This is the only question you have to ask the republicans:
If a Democrat President did this would you have voted to impeach?
I think we all know the answer to that don't we.
22
I thank G-d I have never lived a shabby, disgraceful life like President Trump, Rudy Giuliani, Paul Manafort, Roger Stone, Jim Jordan and you-fill-in-this-blank --------- do.
It must be terrible hard work, but seems ro come easy to them.
12
Tomorrow testimonies will surely be hilarious, if not dangerous, because of expected conservative insane theatrics. They have nothing else.
How do you deal with out of control children that try to bully anyone that disagrees with them, and you know they are sick and may get enraged and hurt everyone?
That’s what we are dealing with these days.
11
Conspiracy theories you mean like the Mueller Probe and the Russia Collusion investigation? Hmmm?
1
Don't worry... there's a second conversation according to Trump.
Here's what the summary of that call will say:
Zelenski: Mr. President, we have begun our investigations into the Bidens and Burisma... And it's amazing how absolutely corrupt that father & son duo was...
Trump: President Zelenski, I never asked you for that investigation and you must have misunderstood me... IF I had asked you to do that, people here would misconstrue that as a "quid pro quo" which I definitely did NOT want. But since you've started the investigation, could you possibly help me out here by publicly announcing what you've done, why you did it and what your preliminary results are? I suggest you make appearances on Fox News, CNN and MSNBC... You know that the US is considering continued assistance to your country right? And we have to stand together on corruption like that of the Bidens... Oh, and yeah, when you make your public statements about Bidens' corruption please reiterate that I have not pressured you in any way...
5
It was not long ago that Republicans, like all Americans, believed that Russia was our adversary. That there are any people who commented here, or indeed exist at all, who believe that Russia did not actually influence our 2016 elections after the Mueller report and guilty sentences of Trump's associates during the campaign is truly extradorinaiy. It shows the power of propaganda and the big lie of tyrants and fascists in the past 80 years. Trump is taking his cues from such fascist tyrants and it is persuading people with the help of Fox. This is not a trivial threat to our Republic and the integrity of our Constitution. That Haley thinks that Trump did nothing wrong is appalling and dangerous because if he is not guilty of violating the Constitution then we effectively have a king and dictator, not a democratically accountable president.
15
The Republicans today are the new Confederate army. The did not come to join us but to conquer us. They have no intention of losing this time. The have a new Robert E. Lee in the white house and they have been waiting for this chance since 1865.
11
How come when Republicans are involved it is a conspiracy theory but when it’s Democrats it’s the whole truth and nothing but the truth? This kangaroo court impeachment fraud is just another example of the angry Democrats and their MSM minions spinning false narratives to get this duly elected President impeached.
14
@Art Hudson
Because, Art, the "Ukrainians rigged the election (for Trump!?) at Democrats' behest" theory is patent nonsense. Facts matter.
In marked contrast, there is a mountain of factual evidence that Russia attempted to influence the 2016 election on multiple fronts, and that the Trump administration attempted to influence the 2020 election by getting Ukraine to "investigate" the Bidens.
182
@Art Hudson I suppose, quite simply, it is that the Democrats are trying to get at the truth, and the Republicans are grasping at conspiracy theories in hopes of confusing people like, well, yourself. Job well done?
193
How telling when people echo Trump’s very own words that they are just regurgitating his complaints rather than looking at the hard facts themselves.
127
Does anyone want to chip in with me to buy Jordan a sport coat?
9
Seen from the other side of the world, the dishonesty of much of the Republican party seems outright criminal.
15
Trump's toy poodles pedal Russian conspiracy theories because that's all they have.
7
Do these people not understand that after poisoning and defenestrating people Russians excel as spreading disinformation?
7
Art Hudson and his ilk make me depressed. Willfully adamantly ignorant. Not patriots.
14
One would think that supporting the person Putin wanted to become president would give Trumpers pause.
From my perspective everything Trump does appears to be in line with what Putin would want him to do.
12
GOP conspiracy theories -- amplified by Fox and social media platforms -- constitute an important component of a strategy that stretches back decades and which helped them gain and then consolidate political power, especially at the state level. They are _serious_ about winning and so bring AK47s to gun fights. The Democrats, on the other hand, continue to bring a butter knives to the gun fights, mistakenly believing that "weapons" like uncovering the truth, debunking conspiracy theories, and identifying corruption will win the day. Hmmmm. I don't think so . . .
Trump doesn't resolutely believe Ukrainian 2016 election tampering stories.
Trump's only interest is in getting something negative about Joe Biden into Facebook space.
And it's conveniently in far off Ukraine so nobody can effectively check on his veracity.
The man is cynical to his sociopathic core.
12
So, the GOP calls “fake news” often because they know it so well.
7
I look forward to the Impeachment hearings with apprehension.It will not be an ordered investigation as the Watergate hearings were-then the participants were looking for answers and trying to uncover the truth.This time the Republicans have decided that they will obstruct, obfuscate and introduce as much extraneous material as possible.Their devotion to alternate reality is scary-too many low information people will be ready to,accept the goofiest excuse for Trump’s behavior.Trump’s supporters delight in his boorish antics so will be more than happy to hear his defenders spin outlandish yarns.I fervently hope that Adam Schiff can conduct a dignified hearing worthy of the House of Representatives.
11
Can we expect the House Republicans to produce evidence or bring forward witnesses to corroborate these conspiracy theories?
Rhetorical question.
16
Resorting to debunked conspiracy theories is the GOP's last refuge, and thoroughly bottom-of-the-birdcage. Trump's blinder-clad base may go along, but this approach will make Republicans look foolish and be a big, fat loser at the ballot box.
11
Must reading for all Americans!
4
Whether we accept this fact or not, Russia won the Cold War even though German Democratic Republic and the Soviet Union have ceased to exist. The Berlin Wall has also fallen on the heap of history.
Despite all the above, Putin has his puppet occupying the White House. The puppet takes instructions from his master. The sycophantic GOP members are willing accessories to the fait accombli
Cry for the beloved country
13
Until now, no one could ever have imagined that Congressional Republicans and our alleged "president" would be the best assets of a KGB spy cum Russian president seeking to destroy the U.S.
12
These guys are crazier than a rat in a rain barrel. They are a disgrace to America. Remember when Republican use to work for America?
12
Let’s update Mark Twain. There are lies, damned lies, and disinformation.
8
This continues to get sadder and scarier. We have top government officials feeding this infowars-like claptrap to the public as truth, with no shame or stroke of conscience at all.
10
Ms Goldberg your not fooling anyone.
No matter how much garbage you spew a few hard truths remain.
First, the Clinton bought and paid for Steele Dossier that originated with help from Ukrainian operatives—uh in the Ukraine.
Secondly, you even refute your smear when you use Ms. Hill’s admission that Manafort was targeted for investigation by Ukrainian operatives and outed for tax evasion.
Whatever you think of Manafort, guilty or not what was done to him was proof positive that the Ukrainian government at the behest of the Clinton campaign interfered in the US elections and successfully—by “digging up dirt” on Trump’s campaign manager.
What is the saying, “when your in a hole stop digging...”
3
Comment on what the author wrote.
2
@Nelson Gonzalez
Uh, that’s “you’re,”not “your.”
2
@Nelson Gonzalez
The Clintons?!?
Keep stretching - maybe you'll find something.
3
Tax cuts and judges the GOP would give Putin Alaska back as they power and greed absorbs all their thinking as TRump shoots away on 5th ave oh well that;s Trump being Trump isn't he adorable lil monster.
3
Jim Jordan is the same man who ignored credible sexual child abuse allegations at his school. He is the perfect guy to be on Trump’s team. Another sick man who has sold his soul to devil Trump.
11
Having just skimmed through the Senate Intelligence Committee report of Russian interference in US elections, I have to ask
'Why isn't this the lead story of every national, regional & local news outlet since it came out 6 weeks ago?"
The Senate Intelligence Committee's report provides clear-cut damning description of a hostile foreign nation's efforts to undermine our democracy.
Where is the outrage?
Where is the Executive branch not promising to fight this ongoing effort against our nation as a virtual "act of war"?
Seriously this report's findings are 10X - 100X more concerning that Trump's ham-fisted efforts to get Ukraine to dig up political dirt on Biden.
7
What's happening is brilliant, in its way. The way a nuclear bomb is brilliant.
The relentless distortion of reality -- challenging facts no matter how well established, pushing counter-narratives as thin as tissue paper, constantly shifting goal posts -- creates a state of disorientation wherein you can promote any alternate reality you please. No longer anchored to any empirical truth, people are left to to make decisions based solely on emotion rather than reason, which seems to have lost any fixed value.
Never has the old maxim about lies traveling faster than the truth been more apparent. And I guess Lucas was on to something – the dark side really is the quicker, easier, path to power.
Ah, nuts.
6
I think we all know enough about how Nunes operates to know what is going to happen. Why should the Wildboys be allowed to hijack the impeachment hearings. If the Republicans believe this Ukraine-did-it theory, let them have their own hearings in the Senate.
5
Republicans have a constituency - those citizens who are tired of the responsibilities of representative democracy and would rather have a king or dictator to rule them. The politicians couldn't go so far on the fumes of fascism if it weren't for the voters they know will support them. After pandering to them for a while, there won't be any need for niceties like elections or a free press.
11
The irony of Michelle Goldberg's stellar op-ed, is that it is not actually an op-ed. Every piece of trivia, quotation, paraphrase proffered here is accepted as true amongst the Associated Press. The only thing here that differentiates this from a straight news report, I suppose, is her somewhat colorful, charged language.
This irony is also distressing in that an opinion piece by Michelle Goldberg is more thorough and detailed than pretty much all news reporting on CNN or MSNBC.
4
NY Times: "The Russians thrive on misinformation and disinformation".
- As much harm and social damage as the Americans have inflicted on their own country with the help of the continuous policy of Russophobia, even a million enemies and spies could not have been able to inflict. You have provoked distrust of you not only in other countries, but also distrust of each other in your own country.
Fair wind at your back, gentlemen!
2
Please don't leave the Koch brothers out of the equation.
2
It all comes down to when did Trump get into bed with the Russians and what his payoff is. Since he's taken to looting the US Treasury in futherance of his business dealings it looks as tho the Russian money stream has dried up. So what's next? What else is he planning on selling?
4
Dear Devin Nunes, where did Trump get this "documented" belief you speak of? "Nunes made his intention clear, writing of Trump’s “documented belief that the Ukrainian government meddled in the 2016 election,” which “forms the basis for a reasonable desire for Ukraine to investigate the circumstances surrounding the election.”
If he sharpied it on a roll of toilet paper sitting on his bathroom throne or Guiliani wrote them in an mentally altered state, its really not verifiable.
If you cannot get them to say where the docs came from, come back to me. I'll get a 100 monkeys with computers to bang a few theories out for you. It will still be incoherent and not make sense but there will be reams of pages...you can wave it about in front of TV cameras and look important.
5
Poor Manafort, the victim, only walked away with $12.7 million.
4
The Republicans are grasping at straws. There is no there there around any of the stupefyingly absurd excuses being propounded by the lying liars that reside in Trump's pocket. The Republican party (my former party) is at a new low. You think, how can they go any lower? And then they do it, they pull it off. Thanks, Michelle.
5
The Republican party is coming to its end.
4
Lilliputian: a society of people of small stature (and small minds), but with all the arrogance and self importance associated with full-size men. Typically greedy, jealous, manipulative, conniving, selfish, and untrustworthy.
Since Donald Trump is a lap dog of Vladimir's, he shall henceforth be addressed as President L'il Putin.
6
All the roads lead to Moscow.
All the fingers point to Putin
All the votes will be tampered
Until this source is more revealed and accepted.
We remain under it’s spell.
3
" Hill seemed to warn Republicans off their current path. "
Nunes and others, if not outright paid agents, apparently have been working as Russian assets
https://www.politico.com/news/2019/10/23/nunes-protege-ukraine-trump-055837
4
Trump is being impeached for investigating Biden's corruption in Ukraine. You cannot make this stuff up.
Go ahead and put up another corrupt candidate, Democrats. It worked so well last time.
2
"Turning and turning in the widening gyre
The falcon cannot hear the falconer;
Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold;
Mere anarchy is loosed upon the world,
The blood-dimmed tide is loosed, and everywhere
The ceremony of innocence is drowned;
The best lack all conviction, while the worst
Are full of passionate intensity."
It may not be the Second Coming, but what a mess we're in. Yeats had it right about Europe in the post WW1 moment, but perhaps we'll see our way through our own moment of chaos, and not without a fight it would seem. Since the average American's knowledge of history is lacking (to say the least), those of us who've seen the past replay itself again and again have to keep steady and level headed through this current run of national madness. I cannot believe that Republicans don't know that they are playing with political fire, the kind used by Nazis, Communists, third world despots of all kinds through history: the lie repeated over and over again, until it is the truth on the ground. The R's embrace the darkness, the rest of us must resist.
5
The disinformation is right here, right now, in this column.
2
Here is how I would handle Jim Jordan. I would have one or two of the wrestlers who were abused at the school where Jordan was an assistant coach attend the impeachment inquiry tomorrow. I would have them sitting in the gallery and I would not let the press know until just a few minutes before the hearings opened. Then the cameras could focus on them with a crawl stating who they are, Let Jordan squeal like a stuck pig. Dennis Hastert and Jim Jordan, two peas in a pod.
7
So much time, energy and creativity ( in coming up with the four talking points,disinformation, conspiracy theories) by the GOP Representatives in the House.
All this for DJT who proclaims his innocence daily.
It sure appears to be a lot of work defending his innocence over the *perfect* phone call.
What are we missing?
Oh, yeah. The innocence part.
11
@It’s About Time It's the Democrats who are neglecting the voters by refusing to work with 45. Issues such as the MCAUS trade deal, prescription drug prices, China's importing Fentynol have been Trumped by the Dems' obsession with impeachment.
The President has a record of a stellar economy, record low unemployment, and peace around the world. The Dems can't run on any of those issues that voters care about. Trump is mean is all they've got. issues
2
The crucial thing is that disinformation works. People are set up to believe those whom they like, and the Republicans have done a great job convincing the rural poor that they are likable. So the impeachment will just boomerang on the Democrats.
Fortunately, the Russians will come up with more disinformation to console those citizens who keep falling into harder times. For the sake of the country's mental stability, perhaps we should believe them.
1
The argument in the Democratic party about finding a candidate to beat Trump seems to span the spectrum. There is a candidate who we know can win, Hilliary Clinton. Hilliary carries a lot of negative baggage from the 2016 presidential campaign, but the rights disinformation campaign needs to be attacked, disassembled and destroyed. We know she can win. She beat Trump with the popular vote despite a tremendous effort to destroy her. America needs to root out the malignancy destroying our country. It would be fantastic to stick it to Putin with his invasion of our elections. The fact that Russia and the right are so afraid of Hilliary that they will go to such extremes only makes her candidacy seem more invaluable. Hilliary Clinton & her husband would be invaluable at salvaging our democracy.
2
Seriously? The Clintons are well cooked.
2
@WR
In a word, NO!
3
So...ALL of the American Intelligence agencies flat out said Russia meddled in the 2016 election ...for trump...And now ..in 2019 , the republican party is going all in on a wacky theory that the Ukrainians actually interfered to assist Clinton, then framed the Russians ? And there is almost 100 % Buy in by the GOP on this ?
27
I could not read this column once I saw Jim Jordan's photo. I can't think of anyone who is lying more than him--other than Trump, of course. I'm totally sick of politicians who would rather spread disinformation--Russian or otherwise--than speak the truth to their constituents. Jordan is one such politician. I can already hear him grandstanding at the first public impeachment hearings tomorrow--and hope I don't hear him in reality. Enough! We need to get back to some semblance of honesty and trustworthiness.
12
Trump and his criminal syndicate are so inextricably linked to Russia it’s beyond comprehension. We can only hope that Democrats on the House Intelligence Committee allow impeachment inquiry witnesses to tell all they know about the pressure exerted on them to protect Trump and his Russian connections. If Republicans have even an iota of loyalty to the Constitution and to the rule of law, they’ll awaken from their cult-induced stupor and realize that all the machinations were about shifting blame, obfuscation and protecting a guilty president and his minions. When it comes to Trump, whether it’s 2016 or 2020, follow the rubles.
10
It is certainly odd and hard to understand how the Republican party has so suddenly switched from being the party known as the national security party to the one that now is seemingly in bed with Putin. How did that happen, and so fast?
Hopefully the impeachment hearings, with testimony from inside the inner workings of our government, will bring to light more of what has really transpired and how our national security is being comprised.
It seems likely that we might hear testimony that will reveal more about how the Russian money donated to Republicans through various back channels is a large part of what has brought about this new reality.
It's is important that the American people learn how much the Russians have been influencing our leaders so we understand better the Republican party under Trump. The Trump campaign's henchmen, and other shady operatives like Stone and Wikileaks - working in cooperation with multiple channels such as the NRA and Russian bots on Facebook - have been so able to influence the Republicans and their right wing followers. that there now appears to be near total capitulation to what was once a hostile foreign power.
11
@Margo Wendorf
I don't find the current Republican rejection of national and election security to be at all puzzling. The Republican Party has been little more than a cult of personality since Reagan. To them, a president with an (R) next to his name can do no wrong, no matter how anti-conservative he may be. Meanwhile, a president with a (D) next to his name can do no right.
It's simplicity itself.
11
@Margo Wendorf
This very journal only recently proudly bleated the efforts of Rep. Adam Schiff to "take down the President." FBI agents giggled over their "insurance policy". Former DNI Clapper called for a "kill shot". White House staffers began to resist this administration before the Trump family even finished moving in - and before the President's inauguration. Even the silly "quid pro quo" charade is a rapidly moving evasive target - morphing from that to bribery to extortion in less than three weeks as House Democrats drum up the liberal press.
You know perfectly well that there were plans made, texts and emails exchanged, strategies formed, and tactics undertaken to ruin this Presidential administration from its very onset.
And yet we get this "disinformation" insult from the resistance as their approach to reporting and discussing the factual, actual, connectable dots relies solely on fingers-in-our-ears, shouting down, ignoring and outright falsifying.
Fortunately, as their concocted, repeated failures unravel in trying to pin anything at all on our President, that steady hum in the background is the Barr/Durham/Horowitz juggernaut of justice arriving to deliver the wake up call. Buckle up, America.
3
@J Brian
You can twist yourself in a pretzel, attempting to believe that Mr. Trump did nothing wrong and is being set up.
A much simpler and more plausible answer is that Mr. Trump is guilty. He brought all of this upon himself.
7
Exactly--if they honor their oath of office, they should be supporting the country. This isn't GOP vs. Democrats, this is Trump vs. the United States. He'd really like peole to believe it is GOP vs. Democrats, but it is in fact Trump plus conspiracy theories supported by Russia, against the truth and the law. Let's all get on the side of the truth, please--GOP voters, Trump is not your rescuer, really, unless you want to live under Putin...
11
There is no Republican Party any longer. The once honorable party of Lincoln is over.
Trump has made this party his own and these men who made a vow to uphold the Constitution are now clearly only working on behalf of the dishonest, dishonorable Donald Trump.
It would be merely sad if they didn’t threaten the future of our once proud country
16
No matter what the NYTimes and opinion writers say about this inquiry, only an idiot would believe the Dem Schiff side alone. It's obvious that their is a swamp in DC, and both the Reps and Dems are swimming in it.
4
By continuing to point a finger at Ukraine, the GOP is directly helping Putin solidify his gains in Ukraine, including the Crimea. And helping him undermine our own electoral process.
They know that they are lying. They know their lies help our foremost global adversary. They apparently don't care about either the Ukraine or our own national security--at least not when it comes to maintaining their own power.
14
"The Russians thrive on misinformation and disinformation.” Unfortunately, so do Trump’s defenders."
Let's be honest here, they are one and the same. The GOP are fully aware and complicit partners in Russian manipulation of our elections. Traitors one and all.
29
Republicans in congress and the rank and file Republican voter will not come to their senses.
Conservatism is ultimately about selfishness and self-preservation. We are merely experiencing the ultimate outcome of that fact.
7
Once again, Trump seems to have dragged the media into an area where he is well aware of what he has done and probably pretty aware of what his opponents have done - and where he must feel that he has little to lose and much to gain. Up to now, he has played his adversaries pretty well while consolidating his support, it would seem.
1
Having read a good bit more of Fiona Hill's testimony than Ms. Goldberg provides here, it is important to say, with immense respect and gratitude: Ms. Hill was justifiably indignant, and she was dismayed. And she was offended. Offended at the combination of gullibility and cynicism of those who will, undoubtedly, spin phantom theories of Ukrainian actors and actions that have no basis in reality. She was offended, and profoundly disturbed, that such a strategy will deflect crucial attention from the authoritative findings of multiple US intelligence agencies that Russia was--and still is--the malign actor in the region, and in our elections. I wish I could have seen the looks on the faces of the Republicans and their staff counsel as she gave them what for. They deserve every bit of it. And more. I hope that a few of the public witnesses follow her lead.
25
The heart of Trump's Russian related crimes go to the core of this democracy- the right to free and fair elections. He and his cronies have consistently attempted to subvert this core principle of our democracy.
Republican elected officials that defend the President on this score have betrayed their oath of office and are directly contributing to the subversion of democracy. While I believe the term traitor certainly applies to the worst of Trump's crimes- his defenders to the extent they are shirking their constitutional responsibilities- come close to this behavior- effectively giving aid and comfort to the enemy. Unless that is, you consider a country that has sought to undermine our elections as a friend- something Orwellian at its core and a manifestation of a deeper rot.
200
@Lowell Greenberg I'm sorry, but what are you talking about? Yes, it's true that Russia tried to intervene in the last election, on both sides of the isle. It's also true that Russia is trying to divide the US citizens. They don't really care if it's Hillary or Trump or Bozo; they want us divided. And the NYTimes is pretty good at helping them since they will not print anything positive about one Rep or one Rep policy idea. That's disinformation too, whether you like it or not.
However, we do have 'free and fair' elections to the extent possible. There will always be lies disseminated by both parties. Always has been.
4
@Ma All of the evidence, including that summarized in the report issued by the Republican-controlled Senate Intelligence Committee, makes very clear that it was not "on both sides of the aisle" and that Russia cared very much about who won. They intervened on behalf of Trump. When Trump won, Russians working on their disinformation campaign opened champagne and celebrated. Trump is their boy, and he has been doing their bidding. Your false equivalence does not change those facts.
50
@Ma Trump has a long track record, even before he was elected, of encouraging and then denying Russian influence in our elections. It is uncontested in the US intelligence community/Mueller report that Russia/Putin sought to bias the election in favor of Trump. The Ukraine scandal is an direct effort to involve a foreign power in our elections to favor Trump and help support a false conspiracy that makes Ukraine, not Russia complicit. It also is a clear act of extortion. It is, quite frankly treasonous in and of itself. Trump and his associates have clear ties to Russian oligarchs that would stun you in their criminality and misdeeds. There is a clear pattern of obstruction of justice that leads one quickly to conclude that they (Trump and his associates) are hiding even worse things.
You sound like a good person. The Congressional Impeachment hearings will have a number of witnesses that corroborate what I just wrote. These people are not political loyalists, but patriotic Americans in positions that made them privy to critical information that strongly implicate the President.
I am sorry that some in Fox Media and many in the House and Senate would conduct themselves in a way that Americans such as yourself would question truth in any form- all in an effort to manipulate you for special interests- literally stealing Democracy from under your feet.
33
Just think about this: If the Republicans have their way, and Trump is exonerated and reelected for another term, you can forget the Constitution, you can forget the system of checks and balances, and you can say hello to Russian style government: Absolute corruption, Propaganda and Conspiracy Theories as "News", the police, the FBI, the CIA, and the military all lockstep behind the party-line. Republicans: do you really want Russia on the Potomac?
13
A year or two ago, I recall seeing a video clip of Trump supporters decked out in red tee-shirts emblazoned with the words, "Better Russian than Democrat!"
More recently, Republicans haven't "telegraphed" (as suggested by Ms. Goldberg) anything about their tightly-scripted talking points. With a handful of notable exceptions, the GOP exhales in a throated shout a plethora of lies about its sell-out to the Putinesque thugocracy otherwise known as "Russia."
Jim Jordan, Lindsey Graham, Rand Paul and a host of GOP legislators wear their virtual red tee-shirts signaling a higher fealty to post-Soviet Russia than to American democracy. The all sing from same libretto. There's a "T" word for this that too few journalists dare to utter.
Fiona Hill is "worried that all of you [Republicans] are going to go down a rabbit hole ... looking for things that are not going to be at all helpful to the American people or to our future election in 2020."
Yet the lemmings clamber down the rabbit hole because neither the "American people [nor] ... our future election in 2020" count for [anything] in the face of maintaining partisan power.
John McCain must be turning cartwheels in his grave.
14
Can someone buy Jim Jordan a sports coat!
4
@Michael Stahl Why? Is there a dress code requirement for elected officials stipulated in the Constitution?
1
@Michael Stahl
I’d gladly spring for a straight jacket.
9
This very journal only recently proudly bleated the efforts of Rep. Adam Schiff to "take down the President." FBI agents giggled over their "insurance policy". FISA warrants were faked. Former DNI Clapper called for a "kill shot". White House staffers began to resist this administration before the President's inauguration. Even the silly "quid pro quo" charade is a rapidly moving evasive target - morphing from that to bribery to extortion in less than three weeks as House Democrats drum up the liberal press.
You know perfectly well that there were plans made, texts and emails exchanged, strategies formed, and tactics undertaken to ruin this Presidential administration from its very onset.
And yet we get this "disinformation" insult from the resistance as their approach to reporting and discussing the factual, actual, connectable dots relies solely on fingers-in-our-ears, shouting down, ignoring and outright falsifying.
Fortunately, as their concocted, repeated failures unravel in trying to pin anything at all on our President, that steady hum in the background is the Barr/Durham/Horowitz juggernaut of justice arriving to deliver the wake up call. Buckle up, America.
2
Please wake me when the Barr “juggernaut of justice” arrives. You should go outside, right now, and start scanning the horizon—It’ll be here soon, just wait.
3
@J Brian
Nicely put.
Something is really rotten here in the United States, and the problem is bigger than the corrupt, reckless, and ruthless Mr. Trump himself.
The Republicans & Fox have a choice with this impeachment inquiry, but they already made a clear one. Defend a ruthless, corrupt, reckless president at all costs. Lie, throw ridiculous conspiracy theories against the wall to see what sticks, defect attention from the substance of Trump's actions to try to make the Democrats the enemy. Why?
What we are seeing right before our eyes is the systematic reversal of norms and decency and the delegitimation of the United States of America by 1 of our 2 political parties.
These actions are destroying the U.S. The question we really need to get to the bottom of is: Who are Trump, the GOP, and Fox really working for, and to what end?
