The 1960s gave us Camelot; the 2000s have given us Scam-a-Lot! The word “unprecedented” has become the euphemism for “I can’t believe this crazy-ass stuff is happening right here in the USA!!!” A “president” who knows nothing about how government works and has no interest in learning; a “president” who’s under FBI investigation; the “president’s” 30-something son-in-law, whose sole qualification for serving in government is his relationship to the POTUS, being appointed to take charge of . . . well . . . everything; the “president’s” 30-something clothing and accessory designer daughter being appointed as a top-level adviser; a press secretary whose daily briefing sessions are a combination of lies, cover-ups, and scolding reporters; an ethics committee chairman changing cars at night and making clandestine White House visits—yes, you could definitely call those things “unprecedented.” However, I’d prefer to call them what they are: corruption at its worst, criminal and treasonous acts, and a grave threat to the future of our democracy. And there’s only solution: repeal and replace Donald Trump!
Here’s just a little bit of the evidence that his ouster is warranted.
- Week 10 began with a new position for Jared Kushner. Trump was probably so happy to see him again after having to weather Friday’s crushing defeat all on his own—while Jared and Ivanka were off on a ski trip, compliments of American taxpayers—that he wanted to give him a little welcome-home present. Jared, who in his privileged 36 years has never run any government agency or even worked for one, is now heading up Trump’s White House Office of American Innovation. Jared and his SWAT team aim to run the government like a business, which according to Simon Maloy, writer for the Salon is “one of the dumber and therefore most popular ideas in politics.” The idea is not new; but since Trump and Kushner know a little more about business than they know about government, it seems to them like a good idea. Kushner announced, “The government should be run like a great American company. Our hope is that we can achieve successes and efficiencies for our customers, who are the citizens.” Just one problem there, buddy: If the government is a business—which it’s not—we citizens are the board of directors, and you schmucks answer to us.
- In a no-big-surprise move which demonstrates the standard Trump disregard for ethics, the White House announced on Wednesday that 35-year-old Ivanka Trump has also become an unpaid federal employee. She will have her own West Wing office and act as assistant to the “president” because, well, you know, designing women’s clothing and accessories gives her such a wealth of political expertise and wisdom that it would be a shame for her not to share it with the nation. Some savvy people have raised the question of whether Jared and Ivanka’s appointments violate federal nepotism laws; but in a January memo, the Justice Department concluded that those rules don’t apply to the White House—echoing the obvious attitude of this administration that it is above the law. Rules, shmules!
- In the most dizzying story of the week, Devin Nunes claims to be in possession of classified information showing that “Trump transition officials had been caught inadvertently in surveillance operations targeting suspected foreign spies, and that their names appeared in internal intelligence reports” (Huff Post). The night before Nunes announced his possession of the material, he ditched his staff, changed cars, and went to the White House to use a SCIF (Sensitive Compartmented Information Facility), purportedly to meet with his source, whom he steadfastly refuses to name. His refusal to name the source, along with the facts that private meeting places are also available at the Capitol, no one just strolls into the White House or uses White House equipment without being signed in and escorted throughout the visit by a White House staffer, and no record exists of who granted Nunes admission to the grounds has led many to believe that 45 himself is the “source” and that the whole escapade was contrived to give some credence to 45’s ridiculous claims that he was wiretapped by President Obama.
- On Tuesday, 45 signed yet another executive order, this one reversing President Obama’s climate change measures by severely limiting the Environmental Protection Agency’s ability to enforce climate regulations. Claiming that protecting American jobs is more important than regulating climate change, Trump, who has called global warming a “hoax,” said that the order will “eliminate federal overreach” and “start a new era of production and job creation.” He added that his action “is latest in steps to grow American jobs” [his grammar, not mine] and that his order is “ending the theft of prosperity.” Sadly, our grandchildren will be the judges of his success or failure.
- Last week, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer announced he intended to initiate a filibuster of Trump’s nominee to fill the Republicans’ stolen Supreme Court seat, Neil Gorsuch. His announcement received a lukewarm response at first; but the bandwagon is starting to fill up, as the Russia investigation causes more Dems to believe a “president” under FBI investigation is not qualified to make such a high-level, long-term appointment. However, with the ever-repugnant Mitch McConnell continuing to vow that—by God!—his party will see to it Gorsuch is confirmed, the only thing sure right now is that we’re “headed toward a high-stakes conflict when the Senate takes up the nomination of Gorsuch next week” (Bloomberg Politics).
