occupydemocrats--2020-01-15--Senate Sgt.-at-Arms introduces “stunning” new restrictions on media coverage at impeachment trial

For many members of the media , the upcoming impeachment trial of Donald Trump will be the among biggest stories that they will cover during their lifetimes .
You can imagine their reaction , therefore , to what is being described as “ an unprecedented crackdown on the Capitol press corps ” by the Senate sergeant-at-arms and the Capitol Police over “ additional security screening and limited movement within the Capitol ” for reporters who are used to operating under the normal day to day rules for media access while covering Congress , according to a report at Roll Call @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Capitol Hill .
The standoff over the rules that will govern those credentialed reporters and photographers whom senators interact with on a daily basis is the subject of a dispute between Capitol Police Chief Steven Sund and Senate Sergeant-at-Arms Michael Stenger and the Standing Committee of Correspondents , a panel made up of colleague-elected journalists that helps oversee press operations and works to ensure press access to public officials and proceedings in Congress .
The security officials are primarily concerned with the safety and protection of members of Congress and the Capitol Building @ @ @ @ @ @ @ — having had all their suggestions for the best ways to compromise on the proposed restrictions rejected by the two officials — are worried that the restrictions will hinder their abilities to do their jobs and provide the public with timely information on the progress of the trial .
McConnell admitted coordinating impeachment with Trump .
Add your name to demand he recuse himself from the trial !
The Committee accuses the two men of shooting down every counterproposal they have made “ without an explanation of how the restrictions contribute to safety @ @ @ @ @ @ @ trial.
” The Committee points to the planned rules that will surround the delivery of the articles of impeachment from the House of Representatives to the Senate — rules that were not in place during the impeachment of Bill Clinton in 1998 — that will restrict media coverage to just a single video camera with no still photography or audio recording allowed .
That restriction places non-video-based media outlets such as radio and text-based publications at a significant disadvantage to their TV and streaming-based competition .
Other restrictions rankle the journalists as well @ @ @ @ @ @ @ other words , the reporters won ’ t be able to walk and talk with Senators as they enter and exit the proceedings for interviews .
The security screenings in the Capitol building will also be doubled up , meaning that reporters will have to undergo a second full security check after their initial entry into the building just to enter the Senate chamber where the trial will be held , significantly slowing down their ability to enter and exit the room to report on breaking news .
This may force reporters to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ outside the trial itself in order to file their reports in a timely fashion and deprive them of any view of participants outside the sightlines of the video camera lens .
Despite hours of negotiations between the disaffected Standing Committee of Correspondents and the security officials , no movement has been seen in their efforts to loosen restrictions .
Part of the issue is the large number of reporters not usually assigned to the Capitol Hill beat and unaware of the rules of the road in Congressional reporting that will be covering the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ unusually large media presence expected to attend to be a “ life safety issue ” for legislators .
While the safety and security of both the media and the people that they are there to cover are of paramount importance , ensuring proper media access for those reporters covering the biggest political story of the century to date is equally crucial to guarantee that the public is properly informed about what is going on in a timely manner .
A simple C-Span feed without commentary and background just won ’ t be enough @ @ @ @ @ @ @ you think ?

For many members of the media, the upcoming impeachment trial of Donald Trump will be the among biggest stories that they will cover during their lifetimes.
You can imagine their reaction, therefore, to what is being described as “an unprecedented crackdown on the Capitol press corps” by the Senate sergeant-at-arms and the Capitol Police over “additional security screening and limited movement within the Capitol” for reporters who are used to operating under the normal day to day rules for media access while covering Congress, according to a report at Roll Call, a website specializing in news from Capitol Hill.
The standoff over the rules that will govern those credentialed reporters and photographers whom senators interact with on a daily basis is the subject of a dispute between Capitol Police Chief Steven Sund and Senate Sergeant-at-Arms Michael Stenger and the Standing Committee of Correspondents, a panel made up of colleague-elected journalists that helps oversee press operations and works to ensure press access to public officials and proceedings in Congress.
The security officials are primarily concerned with the safety and protection of members of Congress and the Capitol Building facilities, while the Committee of Correspondents — having had all their suggestions for the best ways to compromise on the proposed restrictions rejected by the two officials — are worried that the restrictions will hinder their abilities to do their jobs and provide the public with timely information on the progress of the trial.
McConnell admitted coordinating impeachment with Trump. Add your name to demand he recuse himself from the trial!
The Committee accuses the two men of shooting down every counterproposal they have made “without an explanation of how the restrictions contribute to safety rather than simply limit coverage of the trial.”
“These potential restrictions fail to acknowledge what currently works on Capitol Hill, or the way the American public expects to be able to follow a vital news event about their government in the digital age,” the Standing Committee of Correspondents said in a letter today.
The Committee points to the planned rules that will surround the delivery of the articles of impeachment from the House of Representatives to the Senate — rules that were not in place during the impeachment of Bill Clinton in 1998 — that will restrict media coverage to just a single video camera with no still photography or audio recording allowed.
That restriction places non-video-based media outlets such as radio and text-based publications at a significant disadvantage to their TV and streaming-based competition.
Other restrictions rankle the journalists as well. According to Roll Call:
“During the trial, a single press pen will be set up on the second floor of the Senate, where lawmakers enter and exit the chamber. Reporters will be confined to the pen, unable to move with senators. No movement will be allowed outside the corrals, and reporters and photographers will need to be escorted to and from the pen.”
In other words, the reporters won’t be able to walk and talk with Senators as they enter and exit the proceedings for interviews.
The security screenings in the Capitol building will also be doubled up, meaning that reporters will have to undergo a second full security check after their initial entry into the building just to enter the Senate chamber where the trial will be held, significantly slowing down their ability to enter and exit the room to report on breaking news.
This may force reporters to watch the proceedings on a video feed outside the trial itself in order to file their reports in a timely fashion and deprive them of any view of participants outside the sightlines of the video camera lens.
Despite hours of negotiations between the disaffected Standing Committee of Correspondents and the security officials, no movement has been seen in their efforts to loosen restrictions. Part of the issue is the large number of reporters not usually assigned to the Capitol Hill beat and unaware of the rules of the road in Congressional reporting that will be covering the impeachment trial.
Capitol Police consider the unusually large media presence expected to attend to be a “life safety issue” for legislators.
“Allowing members to move in this important responsibility without having to fight their way on to an elevator or … on to the vehicles between the buildings. I think that’s a legitimate concern,” said James Ziglar, who served as Senate sergeant-at-arms during the Clinton impeachment trial. “There were people coming to the Hill with press credentials that had never been on the Hill,” he said.
While the safety and security of both the media and the people that they are there to cover are of paramount importance, ensuring proper media access for those reporters covering the biggest political story of the century to date is equally crucial to guarantee that the public is properly informed about what is going on in a timely manner.
A simple C-Span feed without commentary and background just won’t be enough to fulfill that guarantee.
Follow Vinnie Longobardo on Twitter.
Original reporting by Katherine Tully-McManus at Roll Call.
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--2020-01-15--Republican State Senator tells reporter that a group of 30 schoolboys could “have a lot of fun with

Republican State Senator tells reporter that a group of 30 schoolboys could “have a lot of fun with her”

While the ratings-hungry jackals in the mainstream media try desperately to gin up a contrived , counterproductive and ultimately toothless sexism scandal in the Democratic primary , the real perpetrators of misogyny and toxic masculinity in the United States are continuing to do so with shocking audacity .
Allison Donahue , a 22-year-old reporter for the Michigan Advance , was attempting to get a comment from Republican State Senator Peter Lucido on his prior membership in a “ violent , anti-Gov .
Gretchen Whitmer Facebook group ” in the State Senate building , where Lucido is the Majority Whip and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ A line of 30 boys from all-boys Catholic high school De La Salle Collegiate were lined up outside the doors , and Lucido used them to dodge the question — and while Donahue was walking away , Lucido asked her if she had heard of the school .
When she said no , Lucido told her that “ You should hang around !
You could have a lot of fun with these boys , or they could have a lot of fun with you.
” Donahue recounted that “ the teenagers burst into @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , and I walked away knowing that I had been the punchline of their ‘ locker room ’ talk.
” The most generous reading of this offensive comment is that it is objectifying and belittling for a powerful politician to speak so condescendingly and infantilizing to a reporter trying to hold him accountable for his past actions .
But the line “ they could have a lot of fun with you , ” in the context of a post-Kavanaugh America and an atmosphere of intense , violent hostility from the right-wing directed at @ @ @ @ @ @ @ have appalling insinuations involving sexual assault .
Donahue would later confront Lucido about his remark , telling him that “ I thought the comment that you made was unprofessional in front of the group of boys , saying that I would have fun with them , I don ’ t know what you were insinuating , but— ” …at which point she was cut off by the mansplaining Senator , who weakly tried to argue that he only meant they would have “ fun together at a dance.
” “ De La Salle @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s an all-male school and anytime we had dances we had to invite the girls over for dancing or socializing , it ’ s very awkward for a lot of these boys , ” he said .
“ So if you took it any way other than that .
… The fact that they have Regina school , an all-girls ’ school , get together .
They do this , and they have dances and they have social days .
It was awkward for me when I went to college and I @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ t even know how to act around a woman.
” He even tried to argue that this is “ just how he talks to young women , ” recounts Donahue .
“ I said it to an all-girls ’ school last week , ‘ How would you like to have all the boys from the Senate come over ?
It was nothing disingenuous .
It was no harm.
” Lucido dismissed the virulent misogyny and Islamophobia contained in the Facebook group he was a member of as “ their crap , not @ @ @ @ @ @ @ uncomfortable and inappropriate as his original comment makes it clear that not only does he not see anything wrong with what he said but also that he has the gall to take issue with being called out on it !
It is a testament to the bravery and determination of the reporter for her to stand up and demand the respect she deserves from this man — and for the people of Michigan to know what kind of a person he really is as he contemplates a run for governor .
Read the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Michigan Advance .
What do you think ?

