna) January 3, 2020
Firstly, Trump’s strike on Iran has given a second lease on life to Speaker Pelosi’s use of strategic ambiguity by withholding the articles of impeachment because all business in the Senate grinds to a halt during the trial. Since they won’t be able to debate the War Powers Act resolution during a trial, the Speaker of the House practically has no choice but to hold the charges until the upper chamber decides if they want to plunge our nation into war without reason.
Secondly, it will put the Republican congressional caucus into a political logjam because they’ll have to choose between Trump sending their constituents off to die in an unpopular war with no exit strategy nor real excuse for beginning it in the first place besides an impeached President needing a distraction from the trial they all voted against. In fact, the GOP has been uncharacteristically split over how to handle Iran, and are not united in favor of a major strike.
As of last summer, a Gallup poll found that a whopping 78% of Americans preferred reasonable alternatives to deploying our military in a conflict with Iran. As recently as September, public opinion was 3:1 against taking action against Iran, even after the nation attacked a Saudi oil field that threatened to send gas prices skyrocketing (but didn’t).
House Democrats are unified against Trump’s war, evidenced by members of both the moderate and progressive wings of the party submitting these War Powers Act resolutions.
“Perhaps this time, a stand-alone bill such as the one that passed the Democratic House and was stripped from the defense conference report by the Republican President and Senate can pass,” says Democratic National Committee member Christine Pelosi.
That’s because a Republican vote in favor of a new war in Iran isn’t a given.
On these difficult votes on a matter of life or death, the War Powers Act votes have the potential to very publicly rob President Trump of the only thing—undying loyalty—that has kept him in the Oval Office while he uses our federal government’s foreign policy for his own personal gain.
“The last time Republicans rushed into a War of Choice in the Middle East, they lied about the intelligence,” Pelosi said, “spent trillions of US dollars, destabilized the region, and sacrificed the blood of Americans and Iraqis for 17 years – attacking peacemakers along the way.”
Here’s a copy of the War Powers Act resolution:
War Powers Act resolution submitted by Sen. Tim Kaine (D-VA) https://t.co/o4WKh68srs — Grant Stern (@grantstern) January 6, 2020
Disclosure: This story uses Amazon affiliate links.


occupydemocrats--2020-01-06--Trump’s Pentagon admits they accidentally sent letter to Iraq agreeing to withdraw troops

The Trump-ordered assassination of Iranian Quds Force leader Qasem Soleimani in Iraq last week is dominating the news cycle , with some suggesting that the killing could ultimately lead to war if Iran retaliates and the White House hits back with further escalation .
Such a prospect would be deeply alarming under the best of circumstances and these are far from the best of circumstances .
This administration is a complete incompetent mess , with no consistent approach to foreign policy , muddled messaging , and impulsive decisionmaking dictated by the Caligula-like egomaniac in the Oval Office .
Already , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ consequences .
Over the weekend , the Iraqi parliament voted to expel American forces from their country in response to the assassination .
Jaw-droppingly , President Trump threatened to levy heavy sanctions on the country in response , proving once again that he is more than willing to bully and turn on the United States ’ allies whenever they do something he personally dislikes .
The administration ’ s rhetoric for the past few days has been an utterly incoherent mess .
Earlier today , Secretary of Defense Mark Esper stated that the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Iraq .
He also addressed the leak of an unsigned letter from the U.S. Command in Baghdad to the government of Iraq which seemed to indicate that American troops would be withdrawing from the region .
Esper seemed confused by the letter and said that it was “ inconsistent ” with what ’ s actually going on .
McConnell admitted coordinating impeachment with Trump .
Add your name to demand he recuse himself from the trial !
Chairman of the Joints Chiefs of Staff General Mark Milley echoed Esper ’ s sentiments .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ , ” a “ mistake , ” and “ poorly word ” adding that it shouldn ’ t have been released at all and that withdrawal is “ not what ’ s happening.
” What actually is happening is still unclear , and the widespread confusion is a clear indication that this administration has no grand strategy .
The United States is a rudderless ship under this administration and unless we vote Trump out of office this year our nation will continue to be held hostage to the whims of a madman .
@ @ @ @ @

The Trump-ordered assassination of Iranian Quds Force leader Qasem Soleimani in Iraq last week is dominating the news cycle, with some suggesting that the killing could ultimately lead to war if Iran retaliates and the White House hits back with further escalation. Such a prospect would be deeply alarming under the best of circumstances and these are far from the best of circumstances. This administration is a complete incompetent mess, with no consistent approach to foreign policy, muddled messaging, and impulsive decisionmaking dictated by the Caligula-like egomaniac in the Oval Office.
Already, Soleimani’s death is having unforeseen consequences. Over the weekend, the Iraqi parliament voted to expel American forces from their country in response to the assassination. Jaw-droppingly, President Trump threatened to levy heavy sanctions on the country in response, proving once again that he is more than willing to bully and turn on the United States’ allies whenever they do something he personally dislikes.
The administration’s rhetoric for the past few days has been an utterly incoherent mess. Earlier today, Secretary of Defense Mark Esper stated that the U.S. is “repositioning forces” throughout Iraq. He also addressed the leak of an unsigned letter from the U.S. Command in Baghdad to the government of Iraq which seemed to indicate that American troops would be withdrawing from the region. Esper seemed confused by the letter and said that it was “inconsistent” with what’s actually going on.
McConnell admitted coordinating impeachment with Trump. Add your name to demand he recuse himself from the trial!
Chairman of the Joints Chiefs of Staff General Mark Milley echoed Esper’s sentiments. He called the letter a “draft,” a “mistake,” and “poorly word” adding that it shouldn’t have been released at all and that withdrawal is “not what’s happening.”
What actually is happening is still unclear, and the widespread confusion is a clear indication that this administration has no grand strategy. The United States is a rudderless ship under this administration and unless we vote Trump out of office this year our nation will continue to be held hostage to the whims of a madman.
.@EsperDoD on Iraq: “We are re-positioning forces throughout the region number one. Beyond that with regard to the letter which I’ve read once. I can’t tell you the veracity of that letter and I can tell you what I’ve read. That letter is inconsistent of where we are right now.” — Ryan Browne (@rabrowne75) January 6, 2020
Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Mark Milley: “That letter is a draft, it was a mistake, it was unsigned, it should not have been released…poorly worded, implies withdrawal, that is not what’s happening” https://t.co/P3BdjLUYsc — Ryan Browne (@rabrowne75) January 6, 2020
Staff Report This is a staff report from former Occupy Democrats Editor in Chief Colin Taylor or contributor Rob Haffney. Latest Posts


occupydemocrats--2020-01-06--Kellyanne Conway defends Trump’s threat to commit war crimes against Iran’s cultural sites

Donald Trump was roundly condemned this weekend for a tweet that said the United States had already targeted “ 52 Iranian sites…important to Iran & the Iranian culture ” — implying he would be willing to commit acts that would violate several international treaties and would likely be considered war crimes — in response to any retaliation by Iran for his ordering the assassination of the head of its Islamic Revolutionary Guards , Major General Qassim Suleimani .
Today , Trump sent his senior White House counselor to face the media to defend his plans .
Kellyanne Conway ignored the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ already established that the destruction of cultural artifacts is considered a criminal offense with its acceptance of a guilty plea from the leader of an al-Qaeda affiliate in Mali that destroyed ancient religious monuments in Timbuktu .
McConnell admitted coordinating impeachment with Trump .
Add your name to demand he recuse himself from the trial !
Ahmad al-Faqi al-Mahdi , the leader of the jihadist group , was sentenced to nine years in prison for the crime .
Conway backpedaled the president ’ s threats somewhat , claiming — as Secretary of State @ @ @ @ @ @ @ attacks made by the United States would be aginst lawful targets , according to an account at The Hill .
The presidential advisor was later forced to clarify that she was not accusing Iran of disguising military targets as culturally significant .
In addition , Conway denied that Pompeo ’ s assertion that America would only strike lawful targets conflicted in any way with Trump ’ s unhinged threats against Iran , despite the president ’ s clearly specific language in his belligerent tweets .
She later further expanded her comments to say @ @ @ @ @ @ @ sites and said it may happen if Iran retaliates in a certain way , ” without specifying what those ways may be .
In explaining Trump ’ s choice of a symbolic number of 52 targets , Conway took a gratuitous dig at former President Jimmy Carter to further bolster the current president ’ s image of strength in facing down Iran .
“ I think the president ’ s putting out the number 52 is significant for those numerologists in Iran who are listening to numbers , ” said Conway .
“ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ they took 40 years ago when — talk about a weak president — President Jimmy Carter.
” “ I wish him the best now , but he was a very weak president when it came to that .
They took our hostages and they released them as soon as President Reagan took office , of course , ” she added .
Conway fails to mention the rumors of the secret meetings the Reagan campaign purportedly held with Iranian officials offering to allow the shipment of U.S. arms to Iran if the Tehran government @ @ @ @ @ @ @ release American hostages it was holding and aided Reagan ’ s campaign by continuing to make Carter appear weak .
The unproven October Surprise — as the incident is referred to — is still considered a conspiracy theory by the majority of historians but is far more plausible than most of the conspiracies that Trump himself has been peddling , from the “ birther ” claims about Obama to his nonsense about windmills causing cancer .
The administration ’ s continued defense of every brain fart that the president tweets out from his @ @ @ @ @ @ @ checks and balances of the Constitution will be in the weeks ahead .
Unless Republicans get on board to reserve the war-declaring powers granted exclusively to Congress by the Constitution and prevent Trump from unilaterally starting what could easily become a global conflict — the start of World War III , as the trending hashtag on Twitter this weekend suggested — the president may be able to use the conflict with Iran to further distract from his impeachment .
The stakes are now so high that the imperative to remove him from office @ @ @ @ @ @ @ by Morgan Chalfant at The Hill .
What do you think ?

