News Burst: May 16, 2017 (Patreon)

Hey Fam,

I hope you’re well! Today’s been… well… interesting. I was pretty much entirely focused and head-down on Thursday’s episode of Colin’s Last Stand (which is already locked, loaded, and ready to go for 9a PT on Thursday morning), so I spent a bit of time today really catching up on all that’s going on with Donald Trump.

Never did I imagine, when I started Colin’s Last Stand not even two months ago, that I’d have so much of what seems like the same exact shit to write about in my tri-weekly News Bursts. But alas, here we are.

Maybe I’m falling for the media’s obvious bias and the Democrats’ equally obvious agenda, but if these accusations are true, and they continue to stack up, then the end is definitely nigh for President Trump. And then we get President Pence.

Frankly, I can live with that.

Comey Memo Claims Trump Asked Him to Stop Investigating General Flynn: https://www.nytimes.com/2017/05/16/us/politics/james-comey-trump-flynn-russia-investigation.html

My Take: This is a pretty massive bombshell, if true, because it indicates that President Trump is obstructing with justice at essentially the highest possible level, with Comey having been FBI Director at the time. News comes by way of a memo that Comey apparently prepared back in February, upon which this fateful encounter apparently took place. The New York Times -- who broke the story -- notes that, while their reporter(s) never saw the memo, the trustworthy source of the story apparently read fragments of it to them, which is in the link above.

This is bizarre for one reason in particular, a point I’ve seen made in a couple of places, but certainly not enough. Was Donald Trump really under the impression that an FBI operative -- especially at the highest rung of the organization -- wasn't going to take copious notes about any encounter that may later implicate either Trump or Comey, or both? I’m still grappling with the fundamental fact of whether Donald Trump is truly this clueless as to the ways of the government and its various branches and agencies, or if he really has a more malicious intention to cover-up, in this instance, whatever Flynn may or may not have done. To me, it’s the former, but it’s impossible to say for sure.

The House, through Jason Chaffetz, has subpoenaed any documents related to Comey’s firing, Flynn, and everything else, with a rather generous deadline of May 24th. Furthermore, Representative Chaffetz has since indicated that he may directly subpoena the memo itself, which, while admittedly unclassified, is still not in the hands of anyone who could materially do anything with it. Props to Jason Chaffetz (see related story below) for finally stepping up and doing something. This is what happens when you’re not running for reelection.

(Related Story | Chaffetz Indicates He Will Subpoena Comey Memo: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/jason-chaffetz-comey-subpoena_us_591b7cd9e4b0a7458fa402fb?ncid=inblnkushpmg00000009)

Trump Reveals Classified Information to Russian Ambassador: https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/trump-revealed-highly-classified-information-to-russian-foreign-minister-and-ambassador/2017/05/15/530c172a-3960-11e7-9e48-c4f199710b69_story.html?utm_term=.313d056d0a3c

My Take: In Trump’s Washington, this is already old news, since the above story pertaining to James Comey’s Trump/Flynn memo has since been released. But in normal times -- say, 2016 -- this would be a massive story that would have taken several days and several news cycle to purge out of our memories. So yes, it’s old news here in 2017, but it’s also worth throwing in here because it’s all part of the bullshit that’s currently occupying our every waking moment.

So, as the related story below will indicate, sharing classified information with other countries isn’t exactly unprecedented, even with friend/foe adversaries like Russia. Hell, Barack Obama literally shared classified information with the Russians last year, so that’s totally worth noting. Still, this seems to be a little different. The information shared with the Russians had to do with ISIS, and some sort of high level breach an informant or ally had in the structure of ISIS. The CIA, according to the story, moved quickly to mitigate any damage this information sharing might have caused, as Russia and the US aren’t exactly coming down on the same exact, precise side with one another when it comes to the Islamic State.

Like the Comey/Flynn situation, this is one of those cases where I don’t think Trump realizes exactly what he did. According to the Washington Post story, this is high-level classified information having to do with laptops and aviation, stuff that maybe Trump thought would be useful to the Russians. Maybe he was just trying to impress them. Still, the story notes that we haven’t even shared this information with our actual friends. Trump likely broke no laws here, but he certainly broke with standard protocol, and people familiar with the situation were unhappy enough with it that they spilled yet even more news to the press. Such is a fact of life for Donald Trump, who seems to have the respect of virtually no one around him.

(Related Story | Obama Also Gave Classified Intelligence to the Russians: http://www.newsbusters.org/blogs/nb/kyle-drennen/2017/05/16/guests-remind-nbc-cnn-obama-gave-classified-intel-russia)

The GOP’s Just About Done With President Trump: http://thehill.com/homenews/house/333752-gop-nears-total-exasperation-with-trump

My Take: Well, duh. Trump’s pretty much daily episodes are interrupting their ability to govern in their own right. There is no viable legislative agenda coming out of the White House, and the GOP in the House and Senate doesn’t nearly have the votes in either chamber to run roughshod with their agenda without his signatures. In other words, the House, Senate, and the President have to continue to work together, but how can you with all of this bullshit whirling around like a political hurricane? As Joe Scarborough noted on Twitter today, this situation is simply untenable.