9
Michelle, the only thing I would quibble with is the use of the words “slavish fealty.” These traitorous republican apologists have no use for trump. Their only fealty is to themselves and the need to support any garbage, debunked and delusional Russian conspiracy theory in their desperate attempt to keep their own miserable butts in power, money and influence. They have less loyalty than trump if that’s even possible. What constitution, they threw that out years ago. All roads lead to Putin.
9
russia didn't have to fire a single missile to destroy the US. they only had to prey on the ignorance (fear and hatred) of republicans.
17
Birtherism. Benghazi. Pizzagate. Republicans had no problem swallowing these conspiracies without any evidence. The current POTUS leaves an evidence littered landscape of bribery and extortion from the US to Ukraine, blurts out contradictions daily, lies repeatedly while changing his story daily, settled two fraud suits involving his fake university and abusing his own charity and is guilty of obstruction of justice according to Part II of the Mueller report yet not one Republican thinks he did anything wrong. Lordy if you're listening.....
11
this writer focuses on disinformation, and it seems to be effective considering that most of the comments echo her.
2
@sh
No better source of disinformation to be found.
Besides the Trump and Republican Russian stooges do I gather that the Hill and Politico are also propaganda outlets for the Russians?
2
To think that the ignorant Hannity is now the Presidential advisor in chief. Check Hannity's rants and then wait for Trump's new tweets.
10
Talk about conspiracy theories, John Solomon wrote an op-ed in The Hill back in April, wherein he suggested that Joe Biden told the Ukrainian president he would not allow a billion dollars in loan guarantees to be transferred until Ukraine's prosecutor general was fired. Then Solomon states that the Ukrainian government fired prosecutor Shokin and closed the case against the Burisma board. OMG, who could believe that?
Here's that article, if you want to see how dumb John Solomon is:
https://thehill.com/opinion/white-house/436816-joe-bidens-2020-ukrainian-nightmare-a-closed-probe-is-revived
2
@Blackjack
Biden was putting pressure on the Ukraine to clean up its act in a general sense on behalf U.S. foreign interests.
There is no evidence that Biden was using the power of the Federal government to negotiate specific acts for personal political gain as in the case of Trump.
IF you want to champion an investigation of Hunter Biden, fine, let’s do it. But it is a case independent of the impeachment investigation. Cleaning house would also mean opening up similar investigations of the Trump clan, the Chow family, and others as well.
Let’s do it!
2
Dear NYT:
I strongly urge Times' readers to reject attempts to denigrate all questions about Ukraine corruption as Russian "conspiracy" smears.
Do your own research!
There is a lot of evidence (from mainstream US media -- not Russia) suggesting Ukraine did interfere in 2016 to harm Trump - certainly enough to spur a formal Justice Department investigation in the US (and Ukraine).
Consider: Obama-aligned Ukrainian politicians released the likely-forged "black ledger" supposedly showing Manafort taking secret bribes from a former pro-Russian leader. But Manafort was openly working for Yanukovich, and got paid via traceable wires. It led to Manafort's firing as campaign manager, and a three-year deluge of "now-debunked "Trump collusion" claims. https://www.nytimes.com/2016/08/15/us/politics/paul-manafort-ukraine-donald-trump.html
Another interesting thread connects Ukraine to Alexandra Chalupa, the DNC operative who in 2016 worked closely with pro-Obama Ukraine officials, the FBI, and reporters to build a case against Trump and Manafort for Russia "collusion." See https://www.politico.com/story/2017/01/ukraine-sabotage-trump-backfire-233446
Chalupa told Politico that the Ukrainian embassy also worked directly - in great secrecy - with US reporters researching Trump, Manafort and Russia to point them in the right directions.
This is only two examples of many to come.
3
@Jorge - But the conspiracy theory President Trump and his minions in Congress are trying to sell is that it was the Ukrainians, not the Russians, who hacked the DNC server. And it was the Democrats, not the Republicans, who were the beneficiaries.
The Politico article doesn't support this. And, it dates back to January of 2017, before Director Mueller and his team of crack FBI agents documents in great detail the efforts of the Russians.
Even so, the Politico article was still was able to conclude that, "Russia’s effort was personally directed by Russian President Vladimir Putin, involved the country’s military and foreign intelligence services, according to U.S. intelligence officials." And that "Director of National Intelligence James Clapper said 'I don't think we've ever encountered a more aggressive or direct campaign to interfere in our election process than we've seen in this case.'”
So the big news that Trump is amazingly still trying to dispute is how the Russians helped get him elected. But for anyone who cares about the truth there's a ton of evidence of what really happened, starting of course with the 400-page Mueller report--or even the Politico article you cite.
6
@Jorge
There is a reason Michelle Goldberg's column is on the options pages. Many an excuse when it comes to pass that this is all disinformation.
Are you calling the 2017 Politico article a "conspiracy theory"?....look it up...or ask your colleague Kenneth Vogel
Politico
By KENNETH P. VOGEL and DAVID STERN 01/11/2017 05:05 AM EST
Ukrainian efforts to sabotage Trump backfire
Kiev officials are scrambling to make amends with the president-elect after quietly working to boost Clinton.
Ukrainian government officials tried to help Hillary Clinton and undermine Trump by publicly questioning his fitness for office. They also disseminated documents implicating a top Trump aide in corruption and suggested they were investigating the matter, only to back away after the election. And they helped Clinton’s allies research damaging information on Trump and his advisers, a Politico investigation found.
Kenneth Paul Vogel (born 1975) is an American journalist. He was chief investigative reporter at Politico, since its founding in 2007.[1][2][3] In June 2017, he joined the Washington Bureau of The New York Times as a reporter covering conflicts of interest, lobbying, and money in politics.
1
@scott
Read the transcripts, the Republicans pushed the Politico article so hard that they were asked if they had some personal interest in it—working for it.
Not saying you should believe one source over the other. But the transcripts contain compelling testimony on why the Politico article was debunked, and from the people on the ground with expert knowledge & intelligence of the arena and the subject.
2
Is there an honest republican in Washington DC? Good lord, they are spewing lies every day. Dump Trump 2020.
5
Is there in the English language a word that describes a person as sycophant, hypocrite, greedy and opportunist -– all at the same time?
5
@Efraín Ramírez -Torres
Trumpish? Trumpian? Trumpster?
2
House Republicans have become “useful idiots,” for the Russian Federation.
6
Many people who don't like President Trump were hoping the Mueller investigation would provide a smoking gun proving his illegal behavior. But although the investigation led to the indictment of 34 people President Trump was not one of them.
But wait! There was another great benefit to the Mueller investigation. This was how it fulfilled its original mission of looking at possible Russian interference in the 2016 election. The investigation and resulting 400-page report documented in great detail the extensive efforts of the Russians to subvert our election. And it took the next step of filing criminal indictments against twelve specific Russians who among other things were involved in hacking the Democratic National Committee computers. I found it absolutely fascinating how our crack FBI agents were able to dig this deeply and produce this kind of detail of the Russian activity.
So it's absolutely frightening that we have elected congressmen who seem to be prepared to advance a wacky conspiracy theory that none of this is true, and it was the Ukrainians, not the Russians, who did this. And further, it was the Democrats, not the Republicans, who were the beneficiaries!
I understand why conservative talk radio DJs can convince the guys at the corner bar of these kinds of conspiracy theories. And I understand, why, sadly, our President wants us to believe this. But that a substantial number of U.S. congressmen might join in and try to sell such a fantasy is really scary.
5
The Jim Jordans of the Republican Party don't care what Trump does - if he's thuggish, has fascism desires, can't or won't tell the truth doesn't bother them in the least..........
Never before in out lifetimes has a political party accepted or supported corruption on this grand a scale......
AND
If it continues unrestrained we will lose our democracy.........
WE WILL LOSE OUR DEMOCRACY !!!..........
Is Donald Trump, his blatant and ongoing corruption, personal greed and total disregard for the Constitution the direction we want this county to take?.........
You can surely bet the Founding Fathers had a totally different vision for America.........
7
These fools dont see themselves in prison after Trump goes down?
4
Wake up! The traitor in the White House isn't the only traitor taking money and help from Putin. I'm sure that many RepubliKlan members of Congress are nervous that if Trump goes down he'll "out" them as fellow recipients of Putin's help. All they had to do was sell out America. No problem for the power mad traitors.
5
The thing about conspiracy theories is the way in which they take hold. I have one of my own, which, if these responses to the NY Times can be trusted, is shared by even more Americans than the Republican Party's conspiracy theories are. Why haven't more Republicans reacted to Trump's embrace of Putin? Is it possible that more of them are in bed with Putin than we could have ever dreamed of a scant three years ago? It would seem that nobody has benefited from our current state of affairs more then Putin and his oligarchs. Our beloved dream of democracy has never been more in shambles. We burn while Putin fiddles away, laughing at how easily we let him get away with it.
5
@Harvey Perr
The committee investigating this found that Russia's primary goal in its internet activities (affecting BOTH campaigns) was to created discord in the west. If this is true, then maybe they ARE pleased. (Thanks to all the help from our own media and politicians.) They probably wouldn't be moved to dance though because none of this was a big undertaking for them. $100,000 is not a lot of money to spend on ads in the scheme of things. Two thirds of these activities weren't even in English. Of those only about 10% had anything to do with the election, in either direction. I think that came to about 150 Facebook/Instagram ads....
1
If impeachment proceedings are partisan snd confusing to people only those who formerly worked in the Trump administration can make a difference. They need to speak loudly
2
The Republican disinformation campaign defending Trump is as good as anything the Russians have come up with so far to sow discord in the American political system. Are all the Congressional Republicans who aren't retiring actually agents of Putin's attempt to show that American "Democracy" or the rule of the "Governed" is just a myth and America should not be the beacon of democracy to which all other countries should aspire.
3
The country needs Republicans to see that Impeachment is as much about national security as it is specific Trump misdeeds. This is no longer about a terrible president failing to defend the Constitution broadly, it is about Trump weakening our defenses from within.
5
Rick Gates said today in court for Roger Stone that Trump knew of the Wikileaks dumps as early as June 2016. Of course he did, as his son, son-in-law, and Manafort had met with the Russians in Trump Tower, June 9, 2016 and the meeting was said to be a gift in support of Trump and the Russian lawyer was said to be delivering the information. They just needed plausible deniability of its existence, so decided to go through Stone and Wikileaks for their dirty work, knowing they weren't supposed to accept things of value (like opposition research) from a foreign adversary. Mueller said he wasn't sure if Don Jr. knew it was wrong in his report. Trump et al. knew it was wrong and deliberately misled with the fake stories about not getting anything from the meeting, and it being about adoptions, etc. etc. Michael Cohen testified that Trump knew about the meeting all along and was involved in every aspect of the Wikileaks, and now we know, also communicating with Stone. He used the information in campaign speeches, encouraging other to read Wikileaks, saying 'I love Wikileaks', before some dumps were made public. Our president is a corrupt thug, and is deeply involved in 'conspiracy' with Russia to undermine our elections. The Ukrainian situation is just more of the same, that he thought he could cover up, just like he did the Russia ties and monies/donations to campaigns from Russian oligarchs who thought they would definitely benefit by having the sanctions removed by Trump.
6
Since voting for Johnson in 1964 - the first one I could cast a vote, back when 21 was the voting age, I have voted for Democrats, Republicans, Third party candidates (not in 2016) and sat out one (1996). Even in 2016 I believed there would come a time when I would vote for a Republican again.
However, the Republicans of the 60's have vanished like the dodo bird. And I've crossed out the possibility of ever listening to them, let alone voting for them, in my lifetime (which is not denying them much, since I'm 79.
My history can't be unique THOUGH...
6
The bald fact is that, however intelligent and knowledgeable a person might be in other aspects of life, they can still believe in strange things—things that are not true, but that fill some sort of void in their intellectual character or that directly serves them in some other way. What is especially difficult for rational folks to understand is when an otherwise intelligent person insists on believing in conspiracy theories or propaganda that have been dispelled by hard evidence. I believe this is because people like this are emotionally, socially or financially invested in believing only what they consider as truth as opposed to actual TRUTH. This tendency is key to how they respond to information. This has given rise to "Alternative Facts" that stand in opposition to the way things really are. If one does not like THE TRUTH, one can select their own truth from any number of worthless theories or propaganda items. The GOP is relying on QAnon, 4Chan and Russian disinformation because they believe that there are enough gullible, careless and and intellectually close minded people who will believe their spin and keep them in power. In this, they are maliciously manipulating the most ineducable, unteachable and intellectually frozen among us. It is sad that most of the public can be induced to be parrticipants in their own destruction.
2
The Republican Party used to be the party of Lincoln, now they have become the party of Machiavelli. All that matters is the "win".
10
Give it a rest Michelle. The jig is up.
Thank you for your helpful point-by-point rebuttal.
5
@John LeBaron
What is the point? I have posted many links in the past. It's a waste of effort. Arbitrary if they are even posted. Look outside the bubble. It is not hard. Independent journalism is rare today. They Times, WP staff are too close to their sources. Remember "It is difficult to get a man to understand something when his salary depends upon his not understanding it." "She" in this case.
1
@Daphne. Then what is the point of even reading these news outlets, let alone bothering to post comments?
This is where Trumpian Russia policy leads. As a Reagan Republican, I reject Trump's embrace of Putin's Russia, and his silly Russian-fueled conspiracy theories about tiny Ukraine somehow influencing the election. From the start Trump has been on the wrong side on Russia, and sadly more Republicans are being sucked into this Kremlin-designed vortex. It's no coincidence Trump's campaign chairman got "black book" millions for taking Russia's side on the deposed Ukrainian leader. Trump's team watered down the G.O.P. Platform on Ukraine, and Trump withheld vital Ukrainian defense funds for his own political interests. We're far from the real G.O.P. leader who said "Mr. Gorbachev tear down this wall." It's not surprising Russians were hoping the odd conspiratorial-minded Republican, Trump, would win. He's the ultimate anti-Reagan.
6
What does Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin have on Donald John Trump, Sr.?
Beyond Trump's quest for Trump Organization profitable advantage arising his occupation of the Oval Office of the White House that he is hiding from the American people in his personal income tax returns and business accounting financial records?
What, if anything, did Soviet and Russian intelligence glean from Trump's courting and marrying the ethnic Slavic communist gold digger model wives the Czech Ivana and the Slovenian Melania Trump?
What, if anything, did Soviet and Russian intelligence glean from Trump's quest for Trump Tower Moscow and Trump Ski Resort Sochi and Trump Black Sea Golf and Hotel Club Resort?
What, if anything, did Soviet and Russian intelligence glean from Trump's beauty contests?
Joseph Stalin and Joseph Goebbels were the 20th Century masters of propaganda. They lived by the motto that the more brazen and open the lie the more gullible the people will be. Counterintuitively 'reasoning' that it must be true.
America's Siberian President is the pet puppet of the smiling and smirking Czar wannabe son of Leningrad nka as St. Petersburg aka Czar Vladimir the Great and Terrible I.
7
The Germans would never have elected Hitler had they known or taken seriously the crazy stuff he was saying and later acted on.
The Republicans have entered the Trump rabbit whole. If Trump would somehow win we can look for a purging of Obama, Bush and Clinton holdovers in government and the start of using stern measures against disloyal citizens. By the end of 8 years there could be a new "normal" enforced by a powerful surveillance state.
5
The gop has known for a while now they can only win elections by cheating and lying. That's why they gerrymander in ridiculous fashion, suppress the votes of likely Dem voters, and lie their faces off.
I wonder if gop voters reward their party's anti-democratic tactics because they share a "win at any cost" ethos, or because they are persuaded by the conspiracy theories and other lies their elected representatives spew at them. The rightwing "news" ecosystem is so thoroughly soaked in the bad faith that a voter who relies on their disinfo / propaganda outlets (townhall, realclearpolitics, foxnews, infowars) and their dishonest champions in the rightwing radio- and cyber-sphere (cernovich, lowry, bongino, limbaugh, levin, hewitt) will have no idea of the sobering reality of their party's inability to win on the merits of its platform. They're too focused on absurd lies like Hillary's pedophilia ring and the Deep State's commitment to bringing down trump. The very absurdity seems to be what locks them in to a false reality.
More Dems are stepping up to call out their mendacious colleagues and media handmaidens, including supposedly liberal outlets like MSNBC and CNN that rush to "both sides" idiotic gop conspiracy theories. We need their righteous voices. Will telling the truth be enough? I see the first "NYT Pick" comment here starts with the big lie that Russia did not assist trump's campaign. I guess that was chosen to show diverse viewpoints? The NYT's hands aren't clean.
5
This must be how the brown shirts and Hitler took over in Germany. Propaganda, propaganda, propaganda. No truth, just lies repeated enough times that people will actually believe them as true. Look no further than the GOP and their supporters.
Congressman Adam Schiff must maintain strict control over the publicized committee hearings, including rejection of the GOP list of debunked conspiracy theory "witnesses", proposed for no reason other than to turn the serious impeachment of a sitting President into a GOP circus, with ringmaster Jim Jordan, who is deflecting attention from his sketchy past as OSU assistant wrestling coach during the period athletes were sexually assaulted by the team doctor, and an informed Jordan did nothing to stop it. Be careful who you point the finger at Mr Jordan, your past is catching up with you. I always wondered why he had to take up all the talking space; it's to avoid hearing the truth.
11
Trump’s obsession with the conspiracy theory that Ukraine, and not Russia, meddled in our 2016 election stems from his desire to lift Russian sanctions. This is what Putin needs, and since Russian money has been critical to Trump’s business, this is what Trump wants to do for Putin. If he can somehow convince people that Ukraine “did it,” and also that Democrats were involved in “it,” so much the better from his perspective. That this scenario is not supported by our intelligence services, and Republicans, who know this, are still willing to indulge Trump in this delusion, taints their party with the odor of corruption. The Republicans who can’t embrace the corruption are leaving the party rather than speak out. It’s a sorry spectacle.
5
Trump's mission may be to weaken the Executive branch with his unscrupulous behavior and unscrupulous Cabinet.
The U.S. Senate idly sits by, clapping like so many trained seals. The House is drunk with dreams of giveaways to earn the Advocacy industry its 15%.
Grover Norquist's goal, to shrink the Federal government to a drag-able and drown-able size is no longer necessary.
Our government is lying face-down in two inches of bathtub water, unable or unwilling to turn itself over.
3
It's going to backfire on them this week with the public hearings. Now we can make up our own minds as career professionals go up against the Republican mob. From what I can tell they have done very well in the closed hearings and will do even better in the open ones.
Why? Because they are telling the truth. Trump's base won't care but the 10-15% of the voters that will determine the results in 2020 will. Trump's performance over the last few months is pitiful, changes constantly and is completely contradictory. We recognize that. Jim Jordan's loud lies and screeching isn't going to change that. He's just putting on a performance for his constituents. Who cares? Manafort as a victim?! Are you serious?
Then, hopefully, all the anxious handwringing and fretting by east coast journalists will go away. Try getting out a bit more.
5
Can we just call this what it really is? Lying. Let's enforce laws on lying. If there are none, make them.
3
It is getting difficult to imagine how we will ever recover from the lies propagated by the GOP the last however many years. I actually think Reagan would be horrified by modern Republicans. He was no friend of Russia.
4
@Carlotta Reagan started this spiral by de-legitimatizing the Federal Government
2
I guess the inevitable result of electing a person with Trump’s lack of principles and intellectual honesty would be this kind of folly. (Also, do not discount the effect of having a major news media outlet with allied aims and the same intellect and honesty.) Who else would find these conspiracy theories attractive? Who else would send out a band of extortion goons to “get the goods” on Joe and Hillary instead of going to the FBI or the CIA (or a special prosecutor, oh wait)? In TrumpWorld, where everyone is on the make or on the take, any con job that’ll get the job done is appropriate.
2
"TRUMPISTS" REPUBLICANS NEED TO BE REMINDED THEIR DUTY IS TO DEFEND THE CONSTITUTION NOT A PRESIDENT.
Several news reports, here and elsewhere, convey the undeniable impression House and Senate Republicans need reminding their sworn duty is to defend the Constitution and the rule of law NOT a president or a political party.
Trumpist Republicans' dangerous cowardice masquerading as partisanship is being unmasked by the courageous sworn testimony of White House and senior State Department staff who, at great professional and personal risk, are sounding the alarm on the impeachable malfeasance and mendacity of our national "horror show"; the presidency of Donald Trump.
2
Who knew Republicans are so fiercely Pro-Choice when it came to the truth? Like "The Onion" mock headling put it "Breaking The Law Is Not A Crime" (for their guy). Come Wednesday, one can only hope that the televised will be a revolution.
4
How many times has a conversation about Trump and his supporters started with "how could anyone believe...?"
There's a lot of blame being thrown at the Internet and its major players who continually resist regulation that would make them more responsible for the garbage that clogs their pipes. Rightfully so. They can and should do better.
But we can't expect a quick fix even if we manage to regulate the Facebook's and YouTubes of the world, because we have a reception problem as much as a delivery problem.
How is it possible that anyone believes anything Trump and his supporters have to say in their defence, no matter the medium? He, and they are proud liars. They don't even try to hide the lying. It's muscle memory for them to move from one debunked lie to the next lie, to the next, to the next. And their base will either always believe or just enjoy the entertainment of it all.
Stay the course on impeachment hearings. The lies must be ground into the earth by the weight of public testimony.
3
Now, with Trump's outright endorsement of treasonous activity, his Republicans will use any means to compromise a fair election in 2020.
Perhaps "the base" does not realize that that is treason; TRULY TREASON. It is the act of an American official to undermine the security and stability of this country by means of foreign influence and lies.
I still believe that this is being directed by Moscow directly to Trump. Everything since before the 2016 election has pointed to that. Trump's supporters cannot legitimately merely dismiss the UNQUESTIONABLE OBSTRUCTION and COLLABORATION findings in the Mueller report - they exist and they are FACT. Trump's (and Hannity's) lies not withstanding, they are clear.
The sky IS blue; day follows night; Trump is a criminal. Fox lies, Barr lies, Nunes and Jordan disgrace their electorate - FACTS.
I defy anyone to legitimately support this rogue administration with any legitimacy - it cannot be done. If there is a higher power, they will get theirs for trying to destroy the greatest experiment in Democracy on this planet. Pravda!
2
The Democrats are not seeing how jaded the public happens to be about lying politicians who break the laws. They have to prove more wrong doing than trying to use foreign policy to use dirty tricks in an election.
The Republicans are afraid to stand up to Trump’s habitual and deliberate breaking of every law for which anyone lets him. They will regret it because the man will take them down with him.
In the end Trump will leave the U.S. government in a wreck as he has so many other things throughout his life. He does not respect reality. He thinks that lies and money make him immune from consequences.
1
What is happening to America?
I don’t have the historical context to understand this disinformation takeover. Putin must be blown away about how easy it has been to infiltrate the minds of many Americans and many elected Republican officials. To watch this occurring in real time has been both fascinating and alarming. I never could understand the brainwashing that took place in Germany that lead to the rise of people willing to look the other way when all the atrocities were occurring. Now I see it but still don’t understand it.
Is it too late to right the ship?
4
Republicans are fearful of the dark, they fear what might be staring back if they look.
Trump is a cheat, he has always been a cheat. He knows not how to face reality with an open mind and to work through problems to a best result. Instead he seeks to convince people to act as he wishes by manipulation of their weaknesses and evades responsibility when things become other than he wants.
Trump is using his authority to manage foreign relations to suit his personal businesses and to indulge in his personal vanities. For some reason he wants the Russians to consider him a friend and tries to help them. This Ukraine business is helping Russia more than it is helping Trump. His abandonment of the Kurds to indulge Turkey’s vindictiveness also leaves Russia with far greater authority in the Middle East. Again, Trump risks his prestige to help Russia. He acts like an asset of Putin, knowingly or not.
The investigation must uncover Trump’s financial interests and his family’s financial interests to make sense of this odd behavior.
Republicans fear what might be revealed. Then they might have to help remove someone from office who may be betraying not just his oath of office but the interests of all Americans. Not good.
2
It seems that the president is a wanna-be Russian asset, eagerly repeating whatever comes out of the Russian propaganda factories, without the skill or coherence that an actual Russian asset would have.
Is it collusion if he is following Putin's orders without being asked?
As for why he takes Russia's line in everything, well, think about it! He has been hip deep in organized crime for decades, and for decades the global boss of organized crime has been Putin. Of course he takes the boss's line! Of course he imitates the boss!
3
"Republicans Embrace Russian Disinformation"?
True, but why not just phrase this more directly: "Republicans LIE," "Republicans embrace the big lie," or "Republicans resort to blatant propaganda" a la Russia and all sorts of other bad actors in history?
7
I admire Dr. Hill. I hope she becomes the model for all who have to answer the Republicans' ridiculous questions.
5
I think this clinches it. We have reproduced McCarthyism in the 21st century. Donald Trump is the totem, and all his loyal sycophants and manipulators along with the Russians form the edifice of the Republican Party. It is an awful sight. It may threaten the very foundations of our democracy. Somehow though, I think we will survive. We will push this charlatan aside and restore our republic.
In fact, we have no choice. We must do this.
2
"...House Republicans, out of slavish fealty to the president...'
I don't believe it's fealty to Trump. Many Republicans, the fundamentalist aka evangelicals, have been social conservative allies of Putin since he signed his anti-gay law in 2012.
They are covering for themselves, the NRA and the National Prayer Breakfast cabal and other groups with deep connections to Putin & his oligarchs.
There was a group of Republicans who spent July 4 in Moscow in 2018. Someone needs to look at Russian travel by state & federal elected officials...and, start from there.
6
Who would believe Jim Jordan, who has lied repeatedly about his own awareness of abuse at Ohio State. I following college wrestling closely, and the guy is an outright pathological liar.
9
Guiliani has been trying to get the American public to "not look at the man behind the curtain". He went on cable news and told conspiracy theories in hopes that Americans would believe the spin he was selling. The problem for him was he got caught in his lies. Now the Republicans on Congress is trying to sell the re-runs that we already have watched and changed the channel. It is time for all of us to watch the hearings without any spin.
2
In Trump's mind, that the Ukraine is the cause of the 2016 election interference is reasonable. Trump wants to deflect attention from Putin, the Putin internet team and Manfort. In Trump's mind, he must win in 2020 and stay in power, so he is not tried in a US court for his many criminal activities. The truth looks very different, but Trump's mind and the truth will not be meeting. The big question is whether the GOP will string along with Trump if it looks like his version of "the truth" starts to unravel. The next few weeks will be interesting. And informative. Another question is whether any NSA or CIA informants will start telling us the content of the Trump/Putin telephone discussions, financial interactions and relationship.
2
Sen. Nuñez is planning on calling as witnesses Queen Elizabeth and Henry Kissenger. Along with the milk man, and the paperboy who got mad when Trump canceled his subscription to the NYTimes and WA Post. He's going to claim Trump was well within his powers to cancel the subscriptions, that there was no QpQ in canceling them, and to frame the paper boy as "just another Trump hater in DC."