Donald Trump was roundly condemned this weekend for a tweet that said the United States had already targeted “52 Iranian sites…important to Iran & the Iranian culture” — implying he would be willing to commit acts that would violate several international treaties and would likely be considered war crimes — in response to any retaliation by Iran for his ordering the assassination of the head of its Islamic Revolutionary Guards, Major General Qassim Suleimani.
Today, Trump sent his senior White House counselor to face the media to defend his plans.
Kellyanne Conway ignored the fact that the International Criminal Court has already established that the destruction of cultural artifacts is considered a criminal offense with its acceptance of a guilty plea from the leader of an al-Qaeda affiliate in Mali that destroyed ancient religious monuments in Timbuktu.
McConnell admitted coordinating impeachment with Trump. Add your name to demand he recuse himself from the trial!
Ahmad al-Faqi al-Mahdi, the leader of the jihadist group, was sentenced to nine years in prison for the crime.
Conway backpedaled the president’s threats somewhat, claiming — as Secretary of State Mike Pompeo did yesterday — that any attacks made by the United States would be aginst lawful targets, according to an account at The Hill.
“Secretary Pompeo said yesterday that we will be within the law, and I think that Iran has many military, strategic military sites that you may cite are also cultural sites,” Conway told White House reporters this morning.
The presidential advisor was later forced to clarify that she was not accusing Iran of disguising military targets as culturally significant.
In addition, Conway denied that Pompeo’s assertion that America would only strike lawful targets conflicted in any way with Trump’s unhinged threats against Iran, despite the president’s clearly specific language in his belligerent tweets.
“He didn’t say he’s targeting cultural sites. He said that he was openly asking the question why in the world they’re allowed to maim people, put out roadside bombs, kill our people, torture our people … he said that they identified 52 sites,” Conway uniquely interpreted Trump’s social media posts.
She later further expanded her comments to say that the president had “identified those sites and said it may happen if Iran retaliates in a certain way,” without specifying what those ways may be.
In explaining Trump’s choice of a symbolic number of 52 targets, Conway took a gratuitous dig at former President Jimmy Carter to further bolster the current president’s image of strength in facing down Iran.
“I think the president’s putting out the number 52 is significant for those numerologists in Iran who are listening to numbers,” said Conway. “That’s the number of hostages they took 40 years ago when — talk about a weak president — President Jimmy Carter.” “I wish him the best now, but he was a very weak president when it came to that. They took our hostages and they released them as soon as President Reagan took office, of course,” she added.
Conway fails to mention the rumors of the secret meetings the Reagan campaign purportedly held with Iranian officials offering to allow the shipment of U.S. arms to Iran if the Tehran government waited until after the November election to release American hostages it was holding and aided Reagan’s campaign by continuing to make Carter appear weak.
The unproven October Surprise — as the incident is referred to — is still considered a conspiracy theory by the majority of historians but is far more plausible than most of the conspiracies that Trump himself has been peddling, from the “birther” claims about Obama to his nonsense about windmills causing cancer.
The administration’s continued defense of every brain fart that the president tweets out from his rapidly deteriorating psyche shows how important the checks and balances of the Constitution will be in the weeks ahead.
Unless Republicans get on board to reserve the war-declaring powers granted exclusively to Congress by the Constitution and prevent Trump from unilaterally starting what could easily become a global conflict — the start of World War III, as the trending hashtag on Twitter this weekend suggested — the president may be able to use the conflict with Iran to further distract from his impeachment.
The stakes are now so high that the imperative to remove him from office is stronger than ever.
Follow Vinnie Longobardo on Twitter.
Original reporting by Morgan Chalfant at The Hill.
Vinnie Longobardo Managing Editor Vinnie Longobardo is the Managing Editor of Occupy Democrats. He's a 35-year veteran of the TV, mobile & internet industries, specializing in start-ups and the international media business. His passions are politics, music, and art. Latest Posts


occupydemocrats--2020-01-06--Trump gives bizarre Rush Limbaugh interview, claims Israel used to the “King of Congress”

Donald Trump went on right-wing demagogue and frequent conspiracy theory peddler Rush Limbaugh ’ s show today and the results were every bit as unhinged as one would expect from a conversation between two such aged , deranged Republican blowhards .
CNN ’ s Daniel Dale wrote up a Twitter thread of some of the most ridiculous lies and bizarre claims made by Trump .
Naturally , Limbaugh and the president discussed Trump ’ s unilateral and momentous decision last week to eliminate Iranian Quds Force leader Qasem Soleimani in a targeted strike in Iraq .
The assassination has infuriated @ @ @ @ @ @ @ promise retribution , and the specter of a possible war between the United States and the Islamic Republic now looms .
Limbaugh said on his show that people shouldn ’ t be so worried about “ World War III ” and while he ’ s right that people should slow down and moderate their doomsday prognostications until we have a better sense of what comes next , he conveniently ignored the fact that people are worried about such a conflict because the American president is an impulsive , incompetent goon .
The current @ @ @ @ @ @ @ it not for Donald Trump .
McConnell admitted coordinating impeachment with Trump .
Add your name to demand he recuse himself from the trial !
Trump went on to slam the Obama administration ’ s posture towards Iran and even went so far as to suggest that former Secretary of State John Kerry should be prosecuted under the Logan Act which forbids private citizens from conducting diplomacy with foreign governments .
Daniel Dale pointed out in his tweet that Kerry ’ s team adamantly denies that he has been carrying on back-channel negotiations @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
At one point , Trump made the bizarre claim that five years ago Israel was “ The King of Congress ” and that Congress “ protected and fought for Israel.
” Trump claims that this alleged change happened because some Democrats are anti-semitic , as bad faith a smear as one can imagine considering that his claim that Israel was “ King ” of Congress is very similar to the white nationalist conspiracy theory that Jews secretly run the U.S. government .
In other words , Trump was accusing others of anti-semitism @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Before long , Trump ’ s erratic mind and infamously short attention span had him once again complaining about the Mueller report .
He lied , stating that the investigation cost the American taxpayers $ 45 million .
As Dale pointed out the cost was roughly $ 32 million with an expectation that the U.S. government will get $ 17 million of that back .
On top of that , it ’ s worth pointing out that Trump ’ s claims of caring about government expenditures completely fall apart when one realizes that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ tax dollars on his golfing habit alone .
The president went on to claim that Democrats are breaking the law by refusing to send the articles of impeachment passed in the House to the Senate just yet .
Speaker Pelosi has made it clear that she is reluctant to do so until Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell guarantees an unbiased trial , a reasonable decision on her part given McConnell ’ s public admission that he intends to work with the White House to sink impeachment .
The Limbaugh interview rounded up with @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Mark Zuckerberg the social media titan congratulated him and told him he is “ # 1 on Facebook , ” whatever that means .
The odd , borderline nonsensical brag is par for the course at this point .
Donald Trump is an unwell man and these rambling interviews will surely stun future generations .
The Republican Party is willfully ignoring how clearly unfit to lead this man is and history will despise them for it .
What do you think ?