The Hill’s story cites quotes from Susan Collins, Mitch McConnell, John Thune, Ben Sasse (who I’m becoming really fond of), John McCain, Bob Corker, Jeff Flake, Roy Blunt, Barbara Comstock, et cetera. A pretty nice who’s-who in the Republican power structure in Congress. Washington’s center of gravity is always at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue -- it’s an unfortunate side effect of the Imperial Presidency no one seems all that interested in curtailing -- so without a symbiotic relationship between both sides, suffice it to say that nothing will get done, and the 2018 midterms will be an even greater bloodbath than mere history indicates was already going to be the case.

This is the Democrats’ time to strike, but as the related story below so honestly indicates, it’s also a time to be measured and careful. The somewhat sad truth of the matter is that Trump is unwinding early enough -- far earlier than I certainly thought he would or could -- that, should Mike Pence get the reins soon enough, the ship can be righted long before the midterms. The Democrats have to be very careful not to overplay their hand. This is a slam dunk for them in the House and the Senate if this keeps up, but people clearly want more than “We’re Not Donald Trump,”, since he beat Clinton back in November. Just some food for thought.  A deliberate way forward is going to be the best move for all involved.

(Related Story | Dems Warn Their Trump Obsession Will Hurt Party: http://www.mcclatchydc.com/news/nation-world/national/article150868947.html)

The White House “Rocked” by Trump’s Missteps, The Last Eight Days Have Been Painful

My Take: The following two stories are basically recaps/recounts of what has happened recently. No need for me to really bring you through them. You should simply make it a point to read them.

http://thehill.com/homenews/administration/333710-eight-days-that-shook-trumps-washington

http://www.politico.com/story/2017/05/16/trump-comey-flynn-shutdown-238467

Chelsea Manning Is About to Get Out of Prison: https://www.nytimes.com/2017/05/16/us/politics/chelsea-manning-is-expected-to-leave-prison-28-years-early.html

My Take: This bothers me. I understand that this was a last-minute pardon on behalf of President Obama, and I also understand -- and accept, and appreciate -- that pardoning any criminal is the prerogative of the POTUS. This one just sticks in my craw, though, for multiple reasons. The biggest reason of all is what I think most people are afraid to say about the situation: I can’t help but feel this pardon was due to Manning’s gender transition, and didn’t fully account for the serious crime she committed, or the ramifications of that serious crime. It was an overture to a staunchly Democratic community that, admittedly, could use an overture or two from people in power. I get that. But still.

To me -- and I appreciate if you disagree -- there’s a major difference between what Manning did, and what Edward Snowden did three years later. As you know, I consider Snowden an American hero and a patriot; I don’t consider Manning one. Quite the opposite. She leaked hundreds of thousands of files pertaining to all manner of operations -- some active -- that put people in direct danger, complicated future actions, and put at heightened risk men and women serving with distinction around the globe, but particularly in the Middle East. There was nothing savvy about it, nothing that looked like it took time and thought.

Her moves were the exact opposite of Snowden’s in this respect, who went through great lengths to identify operations, programs, and malicious intent, but largely removed individuals from it. You could tell he was very deliberate in what he did, because I think he’s far smarter and more thoughtful than Manning. Also, he revealed a massive, intentional, disgusting domestic spying apparatus using its tools on its own people. It was simple and straightforward. Manning’s moves were largely obscured in gray, and while I think a 40 year sentence may have been excessive, being released this early -- and with a level of fanfare -- does stick in my craw a bit, if I’m being honest. Something tells me I’m going to be at odds with some of you here on this one.

Polling Shows The Rock Will Beat Trump in 2020: http://www.thewrap.com/the-rock-is-already-leading-trump-in-the-2020-presidential-race/

My Take: How about a little palate cleanser? There are few times we’ll need one more than right now. Public Policy Polling (known widely as PPP) has conducted polling with a hypothetical 2020 matchup between Donald Trump and The Rock, who I noted last week has been surprisingly open and candid about his possible intentions to run for office during the next cycle.

Well, in this hypothetical matchup, The Rock beats Trump 42-37, outside of the margin of error. Johnson’s favorability ratings are 36/13, good for +23, and, most interestingly, he has a 38/15 and 31/17 positive rating from Democrats and Republicans alike. (The Rock is a Republican, but I suspect he'd run Independent.) Obviously, the numbers are low, and that’s a problem -- lots of people have no opinion at all -- but, as this is purely speculative and certainly interesting, The Rock has plenty of time for people to actually get to know him.

But maybe the polling should begin to inquire how The Rock would do against Mike Pence?