That's Americanese for "A Clusterf**k Happened, We're in A Constitutional Crisis, and We're Entering Extremely Dangerous Times."
The week in Washington started off with a bang when FBI Director James Comey and NSA Director Admiral Mike Rogers sat before Congress's House Intelligence Committee and told them that there is an active investigation into Russian interference into the 2016 Presidential election, and the investigation includes exploring possible coordination with members of SCROTUS's team. His bombshell statement:
"I've been authorized by the Department of Justice to confirm that the FBI, as part of our counterintelligence mission, is investigating the Russian government's efforts to interfere in the 2016 elections, and that includes investigating the nature of any links between individuals associated with the Trump campaign and the Russian government, and whether there was any coordination between the campaign and Russia's efforts. As with any counterintelligence investigation, this will also include an assessment of whether any crimes were committed."
So let that sink in. The "President" of the United States is under a FBI investigation for coordinating interference with the Russian government in interfering with our election.
In the same hearing, he put to bed the claims by the Lunatic-in-Chief about Obama wiretapping Trump Tower during the campaign. Unequivocally. No evidence that Obama wiretapped The Foot Licker. None. And the Justice Department agrees. Didn't happen. Let it rest. Let it rest!
I was glued to the radio in my car, where I listened as I drove around town that day. Director Comey didn't say much more, but members of the committee pushed for specifics, with some quite moving rhetoric. It got me all verklempt with love for my country. Representative Adam Schiff's (D- CA) opening remarks were powerful and quite sobering.
You can read the full transcript here. Or, if you're a junkie, watch the video....
Here is the 5 1/2-hour hearing in full. (Rep. Schiff's remarks start at 10:10)
Even while the hearings were being conducted, the Rabid Yam was tweeting what he offered as vindicating snippets. He showed video of Comey's answers about specifically "Did the Russians change vote tallies in certain states?" No, was the answer. SCROTUS tweeted, “The NSA and FBI tell Congress that Russia did not influence electoral process.”
The NSA and FBI tell Congress that Russia did not influence electoral process. pic.twitter.com/d9HqkxYBt5— President Trump (@POTUS) March 20, 2017
<eye roll> The action of going in and changing vote tallies is a little bit different than the larger question about influencing the election, Li'l Adolph!
Interestingly, Mr. Comey himself fact-checked the tweet in real time during his testimony. Representative Jim Himes (D-Connecticut) read the tweet to Director Comey, to which he answered, "We've offered no opinion, have no view, have no information on potential impact because it's never something that we looked at." When pressed by Himes, he answered, "It certainly wasn’t our intention to say that today because that’s not something we looked at."
On Wednesday, another Shit Show occurred. --Very distressing, what is happening to our country!-- I was listening to CNN when the Chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, Representative Devin Nunes (R-CA) took matters into his own hands and, after somehow getting his eyes on some documents relating to surveillance, decided to brief the press and run over to the Whitewash House to "brief" 45. This, before he shared the information with his own committee. It was quite the sideshow. This stunt led ranking member Rep. Schiff to rebuke him strongly, saying, "The chairman will need to decide whether he is the chairman of an independent investigation into conduct, which includes allegations of potential coordination between the Trump campaign and the Russians, or he is going to act as a surrogate of the White House. Because he cannot do both." In Schiff's mind, as in mine, the Intelligence Committee cannot do a proper investigation with this kind of behavior, and an independent investigation committee should take over, a la the 9/11 Commission. Given that this issue is SO huge and potentially SO explosive, it only makes sense for an outside impartial body to conduct the investigation. This will also free the committee members to do other tasks, of which there are plenty in this whole Not Normal Situation.
Sooo.....
On Monday, at the same time as the Russia hearings, over in the Senate, Judge Neil Gorsuch was making a statement and questions were being asked in his confirmation hearings. I wasn't able to listen to that until Tuesday, and again I listened in my car when I could. Those hearings continued until today, Thursday. There were some tough questions, and generally Judge Gorsuch came across as a capable, well-spoken, calm individual. Very judge-like!
I didn't like some of his answers, though, such as his decision involving a trucker who, unable to move his trailer in sub-zero weather, decided to drive his cab to warm up and return to his trailer later. He was fired, and Judge Gorush ruled in favor of his employer. Here is Senator Al Franken grilling him on this case:
My personal beef against Judge Gorsuch is his decision in the Hobby Lobby case. He ruled that a corporation has the right to invoke its religious beliefs in limiting its employees' behavior, in this case to prevent female employees from making choices about birth control. This to me is a horrid decision and one that makes me entreat my Senators to vote against his confirmation.
But the bigger fact that leads me to ask my Senators to filibuster, is the fact that the man who nominated him to a lifetime appointment is under a cloud of illegitimacy. We must get to the bottom of the Russia situation and the legitimacy of the 2016 election before such an important decision should be made. We're in a constitutional crisis, and a decision like this is too big to be made at this time.
Senator Chuck Schumer (D-New York) agrees with me and has announced he cannot support the judge's nomination. The Democrats are planning to filibuster. The Republicans have threatened use the "nuclear option" to change the rules so that they can bypass the normal 60 votes needed to confirm. If they are so, so hot for this nominee, then that also gives me pause about him and his conservative bent.
Another interesting tidbit. During the very time that Judge Gorsuch was appearing before the Senate, the Supreme Court was hearing cases. They reached a unanimous decision to reverse an interpretation that Judge Gorsuch helped craft in a case revolving around the education of an autistic child. You can read about that case here.
SCROTUS also had a re-election campaign rally in Kentucky on Monday night. Just weird, bizarre and wrong.
That was the start to the week.
But wait! There's more!
We also walked into the Big Tent for the Circus that was the SCROTUS hard-sell for passage of his American Health Care Act (ACHA), aka TrumpCare. It would be better named, "TЯUMP Don't Care 'bout Nothin' But Lining The Rich's Pockets Just a LEEETLE Bit More." (The TDCBNBLTRPJALBM Act). That was interesting.
I was listening again as SCROTUS was meeting with members of Congress, alternatively sweet-talking them and making deals and outright strong-arming them (You'll "lose your seat" in 2018 if you don't vote for this; "I'm gonna come after you”) .....Gah this man is so odious!
Changes were made to the bill to court the conservatives, but even as the conservative members were on-board, more moderate members' votes were lost.
And when all was said and done, the vote was postponed until tomorrow. It doesn't sound like he turned enough votes -- but you just never know. I'm hoping that tomorrow's news will be good. The scuttlebutt is that if it fails, this will be a real blow to his "Presidency." But really, there have been so many "blows" that this one will just leave a bruise. Hopefully it will convince the House to work on making the ACA better, which is what polls show the majority of Americans want. (Aside: It still blows my mind that a full one-third of American citizens do not know that "Obamacare" and the "ACA" are the same thing!)
Today marks the seventh anniversary of Obama signing the bill into law.
If that weren't enough for one week in Washington, SCROTUS gave an interview to Time Magazine. The cover story is to be about Asshat Littlefinger's lies. In the interview, without a trace of irony from the #AlternateLeader, the lies and rants just kept pouring forth. He continued to harp that Obama did indeed "wiretap" him (Quotes, OK? QUOTES!); that he won the popular vote; that the government economy statistics are "phony" (unless they are favorable to him, of course); that the leakers are the real issue; that he'll "win" the Time cover contest over Nixon (Bwahahaha!); that Ted Cruz's father was an associate of Lee Harvey Oswald (he got that one from the National Enquirer!); that when he spouts lies it's because he is "a very instinctual person"; and that he's "President and you're not," neener neener neener! Read it here. Truly bizarre.
Not Normal. #resist
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