While the ratings-hungry jackals in the mainstream media try desperately to gin up a contrived, counterproductive and ultimately toothless sexism scandal in the Democratic primary, the real perpetrators of misogyny and toxic masculinity in the United States are continuing to do so with shocking audacity.
Allison Donahue, a 22-year-old reporter for the Michigan Advance, was attempting to get a comment from Republican State Senator Peter Lucido on his prior membership in a “violent, anti-Gov. Gretchen Whitmer Facebook group” in the State Senate building, where Lucido is the Majority Whip and a chair of three major committees.
A line of 30 boys from all-boys Catholic high school De La Salle Collegiate were lined up outside the doors, and Lucido used them to dodge the question — and while Donahue was walking away, Lucido asked her if she had heard of the school. When she said no, Lucido told her that “You should hang around! You could have a lot of fun with these boys, or they could have a lot of fun with you.”
McConnell admitted coordinating impeachment with Trump. Add your name to demand he recuse himself from the trial!
Donahue recounted that “the teenagers burst into an Old Boys’ Network-type of laughter, and I walked away knowing that I had been the punchline of their ‘locker room’ talk.”
The most generous reading of this offensive comment is that it is objectifying and belittling for a powerful politician to speak so condescendingly and infantilizing to a reporter trying to hold him accountable for his past actions. But the line “they could have a lot of fun with you,” in the context of a post-Kavanaugh America and an atmosphere of intense, violent hostility from the right-wing directed at the media, can be read to have appalling insinuations involving sexual assault.
Donahue would later confront Lucido about his remark, telling him that “I thought the comment that you made was unprofessional in front of the group of boys, saying that I would have fun with them, I don’t know what you were insinuating, but— ”
…at which point she was cut off by the mansplaining Senator, who weakly tried to argue that he only meant they would have “fun together at a dance.”
“De La Salle, I went there, and it’s an all-male school and anytime we had dances we had to invite the girls over for dancing or socializing, it’s very awkward for a lot of these boys,” he said. “So if you took it any way other than that. … The fact that they have Regina school, an all-girls’ school, get together. They do this, and they have dances and they have social days. It was awkward for me when I went to college and I first met a woman, I didn’t even know how to act around a woman.”
He even tried to argue that this is “just how he talks to young women,” recounts Donahue. “I said it to an all-girls’ school last week, ‘How would you like to have all the boys from the Senate come over? It was nothing disingenuous. It was no harm.”
Lucido dismissed the virulent misogyny and Islamophobia contained in the Facebook group he was a member of as “their crap, not mine.”
His defense being just as uncomfortable and inappropriate as his original comment makes it clear that not only does he not see anything wrong with what he said but also that he has the gall to take issue with being called out on it!
It is a testament to the bravery and determination of the reporter for her to stand up and demand the respect she deserves from this man — and for the people of Michigan to know what kind of a person he really is as he contemplates a run for governor.
Read the original story by Allison Donahue at the Michigan Advance.
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--2020-01-15--Virginia declares state of emergency after police detect threats from white supremacists ahead of ML

Virginia declares state of emergency after police detect threats from white supremacists ahead of MLK Day march

Virginia ’ s Democratic Governor Ralph Northam declared a state of emergency in the state capital of Richmond in advance @ @ @ @ @ rally on next Monday after “ Law enforcement intelligence analysts have identified credible threats of @ @ @ @ @ along with white nationalist rhetoric and plans by out-of-state militia groups to attend , ” @ @ @ @ @ WCYB News .
After Northam ’ s emergency decree takes effect beginning this Friday afternoon @ @ @ @ @ gun rights demonstration — as well as anyone else not belonging to law enforcement organizations @ @ @ @ @ bringing any type of weapon onto the grounds of Capitol Square where the rally is @ @ @ @ @ The governor was careful in the preface of his emergency declaration to explain the reasons @ @ @ @ @ ban .
What do you think ?

Virginia’s Democratic Governor Ralph Northam declared a state of emergency in the state capital of Richmond in advance of a scheduled pro-gun rights rally on next Monday after “Law enforcement intelligence analysts have identified credible threats of violence surrounding the event, along with white nationalist rhetoric and plans by out-of-state militia groups to attend,” according to a report by WCYB News.
After Northam’s emergency decree takes effect beginning this Friday afternoon, the organizers of the gun rights demonstration — as well as anyone else not belonging to law enforcement organizations — will be barred from bringing any type of weapon onto the grounds of Capitol Square where the rally is planned on taking place.
The governor was careful in the preface of his emergency declaration to explain the reasons he decided to impose the ban.
McConnell admitted coordinating impeachment with Trump. Add your name to demand he recuse himself from the trial!
“The Commonwealth of Virginia is a welcoming state. Virginians understand that diversity of opinion keeps our democracy strong. The more voices involved in our political dialogue, the stronger we are. Civil discourse, even and especially, amongst those who disagree, is critical to our democracy’s evolution and success. When the civility of that political discourse breaks down, the Commonwealth suffers. Three years ago, Virginia and the nation, watched horrified as civil protest was marred by violence and hate. The events that occurred in Charlottesville, Virginia demonstrated what can happen when peaceful demonstrations are hijacked by those who come into the Commonwealth and do not value the importance of peaceful assembly. We lost three Virginians. We must take all precautions to prevent that from ever happening again,” Northam wrote. “Credible intelligence gathered by Virginia’s law enforcement agencies indicates that tens of thousands of advocates plan to converge on Capitol Square for events culminating on January 20, 2020. Available information suggests that a substantial number of these demonstrators are expected to come from outside the Commonwealth, may be armed, and have as their purpose not peaceful assembly but violence, rioting, and insurrection. Assuring that Virginia’s Capitol Square and surrounding public areas are sheltered safe places for those who come to participate in the democratic process, as well as those who work on or near Capitol Square, is my greatest priority.”
The weapons ban will end the day after the rally, Tuesday, January 21 at 5 p.m. Virginians — and the rest of the nation’s advocates for non-violent solutions to political differences — should be grateful for the Virginia Governor’s actions to prevent a repeat of the types of unrestrained right-wing hostilities that marred the Charlottesville protests and counterprotests in the past. Follow Vinnie Longobardo on Twitter. Original reporting by WCYB 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--2020-01-15--Nancy Pelosi roasts Trump with mobster movie quote after latest allegations against his cronies

In 2016 , the American people voted a glorified mobster into the White House and he ’ s been running the United States like a criminal enterprise ever since .
Donald Trump has nepotistically assigned his family members to positions of incredible power and gone out of his way to enrich his longtime cronies and friends .
All the while , untold sums of money are flowing into his businesses around the world , and there ’ s no way to know which foreign countries are patronizing them in the hopes of currying favor with the President of the United @ @ @ @ @ @ @ never something he even considered and he sees the presidency as nothing more than a way for him to accumulate and wield personal power .
Luckily , the Democratic Party under the stalwart leadership of Nancy Pelosi has shown itself able and willing to stand up to our wannabe tyrant .
Trump has been impeached in the House over his efforts to coerce Ukraine into opening a sham investigation into Joe Biden and his son Hunter in the hopes of hurting the former vice president ’ s 2020 election chances .
In order @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Trump froze hundreds of millions of dollars in military aid to Ukraine even as our Eastern European ally was engaged in armed conflict against invading Russian forces .
Trump even sounded like a dimestore mobster when asking the Ukrainian president to do as told and specifically asked him for a “ favor.
” On top of that , it now appears that men linked to Trump ’ s attorney Rudy Giuliani may have been surveilling former U.S .
Ambassador Marie Yovanovitch .
During a speech in Congress today , Speaker Pelosi took aim @ @ @ @ @ @ @ She seemed to be comparing him to movie gangsters and zeroed in on the “ favor ” bit and then asked if he “ paints houses , ” a reference to a mafia euphemism for contract killing .
To “ paint a house ” is to shoot someone so that their blood sprays across the interior of a building .
The phrase was popularized this year with the release of Martin Scorsese ’ s The Irishman , a film about a mob hitman based on the book I Heard You Paint Houses : @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Closing the Case on Jimmy Hoffa .
“ The president of the United States , in using appropriated funds enacted in a bipartisan way by this Congress , funds that were meant to help the Ukraine fight the Russians , the president considered that his private ATM machine I guess and said he could say to the president , he could make — ‘ do me a favor , ' ” said Pelosi .
“ Do me a favor ?
Do you paint houses too ?
What is this ?
Do me a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ The fact that the Speaker of the House can reasonably compare the president to a murderous goon from the movies should be a wakeup call to all Americans .
This man is a disgrace to the Oval Office and if we do not remove him in 2020 our nation may never recover from the shame .
Below is the scene from The Irishman in which the “ paint houses ” line appears .
What do you think ?