Donald Trump went on right-wing demagogue and frequent conspiracy theory peddler Rush Limbaugh’s show today and the results were every bit as unhinged as one would expect from a conversation between two such aged, deranged Republican blowhards. CNN’s Daniel Dale wrote up a Twitter thread of some of the most ridiculous lies and bizarre claims made by Trump.
Naturally, Limbaugh and the president discussed Trump’s unilateral and momentous decision last week to eliminate Iranian Quds Force leader Qasem Soleimani in a targeted strike in Iraq. The assassination has infuriated Iran, the country’s leaders promise retribution, and the specter of a possible war between the United States and the Islamic Republic now looms.
Limbaugh said on his show that people shouldn’t be so worried about “World War III” and while he’s right that people should slow down and moderate their doomsday prognostications until we have a better sense of what comes next, he conveniently ignored the fact that people are worried about such a conflict because the American president is an impulsive, incompetent goon. The current atmosphere of dread would not exist were it not for Donald Trump.
Trump is on Rush Limbaugh. Rush complains people are being irrationally frightened of "World War III." He asks Trump to explain why the Soleimani killing "makes us safer." Trump says this should've been done for 15 or 20 years, calls him "a terrorist." — Daniel Dale (@ddale8) January 6, 2020
McConnell admitted coordinating impeachment with Trump. Add your name to demand he recuse himself from the trial!
Trump went on to slam the Obama administration’s posture towards Iran and even went so far as to suggest that former Secretary of State John Kerry should be prosecuted under the Logan Act which forbids private citizens from conducting diplomacy with foreign governments. Daniel Dale pointed out in his tweet that Kerry’s team adamantly denies that he has been carrying on back-channel negotiations with Iran since leaving the State Department.
Trump accuses the Obama administration of “appeasement.” He says he’d “love” to see John Kerry prosecuted under the Logan Act for his relationship with Iran. Kerry aides have said Trump is wrong that Kerry has continued to talk to Iran in 2019. https://t.co/6FIPOAIJZj — Daniel Dale (@ddale8) January 6, 2020
At one point, Trump made the bizarre claim that five years ago Israel was “The King of Congress” and that Congress “protected and fought for Israel.” Trump claims that this alleged change happened because some Democrats are anti-semitic, as bad faith a smear as one can imagine considering that his claim that Israel was “King” of Congress is very similar to the white nationalist conspiracy theory that Jews secretly run the U.S. government. In other words, Trump was accusing others of anti-semitism while simultaneously spreading an anti-semitic canard.
Trump says that five years ago, Israel was “the King of the Congress. Our Congress protected Israel and fought for Israel.” He claims that now it is different and that various Democrats are anti-Semitic. — Daniel Dale (@ddale8) January 6, 2020
Before long, Trump’s erratic mind and infamously short attention span had him once again complaining about the Mueller report. He lied, stating that the investigation cost the American taxpayers $45 million. As Dale pointed out the cost was roughly $32 million with an expectation that the U.S. government will get $17 million of that back. On top of that, it’s worth pointing out that Trump’s claims of caring about government expenditures completely fall apart when one realizes that he has spent over $120,000,000 in tax dollars on his golfing habit alone.
Trump falsely claims the Mueller investigation cost $45 million, “and much more than that.” It was $32 million, per official figures, and the government expects to recoup $17 million. — Daniel Dale (@ddale8) January 6, 2020
The president went on to claim that Democrats are breaking the law by refusing to send the articles of impeachment passed in the House to the Senate just yet. Speaker Pelosi has made it clear that she is reluctant to do so until Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell guarantees an unbiased trial, a reasonable decision on her part given McConnell’s public admission that he intends to work with the White House to sink impeachment.
Asked why he thinks Democrats are not transmitting the articles of impeachment to the Senate, Trump says they are “trying to affect the election, illegally.” It’s not illegal to not transmit articles of impeachment. — Daniel Dale (@ddale8) January 6, 2020
The Limbaugh interview rounded up with Trump claiming that during a dinner with Mark Zuckerberg the social media titan congratulated him and told him he is “#1 on Facebook,” whatever that means. The odd, borderline nonsensical brag is par for the course at this point.
Trump: “I had dinner with Mark Zuckerberg the other day…and he said, ‘I’d like to congratulate you: you’re #1 on Facebook.'” — Daniel Dale (@ddale8) January 6, 2020
Donald Trump is an unwell man and these rambling interviews will surely stun future generations. The Republican Party is willfully ignoring how clearly unfit to lead this man is and history will despise them for it.
Staff Report This is a staff report from former Occupy Democrats Editor in Chief Colin Taylor or contributor Rob Haffney. Latest Posts


occupydemocrats--2020-01-06--John Bolton defies Trump’s orders and says he’ll testify in Senate impeachment trial

As the world waits to see whether the conflict with Iran will explode into a full-blown global war after Donald Trump ’ s decision to flout both U.S. and international law by ordering the assassination of Iranian General Qassim Suleimani , one of the most noted advocates of a hard-line policy towards the Shiite-Islamic nation has made an announcement only partially related to the current foreign crisis .
Former National Security Director John Bolton announced this morning — after refusing to testify in the House of Representatives ’ investigation of Trump ’ s Ukraine extortion plot until a judge ruled @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that he would be prepared to testify if he is subpoenaed for the Senate impeachment trial .
Bolton posted a tweet linking to the website of his political action committee which included his full statement on the issue .
McConnell admitted coordinating impeachment with Trump .
Add your name to demand he recuse himself from the trial !
In his statement , Bolton explains that he would have been willing to abide by the judicial decision made in the case of Dr. Charles Kupperman , another Trump administration official who had been subpoenaed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s action and been prohibited from testifying by the White House in competing views of constitutional authority that were to be resolved by the courts .
After the House withdrew its subpoena for Dr. Kupperman , the legal case became moot and thus the separation of powers issues at hand were never decided , leaving Bolton without the guidance — or cover , as some may view it — he sought before providing his testimony about what he saw and heard in meetings regarding the scheme to withhold military aid from Ukraine @ @ @ @ @ @ @ into former Vice President Joe Biden ’ s son , Hunter ’ s involvement with a gas company in that nation .
In lieu of a definitive judicial opinion on the matter , Bolton had to make his own mind up as to how he would handle any potential requests for his testimony if Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell ( R-KY ) concedes and allows the Senate impeachment trial to proceed with the full inclusion of witnesses from both sides .
Bolton ’ s statement explained little about how he reached his decision @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of Bolton ’ s announcement is interesting , coming right after the president finally took the kind of militaristic response to Iran that Bolton had reportedly been advocating for throughout his tenure in the Trump White House .
Speculation over Bolton ’ s motives in defying the presidential ban on his executive branch aides , both current and former , from testifying in front of a Congress that Trump has repeatedly denied possessing any legitimate constitutional authority over his behavior is sure to be rampant .
There is no doubt that Bolton approved @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Iran ’ s Revolutionary Guards leader , General Suleimani , as his earlier tweets indicated .
Whether the fact that Trump finally followed the advice that Bolton had long been advocating affected his motivations in deciding to testify — as well as what the contents of his testimony may contain — remains to be seen .
However , as a fact witness to many of the internal discussions within the administration regarding the withholding of Ukraine military aid , Bolton has much to disclose , including confirmation of much of the damning revelations @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the commingling of domestic political goals with foreign policy issues by the Trump team .
Of course , Bolton ’ s newly announced willingness to testify will be as moot as Dr. Kupperman ’ s suit to determine the legality of unlimited executive privilege if Senator McConnell fails to ensure a fair and full Senate trial including the calling of witnesses .
That ’ s why the pressure on the Republica Senate caucus to make sure that McConnel doesn ’ t try to sweep the entire impeachment inquiry under the rug in a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ continue at this point in the process .
What do you think ?

As the world waits to see whether the conflict with Iran will explode into a full-blown global war after Donald Trump’s decision to flout both U.S. and international law by ordering the assassination of Iranian General Qassim Suleimani, one of the most noted advocates of a hard-line policy towards the Shiite-Islamic nation has made an announcement only partially related to the current foreign crisis.
Former National Security Director John Bolton announced this morning — after refusing to testify in the House of Representatives’ investigation of Trump’s Ukraine extortion plot until a judge ruled on questions of executive privilege involved — that he would be prepared to testify if he is subpoenaed for the Senate impeachment trial.
Bolton posted a tweet linking to the website of his political action committee which included his full statement on the issue.
I have posted a brief statement regarding testimony on the Ukraine impeachment matter before the Senate at: https://t.co/Q3TwI2BzBp — John Bolton (@AmbJohnBolton) January 6, 2020
McConnell admitted coordinating impeachment with Trump. Add your name to demand he recuse himself from the trial!
In his statement, Bolton explains that he would have been willing to abide by the judicial decision made in the case of Dr. Charles Kupperman, another Trump administration official who had been subpoenaed by the House Committees investigating the president’s action and been prohibited from testifying by the White House in competing views of constitutional authority that were to be resolved by the courts.
After the House withdrew its subpoena for Dr. Kupperman, the legal case became moot and thus the separation of powers issues at hand were never decided, leaving Bolton without the guidance — or cover, as some may view it — he sought before providing his testimony about what he saw and heard in meetings regarding the scheme to withhold military aid from Ukraine until they agreed to open an investigation into former Vice President Joe Biden’s son, Hunter’s involvement with a gas company in that nation.
In lieu of a definitive judicial opinion on the matter, Bolton had to make his own mind up as to how he would handle any potential requests for his testimony if Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) concedes and allows the Senate impeachment trial to proceed with the full inclusion of witnesses from both sides.
Bolton’s statement explained little about how he reached his decision to testify if subpoenaed.
“Accordingly, since my testimony is once again at issue, I have had to resolve the serious competing issues as best I could, based on careful consideration and study. I have concluded that, if the Senate issues a subpoena for my testimony, I am prepared to testify,” the former National Security Director wrote.
The timing of Bolton’s announcement is interesting, coming right after the president finally took the kind of militaristic response to Iran that Bolton had reportedly been advocating for throughout his tenure in the Trump White House.
Speculation over Bolton’s motives in defying the presidential ban on his executive branch aides, both current and former, from testifying in front of a Congress that Trump has repeatedly denied possessing any legitimate constitutional authority over his behavior is sure to be rampant.
There is no doubt that Bolton approved of Trump’s decision to murder Iran’s Revolutionary Guards leader, General Suleimani, as his earlier tweets indicated.
Congratulations to all involved in eliminating Qassem Soleimani. Long in the making, this was a decisive blow against Iran's malign Quds Force activities worldwide. Hope this is the first step to regime change in Tehran. — John Bolton (@AmbJohnBolton) January 3, 2020
Another good day. Iran rips the mask off the idea it ever fully complied with the nuclear deal, or that it made a strategic decision to forswear nuclear weapons. Now, it's on to the real job: effectively preventing the ayatollahs from getting such a capability. — John Bolton (@AmbJohnBolton) January 5, 2020
Whether the fact that Trump finally followed the advice that Bolton had long been advocating affected his motivations in deciding to testify — as well as what the contents of his testimony may contain — remains to be seen.
However, as a fact witness to many of the internal discussions within the administration regarding the withholding of Ukraine military aid, Bolton has much to disclose, including confirmation of much of the damning revelations by his former aide Fiona Hill about the commingling of domestic political goals with foreign policy issues by the Trump team.
Of course, Bolton’s newly announced willingness to testify will be as moot as Dr. Kupperman’s suit to determine the legality of unlimited executive privilege if Senator McConnell fails to ensure a fair and full Senate trial including the calling of witnesses.
That’s why the pressure on the Republica Senate caucus to make sure that McConnel doesn’t try to sweep the entire impeachment inquiry under the rug in a partisan soft coup is so important to continue at this point in the process.
Follow Vinnie Longobardo on Twitter.
Vinnie Longobardo Managing Editor Vinnie Longobardo is the Managing Editor of Occupy Democrats. He's a 35-year veteran of the TV, mobile & internet industries, specializing in start-ups and the international media business. His passions are politics, music, and art. Latest Posts


occupydemocrats--2020-01-06--Don Jr. shows off rifle emblazoned with “crusader” symbols beloved by white supremacists