4
Why don't you just say it...........To Exonerate Trump, Republicans embrace the lies! We surely know that Jim Jordan Nunes and the rest of the R's know these are lies that they are peddling and are willing to lie for Trump. When Rand Paul tries to equate Biden's quid pro quid deal with Trump's we all know that he knows this is a lie.
3
Remember, Michelle, that Republicans are powered by religion. They'll say and do crazy, evil things then pray for absolution. Assuming, of course, that they're not too deluded to accept that what they've done is wrong. After all, God likes them best.
Then there's Lindsay Graham, who has adopted the Sergeant Schultz (Hogan's Heroes) approach:
"I see nothing! I hear nothing! I know nothing!"
5
A single Republican dissembling is one thing. What's more curious to me is this mass dissembling.The denials in the face of facts, the whistling past the graveyard hoping this will somehow go away, the lying despite recorded statements and writings - all of this is befuddling. And much of this by people we might otherwise consider rational and intelligent.
This is not two sided, never has been. This is the moral collapse of a group who, having decided to stick with Trump to attain their own goals, realizes that their very relevance depends on Trump staying in power. Without him, they're toast, and if, IF we're lucky, the rest of the country will remember how they sold us out.
5
The Press also seems to be doing what it can to help Trump. "Quid pro quo" is new "collusion". It is not a crime, and lack of an explicit request would not have made the phone call "perfect". Call it extortion or solicitation of a bribe. These are criminal activities and the Press should say so.
6
All the republicans have is disinformation and outright lies that confuse the elderly Fox noise crowd. With a reality tv president who panders to the lowest common base instincts humans have, don't expect anything like truth or fair play to come from that side of the aisle.
1
The Republican Party no longer gives a damn about defending our constitution or our republic. Period.
10
In the July 25 phone call, Trump asked Ukrainian President Zelensky to “look into” allegations made by Ukrainian leaders and officials, not conspiracies theories concocted by Republicans. The whistleblower listed these allegations on page five of his complaint. A former Ukrainian president, a former Ukrainian prosecutor general and other Ukrainian officials alleged
—they have evidence that Ukraine’s National Anticorruption Bureau collaborated with the Democratic National Committee to interfere in the 2016 presidential election;
—that members of the U.S. Embassy in Kyiv obstructed Ukrainian anticorruption investigations;
—that Vice President Joe Biden quashed a Ukrainian investigation of Burisma Holding to protect his son Hunter, who say on its board of directors.
The whistleblower complaint with the list of allegations is online at https://intelligence.house.gov/uploadedfiles/20190812_-_whistleblower_complaint_unclass.pdf
1
Not true.
Not worth discussing disinformation.
7
Beyond the obvious fact that you’ve grossly distorted what Trump said on that call out of all recognition, your citation seems to lead to the Republican chunk of the Intelligence Committee’s website, which is largely populated by Devin Nunes and FOX editorial clips.
Sprry, but I’ve already been lied to by these clowns more than enough for my taste.
5
@Rober
As the whistleblower complaint attest, Trump and Zelensky was discussing the allegations thaty appeared in The Hill. Zelensky indicted he knew of the allegations.
I cited the White House transcript and the whistleblower complaint, which is online.I watch CNN, not Fox News. I didn't know there is a "Republican chunk" of the House Intelligence Committee website, but thanks for telling me. I will look into it
Lies, say it, lies, the Senate Republicans are peddling #45's lies, and it's awful.
8
I think you have it backward. The GOP does not have to exonerate Trump or prove him innocent. In America, the presumption of innocence is with the accused. The Democrats have to prove to a large majority of the American people that Trump is guilty of an impeachable offense.
Sadly, however, the Democrats do not seem to be trying to convince anybody beyond their democratic base, which taints the whole process as just another partisan game of cops and robbers.
4
@Liberty hound You seem to think that an impeachment trial is bound by the rules of evidence and legal presumptions that a criminal trial is bound by. That's simply not true.
8
@AMC
Do you argue that is it a just another political strategy to remove an opponent?
1
@Liberty hound
You can't be convinced if you aren't willing to see what is right in front of you.
5
The real conspiracy theory, thoroughly debunked but seeming possessed of nine lives, is that Trump somehow conspired with Russia to win the election. That is a delusion brought on by an inability to accept that Clinton lost. Even after she and the DNC used every dirty trick in the book.
2
@Daphne
What about Trump University ($25 million fine, for fraud), Trump Foundation ($2 million fine, for tax fraud), accepting illegal donations use for hush-money to cover up Trump's sexual dalliances ("individual #1"). Now Trump has been caught red-handed soliciting election aid from a foreign country. It seems to be a habit he cannot break.
I frankly do not like having a convicted fraudster in the White House, though many confused souls in this country clearly do.
5
@Daphne: I completely disagree, but you remind me to say that the real tragedy here is that Trump, because of his vanity and fragile ego, and his massive financial conflicts of interest, was unable and unwilling to acknowledge the overwhelming evidence that the Russians engaged in a systematic, sophisticated campaign of persuasion and disinformation to influence the 2016 election. That is no delusion; it is a fact and they have done it elsewhere and will continue to do. A mature President would have accepted this fact, used his power to educate the public about it, and taken steps to prevent it. Instead, from the very first days of his presidency, he used his power to deny reality and spin false narratives to protect himself personally. That's why we're in this mess, because Trump is an immature, damaged individual who's been been placed in a position of power that he is in no way equipped to handle.
6
@Daphne
Clinton won the popular vote.
Trump lost the popular vote.
1
Considering the GOP loyalty to Trump despite the precise evidence against him disclosed in the Ukraine Investigation inquiry, the expressions Trump defenders and Trump allies are misnomers, which are better replaced by Trump subjects.
3
The basic facts are in and the only thing that matters now is who controls public opinion. As long as Trump has 40% of the American public in his favor he wins. To lower his support to 35% or so, which might get the attention of some Republican senators, the Democrats (Steyer, Bloomberg, perhaps?) need to spend a couple billion on Facebook and Google ads, targeting the same Trump supporters who only get their news through Facebook, Fox and Sinclair. This is a propaganda war fought primarily in social media; TV hearings and more facts won't change anything. Only social media spin and propaganda counts. This is how Republicans lost the popular vote in 2016 but won Michigan, Wisconsin, and Pennsylvania and the White House. If the Democrats are too high-minded to fight back, they lose and the world burns.
6
I suspect Trump got his marching orders about Ukraine when he had that closed door meeting with Putin. The mess now also is the result of GOP fealty and a very weak man trying to wear big boy pants and go off script. Vat a Kountry!
10
The right invented the boogie man/straw man - the "Mainstream Media" - as a convenient foil to anything that does not fit the "truth" they work so hard to construct.
The right's parallel construction of the "Maelstrom Media" does that work as well. A storm of counter narratives fro the right's media just makes stuff and that sucks at our attention. The Maelstrom Media goads the less savvy down Alice's path to a place where truth just doesn't matter.
We just have to be smarter than that - we can never run away from the question- who is telling me this - and how does it serve them.
Every interaction with media is a red pill or blue pill choice- question what is given but be ready for harsh reality or accept the simple sanctuary of comfortable truths(?).
3
Over the last 2 days I have heard these Republican conspiracy theories presented as legit on NPR, with no pushback from NPR. We need MANY more voices like Michelle’s to call out these lies. Now.
16
@CitizenJ
NPR and Chuck Todd.
1
My thoughts are that this is absurdly untrue, and I’m tired of “leftists,” who think that it is the function of the media to scream their precise views, and theirs only, at every mike or camera in the land.
The Republicans have lost all their marbles.
If I had gone to sleep 20 years ago and was awakened in November, 2019, I would not have believed my eyes and ears that this kind of totally nutty guess work was possible. Not here. Not in America. Not in this place where education, knowledge and discernment are so highly valued.
The tactic is simple: say anything that might be true, say anything that a portion of the public might believe to create a tiny, but impenetrable, block, first to information and then to thought. Once the block is created (Soros!) no counter information can enter and no consideration of actual facts will intrude on the person's brain.
All of the miscreants (Giuliani!) are going to pay a heavy price sooner or later for this complete destruction of public dialog. It could be jail time or just banishment to the outer fringes, never to be heard from again. The greater danger is to us all from the utter corruption of information in the service of petty political points.
9
It's not just that Trump violated federal law by soliciting foreign aid in the election--that is and of itself a felony. It's not just that Trump extorted out ally by conditioning apportioned aid on their participation in his criminal conspiracy--that's another felony.
But he legitimately committed "high crimes"--he committed treason by colluding with our enemies to steal our election. Without exaggeration, he is the Manchurian Candidate, selling out American interests to hostile powers in order to benefit and enrich himself.
He's a traitor, full stop. If committing treason isn't an impeachable offense, what is? He must be deposed immediately and prosecuted, then we must immediately turn to the task of trying to shore up our election defenses--otherwise, whoever the Russians pick to insert next will win the next election.
12
Don't forget the lifting of sanctions on Oleg Deripaska, and old Moscow Mitch's embracing of his aluminum factory for good ole Kentucky. It is my understanding that Russian influence entered both Italy and Hungary this way, through moneyed interests and industry, allowing Russia undue influence in both places. Don't think it cannot happen here; it already is. As for myself, I am horrified at this traitorous activity, as we who love democracy all should be.
10
Republicans are staging Kabuki theater every day to deflect from the real issue, which is Trump's blatant corruption, bribery and self-dealing.
But even scarier is the Republican's blindness to this. Every day they create phony narratives to make people think "there's nothing to see here, folks -- move on."
The Republicans signal every day they are not going to change.
They are not going to honor their oaths to the Constitution.
They are not going to cooperate in a justifiable, legitimate impeachment process.
They will not do what they were elected to do.
The problem is more than Trump.
15
Whether he realizes it or not, Trump is a Russian intelligence asset. Consider his comments and behavior regarding Putin and his allies. Then think back to the oligarchs who saved his skin when he was about to go out of business via huge loans and purchases of his properties. All of this is part and parcel of Putin's strategy to meddle in this country's government via the long view of creating puppets to further his mission of rebuilding the USSR.
8
I just hope that once we are on the other side of these disastrous times the GOP is in tatters, ruined. Any other outcome and the USA as we know it - or thought we knew it - is gone.
Actually, double that, or more accurately, global that. A non response by the US to Climate Change - AKA That Chinese Hoax - dooms us all.
Vote people, vote.
9
@Robert
The Democratic party as it is today will not survive this debasement of norms.
I used to wonder why Trump bore such hatred of John McCain. I just finished Bill Browder’s book, Red Notice. In it, he points out John McCain was the Senate Republican sponsor of the Magnitsky Act. This act put severe sanctions on Putin and his oligarch buddies. Hence, Putin must have hated McCain. It follows then that Trump would hate McCain too.
Who would have guessed the party whose 2012 standard bearer declared Russia was our biggest geopolitical threat would now be in the pocket of Russia?
13
WHY on Earth is this crucial information not projected from the front page of the News section? Are we really going to have to endure a "both sides have good people" canard about Russian subversion when we spend a quarter of a million dollars on tuition making sure our children study it in the best college they can find?
2
This is terrifying. Russia has successfully infiltrated the US government at the highest levels. Now we have House and Senate members effectively defending Russia and prosecuting Ukraine, Hillary Clinton and whomever else they can to make the waters murky. Republicans have become Russian agents. It is a pretty simple juxtaposition of entities.
9
@XXX The question I have is: How? How did the Putin's Russia influence so many Western figures, politicians, and celebrities? It's not just Trump and number of Republican politicians, but it's also Boris Johnson, Nigel Farage, Alan Dershowitz, Oliver Stone (check out the July story on Stone asking Putin to be the godfather to his 22 year-old daughter), Steven Seagal, etc. Are all of these people true believers of Putin? Of Trump? Are we dealing with financial interests only? Brainwashing? A mixture of the two? It sounds bizarre but what happening to these people is in some ways inexplicable.
at this point, it's about all the republicans have left after being completely debunked by mueller. it's now "lets throw everything at the wall and see what sticks" defense.
1
Trump is the symptom, Republicans and conservative media are the problem. For 40 years they have sought to normalize political "dirty" tricks resulting in over 40% of the public unable to tell fact from fiction. They are now declaring that withholding military aid for personal gain is "always done".
This insanity has to stop. NO MATTER WHO, VOTE BLUE.
6
I remember when Republicans respected the FBI and didn't trust the Russians. It shows how far they have fallen that they are pushing Russian conspiracies on a daily basis.
7
I am in complete awe that we find ourselves witnessing American, let me repeat that, AMERICAN politicians in positions of power, turning against their country.
The corruption of the Republican party is now complete. The disease of greed and power is spread through. The fear of DT's wrath is so powerful that those who had some semblance of conscious, are gone. They were pushed out or are quitting. They do nothing to redeem themselves as anything but weak, corrupt and complicit. They hide from the press and the people complicit as DT spread lies and poisonous hate with Social Media and TV. The most corrupt stay. Nikki Haley calculates and positions herself to join and gain power, exposing her true self, as corrupt.
RT, sorry , "FOX News" and their egregious propagandists will be integral to the plan to avoid any consequences. They aggressively disparage and dishonor the heroes who come forward and speak truth to power. FOX won't be as effective if everyone else in the press, does their job.
We must see the press to protect the Democracy that gives them the power to tell the truth. Fight and expose propaganda. EVERY DAY. Expose Fox for what they are.
They are not your peers. They are now a tool of a Russian backed political machine being used to destroy our Democracy and you. Not exposing Fox is complicit. They will be the only ones left to tell the truth if DT wins. Think about that. The Truth will save you as well.
VOTE
5
I remember a saying my father, an inveterate fisherman, used to say, "Early to bed, early to rise, fish like (heck) and make up lies!" Since lies are all they've got, these Congressional Republicans are about to fill their boat with them. Let them be judged by their own actions, and prepare to render a verdict on November 3, 2020. The presidency alone is not enough. We cannot let people of such disgraceful values (party above everything else) remain in office. Please join me.
4
Thank you, Michelle. The title of this op-ed should be the title of the paper's political coverage, because it's true. And that's exactly what's wrong with this paper's "fear-of-seeming-partisan" reporting. The radical asymmetry of behavior, when only one party is lying constantly and engaging in partisan stunts, does not mean the truth should be softened or the horrifying lunacy of the Republicans' behavior downplayed. (e.g. the headline saying that Sondland "updated" his Ukraine testimony, instead of "completely revised" it.)
Words matter. Stop saying "dirt" on Hunter Biden and start saying "manufactured evidence." Fiona Hill has been more fearless in firmly stating the truth than this paper, and I am not hopeful your political team will do any better with the impeachment hearings than it did with its shamefully insulting coverage of the Mueller hearing. Talking about optics over substance is not helpful; leave that to your television critics and allow your political reporters to state, clearly and unambiguously, what they see and hear.
4
You’re going to see a lot of temper tantrums from House Republicans this week and it’s important to remember that they’re actually having their “ tizzy fits” because they actually have no defense. They are trying to fool the American public into believing in the fraud that they themselves have invested in… don’t I remember something about an oath of office that they have had to take?
Frankly, I hope that all of these house Republicans are humiliated publicly in the course of their ridiculous defenses . In times like these ridicule is indeed the best medicine.
3
Unfortunately, the GOP's sole ambition is to win at any cost. Let the Russians handle our elections any way that suits them, as long as big oil (or whomever is currently lining their pockets) wins. Send in the clowns. Oh, he's already here.
2
In future history books, the photo of Jim Jordan that accompanies this article should be captioned "Republican lawmakers doubled as Russian apologists during President Trump's impeachment. Some called them traitors."
4
"Republicans have telegraphed several possible defenses of the president. " - the problem with lying (as opposed to telling the truth) is that you have to remember what you said.
The Corollary is that you're really in trouble if you can't even determine what lie to tell in the first place.
1
Of course they will. Remember that image of the T-shirt "I'd rather be RUSSIAN than DEMOCRAT"? That's the entire GOP mindset. Do anything, ANYTHING, as long as those dirty Dems don't win.
5
"House Republicans, out of slavish fealty to the president"
Not sure about that. More likely they support Trump because he's a top notch carnival barker attracting people to the Republican party and distracting the fans from what is really going on. They have free rein to do as they wish and get away with 'murder' as long as they agree to support Trump—the power of a pardon! Yet others know that they are so incompetent they would be run out of office if they didn't trade favors with Trump.
Reading the transcripts is an eye-opener, (highly recommend it), if you think it will be dry, think again—House of Cards + John Le Carre + Beavis and Butthead (without the comedy). It's treated as a red herring party by the Republicans.
1
Doesn't what's happening today boil down to whether or not a republican minority rule straight jacket can be established for all in America? A lid on a boiling pot just causes it to burst. Bring the unions back, more equality not less, then we might begin to solve problems. If the real estate business in America is the engine of inequality then start there, let's find another engine to pull towards equality for all.
The good news might be that Adam Schiff doesn't have to call any of the republican's witnesses. I hope for the good of the Nation that he doesn't.
4
Republican leaders are always in attack mode. Democratic leaders are always seeking permission. Good or Bad leadership means to lead first and foremost. I remember during the Hillary Vs Obama campaign; she ridiculed him by saying: “What does he think that everyone is going to hold hands, sing Kumbahu and all our problems will disappear?”
It’s a Constitutional battlefield on every front and ballots serve recruitment but do not engage the conflicts. Divisiveness is a battle’s cause not its effect! Politics are maneuvers or mere opinions so fight the Republicans with that which is evident and real. They’ve feared its Supreme power from the beginning that’s why they’ve sought to erase and diminish it from the public’s consciousness for decades. It’s impossible for a minority group to gain governing power over the U.S. unless members a majority group obliged them!
3
Ms. Hill has revealed a good way to deal with these insipid trumpers. Repeating these are conspiracy theories and mentioning the rabbit holes in response to such stupid lines of questioning is a good idea.
The Mueller report proved the Russians were the ones compromising our election. The facts are in and the GOP and Trump should be skewered with it.
6
For a message the American people can understand, how about “Missiles for Dirt?”
5
Get your goggles and breathing mask on — there will be so much dust kicked up it will be difficult to see or breathe. Just how Putin wants it.
6
As they so stridently back our Quisling president ‘No Taxes to be found’ here, GOP politicians should heed this cautionary adage: “Hang together and hang together.”
4
The Trump Abomination should NOT be supported!
5
Plain and simple, the Republicans that echo and amplify the proven lies and Russian-originated dis-information are traitors to the United States of America.
7
The Republicans are really scraping the bottom of the gene pool if guys like Jim Jordan and Matt Gaetz are representing their districts. They have become part of the propaganda machine. They have no moral compass and there is no low low enough if they protect their lying, cheating, racist, etc. boss. They don't have a conscience where they understand what the right thing is. Win at all costs, even it's at American Security or against the Constitution. Pay attention Ohio and Florida, do you really want these pitbulls representing you?
8
Gym jordan the perfect spokesman for trump. Experienced in protecting sexual predators.
8
Rudy Giuliani appears to be working in Russia's interest. No wonder he isn't paid by the current occupant of the White House.
All roads lead to Putin the master of disinformation. The most unorthodox government in my lifetime.
7
What should one expect from the party that has.embraced a Manchurian Candidate as its leader!
6
A President asks for a confidential favor from a foreign dignitary in an Oval Office phone call and casually mentions foreign aid strings are attached. (Current administration playbook). An unnamed CIA officer contacts an unnamed foreign intelligence officer on a satellite phone and asks for a confidential favor on behalf of the President and pointedly mentions the expected "black book" arms purchase hinges on the answer. (EVERY previous administration's playbook, the sainted Obama included). Really people -- just ignore this biased broadsheet's editorial spin as it's less informed than The Onion's take on things.
2
With Trump “all roads lead to Putin.
5
We will all be dead by 2060 because of climate change. No one cares.
2
The 40% being mentioned repeatedly here - those who disregard reality, have no compassion for anyone but themselves, and will back this idiot-in-chief no matter the corruption and lies - aren't going to disappear after the next election. They're going to be poisoning this democracy for years to come. No matter who wins or loses, they will continue fomenting hate and fear.
The America of ideals and promise and hope - it's gone now, and I don't see it coming back.
9
Aside from all this, no analysis of U.S.-Russia relations can be complete without a look at what happened in Ukraine, February 2014. Online dispatches from the New York Times and The Guardian (especially, because this newspaper has the best East Europe coverage of English-language newspapers) of Feb. 20 and 21, 2014 from Kiev show that paramilitary rightist extremists broke a truce, surprised off-guard police and set in motion a process that drove a democratically elected president, Viktor Yanukovych , from East Ukraine, from office. The German and Polish (Radek Sikorski, husband of career-Russian-critic Anne Applebaum) Foreign Ministers were in Kiev negotiating with the government on behalf of the political opposition just before the elected government fell. The EU's foreign policy chief, Lady Catherine Ashton, had already encouraged opposition demonstrators in the Maidan, as did the State Department’s Victoria Nuland and the then German foreign minister. (Some of the strongest opposition to the elected Government came from the city of Lviv, a part of Poland (Lwów) before Hitler and Stalin partitioned Poland in 1939. Lviv was called Lemberg when it was part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire.) Who funded and trained the paramilitary rightists? Joao Soares, president of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, said Ukraine’s 2010 presidential election, won by Yanukovych, was an "impressive display of democracy."
It looks like the Republican Party may have boarded the bus taking the one of the many roads to Putinville.
8
Oh great. We get to watch Jim Jordan act like the huge clown that his is. Yawn.
6
Just remember how the GOP treated the Dems up until 2018 when they finally lost the House;
...secret, one-sided GOP meetings without without Dems, refusal to accept Dems requested subpoenaed witnesses for Committee hearings...
...not allowing the Dems to see the 2017 GOP tax cuts, until the night before the day of the vote...
...all the while the GOP and Trump calling for the Russians to invade our systems, which they did...
...their immature, illegal pizza party in the sacrosanct room preventing the questioning by both parties of witnesses...
...the GOP refusal to comply with Dems subpoenas for their witnesses to appear to testify...
...and now they have the temerity to request fairness and decency, and the questioning of Biden and son, despite their failures to respond to the Dems...
...it's about time they grew up...and they shouldn't respect anything better than they gave...
...the world is round!!!
6
In the July 25 phone call, Trump did not ask Ukrainian President Zelensky to investigate conspiracy theories concocted by Republicans or Russians. He asked, as a favor, that Zelensky "look into” allegations made by Ukrainian officials, including a former president and general prosecutor. These allegations appeared in a series of articles and interviews published by The Hill, an American newspaper. The Ukrainians alleged
—they have evidence that Ukraine’s National Anticorruption Bureau collaborated with the Democratic National Committee to interfere in the 2016 presidential election;
—that members of the U.S. Embassy in Kyiv obstructed Ukrainian anticorruption investigations;
—that Vice President Joe Biden quashed a Ukrainian investigation of Burisma Holding to protect his son Hunter, who say on its board of directors.
The whistleblower listed these allegations on page five of his complaint, which triggered the impeachment inquiry.
Expectations that the Senate will convict and remove the president for asking Zelensky to look into the allegations is delusional. The Treaty With Ukrainian on Mutual Legal Assistance in Criminal Matters requires the United States and Ukraine to assist each other in the conduct of criminal investigations.
The whistleblower complaint with the list of allegations is online at https://intelligence.house.gov/uploadedfiles/20190812_-_whistleblower_complaint_unclass.pdf
1
@William Case You are spreading disinformation by willfully misrepresenting the whistle blower complaint.
Read further:
Mr. Lutsenko later told Bloomberg on 16 May that former Vice President Biden and his son were not subject to any current Ukrainian investigations, and that he had no evidence against them. Other senior Ukrainian officials also contested his original allegations; one former senior Ukrainian prosecutor told Bloomberg on 7 May that Mr. Shokin in fact was not investigating Burisma at the time of his removal in 2016.
It was also publicly reported that Mr. Giuliani had met on at least two occasions with Mr. Lutsenko: once in New York in late January and again in Warsaw in mid-February. In addition, it was publicly reported that Mr. Giuliani had spoken in late 2018 to former Prosecutor General Shokin, in a Skype call arranged by two associates of Mr. Giuliani. (10)
Stop spreading misinformation, especially by repeating the very disinformation campaign reported by the whistle blower.
2
What I have discovered is that I would not trust a Republican to tell me the time of day. Nothing they say will ever be believed by me again. Fool me once, shame on me. Fool me twice, shame on you.
8
It is interesting that George Soros, a Jewish financier of boundless integrity and with a huge conscience propelled impulse to use his wealth to promote democratic (and also capitalist) causes in formerly Communist countries, has become the bete noir of these conspiracy theorists as they unwittingly reveal their state of ethical development by following almost to the word the intellectual path of some of the most noxious ant-semites of the intrawar period.
6
Devin Nunes, here’s a guy whose “family farm “ has basically existed for years on illegal farm labor from Mexico, last seen at an undisclosed meeting in the middle of the night at the White House while chairman of an “ethics” committee.
A totally morally bankrupt conman from Northern California- pathetic and a disgrace to our democracy.
10
Sen. Graham and Reps Meadows, Jordan, Nunes, Gaetz are all packed in the same Clown Car, barreling out of control, deep in Looney Tunes Land, in search of more right wing phantasies and unicorns.
6
How pathetic is it that the self-described defenders of the country are embracing Vladimir PUTIN'S talking points in their defense of this hopelessly corrupt, venal con artist in the White House?
7
The US Republican Party is just an extension of the United Russia Party, so of course they are using Russian disinformation. Make Vlad proud, comrades!
6
Congratulate me!
I am changing my party affiliations .
Today I will be visiting the Secretary of State website in Ct. to become a registered Democrat. I will caucus with dems. Now!!!
I became a republican in 1991 when I ran for municipal office. We were a great bunch of foot soldiers for local care of our citizens tax dollars. We embraced the theoretical framework of Maslow and Erickson. We worked together and across the aisle.
My last RTC caucus meeting was this past August.
I will tell you all .....trumpians have taken over the Ct. Republican Party .
These newer caucus types come into meetings demanding actions against immigrants and for gun culture locally. They call themselves “ the base”.
After that meeting ,where I announced to the roomful of party leaders ,that I was a “ never trumper” I was shunned. No more emails with meeting dates and caucus info for me. My old friends on some boards came up to me and whispered “ not all of us are like that”.
Yet everyone is afraid to voice concern.
The trumpian template has been adopted by local republican caucuses in New England. Be aware voters of our democracy on life support.
Be cognizant that our military must announce allegiance to the rule of law and the commands of congress in the trump/ Putin coup .
This is a criminal enterprise years in the making. When the Berlin Wall fell these oligarchs and mafia types had their first meetup. Think Gingrich. And Cheney. And a host of others. Read the history of their birth .