In 2016, the American people voted a glorified mobster into the White House and he’s been running the United States like a criminal enterprise ever since. Donald Trump has nepotistically assigned his family members to positions of incredible power and gone out of his way to enrich his longtime cronies and friends. All the while, untold sums of money are flowing into his businesses around the world, and there’s no way to know which foreign countries are patronizing them in the hopes of currying favor with the President of the United States. Serving the American people was never something he even considered and he sees the presidency as nothing more than a way for him to accumulate and wield personal power.
Luckily, the Democratic Party under the stalwart leadership of Nancy Pelosi has shown itself able and willing to stand up to our wannabe tyrant. Trump has been impeached in the House over his efforts to coerce Ukraine into opening a sham investigation into Joe Biden and his son Hunter in the hopes of hurting the former vice president’s 2020 election chances.
In order to accomplish this stunningly corrupt goal, Trump froze hundreds of millions of dollars in military aid to Ukraine even as our Eastern European ally was engaged in armed conflict against invading Russian forces. Trump even sounded like a dimestore mobster when asking the Ukrainian president to do as told and specifically asked him for a “favor.”
McConnell admitted coordinating impeachment with Trump. Add your name to demand he recuse himself from the trial!
On top of that, it now appears that men linked to Trump’s attorney Rudy Giuliani may have been surveilling former U.S. Ambassador Marie Yovanovitch.
During a speech in Congress today, Speaker Pelosi took aim at Trump’s blatant criminality. She seemed to be comparing him to movie gangsters and zeroed in on the “favor” bit and then asked if he “paints houses,” a reference to a mafia euphemism for contract killing. To “paint a house” is to shoot someone so that their blood sprays across the interior of a building. The phrase was popularized this year with the release of Martin Scorsese’s The Irishman, a film about a mob hitman based on the book I Heard You Paint Houses: Frank “The Irishman” Sheeran and Closing the Case on Jimmy Hoffa.
“The president of the United States, in using appropriated funds enacted in a bipartisan way by this Congress, funds that were meant to help the Ukraine fight the Russians, the president considered that his private ATM machine I guess and said he could say to the president, he could make — ‘do me a favor,'” said Pelosi. “Do me a favor? Do you paint houses too? What is this? Do me a favor?” she went on.
The fact that the Speaker of the House can reasonably compare the president to a murderous goon from the movies should be a wakeup call to all Americans. This man is a disgrace to the Oval Office and if we do not remove him in 2020 our nation may never recover from the shame.
'Do me a favor? You paint houses too? What is this? Do me a favor…' Speaker Nancy Pelosi on President Trump’s request to his Ukrainian counterpart pic.twitter.com/H1VKYRvrkf — Luis Velarde (@luivelarde) January 15, 2020
Below is the scene from The Irishman in which the “paint houses” line appears.
Rob Haffey Latest Posts


occupydemocrats--2020-01-15--New book alleges Trump was unable to read the Constitution aloud: “it’s like a foreign language”

Given the sizeable number of insider “ tell-all ” books that have already been written by both journalists and former members of the Trump administration , one would think that there were few shocking anecdotes left to reveal to the public .
This administration , however , seems to be an endless font of new and extremely embarrassing stories about the level of incompetence and idiocy possessed by the current occupant of the White House .
In their new book , A Very Stable Genius , Washington Post reporters Philip Rucker and Carol Leonnig have compiled a cornucopia of evidence @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s title , garnered from extensive interviews with over 200 different sources , complete with documentary evidence of the validity of their reporting .
Among the numerous devastating and barely conceivable anecdotes concerning the shortcomings of the man elected by a minority of misguided voters to the nation ’ s highest office is one incriminating tale that — if it contains even a shred of veracity — should prove to all how unqualified Donald Trump is for the role he was allowed to assume .
McConnell admitted coordinating impeachment with Trump .
Add @ @ @ @ @ @ @ from the trial !
The story concerns Trump ’ s participation soon after his inauguration in an HBO documentary featuring all the living presidents , along with a select group of jurists and legislators , reading aloud from the Constitution that they have all sworn to uphold in their oaths of office .
According to Rucker and Leonnig ’ s reporting , the current president did not have an easy time of what most literate Americans past the eighth grade could do without trouble .
As one might expect , Trump struggled to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s founding document , stumbling over the words in front of him and blaming others around him for his own mistakes .
While sophisticated eloquence was never a distinguishing quality of this particular president , it ’ s worth pointing out that Trump was asked to read a section of the Constitution — presumably from a teleprompter — not to recite it from memory .
One might understand if the president had difficulty reciting text from a dense medical textbook or scientific journal littered with technical jargon , but this was the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , protect and defend ” in his oath of office .
That he could barely read the document , much less understand what he was swearing to “ faithfully execute , ” explains much of his subsequent conduct in office and clearly demonstrates his lack of qualifications for the job he ’ s performed so disastrously .
One can only hope that enough Republican senators ponder this incident and its implications before they decide upon how they will vote in his upcoming impeachment trial .
What do you think ?

Given the sizeable number of insider “tell-all” books that have already been written by both journalists and former members of the Trump administration, one would think that there were few shocking anecdotes left to reveal to the public.
This administration, however, seems to be an endless font of new and extremely embarrassing stories about the level of incompetence and idiocy possessed by the current occupant of the White House.
In their new book, A Very Stable Genius, Washington Post reporters Philip Rucker and Carol Leonnig have compiled a cornucopia of evidence of the irony of their tome’s title, garnered from extensive interviews with over 200 different sources, complete with documentary evidence of the validity of their reporting.
Among the numerous devastating and barely conceivable anecdotes concerning the shortcomings of the man elected by a minority of misguided voters to the nation’s highest office is one incriminating tale that — if it contains even a shred of veracity — should prove to all how unqualified Donald Trump is for the role he was allowed to assume.
McConnell admitted coordinating impeachment with Trump. Add your name to demand he recuse himself from the trial!
The story concerns Trump’s participation soon after his inauguration in an HBO documentary featuring all the living presidents, along with a select group of jurists and legislators, reading aloud from the Constitution that they have all sworn to uphold in their oaths of office.
According to Rucker and Leonnig’s reporting, the current president did not have an easy time of what most literate Americans past the eighth grade could do without trouble.
As one might expect, Trump struggled to read the archaic prose of the nation’s founding document, stumbling over the words in front of him and blaming others around him for his own mistakes. While sophisticated eloquence was never a distinguishing quality of this particular president, it’s worth pointing out that Trump was asked to read a section of the Constitution — presumably from a teleprompter — not to recite it from memory.
“It’s like a foreign language,” Trump moaned, the book reveals.
One might understand if the president had difficulty reciting text from a dense medical textbook or scientific journal littered with technical jargon, but this was the document that he swore to “preserve, protect and defend” in his oath of office.
That he could barely read the document, much less understand what he was swearing to “faithfully execute,” explains much of his subsequent conduct in office and clearly demonstrates his lack of qualifications for the job he’s performed so disastrously.
One can only hope that enough Republican senators ponder this incident and its implications before they decide upon how they will vote in his upcoming impeachment trial.
Follow Vinnie Longobardo on Twitter.
Original reporting by Travis Gettys at RawStory.
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--2020-01-15--New emails show Trump’s Stephen Miller proposed using trains to deport immigrants in Breitbart pitch

That Stephen Miller — the White House Senior Policy Advisor who has been the biggest cheerleader in the Trump administration for the most draconian and repulsive immigration policies to emerge from that circle of hell — is an odious and despicable presence in the upper echelons of our current government is an opinion to which most decent Americans would readily subscribe .
As the architect of the administration ’ s child separation policy , Miller is the nexus of white nationalist , anti-immigrant sentiment in the cabal of Trump advisors trying to drag this nation back into the 19th century @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Miller is an unlikely advocate for the harsh immigration stance he advocates .
His Jewish ancestry would be considered anathema for most of the racist white supremacists to which his policies are designed to most attract to the Trump camp .
With his maternal great-grandparents fled the pogroms in their native Belarus for the United States at the turn of the 20th century , Yiddish was their native tongue .
McConnell admitted coordinating impeachment with Trump .
Add your name to demand he recuse himself from the trial !
Yet , after @ @ @ @ @ @ @ their descendant has become the leading advocate for closing the borders and harshly punishing any non-citizen who enters the United States , whether they have a legitimate claim of asylum or not .
Now , the Southern Poverty Law Center has published a series of emails that Miller wrote pitching story ideas to an editor at the ultra-right-wing Breitbart News beginning when he was an aide for then-Senator Jeff Sessions through his time as a Trump campaign policy adviser .
The emails show Miller as a fervent adherent of one the alt-right ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ great replacement ” theory that posits a conspiracy to replace the white Anglo-Saxon population of the country with immigrants of color , an ironic position for the descendant of Jewish immigrants after the right-wing rioters in Charlottesville , Virginia marched with their tiki-torches chanting “ Jews will not replace us.
” Perhaps the most chilling revelation in the emails uncovered by the SPLC was the article Miller shared from the far-right website WorldNetDaily with Phyllis Schlafly suggesting the idea of shipping immigrants out of the U.S. on trains to “ scare out the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , ” invoking images of the German detention and shipping of Jewish , Roma , and other non-Arayan residents to death camps during the Holocaust of World War II .
The SPLC article on their website ’ s Hatewatch section is well worth reading to get an idea of the other hateful content that Miller conjured up in his correspondence with the Breitbart editor .
Be prepared to take a shower after reading it , however .
You ’ ll need to scrub hard to wash off the lingering scent of bigotry and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Miller ’ s odious ideology .
What do you think ?

That Stephen Miller — the White House Senior Policy Advisor who has been the biggest cheerleader in the Trump administration for the most draconian and repulsive immigration policies to emerge from that circle of hell — is an odious and despicable presence in the upper echelons of our current government is an opinion to which most decent Americans would readily subscribe.
As the architect of the administration’s child separation policy, Miller is the nexus of white nationalist, anti-immigrant sentiment in the cabal of Trump advisors trying to drag this nation back into the 19th century, pre-civil war hierarchy of race relations.
Miller is an unlikely advocate for the harsh immigration stance he advocates. His Jewish ancestry would be considered anathema for most of the racist white supremacists to which his policies are designed to most attract to the Trump camp. When his maternal great-grandparents fled the pogroms in their native Belarus for the United States at the turn of the 20th century, Yiddish was their native tongue.
McConnell admitted coordinating impeachment with Trump. Add your name to demand he recuse himself from the trial!
Yet, after a couple of generations of assimilation, their descendant has become the leading advocate for closing the borders and harshly punishing any non-citizen who enters the United States, whether they have a legitimate claim of asylum or not.
Now, the Southern Poverty Law Center has published a series of emails that Miller wrote pitching story ideas to an editor at the ultra-right-wing Breitbart News beginning when he was an aide for then-Senator Jeff Sessions through his time as a Trump campaign policy adviser.
The emails show Miller as a fervent adherent of one the alt-right’s most hateful fantasies, the “great replacement” theory that posits a conspiracy to replace the white Anglo-Saxon population of the country with immigrants of color, an ironic position for the descendant of Jewish immigrants after the right-wing rioters in Charlottesville, Virginia marched with their tiki-torches chanting “Jews will not replace us.”
Perhaps the most chilling revelation in the emails uncovered by the SPLC was the article Miller shared from the far-right website WorldNetDaily with Phyllis Schlafly suggesting the idea of shipping immigrants out of the U.S. on trains to “scare out the people who want to undo our country,” invoking images of the German detention and shipping of Jewish, Roma, and other non-Aryan residents to death camps during the Holocaust of World War II.
The SPLC article on their website’s Hatewatch section is well worth reading to get an idea of the other hateful content that Miller conjured up in his correspondence with the Breitbart editor.
Be prepared to take a shower after reading it, however. You’ll need to scrub hard to wash off the lingering scent of bigotry and hatred that may remain after exposure to Miller’s odious ideology.
Follow Vinnie Longobardo on Twitter.
Original reporting by Michael Edison Hayden at SPLCenter.org.
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--2020-01-15--Trump goes off on bizarre tangent about fireworks at Mt. Rushmore: “What can burn? It’s stone!”