After Trump ’ s impulsive decision last week to kill top Iranian general Qasem Soleimani , the world finds itself in an extremely precarious position .
It ’ s as yet unclear how Iran will respond to the targeted killing but they ’ ve already announced they ’ ll be resuming their halted nuclear program and threatened to kill Americans .
War , while certainly not a foregone conclusion yet , seems closer than it has in a long time .
There are countless unforeseen ways in which things could suddenly escalate and at times like this one wishes we @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Instead , we ’ re being led by a mob of crooks and imbeciles for whom war with Iran seems like either a casual decision or a desirable one .
President Trump floated the idea of committing war crimes over the weekend by threatening to bomb Iranian cultural sites .
The next day , he doubled down on his bloodthirsty rhetoric by stating that his tweets should be interpreted by Congress as an official announcement that he “ will quickly & fully strike back , & perhaps in a disproportionate manner ” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ At around the same time , Donald Trump Jr. was posting a photograph of himself on Instagram which seemed aimed specifically at inflaming Islamaphobic sentiments and painting any possible U.S.-Iran conflict as a holy war .
As pointed out by Pulitzer Prize-winning writer and journalist Douglas A. Blackmon , the First Son posed with a rifle emblazoned with a “ crusaders cross ” with part of the weapon shaped to look like a medieval knight ’ s helmet .
McConnell admitted coordinating impeachment with Trump .
Add your name to demand he recuse @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to the obvious loaded implications of the president ’ s son invoking a historical Christian holy war against the Islamic world , the symbol is disturbing because it ’ s been appropriated by far-right white supremacists in recent years to signal their hatred of Muslims in general and refugees from the Middle East specifically .
Don Jr. captioned the picture , thanking the company presumably responsible for the modification for “ adding a little extra awesome to my AR and that mag.
” His mindless grin gives the whole thing an even more @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Don Jr. ’ s gun bears some alarming similarities with the weapon used by the Christchurch mosque shooter in New Zealand last year .
That far-right , white supremacist monster scrawled numerous phrases on his gun including “ Tours 732 ” a reference to a battle between Christian Europeans and the Islamic Umayyad Caliphate .
Additionally , Anders Breivik the man who mass-murdered leftists youths in Norway in 2011 , was similarly obsessed with fetishizing crusader imagery .
It has become a central unifying aesthetic for this destructive ideology and those who adhere @ @ @ @ @ @ @ First Son ’ s post as an indication of solidarity with their warped and violent worldview .
The most charitable ( and least likely seeming ) explanation is that the First Son is oblivious to the hateful connotations that this kind of picture invokes .
The more likely explanation seems to be that he ’ s pandering to the Evangelicals who support his father—many of whom see an all-encompassing war in the Middle East as one of the prerequisites for the end of the world and something to look forward to—as well as @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for Donald Trump en masse .
Unless the MAGA movement is thoroughly repudiated at the ballot box this November , these people are just going to keep growing bolder and bolder .
The unavoidable reality at this point is that a vote for President Trump is a vote for racism and fear .
What do you think ?

After Trump’s impulsive decision last week to kill top Iranian general Qasem Soleimani, the world finds itself in an extremely precarious position. It’s as yet unclear how Iran will respond to the targeted killing but they’ve already announced they’ll be resuming their halted nuclear program and threatened to kill Americans. War, while certainly not a foregone conclusion yet, seems closer than it has in a long time.
There are countless unforeseen ways in which things could suddenly escalate and at times like this one wishes we had competent leadership in the White House. Instead, we’re being led by a mob of crooks and imbeciles for whom war with Iran seems like either a casual decision or a desirable one. President Trump floated the idea of committing war crimes over the weekend by threatening to bomb Iranian cultural sites. The next day, he doubled down on his bloodthirsty rhetoric by stating that his tweets should be interpreted by Congress as an official announcement that he “will quickly & fully strike back, & perhaps in a disproportionate manner” in response to any Iranian retaliation.
At around the same time, Donald Trump Jr. was posting a photograph of himself on Instagram which seemed aimed specifically at inflaming Islamaphobic sentiments and painting any possible U.S.-Iran conflict as a holy war. As pointed out by Pulitzer Prize-winning writer and journalist Douglas A. Blackmon, the First Son posed with a rifle emblazoned with a “crusaders cross” with part of the weapon shaped to look like a medieval knight’s helmet.
McConnell admitted coordinating impeachment with Trump. Add your name to demand he recuse himself from the trial!
In addition to the obvious loaded implications of the president’s son invoking a historical Christian holy war against the Islamic world, the symbol is disturbing because it’s been appropriated by far-right white supremacists in recent years to signal their hatred of Muslims in general and refugees from the Middle East specifically.
Don Jr. captioned the picture, thanking the company presumably responsible for the modification for “adding a little extra awesome to my AR and that mag.” His mindless grin gives the whole thing an even more unsettling feel.
So on the day @realDonaldTrump is threatening to blow up the Middle East, his son posts pictures of himself with a weapon bearing the “crusaders cross,” symbol of war with Islam in the Middle Ages, and today used by White supremacists? https://t.co/LMAx45vFhp pic.twitter.com/hUyow9fkQ0 — Douglas A. Blackmon (@douglasblackmon) January 6, 2020
Let me just repeat that back: the son of @realDonaldTrump has posted images of himself with a weapon bearing a widely used symbol of white supremacist groups……
2/3 — Douglas A. Blackmon (@douglasblackmon) January 6, 2020
….which also happens to have been a major symbol of the medieval crusades/wars between Christian Europe and the Islam world…. While @realDonaldTrump is threatening to bomb civilians in Iran and claiming the right to occupy Iraqi territory.#IsThereNoBottom to this?
3/3 — Douglas A. Blackmon (@douglasblackmon) January 6, 2020
The crusader symbolism on Don Jr.’s gun bears some alarming similarities with the weapon used by the Christchurch mosque shooter in New Zealand last year. That far-right, white supremacist monster scrawled numerous phrases on his gun including “Tours 732” a reference to a battle between Christian Europeans and the Islamic Umayyad Caliphate.
Additionally, Anders Breivik the man who mass-murdered leftists youths in Norway in 2011, was similarly obsessed with fetishizing crusader imagery. It has become a central unifying aesthetic for this destructive ideology and those who adhere to it will almost certainly see the First Son’s post as an indication of solidarity with their warped and violent worldview.
The most charitable (and least likely seeming) explanation is that the First Son is oblivious to the hateful connotations that this kind of picture invokes. The more likely explanation seems to be that he’s pandering to the Evangelicals who support his father—many of whom see an all-encompassing war in the Middle East as one of the prerequisites for the end of the world and something to look forward to—as well as pandering to the white nationalists who voted for Donald Trump en masse.
Unless the MAGA movement is thoroughly repudiated at the ballot box this November, these people are just going to keep growing bolder and bolder. The unavoidable reality at this point is that a vote for President Trump is a vote for racism and fear.
Staff Report This is a staff report from former Occupy Democrats Editor in Chief Colin Taylor or contributor Rob Haffney. Latest Posts


occupydemocrats--2020-01-05--Iranian state TV offers $80 million bounty on Donald Trump’s head after Suleimani assassination

In the wake of Donald Trump ’ s decision to violate U.S. and international laws prohibiting the assassination of foreign leaders , Iranian state TV has announced that it has placed an $ 80 million bounty on the president ’ s head , according to a story broken by website EN24.news .
The bounty was announced during the broadcast of the state funeral for General Qassim Suleimani and would purportedly be raised by contributions of one dollar from each of Iran ’ s approximately 80 million inhabitants .
While Trump will likely be insulted that his head is worth only @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Iranians , the offer demonstrates the seriousness with which the Iranians are responding to the deliberate murder of one of their top military commanders due to the president ’ s orders .
McConnell admitted coordinating impeachment with Trump .
Add your name to demand he recuse himself from the trial !
Trump responded to the news with another tweet threatening Iran — and Congress — that he would launch a disproportionate reprisal if “ any U.S. person or target ” were to be struck .
Some Twitter commentators suggested that there were better @ @ @ @ @ @ @ offering a reward for his killing .
The Secret Service will surely tighten the security around the president in the wake of the latest Iranian retaliatory threat , but the continued survival of Salman Rushdie — who had a fatwa placed upon him by then-Iranian leader Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini in 1989 after he wrote The Satanic Verses , a novel considered blasphemous by the fundamentalist Islamic leader — proves that such threats are more effective as an instigation to paranoia than they are to result in a potential assassination .
Still , it @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to any property owned or associated with Donald Trump for the near future to be on the safe side .
Moreover , any domestic Trump opponent considering the possibility of collecting Iran ’ s bounty on the president should pay attention to this relevant warning about any ill-considered remarks supporting Iran ’ s intentions .
What do you think ?