12
The corporate mainstream media have spent two and a half years pushing, without success, the extremely bizarre conspiracy theory that the right wing President of the United States is, in fact, a Russian asset and Manchurian candidate controlled by the Kremlin. When the Mueller report, that was supposed to provide proof for this vast international conspiracy, did not present a single incident of the dreaded Enemy collusion, this conspiracy theory was hurriedly dropped. Suddenly another East European wild goose chase story pops up, courtesy of a secret CIA White House spy, this time about Ukraine . . . . Meanwhile, "Hill," to use your columnist's cozy nomenclature, has presented zero proof for her outrageous charges that a Congressperson and Democratic Presidential candidate, who is in addition an active reserve military officer, is also secretly a traitor and a "Russian asset." Why is Clinton not being held responsible to provide any proof for this outrageous smear?
2
Russian disinformation works correct?
1
Can any of you hear Putin laughing in the background? Listen...
4
Offshoring GOP and NRA campaigns is old hat stuff.
4
Yup, the party of national security has become the party of Pravda-style disinformation with its own propaganda organ, Fox News, defending Putin's Poodle at every turn. Jim Jordan and Mark Meadows are now vying for Hero of the Soviet Union medal.
5
Never believe that Republicans are the party of liberty, for they have forsaken any freedom of thought to toe the Bully-in-Chief’s line.
2
Hearings will end like Macbeth second group of three proffesse from three witches for GOP.
1
Dear NYT:
This is silliness.
The chutzpah of this columnist to savagely attack GOP "conspiracy theories" after more than two years pushing the bogus, now-debunked Trump / Russia collusion fantasy.
A sufficient evidential basis exists to at least launch an investigation -- and to ask Ukraine's help.
Consider the "dirt" digging work of DNC operative Chalupa. The involvement of senior embassy staff in shielding a foreign-controlled "anti-corrupution" group (yes, it got some Soros funding) and worked closely with the FBI and Justice Department in arranging the Manafort "black ledger" release.
Were Ukrainians involved in feeding Fusion GPS and Nellie Ohr with Russia collusion dirt? It appears so.
And what was the involvement of NSA official Eric Ciarmella as White House liaison to the anti-Trump smear?
Moreover, you have the conspiracy wrong. It does not posit that Ukraine and the Ds colluded with Ukraine to frame Russia for hacking Democrats’ emails . . ."
The "dastardly Democratic plot" was to tar Trump as a Putin "asset" and harm his election chances. Yet you keep conflating these things to discredit any investigation.
If you don't play fair, Americans won't trust you.
7
Is the gop now an asset of Russia? It sure would seem so. Oh wait, all this is fake news dreamt up by Soros, cause gee, he has nothing better to do.
3
Republicans embrace Russian disinformation? Laughable......particularly when the accusation comes from democrats who went and actually purchased Russian disinformation. What a freak show in DC, Democrats having to support the known liar Adam Schiff and their inquisition procedures. Have they no shame?
2
Jordan is the biggest bag of gas in Congress, next to Trump. Never wears a jacket as to appear "one of the people." A strong Trump bootlicker and totally unqualified for government service. His continued jaw-jacking makes him look like the fool he is.
3
People forget Michael Cohen’s most succinct words: “I am ashamed because I know what Mr Trump is. He is a racist. He is a conman. He is a cheat”.
8
Why did Barr meet with Fox?
7
Their idol RONNIE must be spinning in his grave!
3
What a mess! Trump is dirty as the gutter slush in NYC. Republicans, wake up! Save our country, save yourselves!
3
The Russian Intelligence agencies refer to individuals who unwittingly aid their goals as "useful idiots". Either the Reps and FOX knowingly push Russian motives, in which case they are complicit agents, or they are useful idiots. Voters, read the transcripts, listen to the testimony and decide for yourselves. OK, which is it: traitors or idiots?
5
@Bob Parker Why does Trump call into Russia Today?
Republicans have already screamed that they will use the upcoming live televised impeachment hearings as a platform to transmute the facts and not pay any attention to Mr. Trump's malfeasance but instead a series of largely ridiculed and conniving fabrications about former vice president Joe Biden and his son's job, which began years ago, with a Ukrainian client. The GOP memo circulated this past Monday night (as in Dracula) indicates that the president’s enslaved but elected boosters will try to defend his unheard-of actions toward Ukraine. It urges that President Zelensky - shows “no conditionality or evidence of pressure” on the because he is simply a comedian and was elected because Ukrainian voters hated their other corrupt choices. In what seemed a fraudulent transcript of the call, when Mr. Zelensky brought up his desire for $400 million in aid to defend against Russian incursions, Mr. Trump said he wanted the Ukrainian president to “do us a favor, though” then mentioning his hopeful investigations into "locking up" the Bidens.
1
It’s long past time for Dems to speak out about discredited Republicans who are the mouthiest members of the GOP. Jim Jordan is a prime example of a Republican living in a glass house while throwing stones at Dems. A prime example of his character or lack thereof concerns his years as a wrestling coach at OSU. Jordan’s multi-year silence while student athletes were being sexually abused by the team doctor is a story that needs to be told. This past weekend another former student has implicated Jordan for staying quiet while kids were subjected to a serial sexual predator. Come on Dems speak up! Reps. Gaetz and Zeldin are also tantalizingly ripe targets with personal histories that should alarm voters.
7
CNN ran a segment tonight (Anderson Cooper) with their legal analyst, Jeffrey Toobin and two ex-Obama officials, Jen Psaki and David Axelrod. Then came the banner that, incredulously, read “Mulvaney was concerned about angering Russia.” Chew on that one.
A presidential White House Chief of Staff was anxious that the (bipartisan approved) aid for Ukraine would be interpreted as an annoyance to Russia and that’s why Mulvaney suggested to his boss that the aid must be frozen. Since when does American foreign policy have to pass muster with the Kremlin?
What the House ought to subpoena are the never-released transcript(s) of Donald Trump’s secret conversation with Vladimir Putin in Helsinki. Trump’s dog-like devotion to his Russian master should have us all worried. It’s easily believed that the Russians have their Manchuria Candidate working feverishly for their best interests. In our West Wing.
The president is going all-out to exonerate Russia from queering our 2016 election and, instead, drop the stinking load onto Ukraine to justify the bribery and extortion scheme and take out a potential political rival for ‘20. John LeCarre could not have dreamt up this one. It wouldn’t sell.
Whose side is Trump on, anyway? Not ours, it seems.
11
And all this talk about having a conversation with the other side. How do you do such a thing with people who will believe anything that the GOP republicans will dish out directly or via FOX News? You can't.
Try debating with them and it gets nuts crazy fast.
And why? They are so angry all of the time.
All we can do is hope that good will prevail in 2020. That the GOP and this administration ends up loosing most states and the electoral college votes.
It is so depressing to see how Putin is winning. Not a single bullet but a ton of propaganda that the gullible will believe.
GOD SAVE AMERICA!
2
Traitors. After the trumpian era passes history will mark them as having betrayed the USA to Putin. They will never rid themselves of the trump taint.
5
Wow.
So Jim Jordan was informed at least twice of sexual misconduct by the athletics department doctor, Strauss, when Jordan was an assistant wrestling coach at Ohio State University.
Independent investigators hired by OSU, report that Strauss sexually abused at least 177 students while he worked at the school between 1978 and 1998.
Yet even after being informed, Jim Jordan refused to take action to stop this disgusting atrocity.
Yep, Jim Jordan is the "perfect" person to defend Trump during his impeachment.
7
I strongly feel that Devin Nunes and Jim Jordan are Russian Asset. From senate McConnell proved himself as Russian Asset. No doubt all these guys are morally and ethically bankrupt. They are not loyal to the constitution. Jim Jordan behaves like a Mafia boss. These are spineless and shameless.
6
@ASHRAF CHOWDHURY
I believe "useful idiot" or "useful fool" (korisne budale) is the term used to describe people who are susceptible to propaganda and manipulation.
1
This is a nightmare.
5
Javelin missiles, effective against Russian tanks, were held from Ukraine so as to not ire Putin. Rick Perry was arranging for lucrative gas contracts from Ukraine and Trump was pressuring Ukraine and others to produce sham investigations against Biden. Giuliani and two mid-level Russian mobsters were doing dirty tricks across the globe and at home. These two also have a stock manipulation history and behold, SEC has seen evidence of same. Roger Stone was doing a 'Biden' against Hillary. Russian trolls were/are utilizing facebook to 'inform' millions of Americans. Nikki Haley now advises 'voice your dissent to the President then resign and hush up. The U.S. Senate is taking every conceivable step to obstruct any oversight. Corruption under every rock. Mueller has nothing to add and Rosenstein landed the plane.
Where am I?
7
Trump corruption in the White House ever day!
All thanks to the Republicans for allowing Trump to run as a Republican. You can't get good fruit from a rotten tree.
Blue wave 2020!
3
We can only hope that during their public testimony, witnesses like Fiona Hill will make the likes of Castor, Jordan and Nunes look like the compromised, corrupt lap dogs they are.
3
Go back six months and further, and you’ll see in the Times comment sections where I proclaim a conspiracy between Russians and Republicans this election season to defeat Democrats.
I do declare it’s coming true.
4
Michelle, Usually I skip your articles, they are so predicable.
Today's is an excellent example, for three plus years we have been subjected to a constant barrage of innuendo, misleading statements and downright lies.
It's all nonsense, both sides are full of --it. This is just the nauseous material we are forced to swallow on a daily basis to put up with this version of democracy. None of it is serious, no one believes you or your fellow opinionistas. No one really cares.
2
As Nancy Pelosi said about trump, “All roads seem to lead to Putin with the president”. Republican's seem to agree with Pelosi since they are parroting so much Russian disinformation.
5
If you had told me three years ago that Republicans would become willing, eager co-conspirators in a Russian disinformation attack, would I have believed you? That an entire network of media outlets would amplify the idiotic lies? That serious press platforms would be forced to cover the lies, thereby granting them a kind of legitimacy? That it would all WORK, like some evil spell? I still have to pinch myself.
5
Is it going too far to say the Republican Party is now taking their marching orders from Putin?
Is it?
6
Ah, Jim Jordan. Didn't he turn the other way when the students for whom he was a wrestling coach were molested by the team's doctor at Ohio State? THAT is a paragon of virtue?
5
President Trump lied that Barack Obama had wiretapped Trump Tower.
Then Devin Nunes peddled a story that intelligence services had "incidentally" collected information on the Trump transition team, and Trump announced that his original accusation against Obama had been vindicated.
Now Nunes champions another lie, that Ukraine meddled in the 2016 election. 'Nuff said....
5
@Maurice Wolfthal 'nuff Nunes
2
I have to wonder if the evangelical infatuation with Putin causes the Republican Party to be compromised. It sure looks that way.
4
The Trumpster will probably do his usual to create a diversion. The track left by his incompetence, lack of what governance is, the constant lying, deviant aberrational behavior will be represented well by his defenders. I hope the Democrats present their case well as the detractors like Nunes and Jordan share the same lying and dirty tricks like Don the Con. Unfortunately, impeachment cannot be for Trump’s disgusting lack of any Presidential temperament or his foul mouthed behavior. America deserves better.
3
@Steven Look at the Roy Cohn playbook.
Keep authorities off your track while engaging in shady business dealings.
Manipulate the media while embroiled in controversy
If all else fails, start blaming and bullying other people.
I'm sorry this came from Scaramucci, but if Joseph McCarthy and Roy Cohn had a baby it would be Donald Trump. And if Donald Trump and Rudy Guilanni had a baby it would be Jim Jordan.
2
Uncle Joe McCarthy is rolling in his grave watching the Republican Party, 2019 version, step all over themselves, and all over the Constitution, in their embrace of a POTUS who is so obviously connected to communist Russia that it's laughable. Jim Jordan, Devin Nunes, Mark Meadows, Lindsey Graham and Mitch McConnell, like full diapers, all can't pass the smell test, and all for the same reason.
4
As a candidate, Trump criticized those from all walks of life including women,the handicapped,a Gold Star Family,and a former POW etc...and yet received the GOP endorsement ! He had the support of an entire Fox Nation of American Voters in spite of his obnoxious UNAMERICAN behavior. He would be more Presidential once elected we were told. The photo of Trump laughing in the White House with the Russians telling them of his firing of Comey seemed so UNAMERICAN. His recent criticism of Col. Vindman is appalling and again..UNAMERICAN and UNPATRIOTIC! Yet the GOP and Fox continue to spread their propaganda, cheering support for the Worst President in American History. As a child my father would always tell me to put out the flag that flew outside our house. I've proudly done that all my life! After Trump's MAGA Rallies and his election.. for the first time in decades I was concerned that my putting out a flag would mean to others that I was Trump supporter. Trump has no successful policies and has an Administration with an over 80% turnover rate. There is no success to support! Trump's MAGA is a HOAX. Trump support is UNAMERICAN and UNPATRIOTIC !! The GOP and Fox should be....ashamed !!! Don't fall for the Propaganda....Vote Blue No Matter Who !!
3
What kind of country do we have when someone like Jordan, an accused enabler of a sexual predator, is still allowed in the game?
6
The bottom line is that Republicans are traitors. After they vote not to impeach where do Patriots go from there?
5
Justice is blind to all of President D. T. Republicans.
2
Is rasPutin pulling strings of Rudy and the gang and Mulvaney caught in its web? rasPutin is upset that Ukraine is an obstacle to his Make USSR Great Again (MUGA) by annexin former soviet republics. Ukrain was such an asy tarket with proRussian president. But he could not manage elections likre rasPutin has dome. And so these Ukranian conspiracy theories.
2
A juvenile, mendacious imposter for a President plays poor, scared, white and Christian Americans like a fiddle while democracy burns.
What a story.
Not one republican has the courage or allegiance to stand up for America, but fearful of a mean and vindictive autocrat, they submit.
What a comprehensive failure.
The evidence is overwhelming that a sitting president engaged in threats and extortion to help him win and upcoming election, duplicating the unlikely feat in he and Russia accomplished in 2016. They destroy a graying, white Republican Party and bowed to a fake, lying want-a-be king who only serves himself and his loyal lackeys. They trade away America for...
What a crying shame.
3
So yhe party of Reagan hss come to this, colaboratingvwith an old KGB man who'ls determined to reconquer the old Soviet empire?
2
Can't argue on the facts. Can't argue on the law. Only thing left are the insults, disintegration of our democratic republic, the Russian-style disinformation, criminal corruption, double dealing, betrayal of voters. Constituents of these Republican attack dogs, have a hard choice to make. Can you admit that you may have been wrong about the likes of Jim Jordan, McCarthy, and Moscow Mitch McConnell? Do you really think it's okay that millions have died for our democracy, and this democracy is under existential threat from the tRumpist/Republican Party? WHAT are the Republicans offering you? Absolutely nothing. Vote for them, and then they will toss you aside, just as they always do. Welcome suckers!
6
That's because they are Putin's, bought and paid for.
6
Strange...our democracy is so open and vulnerable...
...that outside forces (Russia for now) can exploit a know-nothing, ex-wrestling asst. coach (who has found his voice as an Ohio congressman)...
...can slip through and create chaos in USA.
3
I want to wrestle Jim Jordan in the all American winner takes everything double or nothing spectacular extravaganza cage match of all time. It will be a hair splitting roof raising knockdown beatdown smackdown match, it'll shake the Garden to its foundation.
Jim Jordan can't wrestle a burrito down to a plate, he can't figure out gravity without help, and I am the real deal, I am the master, I will teach him, Jimmy will learn a lesson he'll never forget, in the cage, Saturday night, Saturday!
p.s.
while this gets attention it is not a paid political message and not in anyway intended to demean the sport of wrestling, because life is like wrestling, it takes place in chambers, in offices, hallways and wrestling in showers in Ohio, double takedowns with great ankle and wrist control that result in pinning a man down hard; too bad Jimmy boy is an awful wrestler who couldn't pin down a white collar criminal with fifty witnesses and sworn confessions and videotape evidence, too bad.
3
It's really despicable that the Republicans are showing blind loyalty to Trump instead of to the oaths they swore to protect and uphold the Constitution and laws of the land. Party over country. In simple terms it's treason.
Their actions are aiding an abetting the attack on our nation by Russia and other foreign interests. How is that not treason? And you know that if it were a Democrat that had done even one of the things Trump has done, Republicans would be howling, and would've already impeached and convicted the perpetrator. But because Trump is (ostensibly) a Republican, then it's okay? What hypocrisy! What dishonesty! What treachery!
They should all be impeached, and the Republican Party banished. They are clearly anti-American.
4
Your headline promises to expose how "Republicans Embrace Russian Disinformation." A strong charge, and it calls for strong evidence to back it up.
Instead we have three empty statements (third paragraph from the end):
1) Disinformation: "Some of these lies seem to have originated in Russia." Seem ? Seem? I thought one learned in Columnist School that if you use a word like "seem", you don't have a story.
2) One of the lies is that Ukraine hacked the DNC, a story Manafort "apparently got from ...a former Russian intelligence officer". Apparently? Apparently? Move over, "seem".
3) And it is confirmed that the intelligence officer is indeed a Russian agent: "all of my staff thought he was a Russian spy.”
Russiagate involves throwing around words like traitor, Russian asset, Act of War. One shouldn't make such accusations unless one is standing on rock-firm ground that doesn't shift
And yet this story, like so much of the uproar, rests on squishy factoids and surmises. Even so, justified only by fluff, your headline "Republicans Embrace Russian Disinformation" will become well-established fact.
Just as it is, according to you, "a well-established fact that Russia assisted Trump’s campaign."
4
We now have a tricameral legislature: Senate, House of Representatives, and La Cosa Repubblicano.
4
Or is it to impeach Trump Democrats embrace Ukraine disinformation?
1
Jim Jordan ought to be protecting his own house. The athletic sex scandal involving athletes at Ohio State is getting pretty close to the ex-assisstant wrestling coach at Ohio State.
5
Why are so many Republicans tied in with Russia and Russians? There is far more to the Trump Putin bond that has yet to be disclosed.
5
Fiona Hill, another courageous Patriot, willing to speak in public and clear the air about the Ukranian-Trump affair. Any more Patriots in the State Department or in the Administration willing to come forward?
How about some Republican Senators or House members who are supposed to uphold the Constitution and protect Americans against Foreign interference.
4
We must remember that the discredited conspiracy theory that Ukraine, not Russia meddled in the 2016 election is a disinformation line straight out of the Kremlin. The ultimate objective is to exonerate Russia, and therefore create momentum to do away with sanctions that are severely hurting Russia's economy.
Trump has swallowed this claptrap whole, and so GOP Congressmen and Senators must too, since they depend on Trump's base to get re-elected.
The Russians probably cannot believe their luck. A gullible President, leading a corrupt party and an uninformed electorate, is on the verge of giving them what they most desire: relief from sanctions and a free hand in the world -- without the United States to worry about.
6
At the rate this is going, the next hearings and testimony should be held in Area 51, so that Trump's defenders can fit right in. Conspiracy theories are just that, theories. They don't hold up against facts for most of us, most of America. So the risk for Republican congress members who spout nonsense in hearings in front of all of us run the very real risk of falling under the Trump bus, with Juliani, Perry, Mulvaney and the rest of the "Forever Trumpers." Most will recognize the distraction for what it is, crazy.
2
About 35% of our citizens suffer from an amalgam of selective observation and the effect of cognitive dissonance.
They cannot be reasoned with. They have abandoned critical thinking. They cannot be convinced of anything contrary to their existing beliefs and they will go to their graves thinking that Trump deserves to be added to Mt. Rushmore after he receives a Nobel Peace Prize.
These folks are willing and able to embrace any Republican theory that seems to exonerate Trump no matter how preposterous that theory may be. They will then promote their irrationality with the belief that the theory is evidence.
Once people are wed to conspiracy theories they almost never desist in spite of a mountain of evidence contrary to their belief. The people responsible for producing the evidence are deemed to be part of the conspiracy.
6
the evidence that Russia assisted trump's campaign is nonexistent. Until the dems admit that, why should anyone listen to their babbling about Trump believing in crazy Ukrainian theories.
Russia may have attempted to interfere with our election. There is some evidence for that, but it is far from perfect evidence. Who has actually seen the evidence that shows Putin ordered his hackers to help Trump win? I haven't, and neither has anyone else. If Russia interfered in our election -- there could have been three motives if Russia tried to interfere: 1) just to mess with us -- which because of the crazy dem reaction to Trump winning seems to have worked 2) harm the presumptive winner, HRC, because Putin didn't like her or 3) they prefered Trump. But as the Mueller report clearly states, there was no collusion between the Russians and the Trump campaign. It was a narrative that the left pushed for two years (and continues to push) with no evidence. Even the greater impeachment leader swore to us that he had seen incontrovertible evidence of Trump-Russian collusion.
In reality, it is no more ridiculous to suggest that Ukraine did things than it is to suggest Russia did things. And we know that corruption was huge in Ukraine, many Americans were involved -- including Hunter Biden.
9
@Ralphie
Mueller saw the evidence of Russian interference and stated as much. In fact, the Russians are still interfering. And "collusion" is not what he was investigating; it was "conspiracy" and "obstruction of justice" (and he found plenty of the latter!)
151
@Ralphie
Trump and his campaign were not exonerated by Mueller. In fact, he declined to reach a conclusion about Russian-Trump Campaign coordination, but his report did find at least nine scenarios where Trump obstructed the investigation.
To quote his report,
“the investigation established multiple links between Trump Campaign officials and individuals tied to the Russian government. Those links included Russia offers of assistance to the Campaign. In some instances, the Campaign was receptive to the offer, while in other instances the Campaign officials shied away.”
(Investigators)... “found multiple acts by the President that were capable of exerting undue influence over law enforcement investigations, including the Russian-interference and obstruction investigations.”
“[b]ecause we determined not to make a traditional prosecutorial judgment, we did not draw ultimate conclusions about the President’s conduct.”
124
@Ralphie
Volume I of the (Mueller) report concludes that the investigation did not find sufficient evidence that the campaign "coordinated or conspired with the Russian government in its election-interference activities". Investigators ultimately had an incomplete picture of what happened due to communications that were encrypted, deleted or unsaved, as well as testimony that was false, incomplete or declined. However, the report stated that Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election was illegal and occurred "in sweeping and systematic fashion", but was welcomed by the Trump campaign as it expected to benefit from such efforts.It also identifies links between Trump campaign officials and individuals with ties to the Russian government, about which several persons connected to the campaign made false statements and obstructed investigations. Mueller later stated that his investigation's conclusion on Russian interference "deserves the attention of every American".
89
What I find horrifying about this country's current relationship with Russian oligarchs and corrupt businessmen is that instead of inflating Russia's position in the world in any honest way, Russia is working to demote the USA to its standards with this president's help: wiping out environmental regulation, food safety regulation, investment regulation, climate change regulation and increasing government corruption, power to wealthy--on and on. If you can't best them, drag them down to your level.
13
Putin is not a leader who can encourage Russians to prosper. He’s a man who was raised to help run a totalitarian state in which people who were clever and self serving succeeded and those not tended to not. He is still that man.
3
Grifters are seduced by conspiracy theories, both as a necessity to further their objectives and it's deeply ingrained in their personality. Trump rose to political prominence with the "birther" nonsense. Every day during his campaign we learned of some new ridiculous plot against him (Obama wiretapped his offices)(voters were bused over state borders) etc. For the Congress to even listen to this new cut of baloney, when they have agencies to validate the veracity of this stuff, is laughable. There may be a few nut-ball Republican members of congress who believe this, but, the vast majority can't. It indicates something more troubling. Re-election, which necessitates adherence to Trump Doctrine, is more important than the "state of the nation." In the words of our leader, "sad, very sad."
5
The Trump base are motivated by two things: fear and resentment. The politicians and propagandists understand this very well and have become skillful at pushing the buttons at the right time.
7
Ultimately, Republicans and Russia want the same thing: America in the hands of incompetent, dangerous "leaders" who will weaken the country. It's no surprise that Cons are willing to delegate power to foreign enemies they think will help do that.
8
@Randall
There's a word for that: it's called guided (managed) democracy, in this case underpinned by kakistocracy.
1
Bravo, Ms. Hill, finally a Republican with guts enough to spell out the truth. Why does this excite me? With so many Republicans stuck in the muck of conspiracy theories to support Trump at any cost. it is sad that there are not more like her. This is not about politics for Ms. Hill, but only about finding the truth and not falling for the lies swirling all around her.
Besides, how can the obfuscations of conspiracy theories justify the actions of a president to extort another country for hisown personal political gain.
5
The Trump Party Line in Congress, in the form of a Memo on How to Divert the Ukraine Hearings, has now been leaked, and will be followed by the Trumpies in Congress. I hope the Chair was reading about this and can parry the diverstions. I hope the media will say, "There go the Party Talking Points again..."
Seems to me that a truth-checking crawl at bottom of the screen will not only be useful, but vital to the survival of the country.
1
I look forward to the public impeachment hearings with an urgency for some accountability but my gut is apprehensive of a Russo-Republican circus. Republicans can't handle the truth.
Republicans appear to have no intention to fulfill their oath of office. Appealing to their loyalty, conscience, pledge to support and defend the Constitution, so far have been a waste of breath. They have capitulated and show an eagerness to kneel before Trump, and now they bathe in his alternate universe of lies, alternate-facts and corruption.
The Senate will not convict Trump. Republicans will make a farce of the trial. Instead, count on the American people to wade through the Russo-Republican disinformation, discern the truth and defeat Trump in 2020.
But do not fool yourself into believing Trump intends to leave the White House based on losing the 2020 election. What we are currently witnessing in the Russo-Republican defense of Trump is a prelude to what they will do when Trump loses the election. This is a constitutional crises - the GOP is blatantly lying to the American people, ignoring the Constitution and sabotaging our democratic republic.
Americans who still know right from wrong, still love America for its values and ideals despite its flaws, will need to decide if saving our democratic republic for our children is worth the sacrifice of taking to the streets and mobilizing in civil disobedience acts.
Yes, it is that serious. Look at what has happened in just 3-short years.
8
Putin's reach into the Republican party is deep.
He knows the party of all the laundered cash that went into campaigns over the past few years. A few leaks and Trump's key defenders would be fully exposed.
6
You’ve got to give them credit for their loyalty.
And no one wants to be called a snitch.
It's a slippery slope from "slavish fealty" to "Russian asset".
4
The Republicans are moving us toward the one party state. Lenin would be proud of them.
6
Taking the bait.
No to rabbit holes and conspiracy theories.
True or untrue. That is it.
Did Trump use Ukrainian aid to go after Biden.
Get the facts. That is all.
Whether the moon is made of green cheese brought from the flat earth is as irrelrvant as whether Biden is a bad man (which he is for still selling out to senate republicans who stole a Supreme Court seat against Biden’s team. Loser)
Yes Trump used foreign aid for a country at war budgeted by congress to blackmail that country to go after the Bidens while concealing Trump’s role. Facts.