- With the House intelligence committee’s Russia investigation in full disarray, at mid-week, the Senate intelligence committee stepped to the forefront, announcing that they aim to conduct a nonpartisan, non-politicized examination of Russian interference in American politics. In their first public hearing on Thursday, they gave us our big DUH for this week: Russian interference did not end with the election. And why on earth would it? The only reason I can think of that one country would have an interest in who is president of another country is to gain the ability to work through that puppet to further infiltrate and corrupt the government. A CNN article lists specific Russian actions from the primary campaigns right up to this week. It looks as if the Senate committee will actually produce some results; and of course, their one clear advantage is that their chairman is not a double agent for the committee and the persons under investigation. Always a plus!
- With the Russia investigation heating up, we’re again going to be hearing a lot about Mike Flynn. On Thursday, Flynn reportedly agreed to testify to Congress in exchange for immunity from prosecution. Flynn’s attorney, Robert Kelner, quotes his client: “General Flynn certainly has a story to tell, and he very much wants to tell it, should the circumstances permit.” There have been conflicting comments about whether the request for immunity has actually been made; but as reporters are seeking the truth on the matter, they are also recalling Flynn’s 2016 statement to an MSNBC interviewer: “The very last thing that John Podesta just said is no individual should be too big to jail. That should include people like Hillary Clinton. I mean, five people around her have been given immunity, to include her former chief of staff. When you are given immunity, that means you have probably committed a crime.” And that’s on tape! On Friday, it was announced that the Senate intelligence committee did in fact receive Flynn’s request and has rejected it because, as the whole world knows, “Where there’s smoke there’s fire!”
- Sally Yates, a name not familiar to most people before she was fired for refusing to defend 45’s first travel ban, is now in the news again because she reportedly has information on Mike Flynn, which she would like to share with the public via testimony to the intelligence committees. But Devin Nunes, always looking out for Donald Trump’s best interests, canceled the hearing in which Yates was scheduled to testify, with little notice and even less explanation. According to Gloria Borger, “She was to be part of a heavy-hitting triumvirate — including former CIA Director John Brennan and ex-Director of National Intelligence James Clapper — bringing news about potential Russian connections to the Trump transition.” Why does anyone try to silence a witness unless that witness has some pretty incriminating stuff? Hmmmmmm
- On Thursday, the New York Times published an article revealing names of two White House officials who they say acted as the unnamed sources (mentioned in #2) who helped give Devin Nunes the intelligence reports which “showed that President Trump and his associates were incidentally swept up in foreign surveillance by American spy agencies” (NYT). When Sean Spicer was asked about the new revelation, he “neither confirmed nor denied” its validity, in an exchange described in the Huff Post as a “bizarre non-denial.” Nothing new there.
- Finally, as further evidence of 45’s severe mental disorders, he is now threatening to campaign against members of his own party in 2018. No, really. Here’s the tweet: “The Freedom Caucus will hurt the entire Republican agenda if they don’t get on the team, & fast. We must fight them, & Dems, in 2018!” The “president” of the United States has threatened to campaign against members of his own party, in retaliation for their failure to support his train wreck of a health care plan, and the Speaker of the House seemed kind of okay with that. You can’t make this stuff up.
Most frustrating of all is the lingering notion among many that Trump simply needs to pivot and start acting more presidential. All of the problems can be fixed if Trump and the other Repubs will simply learn from their mistakes and do things differently from here on out. “’It is a very challenging environment but I think these guys have been in office for 60 days or whatever, they have never done it before,’” said Howard Schweitzer, a former Bush administration Treasury official now with Cozen O’Connor Public Strategies. ‘If they get smarter, they can turn it around.’” (CNN) No, no, no, no, no! Neither you nor I could walk into a medical group, get a job as an M.D., and start performing surgeries on people. Surgery is not a place for on-the-job training, and neither is the presidency. For me to become a surgeon, I’d have to start at the beginning, and it’s pretty late in life for me to do that. Trump is incapable of turning the ship around, because he’s as clueless about government as I am about medicine. He simply doesn’t have the knowledge or the temperament to occupy the office for which he was elected, and there is no magic potion which will give him those qualifications, so everyone please stop saying he just needs to change his ways. He. Doesn’t. Have. Any. Other. Ways. That. He. Can. Change. To.
Let’s see, what was that word again? Starts with “I.” Ah, yes, IMPEACH.
See you next week right back here in the Swamp!