Donald Trump is a man cognitively and temperamentally incapable of solving the real problems facing the country he was elected to lead .
Instead , he chooses to manufacture crises and then “ solve ” them so that he can claim victory .
The trade war with China was one such Trump-created crisis and now he ’ s taking credit for ending it .
Earlier today , the president signed a deal with China to deescalate the economic tensions and reopen the markets of each country to each other .
Inevitably , Trump was given a microphone and ended up @ @ @ @ @ @ @ speeches .
Much of it was the kind of boilerplate stuff we ’ ve come to expect from his incoherent mind but one section about fireworks stood out as particularly bizarre .
Trump noticed Governor Kristi Noem ( R-SD ) and asked her to stand up .
“ We ’ re going to do a big fireworks display , right ?
Mount Rushmore .
We ’ re going over , I think I ’ m going to try to be there on July 4th , ” Trump said to Noem .
“ So @ @ @ @ @ @ @ great race , a tough race .
That was a tough competitor you had right ?
A big star .
But she was a bigger star it turned out Lindsey .
But she said ‘ You think we could get fireworks back at Mount Rushmore ?
” he went on , segueing into what would become the oddest , most random part of his remarks .
“ I said ‘ Why ?
’ They hadn ’ t been there for like twenty years .
I said ‘ Why ?
’ Environmental reasons .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ t have fireworks because of the environment ?
’ Yeah , environmental reasons .
I said ‘ What can burn ?
It ’ s stone !
You know ?
It ’ s stone !
” Trump said , trotting out the same level of ignorance he uses to talk about windmills .
McConnell admitted coordinating impeachment with Trump .
Add your name to demand he recuse himself from the trial !
“ So nobody knew why .
They just said environmental reasons .
So I called up our people and within about @ @ @ @ @ @ @ you ’ re going to have your first big fireworks display at Mount Rushmore .
And I ’ ll try and get out there if I can , ” said the president .
It goes without saying that Mount Rushmore and fireworks have nothing to do with Chinese trade but by now these kinds of non-sequiturs and weird tangents are to be expected and can be easily chalked up to Trump ’ s infamously short attention span or perhaps a deteriorating mind .
What should be concerning is that once again Trump is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the matter .
Of course people aren ’ t concerned about fireworks burning the stone at Mount Rushmore .
Trump has a cartoonish understanding of what ’ s going on .
The real concerns are tied to a US Geological Survey which concluded that past firework shows are likely responsible for concentrated levels of contaminants in the local groundwater .
“ An environmental concern to water resources within Mount Rushmore National Memorial has been the annual aerial fireworks display at the memorial for the Independence Day holiday during 1998–2009 .
A major concern @ @ @ @ @ @ @ groundwater and surface water by perchlorate , which is used as an oxidizing agent in firework displays , ” the report states .
It ’ s likely that our habitually ignorant president doesn ’ t know about these findings , but it ’ s also entirely possible that he knows and simply doesn ’ t care .
The cavalier manner in which he dismissed “ environmental reasons ” as a valid argument against the fireworks is perfectly in keeping with his toxic worldview .
This is after all the same man who once @ @ @ @ @ @ @ hoax.
” It ’ s not so much that Trump doesn ’ t care about the environment , it ’ s that he actively mocks anyone who does .
To Donald Trump , environmentalism is a weakness to be expunged and smeared and because of this man future generations will inherit a greatly lessened world .
What do you think ?

Donald Trump is a man cognitively and temperamentally incapable of solving the real problems facing the country he was elected to lead. Instead, he chooses to manufacture crises and then “solve” them so that he can claim victory. The trade war with China was one such Trump-created crisis and now he’s taking credit for ending it. Earlier today, the president signed a deal with China to deescalate the economic tensions and reopen the markets of each country to each other.
Inevitably, Trump was given a microphone and ended up going off on one of his rambling speeches. Much of it was the kind of boilerplate stuff we’ve come to expect from his incoherent mind but one section about fireworks stood out as particularly bizarre. Trump noticed Governor Kristi Noem (R-SD) and asked her to stand up.
“We’re going to do a big fireworks display, right? Mount Rushmore. We’re going over, I think I’m going to try to be there on July 4th,” Trump said to Noem. “So the governor called, she ran a great race, a tough race. That was a tough competitor you had right? A big star. But she was a bigger star it turned out Lindsey. But she said ‘You think we could get fireworks back at Mount Rushmore?” he went on, segueing into what would become the oddest, most random part of his remarks.
“I said ‘Why?’ They hadn’t been there for like twenty years. I said ‘Why?’ Environmental reasons. I said ‘You mean you can’t have fireworks because of the environment?’ Yeah, environmental reasons. I said ‘What can burn? It’s stone! You know? It’s stone!” Trump said, trotting out the same level of ignorance he uses to talk about windmills.
McConnell admitted coordinating impeachment with Trump. Add your name to demand he recuse himself from the trial!
“So nobody knew why. They just said environmental reasons. So I called up our people and within about fifteen minutes we got it approved and you’re going to have your first big fireworks display at Mount Rushmore. And I’ll try and get out there if I can,” said the president.
It goes without saying that Mount Rushmore and fireworks have nothing to do with Chinese trade but by now these kinds of non-sequiturs and weird tangents are to be expected and can be easily chalked up to Trump’s infamously short attention span or perhaps a deteriorating mind.
What should be concerning is that once again Trump is taking action without understanding the facts of the matter. Of course people aren’t concerned about fireworks burning the stone at Mount Rushmore. Trump has a cartoonish understanding of what’s going on. The real concerns are tied to a US Geological Survey which concluded that past firework shows are likely responsible for concentrated levels of contaminants in the local groundwater.
“An environmental concern to water resources within Mount Rushmore National Memorial has been the annual aerial fireworks display at the memorial for the Independence Day holiday during 1998–2009. A major concern of park management is the contamination of groundwater and surface water by perchlorate, which is used as an oxidizing agent in firework displays,” the report states.
It’s likely that our habitually ignorant president doesn’t know about these findings, but it’s also entirely possible that he knows and simply doesn’t care. The cavalier manner in which he dismissed “environmental reasons” as a valid argument against the fireworks is perfectly in keeping with his toxic worldview. This is after all the same man who once said climate change is a “Chinese hoax.” It’s not so much that Trump doesn’t care about the environment, it’s that he actively mocks anyone who does.
To Donald Trump, environmentalism is a weakness to be expunged and smeared and because of this man future generations will inherit a greatly lessened world.
Watch the clip below.
President Trump: "We're going to do a big fireworks display, right, Mount Rushmore… They haven't been there for like 20 years. I said, 'Why?' Environmental reasons. I said, 'You can't have fireworks for environmental reasons?… What can burn? It's stone.'" pic.twitter.com/oAN4TtpiGh — The Hill (@thehill) January 15, 2020
Rob Haffey Latest Posts


occupydemocrats--2020-01-15--House releases trove of explosive new impeachment evidence against Trump minions