Facts vs liars.
Stop repeating known lies by known liars as some neat dc game.
Everything points to Putin. I hope Democrats don’t loose sight of the Trump-Putin connection. We need to know.
5
America's constitution clearly said NO, yet the President of the United States willfully violated her for his own unashamed selfish gratification. There is no defense for such a blatant assault, not even if you have already turned a blind eye to assault as a wrestling coach.
2
The Republicans have their chiseled-in-granite list of enemies and have had them for over thirty years now: Billy and Hillary, Soros and Obama, anyone and everyone that criticizes corrupt behavior and money immorality. If the DeVico's theory of cyclical history has one shred of truth, then we're all stuck in some metaphysical machine that will eventually revolve back to a more serous minded ethics.This often takes more than a lifetime to fix. Consequently, some of us will die before any rational and ethical model of a good society comes around again. Is the sequence of chinch bug presidents and globular grub legislators seen its end? No way. It's best to simply lull yourself into cynicism and sarcastically smile as you wave goodbye to life.
Russia's military spending is 6th globally, less than France and less than 1/10 that of the US. They're expending assets Bigly in Ukraine and Syria.
Russia's GDP is 14th globally, behind Brazil, Italy, New York and Texas. They're half the size of California and less than 8% of the US. By all accounts, their economy is in the toilet.
How are they such a supposed global boogeyman? If they're actually good enuf' to cause all the disruption assigned to them, one would think they'd be good enuf' to make their country function better. Are they that much more capable than the US that they are able to be a "global threat" while spending dimes vs dollars?"
Or (pause to don tin-foil hat) are they really a Paper Bear? A monster-under-the-bed that's not really there when you look, a Be Afraid, Be Very Afraid illusion that the MIC and the War Profiteers rattle in the dark to keep us malleable and afraid? Is Russia the convenient enemy-du-jour that justifies spending gobs of our tax dollars on profitable, perpetual war, with all of it's money-making, hidden corruption?
Maybe some of you smart folks know the answer?
How carefully Nunes words this! Trump's 'documented belief'? That is funny, right there. That phrase means OPINION. Obviously, then, trump's fever dream opinion 'forms the basis for a REASONABLE DESIRE for Ukraine to investigate the circumstances surrounding the election.”
That's pathetic. There is no room for a president's resentful narcissism to convince Nunes that a desire is enough. This is mental, folks. What a gang.
And this is what republican Congressmen consider doing their jobs. They get to ask any question they want to, but the hearings are on TRUMP'S IMPEACHABLE OFFENSES ALREADY DOCUMENTED.
They don't get to complain about Benghazi hearings, Hillary's pantsuits or Hunter Biden.
So sleazy. I mean, Lev and Igor making American policy, outside State Dept channels, on Rudy's hush hush direction?
If my 3rd grader came home without a report card, claimed the teacher never gave it to him, the dog ate it, he dropped it, he never even went to that school, the principal is a liberal kid-hater, he gave it to that scary bully, um, no wait, it's that it was so perfect, all A's, he didn't even bother to bring it home. He's looking at me to see if I'm going to buy any of this. Republican parents evidently would buy each and every one, no matter how many dots they have to not connect.
1
"To Exonerate Trump, Republicans Embrace Russian Disinformation"
The title to this piece says it all.
7
What a topsy-turvy world now being fabricated by Republican consigliere where a successful investigative journalist Leshchenko is a main villain , part of the enemy of the people,where Ukraine and not its villainous neighbor is responsible for hacking our election, where Manafort and Trump are honest men while George Soros is responsible for all evil and corruption. Topsy-turvy ---all the corrupt evil-doers congregating together screaming and banging tables to prove their purity (no facts of support they must resort to noise-making), concocting conspiracies, sending Barr around the world to dig for non-existent dirt on opponents---And yet these more-alien-than-earthling politicians maintain their support and hold on to the votes of those who believe they speak truth. It's getting crazier and crazier!
2
The book of Revelation (last book in the New Testament) speaks of "everyone that loveth and maketh a lie."
This verse is horrifyingly applicable to today's Republican party. And to any number of right wing kooks.
Not only BELIEVING the lies. People can be taken in. I have been taken in. I do believe many millions of Americans were taken in during the 2016 presidential race.
It's REVELING in the lies. EMBRACING them. CHERISHING them.
(Like the guy reported in TIME magazine some years back. When the "birther" controversy was in full swing. Angrily, he slammed down his cell phone--the beastly little thing told him that yes: Mr. Barack Obama WAS born in Hawaii.)
And then, of course--
--DEVISING the lies. CONTRIVING them. INVENTING them.
And, of course--
--zealously DISSEMINATING them.
You have reported, Ms. Goldberg, on what is basically a carnival of lies. A Saturnalia of lies. One might almost imagine huge placards displayed on every street corner:
WELCOME LIES!
(and you liars that spread them around)
I cling to another Bible verse. This from the Old Testament.
"Shame is the promotion of fools."
I do honestly think--and I do honestly hope--
--the GOP (as presently constituted) will bear the shame of these manifold iniquities and betrayals--
--for years to come--
--starting in 2020.
On this Veteran's Day, is this a country anyone would fight still for without reservation? A country where today's friend is tomorrow's foe and vice versa, where foreign policy is dictated from the Kremlin. As has been said before, all roads lead to Putin, and these stooges in the GOP are the toadstools along the way. Since, as has been demonstrated, these people are not motivated by any true ideology, just the pursuit of power, maybe we should look at their bank accounts and sniff around for the scent of rubles?
3
Only Russia could come up with such a contrived disinformation campaign, and only the corrupt Republican Party would agree to try it (for a lot of money, of course). So, we're supposed to believe that the CIA, the FBI, the Defense Intelligence Agency, the National Security Administration, not to mention Britain's MI6 and Israel's Mossad were all fooled -- BY UKRAINE -- into believing that it was Russia that launched a multi-billion-dollar disinformation campaign on Trump's behalf in 2015-16, that it was Russia that laundered money through the National Rifle Association, when it was ACTUALLY UKRAINE? Why would Ukraine want to win election for Donald Trump?
We're supposed to say "Ah-HAH!" when Trump tells us that Ukraine will produce a server in Kiev with Hillary's emails and some Ukrainian claims he GOT TRUMP ELECTED PRESIDENT and that there were NO RUSSIANS involved. LBJ used to say when presented some half-baked-crackpot proposal: "That dog won't hunt." This latest conspiracy involving Trump and the Russians is so absurd, so transparent, so stupid that only Russia could come up with it. I'm sure Putin still thinks that Trump can sell it, just like he did "Trump University."
2
You know, in season 2 of "Madam Secretary", it looked like the Russians had hacked Air Force One, and the Russians got publicly blamed for, but actually the Ukranians did it and framed the Russians. I wonder if this might be the source of the Republicans' "intelligence" on the Ukranian matter.
2
It's sad to watch Democrats become full-fledged Russia conspiracy theorists. Why not embrace full-fledged McCarthyism? It started out in a swing state after all.
1
@Michael Livingston’s Of course there is also the GOP led Senate committee that agreed with that "conspiracy theory".
2
I would encourage everyone to read this book:
Dezinformatsia : active measures in Soviet strategy
Author: Richard H Shultz; Roy Godson
Publisher: New York : Berkley Books, ©1986.
And especially this book, although it's hard to find. It spells out Trump, and today's GOP succinctly:
Bittman, Ladislav, 1931-
KGB and Soviet disinformation.
Washington : Pergamon-Brassey's, ©1985
ISBN 0080315720 9780080315720
1
I have not seen a complete list of the witnesses Mr. Nunes wishes to question, but I suspect it might include the Easter Bunny, a leprechaun, and several talking unicorns.
3
@totyson
Queen Elizabeth and Henry Kissenger are on his list. Along with the milk man, and the paperboy who got mad when Trump canceled his subscription to the NYTimes and WA Post. He's going to claim Trump was well within his powers to cancel the subscriptions and to frame the paper boy as "just another Trump hater in DC."
1
The best way to combat disinformation and conspiracy theories is to think critically, the way you learned in high school and college. Let me go over this, lest you have forgotten. There is a difference between an opinion and a thesis. The thesis is a statement that you make in order to convince a reader or a listener that something is believable and worth supporting even though you may not agree with it!! In a court of law, this would be a case. A case, thesis or argument is backed up by EVIDENCE. Opinion is different. An opinion is based on values and emotions and consists of ideas that are supported by how you feel and what you believe. Your teacher doesn't care to hear about what you believe. That's why you can't write your paper about abortion or capital punishment. Remember this? I and many others sweated blood and went underpaid to teach you this! Think critically, America!
The GOP will do anything to stay in power, even collude with an extremely unqualified person who literally occupies the White House. They will have to live with how history judges them. I have a news flash for them: It will not be good. Shame on that passel of weaklings. Shame on Graham, who has sold his soul to the devil's apprentice. John McCain would disown Graham if he were alive. SHAME!!
I am ashamed to admit that Nunes is a Californian. Of course, if any Trump supporter in my state - and there are too many - were to hear me say that or suspiciously read Michelle's column, he or she would read me up one side and down the other. Certainly the GOP in both the Senate and the House are not that stupid, this former Party of Lincoln which was all about national security and law and order, the CIA, and FBI. What a joke. They are now without conscience. They are selling their souls to the devil, the Putinesque Donald Trump. Yet this goes beyond the Grahams, the McConnells, the Jordans, et al. It goes right back to the people who voted these fools in. Yes, it is about Americans who deliberately remain ignorant to the facts, who thrive on hate anywhere they can get it. It's about the nativist, the bigot, the racist, the greedy, the religious fanatic. Because of them and their representatives who are both cowards and power-hungry themselves, a man who belongs in jail will very likely be saved from impeachment and removal. And he could win another four years and maybe more. Why? Because another four years of Trump and his sycophants can bring on the death of a democracy and birth of an autocracy. King George, we have a king after all.
3
It is now voters' responsibility to discern which posts are legitimate or clearly lies. We can't rely on Facebook to police the Russian trolls. We should use simple, old time common sense when reading outrageous claims made on Republicans' behalf by them.
My guess is that fake posts and websites serve to embolden Trump's base, and that is all. They are not turning independents or Democrats to the dark side. If voters are influenced by Russians, it's their own fault. Thinking on one's own is a hallmark of our democracy. If you get suckered, shame on you.
Jim Jordan needs to pay for trying to destroy the United States.
4
“ To Exonerate Trump, Republicans Embrace Russian Disinformation”
Why would you expect any less from his co-conspirators.
Aren’t they all accessories to his crimes?
Now not only is Trump a pro-Russian traitor, but the entire Republican (Trumpist) Party is treasonous, too.
The Republican base has been saying they'd prefer a Russian to a Democrat, so even the Republican base is treasonous and pro-Russian.
6
Before NeverTrump Republicans start clucking about "Reagan would be turning over in his grave" if he witnessed the modern GOP, recall that Ronny secretly sold weapons to our arch enemy Iran, and quite possibly negotiated with them to delay the release of the American hostages so he could reap the political benefits.
This party has been treasonous my whole life.
1
The GOP have become the swamp, swimming in a fetid stew of corruption and potentially outright traitorous conduct.
They are performing Putin's bidding to a tee.
And they are the most disgusting example of American leadership that I can remember.
How any sane and thinking person cannot see this is utterly beyond reason.
4
None of the Mess our Country and Democracy have struggled with since 2016 would have happened if the GOP had not endorsed a candidate aided and endorsed by Russia. A candidate who has turned out to be the Worst President in American History with no successful policies to date and a Chaotic Dysfunctional Administration with an 80% turnover rate. The GOP and Fox defense of the indefensible...simply defies all reason and logic! If it weren't for the Democrats and the Main Stream Media...we would have a real dilemma on our hands. Thankfully most Americans have not fallen for the Propaganda..and daily more and more Americans are realizing that Cohen was right...Trump is a Con !!
2
This is all very depressing. Leave aside that it's Republicans. These Trump-supporting politicians are the opposite of leaders. If they believe these conspiracy theories, they are dupes. If they don't believe these stories but are just pushing them to the American people to support their man in the White House, then they are un-American.
Anyway, we can't have a democracy when one party does this garbage. Unless Republicans come to their senses and reject Trump, this is the end of American exceptionalism. It's like the beginning of the end of the Roman empire with Caligula and his ilk.
1
Nice photo of Gym Jordan. Doesn’t he have some Wrestling matches to attend ? If HE is your biggest defender, you just might have some serious issues. As far as throwing some of this motley crew under the Bus, who could have possibly guessed ???
KARMA.
3
The Republicans want to call Hunter Biden as a witness in the impeachment hearing.
They want to do exactly what Trump wanted to do: to involve the Bidens in an imaginary investigation into corruption, for which they have no evidence.
Their latest ploy is to suggest that Donald lacked the requisite intent to commit a crime. That despite all the media coverage of Russian interference, and the Mueller Report that said he welcomed Russian intervention in the 2016 election, we should now believe Donald wasn't aware of the law.
If he is that confused, perhaps he shouldn't be president.
6
Trump does not confront reality, he deceives others into believing his malarkey, then he takes the money and runs. He’s clever enough to know when the axe is going to fall but he controls nothing but the fools who trust in him.
If Trump is so sensitive about any association of his 2016 victory with foreign meddling, then why would he perpetuate it by trying to falsely shift the blame from Russia to Ukraine? To shift the blame away from Russia does not change that association. It does make him seem to be trying to help the Russian image, and Putin.
Why are Republicans so eager to encourage this behavior that seems only to serve Trump’s efforts to be friendly with Putin?
1
I am starting a GoFundMe page for Jim Jordan to get his a sport coat or a cardigan. I don’t want him to catch a cold this season working so hard in shirtsleeves.
4
I sincerely hope the public hearings will be able to tie a thread to the Kremlin. Not only do the Dems need to make their corruption case crystal clear, they need to expose the extent to which the Trump Administration and the Republican party are spreading Russian talking points and conspiracy theories. The press could help this situation by running extensive reporting on the degree of Russian money in Republican coffers and the degree to which Russia has influenced other nations elections. By the end of the hearings, the Republicans should be forced to demonstrate to their own constituents that they are not Russian assets.
2
There has always been a very thin line between how the GOP operates and historically totalitarian regimes that use propaganda and disinformation to shape their narratives and control minds. "Truth" has never been a priority for them.
Once Fox news came online, they were successfully able to "zombiefy" almost half the country into believing whatever fiction they chose, and that "thin line" became essentially invisible.
And now with the modern advent of digitized social media, the volume and velocity of disinformation that they are able to disseminate has created a fog so pervasive that it's almost impossible for average citizens to hack their way through it to find the truth.
The GOP is indeed taking us down a "rabbit hole", and when we hit bottom don't be surprised if we end up resembling Europe in the early 1940's.
4
The treasonous republicans are doing Putin’s bidding. What is it exactly that Russia has on DJT, and possibly congressional members? They can disinform all they want, Schiff has outlined three key questions for the extortion scheme hearings, which have all been answered in the affirmative.
1. Did Trump request a foreign government conduct investigations that would benefit the president’s personal political interests?
2. Did Trump, or his aides, use the power of the presidency to apply pressure on Ukraine?
3. Did the Trump administration attempt to obstruct justice by concealing evidence of the president’s actions related to Ukraine?
4
There is a link between the misinformation on right wing radio, the GOP characterization of climate change as a "hoax" and their current embrace of false narratives to explain away Mr. Trump's bad behavior. Once they set down the path of treating facts as optional, they created a climate in which conspiracy theories and lies can be taken seriously. This is so, so dangerous, but it's roots go back well before Trump became the Republican candidate.
6
Imagine this -- Ronald Reagan's GOP is on its knees to Russian and waiving the white flag. If Reagan won the cold war, Trump has surrendered defeat. Shame.
Sadly, so much of our mainstream media seems to ignore the plain fact that Russia is engaged in a new type of war on us. They attacked us.
Democrats - stop doing Putin's work - don't buy the narrative -- or worse, contribute to it -- about our party in disarray. We must stay united for our Constitution and democracy.
Thank you for raising this, Michelle Goldberg. Well done.
7
The question of every "official" (those elected or appointed to any "official" position in the US government) must and should continue to be, at each and every turn, "why are you actively conspiring with a hostile power to threaten our democracy."
This has been a serious and relevant question since well before 2015 yet it is never asked. Those in the media need to take the professional approach of Hill, cut off the conspiracy question by pointing out that it is a line of disinformation or propaganda by an adversary and redirect the question of why the questioner feels the need to obstruct and further a criminal conspiracy?
No reconciliation without truth.
Still praying for PELOSI 2019!
3
As President Trump prepares to get behind the wheel of that bus, I think it's important to remember the chronology. The day after Mr. Mueller testified about his report in which his team could not conclude that the Trump campaign knowingly conspired with Russian government officials to interfere in the 2016 election (volume 1) but did commit obstruction of justice in 10 instances that might warrant a remedy of impeachment (volume 2), President Trump was on the phone with a known foreign government official (President Zelensky) knowingly attempting to conspire to interfere in the upcoming 2020 election. The Senate must revoke his driver's license.
4
The challenge is for the previously denounced FBI to investigate members of congress who apparently are compromised. In a normal situation Jordan, McConnell et al would be identified as left wing Russia operatives, given their GOP affiliation that does not hold. So the setup is challenging for counter-intelligence operations, especially against members of congress. It is though a very interesting approach by Russia’s intel ops to turn right fringe politicians for its own purpose. What a degenerate world though.
3
This impeachment stands apart because it is as much about Republican complicity as it is about Trump’s corruption. And, doesn’t it seem that for all their bluster and outrage Congressional Republicans are running scared and have been since Obama was elected in 2008? How else do we explain their current support of a man they vilified during the Republican debates and primaries?
The evidence of Trump’s ongoing attempts to use extortion to dig up, or create, dirt on a Biden is overwhelming. The only way to explain the Republican counter narrative is to see it as an act of desperation, as one more attempt to maintain control of white privilege and power in a society that is becoming increasingly multiracial and multicultural. The GOP is the party of White.
It’s a losing game. Virginia proves it. You can’t permanently gerrymander districts whose demographics are rapidly changing - at least not without accepting Trump’s xenophobic position on immigration.
Let the Republicans unanimously vote against impeachment in The House and Senate. In light of the evidence even Trump’s unwavering supporters will know exactly what they’ve done. Sold out the country. Everyone else needs to go to the polls in 2020 to create a new narrative.
4
It was "Russian disinformation" that helped Trump get elected. Any Republican who viewed their role as honoring their oath to the Constitution rather than the oaf in The Oval Office has already fled Congress. Those who are left like Reps. Jim Jordan, Mark Meadows, and Devin Nunes have long ago sold out the nation for their misplaced loyalty and fear of Trump. Their job now is to follow the leader in distraction, disorientation, and disinformation. The "smoking gun" has already been released in the transcript of Trump's conversation with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. Over a dozen patriotic government civil service members have corroborated that call and the "quid pro quo" which should be replaced with the crime it in fact is, bribery. And that is along with "treason" considered as a "high crime" in our Constitution. The Republicans have sided with Trump in his defiance of the Constitution. Hopefully, the voters will see it for themselves and impeach them at the polls next November.
6
The actions of a lot of these Republicans are rising very, very close to the level of treason.
They're manufacturing narratives, already thoroughly debunked by our own intelligence agencies, fed from hostile foreign powers, all in an attempt to con the American public.
But why should we be surprised, this is pretty much what the Bush administration did to sell the invasion of Iraq almost twenty years ago.
It's been decades since the Republican party could claim any amount of honesty, integrity or patriotism to do what's in the best interests of the United States. John McCain was probably the last holdout. Now the GOP is operating without any sort of conscience what so ever. None.
9
It's hard to believe Republicans would tolerate the same behavior from Democrats. Why isn't anyone asking Republicans if they think their actions are fine for either party? Is this behavior they condone for all future US politicians?
3
If everyone does it is a legal defense, it's time to empty the prisons.
6
The Democrats should introduce their own list of peripherally related witnesses, e.g. people who have direct knowledge of the fraud perpetrated by the Trump Foundation and Trump University. That evidence can be justified as pointing to Trump’s propensity for fraud and would put the lie to the assertion he was looking for corruption in the Ukraine.
6
The republican gang has devolved into Russian co-conspirators, in order to win an American election.
The lads did not have it in them to win honestly.
Not with Senator Lindsey Graham as the anonymous writer, and Congressman Jim Jordan being the whistleblower.
6
Putin's fool's empire is built on his relentless lying to his people domestically and to everybody else internationally. Trump and his Republican acolytes are experimenting with Putinism in a country which is founded on opposite values. The result is a grotesque caricature of American politics: huge lies loudly drummed up by hacks on Fox TV hoping that enough stupid voters will swallow them to actually reelect the Useful-Idiot-in-Chief, never mind that ultimately sacrificing Ukraine to Putin will mark the end of the American stature among Western democracies and the beginning of their unravelling. Talking of "investigations", when will we have serious investigative reporting on who is paying these "Moscow" Republicans, and how?
5
Trump has learned very well how Putin maintains his presidency and control of Russia. Maybe this is what they talk about in their private secretive meetings where there are no U.S. note takers. When Putin has a contender emerge before an election, he has them arrested on some phony charge and jailed. Trump ("lock her up") and his power hungry sycophants are using the Orwellian language to keep his supporters from thinking too much. Using very simple, easy to remember phrases Trump hammers them into his supporters at rallies. He has his administration talking points tell the media: 'Corruption is not corrupt when Trump is doing it.' Bribery isn't bribery when Trump is doing it. It's perfectly fine to extort a foreign government to investigate your political rival because they are deemed corrupt by Trump and his conspiracy theorist Trump influencers.' Trump/rightwinger extremists are full tilt fascists seeking the destruction of our free democracy. This is the main issue the Democrats should be running against.
3
Fiona Hill is a patriot and a heroine. She renews my faith in American democracy. Republicans will attempt to distract, confuse and of course lie. They've hitched their wagons to a corrupt sociopath; there's no turning back for people like Jordan. As long as there are people like Ms. Hill, we have hope.
13
Disgraceful barely begins to describe the once Republican Party, now the party of trump.
12
@Brad When people who loudly proclaimed themselves to be super patriots refuse to speak about what they know because they have a lucrative book deal.
3
I can't watch or listen to Republicans anymore. It's nothing but lies, conspiracy theories, misinformation, and distraction. They are not patriots. Just once I would love to see a witness - in front of Congress - tell Mr. Jordan (immediately after he goes off on one of his rants) "Sir, you are embarrassing yourself."
18
Trump will also "reveal" his newest diversion, his "first" phone transcript, at just the right moment, another bright, shiny object to shift our gazes from the facts.
By the time he's through, the water will be so muddy that those who already have difficulty cutting through the murky web of lies that he has spun will just give in to the darkness. How much easier it will be to just "wait for the election," rather than to face up to the ugly, ugly truth. Nunes, Jordan, Meadows, et. al will go down in history as lackeys and bootlickers. Russia, are you listening?
3
Giuliani, Perry , Kushner and their minions are using the influence they have with a corrupt President to further enhance their financial benefits.
4
Mueller said he had no evidence that the Trump campaign was actually coordinating with the Russians after Don Jr. met with Russian agents to get dirt on Hillary and Trump implored them to look for Hillary's emails and they did so within hours. This after numerous senior campaign staff were indicted or pleaded guilty to lying about their interactions with Russian agents.
After Trump became the presumptive nominee someone watered down the Republican Platform to remove the reference to "lethal aid" for the Ukraine in its fight against the Russian invasion. Never found out who did it.
Mueller said he couldn't prove obstruction in Trump firing Comey, threatening to fire Mueller, and all of Devin Nunes' silliness, because the Justice Department won't allow criminal charges against a sitting President; that impeachment was the proper remedy.
There are now multiple witnesses and the White House's own telephone call summary showing Trump stopped the flow of U.S. military aid to Ukraine in order to force Ukraine to announce publicly that they had opened an inquiry into Trump's political foe. Such a move is illegal, compromises our national security and undercuts our Democracy. But the Republicans don't like the tone of Pelosi's impeachment process.
America, please let me know when you're finished being dumbed down. It really is time to put this whole dark episode in American history to bed and move on. The man is dirty!
5
Republican Congressman Max Thornberry of Texas called Trump's attempt at Ukraine bribery 'inappropriate".
Republican Senator Lindsey Graham called it a failed attempt, carried out by an incompetent presidential administration.
If you agree with those reasonings, the question then is: Why did every Republican House member vote against the investigation of inappropriate conduct and gross incompetence?
10
They are trivializing the problem to avoid being compelled to address it.
1
@Casual Observer
Even the trivialized conduct admitted to requires investigation in a functioning democracy.
And thus the question.
I may have to move to Jordan's district and switch parties to primary him if he wins again in 2020. My campaign slogan will be "I'm tired of seeing this coward on the news and I bet you are too".
More generally, Republicans have to know they are not winning the House in 2020 and they are not stopping impeachment no matter what they do or say. As a result, the House Republicans are "free range chickens" unconstrained by truth or strategic consequences in these hearings. The result is they will use most of the airtime to kiss the Godpigeon's ring.
3
The disruption will continue -- with Trump, without Trump -- no matter. We will support anyone who intends to disrupt the liberal, capitalist status quo. Whether a carnival barker, a hair-on-fire lunatic or a carping crone with axes to grind -- just so long as the comfortable, the self-assured, the "progressive" are undermined, overtaxed, vilified and made miserable.
It's 2019. Ukraine stopped being "The Ukraine" (i.e., "The Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic") in 1991 - 28 years ago. Use of the definite article "the" when referencing Ukraine is quite incorrect and has been for quite some time.
There are two options:
1. People like Rudy Guiliani and Steve Castor are that clueless that they are literally 28 years behind the times. Maybe they still talk about West vs East Germany, too?
2. People like Rudy Guiliani and Steve Castor know the use of the definite article to be wrong, but neverthelss use it consciously just as Russian propaganda "news" and propaganda outlets do because it says the signal that Ukraine is something other than the independent country that it is.
Reagan would be spinning in his grave if he knew that today's Republican party tolerates such fools or stooges.
3
To believe these Republican conspiracy plots concerning Ukraine, you have to believe that the Democrats paid the Ukrainians to hack the Democrats' own computer data! Republicans - please tell me why Democrats would do this?
Part I of the Mueller Report lists BY NAME over 60 Russians who had contact with the Trump Campaign. The Russian “Active Measures” Social Media Campaign evidence is presented on pages 14-35. The Russian Hacking and Dumping Operations evidence is presented on pages 36-65. Russian Government Links to and Contacts With the Trump Campaign are presented on pages 66-173.