In the wake of Donald Trump’s decision to violate U.S. and international laws prohibiting the assassination of foreign leaders, Iranian state TV has announced that it has placed an $80 million bounty on the president’s head, according to a story broken by website EN24.news.
The bounty was announced during the broadcast of the state funeral for General Qassim Suleimani and would purportedly be raised by contributions of one dollar from each of Iran’s approximately 80 million inhabitants.
“Iran has 80 million inhabitants,” the televised statement said. “Based on the Iranian population, we want to raise $80 million, which is a reward for those who get close to the head of President Trump.”
⭕بالفيديو : المشاركون في تأبين القادة الشهداء في ايران يعلنون عن جائزة مالية قدرها ٨٠ مليون دولار ( دولار عن كل مواطن ايراني) لمن يغتال الرئيس الامريكي ترامب . pic.twitter.com/jMZBFKM5u8 — انصار الحشد الشعبي ✌ (@blQHZFWRs5F91RV) January 5, 2020
While Trump will likely be insulted that his head is worth only a measly $80 million to the Iranians, the offer demonstrates the seriousness with which the Iranians are responding to the deliberate murder of one of their top military commanders due to the president’s orders.
McConnell admitted coordinating impeachment with Trump. Add your name to demand he recuse himself from the trial!
Trump responded to the news with another tweet threatening Iran — and Congress — that he would launch a disproportionate reprisal if “any U.S. person or target” were to be struck.
These Media Posts will serve as notification to the United States Congress that should Iran strike any U.S. person or target, the United States will quickly & fully strike back, & perhaps in a disproportionate manner. Such legal notice is not required, but is given nevertheless! — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 5, 2020
Some Twitter commentators suggested that there were better ways for Iran to target Trump than offering a reward for his killing.
https://twitter.com/docholly/status/1213926829834297349?s=20
Dear Iran, there is no need for the violent and expensive bounty on trumps head. just offer Russia $2 million to release his taxes, financial records, school transcripts, phone call logs, and the peepee tape. He’ll be off to Siberia in no time. — Howard (@HowardA_Esq) January 5, 2020
The Secret Service will surely tighten the security around the president in the wake of the latest Iranian retaliatory threat, but the continued survival of Salman Rushdie — who had a fatwa placed upon him by then-Iranian leader Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini in 1989 after he wrote The Satanic Verses, a novel considered blasphemous by the fundamentalist Islamic leader — proves that such threats are more effective as an instigation to paranoia than they are to result in a potential assassination.
Still, it may be wise to avoid getting close to any property owned or associated with Donald Trump for the near future to be on the safe side.
Moreover, any domestic Trump opponent considering the possibility of collecting Iran’s bounty on the president should pay attention to this relevant warning about any ill-considered remarks supporting Iran’s intentions.
With all this talk about a bounty being on trumps head I just wanna drop this video on the TL pic.twitter.com/JmZsRKQDfY — -WUN FIF! (@WUNFIF) January 5, 2020
Follow Vinnie Longobardo on Twitter.
Original reporting by EN24.news.
Vinnie Longobardo Managing Editor Vinnie Longobardo is the Managing Editor of Occupy Democrats. He's a 35-year veteran of the TV, mobile & internet industries, specializing in start-ups and the international media business. His passions are politics, music, and art. Latest Posts


occupydemocrats--2020-01-05--Pompeo tries to argue that threatening to bomb 52 Iranian sites is “de-escalation”

The seriousness with which the Trump administration is taking the public pushback against his march to yet another Middle East war can be measured by the number of Sunday morning news programs that Secretary of State Mike Pompeo was sent to in order to defend the president ’ s assassination of Iranian military leader Qassim Suleimani on Thursday evening .
In the face of protests from thousands of anti-war protestors across more than 80 communities across the country yesterday , Pompeo outdid a Sunday morning news trifecta by two , appearing on programs on ABC , CBS , NBC , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to sell the administration ’ s actions as something more than merely a desperate and dangerous attempt to distract the public from his impeachment .
In each of his appearances , the Secretary of State channeled the spirit of George Orwell , so reminiscent was his rhetoric to the quote from the British author ’ s quote from his book 1984 that “ War is Peace , Freedom is Slavery , Ignorance is Strength.
” McConnell admitted coordinating impeachment with Trump .
Add your name to demand he recuse himself from the trial @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s Face The Nation , Pompeo managed to say with a straight face that Donald Trump ’ s tweets yesterday threatening to target 52 culturally significant Iranian sites if that country retaliated against the murder of the leader of its Revolutionary Guards were “ entirely consistent ” with a policy of de-escalation .
How deterrence equals de-escalation was not something that Pompeo was able to explain .
Over at ABC ‘ s This Week , host George Stephanopoulos tried to get the Secretary of State to explain how Trump ’ s threats to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ & the Iranian culture ” fit in with the Geneva Convention ’ s prohibition against attacks on places of worship and cultural objects .
Pompeo responded similarly to CNN ’ s Jake Tapper on State of the Union .
On NBC ‘ s Meet The Press , Chuck Todd asked the Secretary how he could reconcile his claim that America is safer after the illegal assassination of a foreign military leader of a country with which the United States is not formally at war with the advice the administration is giving to Americans @ @ @ @ @ @ @ wave of cyberattacks .
In other words , Pompeo considers any potential collateral damage to the lives of American citizens as the result of Trump ’ s deadly decision and Iran ’ s reaction to be mere “ noise.
” The height of Pompeo ’ s double-speak , however , came during his appearance on Fox News Sunday with Chris Wallace .
Asked how the U.S. would respond when the Iraqi government calls for the expulsion of U.S. troops — as the Iraqi parliament indeed did earlier today — Pompeo incorrectly predicted the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a U.S. military presence in their war-torn country .
Pompeo also dodged a question regarding the intelligence behind the supposedly imminent attack that motivated the assassination of the Iranian general , claiming that “ any reasonable person ” with access to the intelligence reports would have reacted the same way , but saying that the information was too sensitive to be made public .
As the Secretary of State was making his rounds on TV , Trump was tweeting increasingly bellicose threats , putting on a threatening posture as he tried to forestall @ @ @ @ @ @ @ hundreds of thousands ” of people turned out in demonstrations to mourn the death of Suleimani and protest Trump ’ s murderous move .
The level of cynical media manipulation and false propaganda generated by the Trump administration surrounding the president ’ s latest attempt to distract from his impeachment crimes with a national crisis of global proportions is overwhelming and overwhelmingly transparent .
Hopefully the majority of Americans — and Congress — will see through Trump ’ s weaselly attempts to escape removal from office and add his latest misdeeds to those @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Original reporting by Zack Budryk , Rebecca Klar , and Justine Coleman at The Hill .
What do you think ?

