In the chaos of the Trump Era, we are all forced to read tea leaves because nothing is transparent and nothing proceeds in an orderly way. We’re now a day after news broke that Rachel Brand is stepping down as Associate Attorney General, the third ranking appointee at the Justice Department. Given the possible effects on the Mueller investigation, there’s no end of speculation about why she’s leaving. Read More
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We know about Friday night news dumps. This is looking more like an avalanche. We already noted the departure of DOJ #3 Rachel Brand. I noted why this seems like very worrisome news here.
Just a few moments ago news broke that President Trump has refused to okay the release of the Democrats’ rebuttal memo which was drafted in response to the Nunes Memo. This, needless to say, seems highly suspicious given the alacrity with which the President rushed to release the earlier document.
Here’s the letter sent to Capitol Hill announcing the decision … Read More
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Here’s the first installment of our weekly Sum-Up of the Trump/Russia probe and story. I discussed here what our Sum-Ups are, what role they’re meant to fill.
It’s remarkable the degree to which television commentators are embracing interpretations of Republican fiscal profligacy which are either oblivious, unschooled or simply dishonest. One line has it that Republicans are shedding their former obsession with spending and deficits. Another had it that Republicans are realizing that their ‘base’ doesn’t really care as much about deficits as they thought. They really agree with Trump, who doesn’t care about deficits. All of this is nonsense – not based on a theory or interpretation but simple history and experience. In a word, facts. Deficits go up, often dramatically, under Republican governance and usually go down under Democrats. This isn’t an interpretation. It’s a simple fact. Nor is it an artifact of history or coincidence. It is because Republicans don’t care about deficits. Read More
The President appears to be blaming Hope Hicks for the Rob Porter firestorm …
He's blaming Hope Hicks … "The president feels that Hope Hicks has allowed her romantic relationship with Porter to really cloud her judgment and her decision-making … that Hope Hicks put her own priorities above his and above the White House's." pic.twitter.com/ahPjkyxszI
— Josh Marshall (@joshtpm) February 9, 2018
Good background here on the new Russian election rolls hacking story from our Investigations Desk Reporter Tierney Sneed.
The biggest impact of the Nunes Memo – and the accompanying wave of propaganda – is that conventional news and commentary is incapable of handling willful lying in the public sphere. This is a pattern we’ve seen again and again. It’s one of the hallmarks of this political age. It’s worth saying it again: conventional media is not equipped to deal with willful lying in the public sphere.
Let’s consider the coverage of the Nunes Memo. Read More