The Mueller Report lists NO Ukrainian links to the 2016 campaign, other than the fact that Trump's campaign manager Paul Mannafort worked for Ukrainian oligarchs.
4
The GOP embraces Putin period. Trump does, so the rest follow.
5
Jordan, always without his jacket, always ready for action. Boldly going nowhere without a clue.
2
You know perfectly well that there were plans made, texts and emails exchanged, strategies formed, and tactics undertaken to ruin this Presidential administration from its very onset.
The approach to reporting and discussing all that - and know that there are factual, actual, connectable dots - by the resistance is already in the fingers-in-our-ears, shouting down, ignoring and outright falsifying stages stages.
As their concocted, repeated failures unravel in trying to pin anything at all on our President, that steady hum in the background is the Barr/Durham/Horowitz juggernaut of justice arriving to deliver the wake up call. Buckle up, America.
1
IMHO, Trump outsourced American policy about anything touching on Russia or its interest to Vladimir Putin and wholly embraced Putin disinformation as fact.
4
On what is an impeachable offense the Constitution is clear "high crimes and misdemeanors"; translation: whatever the House decides it is. And, of course, the House under Nancy Pelosi had resisted impeachment hearings until the president's shameless attempts to bribe the head of the Ukraine to do the president's dirty political shenanigans. If that wasn't a high crime or misdemeanor, ...
2
Let’s not forget the king of all conspiracy theories:
Democrats claim, without proof, that Donald Trump colluded with Russia to steal the 2016 election.
4
@Arch Stanton
Must be nice to conveniently forget that the Trump campaign had 272 incidents of contact with Russian operatives and that Muelller garnered 199 criminal charges, 37 indictments of individuals and 3 Russian businesses, and 5 prison sentences.
3
@DJ
None of whom interacted with Trump to steal election.
Trump seems to have succeeded in converting House Republicans into Putin stooges. What a sad spectacle. Any sense of honor, honesty and true patriotism has been abandoned, all to defend a man lacking in all of them. Is it possible that not one of them has the courage to stand up and tell his colleagues it is time to put an end to this farce?
4
I can’t think of any response that’s printable.
5
Those guys should be ashamed of themselves.
It is interesting how the erosion of reality starting fading the edges first to progressively go pure white. No trace of reality left in this picture, all spin all the time.
Now, if you listen to right wing radio like I did this morning, you can see that this all conservative world view is built on a lie. Individualism and freedom trumps everything else and one succeed on his own merits.
Show me the toddler than build his own log cabin first...
Communism is fine when you are a kid, everything is given to you and that seems fine. But the concept of co-dependency beyond the family unit and beyond childhood seems like too much a conceptual leap for those lazy talking heads with zero qualification to talk about social science, economics, ethnology, psychology and what make a person a successful person. Just serving the crowd myths and baseless opinion tinted by toxic masculinity.
Now that the GOP is standing for nothing really expect enabling more corruption and it had become a more and more naked truth, they have no other choice than double down on myths and lies.
1
In early October, the historian Heather Cox Richardson, was in a TV panel and said that all this Ukraine aid issue is about lifting the sanctions against Russia—the only “favor” Trump haven’t been able to grant Putin.
5
"House Republicans may try to throw the hapless Trump lackeys Rudy Giuliani, Mick Mulvaney and Gordon Sondland under the bus, suggesting they 'could have acted on their own to influence Ukraine policy.'”
Talk about an incoherent defense of Trump. This Republican tack essentially admits that 1) the aforementioned trio did indeed conduct shadow foreign policy and 2) it was wrong, or else they wouldn't need to "throw anybody under the bus."
3
Who believes this nonsense? Who could possibly be so gullible that they would for one second consider that Hillary was behind a Ukrainian conspiracy to deny her the election? I'll tell you who. Trump's base.
That's how far down the rabbit hole, not just GOP officials have gone, but how far down the hole Trump's base has gone.
They say love is blind. Well, these people are so in love with Trump that they will believe absolutely anything he tells them.
How could this happen? This is how. When people abandon all connections with logic and rational thought, they open themselves up to be played for fools. Trump and the Republicans are playing his base for a bunch of fools.
The Republicans that are pushing this insanity are undermining everything that used to make this nation great. Remember the tagline from the 1950's Superman shows. "Truth, Justice and the American Way!" ( I loved those shows).
Where there is no truth, there can be no justice. And if there is no justice, there is no American way. Superman understood that. Trump ain't no Superman. He's more like a supervillain, hellbent on destroying that which does make America great, such as things like truth and justice.
Consider this. Trump says he will go to the May Day celebration in Moscow. Holy commie Batman! Sounds to me like a backdoor escape route if things go sour for him. He can fly Air Force One to Russia and stay there to escape prosecution. How's that for a conspiracy theory?
4
On the theory that at least part of the motive for these outrageous lies is to entertain “the base” by getting “Establishment liberals” to sputter and rage, here’s my response: these are blatant lies and I will ignore them. Next up, the articles of impeachment.
2
2020 will be one of the most important and possibly one of the ugliest years in American history.
5
There seems to be a genetic predisposition among Republicans and Trump to go all in for the most absurd conspiracy theories.
It must come from a life time disbelieving evolution and any other science that disputes their biblical beliefs.
For Trump it is not about biblical teachings but his own abysmal lack of knowledge of just about everything.
2
It is quite something to read the transcripts of these interviews. The Republicans appear spineless, totally ignorant of the world, and borderline treasonous. Russian interference in our elections isn't a joke. Imagine thinking that defending Donald Trump is worth the risk?!
4
How do any of these Republican liars expect to show their faces in public again? I don’t think they could walk down the street, go shopping or eat in a restaurant without being confronted by a disgusted public. They should be run out of town on a rail. 
3
In defense of Donald Trump, he truly believes that Joe Biden and Hillary Clinton are corrupt, on the other hand the Republicans know they are not.
The Republicans do not believe it ( Biden corruption) , so they are really the ones behaving unpatriotic to the country.
Trump is easily manipulated, he has re-tweeted fake statistics, fake polls, fake articles..etc.
Fox news pushes conspiracy theories which Trump believes, in his defense he is being manipulated, even by Fox News.
Russian propaganda has fooled millions, in Trump's defense I believe he is a victim of mis-information.
2
It is deeply concerning when one person “in charge” can command such power over the few!! A slow drip towards goose stepping behind their leader!!
I am more afraid for our future than I was as a kid hiding under my desk during air raid practice in the 60’s
3
What an awful situation, the G.O.P. sold to the Russian disinformation mafia, all to protect criminal Trump. We are losing this democracy a mile a minute. How long are we going to tolerate this abuse of power?
2
The GOP is complicit with Putin and his ongoing attacks on our nation’s democracy. Those in the Republican Party that state they would rather be Russian rather than Democrats are traitors to their country, No one wants to make anyone a Democrat, just loyal Americans.
4
All I can hopeful is this spineless Republicans are punished at the ballot box. I'll watch the hearing and mute the sound when
Jim throws a hissy.
1
Let's look at what may be motivating Rep. Devin Nunes. As House Intel Chair, Nunes actively attempted to derail House, Senate, DoJ, FBI, and the Special Prosecutor's investigations into Russian interference. Perhaps this was in exchange for Trump promising to move the U.S. forward command from Germany to Azores where Devin and his family members have been buying up real estate. In spring 2016, Nunes began providing private intel briefings to the Trump campaign which should have been enough to cause him to recuse himself from his House Intel role. But no. Nunes was closely allied with Gen Flynn during his controversial tenure at the DIA and today Nunes supports Iowa white nationalist Steve King. His family has moved its farming digs from California to Iowa, possibly to hide secrets there. Apparently, Nunes knows a lot about dirt.
Devin Nunes’s Family Farm is Hiding a Politically Explosive Secret
https://www.esquire.com/news-politics/a23471864/devin-nunes-family-farm-iowa-california
https://patribotics.blog/2018/03/10/did-carter-page-call-devin-nunes-from-moscow
https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2018/02/devin-nunes-and-the-invention-of-fake-oversight/553694
https://themoscowproject.org/explainers/the-nunes-file
2
Since so many citizens today seem to have little background in what being a traitor historically has meant in the context of an individual's country of nationality (both during times of war and during other times), I would like to see the Times do an article about traitors throughout history. What being a traitor meant historically and how individuals came to be named as such, who were infamous traitors, and what were typical sentences throughout history for being charged with being a traitor.
4
Great column but for the word "hapless." Giuliani, Mulvaney, and Sondland knowingly advanced Trump's questionable wishes . They did so to enhance their own careers and enlarge their own egos. They may have been fools but they were not "hapless."
2
I hear Devin Nunes and Jim Jordan are getting dual citizenship: their Russian passports are on their way. Any truth to that?
2
Cons should really look to Paul Manafort, who is literally rotting away in federal prison, as Exhibit A of the depth of their leader's loyalty to them. A presidential pardon was but a fleeting thought in return for the fealty Manafort had to Russia and its asset in our White House.
2
Democrats in the House are doing everything they can to bring into focus the truth of what Trump and Guliani were attempting to do in Ukraine, At the direction of Putin and Orban, these thugs tried to extort Zelensky using Congressionally approved taxpayer dollars critical to Ukraine's defense of their borders (from Russia's incursion) to start an investigation of Joe Biden and his son, a repeat of the tactic that they believe worked with Hillary Clinton in 2016. Time for the American voter to recognize the scourge in the White House and Republicans in Congress.
1
Nothing less than the fate of our democracy at stake in the way the media chooses to cover the conspiracy theories the Republicans will inevitably put forth. I’m horrified by Chuck Todd’s interview with Rand Paul on Meet the Press. Do better!! Do your job!!
3
None dare call it treason. . . for now. But when this era passes then it certainly will be considered treason by most Americans. And Republican Congressmen who shill for Russian intelligence on live national television may get re-elected and can continue to live in the Fox bubble etc. But their obituaries will read that they shilled for Russian intelligence when their country needed them.
2
Rephrase: To exonerate Trump and themselves, Republicans embrace Russian Disinformation. When you are complicit, it pays to speak up for the guilty, even if means lying.
2
“Russia, if you’re listening, I hope you’re able to find the 30,000 emails that are missing,”
Trump has gone a long ways from thinking that Russia had the stolen emails to believing that the Ukraine had them. What’s next, accusations that Justin Trudeau and Canada stole them?!
1
I'm truly frightened for my country.
3
Trump's entire defense is resting on testimony from witnesses that parallel the character and truthfulness of Tony Soprano's strip club partners.
2
For the sake of our constitutional democracy I pray for the few brave GOP congresspeople to hold country above the Trumpublican party. Conspiracy theories will be dressed up and floated out during a valid public inquiry. Trump and his base will view the most virulent of GOP house members' participation as heroically as they now look to Lindsey Graham's bootlicking defense of Kavanaugh.
Where are these unconvinced Americans, who haven't observed enough to make up their minds about Mr. Trump's bribery scheme with Ukraine?
I hope they are close to a BBC broadcast, an episode of the Argument, a USA today, NPR, A George Will column... something to counterbalance the cartoonish, Hannitized portrayal of a legitimate and necessary process as another "sham investigation". These are not the Watergate hearings; No. That crime was an inside job, perpetrated by Americans for Americans. This was an international extortion scheme to bribe a foreign government to conduct a smear campaign on a political opponent. And it worked. The president of Ukraine never needed to take the podium. The sowing of the Biden/Burisma narrative seed was all that was necessary to germinate this choking tangle of misinformation.
And now FOX "news" will now turn the hearing into a Hunter/Joe Biden drinking game for viewers to jeer and heckle.
1
Russian style disinformation is at the core of the Republican Party and their leadership at Fox News. How do you think Trump so easily took control of the party and how naturally Republicans flowed along. With birtherism and Benghazi at your core all else follows. The parallels with Russia are no coincidence and they did not arise with the impeachment inquiry. It takes a well developed infrastructure to accomplish what Trump has accomplished. Mitch McConnell had to know about Ukraine —they were all in on the shake down. That’s a criminal infrastructure decades in the making. And that fundamentally is why the greatest threat to American democracy is the Republican Party.
625
@BillC - A couple of years ago I would have rolled my eyes at your comment. Today, tonight, I will once again be even more horrified and lie awake nights, at the realization that it's the quite possibly the truth.
76
@BillC And let's not forget that Russia has been funneling money to the Natl. Rifle Association (NRA) for years and the NRA has been funneling that money to Republican candidates for years. Yes, the greatest threat to American democracy is the Republican Party.
78
@Deb
I wasn't. Even in 2012, the Republican party couldn't wax appreciatively enough about Russia in general and Vladimir Putin specifically, stating that Putin was a strong leader and what the US needed was a leader like Putin. (and among those stating such drivel was Mitt Romney after his nomination) It concerned me back then. They've only gotten worse since.
33
I've seen the pernicious effects of GOP-driven propaganda firsthand. My parents, both of whom have advanced degrees from excellent universities, have transformed from reasonable, moderate Republicans to anti-Muslim, conspiracy theorist crazies within the span of a few years. Both of them consume a steady diet of Fox News, Rush Limbaugh, and Drudge Report (to name but a few), which they believe to be the "real news" out there. Both of them avidly support Trump, despite the flagrant corruption right before their eyes. To them, Hillary, Obama, and Bernie are the criminals.
Until folks like my parents can divorce themselves from the conservative propaganda ecosystem, then our country will remain cripplingly polarized, unable to solve even the most basic of needs. And as long as 90% of Republicans support Trump, GOP politicians will remain incentivized to lie, obfuscate, and obstruct. It's a self-sustaining system.
Climate change? Chinese hoax perpetrated by big government academics and elites. Gun control? Liberals will confiscate our guns. Impeachment? It's the Democrats and their deep-state operatives who need to be impeached; Trump is simply draining the swamp. Healthcare? Death panels and skyrocketing premiums. Immigration? All undocumented immigrants are aliens who pose a threat to national security. These arguments, which wouldn't hold up to even five minutes of scrutiny, would be laughable if they weren't taken as fact by 35-40% of the electorate.
Grim times, these.
1021
@A. Walgren
I really wanted to be a member of my local death panel, but I never could find it.
98
@A. Walgren
Good on you Walgren for not following in your parents footsteps. The trap is race based and the spring in the trap is fear. Find two more voting friends, and the three of you will have your parents outvoted. That’s a start.
91
@bl The 40% control the electoral college and we are seeing the game plan of the Presidency in 2020 unfold in Kentucky. He is not leaving and the "R" will support election fraud if he does lose and maybe the courts will too.
51
Bring it on Adam Schiff, weave in the Mueller report, toss in Ukraine, mix in the 20 law suits against Trump, throw in the sexual abuse. Drum it in 24/7 how Trump has done nothing for his voters, the farmers, the manufacturing, the coal, the jobs that pay above minimum wages period. Don’t forget China tariffs, North Korea, Iran, Kurds, Syria, and Russia and add the cherry on top by bring up the tax credit that only favored the already rich.
4
How prescient was Paul Simon back in 1969, when he wrote "All lies and jest, still a man hears what he wants to hear, and disregards the rest" as part of The Boxer lyrics.
Republican credo: Why let a good conspiracy theory get bogged down by the truth?? Hence we have Lindsey Graham refusing to even read the evidence against Trump.
Oh well, once the kangaroo acquittal takes place in the Senate, we'll have a good list of Senatorial targets for the next couple of elections. The purge is just beginning!
6
And, in order to smear President Trump at the outset of his term (precipitating the Mueller investigation and report), there was the Russian Disinformation at the core of the Steele Dossier.
The delicious and ironic part of this Russian disinformation is that the Steele Dossier was paid for by the Clinton campaign.
So, not only was the information false, they even got the Clinton campaign to PAY for its distribution.
A total embrace of Russian disinformation. Total.
2
There are many credible hypotheses (several of which are likely true) about why Trump either is a Manchurian candidate or behaves as if he is. He loves despots. He probably got money from Russia (he denies that he would ever do that, but he so
loves to lie). In his earlier trips to Russia he stayed in hotels known to have cameras in some of the bedrooms, so the Russians probably filmed some of his usual profligacy. He may be making some of his usual plans for personal profits. And so on. The possibilities are all in accord with Trump's nature.
These Republican members of Congress, on the other hand, have to force themselves through perversions to become Russian tools. Yet they readily thoroughly do so.
3
Isn’t the real “conspiracy” that Trump put off the Ukrainian aid not so much to hurt Biden, but to help the Ukrainian enemy—-Russia?
Every international move Trump has made...from hurting NATO to the Syrian mess has had one result: aiding Putin.
Trumps actions have consistently given aid and comfort to Russia. The Dems might want to pursue that line because if that’s not an impeachable offense, what is?
1
Why has no one at the DNC or in the Clinton campaign been prosecuted for paying Steele, a foreign national, to produce an anti-Trump dossier full of falsehoods in order to influence the 2016 election?
Is it ok because Democrats did it?
1
Why? Because no crime was committed by any DNC operative, vendor, or associate. Inform yourself to cure your Whataboutism.
2
@Frank: The republicans hired Steele's agency before the Dems got involved.
1
Neither Trump’s Republican allies in Congress nor his pals at Fox News want anything to do with getting at the truth or serving the country. They want to be right. They want to win. If the facts don’t justify their every move, they just go out and get new “facts”.
1
There can be two stories in one, Trump may have pressured the Ukrainians that does not mean the Biden angle is not worth looking into.
2
This is another moment when Republicans can reach out to Russia and ask for help. These are dismal days for democracy when you have Trump backers effectively saying, "Russia, if you're listening, exonerate the president."
If Trump goes to Moscow for the May Day celebration, he needs to stay in Moscow and let the Air Force One crew fly the plane back without him.
2
The entire republican party has now adopted the gaslighting strategy of Criminal Trump in order to hold onto their illicit power. Our country is in deep trouble.
3
As Trump screamed at the cameras "Russia if you are listening..." and no one threw him off the stage the realization set in there had to be Americans involved in this disinformation or gas lighting operation. Just who? Didn't know. How many? Didn't know. But realized that a Republican Presidential candidate was asking for political help from a foreign adversary and Republicans went silent or worse explained Trump was "joking". This was the part that real scared me - Americans who were willing to sign on to Putin's agenda. That was what Trump was asking. It was clear what was going on and everyone of Putin's request including creating a nightmare for Ukrainians and Americans with Putin developed conspiracy theories. Everyone could understand Trump's behavior but the Republican Party's is unexplained. The Republican Party didn't have to become a Putin's cult but have freely chosen to become Putin's puppets.
4
The Republicans are using disinformation because it works. It worked for Putin and helped him obtain his position as an authoritarian leader of Russia. It appears Trump views politics through the same prism as Putin. Use whatever works. Of course the US government is based on on values such as freedom, equality, justice, etc whereas the foundation of Russia today is fascist philosophy articulated by people like Alexander Dugin. What Trump and the Republicans are doing is in direct conflict with the views of the founders of the country who tried to set up a government that would not permit someone like Trump to be in power. But still the process they set up is working to some degree because an impeachment inquiry is underway. However, it certainly appears it will not result in removing Trump from power because the Republicans control the Senate and they show no interest in following the views of the founders but rather they are following an authoritarian white nationalist movement that forms the basis for their support.
1
We have a Russian stooge as President who is doing Putin's bidding. Of course his defenders use Russian disinformation. The FBI counterintelligence division has been taken down by Barr at Trump's orders. Russian and Chinese espionage is ongoing. Trump's appointees dismantled the DHS Program to Counter Weapons of Mass Destruction and disbanded the response teams that were tasked with rapid response in case of a smuggled nuclear weapon. It is appropriate to be worried since Trump is leaving the US wide open to a massive terror attack.
3
Let's all commit to steadfastly adhering to calm, rational, objective truth. Like Ghandi lining up Hindus for miles to get beaten by British troops until the army grew tired, let us never relent until we overwhelm their very will with the light of truth.
2
There may be some good counter questioning, based on Jared's involvement in Turkey (see today's article in the Times) and Saudi Arabia. There is no question that Trump has established back channels to dictators, all to his benefit and our loss. This is a gross abuse of power that involves completely ignoring congressional actions, including refusing to enforce sanctions on countries that are acting against our interests. The senate Republicans should understand their role in empowering this seemingly treasonous behavior, and the Democrats should take this opportunity to make the people of the US understand just how badly they are being conned.
3
We will never convince the cult followers of djt to give up their delusions. However, Adam Schiff can prevent lies and innuendo from flowing from his hearing room. He needs to do this early and aggressively, especially with the sullied, rabid wrestling coach-pitch hitter the cult has pushed onto the committee.
3
Well, the Democrats certainly spent a long time pursuing the Steele dossier and its conspiracy theory about Trump and the Russians.
1
@Grace did they? Really? How come we didn’t hear much of it? Oh maybe it was on Fox News, not elsewhere.
4
Keep your focus on the facts, please! The Republicans have used everything in their bag of tricks to muddy your views of the impeachment inquirer y. They can not defend Trump's actions so instead they are changing the conversation. Their attempts to persuade you Trump's perfidy is normal or acceptable (It is not!) or that Trump is easily led by bad advisers and staff (yet another conspiracy theory) are reprehensible. Everything they have done to date strains credulity.
Trump said it himself. He likes the control afforded him when he has "acting" instead of confirmed positions. Trump has "imminent wisdom". " I know more than the Generals." Trump wrote and issued his own confession with his version of the transcript he released. Everything contained in the whistle blowers account has been proven true. The Republicans are demanding the identifying the complainant and being allowed to question him/her. This is a reckless and incredibly dangerous demand. Hunter Biden's appearance is in no way related to recent events and would only allow them to cloud the issues further with baseless accusations.
The Republicans are not defense lawyers; they are (?) impartial, future jurors.
Gee, I wonder how this will end?
3
At Trump rallies, the fans are the fans of professional wrestling, and Trump is George. Just sayin'.
This is at the crux of this whole fiasco we've been experiencing since trump waltzed into our lives. He (45*) is weak and ineffective and easily manipulated. Putin got way more then he bargained for with this ploy. He (45*) will be impeached by the House but not likely convicted in the Senate. We can (at the least) expect one more year of his (45*) insanity. Anything beyond that and I don't think there's enough explitives in the English language to express the necessary emotions!
2
Yet another sign our country's politics have begun to resemble authoritarianism. A smoke and mirrors show from the GOP during these hearings to obscure the facts and confuse the public. They're counting on the public to throw up their hands in confusion and give up on this whole thing - and they will. Congressional R's spreading conspiracies to protect The Party is Orwellian and sinister.
Dems also deserve some blame on this by choosing, of all things, the Ukraine/Biden episode as their focus for impeachment. Simpler and more egregious offenses like throwing children in cages, Trump's emoluments violations, cheating on taxes, sexual assaults, stealing from his own charity, Syria, Yemen, etc., don't involve whistleblowers, and all of this cloak and dagger mischief. Democrats chose his attempted attack on a member of the political elite, Biden, as their focus. Unreal.
Just get ready to vote next November!
1
This is precisely why Democrats cannot be satisfied with just ousting Trump, they need to broaden their horizons and vanquish the entirety of the Republican Party. What more needs to be known of these folks who'd gladly sing the Russian national anthem at a baseball game if it meant a disingenuous tax cut. They simply only care about this country when doing so provides a kick-back? The most discernible and real threat to this country presently lurking about is the cult-like Republican Party. At least terrorist cells are motivated by something other than self - not so for this modern incarnation of the GOP.
2
Hillary Clinton (and the Democrats) lost the presidency.
Too bad they were trying too hard to win it by conspiring with the Ukrainians in an elaborate scheme to smear Paul Manafort with tax evasion (and Trump with colluding with the Russians) and then using the FBI and CIA to undermine Trump's campaign by announcing the smear, and spying on his aides, setting up an elaborate, international spy ring, from Ukraine to Italy, in order to foment this 3 year long, fake witch hunt against him, even bringing in immigrants to California to drive up the popular vote (in a state that wouldn't matter in the electoral college contest anyway.)
Yes, it's true that McConnell stopped the effort, to warn of the so-called "Russian interference", by telling Obama that he would denounce it as a partisan hack job if he did, and so foiled his attempt to hijack the election for the Democrats. And even though Comey did manage to pretty much detonate the Clinton candidacy (twice), remember, he was only warning the public about a potential danger, and after she lost he still tried to trap Trump with his faked notes. It's really a wonder, that with all these conspiracies, turncoats and spies working against him (and at the same time, not using any of his own) the president still managed to win!
If only they would've just focused on policy, and kept away from the dirty tricks.
The way he did.
2
How is it possible that getting re-elected is more important to the GOP than the security, reputation, and integrity of the United States!?
It is clear the GOP will do anything, including destroying our country itself, to preserve their positions of power.
Voters, WAKE UP!
Is there anything that will wake up Trump's base?
3
Speaking of Trump and Putin. Trump ordered withdrawal of the US troops protecting Kurds in Syria on October the 7th. Putin's birthday is October the 7th. Putin wanted US out of Syria. Trump delivered. Coincidence?
1
Is there a case to be made that Nunes and Jordan (and Meadows and the rest of the gang) should be arrested and tried for treason? After all, Russia is unquestionably our enemy, and they are knowingly providing aid and comfort to Russia’s efforts to undermine our democracy. I don’t think it much matters why they’re doing it as long as it’s clear they’re doing it.
2
His cult doesn't read your columns. I have tried to make my family realize the destruction, but they don't care. The Civil War has never ended. I hope enough good people will out vote and have faith in our system.
2
There's Jim Jordan, doing what he does best.
The GOP is attempting to muddy the waters by peddling the Russian-backed conspiracy theory that Ukraine meddled in the 2016 election. The Dems need to paint these House and Senate GOP rabbit hole hunters for what the are. Working for Moscow, not the US.
1
GOP disinformation is nothing new.
It has been used to defend the indefensible since Joe McCarthy.
The "strategy" appeared in Watergate, the Savings and Loan swindle, Iran-Contra, the confirmation of unqualified Supreme Court judges, the build up to
the phony Iraq wars, and now Trump's extortion of the Ukraine.
Anyone who questions the lies (then and now) is denounced as unpatriotic by the GOP.
When will the American people finally say, "ENOUGH?"
2
Embracing Russian disinformation? No. It's more sinister than that. Michelle gives Republicans too much cover for being dopes.
Republicans have embraced every failed Trump policy- thus far; Russians had no influence on gutting the *true* mission of the EPA or HUD. Russians have not been involved in Trump's "Ban all Muslims" (his first *working* day in office). Russians did not venture on a campaign of disinformation on D.A.C.A or Trump's Wall.
Republicans have decided to do "what they do" because they want to;no outside influence needed.
Russian disinformation inspired both Trump's crime and the GOP's defense of it. The Russia collusion continues unabated.
1
Republicans lack any instinct, forsight,or basic problem solving skills to not be able to anticipate how badly this will be for their party and how it will be documented in the history books. They will forever be documented as traitors but I guess that doesn't matter to them.