The seriousness with which the Trump administration is taking the public pushback against his march to yet another Middle East war can be measured by the number of Sunday morning news programs that Secretary of State Mike Pompeo was sent to in order to defend the president’s assassination of Iranian military leader Qassim Suleimani on Thursday evening.
In the face of protests from thousands of anti-war protestors across more than 80 communities across the country yesterday, Pompeo outdid a Sunday morning news trifecta by two, appearing on programs on ABC, CBS, NBC, CNN, and Fox in an effort to sell the administration’s actions as something more than merely a desperate and dangerous attempt to distract the public from his impeachment.
In each of his appearances, the Secretary of State channeled the spirit of George Orwell, so reminiscent was his rhetoric to the quote from the British author’s quote from his book 1984 that “War is Peace, Freedom is Slavery, Ignorance is Strength.”
McConnell admitted coordinating impeachment with Trump. Add your name to demand he recuse himself from the trial!
In his interview on CBS’s Face The Nation, Pompeo managed to say with a straight face that Donald Trump’s tweets yesterday threatening to target 52 culturally significant Iranian sites if that country retaliated against the murder of the leader of its Revolutionary Guards were “entirely consistent” with a policy of de-escalation.
“The Iranian leadership needs to understand that attacking Americans is not cost-free. The entire strategy has been one of deterrence,” Pompeo said. “To take a terrorist off the battlefield does not increase the risk of terror… the risk of terror is increased by appeasement,” he declared.
How deterrence equals de-escalation was not something that Pompeo was able to explain.
Over at ABC‘s This Week, host George Stephanopoulos tried to get the Secretary of State to explain how Trump’s threats to target 52 sites “important to Iran & the Iranian culture” fit in with the Geneva Convention’s prohibition against attacks on places of worship and cultural objects.
“We’ll act lawfully,” Pompeo said. “We’ll behave inside the system. We always have, and we always will.” “The American people should know that every target that we strike will be a lawful target, and it will be a target designed at the singular mission of protecting and defending America,” Pompeo said.
NEW: @GStephanopoulos presses Sec. of State Mike Pompeo on Trump's tweet warning cultural sites could be targeted if Iran retaliates: "Why is the president threatening Iran with war crimes?" Pompeo: "We'll behave lawfully. We'll behave inside the system." https://t.co/gJwvmAsvm8 pic.twitter.com/thUzbapH0w — This Week (@ThisWeekABC) January 5, 2020
Pompeo responded similarly to CNN’s Jake Tapper on State of the Union.
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on President Trump's threat on Iranian cultural centers: "We will respond with great force and great vigor if the Iranian leadership makes a bad decision. We hope that they won't" #CNNSOTU https://t.co/SoFha51rCl pic.twitter.com/GS1COvnUy0 — State of the Union (@CNNSotu) January 5, 2020
On NBC‘s Meet The Press, Chuck Todd asked the Secretary how he could reconcile his claim that America is safer after the illegal assassination of a foreign military leader of a country with which the United States is not formally at war with the advice the administration is giving to Americans to leave Iraq and prepare for a wave of cyberattacks.
“President Trump is focused deeply on keeping Americans safe over the long haul, preserving, protecting, defending America is the mission that we have,” Pompeo said. “It may be there’s a little noise here in the interim, that the Iranians make the choice to respond, I hope that they don’t. President Trump has made clear what we will do in response if they do.”
In other words, Pompeo considers any potential collateral damage to the lives of American citizens as the result of Trump’s deadly decision and Iran’s reaction to be mere “noise.”
WATCH: @chucktodd follows up with @SecPompeo on his statement that America is "absolutely" safer today after the killing of Soleimani. "We do expect retaliation on American citizens, correct?" "It may be that there's a little noise here in the interim." #MTP #IfItsSunday pic.twitter.com/UsGSeTJm2r — Meet the Press (@MeetThePress) January 5, 2020
The height of Pompeo’s double-speak, however, came during his appearance on Fox News Sunday with Chris Wallace.
Asked how the U.S. would respond when the Iraqi government calls for the expulsion of U.S. troops — as the Iraqi parliament indeed did earlier today — Pompeo incorrectly predicted the desire of the Iraqi people to maintain a U.S. military presence in their war-torn country.
“We are confident that the Iraqi people want the United States to continue to be there,” the Secretary of State said, misplacing his confidence.
Pompeo also dodged a question regarding the intelligence behind the supposedly imminent attack that motivated the assassination of the Iranian general, claiming that “any reasonable person” with access to the intelligence reports would have reacted the same way, but saying that the information was too sensitive to be made public.
We’ll do everything we can to share this information with the American people, but I think the American people understand too there’s things you just can’t put out in public,” the Secretary of State said, putting the report into the same category as Donald Trump’s tax returns.
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo joined FOX News Sunday to discuss breaking news regarding heightened US-Iran tensions in the wake of an attack that killed Soleimani. The Trump administration says he was planning imminent attacks. Secretary Pompeo reacts. #FNS #foxnews pic.twitter.com/zo7nkdtrZ1 — FoxNewsSunday (@FoxNewsSunday) January 5, 2020
As the Secretary of State was making his rounds on TV, Trump was tweeting increasingly bellicose threats, putting on a threatening posture as he tried to forestall retaliatory attacks from the country where “hundreds of thousands” of people turned out in demonstrations to mourn the death of Suleimani and protest Trump’s murderous move.
They attacked us, & we hit back. If they attack again, which I would strongly advise them not to do, we will hit them harder than they have ever been hit before! https://t.co/qI5RfWsSCH — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 5, 2020
The United States just spent Two Trillion Dollars on Military Equipment. We are the biggest and by far the BEST in the World! If Iran attacks an American Base, or any American, we will be sending some of that brand new beautiful equipment their way…and without hesitation! — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 5, 2020
The level of cynical media manipulation and false propaganda generated by the Trump administration surrounding the president’s latest attempt to distract from his impeachment crimes with a national crisis of global proportions is overwhelming and overwhelmingly transparent.
Hopefully the majority of Americans — and Congress — will see through Trump’s weaselly attempts to escape removal from office and add his latest misdeeds to those for which he has already been impeached.
Follow Vinnie Longobardo on Twitter.
Original reporting by Zack Budryk, Rebecca Klar, and Justine Coleman at The Hill.
Vinnie Longobardo Managing Editor Vinnie Longobardo is the Managing Editor of Occupy Democrats. He's a 35-year veteran of the TV, mobile & internet industries, specializing in start-ups and the international media business. His passions are politics, music, and art. Latest Posts


occupydemocrats--2020-01-05--Trump threatens to strike 52 Iranian targets in terrifying Twitter rant

You could almost taste the blood that Donald Trump was seemingly salivating over in his afternoon Twitter thread .
The president ’ s tweets were a warning to Iran not to retaliate against an America that Trump unilaterally withdrew from the nuclear deal — a deal carefully negotiated by the Obama administration between Iran and America ’ s European allies — and then reversed the longstanding U.S. policy prohibiting the assassination of foreign leaders to kill the head of Iran ’ s Islamic Revolutionary Guards .
McConnell admitted coordinating impeachment with Trump .
Add your name to demand he recuse @ @ @ @ @ @ @ two giant problems here .
First , if her followed through with his threat to target “ sites … important to Iran and Iranian culture , ” Trump would be committing a brazen war crime as purposefully destroying cultural sites is considered a war crime per UN resolution 2347 .
Second , if the purpose of U.S. aggression is to undermine Iran ’ s enablers of terror and win the civilian populace to America ’ s cause , destroying treasures of Iranian/Persian culture would do the opposite , proving to the public that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ words , Trump ’ s strategy is both illegal and terrible .
The criminal threats were immediately seized upon to drum up anti-U.S. sentiment by Iran , including these tweets from Iran ’ s Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif : Furthermore , Trump ’ s decision to symbolically target “ 52 Iranian sites ( representing the 52 American hostages taken by Iran many years ago ) ” is an obvious attempt to rekindle the domestic outrage in the U.S. over the hostage crisis that took place in 1979 at the very beginning of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of the American-backed Shah and the start of a theocratic state ruled by Islamic clerics .
It was a crisis that saw 52 American diplomats held hostage for 444 days and was widely credited as ensuring that then-President Jimmy Carter did not win reelection , particularly since it was rumored that his opponent Ronald Reagan had secretly negotiated with Iran for a delay in the release of the hostages until after the 1980 presidential election to give himself an edge over Carter who was perceived to be weak towards the hostage-takers .
Trump @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of someone wanting desperately to change the national conversation in the United States from his own impeachable offenses which dominated the holiday news cycles to his imagined “ imminent ” threat from Iran , despite the fact that his own Homeland Security Department has stated that it sees “ no specific , credible threat ” to the United States , outside of possible cyber attacks .
It ’ s just like the plot to the film Wag The Dog except that rather than concocting a fake war — shot on a film set @ @ @ @ @ @ @ as the fictional president in that film does , Trump is playing with loaded guns and real human beings ’ lives as he emulates the type of polarizing threats his buddy Kim Jong Un , the North Korean dictator , regularly issues towards America .
Whether it was Trump ’ s instincts or the results of focus groups that led him to portray himself as the “ tough guy ” president — willing to respond to any retaliatory actions that Iran may decide to take with quick and overwhelming force — the president @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that is already weary of our decades-long war in the middle east and to whom he promised a withdrawal of U.S. forces rather than the troop buildup currently taking place .
Trump ’ s desperately reflexive decision to assassinate one of Iran ’ s top military leaders to draw attention and sympathy away from his removal from office on the two impeachment charges he is currently getting set to be tried in the Senate over may yet prove to be his ultimate undoing and — if the subsequent events spiral into a global @ @ @ @ @ @ @ indicates many people fear — the undoing of worldwide peace and prosperity as well .
While noted Republican President Theodore Roosevelt once said “ speak softly and carry a big stick , ” Trump ’ s softest voice is an angry rant at top volume that betrays the power of the sticks he controls ` as president .
This president would be best served by paying attention to a quote from a non-presidential source , the 1970 hit by Motown soul singer Edwin Starr , “ War.
” Say it again .
It @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
What do you think ?