The House Intelligence Committee has released an explosive cache of documents ( embedded below ) from indicted Ukrainian-American Lev Parnas which look like they ’ ll feature prominently in President Trump ’ s impeachment trial .
The records reveal far more about the true nature of the President ’ s personal lawyer ’ s machinations in Ukraine , along with several other surprises .
Amongst several bombshell revelations is that New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani personally sent a letter to Ukraine ’ s then-President-elect Zelensky asking for a thirty-minute meeting this past May 10th , 2019 .
“ Just to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s lawyer , “ I represent him as a private citizen , not as President of the United States.
” The collection of text messages also reveals that Giuliani ’ s team appears to have been involved in direct physical surveillance of former Ukraine Ambassador Marie Yovanovitch , whom Trump unceremoniously recalled amidst a sea of relentless libel attacks generated by his lawyer and the right-wing media universe .
In addition , the cache of records reveals that President Trump ’ s top defense lawyer Jay Sekulow was involved in Giuliani ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ fact witness in the case against his client .
Lastly , the final document in the cache is an email with written permission from Sekulow to former Trump criminal defense lawyer John Dowd which gave him permission from the President himself to act as Lev Parnas ’ criminal defense lawyer .
The arrangement of Dowd as defense counsel fell apart after the President inevitably claimed to not know Parnas , an action that caused him to flip on Trump after at first attempting to stonewall Congressional investigators .
The most explosive single record @ @ @ @ @ @ @ House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence is a letter from Rudy Giuliani to President Zelensky in between his landslide election as a corruption fighter and his inauguration , which Parnas has said was part of a demand he carried to seek baseless investigations into the Bidens as a quid pro quo offered in exchange for Vice President Mike Pence ’ s presence at the swearing-in ceremony .
Pence didn ’ t attend , but former Energy Secretary Rick Perry went in his stead as part of a small delegation .
“ In my @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and with his knowledge and consent , ” Giuliani wrote in his penultimate paragraph of the one-page letter , “ I request a meeting with you on this upcoming May 13th or 14th.
” The president ’ s lawyer said that another of Trump ’ s personal lawyers , frequent Fox News guest Victoria Toensing , would accompany him .
A 1799 law called the Logan Act forbids “ any citizen of the United States ” from carrying on any correspondence with a foreign government with the intent to influence them in any @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
While the law has been enforced numerous times throughout the years by the State Department , nobody has been imprisoned for violating it , though it is a felony offense that carries a maximum three years penalty .
Here is a copy of Rudy Giuliani ’ s letter to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky before his swearing-in .
Story continues below : Memorably , former Ukraine Ambassador Yovanovitch testified in the impeachment hearings that she was told there was an imminent threat to her person when the government chose to recall her on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s inauguration , which she learned while she attended an event for a slain anti-corruption activist in Kyiv .
Parnas ’ records indicate the kind of realtime surveillance that gives credence to an institutional concern for her safety .
McConnell admitted coordinating impeachment with Trump .
Add your name to demand he recuse himself from the trial !
But the records implicating presidential defense lawyer Jay Sekulow in the acts precipitating impeachment are a grave blow to Donald Trump ’ s efforts to mount a defense in the Senate trial because the impeachment @ @ @ @ @ @ @ sworn testimony due to the Parnas documents revealed tonight .
Here are the messages between Parnas and Giuliani that involve Trump ’ s defense lawyer Jay Sekulow .
Story continues below : A “ fact witness ” is a person with particular knowledge about the facts of a case whose testimony consists of a recitation of events , not opinions such as an expert witness might provide .
When a lawyer is a fact witness , generally they must abandon their work as an advocate under the “ lawyer-witness rule , ” except @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for the client .
However , that rule only applies to federal court .
It will be up to the Senate ’ s decision during the trial if Sekulow is allowed to stay on as Trump ’ s defense counsel , now that his potentially personal and direct involvement in the President ’ s private pressure campaign against Ukraine has been exposed .
Finally , an email from Sekulow to former presidential criminal lawyer John Dowd demonstrates how flagrantly Trump has lied to the world about his involvement with Lev Parnas and Igor @ @ @ @ @ @ @ was a necessity for Dowd to represent Parnas because the two men could potentially have a conflict of interest , which has rapidly turned into a very high profile actual conflict between them as Florida-based proprietor of the company Fraud Guarantee chose to cooperate with Congress .
Here is the message from Sekulow to Dowd .
Story continues below : Only weeks after the above email between Trump ’ s personal lawyer and the comic sans-loving attorney Dowd , Parnas fired the longtime DC attorney .
Donald Trump has a storied history of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ flipping on him after he publicly distances himself from them , such as his convicted former lawyer Michael Cohen who is serving a three-year term in federal prison .
“ Mr .
Parnas was very upset by President Trump ’ s plainly false statement that he did not know him , ” Parnas ’ current lawyer Joseph A. Bondy told the New York Times .
Now , the longtime marijuana advocate Bondy is generating a significant amount of viral interest in his client ’ s story by releasing a series of music videos @ @ @ @ @ @ @ wasn ’ t just a casual Trump associate , but a friend to the whole family .
One video features photographs of Lev Parnas with members of the Trump family ( set to “ We are family ” by Sister Sledge ) .
Another shows Parnas holding the gavel of former GOP House Rules Committee Chairman Pete Sessions while sitting on the dais with the Texas politician ’ s nameplate ( set to “ Hammer time ” by MC Hammer ) .
President Trump has variously complained about impeachment as a “ dirty @ @ @ @ @ @ @ later went on Fox News to bizarrely ask to be put on trial for crimes of office .
In Speaker Pelosi ’ s recent but sure to be immortal words , he is “ impeached forever ” .
McConnell admitted coordinating impeachment with Trump .
Add your name to demand he recuse himself from the trial !
With the help of his former friend Lev Parnas , it is looking like the House impeachment managers that the Speaker names to prosecute the case are going to have a lot more material to throw @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , which the White House now expects will include witnesses .
Here is the complete set of Parnas Docs : What do you think ?

The House Intelligence Committee has released an explosive cache of documents (embedded below) from indicted Ukrainian-American Lev Parnas which look like they’ll feature prominently in President Trump’s impeachment trial. The records reveal far more about the true nature of the President’s personal lawyer’s machinations in Ukraine, along with several other surprises.
Amongst several bombshell revelations is that New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani personally sent a letter to Ukraine’s then-President-elect Zelensky asking for a thirty-minute meeting this past May 10th, 2019. “Just to be precise,” said Trump’s lawyer, “I represent him as a private citizen, not as President of the United States.”
The collection of text messages also reveals that Giuliani’s team appears to have been involved in direct physical surveillance of former Ukraine Ambassador Marie Yovanovitch, whom Trump unceremoniously recalled amidst a sea of relentless libel attacks generated by his lawyer and the right-wing media universe.
McConnell admitted coordinating impeachment with Trump. Add your name to demand he recuse himself from the trial!
In addition, the cache of records reveals that President Trump’s top defense lawyer Jay Sekulow was involved in Giuliani’s machinations and is, therefore, a fact witness in the case against his client.
Lastly, the final document in the cache is an email with written permission from Sekulow to former Trump criminal defense lawyer John Dowd which gave him permission from the President himself to act as Lev Parnas’ criminal defense lawyer. The arrangement of Dowd as defense counsel fell apart after the President inevitably claimed to not know Parnas, an action that caused him to flip on Trump after at first attempting to stonewall Congressional investigators.
The most explosive single record of the 38-page document released by the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence is a letter from Rudy Giuliani to President Zelensky in between his landslide election as a corruption fighter and his inauguration, which Parnas has said was part of a demand he carried to seek baseless investigations into the Bidens as a quid pro quo offered in exchange for Vice President Mike Pence’s presence at the swearing-in ceremony.
Pence didn’t attend, but former Energy Secretary Rick Perry went in his stead as part of a small delegation.
“In my capacity as personal counsel to President Trump and with his knowledge and consent,” Giuliani wrote in his penultimate paragraph of the one-page letter, “I request a meeting with you on this upcoming May 13th or 14th.” The president’s lawyer said that another of Trump’s personal lawyers, frequent Fox News guest Victoria Toensing, would accompany him.
A 1799 law called the Logan Act forbids “any citizen of the United States” from carrying on any correspondence with a foreign government with the intent to influence them in any “disputes or controversies” with America. While the law has been enforced numerous times throughout the years by the State Department, nobody has been imprisoned for violating it, though it is a felony offense that carries a maximum three years penalty.
Here is a copy of Rudy Giuliani’s letter to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky before his swearing-in. Story continues below:
Memorably, former Ukraine Ambassador Yovanovitch testified in the impeachment hearings that she was told there was an imminent threat to her person when the government chose to recall her on literally the eve of President Zelensky’s inauguration, which she learned while she attended an event for a slain anti-corruption activist in Kyiv. Parnas’ records indicate the kind of realtime surveillance that gives credence to an institutional concern for her safety.
McConnell admitted coordinating impeachment with Trump. Add your name to demand he recuse himself from the trial!
But the records implicating presidential defense lawyer Jay Sekulow in the acts precipitating impeachment are a grave blow to Donald Trump’s efforts to mount a defense in the Senate trial because the impeachment managers will in all likelihood seek his sworn testimony due to the Parnas documents revealed tonight.
Here are the messages between Parnas and Giuliani that involve Trump’s defense lawyer Jay Sekulow. Story continues below:
A “fact witness” is a person with particular knowledge about the facts of a case whose testimony consists of a recitation of events, not opinions such as an expert witness might provide.
When a lawyer is a fact witness, generally they must abandon their work as an advocate under the “lawyer-witness rule,” except when that might present a substantial hardship for the client. However, that rule only applies to federal court. It will be up to the Senate’s decision during the trial if Sekulow is allowed to stay on as Trump’s defense counsel, now that his potentially personal and direct involvement in the President’s private pressure campaign against Ukraine has been exposed.
Finally, an email from Sekulow to former presidential criminal lawyer John Dowd demonstrates how flagrantly Trump has lied to the world about his involvement with Lev Parnas and Igor Fruman.
Trump’s personal approval was a necessity for Dowd to represent Parnas because the two men could potentially have a conflict of interest, which has rapidly turned into a very high profile actual conflict between them as Florida-based proprietor of the company Fraud Guarantee chose to cooperate with Congress.
Here is the message from Sekulow to Dowd. Story continues below:
Only weeks after the above email between Trump’s personal lawyer and the comic sans-loving attorney Dowd, Parnas fired the longtime DC attorney.
Donald Trump has a storied history of his closest associates hiring new counsel and flipping on him after he publicly distances himself from them, such as his convicted former lawyer Michael Cohen who is serving a three-year term in federal prison.
“Mr. Parnas was very upset by President Trump’s plainly false statement that he did not know him,” Parnas’ current lawyer Joseph A. Bondy told the New York Times. Now, the longtime marijuana advocate Bondy is generating a significant amount of viral interest in his client’s story by releasing a series of music videos, which prove pretty definitively that Lev wasn’t just a casual Trump associate, but a friend to the whole family.
One video features photographs of Lev Parnas with members of the Trump family (set to “We are family” by Sister Sledge). Another shows Parnas holding the gavel of former GOP House Rules Committee Chairman Pete Sessions while sitting on the dais with the Texas politician’s nameplate (set to “Hammer time” by MC Hammer).
President Trump has variously complained about impeachment as a “dirty, filthy, disgusting word” and later went on Fox News to bizarrely ask to be put on trial for crimes of office. In Speaker Pelosi’s recent but sure to be immortal words, he is “impeached forever”.
McConnell admitted coordinating impeachment with Trump. Add your name to demand he recuse himself from the trial!
With the help of his former friend Lev Parnas, it is looking like the House impeachment managers that the Speaker names to prosecute the case are going to have a lot more material to throw at President Trump in his Senate trial, which the White House now expects will include witnesses.
Here is the complete set of Parnas Docs:


occupydemocrats--2020-01-16--“Trump knew exactly what was going on:” Giuliani crony Lev Parnas throws Trump under bus on MSNBC