The disinformation put out by republicans to defend the president is insidious. Apparently, enough of our population is vulnerable to these lies and it is thus effective.
Time has come to release the Electoral College from their party line vows and “vote their conscience”. Some crossover votes are just what this democracy needs!
1
Anyone who traffics in Russian disinformation should be branded a traitor and held until a LIVE TV court trial can be held. Trump will get the reality TV he always wanted but he will be the subject and getting fired will be the least of his concerns.
2
I am absolutely ashamed of Jim Jordan, Nunes, and company.
They disregard clearly established truths, like Russia's involvement in the 2016 election, trump's asking for a favor in the most favorable version of the phone call (who knows what the ellipses hide), in favor of whiffs of absurdity.
And remarkably their audience loves it, more grist for the conservative anti-deep-state, anti-elitist, and of course underlying it anti-Semitic, crowd that within trump's base.
2
They were in the olive oil business together a long time ago. Yeah, sure, I remember him from that.
This will get much worse before it gets better.
2
Michelle it would appear all roads in the WH are intertwined with Jared Kushner. We all know he inserted himself into the Middle East but what was his role in Russia Ukraine and such? The lawmakers have not yet given a glance to Jared Kushner but we are very intrigued, who is he, why was he allowed security clearance, why is he traveling all over the globe on our tax payers’ hard earned money, what experience does he have in matters related to state department, to intelligence? All we know is his dad was convicted for tax evasions witness tampering and corruption. Who is Jared Kushner and why is no one questioning his role in matters related to America’s security!
2
What has happened to our elected leaders?
1
In other words, the Republicans are helping sow Russian disinformation and threatening the national security of the United States. In doing so, they betray our country, they betray democracy, and they betray democracies all around the globe. Stunning and traitorous behavior.
2
What amazes me in this piece is how the Republicans set up their cover from the beginning. They underestimate how smart Americans are.
1
How humiliating, to be an elected republican and grovel in service to "trump". A complete loss of morals and dignity.
1
Very good synopsis of GOP strategy. Low information voters should ask themselves why Trump and his toadies are trying to throw the spotlight of blame onto Ukraine, which Trump cares little about, and away from Russia and Putin, which Trump favors quite a bit. To save their own bacon, Trump and most Republicans at this point are set on sacrificing the truth. And in so doing, may be sacrificing our democracy. They are traitors. History will record them so.
1
I do not think that Trump would somehow cooperate with Russia secretly from the American authorities. Your hysteria is explained by the improvement and growth of the well-being of Russians and the country as a whole. Our weapons have analogues of unrivaled weapons. This is what you are afraid of. You are used to urging the whole world, here the new and renewed Russia began to interfere with you. We did not choose your president, this is your choice.
Ah yes, remember a painful 3-4 years ago when Trump disavowed any Russian connections. Paraphrasing, "I have no contacts with Russians, I do not know any Russians, and I have no business ties with Russia. Yet for some inexplicable reason, to this very day, we keep hearing about Russians percolating through the Trump goo. The fact that some Republicans (Americans) are willing to defend this president's fealty to Putin smacks of treason (there is a cyberwar going on as Russia is actively engaged in disrupting our elections as treason applies to a time of war).
2
@SLF
Defending someone, eg the president, is not only not treason, but actually not at all illegal. It is protected by the Free Speech provision of the First Amendment.
Take heart. If your side wins the presidency and both Houses of Congress, they'll seek to overturn Free Speech with a NEW IMPROVED First Amendment.
Now, the way this treason thing works is that it becomes operative in war, not according your definition, but actually takes a resolution that passes both Houses of Congress.
It is interesting that Devon Nunes and Jim Jordan (Jim should splurge and buy a Suit Jacket) haven’t proposed Mr. Trump as a witness. Could it be he would perjure himself in 30 seconds?
The already historic incompetence of Trump as a leader trespasses into the sacred domain of our constitution, our laws and our identity as a nation. The Grand Old Party that he now owns has derived into the Grand Old Problem by choosing to serve the wrong master, rather than the Constitution and the country that it swore to defend.
In so doing, the party joins not only Trump, but also Russia, in trying to give us the second version of the 2016 election, as a backdrop to the staging of the 2020 campaign. The contorsions in reasoning are from the playbook that gave us nazism and national socialism in the Germany of the 1930s. The path is democratic, but it leaves facts, truth and, may God forgive, democracy itself in the dust. Fake news factories abroad can now sit back and enjoy the spectacle. They have managed to inspire from outside, a domestic cottage industry of political fake food with clients as prominent as our Tweeter President and the Party that he owns. We pray and trust to have a domestic audience large, honest and smart enough to separate fact from fiction and farse between now and November 2020.
President Trump asked for a public announcement by the Ukrainian president. An investigation by itself would not have been interesting, because a proper investigation is confidential and would not have led to charges. What President Trump needed from Ukraine was a campaign event.
1
Defending the indefensible has been the mantra of the GOP since well before McCarthyism, pitting evil against good to those fools and puppets who blindly succumb to fear and hatred of their fellow citizens, thereby committing treason in the unspoken name of their puppeteers.
Can they be stopped from destroying what's left of our democracy before it's too late? Are Democrats up to this existential task?
The temperature has already risen above Fahrenheit 451 and is climbing fast.
FINALLY !!!!
Finally someone gets it.
This IS "dezinformatsiya" in its purest form. Russians see everything as a non-ending war, especially politics, and perfected disinformation campaigns.
The sheer irony of it is that the GoP, the once fervently anti-Russian part of them all, has thoroughly embraced the tactics of disinformation. Some, like that nitwit from Louisiana, even double down by disinforming the disinformation by claiming what's going on is "soviet style." The GoP had become duplicitous in their dealings with everyone. So next time you hear "communist" or "communism" you will know for sure that it's some republican misinforming people, but at the same time using tactics perfected in the Soviet Union to thoroughly misinform them.
2
The already historic incompetence of Trump as a leader trespasses into the sacred domain of our constitution, our laws and our identity as a nation. The Grand Old Party that he now owns has derived into the Grand Old Problem by choosing to serve the wrong master, rather than the Constitution and the country that it swore to defend.
In so doing, the party joins not only Trump, but also Russia, in trying to give us the second version of the 2016 election, as a backdrop to the staging of the 2020 campaign. The contorsions in reasoning are from the playbook that gave us nazism and national socialism in the Germany of the 1930s. The path is democratic, but it leaves facts, truth and, may God forgive, democracy itself in the dust. Fake news factories abroad can now sit back and enjoy the spectacle. They have managed to inspire from outside, a domestic cottage industry of political fake food with clients as prominent as our Tweeter President and the Party that he owns. We pray and trust to have a domestic audience large, honest and smart enough to separate fact from fiction and farse between now and November 2020.
1
We may yet witness the most perfect ending to this farce of a presidency: Impeached and convicted for using hundreds of millions of taxpayer dollars to try to force a foreign head-of-state to produce "evidence" in support of a crazy conspiracy theory that would exonerate Vladimir Putin of election interference. This would be the perfect way for Trump to be remembered by history.
3
@LewisPG yet his son in law Jared is still spending millions of tax payers dollars globetrotting at government expense.
The Republicans requested witness list includes the whistleblower who they initially criticized as being too removed from Trump’s Ukrainian phone call to even be credible. So, which is it? We know the answer. He or she is simply a distraction from the damning revelations of committee witnesses over the past few weeks. This is true of the other witnesses on the Republican list as well.
Unfortunately, every column, including this one, that repeats the fabulist Republican narrative that it was the Ukrainians who interfered in the 2016 election contributes to its spread. Perhaps that’s unavoidable in a country that values a free press, but It would be helpful if every column also included a reminder that Trump’s counter-narrative lives and breaths in the long shadow of a White House that is stonewalling every single House subpoena. Would it exist at all if those subpoenaed members of the White Staff stepped up and testified? It’s the point that House Democrats need to keep returning to during the hearings. Ask every Republican: “If Trump did nothing wrong as he claims, why is the White House refusing to allow subpoenaed staff to testify on his behalf?” There is no good answer to this question.
1
earth to media, they got nothing, there is no defesne
this was flat out exotortion/bribery scheme
What has followed is endless lying and defending
the indefensible
the latest being the transcript were doctored.
laughable.
1
"To Exonerate Trump, Republicans Embrace Russian Disinformation"
What's really unfortunate in all this is that there won't be enough time or emotional bandwidth to prosecute these traitors, since all the oxygen in the room has been consumed by Trump. It appears that the accountability these so-called "American" politicians deserve will be meted out by the voters, with whom responsibility for retribution ultimately resides.
2
By blaming Ukraine rather than Russia for interfering in the 2016 election, Trump is admitting he needed help from a foreign government to become president. So Trump gains nothing by pushing such a false allegation. But it’s definitely in Russia’s interest to shift the blame to Ukraine for the 2016 election interference, as it bolsters their case for the removal of sanctions. The fact that Trump has gone all out to promote the “Ukraine not Russia” election interference disinformation is more proof Putin must have some serious kompromat on Trump.
1
(Groucho) Marx once quipped, "Those are my principles; if you don't like them, I have others."
Giuliani is a remarkable man. He lies shamelessly, fabricates plots, defends what are, let's face it, treasonable acts by his boss, and yet behaves as if he were not only innocent but somehow a victim.
How do they do it? And why? I fully expect the "hapless Trump lackeys," including Rudy, will indeed by "thrown under a bus" by the even more ruthless and amoral leaders of the GOP in order to save their Leader. What will R.G. have to say about Trump's "big heart" then?
Does this business about Soros remind anyone else of North Korea?
2
Trying to convince a Republican to act in the best interests of the country is like asking the crew of The Titanic to act in the best interest of the ship......as they heap more coal into the boilers.
2
Disinformation via Russia with great cooperation from Trump was good enough to get Trump "elected" once.
Following the Putin/Trump model -- "we do it here too" -- is their vice for twice.
Corruption in America is deep red.
2
Jim Jordan is with Dr. Manhattan on Mars. The Jordan at the Impeachment Hearings is a holographic simulation.
Jordan and his Trump acolytes hired Alan Moore for imaginative conspiracy theories.
2
Russian money has bought America.
Pelosi is right, all roads lead to Putin.
2
The Republicans are now engaged in the Enron defense. Pile enough millions of pieces of paper on the table and dare the other side to cull out the truth. In the end, it will be incumbent upon the Democrats to locate those diamonds in the rough and put a big bright spotlight on the truth. Like the Enron scam. The truth will be found in the end. There will be more people headed to jail before this is over with.
2
So now Russia and its disinformation campaign and almost the whole Republican Party are on the same side and page, with some anti-Semitism thrown in. That’s a sad state of affairs. And I imagine they’re still claiming to be the true patriots. The stakes in this impeachment inquiry are the whole fate of our republic and whether we become a subservient self-destructive state in service to Russia.
2
Sadly, John McCain died too soon. He never would have stood with the American Quislings in the Republican Party. It is time for those Republicans that respect the history of this country to stand up and denounce the propaganda unleashed by Trump and his Russian supporters. The country desperately needs another Edward R. Murrow moment. Mitt Romney this can be your legacy to America.
3
The rogues gallery of McConnell, Graham, Jordan, Nunes, and McCarthy should pull out the tapes of Clinton's impeachment and ask themselves about creating false equivalencies. How can they and their colleagues have been outraged over a personal infidelity and now blind to corruption with foreign influence? For those serving back in the 90's, how things have changed, eh Lindsey?
2
Does US law really say that if I dont know a law I cannot be punished for it?
Thats hard to believe
3
"To Exonerate Trump, Republicans Embrace Russian Disinformation."
Where will this end? And how? We have never gone down this road before. Never before have we had a president and his party whose words and actions are indistinguishable from those of a Russian asset. Their claim is plain. "We can say and do whatever we want to. There is nothing at all that we would not do. Our aim is the preservation of our own unmerited white entitlements and dominance."
2
This seems to me a geopolitical play to get Ukraine closer to Russia again.
2
Jordan and Portman and their party have decided to do whatever it takes to keep the truth about how our sovereign elections were attacked from without, by Russia, and from within, by Trump, in order to keep their boss and themselves in power.
Don't underestimate the power they're after: the power to say "Black is white" and "Up is down" and get away with it.
Being conspiracy wackos doesn't ameliorate their treachery. Wackos or not, they are deeply dishonest men, and they put their own power above the nation's sovreignity. They must be opposed with the truth and removed from office.
2
In the Amerian legal system, people are presumed innocent and it is the burden of prosecutors and lawyers to convince a jury that someone is guilty. This term EXONERATES presumes that the President of the United States is GUILTY BY ACCUSATIONS ALONE. Stop harassing this man! Let him run the country!
So was it Rudy Giuliani, Mick Mulvaney, or Gordon Sondland who blocked military aid to Ukraine? Which one of them ordered Mike Pence not to attend the swearing-in of the Ukrainian president?
Republicans are looking more and more foolish, and more and more cynical and craven, with every ridiculous attempt to defend the indefensible. They may win over Trump's deluded fans in GOP primaries, but the rest of the electorate sees only their lack of spine, lack of patriotism, and violations of their oaths of office. They're hurtling toward a cliff as the 2020 elections draw inexorably closer.
2
Great piece. Well done!
Things are awfully complicated and the Russians will make use of that to spread "misinformation and disinformation".
So the thing to do is to roll up the sleeves and become educated. To study and to understand the situation so we can begin to recognize deception.
Many of the Republicans I know are intelligent people who don't want to educate themselves about these topics. Who does? Reading about this stuff can be sooo boring. Thank goodness Putin has an easy name … how many more manes like Serhiy Leshchenko , Volodymyr Zelensky Viktor Yanukovych must one learn!
Well never mind the whining, we just have to do it.
1
There are two reasons why Little Jim Jordan, the diminutive congressman from Ohio, rants and raves and waves his arms around like a crazy person. One is to try and distract us from the actual facts and the other is because it's the only way the wee fellow can get the attention he craves.
2
Mr. Trump and his supporters claim he was fighting corruption in Ukraine. Interestingly, they believe the only corrupt people associated with Ukraine happen to be two Americans, Joe Biden and Hillary Clinton -- who just coincidentally also happen to have been, or are likely to be, Mr. Trump's political rivals for the presidency.
Meanwhile, there is one American who has been proven to be tied to Ukrainian corruption. His name is Paul Manafort, and he is now a convicted felon sitting in federal prison. Paul Manafort was Donald Trump's campaign chair.
3
Slavish fealty. Apt summary of this dangerous and sad group of traitors. I'm aware it sounds really harsh, but in this case, it's the absolute truth.
2
If the GOP'S best option is to have Gym Jordan argue for them using Russian talking points, no wonder so many are retiring! Time for country over party!
2
I like the notion hinted at by @Vesuviano of playing the march from the Bridge over the River Kwai every time Jim Jordan or some other servile apologist for Trump comes on TV spouting whatever talking points Trump has in mind for that particular day.
Trump's most ardent defenders have become, whether they know it or not, Kremlin Quislings in clamoring for an investigation of Ukraine for the wildly false charge of having lifted Secretary Clinton's e-mails. The charge was invented in the Kremlin and apparently sold to Trump by Paul Manafort who remains in prison for his crimes.
The mindless clamor to unmask the whistle blower --notwithstanding his or her legal protections, devised by Congress with bi-partisan support -- could lead to an attempt on his or life from alt-right nutcases. I assume Republican members of Congress who advocate unmasking would like to get a little blood on their hands.
If the Republicans want testimony form the whistleblower, let him or her do so in writing, just like Trump did for the Mueller investigation. What's sauce for Trump, should be sauce for ordinary Americans who do their duty.
2
Americans say they believe in democracy, but they're really terrible at citizenship. This has been our fate, and the millennials, at least, see this.
The climate's a disaster. The nation's become a plutocracy, with the upper classes fighting for more as the American Dream becomes a pyramid scheme for the few. Dishonorable, immoral and shameful. Welcome to the real world 2019.
I'm kind of glad about this mockery of morality the Republicans are leading; finally showing their true colors. It's always been about the rich, which is why the first thing Trump and the Republicans did was cut taxes for themselves and their corporations. Real life, there; but not moral.
Fall, fall, fall away corruptions of greed and selfishness. Let's hope more light comes to the average American and we finally, actually try to create the 'more perfect Union'. It won't be with greed and luxuries and a bragging, bullying, traitorous President with his henchmen. No, it will be done by the goodness and sacredness of common folk like us. Like US.
1
Our country recovered from Watergate because Howard Baker and Sam Ervin kept the hearings on track, and hyper-partisanship was largely kept in check by an understanding that the hearings, and facts, mattered.
It was refreshing that responsible republicans (an oxymoron today) did the right thing.
Today, that's impossible. As "news" outlets spread disinformation, as the Jim Jordans of the world contribute to its toxicity, as Idaho librarians hide books criticizing Trump, it's clear we no longer have the country the greatest generation left us.
For me, the tragedy isn't Trump.
It's the 40% of the country who believe the lies and ignore the hypocrisy, all while cheering on the indecency and poison while wearing their MAGA attire in plain view.
3
The misinformation that Representative Jim Jordan and Senator Lindsey Graham and the rest of Republican congressional lemmings are peddling at this moment is bad, is toxic to democracy. (Hunter Biden, Burisma, HILLARY'S EMAILS... Look over There!)
But the disinformation they are injecting into the bloodstream of this polity - including the character assassination of a burgeoning number of public servants - is as dangerous as it is malevolent and dishonorable.
For, the lifeblood of democracy is knowledge and truth.
2
Of course, Trump leads the Republicans on Putin’s Choir.
The fact is that the Republican Party, via NRA, and great leaders like Moscow Mitch, are always ready to do what any oligarch ask of them, Russian, Chinese, American...anyone with that most beautiful form of free speech, $$$, according to the wisdom of Trump’s Supreme Court justices.
1
If Ukraine, as the Republicans believe, meddled in the 2016 election, how could the GOP trust the outcome of any Ukrainian investigation into Biden or any other matter?
295
@Steve Foglesong
Selective trust...
along the lines of alternate facts.
24
@Steve Foglesong There's an even more obvious question here...
If Crowdstrike is a Ukranian front for the Dems to set up Russia as the fall guy for the DNC hack, why is the RNC using them for THEIR security? Because they absolutely are.
25
@Steve Foglesong
"how could the GOP trust the outcome of any Ukrainian investigation into Biden or any other matter?"
The GOP has no intention of trusting Ukraine: that's why Trump wanted the announcement of an investigation BEFORE turning over the lawfully allocated Ukraine aid.
Did Trump trust the Ukraine to actually investigate Biden? Not that either: he doesn't care that there's an actual investigation as long as one is announced. The announcement of an "investigation" would cause a replay of the Clinton Email investigation, which is good enough to "raise questions", lasts for years while Fox beats it to death and Congressional Republicans run hearings, before it peters out into nothing years later, the political harm being done.
26
GOP in 1998: Lying about an extramarital affair is an impeachable high crime or misdemeanor.
GOP in 2019: The President is above the law and can do pretty much whatever he wants.
2
What Republican will defend the Rule of Law?
What GOP voter wants them to?
211
@gratis
Seems like there are very few, if any, Republican 'Profiles in Courage' out there, unfortunately.
10
@gratis
The average GOP voter has been thoroughly brainwashed by a right-wing 'news' media that is basically the spawn of 'news' and a combination of The National Enquirer and that crazy person outside the supermarket with the sign claiming that the world will end in 8 days when an army of Bigfoots takes over.
17
It is obvious that Trump does not have the Mandate of Heaven. His battle with reality proves the truth of that statement.
To rule a nation a ruler must have the Mandate of Heaven. A term I am using to convey the godliness of an earthly ruler, one who brings knowledge, authority, calmness to the population.
"The year's at the spring
And the day's at the morn;
Morning's at seven;
The hill-side's dew-pearled;
The lark's on the wing;
The snail's on the thorn;
God's in his heaven -
All's right with the world!"
Certainly not the case here with Trump.
Remember how, in the immediate aftermath of the 2016 election, many people, including ordinary voters and not just politicians, were willing to say openly that they were fine with Russian interference in the election as long as it got Donald Trump elected.
3
No amount of the GOP's false equivalencies made out of counter conspiracies can take away the quid quo pro extortion tactics of Donald Trump used on the Ukraine. Reality TV political drama is about to meet up with truth and justice.
4
I beg to differ. The Republicans will do anything to hold on to power. That's a given because they are simply the hand maidens for corporate America.
But the real question is what's the truth about all the allegations surrounding the 2016 elections and the persecution of Julian Assange?
Most don't see them as connected. But they are because Assange published the DNC emails and was immediately accused of having gotten them from the Russians.
Assange has always maintained that he got them from another source, not the Russians. Assange offered to talk to the FBI about the emails. Like any journalist he said he wouldn't reveal his source, but he would tell them who on the suspect list weren't his sources.
When FBI Director Comey heard about this he quickly quashed those negotiations and instead with British collusion got Assange placed in solitary confinement as if he were a terrorist.
A UN report has declared those conditions to be 'torture.'
So what is the evidence of the Russian/DNC crime? It consists of the statements from three, not seventeen security agency heads. Those three are all political appointees, not career analysts and the technical language of an "assessment" means the conclusions are possible, but not probable and definitely not certain.
The Times should forget about the Republicans and instead dig for the truth. Let the facts write the story, not the desire to simply gather more evidence on Trump.
He's made his own bed. Let him lie in it.
The claim that it was Ukraine, not Russia, that meddled in the 2016 election has three purposes:
1. It asserts that Russia had nothing to do with it, and therefore there is no need for sanctions.
2. It means that Russia didn't help trump win the election--he won on his own.
3. It transfers the 2016 election meddling to the Clinton campaign--She was the one who cheated and therefore should be investigated.
Don't bother to look for logic in #3; there isn't any. But it becomes apparent in the specific request that Zelensky make a public statement including the words, 'investigation', 'Biden' and 'Clinton'.
We're supposed to believe that the Clinton campaign wanted to hack the DNC server and release damaging emails just before the election . . . Why? Perhaps to embarrass trump?
4
For every young boy and girl in America, dreaming to serve as a Russian asset and participate in a great criminal enterprise run by a crass, sociopath and narcissist, the like of Jim Jordan and about every republican leader (including former ones like Giuliani) are great inspiration. Even personal profit has taken a back seat, the prospects of destroying a democracy that serving to enrich only robber barons - are far too attractive.
But let's not be hasty, it is not only bright educated kids that are gaining inspiration. Every American family that has consciously chosen to keep their children uneducated, unskilled, jobless - will be inspired by our current president for generations - given that he professes his love for them often. A culture that once emphasized individual achievement, innovation, grit and determination, will now adopt the cultural mores of scapegoating and destruction. Every one at the MAGA rally can now point to bonfires and say, 'but for me, this wouldn't have happened.'
Heady stuff, dangerous times.
7
The Republicans learned a long time ago that if you repeat a lie over and over it becomes the truth, particularly to those who don't care about the truth.
Democrats seemingly never learn how to counter the endless conspiracy theories promulgated by Republicans which explains in large part how we got to where we are today - a failed state.
To be clear, when I say a failed state I'm referring to the demise of a representative democracy that represents every American equally. Today, America is a shadow plutocracy.
13
When Trump goes on his pardon tour, perhaps he should pardon the Russian hackers who were indicted by Mueller. Trump-Putin 2020!!!
4
They're all Trump's Roy Cohn now.
13
There is something seriously wrong with Republicans and right wing leaning voters in general. They are much more prone to believe in conspiracy theories. They are less likely to engage in independent thought and much more easily manipulated by things that would seem to be illogical when viewed with any rational mind.
Worst yet, they don't have any understanding of concepts like irony, hypocrisy, pot calling the kettle black, etc. Hence, they have complete amnesia on everything that happened during the Nixon and Clinton impeachment hearings and now find that everything the Democrats are doing (which is very mild compared to what Republicans did during the Clinton impeachment inquiry) are now somehow unlawful.
Additionally, they also tend to think they need lots of weapons to defend themselves. From what? I don't know. I've lived 50 years of my life without any guns in my house and I don't feel endangered in any way and I've lived in many different cities in California and Arizona. Yet many Republicans somehow feel like they are naked if they don't have an arsenal of weapons in their homes.
It's almost like their fight or flight instinct is on hyperdrive and they are seeing ghosts and boogeymen around every corner.
18
During Watergate, I thought the Republican talking points and defenses of President Nixon reflected the use of Soviet propaganda and misinformation tactics. This is what shocked my young adult mind more than the details of President Nixon’s illegal and unconstitutional acts during congressional hearings.
Those paying even armchair attention to Russian propaganda and misinformation today will easily recognize their talking points in the words spoken by President Trump, a few of his senior aides, and by too many elected congressional Republicans.
Thinking Russia is not an adversary is foolish. Thinking it beneficial to personal political careers to continue to lie to a voting base, who appear to want to be lied to, reflects an absence of both conscience and loyalty to Foundational ideas and values.
Russia is run by a corrupt tyrant. Our Founders rejected tyranny and corruption because the idea and values of Equality and empathy for Rights, Freedoms, and Liberties for common individuals cannot be realized under tyranny and the corruption it breeds.
Trump defenders in Congress should realize they diminish the power of Congress as a co-equal Branch of Government and Congress’ ability to Check the powers of the other two Branches. Congress utilizing their powers at this time is essential to preserving a democracy of free people.
10
Every positive human relationship is built on trust. If you lie to me about a material issue, I cannot trust you.
President Trump, Congressional Republicans, and prominent Trump supporters repeatedly lie about material issues. They believe that they can win by lying.
In the long-run, they are wrong because the trust they need to survive will eventually erode and the house they have constructed on the shifting sand of deception and distortion will collapse.
And, like for Richard Nixon, great will be its fall.
You can fool some of the people some of the time but you cannot fool all of the people all of the time.
8
@Didier Excellent points! Thank you.
Republicans couldn’t care less about the real life consequences of their inane conspiracy theories. Those protecting Trump are happy to intimidate the whistle blower and place him in harm’s way, indifferent to the dangers of having a compromised president, and oblivious to the longterm ramifications of having no checks and balances within our government.
Words don’t have to be true to precipitate something very real.
6
Fiona Hill is the epitome of excellence that the US needs in its State Department.
She is obviously very bright, has a wonderful grasp of the implications of her job on national politics, and is stunningly coherent in her responses to antagonistic questioners.
We need 100 clones of her to replace the plodding thought-free minions that Trump has installed around himself to defend against his own ignorance.
15
It's so hard for me to believe and understand how grown men (and women) at the highest levels of government can act just like a six year-old when confronted with his hand in the cookie jar. They will look for any alternative scenario, or someone to blame, or get angry and bluster loudly, in order not to just own up. It's that simple. And what really makes me angry is that we're paying these people's salary. I would also hope that the press would stop giving them a pass when they blurt out obvious lies as an 'opinion'.