You could almost taste the blood that Donald Trump was seemingly salivating over in his afternoon Twitter thread.
The president’s tweets were a warning to Iran not to retaliate against an America that Trump unilaterally withdrew from the nuclear deal — a deal carefully negotiated by the Obama administration between Iran and America’s European allies — and then reversed the longstanding U.S. policy prohibiting the assassination of foreign leaders to kill the head of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards.
Iran is talking very boldly about targeting certain USA assets as revenge for our ridding the world of their terrorist leader who had just killed an American, & badly wounded many others, not to mention all of the people he had killed over his lifetime, including recently…. — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 4, 2020
….targeted 52 Iranian sites (representing the 52 American hostages taken by Iran many years ago), some at a very high level & important to Iran & the Iranian culture, and those targets, and Iran itself, WILL BE HIT VERY FAST AND VERY HARD. The USA wants no more threats! — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 4, 2020
McConnell admitted coordinating impeachment with Trump. Add your name to demand he recuse himself from the trial!
There are two giant problems here. First, if her followed through with his threat to target “sites … important to Iran and Iranian culture,” Trump would be committing a brazen war crime as purposefully destroying cultural sites is considered a war crime per UN resolution 2347.
Second, if the purpose of U.S. aggression is to undermine Iran’s enablers of terror and win the civilian populace to America’s cause, destroying treasures of Iranian/Persian culture would do the opposite, proving to the public that America is the villain.
In other words, Trump’s strategy is both illegal and terrible.
The criminal threats were immediately seized upon to drum up anti-U.S. sentiment by Iran, including these tweets from Iran’s Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif:
Those masquerading as diplomats and those who shamelessly sat to identify Iranian cultural & civilian targets should not even bother to open a law dictionary. Jus cogens refers to peremptory norms of international law, i.e. international red lines. That is, a big(ly) "no no". — Javad Zarif (@JZarif) January 5, 2020
Furthermore, Trump’s decision to symbolically target “52 Iranian sites (representing the 52 American hostages taken by Iran many years ago)” is an obvious attempt to rekindle the domestic outrage in the U.S. over the hostage crisis that took place in 1979 at the very beginning of the Iranian revolution that brought the downfall of the American-backed Shah and the start of a theocratic state ruled by Islamic clerics.
It was a crisis that saw 52 American diplomats held hostage for 444 days and was widely credited as ensuring that then-President Jimmy Carter did not win reelection, particularly since it was rumored that his opponent Ronald Reagan had secretly negotiated with Iran for a delay in the release of the hostages until after the 1980 presidential election to give himself an edge over Carter who was perceived to be weak towards the hostage-takers.
Trump’s bellicosity has all the hallmarks of someone wanting desperately to change the national conversation in the United States from his own impeachable offenses which dominated the holiday news cycles to his imagined “imminent” threat from Iran, despite the fact that his own Homeland Security Department has stated that it sees “no specific, credible threat” to the United States, outside of possible cyber attacks.
It’s just like the plot to the film Wag The Dog except that rather than concocting a fake war — shot on a film set — to distract from his domestic troubles as the fictional president in that film does, Trump is playing with loaded guns and real human beings’ lives as he emulates the type of polarizing threats his buddy Kim Jong Un, the North Korean dictator, regularly issues towards America.
Whether it was Trump’s instincts or the results of focus groups that led him to portray himself as the “tough guy” president — willing to respond to any retaliatory actions that Iran may decide to take with quick and overwhelming force — the president runs the risk of alienating a public that is already weary of our decades-long war in the middle east and to whom he promised a withdrawal of U.S. forces rather than the troop buildup currently taking place.
Trump’s desperately reflexive decision to assassinate one of Iran’s top military leaders to draw attention and sympathy away from his removal from office on the two impeachment charges he is currently getting set to be tried in the Senate over may yet prove to be his ultimate undoing and — if the subsequent events spiral into a global conflict as the trending hashtag #WorldWarIII indicates many people fear — the undoing of worldwide peace and prosperity as well.
While noted Republican President Theodore Roosevelt once said “speak softly and carry a big stick,” Trump’s softest voice is an angry rant at top volume that betrays the power of the sticks he controls` as president.
This president would be best served by paying attention to a quote from a non-presidential source, the 1970 hit by Motown soul singer Edwin Starr, “War.”
War! Huh, good god!
What is it good for?
Absolutely nothing!
Say it again. It needs to be said more than ever.
Follow Vinnie Longobardo on Twitter.
Vinnie Longobardo Managing Editor Vinnie Longobardo is the Managing Editor of Occupy Democrats. He's a 35-year veteran of the TV, mobile & internet industries, specializing in start-ups and the international media business. His passions are politics, music, and art. Latest Posts


occupydemocrats--2020-01-08--MAGA Rep. Paul Gosar shares obviously fake video of “last phone call” between Hillary and Souleimani

The startling ascension of Donald Trump , one of the most proudly and unabashedly ignorant men to ever hold higher office in the United States , has been accompanied by the empowerment and emboldening Congress ’ most unqualified and gullible members .
Apparently a Pied Piper for racist grifters , scumbags , and morons , the # MAGA caucus in Congress has embraced the president ’ s delusion , paranoia , and prejudice with a disturbing zeal and exposed just how low the quality of our elected officials has become under Trump .
Paul Gosar of Arizona has made a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ most broken-brained men to ever be sworn into Congress by using his Twitter account to share this incredible video purportedly showing a “ last phone call ” between assassinated Iranian general Qassem Souleimani and Hillary Clinton .
This video is so obviously fake that it ’ s hard to tell whether or not he ’ s being serious when he asks whether or not this video is satire…but it ’ s clear from his follow-up posts on Monday that “ verification ” is not exactly high on his list of priorities .
The @ @ @ @ @ @ @ posting a photoshopped picture of President Obama with Iranian President Rouhani superimposed over the man he was actually shaking hands with , Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh .
When he was called out on it , Gosar argued that “ nobody said it wasn ’ t Photoshopped ” in a truly stupefy defense of his promotion of fake news .
None of the tweets have since been deleted .
Gosar became a viral sensation for all the wrong reasons last election cycle , when no less than six of his own siblings endorsed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ arguing why he was unfit to hold office .
Arizona ’ s 4th district somehow still re-elected him with nearly 70 % of the vote , so…draw your own conclusions from that .
In a world of rampant fake news , misinformation , and the looming threat posed by hyper-realistic “ deepfake ” videos , it is deeply disturbing to know that the men in charge of our nation ’ s government are so easily fooled by videos and images that could have been produced in an eighth-grade IT class — and that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ truth that they won ’ t even try to hide the evidence of their misdeeds .
What do you think ?

The startling ascension of Donald Trump, one of the most proudly and unabashedly ignorant men to ever hold higher office in the United States, has been accompanied by the empowerment and emboldening Congress’ most unqualified and gullible members. Apparently a Pied Piper for racist grifters, scumbags, and morons, the #MAGA caucus in Congress has embraced the president’s delusion, paranoia, and prejudice with a disturbing zeal and exposed just how low the quality of our elected officials has become under Trump.
Paul Gosar of Arizona has made a name for himself as one of the most broken-brained men to ever be sworn into Congress by using his Twitter account to share this incredible video purportedly showing a “last phone call” between assassinated Iranian general Qassem Souleimani and Hillary Clinton.
Has @nytimes or @snopes verified this yet. I feel like maybe. Just maybe. This is satire and not the last phone call. Without verification we are lost. https://t.co/mIcAKNNj3k — Paul Gosar (@DrPaulGosar) January 5, 2020
McConnell admitted coordinating impeachment with Trump. Add your name to demand he recuse himself from the trial!
This video is so obviously fake that it’s hard to tell whether or not he’s being serious when he asks whether or not this video is satire…but it’s clear from his follow-up posts on Monday that “verification” is not exactly high on his list of priorities.
The tweet-happy rep followed up his video by posting a photoshopped picture of President Obama with Iranian President Rouhani superimposed over the man he was actually shaking hands with, Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.
When he was called out on it, Gosar argued that “nobody said it wasn’t Photoshopped” in a truly stupefy defense of his promotion of fake news. None of the tweets have since been deleted.
1. To the dim witted reporters like @dmedin11: no one said this wasn’t photoshopped. No one said the president of Iran was dead. No one said Obama met with Rouhani in person.
The tweet says: “the world is a better place without either of them in power”. https://t.co/zwLPPXniQh — Paul Gosar (@DrPaulGosar) January 6, 2020
Gosar became a viral sensation for all the wrong reasons last election cycle, when no less than six of his own siblings endorsed his opponent and wrote a public letter arguing why he was unfit to hold office. Arizona’s 4th district somehow still re-elected him with nearly 70% of the vote, so…draw your own conclusions from that.
In a world of rampant fake news, misinformation, and the looming threat posed by hyper-realistic “deepfake” videos, it is deeply disturbing to know that the men in charge of our nation’s government are so easily fooled by videos and images that could have been produced in an eighth-grade IT class — and that they hold so much contempt for the truth that they won’t even try to hide the evidence of their misdeeds.
Colin Taylor Opinion columnist and former editor-in-chief of Occupy Democrats. He graduated from Bennington College with a Bachelor's degree in history and political science. He now focuses on advancing the cause of social justice and equality in America. Latest Posts


occupydemocrats--2020-01-07--George Conway writes scorching op-ed calling out McConnell, Graham, and Rubio for obstructing justic

George Conway writes scorching op-ed calling out McConnell, Graham, and Rubio for obstructing justice

The Trump administration may have hardened political divisions between kool-aid drinking supporters of the president and Democrats , but it has also brought together people of nominally divergent political stripes in their opposition to the horrors that Donald Trump ’ s presidency has wrought upon our nation .
It was a “ shared reverence for the rule of law ” that brought together the Obama administration ’ s former Acting Solicitor General Neal Katyal and noted “ Never Trump ” Republican attorney George Conway to pen an op-ed in the New York Times today emphasizing the undeniable importance of former @ @ @ @ @ @ @ statement that he would honor a subpoena to testify before Congress in the Senate impeachment trial of Donald Trump .
McConnell admitted coordinating impeachment with Trump .
Add your name to demand he recuse himself from the trial !
The “ legal odd couple ” — as Katyal refers to their pairing — see Bolton ’ s move as a turning point .
“ In a single stroke , Mr. Bolton , the former national security adviser , elevated truth and transparency over political gamesmanship , ” the duo writes .
“ The @ @ @ @ @ @ @ offer , as well as demand the testimony of President Trump and the administration officials he has barred from testifying .
The Senate majority leader , Mitch McConnell , reportedly has the votes to proceed with the trial despite no agreement with Democrats on new witnesses and to leave it a question to take up after opening arguments .
The Senate still must declare that it will call witnesses during the trial , ” Conway and Katyal insist .
Citing the “ core principle behind the rule of law ” that blind justice @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of a trial , the pair wonder how Senator McConnell can make statements like “ There ’ s no chance the president is going to be removed from office ” without having heard the actual evidence that Bolton is willing to provide , particularly when the hawkish former National Security Advisor has said that he has previously undisclosed material to present .
Combined with the failure of Trump himself to provide a compelling account of his innocence while under oath and the administration ’ s blocking of crucial witnesses to the Ukraine scandal @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Conway can only attribute the Senate Majority leader ’ s determination to preclude a full trial with witnesses to abject fear .
With both authors possessing considerable experience in the legal field , they marvel at how GOP senators with law degrees can stomach the perversion of justice being attempted by the Republican party under Trump and McConnell , calling out Senators Lindsey Graham ( R-SC ) and Marco Rubio ( R-FL ) in particular for their hypocrisy while nodding approvingly at Senator Mitt Romney ’ s ( R-UT ) call for Bolton @ @ @ @ @ @ @ senators with a legal background — like Senators Lisa Murkowski ( R-AK ) , Cory Gardner ( R-CO ) and Rob Portman ( R-OH ) —to remember the basics of law .
The unlikely allies — united against a president that they see as dangerously out of control and contemptuous of the very applicability of laws against him — conclude their op-ed with a plea to see justice be served through a full and fair impeachment trial that includes testimony from all the relevant parties .
“ The Constitution imposes upon the Senate @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , ’ and so a real trial — with all relevant testimony and evidence — is what is required , ” they write .
“ This week , Mr. Bolton , himself a lawyer , and recognizing the nature of the Senate ’ s crucial constitutional obligation , has taken a critical step in the right direction .
It ’ s our hope that Americans will recognize that our commitment to the rule of law is what holds us together ” the pair continues .
“ The truth may not set the president @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to keep the country free , and an fair and impartial trial is what must take place here , ” Conway and Katyal conclude .
With their acknowledgment that the likely outcome of a truly fair trial would not be an exoneration of Donald Trump , Neal Katyal and George Conway must be aware that their plea will likely fall on deaf ears in the higher echelons of the new Trumpified — and , dare it be said , Russified — Republican establishment .
Their insistence on fighting for the rule of law @ @ @ @ @ @ @ think ?