MSNBC ‘ s Rachel Maddow got the scoop of the century today when she interviewed the indicted accomplice of Trump attorney Rudy Giuliani a day after his latest batch of devastatingly incriminating evidence was delivered to the House of Representative committees involved in overseeing the impeachment investigations of Donald Trump .
Speaking with the Rusian-born Lev Parnas who , along with his cohort Igor Fruman , worked hand in hand with Giuliani in the Trump personal attorney ’ s secretive extra-diplomatic mission to Ukraine to dig up political ammunition to help the president wage his reelection campaign against one of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Vice President Joe Biden , Maddow got Parnas to give her the proverbial “ money ” quote .
“ President Trump knew exactly what was going on .
He was aware of all of my movements .
I wouldn ’ t do anything without the consent of Rudy Giuliani or the president , ” Parnas told the MSNBC host .
Maddow followed up this bombshell revelation from a direct participant in the Ukraine scandal that has enveloped the president and his administration with an even more pointed question about Trump ’ s comments @ @ @ @ @ @ @ were , despite the ample evidence of them posing together , smiling for the cameras at numerous events .
While the word of an accused criminal indicted on charges of funneling illegal foreign campaign finance contributions to GOP candidates may not be considered believable by many people , given the president ’ s own record of consistently avoiding the truth and constant dissembling , even the word of a suspected mobster seems more credible .
McConnell admitted coordinating impeachment with Trump .
Add your name to demand he recuse himself from the trial @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Rachel Maddow ’ s interview with Lev Parnas in the video clip below .
What do you think ?

MSNBC‘s Rachel Maddow got the scoop of the century today when she interviewed the indicted accomplice of Trump attorney Rudy Giuliani a day after his latest batch of devastatingly incriminating evidence was delivered to the House of Representative committees involved in overseeing the impeachment investigations of Donald Trump.
Speaking with Lev Parnas, who, along with his cohort Igor Fruman, worked hand in hand with Giuliani in the Trump personal attorney’s secretive extra-diplomatic mission to Ukraine to dig up political ammunition to help the president wage his reelection campaign against one of his top potential Democratic rivals, former Vice President Joe Biden, Maddow got Parnas to give her the proverbial “money” quote.
“President Trump knew exactly what was going on. He was aware of all of my movements. I wouldn’t do anything without the consent of Rudy Giuliani or the president,” Parnas told the MSNBC host.
Maddow followed up this bombshell revelation from a direct participant in the Ukraine scandal that has enveloped the president and his administration with an even more pointed question about Trump’s comments denying even knowing who Parnas and Fruman were, despite the ample evidence of them posing together, smiling for the cameras at numerous events.
“You’re saying that was not a true statement from the president,” Maddow questioned the Giuliani associate about Trump’s fervent denials. “He lied,” Parnas replied matter-of-factly.
While the word of an accused criminal indicted on charges of funneling illegal foreign campaign finance contributions to GOP candidates may not be considered believable by many people, given the president’s own record of consistently avoiding the truth and constant dissembling, even the word of a suspected mobster seems more credible.
McConnell admitted coordinating impeachment with Trump. Add your name to demand he recuse himself from the trial!
You can watch a preview of Rachel Maddow’s interview with Lev Parnas in the video clip below.
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--2020-01-15--After police detect threats from white supremacists, Virginia Governor declares state of emergency

Virginia ’ s Democratic Governor Ralph Northam declared a state of emergency in the state capital of Richmond in advance @ @ @ @ @ rally on next Monday after “ Law enforcement intelligence analysts have identified credible threats of @ @ @ @ @ along with white nationalist rhetoric and plans by out-of-state militia groups to attend , ” @ @ @ @ @ WCYB News .
After Northam ’ s emergency decree takes effect beginning this Friday afternoon @ @ @ @ @ gun rights demonstration — as well as anyone else not belonging to law enforcement organizations @ @ @ @ @ bringing any type of weapon onto the grounds of Capitol Square where the rally is @ @ @ @ @ The governor was careful in the preface of his emergency declaration to explain the reasons @ @ @ @ @ ban .
McConnell admitted coordinating impeachment with Trump .
Add your name to demand he @ @ @ @ @ !
What do you think ?


occupydemocrats--2020-01-17--US Military Officials announce 11 US troops were injured in Iran missile attack, contradicting Trump

Two weeks ago , President Trump ordered the U.S. military to fire a war shot without Congressional authorization or any imminent threat , assassinating Iran ’ s second-highest government official and leading to their retaliatory rocket attack on American troops in Iraq .
After the rockets landed , Trump said that “ no Americans were harmed ” by the Iranian volley aimed at Ayn Al Asad Air Base where 1,500 soldiers are stationed just over a hundred miles from Baghdad , and at one other base .
However , we now know that Donald Trump ’ s claim was far @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to tell McConnell to allow impeachment witnesses .
We demand Trump get a fair trial !
In fact , there were 11 U.S. casualties of war from the retaliatory strike which President Trump falsely described as “ So far , so good ” in a tweet as American soldiers were under heavy fire .
Defense One broke the news that there were numerous casualties : In a front-page story on Fox News website , they reported that a Central Command spokesman said the 11 servicemembers were suffering from a traumatic brain injury ( @ @ @ @ @ @ @ impacts .
“ A traumatic brain injury caused by an explosion or blast can be more complex compared with a TBI from other causes , ” says Brainline , a website from WETA-TV which is the flagship station of PBS , located in Washington , D.C. “ In fact , explosive devices can produce multi-trauma injuries in an individual rarely seen outside combat… Blast injuries result from the complex pressure wave generated by an explosion , an instantaneous rise in atmospheric pressure that is much higher than normal for humans to withstand .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” Military officials were aware that some troops were suffering from concussion-symptoms by as early as this Monday when the New York Times reported their description of the Iranian attack as “ like a scene from an action movie.
” For unexplained reasons , American military spokesmen , nor Donald Trump bothered telling anyone about the injuries which ultimately required specialty hospitalization outside of Iraq .
“ Out of an abundance of caution , ” said Col. Myles Caggins , the spokesman for Combined Joint Task Force-Operation Inherent Resolve , to Defense One @ @ @ @ @ @ @ from Al Asad Air Base , Iraq to Landstuhl Regional Medical Center in Germany , others were sent to Camp Arifjan , Kuwait , for follow-on screening.
” The entire sequence of events began with a single Iraqi-American defense contractor killed in Iraq .
Trump responded from Mar-a-Lago with maximum force , launching a rocket attack inside Iraq against Iranian-backed militias without consulting with that nation ’ s government in what they deemed a violation of their sovereignty .
In response , those militias assaulted the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad ’ s heavily @ @ @ @ @ @ @ let them pass , although no Americans were injured or killed in the siege , which lasted a little over a day while troops poured into the compound .
Again from Mar-a-Lago and not the White House situation room , President Trump took the fateful step of firing shots in anger at both the head of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps Quds Force leader Qasem Suleimani who died in a drone attack at Baghdad International Airport while traveling there with diplomatic permission from Iraq and in a failed attack on a top Iranian @ @ @ @ @ @ @ with the attack that injured 11 Americans and also shot down a Ukrainian civilian airliner in an accidental takedown with a pair of missiles , reminiscent of the U.S. Vincennes shootdown of an Iranian civilian airliner in 1988 .
Both Iran ’ s Foreign Minister and Canada ’ s Prime Minister , whose nation suffered grievous civilian casualties , placed some of the blame for the downing of Ukraine Airlines flight 752 from Tehran to Kyiv which took 176 lives , including two newlywed Iranian-Canadian couples .
President Trump materially failed to disclose @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the hostilities with Iran that he started without justification or Congressional notification or approval .
Now , almost a dozen U.S. servicemen are in hospitals for possible complex brain injuries caused by the Iranian retaliation which they lawfully launched under the Geneva Convention of war .
What do you think ?