11
Republicans cannot support Trump without embracing Trump’s inane views. Those inane views reflect Trump’s attempts to keep Putin seeing him as a loyal friend, even if the U.S. government sees Russia as an adversary and produces the facts to support that proposition. Trump is willing to let the U.S. lose a little to help Russia win a little, to please his good friend Putin. Well neither Putin nor Trump are friends to anyone but each seems to think that the other can be useful.
3
When the factual math wouldn’t add up, Republicans decided to take another path. Democracy depends on good will and commitment to fairness, notions in short supply especially on the Republican side. Republican supporters of Trump have gone all in for this guy and have no way out from their position. The only way forward is to grab on to his generous coattails, double down on all his conspiracies and act crazy to make everyone around look equally foolish. Democracy is a nice notion, but power is real.
4
It appears from a perhaps not safe enough distance that America is irreversibly transitioning or metamorphosing. That a new-to-America form of governance is emerging. Or, perhaps it is only a reversion to the days of your robber barons - but with 21st Century technologies and industries. A sort of high-tech feudalism.
5
The Republican Senate has no interest in hearing the evidence and making a reasoned decision about Trump's continued tenure. This leaves them with only one choice - adopting Trump's delusional claims. They are all focusing on one thing - Trump's base.
As long as Trump's poll numbers stay at around 40%, this means his base is still with him. This is the only reason Senate Republicans have not spoken out against him, and the only reason they will not remove him from office.
If Trump's poll numbers had dropped under 30% by now, Senate Republicans would be climbing all over each other to get him out of the White House. Now we may blame Trump all we want. And we may blame Congressional Republicans all we want.
But I haven't seen one column focusing on the the power of his voters. They're treated as either entirely unrelated to this debacle, or as hapless dupes who were "hoodwinked" by Trump. They are neither.
Trump voters are entirely responsible for the fact that our once fine nation is considered a laughing stock at best, and an international pariah at worst. They support a known felon in the White House for only one reason - he is as racist as they are.
And this, folks, is all Trump voters want from a president. But their role in this horrific chapter of our history should not be overlooked. And in the meantime, the rest of us are seeing our nation held hostage by a large minority who revels in their willful ignorance and racism.
10
Unfortunately, we have a political party that can no longer win fair elections. Changing demographics and social mores have reduced Republicans to voter purges, gerrymandering, hate-mongering, and coordination with foreign adversaries to rig elections. It is a very dangerous time because Republicans are desperate to retain power, and they will say or do anything that promotes that end. This is going to be very ugly. If we are lucky, it will only be ugly and not lead to something far worse.
11
I want both Trump and Biden to go down here.
I don't like either one of them. Trump is a strange, horrible president. Biden was a pure globalist and wall street true believer, and an oppressor of the working class.
People think Biden is good for the working class because of his rhetoric and lifestyle. But he's not. He's terrible..
These guys have to go. We have better candidates in Warren and Sanders. In some ways I welcome Bloomberg because he'll dilute Biden's votes.
This country is close to being nothing. Under Republicans, I think half the population will leave the country if possible, one way or another. We'll still get immigrants due to the 'freedom' moniker (incorrect), but everything is relative.
1
@Dave It doesn't matter who you like or dislike. If you hate Hillary, it doesn't make her a criminal. But that's what folks like you are reduced to.
I mean, if trump trashes the constitution, defying the actual law of the land, and Biden has ideology you don't like, you think they should both go down?
You folks who sigh that the nation is gone, facts are only opinions, etc sure give up easily!
Joe Biden never pointed out into the audience to denounce America's free press as 'enemies of the people'. He NEVER did any of the divisive things trump does/says/tweets daily, and he never broke any American law.
But yeah, bothsides.
1
Should Trump win re-election, what it will say about our democracy will not be pretty. What it would say about our citizens would be terrifying.
I’ve resigned myself to the fact that the Senate will shamelessly exonerate him in this very necessary impeachment.
I don’t know how I could cope with another four years, with a population that would willingly give him that.
9
Remember how a group of mental health professionals came forward not long after Trump was elected to identify alarming symptoms of probable mental illness?
We need those same folks to release their assessment of this GOP phenomenon - why are they grasping for ridiculous theories?
5
I am not sure whether you can blame the extreme partisanship in politics these days or the low level of knowledge evidenced in some of these Congress people for this mess. It is not a joke that Russia and others are coming after us. If these people would rather have Russia and Trump then they get what they deserve.
1
More accurately, WE will get what they deserve.
1
Let's face it: We know it, the Democrats know it and the Republicans know it. Trump engaged in extortion to the detriment of our national interest. Trump is unfit for office. Unfortunately, Republican interests are in getting reelected, not honoring our Constitution. Their only hope? The gullibility of the Trump base.
11
Fiona Hill is an expert on Ukraine, a very honest civil servant and a courageous woman. Certainly, we have to believe that the American people have the intelligence to appreciate the contrast between Ms. Hill and the Republican Congressmen and staffers who, like the ridiculous Devin Nunes, are now weaving intricate conspiracy theories about Ukraine to clear Donald Trump.
Nunes, Jim Jordan and others are claiming that it was Ukraine officials, not the Russians, who rigged the 2016 election in Trump’s favor. Therefore, as the conspiracy theory goes, Trump was justified in conditioning delivery to Ukraine of American military aid on Ukraine’s finding dirt about Trump’s political rivals
Let us hope that Democrats in Congress are as aggressive in uncovering the truth, as the Republicans are in trying to hide the truth.
5
Jim Jordan, poster boy for Republican absurdity, though one has to be pretty much mentally ill to exceed the average Republican's completely off base grasp of fact over fiction.
What is it going to take for a majority of Americans too shed Trumps comic book reality in favor of factual information?
I'm a bit surprised at Goldberg's warmed milk approach to the biggest presidential disaster ever!
4
It would be treasonous for the Republican House members to use these despicable and discredited conspiracy theories that may have originated in Russia and in Right Wing extremist blogs to divert attention from Trump’s criminal conduct.
They should not be allowed to turn the serious House impeachment hearings into a media circus. The hearings must be confined to charges of Trump’s bribery and extortion of Ukraine for political favors. It should not be expanded to air unproven conspiracy theories and to confuse an already dangerously divided public with fantasy and lies. These are supposed to be members of Congress who take an oath of office to defend our Constitution and our laws. They should not act like political partisans who work for Breitbart and Fox News and have no interest in pursuing the truth and defending our laws and Constitution.
What is wrong with them?
3
A major educational must be made to expose the bogus conspiracy excuses aimed at excusing President Trump's behavior and defense. No matter how ridiculous the stories, many will believe them -- no matter the evidence.
It is believed that no Democrat could possibly act honorably when investigating Mr. Trump. Republicans who would risk criticizing Mr. Trump will be denounced, probably as "traitors."
So who should investigate Trumpian misconduct? Apparently only those Republicans and other True Believers who support him (or who from fear pretend to support him).
Eventually, only putting Mr. Trump, Mr. Pence, Mr. Mulvaney, Mr. Rudy Giuliani, Mr. Bolton (and unnamed others) under oath and questioned to give testimony might convince some diehards that (to borrow from many "New Yorker" cartoons)
The End Is Near.
Where conspiracy theories are concerned, there is more than one sucker born every minute.
Texas Guinan, a charming fabricator, knew the score.
Doug Giebel, Big Sandy, Montana
A lot of readers have likened Trump to a mob boss and republican supporters to his minions. I think that this is too charitable a description of his elected supporters. A more accurate analogy would be "dirty cops." They are not helpless. They know he is corrupt and they are covering up for him.
5
One of the main duties of the House of Representatives is to conduct oversight of the executive branch - and they have a sworn duty to the country and the Constitution to do so.
Trump is defying the rule of law. He wants to be king or dictator, and the Republicans in Congress are supporting him.
Trump has abused his power since his inauguration, and his Republican co conspirators are betraying the country in service of this flagrant abuse.
Lawful subpoenas are being ignored, which is further obstruction of justice, and the laws myst be upheld now, and all of these who are refusing to abide by the law must face serious consequences for their actions.
2
It seems clearer and clearer, especially looking in from the outside, that Trump is effectively, or actually a Russian asset. At the very least it seems Putin has some serious dirt on him.
If you view the circus of his presidency through this lens, it makes a lot more sense. Occam’s razor and all that.
2
I look forward to the public impeachment hearings with an urgency for...at last some accountability but my gut is apprehensive of a Russo-Republican circus. Republicans can't handle the truth.
Republicans appear to have no intention to uphold their oath of office. Appealing to their loyalty, conscience, pledge to support and defend the Constitution, so far have been a waste of breath. They have shown an eagerness to fully capitulate and kneel to Trump, and now they bathe in his alternate universe of lies, alternate-facts and corruption.
Do not look to the Senate to convict Trump, Republicans will make a farce of the trial. Instead, count on the American people to wade through the Russo-Republican disinformation, discern the truth and evict Trump in 2020.
But do not fool yourself into believing Trump intends to leave the White House based on losing the 2020 election. What we are currently witnessing in the Russo-Republican defense of Trump is a prelude to what they will do when Trump loses the election. This is a constitutional crises - a major political party is flat out lying to the American people and sabotaging our democratic republic.
Americans who still know right from wrong, still love America for its values and ideals despite its flaws, will need to decide if saving our democratic republic for our children is worth the sacrifice of taking to the streets and mobilizing in civil disobedience acts.
Yes, it is that serious. Look at what has happened in 3-short years.
4
The willingness of conservative Trump supporters to accept his conspiring with, or at least praising and accepting, the leader of our greatest enemy is, to me, the most astonishing aspect of Trump's success. How can they condone alliances with Communists, perhaps the most damaging label you could place on any American in the past fifty years? My only explanation is that Russians, and Ukranians, are white. There is no other possible reason for the "I'd rather be Russian than a Democrat" slogans and t-shirts.
5
REVISED to correct error:
A major educational effort must be made to expose the bogus conspiracy fictions aimed at excusing President Trump's behavior and defense. No matter how ridiculous the stories, many will believe them -- no matter the evidence.
It is believed that no Democrat could possibly act honorably when investigating Mr. Trump. Republicans who would risk criticizing Mr. Trump will be denounced, probably as "traitors."
So who should investigate Trumpian misconduct? Apparently only those Republicans and other True Believers who support him (or who from fear pretend to support him).
Eventually, only putting Mr. Trump, Mr. Pence, Mr. Mulvaney, Mr. Rudy Giuliani, Mr. Bolton (and unnamed others) under oath and questioned to give testimony might convince some diehards that (to borrow from many "New Yorker" cartoons)
The End Is Near.
Where conspiracy theories are concerned, there is more than one sucker born every minute.
Texas Guinan, a charming fabricator, knew the score.
Doug Giebel, Big Sandy, Montana
1
These conspiracy theories aren't theories at all. They're scripts, performance vehicles, for stoking fear and rage. It's time the media stopped giving these ugly performances so much air time.
2
Republicans seem to have this war mentality where anyone not in their camp are the enemy and can be subject to scorched earth methods, all out lies and misinformation. In this war the truth means nothing to them and uncovering a new bogus theory no matter how outrageous or debunked can justify impeachable offenses. Extort a country? No problem. Tarring the reputations of career civil servants with no evidence? No problem. Claim a sworn enemy, Russia, is clean as a whistle? no problem. And its all done to steal an election. No problem.
2
The Republicans are preparing, quite carefully, to do incredible damage to the nation in the course of these impeachment hearings. The lies, disinformation and smears they will toss about will be like nothing we’ve seen yet. That’s why they’ve brought Jim Jordan front and center. He, of course, has great experience in covering up filth. In the past he’s just ignored filth. Now, he’ll be manufacturing it at breakneck speed, and spewing it everywhere. I fear the Democrats aren’t up to the level of lies and attacks we are about to experience.
4
As sad as this is to say, it is obvious now that the GOP has gone full post-truth and routinely and knowingly traffics in lies, secure in the knowledge that their voters will believe them. And their lies are laundered through the feedback loops of conservative media straight into our government. I remember a time when politicians and journalists paid a price for lying. Not anymore — at least in the GOP, conservative media, and Facebook.
How did we get here?
4
There is no conspiracy theory so silly or lacking in evidence or logic that Republican politicians and Russian operatives will not offer as a fig leaf for members of Trump's cult of personality. There is nothing so lacking that those members will not embrace if it helps rationalize their adoration for Trump.
5
Trump & his supporters are working overtime to invent improbable motives and complicated conspiracy theories involving cunning double agents.
For those like Lindsey Graham & Stefanik who decry “secret” hearings, & call to out the whistleblower, beware of what you wish for. Attempts to smear the heroes & honorable witnesses to Trump’s bribery & extortion will ultimately fail.
Former Florida congressman David Jolly answered the question “What has happened to the Republican party? ‘There is no greater example of selling your soul to a charlatan than what Republicans are doing right now. There are in today’s Republican party spineless politicians rotten to the core without virtue without any level of human integrity devoid of self respect self reflection…Without courage and without the moral compass to recognize their own malevolence.’
Time to stand up to the corruption, or be called out for complicity.
6
Dr. Hill’s testimony on Russian misinformation and disinformation tactics was enlightening and scary. And the prime target of the tactic appears to be Trump. And it’s working. Trump has a penchant for believing the Russian Deep State.
Her discussion of the “Grand Bargain” between Trump and Putin was also enlightening. When was Trump going to spring that on the country?
1
The GOP has become the party of Putin. It comes as no surprise that Republicans and their allies in the conservative media behave exactly as the Kremlin intended.
In 2016 they were grateful that Russia helped Trump - the most pro-Russian candidate since Henry Wallace, the left-wing Progressive Party candidate in 1948 - win.
Apparently just one-third of GOP voters believe that Russia meddled in 2016, believing Trump more than the intelligence findings.
The GOP, once stood for US leadership in a free world and helped bring down the Soviet Union, had become the Kremlin’s Trojan Horse.
Under Trump the US is starting to look an awful lot like the failed Soviet system the GOP once sught to demolish.
Putin had succeeded where Nikita Khrushchev failed – conquering the US without firing a shot with its disinformation.
In recent years, there’s a growing sympathy for Russia among American conservatives.
Not long ago the Putin fan club was limited to fringe figures like Pat Buchanan and illiberal groups. Fearful of a progressive society they couldn't identify with, they allied themselves with an authoritarian regime that embraces conservative values.
Today over 40% Republicans consider Russia an ally and have favourable views of Putin – a career KGB officer who hates America.
Much is at stakes in 2020. If the GOP fails to keep Trump in office, it loses its credibility as a party that serves the US Constitution.
12
I look forward to the historical novel in the near future, to be made into a film, in which Trump is exposed as a Russian asset. He attended a summer camp with the young Putin, say, in Connecticut, where they cut their fingers with a rusted pocket knives, proclaimed lifelong brotherhood, and promised to take over the world together, or see it burned.
Meanwhile, the backstory is happening now in which dozens of support characters have lost their character in support of a man whose motives are unfathomable, at least beyond the meandering meanness of a narcissist.
7
Speech that intends harm is not protected by the first amendment. Shouting "fire" in a crowded theater when there isn't one is not protected, and neither should disinformation designed to sow chaos into America's democracy. Democrats in the House are well within their purview to impose consequences proportionate to the harm done if Republicans insist on this course of action, including censure and ethics violations for willfully violating their oaths of office.
11
The path of least resistance is a fundamental part of human nature. It is so much easier (and more comforting) to believe what you want to believe than it is to work at finding the truth, however unsettling the truth might be.
1
It is amazing that not too long ago, Republicans had a credible claim to being the party of law and order, strong national defense, and economic policy based on sound analysis. Now they defend an administration that repeatedly breaks laws before our eyes, subverts our national interests for its own benefit and quite possibly the benefit of our greatest adversary, and embraces the same economic policies it once decried. America First? Not even close. Please, fellow citizens, support impeachment and Democrats in 2020 to restore American values and interests.
9
The Republican approach is called obfuscation: muddying the water. It is a long standing approach to avoiding facts. It is resorted to because there is no leg to stand on.
Should the Dems try to rebut Republican fiction? Probably not. Trying to rebut grants dignity where none is warranted. The best strategy is to present the facts as clearly as possible and use them very succinctly to portray the Republicans in the very clear light as posturing sycophants.
6
This hysteria among the Republicans all started with the reaction to Barack Obama’s presidency. I am curious how many of the Republicans in Congress are Tea Party members. When the tea party surfaced, many people were in disbelief that they would be such radical, ill-informed types winning seats in the House and Senate. I seem to remember pundits suggesting that the tea party was going to be a formidable force. Many could not believe that could be true, and yet it is.
6
@Elizabeth Hatch
No it didn't. It goes all the way back to Goldwater fanatics, on through Nixon, Atwater, Reagan, and Gingo.
1
There is a reason why Russia wanted Trump to win, because they knew they could play him to their advantage , like Rocket Man is doing, Erdogan, Netanyahu, and others. Trump is ignoring climate change, restarting the nuclear arms race, green lighting illiberal governments around the world, making healthcare less affordable, and on and on. Even Nixon accomplished some positives like the EPA, OSHA, talks with China. Makes you feel nostalgic.
33
@John Reynolds Netanyahu is certainly involved. Jared Kushner cozied up to him to gain access and vice versa. It’s only if late when Netanyahu and his wife fell out of favor of Sheldon adelson and his wife, that the whole single handed Middle East peace prophet Jared Kushner, became shaky. Why aren’t lawmakers looking at Jared Kushner his involvement with Netanyahu and Putin by extension? Jared was supposed to not just bring peace to Israel he supposedly had a handle on everything Middle East related, turkey Syria Saudi Arabia! Wow! Good job Stare Department, for outsourcing all your problems to Jared Kushner! Bravo.
2
The GOP rejection of science and its embrace of pseudo-scientific theories about literally every subject should have been the biggest warning sign. They have determined that they pay no political price for blatant lies and made-up stuff -- as long as what they say or do infuriates "liberals" and Democrats. Trump's behavior is excused by many who know better because he "gets under the skin" of the "liberal elite". There is no way to debate or engage people with whom we share no common reference points regarding what is fact and what is fiction. Let them go into their dream Lala land with the feigned and/or genuine delusions.
14
Trump did not change the Republican Party, he joined it. The Southern Strategy, the privatization of healthcare making it a profit center, wedding Evangelical leaders with Catholic doctrine subordinating women, the repeal of the “death tax”, Citizens United, Hobby Lobby, repeal of Glass Steagall all preceded Trump. Reagan’s invocation of distrust against democracy “government is the problem” preceded Trump. So let’s stop condemning Trump who is still in the WH because Republicans want him there.
23
Everything you say is true save the last. Trump has taken the GOP duplicity, hypocrisy and lies to new heights. It is obvious he has been a Russian asset at best and a Russian agent at worst since before his election. Condemning Trump for his part in expanding the Republican sellout to Russia is entirely appropriate.
4
Excellent point!
1
The deeper we sink into the GOP's fog of obfuscation, I simply cannot conceive their motivation. It cannot only be further tax cuts, more judgeships in the hands of those seeking to establish theocracy. There must be something more. But for the life of me I cannot fathom what it is. Is it now nothing more than outright tribalism strictly for tribalism's sake, in which "winning" is everything? And where does the country, our democracy and our constitution, rank in all of this? Dear God, what have we become?
16
@Michael
It is the naked, utter will to power.
As Graham said "You all want power." And he's right, only different people do different things with their power.
1
@Michael
They want power and control.
1
The GOP has no place to attack from other than chaotic rhetoric. The phrases may change a bit but, same message over and over again. A plot created by the Democratic party to expunge DJT from office the day he took the oath.
What keeps coming to mind regarding the phone call he made to President Volodymyr Zelensky that has been validated time and time again by many is ;
"Truth is ever to be found in simplicity, not in multiplicity" Sir Isaac Newton
Yes, it's all too simple. djt made a call with intent of blackmailing the president of Ukraine, to get dirt on a 2020 candidate that keeps him up at night.
13
In a way, the Republicans supporting Trump are apparently using the Pizza-gate defense: the President was acting on his beliefs that the conspiracy theories were true, though he had no basis for believing those things.
Still, they’re saying, he was entitled to act on those unsupported theories, and to violate constitutional constraints and upset American diplomats and American diplomacy. I mean, he BELIEVED it.
So . . . will the Pizza-gate guy be called as a witness in Trump’s defense? “We had to destroy the Ukrainian pizzeria in order to save it.”
15
We spent 3 years and 25 million investigating Trumps supposed collusion with Russia only to be told that no evidence could be found. And the John Durham investigation will soon shed light on the flimsy evidence that was the basis for the investigation. But when the Republicans bring up the mere possibility of the DNC colluding with the Ukraine, it’s immediately shot down as some wild conspiracy theory and Schiff won’t even allow relevant witnesses to be called. In the end, this will only strength the resolve of Trump supporters in 2020.
7
@Mike perhaps you should read the report. There was plenty of evidence.
46
@Mike
In fact there were at least 10 instances of obstruction that worked to protect the guilty by hiding and deleting the evidence needed for a conspiracy charge.
8
@LFK
Mueller talks a lot about contacts with Russians and possible Obstruction of Justice. This is a 3.
Collusion? maybe a 5.
The big question, the 10, not 3 or 5, is "did the Russians elect Trump?" The answer is no, whatever Mueller's hand-waving.
Read Mueller, Vol. I, pp. 24-26. Assertions. No analysis. No evidence that the alleged Russian interference in the 2016 election had any effect.
Supposedly Russians paid $100,000 for Facebook, which allegedly allowed them to reach 126 million Americans, more than half the electorate.
The numbers don't work. By the pros' analytic methods, only 100,000 people were even interested enough in the ad campaign to "like" what they were reading.
A much smaller number changed their votes, say about 10,000, many fewer than the magic 78,000 that "elected Trump."
But, let's be generous and assume 100,000 changed. (a) And of these, 78,000 would have to go to the three states, and only 22,000 to the other 47 states.
(b) Sadly, the 78,000 would have to be distributed perfectly--- 11,000 Michigan, 23,000 Wisconsin, 44,000 Pennsylvania; (c) And every one of those changes must be from Clinton to Trump.
The chance of these three conditions being met is much less than one in a million.
Moral. Don't sell your house for a hundred grand, and pay Facebook to make you president.
Last gasp. The Russians went viral? Sorry. Pros say one chance in a million.
But, hey. Russiagate has been magical thinking all along. Why not here?
1
The current news coverage needs to go much more often to the WHY of the importance of the Ukraine quid pro quo: It's the President trying to stay in power by abusing power. It is the President trying to thwart the democratic process. This is an incontrovertible cause and effect. This is what the fence-sitters in the public need to hear over and over as a justification for all of the news coverage.
10
In the end the simple fact is that republicans do not want to lose their president and will do what ever it takes to save him even if that means ignoring the truth.
32
Trump pressured Ukraine to announce investigations into Biden and the 2016 election interference. The point was not to discover anything, the point was to smear Biden and the democrats as corrupt. Ironically, by holding the president accountable for these actions the Democrats are providing Trump with exactly what he wanted -smearing Biden and sowing confusion about the 2016 election interference. Only now the house Republicans are doing it instead of Ukraine. Sadly, it will probably work because nobody has the time to unravel "truth" from a web of partisan reporting which allows each side to find only news that supports their preexisting biases. Journalists and politicians used to have something called "integrity", it all seems so quaint now.
8
@Brian There are plenty of journalists and politicians with integrity; they're just not well-represented group in the GOP.
12
@Brian: The truth is not a "preexisting bias".
The issue is not whether the uber right conspiracy theory about the Bidens is true or not. The issue is that Trump withheld military aid, approved by Congress, to the Ukraine on the condition that the Ukraine president launch an investigation into the Bidens for the naked political purpose of damaging Trump’s political rival. Don’t let Jordan, Gaetz and the rest of the GOP circus performers distract from what is really at issue and stake here.
53
The choice is very simple. We are either for democracy or we are for Trump's republicans and their russian allies. And in the public impeachment hearings which start tomorrow, I do hope that they keep it simple and that we all understand what is at stake here.
38
@Slioter “what’s at stake here”, My God if one doesn’t know now, they are lost and have not been paying attention for the last 3 agonizing years.
1
@Slioter This Russian ally thing is McCarthy-esque. Clean it up.
While focusing on Ukrainian conspiracy theory, Ms. Goldberg mentions in passing that Republicans are seeking to establish that Giuliani and others were loose cannons who acted on their own. That’s the story that belongs front and center.
While many think impeachment is a forgone conclusion, Schiff soldiers on. He is seeking to tie up loose ends with available witnesses. At the same time a challenge to a Committee subpoena to Charles Kupperman is advancing in Court.
The kKupperman case raises the question of executive privilege. And if Schiff prevails, the roadblocks are removed and Giuliani and everybody else but Trump will have to testify. blowing open the whole case. No more he said she said. He and she will have to talk. And circumstantial evidence will be replaced by a treasure trove of new witness testimony from everyone in the know. I’m guessing that that is of more than passing interest to Schiff and Ukrainian conspiracy theory couldn’t be less important.
10
From my understanding, the Biden defenders rely primarily on a single source, Vitaly Kasko, to claim that Viktor Shokin was likely to be ineffective. It seems odd that the investigation was supposedly shelved, according to Kasko, in 2014 just before Biden joined the board in April/2014 and before Shokin was even appointed to lead it in Feb/2015 - and that it was shut down permanently only 10 months after Shokin's replacement, Lutschenko, took over, without any significant prosecutions. Not surprisingly, Shokin strongly denies these claims by Kasko... in any case it's not a slam dunk.
2
@carl bumba
A red herring. The actual issue is whether the President withheld foreign aid that he was lawfully required to disburse, for whatever favors. The reason doesn't matter, you present a different issue.
29
@brooklyn
No, not at all. If there was corruption involving the inexplicable appointment of Hunter Biden, a drug addict recently fired from the Navy, that was something that the US government is entitled to look into. Regardless, the Trump Administration actually provided more lethal military aid to Ukraine than the Obama Administration ever did. And what little Obama did give to the Ukraine, he refused to have it flown in on US aircraft unlike Trump. It's not quite as simple as the Democrats want to think.
1
Odd that the EU and the IMF also wanted the prosecutor replaced and that we’re talking about Hunter Biden only, who happens to be Joe Biden’s son.
2
The more intently the republicans in the Congress try to implicate everyone but the babysitter in this quid pro quo that only a trump could execute so ineptly, the more one must ask, why are they not the least bit curious about trump's connections to the seedy underworld of Eastern European capitalism? Since the fall of the Soviet Union, there have been scores of scandals involving oligarchs and their shady dealings, whether they be Russian, Czech, Ukrainian, Latvian, on and on. It is well known trump has been trying for decades to gain a foothold in this very underworld. Would that not entice just the least bit of concern that maybe, just maybe, he succeeded in gaining said foothold sometime within the 2015 - 2016 timeframe?
15