The Trump administration may have hardened political divisions between kool-aid drinking supporters of the president and Democrats, but it has also brought together people of nominally divergent political stripes in their opposition to the horrors that Donald Trump’s presidency has wrought upon our nation.
It was a “shared reverence for the rule of law” that brought together the Obama administration’s former Acting Solicitor General Neal Katyal and noted “Never Trump” Republican attorney George Conway to pen an op-ed in the New York Times today emphasizing the undeniable importance of former National Security Advisor John Bolton’s statement that he would honor a subpoena to testify before Congress in the Senate impeachment trial of Donald Trump.
McConnell admitted coordinating impeachment with Trump. Add your name to demand he recuse himself from the trial!
The “legal odd couple” — as Katyal refers to their pairing — see Bolton’s move as a turning point.
“In a single stroke, Mr. Bolton, the former national security adviser, elevated truth and transparency over political gamesmanship,” the duo writes. “The Senate must take him up on his offer, as well as demand the testimony of President Trump and the administration officials he has barred from testifying. The Senate majority leader, Mitch McConnell, reportedly has the votes to proceed with the trial despite no agreement with Democrats on new witnesses and to leave it a question to take up after opening arguments. The Senate still must declare that it will call witnesses during the trial,” Conway and Katyal insist.
Citing the “core principle behind the rule of law” that blind justice must ignore partisan influences on the results of a trial, the pair wonder how Senator McConnell can make statements like “There’s no chance the president is going to be removed from office” without having heard the actual evidence that Bolton is willing to provide, particularly when the hawkish former National Security Advisor has said that he has previously undisclosed material to present.
Combined with the failure of Trump himself to provide a compelling account of his innocence while under oath and the administration’s blocking of crucial witnesses to the Ukraine scandal behind the impeachment charges, Katyal and Conway can only attribute the Senate Majority leader’s determination to preclude a full trial with witnesses to abject fear.
“There is only one possible explanation for this behavior: He is afraid of the truth. Otherwise, what argument can there be for refusing to hear from a central witness like Mr. Bolton, who other witnesses have indicated was exceptionally concerned about the suspension of military aid to Ukraine?,” they write.
With both authors possessing considerable experience in the legal field, they marvel at how GOP senators with law degrees can stomach the perversion of justice being attempted by the Republican party under Trump and McConnell, calling out Senators Lindsey Graham (R-SC) and Marco Rubio (R-FL) in particular for their hypocrisy while nodding approvingly at Senator Mitt Romney’s (R-UT) call for Bolton’s testimony and urging moderate Republican senators with a legal background — like Senators Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), Cory Gardner (R-CO) and Rob Portman (R-OH) —to remember the basics of law.
The unlikely allies — united against a president that they see as dangerously out of control and contemptuous of the very applicability of laws against him — conclude their op-ed with a plea to see justice be served through a full and fair impeachment trial that includes testimony from all the relevant parties.
“The Constitution imposes upon the Senate a duty to ‘try all impeachments,’ and so a real trial — with all relevant testimony and evidence — is what is required,” they write. “This week, Mr. Bolton, himself a lawyer, and recognizing the nature of the Senate’s crucial constitutional obligation, has taken a critical step in the right direction. It’s our hope that Americans will recognize that our commitment to the rule of law is what holds us together” the pair continues. “The truth may not set the president free, but the Constitution is meant to keep the country free, and an fair and impartial trial is what must take place here,” Conway and Katyal conclude.
With their acknowledgment that the likely outcome of a truly fair trial would not be an exoneration of Donald Trump, Neal Katyal and George Conway must be aware that their plea will likely fall on deaf ears in the higher echelons of the new Trumpified — and, dare it be said, Russified — Republican establishment.
Their insistence on fighting for the rule of law is admirable nonetheless.
Follow Vinnie Longobardo on Twitter.
Vinnie Longobardo Managing Editor Vinnie Longobardo is the Managing Editor of Occupy Democrats. He's a 35-year veteran of the TV, mobile & internet industries, specializing in start-ups and the international media business. His passions are politics, music, and art. Latest Posts


occupydemocrats--2020-01-07--Trump claims to personally know all 3 million Greek-Americans during bizarre presser with Greek Prim

Trump claims to personally know all 3 million Greek-Americans during bizarre presser with Greek Prime Minister

Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis visited the White House today and the world was treated ( or more accurately mistreated ) to yet another embarrassing encounter between Donald Trump and a foreign leader .
While chatting with reporters in the Oval Office , Trump rambled from topic to topic as he so often does , touching on several subjects that have absolutely nothing to do with Mitsotakis or his country ’ s interests as related to the United States .
At times , he conducted himself as if the Prime Minister weren ’ t even in the room .
After @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to assassinate Quds Force leader Qasem Soleimani—a move which has drawn broad criticism from those concerned it could spark a war between the United States and the Islamic Republic—Trump reached deep into his big bag of absurd exaggerations and made one of his most ridiculous bragging remarks to date .
McConnell admitted coordinating impeachment with Trump .
Add your name to demand he recuse himself from the trial !
“ We have a tremendous Greek population .
Over 3 million people as I understand it .
That ’ s fantastic .
I really @ @ @ @ @ @ @ I think I know all of them , come to think of it , ” Trump said with a straight face .
Apparently , his lying has progressed to the point where he now believes his delusional followers will actually believe him when he claims to know every single Greek American in every single state in the Union .
The reality course is that there is nobody on this planet who knows every Greek-American , least of all Donald Trump .
Beyond the obvious lie , Trump also appears to have gotten his @ @ @ @ @ @ @ from 2010 peg the number of Americans with full or partial Greek ancestry at just over 1.3 million .
While that number has surely grown since then it ’ s still far short of the “ 3 million ” Trump alludes to .
In other words , he ’ s claiming that not only does he know every Greek-American , he knows Greek-Americans who don ’ t even exist .
What do you think ?

Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis visited the White House today and the world was treated (or more accurately mistreated) to yet another embarrassing encounter between Donald Trump and a foreign leader. While chatting with reporters in the Oval Office, Trump rambled from topic to topic as he so often does, touching on several subjects that have absolutely nothing to do with Mitsotakis or his country’s interests as related to the United States. At times, he conducted himself as if the Prime Minister weren’t even in the room.
After ranting about Iran and justifying his decision to assassinate Quds Force leader Qasem Soleimani—a move which has drawn broad criticism from those concerned it could spark a war between the United States and the Islamic Republic—Trump reached deep into his big bag of absurd exaggerations and made one of his most ridiculous bragging remarks to date.
McConnell admitted coordinating impeachment with Trump. Add your name to demand he recuse himself from the trial!
“We have a tremendous Greek population. Over 3 million people as I understand it. That’s fantastic. I really feel I know most of them. I think I know all of them, come to think of it,” Trump said with a straight face.
Apparently, his lying has progressed to the point where he now believes his delusional followers will actually believe him when he claims to know every single Greek American in every single state in the Union. The reality course is that there is nobody on this planet who knows every Greek-American, least of all Donald Trump.
Beyond the obvious lie, Trump also appears to have gotten his numbers wrong as usual. Census numbers from 2010 peg the number of Americans with full or partial Greek ancestry at just over 1.3 million. While that number has surely grown since then it’s still far short of the “3 million” Trump alludes to. In other words, he’s claiming that not only does he know every Greek-American, he knows Greek-Americans who don’t even exist.
Watch the clip below.
Trump on the Greek population in the United States: “We have a tremendous Greek population. Over 3 million people as I understand it. That’s fantastic. I really feel I know most of them. I think I know all of them, come to think of it.” pic.twitter.com/46qccoCqCl — Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) January 7, 2020
Staff Report This is a staff report from former Occupy Democrats Editor in Chief Colin Taylor or contributor Rob Haffney. Latest Posts