Two weeks ago, President Trump ordered the U.S. military to fire a war shot without Congressional authorization or any imminent threat, assassinating Iran’s second-highest government official and leading to their retaliatory rocket attack on American troops in Iraq.
After the rockets landed, Trump said that “no Americans were harmed” by the Iranian volley aimed at Ayn Al Asad Air Base where 1,500 soldiers are stationed just over a hundred miles from Baghdad, and at one other base.
However, we now know that Donald Trump’s claim was far from the truth.
Add your name to tell McConnell to allow impeachment witnesses. We demand Trump get a fair trial!
In fact, there were 11 U.S. casualties of war from the retaliatory strike which President Trump falsely described as “So far, so good” in a tweet as American soldiers were under heavy fire. Defense One broke the news that there were numerous casualties:
Nearly one dozen American troops were wounded in Iran’s Jan. 8 missile attack on Iraq’s al-Asad air base. This week, they were medically evacuated to U.S. military hospitals in Kuwait and Landstuhl, Germany, to be treated for traumatic brain injury and to undergo further evaluation, several U.S. defense and military officials have confirmed to Defense One.
In a front-page story on Fox News website, they reported that a Central Command spokesman said the 11 servicemembers were suffering from a traumatic brain injury (TBI) from exposure to the missile impacts.
“A traumatic brain injury caused by an explosion or blast can be more complex compared with a TBI from other causes,” says Brainline, a website from WETA-TV which is the flagship station of PBS, located in Washington, D.C. “In fact, explosive devices can produce multi-trauma injuries in an individual rarely seen outside combat… Blast injuries result from the complex pressure wave generated by an explosion, an instantaneous rise in atmospheric pressure that is much higher than normal for humans to withstand. This is called a blast over-pressurization wave”
Military officials were aware that some troops were suffering from concussion-symptoms by as early as this Monday when the New York Times reported their description of the Iranian attack as “like a scene from an action movie.”
For unexplained reasons, American military spokesmen, nor Donald Trump bothered telling anyone about the injuries which ultimately required specialty hospitalization outside of Iraq.
“Out of an abundance of caution,” said Col. Myles Caggins, the spokesman for Combined Joint Task Force-Operation Inherent Resolve, to Defense One, “Some service members were transported from Al Asad Air Base, Iraq to Landstuhl Regional Medical Center in Germany, others were sent to Camp Arifjan, Kuwait, for follow-on screening.”
The entire sequence of events began with a single Iraqi-American defense contractor killed in Iraq. Trump responded from Mar-a-Lago with maximum force, launching a rocket attack inside Iraq against Iranian-backed militias without consulting with that nation’s government in what they deemed a violation of their sovereignty. In response, those militias assaulted the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad’s heavily guarded Green Zone after Iraqi soldiers essentially let them pass, although no Americans were injured or killed in the siege, which lasted a little over a day while troops poured into the compound.
Again from Mar-a-Lago and not the White House situation room, President Trump took the fateful step of firing shots in anger at both the head of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps Quds Force leader Qasem Suleimani who died in a drone attack at Baghdad International Airport while traveling there with diplomatic permission from Iraq and in a failed attack on a top Iranian commander in Yemen.
Iran retaliated promptly with the attack that injured 11 Americans and also shot down a Ukrainian civilian airliner in an accidental takedown with a pair of missiles, reminiscent of the U.S. Vincennes shootdown of an Iranian civilian airliner in 1988. Both Iran’s Foreign Minister and Canada’s Prime Minister, whose nation suffered grievous civilian casualties, placed some of the blame for the downing of Ukraine Airlines flight 752 from Tehran to Kyiv which took 176 lives, including two newlywed Iranian-Canadian couples.
President Trump materially failed to disclose a significant number of American casualties in the hostilities with Iran that he started without justification or Congressional notification or approval.
Now, almost a dozen U.S. servicemen are in hospitals for possible complex brain injuries caused by the Iranian retaliation which they lawfully launched under the Geneva Convention of war.


occupydemocrats--2020-01-17--Twitter explodes in mockery over Trump’s “PERFECT CALL!” impeachment tweet

The whole nation was on the edge of its seat today as the impeachment trial kicked off in full and the Senators were sworn in to be Donald Trump ’ s jurors .
The president did not waste any time before letting the nation know how he felt about having charges read out against him in a courtroom — something he ’ s very used to hearing — by simply sending out an all-caps tweet screaming “ I GOT IMPEACHED FOR A PERFECT PHONE CALL !
” The “ perfect phone call ” is one of the weirder verbal phrases @ @ @ @ @ @ @ president ’ s paranoid , obsessive , and rapidly decaying brain , and as such has become almost a meme unto itself .
What exactly is the “ perfect phone call ?
” Social media tried its best to answer that this afternoon , with all the hilarity , sarcasm , and vulgarity that you we all know and love from Twitter .
Add your name to tell McConnell to allow impeachment witnesses .
We demand Trump get a fair trial !
Here ’ s a sample of the best responses : Add @ @ @ @ @ @ @ impeachment witnesses .
We demand Trump get a fair trial !
What do you think ?

The whole nation was on the edge of its seat today as the impeachment trial kicked off in full and the Senators were sworn in to be Donald Trump’s jurors. The president did not waste any time before letting the nation know how he felt about having charges read out against him in a courtroom — something he’s very used to hearing — by simply sending out an all-caps tweet screaming “I GOT IMPEACHED FOR A PERFECT PHONE CALL!”
The “perfect phone call” is one of the weirder verbal phrases that has become permanently fixed in the president’s paranoid, obsessive, and rapidly decaying brain, and as such has become almost a meme unto itself. What exactly is the “perfect phone call?”
Social media tried its best to answer that this afternoon, with all the hilarity, sarcasm, and vulgarity that you we all know and love from Twitter.
Add your name to tell McConnell to allow impeachment witnesses. We demand Trump get a fair trial!
Here’s a sample of the best responses:
This is what silver spoon kids that are never held accountable for anything sound like. AKA very strong “Mom, yell at my teacher to bump my grade up” energy https://t.co/5Qz0sCt0FX — Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@AOC) January 16, 2020
What exactly is a perfect phone call? Besides a stupid thing to say. https://t.co/HF4ne1Z8Cq — Ken Olin (@kenolin1) January 16, 2020
Add your name to tell McConnell to allow impeachment witnesses. We demand Trump get a fair trial!
I JUST GOT IMPEACHED FOR FLUSHING MY TOILET 10 TO 15 TIMES! https://t.co/5U5mkoawHv — Rob Haffey (@rbhaffey) January 16, 2020
This reminds me of the time I so nearly made the perfect phone call but then at the last minute I illegally pressured the Ukrainian President to dig up dirt on a rival or lose out on military aid and I blew it. https://t.co/e4WWYrRWVi — David Schneider (@davidschneider) January 16, 2020
YOU, TOO, CAN HAVE A PERFECT PHONE CALL WITH PRESIDENT TRUMP! CALL THE DONALD J. TRUMP PERFECT CALL HOTLINE: +1 (954) 448-7867 https://t.co/peuRNTKuoL — The Daily Show (@TheDailyShow) January 16, 2020
The only perfect phone call I ever heard was when one of my kids was a toddler on his play phone: "Hello?" "Puppies!" "Goodbye." — ryan teague beckwith (@ryanbeckwith) January 16, 2020
"I JUST GOT ARRESTED FOR MAKING A PERFECT COCKTAIL!" – Bill Cosby https://t.co/xHorHsqTzM — Matt Oswalt (@MattOswaltVA) January 16, 2020
the only perfect phone call pic.twitter.com/OdDuldTBKC — Sarah Lerner (@SarahLerner) January 16, 2020
when you realize you've been impeached for making a perfect phone call pic.twitter.com/fEnIAwoD38 — priscilla page (@BBW_BFF) January 16, 2020
Lol owned bitch https://t.co/8lWaT0bk3P — logo, threata günberg's dad (@logophobe) January 16, 2020
IT WAS A PERFECT PHONE CALL BUT NO YOU CAN'T SEE THE FULL TRANSCRIPT AND NO YOU CAN'T TALK TO ANYONE WHO WAS IN THE ROOM WHEN IT HAPPENED AND NO YOU CAN'T SEE DOCUMENTS ABOUT THE CALL EITHER BUT IT WAS PERFECT SHUT UP IT WAS PERFECT. — Kevin M. Kruse (@KevinMKruse) January 16, 2020
I JUST GOT THROWN OUT OF ALAMO DRAFTHOUSE FOR A PERFECT PHONE CALL! — Thick Cave & the Bad Tweets™ (@TimDuffy) January 16, 2020
grind it up. blast it into my vein. https://t.co/i7BSqmndfs — Josh Marshall (@joshtpm) January 16, 2020
Staff Report This is a staff report from former Occupy Democrats Editor in Chief Colin Taylor or contributor Rob Haffney. Latest Posts


occupydemocrats--2020-01-17--Lev Parnas posts hilarious video of him and Trump after Trump claims to not know him again

Donald Trump wants us to believe that he doesn ’ t know Lev Parnas , one of the indicted associates of Rudy Giuliani who was sent to Ukraine to dig up dirt on Joe Biden ahead of the 2020 election .
“ I don ’ t know those gentlemen , ” President Trump previously stated about Parnas and his associate Igor Fruman , before conceding that he may have taken a photo of them at some point because he takes photos with lots of peoples .
CNN managed to find ten interactions between Trump and Parnas and numerous photographs of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Trump was playing loose and fast with the truth .
Last night , Parnas went on Rachel Maddow ’ s show and accused Trump of lying about their relationship .
Add your name to tell McConnell to allow impeachment witnesses .
We demand Trump get a fair trial !
“ President Trump knew exactly what was going on .
He was aware of all of my movements .
I wouldn ’ t do anything without the consent of Rudy Giuliani or the president , ” claimed Parnas to Maddow .
When she pushed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ out said that Trump “ lied.
” Earlier today , during a conversation with Anderson Cooper on CNN ’ s New Day , Parnas threatened to release a new photo of him with the president every time Trump denies knowing him .
“ I thought they were going to shut me up , make me look like the scapegoat , and try to blame me for stuff that I wasn ’ t done .
But with God ’ s help and a great legal team that I have beside me , we were @ @ @ @ @ @ @ now it ’ s out there .
So , I welcome him to say that even more .
Every time he says that I ’ ll show him another picture , ” said Parnas .
Not long after , Trump once again disavowed Parnas “ I don ’ t believe I ’ ve ever spoken to him , ” Trump said to reporters in the Oval Office .
He claimed that Parnas is part of some “ big hoax ” and that he doesn ’ t know him “ at all.
” Well @ @ @ @ @ @ @ threat and then some .
His attorney , Joseph A. Bondy , released a clip on Twitter showing Trump and Parnas hanging out at some event .
Hilariously , Janet Jackson ’ s “ Together Again ” has been mockingly overlaid over the video .
The song says “ Everywhere I go/Every smile I see/I know you are there/Smilin back at me.
” It ’ s an expert trolling move on the part of Parnas and is exactly the kind of thing that infuriates Trump .
More importantly , there is now no @ @ @ @ @ @ @ knew each other .
What do you think ?

Donald Trump wants us to believe that he doesn’t know Lev Parnas, one of the indicted associates of Rudy Giuliani who was sent to Ukraine to dig up dirt on Joe Biden ahead of the 2020 election.
“I don’t know those gentlemen,” President Trump previously stated about Parnas and his associate Igor Fruman, before conceding that he may have taken a photo of them at some point because he takes photos with lots of peoples. CNN managed to find ten interactions between Trump and Parnas and numerous photographs of them together have emerged. Clearly, Trump was playing loose and fast with the truth.
Last night, Parnas went on Rachel Maddow’s show and accused Trump of lying about their relationship.
Add your name to tell McConnell to allow impeachment witnesses. We demand Trump get a fair trial!
“President Trump knew exactly what was going on. He was aware of all of my movements. I wouldn’t do anything without the consent of Rudy Giuliani or the president,” claimed Parnas to Maddow. When she pushed him on the issue, Parnas flat out said that Trump “lied.”
Earlier today, during a conversation with Anderson Cooper on CNN’s New Day, Parnas threatened to release a new photo of him with the president every time Trump denies knowing him.
“I thought they were going to shut me up, make me look like the scapegoat, and try to blame me for stuff that I wasn’t done. But with God’s help and a great legal team that I have beside me, we were able to get the information out and now it’s out there. So, I welcome him to say that even more. Every time he says that I’ll show him another picture,” said Parnas.
“He’s lying?” asked Cooper.
“He’s lying,” confirmed Parnas.
Not long after, Trump once again disavowed Parnas
“I don’t believe I’ve ever spoken to him,” Trump said to reporters in the Oval Office. He claimed that Parnas is part of some “big hoax” and that he doesn’t know him “at all.”
Well, Parnas has made good on his threat and then some. His attorney, Joseph A. Bondy, released a clip on Twitter showing Trump and Parnas hanging out at some event. Hilariously, Janet Jackson’s “Together Again” has been mockingly overlaid over the video. The song says “Everywhere I go/Every smile I see/I know you are there/Smilin back at me.”
It’s an expert trolling move on the part of Parnas and is exactly the kind of thing that infuriates Trump. More importantly, there is now no way to deny that these two men knew each other.
Here’s the “I don’t know him at all, don’t know what he’s about, don’t know where he comes from, know nothing about him” guy, w Lev Parnas & Roman Nasirov, former head of Ukrainian Fiscal Service, at Mar-a-Lago 12/16. @POTUS .@realDonaldTrump @Acosta #LevRemembers #LetLevSpeak pic.twitter.com/5B5QY2DJEg — Joseph A. Bondy (@josephabondy) January 16, 2020
Staff Report This is a staff report from former Occupy Democrats Editor in Chief Colin Taylor or contributor Rob Haffney. Latest Posts


occupydemocrats--2020-01-16--The Government Accountability Office definitively declares the Trump admin violated federal law

On Thursday , the Government Accountability Office ( GAO ) released a nonpartisan report that definitely blames the Trump administration for illegally withholding funds from Ukraine that Congress lawfully appropriated .
( report embedded below ) For months , Republicans have defended Donald Trump ’ s scheme to hold back vital security aid from America ’ s Ukrainian allies in their fight against Russia ’ s war of territorial aggression as “ not committing a crime , ” and thus not worthy of impeachment .
But the GAO ’ s 9-page report utterly destroys that GOP myth with the facts @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to the White House Office of Management and Budget to withhold the funds were unlawful and broke the Impoundment Control Act ( ICA ) .
Add your name to tell McConnell to allow impeachment witnesses .
We demand Trump get a fair trial !
Congress passed that Nixon-era law to avert precisely the kind of abuse of presidential power Trump has undertaken , by forcing the executive branch to spend Congressionally allocated funds under exact terms .
The GAO report says that Ukraine ’ s compliance with certain anti-corruption measures was already certified @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2019 before Trump ’ s political appointee , Michael Duffy at the OMB , froze the money anyway just 91 minutes after the now-infamous phone call where the President asked Ukraine ’ s leader for “ a favor.
” In its response to us , OMB described the withholding as necessary to ensure that the funds were not spent “ in a manner that could conflict with the President ’ s foreign policy.
” The ICA does not permit deferrals for policy reasons .
OMB ’ s justification @ @ @ @ @ @ @ scope of an impermissible policy deferral .
Thus , the deferral of USAI funds was improper under the ICA .
Throughout its report , the GAO excoriated OMB officials ’ lame excuses for participating in the president ’ s scheme to extort fake investigations , noting that the power of the purse rests in Congress ’ hands .
They even cited the oft-discussed “ take care ” clause of the Constitution , which requires the president to faithfully execute all laws , which an appropriations bill certainly is .
While the OMB and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the GAO ’ s investigators on their $ 250 million portion of funding , the report notes that the State Department stonewalled and refused to provide anything to the nonpartisan watchdog about its role in the impeachable offenses , as did the OMB .
“ We consider a reluctance to provide a fulsome response to have constitutional significance , ” the report ’ s authors ominously concluded , alluding to the ongoing impeachment proceedings against Donald Trump .
“ GAO ’ s role under the ICA—to provide information and legal analysis to Congress @ @ @ @ @ @ @ essential to ensuring respect for and allegiance to Congress ’ constitutional power of the purse .
All federal officials and employees take an oath to uphold and protect the Constitution and its core tenets , including the congressional power of the purse .
We trust that State and OMB will provide the information needed.
” Sen. Christopher Van Hollen ’ s ( D-MD ) dogged pursuit of the facts surrounding Trump ’ s violation of the ICA during an October budget hearing in the Senate by questioning the Comptroller General about the disbursement @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a further letter last month , was noted by the GAO ’ s investigators .
Lastly , the GAO ’ s report notes that the OMB was required to notify Congress with detailed explanations for any delays and that the Pentagon had already taken nearly all of the required steps to spend the money , even having identified what they were going to send to Ukraine .
Today ’ s report by the Government Accountability Office obliterates all semblance of the impeached President Donald J. Trump ’ s paper-thin defenses that he didn @ @ @ @ @ @ @ he shouldn ’ t be removed from office .
On the contrary , the nonpartisan Congressional agency has delivered a black and white denouncement of Donald Trump ’ s unlawful administration that is sure to echo through the ages for its menacing conclusions , which are sure to become crucial evidence in only the third presidential impeachment trial in American history .
What do you think ?

On Thursday, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) released a nonpartisan report that definitely blames the Trump administration for illegally withholding funds from Ukraine that Congress lawfully appropriated. (report embedded below)
For months, Republicans have defended Donald Trump’s scheme to hold back vital security aid from America’s Ukrainian allies in their fight against Russia’s war of territorial aggression as “not committing a crime,” and thus not worthy of impeachment.
But the GAO’s 9-page report utterly destroys that GOP myth with the facts, namely that Trump’s directives to the White House Office of Management and Budget to withhold the funds were unlawful and broke the Impoundment Control Act (ICA).
Add your name to tell McConnell to allow impeachment witnesses. We demand Trump get a fair trial!
Congress passed that Nixon-era law to avert precisely the kind of abuse of presidential power Trump has undertaken, by forcing the executive branch to spend Congressionally allocated funds under exact terms.
The GAO report says that Ukraine’s compliance with certain anti-corruption measures was already certified by the Pentagon under the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2019 before Trump’s political appointee, Michael Duffy at the OMB, froze the money anyway just 91 minutes after the now-infamous phone call where the President asked Ukraine’s leader for “a favor.”
A key passage of the report reads (citations omitted):
In its response to us, OMB described the withholding as necessary to ensure that the funds were not spent “in a manner that could conflict with the President’s foreign policy.” The ICA does not permit deferrals for policy reasons. OMB’s justification for the withholding falls squarely within the scope of an impermissible policy deferral. Thus, the deferral of USAI funds was improper under the ICA.
Throughout its report, the GAO excoriated OMB officials’ lame excuses for participating in the president’s scheme to extort fake investigations, noting that the power of the purse rests in Congress’ hands. They even cited the oft-discussed “take care” clause of the Constitution, which requires the president to faithfully execute all laws, which an appropriations bill certainly is.
While the OMB and Department of Defense provided complete responses to the GAO’s investigators on their $250 million portion of funding, the report notes that the State Department stonewalled and refused to provide anything to the nonpartisan watchdog about its role in the impeachable offenses, as did the OMB.
The report noted in astonishment:
OMB and State have failed, as of yet, to provide the information we need to fulfill our duties under the ICA regarding potential impoundments of FMF funds.
“We consider a reluctance to provide a fulsome response to have constitutional significance,” the report’s authors ominously concluded, alluding to the ongoing impeachment proceedings against Donald Trump. “GAO’s role under the ICA—to provide information and legal analysis to Congress as it performs oversight of executive activity—is essential to ensuring respect for and allegiance to Congress’ constitutional power of the purse. All federal officials and employees take an oath to uphold and protect the Constitution and its core tenets, including the congressional power of the purse. We trust that State and OMB will provide the information needed.”
Sen. Christopher Van Hollen’s (D-MD) dogged pursuit of the facts surrounding Trump’s violation of the ICA during an October budget hearing in the Senate by questioning the Comptroller General about the disbursement of Ukraine funds and followed up with a further letter last month, was noted by the GAO’s investigators.
Lastly, the GAO’s report notes that the OMB was required to notify Congress with detailed explanations for any delays and that the Pentagon had already taken nearly all of the required steps to spend the money, even having identified what they were going to send to Ukraine.
Today’s report by the Government Accountability Office obliterates all semblance of the impeached President Donald J. Trump’s paper-thin defenses that he didn’t violate any laws, so he shouldn’t be removed from office.
On the contrary, the nonpartisan Congressional agency has delivered a black and white denouncement of Donald Trump’s unlawful administration that is sure to echo through the ages for its menacing conclusions, which are sure to become crucial evidence in only the third presidential impeachment trial in American history.
Here’s the complete 9-page report: