When Parnas first came on the scene with Fruman he looked like a comical character. They a Laurel and Hardy pair if you will, bumblers bumbling in a bumbling plot. Now with Hayes debut and Parnas’ interview with RM he looks like a fricken genius.
29
It’s not so much that the bottom feeders sing; it’s when they decide to do so. After taking a bullet via indictment and conviction, their confessions amount to a ready-made Catch 22 for Republican sycophant sound bites.
If and when Trump is convicted in the State of New York, does anyone doubt that Graham and Meadows and Cornyn and Jordan and Collins and Nunes and and and will also sing to the extent that they knew all the damning evidence was true and that they discussed it with Trump himself?
After they retire of course. On the lecture circuit before their books come out.
32
In the descriptions of Parnas’ activities it sounds like he was working for Giuliani (digging up dirt on Biden’s and trying to persuade Ukraine government to announce/open investigation into Biden’s).
But wasn’t there also reporting that implied Parnas had hired Giuliani to represent Parnas’ firm (Fraud Guarantee) ?
How did the money flow in all this ? Did RG pay LP ? Did Fraud Guarantee pay RG ? Both ?
Any Russian Oligarch money flowing to LP ?
13
A sign that Trump will use any thug in the world to get himself re elected and thus avoid criminal prosecution as Mueller said Trump can be prosecuted when out of office which terrifies Trump.
32
Trump is clearly draining the swamp! Looks like with a straw.
16
Someone else said it::::Lev Parnas is the new John Dean.
11
Most corrupt president ever. Most complicit Republican Party ever.
65
Parnas mentioned he came forward because he doesn’t trust Barr. Given that Epstein never had a day in court and was found mysteriously dead, can you blame him? Barr needs to be impeached and removed from office was my big takeaway and again that all were in the loop.
55
Of course Trump and his cronies are thugs. We have seen this on horrifying display these past three years. But again, all columns like Ms. Goldberg's do is identify the symptoms of the disease. They do not identify the cause of it.
We as a nation are now a laughing stock at best and an international pariah at worst. So why does a deranged thug lead our nation? Because Trump voters are getting exactly what they want. This is the America they want.
Three years on in the most disastrous presidency in my lifetime (and I'm in my mid-60's), Trump voters are in lockstep with him. So what does this mean? They want a president who defies the law. They want a president who hides the truth from Congressional oversight. They want a president who jokes about sexually assaulting women. They want a president who urges his supporters to assault protesters. They want a president who threatens journalists. They want a president who is a bully on the international stage, regardless of how much he isolates this country. They want a president who is one deranged tweet away from a nuclear war. And they want a president who says the KKK and neo-Nazis are some very fine people. In short, Trump is the thug they want.
Trump is everything his voters want in a president. And he reflects their qualities - willful ignorance, racism, failure to take responsibility for one's own shortcomings. They are neither "innocent bystanders" nor "hapless dupes" here. They are the cause of this nightmare.
103
NY Times, it's time for another check in with some Trump supporters. Are they explaining away Lev Parnas as fake news? Or are they starting to think their fearless leader is starting to look a bit tarnished. (I guess I could just watch Fox News to find my answer)
13
Ms. Goldberg provides the smoking gun...
"Documents that Parnas later provided to the House Intelligence Committee show that Trump signed off on Dowd representing them."
18
How will the likes of Ken Starr & Dershowitz defend the President in the light of all these facts? That, I wonder! Over & above their handsome pay packets, do these lawyers, as individuals, care about integrity? Their integrity as human beings? Is it just an objective challenge in their eyes? Marie Yovanovitch, first of all, is a woman. Trump & his ilk, especially hate it if a woman stands in their way, anyone weak or vulnerable. Like when you go bowling, you have to hit everything in your way. Being honest & doing her job, well, that would be counterproductive to the plan. Michael Cohen was swayed to the point of threatening a mother’s child. The degree to which he became corrupted until he saw himself, until, thankfully, he saw the real picture, & by cooperating, decided to SAVE HIS SOUL, at the urging of his father! He became contrite & remorseful, & as a fellow Jew, I dare say, he actually remembered his G-d, which is a good thing. People like Giuliani & Trump, all the way down to the Republicans charged w/defending Trump, I wonder if it is even worth giving them an oath to swear by, because, by allowing all this to continue, well I wonder what kind of G-d they believe in, if at all. And that is the fundamental question of this morally corrupt, totally evil Presidency. If you don’t nip something in the bud, like a virus, it will grow into something very, very dangerous, & uncontrollable. The pity is that characters like Trump & Giuliani have zero morals. Pity for the US
22
"... nothing that Parnas said in the Maddow interview should be taken at face value."
Too bad you did not make that the first sentence.
3
Writing to Politico’s John F. Harris, a Trump supporter recently described the president as “our O.J.,” an apt analogy for Republicans’ vengeful determination to give a guilty man impunity.
I’ve often thought that the rage in much of white America at OJ’s acquittal (and, more to the point, the celebration of same in the black community displayed all over TV) has been looking for payback. And Trump is just the guy to give it to them. Trump would have pardoned the LA police officers who beat Rodney King and decreed that the blacks who beat Reginald Denny should be executed, just like he did the Central Park 5. These people constitute his core supporters, his base.
21
“Only the best” and “Be best” come to mind. They are as phony as the man and woman who spout them.
31
"The Sopranos" is the right analogy for Trump and his cohort. He expects absolute loyalty to him from his associates and his nondisclosure agreements are nothing more that a formalized vow of omertà. It was not for nothing that Trump learned his skills from Roy Cohn, who, until he was disbarred for "unethical conduct", had among his clients several mafiosi and who famously taught Donald that if anyone hits you, you have to hit them back 100 times harder. Trump isn't the commander in chief. He is the capo di tutti i capi.
19
'The qualities that discredit Parnas are the same ones that let him fit right in.'
Brilliant Michelle...you hardly needed to write anything else.
24
There is no way that Parnas was going to lay down for Trump. He truly played him for the fool he found him to be. Once a Russian/Ukrainian agent, always an agent.
I have to say, well-played, Lev.
5
I have to admit, we have a band of gangsters similar to 'La Cosa Nostra' in Sicily running the US Government, and it is scary to see it play out. This administration is a menace to our country.
26
i live in a red area. For years i have been hearing the blathering gop babble about how morally superior they are. All i can say is wow here we go again. They have become a joke. A bad joke but still a joke
23
The president should be in a good mood these days. Thanks to Lev, the tv ratings for his impeachment trial are going to be thru the roof.
6
“The Republican party at this point, for a whole host of reasons to do with Donald Trump, is an entirely illegitimate political party just made up of a bunch of sycophantic traitors mouthing Kremlin propaganda to defend this squalid little man who is occupying the White House" - Ron Reagan Jr.
34
When you mistreat your pit bulls and they turn on you.... (no offense to pit bulls who get a bad rap)
9
The impeachment trial is not the only game in town. Just wait until the ‘Barr & Durham’ indictments come raining down upon the tawdry troupe of RussiaGate conspirators.
Maybe they’ll all duke it out in a nationally-televised mud-wrestling match...with Pelosi-inspired black/gold commemorative pens selling for $150.
5
Bottom feeders in his orbit? There is no orbit, its all bottom feeding, all the time...
8
“I’m going to make him an offer he can’t refuse.” Giuliani advanced Parnas’s scheme for Trump to fire Yavonovitch for Lutsenko. Don the Con wanted to use Parnas through Pereshenko to smear and discredit Biden and son. Giuliani Skyped with Shokin to get dirt on Biden.
Why not use race horse heads in their beds to accomplish their low-life schemes. The whole lot of them including Barr, Pompeo, Perry, and Pence need to be investigated. Instead, Barr wants to investigate Comey again, but it should be Comey doing the investigation of Barr and company.
11
You've outdone yourself once again, Ms. Goldberg. I don't know how you manage to sleep, with the profound understanding you have of this cesspool's ecosystem. Talk about 'goodness of fit' gone terribly wrong.
But it must make it easier to accommodate new information when some novel creature (in this case, the deranged Trumpworld hanger-on) surfaces for the first time and manages to crawl out of the slime for his 15 second audition for a cabinet post (such as the Department of Conspiracies).
And, if this were final Jeopardy (tick-tock), we have another answer (“After all the lies you’ve told and fraud you’ve committed, you expect this jury to believe you?”) in the "Who's the subject" category (Who is Donald Trump?).
3
Lev Parnas: The man who out-Trumped Trump.
7
Birds of a feather flock together.
5
I was ready to not trust Parnas especially because he was made out to be real crook in the press. I found what he said creditable especially with all that we know about Trump and Ukraine. Also what we are finding out is Trump picks the lowest of people to fulfill his criminal intentions. You don't hire a priest to do your dirty work.
11
I notice that no one in the GOP or the administration is denying that Mr Parnas was employed by Donald Trump (with taxpayer dollars?). They are all busy thinking up different ways to call this employee or contractor a shady , unreliable , unethical lowlife....... that Trump employed.
12
I just feel so sad that there is overwhelming evidence that our President is a thug. He has surrounded himself with criminal and shady actors.
Our government supplies us with a clear mechanism to remove him.
It is a low moment in our history when there are not enough good people in Congress to remove him. I so hope our nation can recover from this.
20
It seems that Republican Dweebs are thrilled to rub elbows, vicariously, with thugs and not have to listen to Mother scold about the company they keep. Mar a Lago is now the National Parish-Hall where they find fellowship with the righteous others.
6
Flynn, Manafort, Gates, Cohen, Stone, Parnas, Furman, and most likely, Giuliani.
How many more of Trump's "Goon Squad" must be indicted before our sniveling, cowardly GOP say "Enough!".
It is terrifying and actually stomach churning to watch Graham, Rand Paul, McCarthy, Nunes (all formerly distinguished leaders) become slaves to Trump's world of evil, lies and corruption.
Notice not one of these now mindless sycophants actually defend the President's actions. He's indefensible. Instead they just keep repeating their pathetic rehearsed mantra..."Unfair Process"!
Trump has inflicted nothing but hatred, division and evil on our nation.
Republicans will go down in history for having created and encouraged this monster called Trump.
And the world has experienced a monster before.
This will not end well.
17
"One good thing about surrounding yourself with tawdry gangsters and grifters is that if they flip on you, you can claim they have no credibility because they’re criminals."
That's Trump modus operandi 101.
We all remember how poor Micheal Cohen-now sitting in a federal slammer curtsey of serving as an enforcer for Trump- went from 10 years as trusted awesome loyal soldier to an outcast liar, thug, dishonest lawyer who "hardly ever did any work for me".
Remember Paul Manfort? another poor old man sleeping tonight in jail after fixing the GOP convention for Trump and securing the nomination for him.
The list of fallen Trump soldiers is a mile long.
I wonder what he will label Guiliani after he tosses him over the Brooklyn Bridge?
13
It is not merely what Parnas says that is damaging evidence, it is the presence of Parnas at all that is the most damning evidence of Trump’s abuse of power. Delegating foreign policy to his “personal” attorney Rudy, who subcontracted direct contact with representatives of the Ukrainian government to the principals of a Fraud Guarantee was a strategy destined to guarantee fraud. Just as Lev openly pondered on TV, “why would any government official talk to me?” the Senators sittings jurors must ask why would the President remove an experienced, corruption fighting Ambassador, and direct the “Three Amigos” and President Zelensky to deal with Rudy and the likes of Igor and Lev? The answer to the question likely establishes bribery, extortion, money laundering and election interference schemes that Fraud Guarantee was formed to protect against.
19
Mr McConnell's rules of disclosure will never allow any damning proof against Mr Trump to reach the senate floor.
Mr McConnell has established one and only one rule of allowed evidence.
That which implies innocence because everyone else does it
4
Trumpism is an outgrowth of Trump: liar, braggart, bully (belittling a teenage climate activist or a widow of a respected politician), shyster, thief, traitor (asking Russia or anyone else to do some dirty tricks for him; probably giving up the Kurds so his Trump Towers in Istanbul are profitable), womanizer, serial adulterer, peeping-tom (going backstage at his Miss Universe pageant to 'look' at the contestants), sexual assaulter ('grabbing' women is okay if you're a 'star'), draft-dodger that lies about his 'hurt foot' while denigrating John McCain and POWs with his 'I like soldiers that weren't captured'), tax cheat (with his lawyer saying that made him a 'genius'; so, others should pay for the military and police salaries and weapons and pensions (though he talks so loud about his respect for them, for their votes). Lord, that's just the ones I remember off the top of my head. What a coward, immoral snake of a man.
Michelle talks about his thugs, which are many. The Republicans, the conservatives, the evangelicals, the right-wing, they all must pay for the reckless disregard for truth and honor and America their 'savior' has wrought upon us all. He is the worst example of what a man should be; including denying climate change which damns many to catastrophic storms, fires, sea-rise, etc.
America is good and caring and noble and honorable; I mean, when we elect and support government that is good and caring and noble and honorable.
26
Let’s keep this in mind. Amb. Yovanovitch got the call to leave while at an event honoring an anti-corruption activist who was murdered in a most horrifying way:
“Kateryna Handziuk, was outside her home in the Ukrainian city of Kherson in July 2018 when someone splashed her with a quart of sulfuric acid, severely burning more than 30 percent of her body. After 11 surgeries over three months, Ms. Handziuk succumbed to her excruciating wounds. She was 33.”
Handziuk is not the only anti-corruption activist in Ukraine who was a victim of such an attack. You can imagine what Yovanovitch must have been thinking when she was told she had to catch the next plane to the US. These are very despicable people.
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/11/15/us/politics/ambassador-ukraine-corruption-acid-impeachment.html
201
I would trade Donald Trump for Tony Soprano any day of the week.
90
A wild man stepped off an escalator one day, ranted about imaginary "Mexican rapists," and millions voted for him.
We are responsible.
223
Every single member of the Senate should slowly read this column over the weekend... 10 times.
139
parnas cannot lie publicly b/c the FBI is all over parnas permitting bail freedom w/o any gag order - parnas is adding value to the impeachment - parnas lawyer is 'right on' atta boy - parnas is an excellent witness -
I expect the senate to inevitably turn on trump - next week the trial begins - pence is the replacement unless pence too is impeached b/c he participated - it appears bolton is the only one who said a drug deal -
as a VN decorated disabled combat veteran 1st LT airborne ranger SF 1967-1968, I am scared of our narcissist sociopath president -
143
'All the President's Henchmen'..the book on this mafia melodrama should be titled...
55
Trump 2020 in a landslide
10
A lie gets halfway around the world before the truth has a chance to put it's pants on.
46
It is deliciously ironic that Lev Parnas is an immigrant.
71
Where is this all going, when will it end, and how many shady characters would it take to take Trump down, apparently not enough. At this point even if solid men like McMaster, Mattis or Tillerson came forward stating Trump is an unscrupulous grifter they would be people Trump didn't know well and also liars of course.
Oh, and would someone,....anyone who gets the chance to throw questions at Trump do me a favour please? When he says, “EVERYBODY knows.......this impeachment is a hoax, a scam, a phoney made-up story, would someone ANYONE ask “who is everybody Mr. President?”
89
Parnas is under indictment for giving Russian money to Republican politicians, like $300,000 to Donald Trump's PAC. How many Republican Senators got that dirty money and how are they voting? Taking dirty money and then using that as an excuse to denigrate Parnas' testimony is like the child who killed his parents and wants mercy becasue he is an orphan.
112
“I don’t know the man. Never seen him before. Trust me I’m your President and I would never lie.”
54
No honor among thieves
37
Your apt description of Hyde, "Robert Hyde, a deranged Trumpworld hanger-on and Republican congressional candidate" is spot on. It also perfectly describes the state of the current Republican party.
97
I hope the country can be spared a 2nd Trump. If there is a 2nd Trump term the NYTs will have a lot to answer for. The full throated anti Russia hysteria. The laughable attempts to whitewash of Biden intervention into Ukraine's internal politics. The titanic wave of post impeachment accusations.
8
So the question I would like to hear asked of Republicans: given that your party does not see an impeachable offense in this Ukraine matter, it will be agreeable with your party for the Democrats to do the same thing. Perhaps seek dirt from Russian informatives. And this mode of operation will become business as usual for campaigns?
37
Trump once insisted on decorum in the White House. I get it now.
11
I hope someone is investigating a likely Parnas connection to Putin.
27
But Lev has the documentation to back up his story and such evidence should be admitted to Trump's Senate trial.
53
In all due respect no win situation. Even if they go down Potus will not. Con man.
9
This becomes more frighting daily. Next week the Senate will put an end to the separation of powers, rendering the legislature impotent in addressing executive corruption.
Ms. Goldberg is right: the stench of Parnas, Giuliani and others will hover over this corrupt administration.
And next week, the Senate goes on trial.
57
Thank you so much for this. At last, some NYT attention to the Parnas interviews on Maddow, which NYT news editors seem to have otherwise studiously ignored.
Every mob prosecutor in the country knows that the best witnesses against wise guys are other wise guys. We couldn't get convictions without info from inside the lair.
Sure, corroborate away. But pay close attention to what caught and dissed goons say about their former friends.
54
What a circus! Trump’s legions aren’t even good at being thugs; maybe that’s why they’re trying government.
30
Goldberg's one of the best, maybe THE best, of the opinion columnists. Keep 'em coming, Michelle!
57
I fully expect the president to employ this as his own defense. He is the scorpion who reminded the frog that he should not have been trusted, because he is a scorpion.
24
“White collar crime (wcc) describes non-violent criminal activity in the commercial or business realm, typically committed for financial gain. ...Types of fraud being most typical.... White collar offenses can be committed by individuals or corporations, and criminal statutes governing white collar crime are found at both the state and federal level.”
Ms. Goldberg your usual very insightful & lyrical prose states “ ....they [Repubs] just don’t care...” Trump’s public ‘base’, specifically his rally goers & his common voters ‘cannot’ comprehend wcc legal complexities. Repub leaders know this very well & exploit this ignorance consistently.
What I am suggesting is that his base see‘s wcc on par with a routine or simple business operations of making money i.e. Buyer beware or every business does it. Worst, public governmence is seen by them as just another business entity.
Professionals like yourself write & speak to a more critical thinking audiences. In contrast, Fox News & the like appeal to ‘feelers’ and that is not accidental. The former must publicly attack the latter whenever & wherever possible because even children can sense embarrassment & shame in others. We can’t immediately influence his base but we can subject their teacher’s influences to negative bylines & news leads relentlessly—declare mental/character warfare upon them writ large.
11
Birds of a feather flock together. It is time to bring in a secret ballot to the process so that the cowards can vote him out without losing their "support".
29
If ever there was a time to occupy the streets of Washington en masse, it is now. The Trump hissy fit reported yesterday at the Pentagon calling military leaders, "a bunch of dopes and babies," should have been made public at the time. Dragging along the likes of Steve Bannon was an indication how warped, malleable and unfit Trump was to hold the title of Commander in Chief, he needed a thug as backup for his bellicose, ignorant, improper, undignified behavior. Trump was not conversing with laborers at a construction site where he could throw his power around in their faces should something displease him. Their silence elevated Trump to new levels culminating in the weakness of Robert Muellar. The Republicans need to hear roars at their doorsteps from the public in order to remove Trump from office for the security of our futures. He went bankrupt repeatedly in business, he has morally bankrupted this country.
55
I do not believe Devin Nunes should be allowed to vote. He has clearly shown his inability to be an impartial juror.
Why are Trump’s followers so dead to facts? Because it is a cult. They drank the kool-aid and will die for him.
34
“This is a man who is under indictment and who’s actually out on bail...” the White House press secretary, Stephanie Grisham, said on Fox News.
My goodness! What a nasty thing to say about your own boss! Hope he doesn't watch Fox News.
31
As much as enjoyed the Sopranos as a TV show, I certainly never wanted any such thugs in the White House. I and the majority of Americans will look forward to Trump Inc. being turned out of office. By hook or by crook, it will happen.
Only his blind followers haven’t realized that as pride goeth before a fall, so too have this man and his entourage fallen from grace. Honestly, given how low the bar has been since 2016, it hasn’t been much of a drop.
13
DOJ brought down the mob using testimony from shady characters. How's 45 different from the mob?
32
'Of course Lev Parnas is unreliable.'
Yea, of course he is.
yet he is the Democrat's star witness. And the whole case rests on the testimony off a known liar.
a. Do we believe him because it helps the impeachment ?
b. Do we strike him out as an unreliable witness?
Democrats of course will choose A and trust him at his word with no questions.
Republicans will wait for him to stop talking and present evidence he's unreliable.
And once again the case falls apart.
Well done Michelle. You found the reason why this will be a mistrial.
2
Thing I was really offended by was that these people are being paid for by a Russian tied billionaire. None of this is defensible but that fact is, well the only word I think applies is treasonous.
26
All of what Mr. Parnas said is corroborated by documents, emails and previous testimony in the House hearings. Parnas just confirmed what the whole country and world already know; Trump is guilty as charged. What the clowns say in the senate has no relevance anymore; cat's out of the bag; he's guilty and we all know it. So, be my guest, make fools out of yourselves trying to defend the indefensible and lose your next election 'bigly.'
36
Day by day we know what Grandma was talking about when she said “Birds of a feather flock together.”
17
A lot can be learned about Donald Trump by listening to the people who know him best. There are three things I have heard which affirm to me that Trump is involved with manipulating the Ukranian government to aid his personal advancement
Don Jr.once said in his business life his father knew every little thing that happened. Nothing happened, the son said, that the older Trump did not have his fingers in. So when Lev Parnas or Gordon Sondland say that Trump knew what was going on, I believe them.
Michel Cohen said in his testimony before Congress that Donald Trump talks in code. I might guess he learned his lessons well from Roy Cohn and other perhaps shady people in the world of construction and real estate in places like New York City. So when Trump did not state anything directly in his Zelensky phone call it is not surprising.
If Trump is good at anything it is the art of the con. He might call it deal making -- the difference between the two is subtle. As with all con artists Trump get people to do all the things he asks of them because he is very charismatic and charming. He can draw people in. That Lev Parnas believed he was doing nothing wrong is not surprising. That Michael Cohen will do everything asked of him is not surprising.
I only hope that Trump's past will catch up to him because he is really just a thug in a fancy suit surrounded by other thugs in fancy suits. And, as with all thugs, karma is a hard lesson that tends to catch up to them.
50
Gotta say, great opening line.
8
It gets even deeper with the latest release of documents. Numerous messages between Lev Parnas and Rep. Nunes staffer Derek Harvey.
21
“This is a man who is under indictment and who’s actually out on bail.”
I mean. The president himself is or has:
- an unindicted co conspirator in a federal case
- has been impeached by the House
- broke — according to the GAO — the law when ordered money withheld to Ukraine
- misused campaign finances
And yet we allow him to appoint lifetime judges and command the largest military force in history.
So. I’d be careful about calling kettles black.
28
Bravo, Ms. Goldberg!
10
Of course all the presidents men are loyalists, and Lev Parnas can one of the many that can end Trumps presidency.
This same scenario applied to gangster Al Capone. The "handling of money", mostly payoffs to political and law enforcement people, as well as the general financial management for Al Capone was in the hands of Jake Guzik. Guzik (who owed his life to Capone) was 100% loyal, as well as an excellent business manager, and Capone trusted him completely. This did not stop the IRS from arresting and convicting Capone based on the testimony and documents presented by Guzik.
12
He told Volodymyr Zelensky, the Ukrainian president, that she was going to “go through some things.”
Oh, how I hope and pray Trump will go through some things in November 2020. It would be a gift from heaven to see that lying corrupt egotist suffer a crushing defeat.
35
Walter Scott
“Oh, what a tangled web we weave...when first we practice to deceive.”
8
Ms. Goldberg, as I am sure you intended, the first sentence of the second paragraph will cause anyone with a sense of decency to stop and list all the people who fit the description "... he is a disreputable person who can’t be trusted"
Short list — Trump, Pence, Pompeo, Mulvaney, Mnuchin, Barr, Bolton, Giuliani, Cipollone, Sekulow, McConnell, Graham, Grassely. With regard to Chief Justice Roberts, he will protect himself.
Enough said.
18
What is the subtext when Ukraine opens and investigation in Hyde but declined to open one into Biden, even though it cost them not to do so?
It’s an elegant way of telling a sitting President to stuff it where the sun don’t shine.
19
For the sake of argument let’s assume that Parnas is a “despicable person”. What in the world is Trump and his associates doing hanging with guys like him in the first place. It shows a complete lack of ability to judge character!
12
It appears the Republican don't only want to keep Lady Justice blindfolded, but to also to bind and gag her.
23
Only the best people... indeed. Only the thickest criminals. What a swamp.
No surprises here. Just very sad for the 60 plus million that voted for Hillary. It’s going to take a 21st Century “ Marshall Plan” to fix the extraordinary damage done by this pathetic excuse of a man.
20
Sing your heart out, Lev! And if you don’t believe everything, you’ve got to believe him when he says he’s scared of Barr and figures he’s better off opening up as opposed to remaining silent.
12
American politicians lie to the people all the time. Weapons of mass destruction.....imminent threat.....a convicted war criminal is a war hero....To the American people lies are factored in. To Trump supporters, degree is irrelevant. If Obama 'lied' 1000 times and Trump 15,000, what is the difference, they figure. Just like Hillary was corrupt so anything Trump does is excusable. The problem for Trump supporters now is they have created an environment where the Clintons didn't go too far....they didn't go far enough. The swamp hasn't been drained. It's just been made wider and deeper. So the next time the Democrats are in power, whatever happens...you asked for it. And the longer this goes on, the worse the payback will be.
6
“our O.J.” pretty much says it all. Shoot someone on 5th avenue and get away with it. It’s pure nihilism at this point.
Everyone remember—it’s the GOP letting this happen.
23
I wonder if Parnas was supposed to be Giuliani's "insurance"?
9
"When Trump’s Thugs Turn on Him"……….
The obvious has morphed into the almost unbelievable……..
We here in America, want to think of, to see our Presidents and often our Congressional folk as honorable, if not honest……..
And when the sordid truth that they - some of them - are clearly neither we can have trouble in accepting that simple fact………
Donald Trump and many in today's Republican Congress have, in three short years, besmirched our country, continually lied to America and broken our faith in what we thought we were, what America represented……….
We are at a simple crossroad……Will we admit that we, the voters, have handed our country over to an unethical, self-serving, seemingly corrupt (?) group of politicians led by one Donald Trump?……..
What's happened is so obvious, so patently blatent as to make it hard impossible? - to believe…..And therein lies the problem……..Put simply, our trust in government has been and is today seriously eroded……..
The solution is so simple…..vote the scoundrels out of office, prosecute the crooked ones and upright our foundering Ship of State
OR
Kiss the Founding Father's dream of a democratic republic goodbye…..
The choice is ours to make today, right now…….
15
“America, don’t cry for me”!
the Donald soon will say.
“I did it all for you, you see…
Why do they make me pay?”
Sex and crime. We’re mesmerized.
And guns. It’s the Far West!
All in a good show will be prized.
The Donald does it best.
The entire story is so bizarre.
It’s the stuff for a good flick.
The Donald will be the main star.
America is sick.
Lincoln’s turning in his grave.
Don Corleone is smiling.
That Trump his country would deprave
McConnell finds beguiling.
Perhaps it’s just a sordid dream,
a nightmare of fake news,
where nothing is quite what it seems
and facts are just a ruse.
America, the shining light.
The Beacon on the Hill.
It is no more. There is a blight.
America is ill.
8
Ukraine has been investigating the Bidens for years. Kostiantyn Kulyk, the Ukrainian prosecutor until recently assigned to the Burisma investigation, produced a seven-page dossier accusing Hunter Biden of corruption in his dealings with Bursima. Kulyk also claims he has evidence and witness statements that show Joe Biden applied pressure on Ukrainian law enforcement to stop the investigation.
The Kulyk Dossier allegations may turn out to be untrue, but it is not unlawful for Trump supporters to seek its release, or for President Trump to ask President Zelensky to look into the allegations. If Hunter Biden were Donald Trump Jr., Democrats would be demanding Ukraine publicize the the investigation and rerelease the Kulyk Dossier.
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/10/15/world/europe/ukraine-prosecutor-biden-trump.html
3
Once again, this looks like a Russian operation. To keep Ukraine as corrupt as possible - and consequently unappealing to Western leaders - is a central goal of Putin. He succeeded once (with Manafort's help) by getting Yanukovitch elected while his pal (and Russian mafia-connected Ukrainian oligarch) Firtash was managing the wholesale bribing of the political class. Parnas is revealing two fresh quid pro quos: Yovanovitch was removed as the condition for Lutsenko's offering dirt on the Bidens. All the while, Firtash was apparently promised leniency from US justice if he would kindly deliver to Giuliani dirt on one member of Mueller's team. Looks like two more impeachment articles, this time for deals directly pursued by Trump (unless he declares that he never heard of a man called Giuliani) with the most corrupt characters in Ukraine. Can Barr's Justice Department still afford looking the other way?
12
The reason trump is surrounded by goons and bottom feeders is because all respectable people figured out that trump was a goon and bottom feeder decades ago and would have nothing to do with him.
25
If you’ve ever seen “Big Deal on Madonna Street,” you could draw the conclusion that it serves as the model for the Trump Organization and the Trump Administration.
This is the bumbling Gang That Couldn’t Shoot Straight; a Confederacy of Dunces. It might be hilariously funny in a very dark sort of way... but for the fact the principal witless thug occupies the Oval Office of the White House and together with his accomplices is fast deconstructing America’s democratic institutions and global alliances.
6
“Set a thief to Catch a Thief”.
2
Things are getting interesting...if not exciting. Trump being uncovered, 'the king has no clothes', kindness of Parnas, who seems to be very familial with the current mafia in government. Who is next, Giuliani?
5
Well, Nancy, it appears your holding the impeachment articles a month is starting to pay off dividends...What else is there lurking in the shadows? Gentlemen, hats off!
23
Maybe all the GOP senators who have perjured themselves concerning being an impartial juror should contact Melania and find out where she got the jacket with what appears to be this administration's motto: "I really don't care..Do you?"
13
Trump's approach to draining swamps is obviously to flood them.
580
there is a concept called "pre-judging".
you are pre-judging lots of people who happened to work for Trump. Should you pre-judge, show prejudice, against everyone who ever worked for the city of Newark? The state government of New York?
Prejudice is not good, Michelle. A discerning mind can meet each new person with openness and benefit of doubt.
You don't get a pass, Michelle.
6
This seems to be a bunch of cruel Keystone cops taking bites out of each other.
Please, please throw them all out of the government and into the darkest jail you can.
Meanwhile, Vote!
17
“Be advised that Messers. Parnas and Fruman assisted Mr. Giuliani in connection with his representation of President Trump,”
From John Dowd, this should be in capital letters and on the front page of any reputable newspaper.
Sorry I forgot Trump dfoesn't know him!
18
Michelle, you could not have said it better when you wrote “A willingness to associate with Trump is a sign of moral turpitude.” On the button! Just look at the number of slime balls that have come and gone in less than three years of this awful administration—not to mention those now stinking up the place. And 40% of the country approves of this? I hope Parnas gets to testify in the impeachment trial; he’s a good witness (notwithstanding his own moral turpitude) because, as you noted, much of what he told Rachel has already been confirmed.
33
Really? You couldn’t find a “thug” with less credibility. Thankfully this is an opinion because your facts are thin.
4
this administration is more than just “mob-like”... it is the precise equivalent of a criminal mafia syndicate... the world wonders and shivers at the thought of it... what did “free world” and “checks and balances” even mean?
26
"I, Donald Trump...and all my Republican Senators.... do solemnly swear that we will faithfully execute the United States of America and its Constitution, and will to the best of our abilities, preserve, protect and defend Kremlin-style oligarchy and corrupt power.....so help us Vladimir."
Nice GOPeople
November 3 2020
45
A new billboard - a picture of Melania in her "I really don't care, do U?" coat, with the text: The Republican Senate Doesn't Care What Trump Does. Do You?
34
Here we go again: Manafort and Cohen the Sequel.
6
Do democrats, who bet their credibility on Robert Mueller's nothing-burger, really think the American people are going to rally behind them because they have a new "star witness'.......Lev Parnas? Really, people, Lev Parnas?
6
After reading about all of this, I wanted to take a shower.
12
One of Lev Parnas's own contacts in the Ukraine was interviewed on CNN saying he can't trust anything he says.
Here we go again, progressives like Goldberg desperately clinging to a dubious anti-Trump gadfly, like a new Michael Avanatti.
4
Extra Extra Extra!
Devin Nunes exposed. in contact with Parnas and fully aware of what they were doing while he was duplicitously arguing against the impeachment.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/nunes-aide-communicated-with-parnas-about-ukraine-campaign-messages-show/2020/01/17/398ea1f6-3984-11ea-a01d-b7cc8ec1a85d_story.html
26
I'm glad to see Ms. Goldberg questioning Parnas's motives to disclose so much information. He seems to have documented everything, going back to at least 2014. I'm seriously starting to wonder if Parnas is more than a mafia-type but part of some broader Russian scheme.
4
Let's not lose sight of the stark reality that Gordon Sunderland was right; eg, they were all in the loop, including Mr Pence, Mr Perry, et al.
The impeachment may be of Donald Trump, but the damning indictment includes key collaborators in his administration. These guys are like the top mgt of VW denying the MPG scandal or the top mgt of Boeing for denying their culpability for the failures of the Max. They are all in it together, understand that their futures and fortunes are determined by whether or not they get both caught and held accountable.
The stakes for the individuals involved are very high, they know it and they will use every means available to them to escape accountability. Every means, both foreign and domestic as well as legal and maybe not so legal, talk to my lawyers.
Such is the nature of honor and politics in our country today, courtesy of the party that set its goal as the permanent majority. The difference between Rove's day in the sun and Trump's nightmare in the sun is the GOP's collaboration with Trump's con in covering up the truth. No, inventing alternate facts to explain the truth.
26
If you took an aggregate of Trump supporters and morphed them into an archetype you would have Robert Hyde.
28
Every Republican in this country has made it abundantly clear that its necessary to impeach Clinton for lying about sex and that asking foreign agents for help in an election is perfectly okay.
So, when are the Democrats gonna grow a sack and start playing hardball? Why not stand on the debate stage and say to the cameras, "if any country has any dirt on Trump, we're listening".
24
Those who demand Trump to be pure are fans of Bill and Hillary!
5
Just waiting for the day that Trump claims to not know Pence. Shouldn't be long now.
31
Ms. Maddow was right to call the followers of Mr. Trump a “cult.” I should compare him to the infamous preacher, Jim Jones. We all know what happened to his followers.
20
Consider that in "The Godfather," the Corleone family demonstrated considerably higher ethical standards than Trump and his cronies.
Recall that Vito didn't want to be in the "dirty" drug business, and insisted that drugs be kept away from children.
Recall that Vito refused to kill two young men who had committed rape and battery because the victim was still alive. He says of himself and his men, “We are not murderers.”
Recall that Vito counseled Johnny Fontaine: “A man who doesn’t spend time with his family is not a real man.”
Our current president falls far short of the standards set by Don Vito Corleone.
19
Let’s speak plainly. Trump is a Mob Boss, always has been. That’s how he operates, how he “thinks”, how he’s stayed in business all the years.
Only two ways to stop a Mob Boss : Death, or Prison.
Vote them ALL out. November.
37
It seems to me that Parnas is still engaged in the con. There are things he’s outright lied about and he seems to be crafting a tale that suits himself specifically.
Trump didn’t deliver to the Ukrainian mob the ability to further their own corruption, so Parnas might be still working for his paymasters.
Knowing that Trump will be acquitted by a feckless Republican Senate, Parnas and his Ukrainian mob friends are sending a pretty strong message to the President of the United States: Trump works for them.
5
Paul Krugman and other Times' writers now respond to readers in the comments section. Would love to have Michelle Goldberg also respond to readers' comments! :)
6
“By going public, Parnas has probably done nothing to sway Republicans toward removing Trump from office, not because they don’t believe him, but because they know Trump did what he’s accused of and don’t care. “
I imagine some of them don’t care, but wonder if others are so far into the tank for him that they can’t see a way out without admitting they just aren’t up to the job.
Nancy Pelosi and the House Democrats are such a contrast to these bottom feeders.
10
We all know how credible Parnas and the rest of the criminal cabal surrounding Trump would be if they were all testifying against a Democratic President. Amazingly, they would be paragons of virtue, and pillars of truth!
I hope I live long enough to see this naked partisanship com back to haunt the Republicans, and if I die before then, that St. Peter grants me a front row seat to viewing him kick all of them away from the Pearly Gates.
13
The attorneys’ mission is to suppress evidence during a trial. Real, existing, damning evidence, which will not come to light in a trial. It’s a consolation to remember that OJ was recently released after a decade behind bars
4
Additionally, making matters even worse Parnas has illuminated the role of Rep. Devin Nunes and his aide in this absurd and terrifying saga.
Nunes sat there, ranking member on the House Intel committee, as a person who was in up to his neck in the Ukraine scandal. The whole time he was posing as an objective interrogator he was working from the inside to rig the next election alongside Trump. That explains why he was reciting Russian propaganda during the impeachment trials.
He was trying to get yet more dirt on Hillary Clinton and pushed the "Ukraine not Russia Rigged 2016 oh and what about Her Server" nonsense in the middle of the impeachment hearings in the House.
Parnas said that when he witnessed this he about plotzed.
Honestly you cannot make this stuff up.
Nunes needs to be removed from House Intel immediately and he needs to be investigated himself. Meanwhile Barr is going after former FBI Director Comey.
This is outrageous. Our Republic is in grave danger. The only thing that will save us, if anything does, is the Free Press, the courage of a few witnesses and public servants and the Democratic leaders in Congress, plus the voters who hopefully will use this possibly last chance to throw these utterly immoral and unpatriotic bums out of office en masse.
Meanwhile I'm grateful to Lev Parnas for coming forward.
27
This Trump "wise-guy" Parnas actually kept the receipts! He WAS a wise, wise-guy. 'Has fingered Pence and Nunes and Barr, et al. 'Puts the spotlight on Bolton's "drug deal" description of the scam...and now backed up by the GAO's decision, a crime was confirmed as committed. 'Seems maybe if the senate trial is televised it's "in like a reality tv actor and out like a reality tv actor". But be careful what you wish for as Pence is as dirty as his Boss...just as Agnew was to Nixon
9
"Parnas was the vehicle through which a dirty Ukrainian politician pulled Trump’s strings to take revenge on an American official who’d tried to uphold the rule of law. She was threatened, smeared and fired in part because Trump is easily influenced by the goons and bottom feeders in his orbit.
The truth, stated powerfully, is a beautiful thing.
9
Trump will be acquitted- USA will be greatly diminished- if Trump wins in 2020 USA will collapse- and the world will follow because China and Russia will rise. Simple.
12
“This is a man who is under indictment and who’s actually out on bail. This is a man who owns a company called Fraud Inc.,”
And yet the president chose to share meals with him and beamed for photographs with Parnas at his side. And his personal lawyer chose him as the key operative for whatever shady investigation he was conducting in Ukraine. This is Michael Cohen redux. How many more unsavory acquaintances to be conveniently disowned are there?
11
Every day Congress should be looking at the next articles of impeachment on Trump.Send one a week for all I care.If he breaks the law impeach.
8
The whole Trump crime family is implicated. The Parnas photos show all of them. I will vote for anyone running as a Democrat. Please end this nightmare.
17
Hard to face that this country is in such a terrible state.
10
One's gotta wonder why Parnas did not at least try to be interviewed on Fox or at least a middle of the road news agency.
Maddow's fine but he's preaching to the choir.
4
With so much graft and muck flying around this sty of an administration and the senate that enables it, will we ever be free or clean again?
5
Until now not as many people as you might expect thought often enough of Trump as a criminal and the GOP as a quasi-criminal organization.
The dam will burst if prosecutors in New York, Penn, and D.C. discover Trump to be a money launderer and or tax cheat, or investigative reporters do.
11
So, to paraphrase Stepanie Grisham:
"Parnas is not to be trusted because he worked for Trump*"
15
The argument goes :"Trump is the president. He can hire and fire whomever he wants". OK. So why did he not just fire Yovanovitch? Bring her back and replace her with the person of his choosing? Why all this? Why did Trump 'allow' Rudy to engage with all these shady characters.? And he still stands behind Rudy. And Rudy is still at it. You cannot sit there now and say 'Rudy was a rogue operator and is not doing the president any favors. Um, yes he is. Or Trump would have bought him home and told him to stop. A long time ago. He did not. What is amazing to me isn't that Trump did all this. It's who he is. He knows how to do things and have others take the fall. He's been doing it all his life. What is amazing is how many people find this acceptable. No, not just acceptable, desirable. So, Trump supporters, here's your real problem. Where are you going to find another sociopath like Trump to keep this up for you? Let's face it, he can't live for ever. And really good sociopaths don't grow on trees, you know.
15
This is a brilliant article.
7
“Parnas’s decision to go public in the first place is hard to fathom.”
Perhaps so, but Parnas’s decision to go public is logically consistent with his claims in the interview concerning Ambassador Yovanovich. He says and has documentation to backup the claim that he was told he needed to get rid of her. He says Robert Hyde was having her followed. We know SOMEONE at the State Department took the claims so seriously they called her up in the idle of the night and told her to get on the next plane out of there.
Ukraine is a country in which the powerful have a tradition of murdering anyone who gets in their way, or even becomes inconvenient, not just in its own culture but through its long association with Mother Russia.
Trump—Parnas apparently does him know quite well—Rudy, Hyde, the oligarchs, Trumpworld all have associations with Russia and Putin
When Parnas was arrested, Rudy sent an emissary gift lawyer in the form of John Dowd via Jay Sekulow via Donald Trump who told him while he was in jail to shut up, instead of arranging for bail. A smart operator like Parnas used simple logic to deduce that he was being made into the fall guy. An American citizen, which Parnas is, used to have a right to expect to survive incarceration by the US Department of Justice.
Not any more. He had the dreadful example of what happened to Jeffrey Epstein to correct that notion.
No wonder he decided to squeal, as loudly and as fast as possible.
17
How else can you get information and testimony on a criminal enterprise except from a criminal involved with the criminal enterprise? The seventeen career diplomats and civil servants that gave detailed testimony against Trump and his corrupt team of deviants wasn't good enough for the spineless Republicans (and others). Now they gave to discredit the actual thug who was making the threats. Shades of Michael Cohen and this will probably turn out the same. Parnas in the slammer, Trump exonerated.
10
What strikes clearest in this cesspool of a presidency is the arrogant utter contempt the Republicans in Congress have for the American people and the rule of law.
Trump is not alone as rogue president, nor is McConnell a lone rogue senator. In fact, the impeachment "trial" will soon reveal if there are ANY Republican senators who are not rogues. Thus far they have all joined with their rogue House counterparts to show loyalty to their mob boss and keep him occupying the White House.
None of this has gone unnoticed by the greater public. Forget the MAGAts and the Fox Noise Machine, patriotic Americans know that Trump and the Republicans in Congress are anti-American, corrupt mobsters.
Knowing that Republicans like Susan Collins pretend to be fair but will not vote to convict Trump, it will be up to us, the American people, to evict him AND them in November. The election cannot come soon enough.
22
Good writing Michelle. Lots there to keep track of and weave into the narrative to make understandable.
2
Can we get a group photo of all the people in Trump's entourage who claim they have no idea who Lev Parnas is? Be sure to invite Lev Parnas to this photo shoot, too, so he can renew his friendships with all the folks who profess to not know him. Those folks are easy to idenify; there seem to be hundreds of photos floating about, featuring Lev Parnas standing next to and smiling along with the likes of Donald J. Trump, Kellyanne Conway, and so many, many others who deny knowing him today!
8
It would be ironic if Biden isn’t the Democratic candidate for POTUS
3
That the entire Republican party could care less about Trump and his clear-as-day criminality is mind-blowing. But, God forbid Obama wear a tan suit in the summer, or ask for dijon mustard. The horror!
14
Vote 'character'..... the other stuff will then take care of itself.
4
I am shocked that a man under federal indictment was in cahoots with Donald Trump. Just shocked!
7
When half of the country and the GOP establishment is okay with Tony Soprano as president, is there anything left to talk about?
The intelligence agencies are in catatonic shock and DOJ/DOD are now part of Soprano Inc.
Do what you need to cope.
5
A band of thugs, Trump 's henchmen acting in a foreign country to pressure its president to disparage a political opponentof the boss.Is it a thriller scenari or a bad dream with a former prosecutor as chief operative for dirty tricks. My only hope is to watch american people firing the big boss and his prosecution for all his criminal acts.For America's sale.
5
Can we really go any lower?
4
"the obsession with Yovanovitch": This is consistent with his pathological behaviour as far as women are concerned. Mr Trump despises strong, intelligent and competent women who dare to speak up and contradict him. He just cannot handle that. We remember that initially he could not stand Angela Merkel, but now he does, because he needs her. The list is long: Amb. Yovanovitch, the "crazy" Nancy Pelosi, the "lock-her-up" Hilary Clinton, the "Pocahontas" Elisabeth Warren, Ms Maxine Waters who he also insulted etc.etc.
8
Quick question... do you know with certainty this gentleman is telling the truth? Your headline implies you do.
The next question: why not try to become an additional witness against Trump if you know the truth?
The country, certainly the Democratic party, will love you for it!
President Trump, Vice President Pence, Secretary of State Pompeo, Acting Chief of Staff Mulvaney, Secretary of Energy Perry (now former), personal attorney Giuliani – all implicated by Parnas's statements and documents (videos, photos, notes, emails etc.) and much of it already corroborated during testimony from Kent, Volker, Sondland, and Yovanovitch. All the President's henchmen indeed!
9
Thuggery, good grief. It needs to be stopped.
4
Actually the big question is, has he ever hired an honest person? Those with a grain of decency have either resigned or fired. He does tolerate honesty, doesn't even know how to spell the word, much less its meaning.
3
Still waiting for republicans to turn on him.
4
What Trump is really saying is “please remove me from office. For the good of the country! I don’t know what I’m doing. I don’t belong in this office and I am a grave danger to our country and the world.”
7
Trump, the mafia boss, is good at one thing: his ability to pick hit men that are fools and who can be let go when the going gets rough.
2
Is there nothing Giuliani did that merits an FBI investigation of his activities and charges brought against him?
And if there is, would our corrupted NoJustice Department do anything about it?
6
Why don’t you try and dig up a new star witness that has actually talked to Trump in person?
Do you not find it curious that the Ukrainians themselves state emphatically that there never was any tie of aid to anything?
Democrats are impressed by shiny objects.
Yes, Parnas is a dubious character, but his interview with Maddow and subsequent documentation released by the House Intelligence Committee was eye opening at the amount of corruption this administration embraces. The administration runs like a mafia ring.
Again, ultimately, who wins in all of this scandal, especially if the Con occupying the White House is acquitted by a mobbed up GOP.? Putin.
Who loses? The United States.
Democracy is teetering around the world and the US is leading the way to the destruction of the free democratic world.
8
Thanks Michelle. The fourth estate has a massive responsibility here. You’re doing your part.
10
First of all, what sane honest person would consent to work with/for Trump on such a mission?
And naturally, Trump is not going to turn to truth tellers, because... they might have scruples about doing his “dark arts” biddings.
Trump has associated with thugs his whole life. His business operates like a kind of Mafia. Although an inept Mafia.
This nation is poorly served by an erratic, sociopathic, sadistic, mentally unbalance individual, who - yes - surrounds himself without not surprisingly, people like himself.
Trump has broken the law every day in office, due to the Emoluments Clause in the Constitution. He does not respect boundaries or norms and has a pity party and/or a tantrum if he’s criticized in the slightest, blaming others constantly for his own mistakes, lies and wrongdoing.
Time for the GOP Senate to stand up to him. It’s not too late to be on the side of Truth and the Constitution. Otherwise they doom themselves, because more and more WILL emerge. To their eternal shame.
5
Fraud Guarantee and Trump University.
Birds of a feather flock together.
9
The police helicopter overhead follows the Ford Bronco driven by Mitch McConnell. In the back seat sits Donald John Trump clutching his tax returns. The Bronco is being followed by a dozen squad cars full of House Democrats, the lead car driven by Nancy Pelosi. This low-speed witch hunt is about to come to an end in a Senate trial starring Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts as the feckless Judge Lance Ito, a trial that will leave America with both feet firmly planted... in the Twilight Zone.
3
The revelation of our moment is that a huge percentage of Americans are ok with all this and will again vote for Mr Trump and Republicans.
Our current condition is a depressing discovery that publicly using obscenities is ok for the leader of our country. That having extra marital relations even with a porn star is ok. That threatening an American ambassador is acceptable. Americans are not as good and nice as we were told. Even religious folks are ok with this.
9
Who exactly pays for Trump's defense lawyers?
10
There is nothing incorrect or insufficient in this analysis except its implied distinction between the neo-maidenly Susan Collins and post-knightly Graham, and the certified button men who hang with him.
2
All the experts keep opining that they cannot understand why Parnas is talking without an immunity agreement and why his lawyer would let him do it. Step back and look at the cast of characters and the power they have. Looking at Trump's murky relationship with Putin and Putin's history of murdering a variety of so-called opponents and Jeffrey Epstein's highly suspicious "suicide, maybe Parnas is just trying to protect himself by making everything he knows public before he "commits suicide" with a bed sheet.
7
Everybody says Parnas has nothing to gain by turning on Trump. Yet, why wouldn't he? Trump expects his thugs to do his dirty work for him (remember Michael Cohen), but to allow him to claim innocence. How many times has Trump denied knowing Parnas? If I were Parnas, it would give me great pleasure to betray him.
5
Don't forget the alleged third pro quo: Firtash extradition dropped in exchange for, inter alia, dirt on Uncle Joe.
5
Lev Parnas certainly has an agenda and credibility problems but what must be remembered is that President Trump, his administration and cabinet members including Bill Barr and Mike Pompeo have shown that they will lie to your face even when they know you are aware of their lies. Just as important is that Parnas' angle is to be a cooperating witness because he believes this will protect him from Trump and Barr. Parnas lives in a world where he believes he could be killed and his family endangered. This is probably because under Barr's protection, Jeffrey Epstein is dead. Finally, Parnas is willing to testify under oath and has provided documentation. Trump, Barr and Pompeo will do neither.
4
Lev Parnas is the Christine Blasie Ford of the impeachment proceedings. And after Parnas is discredited who will be the next person to come forward with a "bombshell" of an accusation?
5
"The best people." Trump lie #6,000? I cannot keep track.
3
Sonderland, during the hearings, stated that everyone was in the loop, including Pence, but there is no amount of evidence that will ever sway one republican, not even Susan Collins or Lisa Murkowski. As for Parnas, yes, Trump learned well at the knee of Roy Cohn- surround yourself with liars and thugs to do all of your dirty work- if you get caught, you turn on your henchmen (as in Michael Cohen). This is where we are with Trump at the helm: a fascist state, everyone in the GOP in lockstep or they're out. One can only hope that some day soon, McConnell, and all the rest who either were Trump's attack dogs, accusing the Democratic Party of being traitors, or those who silently looked the other way to keep their jobs, will be voted out of office and never heard from again.
6
This guy is a fraud and desperate. It's amazing how anybody who smears a Democrat is ostracized immediately and the opposite for a Republican. The clamoring for dirt on Trump or anyone who defends him is sick.
1
Indigenous peoples in the Americas find our language and our principles displayed in the opinion Byzantine. Fraught with inconsistency and contradiction, the American ways have bamboozed in order to enslave Africans and then updated to a language you may call Jim Crow.
And Trump is credible?
2
Lev (Sammy) the Bull.
2
Great article Michelle. But can you help me out a little? I'm having trouble following the money. Who was paying Lev Parnas?
9
The problem with President Trump supporters, both voters and GOP, is that they are self motivated. Any person I talk to who continues to support him will not touch on any legitimate issue with him or his administration and do one of two things: 1) deflect all blame onto democrats 2) tell me they support him because of gun rights, economy, etc.
I have spoken to few Republicans over the years who will even consider a democrat due to their belief of bearing arms at all costs, abolishing abortion, and sexual orientation. These are topics that I believe cause the partisan politics and I believe this type of voter will support the Republican candidate they think can beat the democrat at all costs. Nothing else matters. Morals, ethics, values.
I just hope, now that the country is watching, the GOP senators will stop being self motivated, not even Trump motivated, and start putting our country above their themselves. Above their desire to be reelected.
19
This insightful and well-written column from Michelle Goldberg is a must-read for anyone who really wants to understand our current situation in which Trump is a "cancer on the presidency." (Another must-read column is George Conway III's on this topic.) I have little hope that the Republican Senators who wring their hands in private conversations with their Democratic colleagues about Trump will actually take a courageous stand during this impeachment. If, however, they find the courage to at least vote for key witnesses to be called to testify, then maybe voters will elect Senators who will stand up to this den of thieves.
6
Those doping scandals of the early '2000s. Roger Clemens and Lance Armstrong were the mightiest. It wasn't just those using steroids but those supplying them, transported them and administered them that were arrested and did they sing.
I was commenting on it. On how hilarious it was. Everyone informed on everyone else. Trying to cut a deal with prosecutors and how the most guilty were getting away with it.
Then I was told. You see, I needed it explained to me. When someone informs they are scared of going to jail. I stood, once again, corrected. Imagine I never thought it.
4
While Ms. Goldberg portrays Yovanovitch as a courageous US diplomat "who’d tried to uphold the rule of law", she provides no evidence of her effectiveness in doing so. Indeed, what were her accomplishments? Ukraine during her tenure was labeled one of the most corrupt countries in the world. That's hardly an endorsement for continued employment.
With what appears to be a thin resume, Yovanovitch is emblematic of what many Trump supporters view as an entrenched, entitled and inept State Department corps with a legacy of failure in places like Libya, Syria, Iraq, Afghanistan...and Ukraine. If the hullabaloo over her firing makes president Trump "our O.J", so be it.
Trump has made quite clear that he doesn't tolerate ineptitude or blind allegiance to failed policies. What's striking is that I haven't heard any of her defenders claim that Yovanovitch's dismissal has made Ukraine more corrupt. Indeed, there is evidence that it is less so. Perhaps in no small part, that's because of a now infamous phone call made by Trump to president Zelensky informing him that the US is no longer interested in subsidizing "goons and bottom feeders in his orbit".
2
Two things: first, I think that eventually Mr. Guiliani will end up being charged with something, at which point he will turn on Mr. Trump. That won't happen until after the impeachment trial. Then, if it should happen that the Democrats retain control of the House, and retake the majority in the Senate, and Trump gets re-elected, there'd surely be grounds for him to be impeached again. What a hoot that would be.
Second, I always wonder exactly why Congressional Republicans are all so lined-up behind Trump, no matter what reprehensible thing he does. Are they truly in a cultish thrall, or does he have dirt on each and every one of them that would ruin their careers?
Or has Congress just become a place for soulless grifters who are good at lying, promising an increasingly frustrated, angry, and in many cases, desperate populace the things it wants to hear, just so they can keep their cushy jobs?
16
Hasn't anyone tried to get an interview with Murdoch? He's at the root of this. I'd be interested to hear how he feels about what he's done to our country, and why he continues to sow hatred and disinformation to half the country. Is it just the money? The republicans will allow him to walk, and then get to the business of stealing the election. I have no idea how this country is going to recover from this.
8
Listening to Mr. Parnas as he related the details of how our President orchestrated a criminal shakedown of a duly elected leader of an American ally was painful. We will soon know if Mitch McConnel and the entire Rebulican Party will inextricably enmesh themselves in the corruption and criminal behavior of Donald Trump. And come November we will learn whether or not the United States electorate will stand up and overwhelmingly reject Donald Trump and every Senator who fails to put country over party. I remain optomistic, I hope it is not simply naivety.
9
Trump’s true power is his hold over Republicans. He is otherwise a failed leader with no ethical or moral standing and lacking the competence to perform his duties as president.
20
We should mention Trump is an unnamed co-conspirator in a criminal indictment as well. I think its fair to question why Republicans blindly trust Trump's word but not Parnas. Sure, he's a crook. But Parnas is the crook afraid of jail. Who are you going to believe? Trump or Parnas?
That's a rhetorical question. The answer should be self-evident. Trump won't even admit knowing Parnas despite video, photographic and documentary evidence of their relationship. I'll trust the crook who has more to lose.
As for Deroshwitz, Starr, and of course AG Barr, Republicans are dusting off relics of a bygone age. Maybe their presence will give a whist of nostalgia to aging Boomers like Michael Caine in a TV Christmas movie.
For anyone born coming of age in the post O.J. world though, their mere presence sparks fury and resentment. These are the walking legal apogees of discredited political thought. If Republicans wanted to make enemies among the electorate, they picked the right legal counsel.
11
This Trump impeachment trial in the Senate is as much a trial of the sustainability of the rule of law and the Senate as it is a trial of Trump. If these facts, confirmed and not denied, are not impeachable, then nothing is. If asking for foreign governments to sway American governments is not impeachable, then that would allow any future candidate to get massive amounts of uncontrolled money and influence on any future election.
The Senators who condone, as unimpeachable these matters, are willing to sell their democratic establishment down the river to win the next election. They are cowards or fools.
13
We can hope that a few GOP senators defect and vote to convict Trump, but that's terribly unlikely. The GOP is corrupt beyond redemption. It's a cancer on our republic. So, come November, it'll be up to us, the voters, to remove Trump and save our republic (and then remove McConnell, Graham, et. al.). Our task will be hard: we're up against Russian meddling and GOP voter-suppression shenanigans. But all of us must vote as though our lives depend on it.
9
When the Kefauver Committee set out to investigate organized crime it did not have the Heads of the Five Families sit on the dais and question the witnesses. But that is essentially what we have going on here with the Republican Senate. So, of course, the witnesses are being dismissed as unreliable and characterized as liars and frauds who can't be believed. Who would know better?
Also, I have to say, is there anything richer than Stephanie Grisham, the completely phony Trump/Fox News mouthpiece talking about who is and isn't disreputable. Hopefully her salary is being by Fox, because if it's being paid by the White House, we're getting ripped off.
7
It's ridiculous that the revelations laid out by the Parnas/ Maddow interview are not to be taken seriously because Parnas is a 'shady character' and can't be trusted.
BEHOLD, he brings us good tidings: his text messages and receipts. These ought to put to rest any doubts as to what was going on. Period.
7
Congressional Republicans, right-wing media outlets and Trump's cult-like followers have just two words in response to Trump's venal behavior:
"SO WHAT?"
8
How do nations deal with secession? The US is still mired in its own Civil War. So is Nigeria after the Biafran secession 50 years ago. Kurds have tried to secede from the nations where they live for centuries. Ukraine seceded from the USSR. Is there any international law governing secession?
3
There is no honor among thieves! Accusing Trump’s henchmen of being liars is “rich”. After all, they are only modeling the man at the top, whose lies and exaggerations are legend.
The enablers in Congress are not interested in draining either the moral or physical swamp in Washington. In fact, they do everything to keep the swamp filled with muck, and that includes protecting the boss.
What we have here is a mutually beneficial arrangement until the costs outweigh the benefits. They also believe that while a Michael Cohen or Paul Manafort may get caught, it won’t happen to them because they mistakenly believe they are invincible until they aren’t.
What we have here is a criminal operation.
9
There have always been Lev Parnases in the world who are willing to do the bidding of their corrupt leaders. What has changed in the past few decades is the degree to which corrupt leaders have been enabled by obedient members of their inner circle to take control of families, corporations, churches, governments, and virtually all institutions where there are assets to exploit. Like a python, they slowly and deliberately squeeze the life force out of their victims. As they rise in power together, these obsequious sycophants become more emboldened to slander and ruin the people of conscience who try to hold their leaders accountable. At the tipping point, as the python’s victims lie disabled and exhausted, there are no longer any consequences for the leader or their followers. It has become an unending game of trying to satisfy the appetites of the insatiable. Are we there yet?
9
This is a man who owns a company called Fraud Inc.,” the White House press secretary, Stephanie Grisham. And for, trump, that was one of Parnas's most useful qualifications!
Yovanovitch lived through her ordeal with courage and grace. She should be awarded the Medal of Freedom---by the next President.
12
Characterizing Parnas and the other thugs that Trump hired along the way as not to be believed because they are under indictment or have been charged tells us a lot about the administration. Trump knows and knew what kind of people he surrounded himself with and still does. Only his base will accept the ruse that Trump is clean operator; the rest of know that he is only a mob boss and a poor one.
8
Lev Parnas like Michael Cohen was caught and faces the most serious of consequences that make truth telling in his best interest and hence credible.
Trump and Rudy have yet to face consequences given the unconditional assistance of Mitch McConnell and company so they carry on with their self serving deceits, and cover ups.
4
It has been a topsy turvy ride. Pretty much the first piece of evidence presented to we the people, after rumors abounded about a whistle-blower (remember that figure?), was the Trump call to the new president of Ukraine: the gun was smoking with the first bang.
Soon, unsurprisingly, the corroboration drizzled and then poured out. We knew the crime had been committed incontrovertibly, so of course all credible evidence would point that way. Parnas is just one more piece of a puzzle that's already been solved.
This has made the Republicans' task blissfully easy. Since Trump was proven guilty from the outset by his own words and actions, simply (1) attack any and all corroboration in any manner they like; (2) attack all accusers in any manner they like; (3) disrupt the process any way they like; (4) hire the 2 hacks best suited to such tactics, Starr and Dersh.
9
I had hoped that Mitt Romney would be the one to defect, after all, he publically called out Trump as unfit for office before the 2016 election, he is well known and I thought he had integrity. I’m from IL and my sister who is from MA told me “Ha! Don’t count on it”. Guess she was right.
8
It is beyond ironic for Trump, his supporters, sycophants like KellyAnne and his press secretary Stephanie Grisham to be howling about Parnas being indicted and therefore lacking in any credibility. Despite corroborating evidence to his claims. Let’s all remember, shall we, that Donald John Trump on this very day stands as an un-indicted co-conspirator in the election fraud he committed with Michael Cohen. A felony offense. Oh, and then there is the fact that Donald John Trump stands impeached — which is the presidential equivalent of an indictment. We may also remember that ALL are considered innocent until proven guilty. You remember — that’s called the rule of law. Let the evidence be heard in the Senate.
4
If our legal system operated under the premise that a criminal’s sworn testimony is devoid of truth because of said criminality, we’d have a lot of empty prison cells. Incidentally, that is not the case.
And if ‘real’ criminals are willing to ‘rat’, I suspect that Rudy Giuliani would sing like a canary making its terminal route through a coal mine.
3
Just like the story. The Emperor has no clothes and his "court" doesn't see it.
3
And here we have a president who's being represented by the man whose fame rests on his having successfully defended the guy who the world understands actually stabbed two people to death. But let's not take that to mean anything, OK?
3
Republican Senators will go all out to protect their own seats before they risk everything for Trump.
6
"Parnas’s decision to go public in the first place is hard to fathom."
Not at all. Parnas explained it clearly in terms well understood by anyone who has brutally learned they were dispensable.
Parnas on Maddox explained that after he was arrested he called Giuliani and was directed to Dowd who told him that representing him would be a conflict since he represented Trump unless Trump waved that conflict. Parnas said "ask him". Dowd did and called back to say that "he was a lucky man" because Trump waved the conflict.
For a time, Parnas and Trump had the same lawyer! Imagine that.
Parnas explained that he now felt protected until Dowd showed up at a prison meeting with a changed tone suggesting that Parnas would have to serve time because he's not important enough to save.
And that's why his lawyer, Bondy, petitioned to get his documents released from the Southern District Court of NY (who gave it up easily?!?) which they in turn submitted to the House Intelligence in time to get it transmitted with the Impeachment charge to the Senate, which may have been SDCNY's intent all along.
I can't wait for the movie. Maybe it'll have a surprise ending.
6
Please, even if your candidate doesn't become the Democratic presidential candidate, vote Democrat in the next election. This farce is dangerous.
15
The problem with this opinion columnist is that she actually believes everything Lev Parnas says about Trump and his associates. Lev Parnas has to be cross examined by people who have not hated Trump since the day he was elected. Parnas' "evidence" sounds like the rest of the House testimony that "supports" the impeachment articles. It is still all a bunch of guesses, opinions and presumptions that are based on hearsay, guesses, presumptions, and falls under the broad classification of conjecture.
None of the new Parnas revelations even mention his working partner, Igor Fruman. Clearly this is for legal reasons related to their trial, but based on what we’ve heard so far, I salivate in anticipation of the incriminating communications between Parnas and Fruman.
2
KLev and his side-kick might just be the equivalent of the 'plumbers'. Someone has to do the dirtiest dirty work...
5
You can add Senator Mitch McConnell to the list. His wife, Elaine Chao, is Trump's Secretary of Transportation, presenting a clear conflict of interest for McConnell in the Senate's impeachment proceedings. When will a journalist or columnist ask/write about this?
15
To watch Trump lie through his teeth in front of children as he did the other day denying he know Parnas is just despicable.
This sends a terrible message to the future leaders of all levels of government.
3
Why should the Republican Congress care about any new evidence? When you are on the take, you keep your mouth shut. Or as in Devin Nunes's technique during the House hearings, you attack, yell, and belittle the truth when it is given under sworn testimony. Come on, we all knew something else was going on in the attacks on Sondland, Yovanovitch. It wasn't just about protecting Trump.
5
Who are the 30 or so Republicans who received illegal campaign funds through Parnas/Giuliani in the 2016 cycle?
Who are the members of the Senate that received funds from Derispaska and other reputed agents of Putin in the 2016 cycle?
Is Sen. Ron Johnson going to be voir dired? He admittedly was involved with Ukraine.
Will McConnell, Ted Cruz, John Kennedy and Lindsey Graham, et al be voir dired as to bias, given their public comments that innocence is a foregone conclusion?
10
watch the Netflix documentary "the great hack" you will see just why trump and his minions pushed for the announcement of the biden investigation.
4
I have been a long standing member of the ACLU. Always thinking that they would be the last defense against those who would try to attack our constitution which is the only thing standing between us and authortarian regimes. Where is the ACLU? Why are they not defending our constitution as these thugs as you call them (mobsters) run roughshod on this supposedly perfect document. McConnell, Trump and Barr are in the process of making it a meaningless piece of paper that they spit on for fun. Everyone is just sitting helpless while this is happening. Is there no one who will stop them?
3
Parnas is talking out of fear but it is not going to save his life in or out of prison.
Ah yes, and when Democrats embrace "Trump's thugs."
When suddenly, those "thugs" are good because they hurt the one we want hurt.
It does not defend Trump to insist there are better ways to take him down. There are better people available, with more honest things to say.
Dumpster diving for a witness like Bolton is about as low as one could go. What do you get when you go dumpster diving to the very bottom? Think about it, what is down there at the bottom of the dumpster? THAT is what you want to make the case?
1
I’ll wait for the Senate hearing to hear the truth.
Parnas has it backwords. The real question is why was the Ambassodor still there.
The Ambassador's tour was held over precisely so she could be the BAIT, the hostage who would be exchanged for the dirt on Biden. There was no need for her to be there, she was just abused and dangled in front of Lutsenko. It is the most obscene part of the whole Ukraine affair.
1
Parma’s is to Trump what the Irishman was to the Mafia mob boss, loyally executing the dirtiest and most despicable acts on behalf of someone in power imaginable. But you are right in pointing out the fundamental difference between these two henchmen, The Irishman kept his mouth shut until the very end. Too bad for President Trump. His henchman has exposed the how evil our President truly is.
3
You do realize that none of what you are writing here makes a shred of difference to the Republican Senate, correct? They are willing to vote for acquittal today and get on with doing none of the nation's business. More's the pity for a country that used to be a democracy.
7
Trump's omerta is showing signs of weakness at the edges.
1
Who knows what's happening in the sewer, the rats or the swans?
4
I would be delighted if Mr. Parnas were called to give testimony. At this point he sounds like my little brother who gave away any secret he was entrusted with.
Something tells me that neither Republicans or Democrats would want to hear from him. After all he seemed to think he had the goods on the Bidens and now he sure seems to think he knows where all the bodies are buried in the Trump graveyard.
Oh well he can always go back on Maddow's show or Hannity's.
I thought Trump was going to drain the swamp. Instead he filled it and then sank into it.
1
Perhaps Grisham should consider whether those doing bidding, of any kind, for Trump are in the same category as Lev Parnas, Giuliani and others. Why is appearing on national television for the purpose of spinning lies and propaganda to manipulate malleable, low information people not as morally corrupt, and despicable as Parnas and others around him lacking in credibility.
1
One of the commenters here says the only reason Trump wasn't indicted over the Mueller Report is because he is the President. Well there may be another reason: Proving to America that you're going to remove an elected President over obstruction charges stemming from an investigation which found nothing it was actually looking for, is a very high bar. Stratospherically high, actually.
Go look at any of the the ten "obstruction" charges and tell us you're going to bring down a sitting President over that. Tell us you're going to remove a sitting President on the basis of the current impeachment charges. You can go through the motions but you'll never get the win.
This Parnas imbroglio is another loser. Do we really believe he was in contact with the President? Where are the White House call logs? What do they say? Why is his story any more believable than the rest of the Ukrainian cast?
It's all so unbelievable as to be idiotic, but if the Democrats and the Trump haters want to take another run at Heartbreak Ridge, let them.
1
Who was paying? Firtash? Seems like if he could make the case against the Bidens, he gets a walk. Follow the money.
1
So, I guess it was Andrew Card who said, "Don't believe everything you read in the newspapers". I'm impressed by the clever, determined ways NYT opinionists are managing to skew and sensationalize coverage of the Trump impeachment. They make it look like anyone who supports Mr. Trump is some sort of crook; but known crooks who support Mr. Trump's accusers, being known crooks with nothing any longer to hide, are therefore free at last to tell the truth and should be believed. What's the real message here? The Dems aren't winning this fight and they know it.
Does anyone else see the bitter irony in the fact that Trump was pressuring the Ukrainian government to announce (phony) investigations into the Bidens,...
...and now the Ukrainians have opened up a bonafide investigation into Trumpworld's corruption?
Facts met with a collective yawn by the American public and GOP Senators.
2
From the article:
Giuliani himself is under federal criminal investigation. In a 2018 text to Parnas recently released by the House Intelligence Committee, Giuliani seemed to joke, apropos of Robert Mueller, “I’m no rat,” but should the prospect of prison ever change his mind, expect Republicans to make a similar case against believing a crooked and paranoid barfly.
"I'm no rat." Rudy sounds exactly like those he used to prosecute in New York City. Going from locking up Dons to working for one is an ugly fall. Living in Long Island in those '80's mafia years I had quite a bit of respect for Rudy and his efforts and successes in cleaning out corruption. Now it appears, he's in it up to his neck.
2
Writing to Politico’s John F. Harris, a Trump supporter recently described the president as “our O.J.,”
A very apt analogy because O.J. cared nothing for the black community until he needed their support and Trump cared nothing (and still doesn't) for the white middle class until he needed them to get elected.
5
Very well put Trump the con and the mark.
3
Why the air of mystery around Parnas' motivation? It's not exactly breaking news that Parnas (with Rick Perry's help) was going to take over Ukr's largest natural gas producer (not Burisma- much bigger) & Yovanovich knew about it & was in his way. That's why he was paying Giuliani- he was going to come out way ahead. (That's also why Giuliani was working for free- if he was- the prospect of side deals was extremely enticing.) (Perry too supposedly working for free- looks like bribery there.) NOTE: I am not a paranoid who imagined all this- no- I got it all from the NY Times. Don't YOU read the paper, Ms. Goldberg?
Trump had rubbed shoulders with thugs and gangsters in his real estate business, adopting their rhetoric and mob values. In 2013 on David Letterman’s show he praised the Mafia, calling them “very nice people.” However “you just don’t want to owe them money.” Perhaps it explains why he rather borrowed from Russian oligarchs.
He lashes out at people – former advisers, employees and friends who turned on him – calling them “rats.”
He must be envious that he can’t deal with them like Mafia do with mob informants, who cooperate with authorities. In August 2018 on Fox News, he said “flipping almost ought to be outlawed.”
The longer Trump remains in office, there's the risk that he would turn the country into a Mafia state. At least in Russia there are courageous people like Alexei Navalny who expose Putin's hangers-on, naming and shaming the "thieves," while Republicans remain quiet about their own.
7
Trump’s hold on republicans is more like the Mob Captain in “A Bronx Tale” than a cult: When asked whether it was better to be feared or loved the mob boss replied, “it’s nice to be both, but very difficult. Fear lasts longer than love...it keeps them loyal.”
4
Election have consequences. Electing a mob boss has expected consequences.
3
Parnas is like so many other Trump Republicans, they like being in with the in crowd. That the in crowd does not care about anyone at all fails to register on their minds.
There is no policy or ideology involved. It is cool to get emails from Rudi or talk with Nunes or Trump. When they get caught up all their great pals forget who they are.
This sort of behavior goes all the way down to City Councils and Water Districts.
So Parnas is now talking, big surprise. He should have considered the character of his former good buddies long ago. The Senate Trial is now run by the same sort of non-genuine characters. The USA could perish in a haze of happy foolish insiders with no loyalty to themselves or others.
It appears that Trump has not a single real friend. He is a vacant character. Putting such a man in charge is lethal and stupid. Trump is the center of nothing but a grand cult of thugs.
Parnas may be telling the truth now but he was a giddy fool. (just like so many others)
1
Not sure why reporters, including the NYT, don't just cut the chase. American media always opt to provide "color", "background" and "perpective" instead of using critical thinking and focus on the big things.
There is a NY Southern District investigation, which not only netted Parnas and Fruman, but in addition is zeroing in on Rudy Giuliani. All of the information which Mr. Parnas is "sharing" has been reviewed by the US District Attorney.
What crimes could this encompass? Is this a criminal conspiracry? What specific Federal statues have been breached by Mr Parnas and Mr Fruman. The answer to these questions would implicate Mr Trump in a criminal scheme, along with Giuliani.
NYT: stop beating around the bush. What crimes are we talking about here, cut the chase so the public can understand the crass manner in which public trust has been violated.
2
It's horrifying how swiftly, and by choice of a large minority of Americans, we have completely lost control of our government. Even more horrifying, 42 percent of Americans and over 90 percent of republicans still this evil man, the most powerful person on earth.
Who knew it was so easy to sell one's soul. God help them, but even more so, us, when the devil comes due. We will all pay the price. The innocent and the guilty alike. We will all suffer the consequence of a minority electing the most vile, vicious, morally bankrupt and corrupt man to the most powerful position on earth. God help us all.
5
Since so many Times articles are about people who feel they have been treated unfairly, yes, why not gangsters.
"... Trump is easily influenced by the goons and bottom feeders in his orbit." THAT explains pretty much about HALF of the ridiculous and silly statement the "president" makes every day. This self proclaimed genius would much rather believe wildly inaccurate statements made by ANY crackpot than any statements made about ANY scientific facts.
The only good thing that will EVER be attributed to Donald J. Trump is his tireless effort to rid the world of Windmill Cancer.
Regarding the Dowd representation of Parness and Fruman, their refusal to testify before Congress in the impeachment inquiry has the potential for implicating Trump directly in the conspiratorial creation of the sham assertion by them of possessing a “privilege” not to do so. Subpoenaing Dowd to appear in the Senate trial, or deposing him under oath, could additionally buttress the second impeachment article against Trump, Obstruction of Congress, while establishing further corrupt and criminal conduct by him.
2
All roads lead to Putin.
Who stands to benefit the most if the fledgling democracy known as Ukraine is to fail ?
19
Perhaps the best fate of president Trump would be to get his impeachment confirmed by the senate. This would spare him the embarrassment of the tremendous loss he would experience in November when the 3 million more 2016 Hillary voters rush to the polls, joined by the millions more that stayed home then but won’t this time, sick to the stomach of this “presidency.”
19
Good insight, Ms. Goldberg. Those 'goons and bottom feeders in Trump's orbit are "...only the best and most serious people" and "...top of the line professionals" that Trump had in mind during the campaign in 2016. And he was truthful to that point (the only time he was really truthful), but given his obvious moral (or lack of) compass, one could see that he meant what the world of law and order would view as thugs, and yes-men. Yes, there really is a deep state - in the Mob world.
7
Bravo Michelle Goldberg for telling it like it is. Ms. Goldberg is a gifted journalist who gets to the meat and the heart of her subject. What I am left with is her reference to Trump's "goons and bottom feeders." I know these words were not meant to describe the Republicans in the Senate, but I would argue, they do.
My gratitude and appreciation to the New York Times for the quality of reporting; and for providing an opportunity to air opinions and grievances in this venue as a means to vent during these trying and disturbing times.
13
For someone that Trump says he doesn't know Mr. Parnas has a number of pictures and a video of them together.
However when the time comes I'm sure Donald will say the same thing about Melania if she is going to testify against him and yes as his wife she doesn't have to but maybe she might want to.
4
The substance of what Parnas had to say to Rachel Maddow, coupled with his direct delivery, make him a credible witness whom any juror would believe. His body language and knowledge of small detail provided a stark contrast to the willful lies spewing from the Oval Office occupant--who, of course, has no idea who Parnas is no matter how many times they have met or talked.
9
When this is all over, and we have taken our country back from these thugs and mafia like characters, someone will make 'Trump, The Movie' ; future generations will have trouble believing it all really happened; and those of us who survived the Trump debacle will shrug and say 'you can't make this stuff up'.
11
The question I am waiting for is was Mitch in the loop? His wife is part of Trumps cabinet, and according to two witnesses “everyone was in the loop”. Is this why he is so eager to protect the president at all costs? This doesn’t appear to be a small stealthy operation but a wide net of people in the GOP working on the sly, drunk on the power and fact they can get away with anything!
11
"...a Trump supporter recently described the president as “our O.J.,” an apt analogy for Republicans’ vengeful determination to give a guilty man impunity."
Ha! A twisted analogy. Trump confirms that guilty white men are consistently given impunity, even when the stakes are high...like war...unlike O.J., a rare instance. To add more insult to the analogy, there's the constant attempt to paint the guilty as the victim, who now has "vengeful determination".
I can only hope most of America sees the truth, sooner as opposed to later, so that we can continue to seek to live up to our ideals.
5
While for the past four years we have all been focused on Donald Trump’s erratic, hysterical and sociopathic public tirades he has been focused on creating the “deep state” that he wants us all to fear.
Donald Trump isn’t going to protect us from a deep state and all its colluders and grifters. We have met the deep state, and it is Trump.
11
All the Best People
With this crowd, it's obvious. Follow the money.
4
Nightmare. Parody. Gaslighting.
Here and now we need all our human attention cultivating empathy for other animals and life support system we're at war with everywhere.
A million murres estimated dead because the ocean is heating up so much the birds are starving to death for lack of food.
Focus people. Let's get the mob boss in the county jail where Andy of Mayberry can take care of this two bit con artist occupying the WH.
Imagine we live on a miracle of a planet, and that Mother Earth is calling you to help right wrongs that we call profit.
What a gift Trump has been, right up to the end.
Humans stare at their phones embracing their new gods endlessly programming and collecting information for the next sale.
One million murres went missing, all on a western shore. The waters warm as we plunder the wonder with our indifference of the sea.
Murres send their greeting to us never more, never more.
4
Among the questions yet unanswered:
Why has Giuliani not been indicted
Where did the $600,000 in political contributions from the Parnas gang come from.
What exactly did the State Dept know when it recalled Yavonovitch over concern for her safety.
When will Pompeo be forced to answer questions under oath.
18
Parnas has a mobster’s sensibilities. Mobsters like loyalty. That’s why it’s so important to Trump that his minions are loyal - it’s the same ethos. So for Trump,Barr and Giuliani to suddenly turn on Parnas, pretending they don’t know him or acting like he was so low-level that he counted for nothing - this is disloyal.
I’m inclined to believe Parnas. By going public, he protects himself from Barr, who certainly could do him tremendous harm. Parnas is in deep with Trump, took orders emanating from Trump, socialized with Trump. Now Trump is pretending he doesn’t know who Parnas is? HA! It’s payback time.
11
Only the incompetent would follow someone as incompetent as Donald J Trump. This whole enterprise is doomed to implode.
7
Dershowitz has pointedly distanced himself from the Trump legal team, even going so far as to say, get this, he would have given the exact same defense of a President Clinton, has she been elected and impeached. Trump is going to just looooove that particular equivalency! Even Dershowitz seems to be able to spot a dumpster fire when he sees one.
2
Parnas is obviously full of himself and loving the spotlight, like he loved sitting at a dinner table with the President. He speaks with bluster and hyperbole. But seriously, if only 10% of what he says is true, Trump must be removed. He is a mob boss in every sense, and his mob is the US government.
To the author of the article, you wonder why he would speak out. Parnas clearly stated that Barr is part of the mob boss circle and her fears for his (Parnas) own safety. Seems like the chief of police in this case is on the take.
4
To me the most extraordinary thing about the last 3+ years is that Democrats can't develop a narrative that completely exposes, censures, and discredits Trump, his administration and virtually every Republican. The corruption, sleaze and unpatriotic behavior is beyond the pale. And, it's not like the MSM has been derelict in their reporting.
I can't tell you how many times I've imagined if the situation was reversed. It truly boggles the mind!
4
I don't find Parnas’s decision to go public to hard to understand. Parnas is a criminal without all the fake patriotism of trump's American minions. He is well aware that trump will turn on him in a New York heartbeat and leave him hanging like trump did to Manafort and Cohen and just about anybody else who has outlived any usefulness. Parnas is just moving faster. trump has slowed down as he got older.
4
By enlisting shady characters or people known for bending the truth to do his dirty work, Trump gets the talent he needs for his latest con game and has built-in deniability. So he can say Parnas is disreputable, Fox and Breitbart megaphone what Trump says, and his supporters believe it.
In other words, Trump has the country by the proverbials, he knows it and he and his mercenary family are laughing all the way to the bank. Good luck, Dems, uprooting this cancer.
4
After watching Maddow's interviews, I can honestly say I believe Lev Parnas more than any Republican currently in office anywhere in the United States. That is how far the GOP has fallen.
11
Both a conman and a mark. So true. and, by extension the US becomes both a con and a mark.
2
One of the most damaging and insightful statement Parnas made in Maddow's interview was something like this '...why would anyone at a high level in Ukraine or the US meet or talk with me. I am a nobody. It was because they knew I represented the President of the US.'
8
When asked on the David Letterman show in 2013 if he had “ever knowingly” done business with organized crime, Donald Trump said that “generally speaking I like to stay away from that group,” but was quick to add - “I have met on occasion a few of those people. They happen to be very nice people.”
Now why does that sound so familiar?
7
Disproportionate responses are about fear. Yovanovitch wasn't just in the way. She is a woman.
5
The real problem with Parnas is that he admits he had no direct dealings with Trump.
1
Maybe the worst part of all this is that Republicans - in Congress and the voters - really don't care if all of this is true. And, yes, Trumpism is a blind cult. If one ever wonders how authoritarian societies that eventually commit heinous acts can happen, we can just study the United States today.
5
" Why the obsession with Yovanovitch?"
I think it's obvious. It's because the ambassador is a smart and powerful woman, like Hillary Clinton and the 4 new Congresswomen. That sort of thing infuriates Trump.
11
Trump and Trumpism represents a black failure of the American public, at least 40 or 42 percent of it, and a whole political party, the so called conservative party, the Republicans. I only hope and pray that redemption is somewhere in our political future and that this ugly flirtation with mafia mentality and cruelty and dictatorship in the government will end, and that a legitimate government which adheres to the Constitution and to our historical role as a shining model of a democracy will be elected.
2
ok, with the info from Parnas and all the witnesses at the House impeachment and the phone transcripts and docs....it is simply impossible to conclude that trump didn't break the law
4
How rich that Grisham, the tea pot, should be calling Parnas, the kettle, black, for owning a so-called company Fraud, Inc. He didn't own that franchise - Trump does . Not unlike you, Grisham, so long as he was of use he served it, was an integral part of it. In your case tense must be changed to the present - only because you continue to be the least visible, least trustworthy White House Press Secretary in US history, never once holding a public press conference parsing honestly the reprehensible fountain of lies Trump and his henchmen shower daily the citizenry with. Lower the drawbridge across that moat of mendacity dug and maintained with impunity by this White House. Allow access to documents which, and to witnesses who, we know, will put an end to patent obstruction of the truth. It's a safe bet that Parnas' "unreliable" account will suddenly take on a frightening dimension of copper-bottomed authenticity.
4
How many times has Trump been scammed out of large amounts of money, I would bet many. Trump is a dimwitted mark and many people see that. They are not there to help Trump, they are there to use him.
8
That the mob operation called the GOP is still backing this 2 bit criminal Trump who has been given a world platform is proof of its RICO status. They should all be arrested, every last one them.
6
"Drain the swamp" will never not be laughable. Tragically so.
On another note, has it occurred to anyone that, in light of all that we have since come to know, the Mueller "investigation", as limited in scope as he determined it to be, was intended as a whitewash from the outset? It certainly has come to look that way to me. And now we come to the final coating - aka the Senate "trial". The fix is in. Pass the popcorn. Or, maybe make that a banana. And que the kangaroo. Makin' it all great - again.
1
It is amazing to conceive that the President, Vice President, Secretary of State, Attorney General and likely the rest of the President's cabinet are all willing to lie, cheat and steal. What do they get out of destroying our nation's integrity? The fish truly rots from the head - and the Republicans seem to be saying, breathe deep,
6
"By going public, Parnas has probably done nothing to sway Republicans toward removing Trump from office, not because they don’t believe him, but because they know Trump did what he’s accused of and don’t care."
An absolutely damning statement. Look, I'm a grownup - I expect to see a bit of hypocrisy in government, because in the end, to steal a line from Mitt Romney, "Government is people too, my friend" and people in government are subject to the same failings as the rest of us. But the mendacity and hypocrisy of Trump's party (an ailing GOP finally died during the 2016 elections) is of biblical proportions.
10
I have come to believe that there will be no Saturday Night Massacre aka Nixon with this President. There are those who would follow and support him regardless of any heinous crimes committed. To stand by and be silent in the face of this is to be complicit in his actions. To stay home and not vote for his opponent whoever that may be is to give him your vote.
6
Listening to Mr Parnas finally gives credence to the Republican claim that the Dems want to undo the election. Indeed, the whole lot of them must go: Trump, Pence, Barr, Pompeo... anyone left? Throw the entire bunch out! They aren’t fit to serve this great nation.
3
Not that anyone except the cult members believe anything Trump says but if he never met him and doesn’t know him why would the White House offer their lawyers to defend him and why was his testimony to Congress blocked under executive privilege? I will be surprised if anything resembling democracy survives this period
3
Clearly and succinctly put- good work Michelle....
4
On the eve of MLK Holiday-good time to reflect on what builds character since American President is so devoid of it. Just maybe hearing the word "NO" is more beneficial than the word "YES". MLK Jr heard "No" throughout his mounting campaign against racism and a fight for economic justice. To MLK there were 3 evils-the evil of racism, the evil of poverty, and the evil of war. He gave his life to the fight against these evils. He gave his life so others could have a better life.
A commenter mentioned below the most important aspect is the criminal behavior of all the Republican Party and the stupefying stupidity of voters at their cultish behest.
We normals see our country at civil war without a defined reason other than trumpism and Russian interference.
Our wish is for an emergency election after trump is removed on National tv to prison without bail for treason.
Pompeo is a military disgrace to West Point. But over 60 cents of my tax dollar goes towards military spending. The Boots families do not see that funding in good housing and schools near bases. Only their generals get the perks.
Like Viet Nam. They ate steaks imported on fine china and drank fine bourbon while the soldiers suffered.
Trumps base made a natural progression from reality tv to FOX and trump president reality tv. Now trump is setting up his reality show trial with Russia . All roads for trumpworld point to the Russian Mafia. Is this what we get? Are congress ever going to place term limits on themselves? How are the voters going to control the pols as they take our Republic down. We have no recourse other than reliance on a flawed Democratic Party machine. This isn’t working at all for the little guy and gal making a measly hourly wage . They aren’t able to stop the cheating and wars and hate and meanness exuding from the southern states and trump land. He punishes entire populations in states that didn’t elect him to the office. He diverts Northeastern states funds too.
4
1. Lev fills in the puzzle.
2. Lev lists key people and events that should be investigated. It's a blueprint for a prosecutor.
3. Lev reveals how the White House used its own lawyers to try to silence him. He was afraid they were going to lock him up.
4. Pompeo now wants to investigate the spying accusations on Marie Yovanovitch. This is the one area Lev downplayed in the Maddow interview. His attorney looked at him briefly, as if to interject something, when Lev began to talk. The attorney looked relieved when Lev said it was a joke. Pompeo will try to find some illegality here so that he can pin it on Lev to have him locked up. Classic Mob work.
5
Leonard Cohen's lyrics come to mind:
Everybody knows that the dice are loaded
Everybody rolls with their fingers crossed
Everybody knows the war is over
Everybody knows the good guys lost
Everybody knows the fight was fixed
The poor stay poor, the rich get rich
That's how it goes
Everybody knows
Everybody knows that the boat is leaking
Everybody knows that the captain lied
Everybody got this broken feeling
Like their father or their dog just died...
8
I truly believe that Trump could shoot Melania in front of the White House in broad daylight and the Republican senators would still not convict him. They would say Trump had the right to do it , Melania must have been mean to him, Trump was hangry, the Democrats provoked him, it is all just a witch hunt, whatever...
6
Everyone must always have maps and atlases to refer to on all subjects of "Geo-politics". The Republicans famously admire "Atlas Shrugged" by Ann Rand. Doesn't that make you wonder if the atlases have the story? So looking at an atlas you will find many details including Ukraine's proximity to Russia, and an eastern Ukrainian city very near the border with Russia, whose Mayor negotiated the possible construction of a Trump Tower in Moscow before the 2016 election. For what purpose if other than business? Or more germaine; what of the name Parnas? It kind of reminds me of Golf, how about you? At this point, It is possible Trump is a chump of the Russians. I will give him the benefit of the doubt besides his deplorable character which may be more because of the pressure he is under.
You must consider the possibility that Ukrainian President Zelensky, another Television actor, is a focus of Trump because he is young and trained to do what he is told as an actor, and that made him a prime candidate for manipulation, and of course, Yavonavitch would have caught on pretty quick and that likely made her a focus of Trump and Giuliani. I do believe Ukraine is a go between between the Trump people and Russia. After all, Didn't General Flynn sit at Putin's side for dinner and was his first National Security adviser?
I can only hope the connections to Russia are to assure peace, but, why did Putin base military in Venezuela? Those involved have to be frank with America now!
"I'll surround myself only with the best and most serious people." - Impeached 45*
"Wealthy folks have no need to steal or engage in corruption." - Larry Kudlow, adviser to Extremely Stable Genius 45*
3
A dying animal draws carnivores and flies. So it is with the people the president chooses as his inner circle.
7
I am relieved that Michelle Goldberg is reacting with anger to the unbelievable corruption surrounding Trump.
2
Throughout his business and now political life Trump has had an affinity for unethical sycophants, yes-men, wannabes, money-grubbers, thugs and crooks. Space limitations and revulsion prevents me from listing them all here.
But perhaps a better question is whether we can name any true shining lights of morality and ethics that Trump can count as a close friend or even adviser. Now that Trump has cleaned house of virtually anyone who might challenge his thinking (loosely defined), who would that be? Even his "spiritual advisers" are people like Jerry Fallwell Jr. (who owes everything he is to his father and is a lawyer and not even a pastor) and Paula White (who preaches the gospel of "prosperity theology" and, yes, apparently that is a thing).
In other words, don't work too hard--you'll hurt your brain trying to think of one.
3
While I agree with your assessment, your argument is lessened by pervasive use of ad hominem attack. 'Goon, bottom-feeder, gangster, grifter', etc. are terms meant to smear the character of the man rather than point out facts. He's a highly connected, soviet-born US citizen that socializes with Russian Oligarchs and is on a first-name basis with corrupt Ukrainian government officials. His motivations may run far deeper than just saving his own skin. He could be playing all of us to some end that benefits Russia, or helps Russia control Trump. Or some other goal that we don't understand yet.
The key takeaway from the interview is that the senate must allow witnesses and all the people Parnas named should be on the witness stand in person. They are (almost) all credible people and can speak to the facts of the case as they experienced them. If Trump then blocks access to those witnesses, the senate will experience his obstruction of congress first-hand, proving one of the articles true.
1
Thugs is the correct and most appropriate term to describe the fanatic followers of the now impeached and most despised character in US history. What is more disappointing is the fact that, so far, there is no indication GOPers seem to care about our most respected institutions. Are they all expecting and looking forward to get a caddy job at Mar-a-Lago or any of his links, or perhaps they expect free lodging at one of his hotels?
"We learned this week that Robert Hyde, a deranged Trumpworld hanger-on and Republican congressional candidate, sent a series of messages to Parnas suggesting he was stalking Yovanovitch."
I find this to be the most fascinating aspect of an utterly corrupt conspiracy; not because I beieve Hyde did any of the things that he claimed, but rather because an apparent nobody knew that Yovanovitch was being targeted. In other words, why was Robert Hyde in the loop?
1
The circus maximus begins Tuesday. Is America ready to get trashed? Ken Starr, a genuine sleaze, has risen from the dead after being drummed out of a respected university. O.J.'s "Dream Team" leader, Alan Dershowitz, anxiously awaits lights, cameras and action so he can explain how we mortals really should understand the machinations of the Constitution. And, the omni-present Lindsey Graham is poised, in his words, to unleash another "hissy fit" on behalf of his beloved leader.
Hollywood could never produce a better tragedy.
4
Trump is running the United States as a very Putinesque virtual Mafia authoritarian. He is aided and abetted by the Republicans who have shown they don’t care about a constitutional democracy as a form of government. They will hold a sham impeachment trial in the Senate, ignore the facts, and not call one witness. Together the Republicans have created a virtual Mafia state. Watch out if Trump gets elected - he and the Republicans will come for anyone who has confronted them.
6
I think Parnas fears for his life and is probably telling the truth. The fact that he will speak to reporters while under indictment shows how scared he is.
I think Parnas wanted to get the word out before he somehow had a bad “accident”.
2
Maybe not in 2020, but HE'LL be gone one day. However, the stench of his pestilent presence will remain for years and years to come.
2
I concur that these latest revelations will do little to sway senate republicans to remove him from office. In fact, I don't think there's any scenario that will cause republicans to remove him from office. Full stop. However, it's more damning evidence to the voting public that the problem goes far beyond the president. The problem is actually the entire republican party.
8
What are all the perks the GOP gets for abjectly following their BOSS?
4
About OJ: Didn't he end up in prison anyway, for an unrelated charge of robbery? Truth is, criminals do what criminals do and the justice system eventually catches up with a lot of them.
1
From democracy to kakistocracy in less than one term. The law is no longer, the truth is no longer the truth. If this is what the majority of Americans wants, this is what they've got. What's next, secession?
1
Re: "He's our O.J.".
The minute I heard that Mr. Simpson was being released from prison I got on one of the local comment boards and said "Here he is! The man who can beat Trump in 2020! He's perhaps even more qualified . . . " etc.
I even tried to get an online T-shirt manufacturer to do "O.J. 2020" shirts, but they refused. No sense of humor. I mean, take the joy out of irony and all that's left is cynicism.
It just don't pay to be ahead of your time . . .
2
The world is officially upside down when we have to worry about the risk that American ambassadors stationed abroad face from other Americans. How can any Republican think that there is "nothing to see here"?
4
Except Parnas doesn't come across as a thug at all. He's very smart and resisted things he knew to be illegal. He, I guess, is some kind of go between for the US, Russia, Ukraine, as well as governments and corporations. He explains to Rachel Maddow that bribery is (sadly) a "way of life" in that part of the world. He said he was pressured by Trump/Guiliani to ask Zelenski to get dirt on Biden. Zelenski would accept only to back off and not do it. He said when Ukraine announced investigations into "corruption" and NOT Biden; Trump went ballistic. One of the most surprising things about the interview is how Parnas DOESN'T seem thuggish or criminal - HE'S LIKE A LAWYER. Or politician.
5
If the president, who has been impeached, is believed at all why should the same generosity not be offered Parnas, who is under
indictment. He is basically a powerless person while Trump has far reaching powers with serious consequences.
Parnas should definitely be taken serious. His kind of involvement is exactly what it is all about, and why Trump has
to be found guilty by the Senate.
Ms. Goldberg is again spot on. That we are reminded of Trump's operating habits is how distracted this country has become to the basic principles of decency. The inexplicable part is why anyone bows to Trump in the first place. We posit that senators are afraid of being "primaried" and I suppose that they are cowed by trump enough to violate their oaths of office and their recent oaths as jurors in the impeachment trial. The only thing that is immutable about that process is what Nancy Pelosi has said about the impeachment being indelible. Perhaps we should take some cold comfort in that fact because expecting those like Collins of Maine to come to the rescue is naive. To add to the absurdity, we now have Alan Dershowitz claiming that yes, trump committed the acts of which he is accused, but they do not rise to the level of impeachable offenses. Theater of the absurd is what the republicans want American to see so they are distracted from the horror of our loss of our constitutional, democratic republic to a one man crime wave.
10
I don't think there is any question as to Trump's guilt. What is on trial here are the republicans in who support him. Do they continue to support the president, thus break the law? Or do they defect and not support the president, thus support the law? The other question is. Will the republicans who continue to support the president be reelected?
16
The outcome of the impeachment trial, the 2020 presidential election and the future of the United States is not dependent on Trump, the Republicans in the United States Senate, Fox News, etc. It is dependent on the American people. It is We The People who are on trial in the court of world opinion as well as the court of history. If, after all we now know, after the unending indictments, guilty pleas, confessions, testimony, not to mention the attacks on our environment and the now obvious threat of climate change and global warming, public health including assaults on children's school lunches; if after all of this and more we still elect Trump, a Republican majority in the Senate, the House as well as McConnell, Graham, Nunes, etc., we will have only ourselves to blame for the incompetence, gangsterism, and the looming wreckage that will ensue.
19
Just want to emphasize the smoking gun the letter from Dowd to the House connecting Parnas to Trump. One. And two, more importantly definitively connecting that work to privileged Executive communication.
This should blast holes in any Republican argument that the evidence not be presented in the a Senate because the House did not send it with the Articles. As Trump directed this evidence to be withheld, it is further proof of his obstruction and abuse of power making it wholly relevant to the trial at hand.
18
I stopped at a garage sale in Westchester County the other day. The senior-aged woman there was selling among other things a group of intricate pencil drawings of civil war soldiers. She saw me admiring one and told me that it was Robert E. Lee, and then she immediately launched into a diatribe about how "they" are trying to "erase our history" and how Trump was doing so many good things for the country. I politely complemented the beauty of the drawing and left in a state of disbelief.
19
What are we doing with a White House press secretary who only regularly appears on Fox News?
When did all this start? Some time ago, really. It started in 2000 with the illegal installation of W Bush in the presidency along party lines in the Supreme Court.
The mob that the GOP has morphed into has it's own infomercial channel. It's own rules (not the rules of the federal government), and it's own ideas about where we are headed. And it has nothing to do with the overwhelming majority in this country>
33
I was mesmerized by the interviews and somewhat shocked, although at 76 I thought I'd been through it all including assassinations, illicit wars and political hanky-panky. However, when Parnas said he was coming forward now because he feared the Justice Department and Attorney General Barr, my mouth fell open.
620
@Krismarch ..../and unfortunately, even if this show gets cancelled in Nov, as it needs to be and as I feel it will be, it will go on to haunt the USA for decades to come, easily the rest of my life at 57 ....ugly, ugly, ugly
28
Exactly! He’s doing these interviews so that he’s too visible for “an accident” or “a suicide.”
24
@Krismarch Thanks Would you fear Trump's DOD Justice? And Barr?
Even if you did nothing wrong except do what Trump told you to do ?
2
They are not "Republicans;" that implies loyalty to the republic. Trump Party accurately reflects their loyalty; and where his loyalty lies is no mystery.
12
America doesn't just need term limits on our elected representatives. America needs to become a real democracy and eliminate elected representatives altogether.
Direct voting by everyone in the society is the only way to eliminate the corruption of our entire government, federal, state and local. Whatever short comings this idea has, and there are a few obvious ones, it simply cannot be worse than the totally corrupt system that is currently destroying America.
I know it's a radical idea, but with modern computer and communications technology I think it's feasible, if not politically at least technologically. Electing representatives who are sitting ducks for corrupting influences is out dated and not working.
The definition of insanity is to keep doing the same thing and expecting different results. We MUST try something else.
7
I think that Lev Parnas is a compelling witness of events even though his version of events would most likely be eviscerated in a formal cross-examination. What I found most believable about Parnas's interview with Rachel Maddow was his own self-reflection. I think he surprised himself when he realized that he got caught up acting like a member of a cult. He obviously was in awe of Trump and still is to some degree. Trump has a way of making people feel included in his orbit of importance and power without realizing they have been captured by the gravitational pull of a blind, vindictive, resentful dark star.
1144
@Dan "compelling witness". Are you kidding? If that is the best Democrats can do then it is at the expense of 4 more years.
Put him on the stand, as well as Hunter Biden. Both are crooks, just different kinds.
7
Michelle Goldberg's always columns make me think a lot about human nature, and how our own wishes alter our perception of reality. I remember rolling my eyes at a person who screamed in protest when their National Guard unit was called up for active duty. They resented having to serve when, as they put it, they had enlisted only to get an education and hopefully a pension.
Republican voters are gloating over what they're 'getting' out of Trump. But they can dismiss Lev Parnas, who is indicative of exactly what Trump is. Just as Trump, if he gains sufficient power, will scornfully dismiss them.
13
Fabulous editorial Ms. Goldberg. I agree with the post below. The United States Senate will be on trial in much the same way Trump is. Watch what happens to Republican Senators up for re-election in 2020 if they vote to acquit Trump.
24
Part The Sopranos.
Part The Simpsons.
33
President Trump is increasing my vocabulary, I seldom hear the word Ms Goldberg used to describe his character: "turpitude". But as a loyal Republican, if that what it takes to be the party in power, turpitude away. Being a creative person, I just came up with a motto for the Republican party: "The ends justify the means." That may be the only way we can save Americans from the Democrats.
4
Lest you forget, we are all Americans. We are all in this together. As a nation we will succeed or fail together. Our enemies are corruption, breaking the law, lying, cheating, and disloyalty to oaths and to our Constitution. And we have enemies from the outside who would like us to fail. Regardless of what our pundits tell us, the enemy is not fellow Americans.
39
@eclectico Turpitude away? The ends justify the means?
Really? If that's "creative," what, pray tell, is destructive?
32
That’s a swell plan. Now say bye bye to the US as we have k own and loved it for nearly three centuries, sign up for Russian lessons now and beat the rush, and feel real good about about the cemeteries full of dead citizens who gave their lives to protect and defend the Constitution.
6
I understand no one in trump`s cabinet dares to disagree to contradict him because of trump`s anger, screaming and then mad tweets .
Therefore, this Country is run by damaged old goods.
Lev Parnas has money and like others has no ethics, he has hired lawyers and so is and turning on trump and associates.
But at lease he is not a cabinet member.
The sheninigan and the corruption continues on.
7
I find myself struggling to believe that this is happening in what is supposed to be one of the world's great democracies.
31
@Frank Bannister: Conceit is very fragile, and the US is very vulnerable to ridicule.
1
Of course Trump said Ambassador Yovanovitch would "go through some things." Trump is a misogynist. He loves to threaten and frighten women. Look at the recent things that have come out about his treatment of the former director of Homeland Security, that he verbally abused her, mocking her height and saying she "didn't look the part," for Homeland Security. He said Mrs. Clinton "didn't look the part" of the president and stalked her around the debate stage. And, there's the infamous genital grabbing quote.
This isn't a sign of being tough. This is a sign of being insecure in his manhood.
43
Just remember that Parnas was arrested back in October by Bill Barr's Justice Dept at which time all of the evidence we are seeing now was seized. It was only after a judge ordered it to be released last week that all of this has come to light.
29
That quote about Trump being the Trump supporters’s OJ is absolutely true. I am convinced most Trump supporters see him as a sex symbol... Trump by appointing Dershowitz and Ken Starr is not taking this impeachment seriously and believes it is like his apprentice show... get people that are good on TV and are his supporters even if they are hooligans like Dershowitz and Ken Starr who have been both accused or associated with sexual escapades.
14
Parnas is linked to Firtash who is linked to Putin- manipulating Ukraine politics for billions in energy scams. Stopping democracy and relations with the EU are key to keeping the Russian thugdom rich. They are happy to spread wild falsehoods to discredit enemies. The Russian crime world as well as Putin instills great fear as they have used assassination often by poisoning against their enemies as well.
Manafort helped them. Trump is given their talking points & strategies. The Ukraine maneuver to get Biden smeared while disrupting Ukraine's military support from EU & US is all Putin.
Parnas may be flipping because he faces US prison time and needs protection from the Russian mob.
How is it possible that the Trump-Putin axis remains a hypothesis?
22
@Sara: Nobody knows more about hacking Russian networked air defense systems then Vlad Putin's GRU.
I am in awe at how many birds Trump can hit with one shot. He even winged Trudeau for mocking him at an international conference.
Excellent column, Ms. Goldaberg, thank you. I do believe we have entered Treason Territory.
22
Nothing embodies unregulated capitalism quite like the mob.
19
I remember a piece in the Times right before the 2016 election in which some voters in Wisconsin who had previously voted for Obama said they were going to sit this one out. When a reporter pointed out that it could lead to Trump being elected, they said, "yes, I guess it will be like having Scarface for president" and laughed.
Yep.
17
Hopefully, 2020 will be a year of perfect hindsight and the ‘mistake’ of 2016 will be rectified.
10
Why is Parnas going public and with such apparent confidence that nothing bad will befall him ? Who gave them that confidence?
1
I watched Parnas being interviewed by Anderson Cooper last night on CNN and this man's entire demeanor was one of a two-bit mobster henchman. He was such a Scorsese caricature, it would almost be funny if it wasn't so deadly serious. For Trump to deny that he knows this man is shameful, but oh so typical.
I continue to be amazed--but not surprised--by the company our POTUS keeps. And what's more amazing is that the entirety of the GOP seems to be completely OK with rubbing elbows with gangsters, both foreign and domestic. This entire Administration and the Republican Party no longer makes any bones about ignoring the rule of law and suppressing the will of the people in an all out power grab. It's all quite out in the open.
Seriously, I think the only way this stops is with a massive general strike and weeks-long demonstrations in DC demanding Trump's removal. Because with the voter roll purges taking place all over the country, the 2020 election --even with an unprecedented turnout--is not a guarantee of Trump's removal.
19
Lev Parnas is doing a Joe Valachi redux. He's the lowly wheel-man who shuffles around in the background doing the Bosses biddings while clinging to a perceived code of loyalty as refuge should it all go bad. When that loyalty isn't returned in time of need the Valachis and the Parmas of this world will not go away quietly or alone.
3
Trump Formula - enlist surrogates from outside government to be his hands-on dirty tricks guys. It always seemingly gives him some degree of plausable seperation and perhaps deniability.
4
There is an old saying, 'You don't find priests and nuns standing around the scene of a crime'. Instead you find the likes of Cohen and Parnas. That does not discredit everything they say, but skepticism is in order. Corroboration is essential.
3
Most Americans would like to think that their president represents the best in them. Trump represents the worst in us.
16
Organized crime has taken over the Republican Party. And it is backed by those who don’t care because their policies are based on religious beliefs or single issues like gun rights.
17
Mr. Trump’s crew of thugs seem to realize faster than the Congressional enablers that loyalty is a one way street for Mr. Trump.
8
Ken Starr ousted as president of Baylor University and then forced to resign as chancellor because of his malfeasance in exposing sexual abuse on campus will represent Trump along with Alan Dershowitz an alleged associate of Epstein. As the saying goes, "You can't make this stuff up."
20
Starr was also a part of the Epstein legal team.
2
Nailed it again, Ms. Goldberg.
I am continually impressed as to how Republicans, who have cast themselves as the party of individual liberties, are so eager to be lemmings behind an incompetent, unhinged autocrat.
13
So the corruption continues.
I understand no one in trump`s cabinet as I heard on NPR disagrees to contradict him because of trump`s anger, screaming and then mad tweets .
Therefore, this Country is full of damaged old goods.
Lev Parnas has money and like others has no ethics, he has hired lawyers so is and turning on trump and associates.
The sheninigan continues on.
2
It's no surprise that Mr. Trump viewed Mr. Parnas as being expendable. Mr. Parnas seems to have other ideas. I am seriously enjoying this.
5
Trump's minions dismiss these criminals testifying against them because they are, criminals.
They don't explain how or why all of these criminals (and there are a LOT) seem to have previously been working for, with, on the behalf of Trump.
Now they are criminals whereas then they were …. honest? You have to be completely gullible to believe that.
6
The ONLY time a thug is honest is when he is trying to save himself. So, let's see what corroborating evidence there is to Parnas's testimony. How do we do that? Call the people he has implicated and get their testimony and then look at the evidence, phone records, emails, text messages and anything else available. McConnell, Graham, and the rest of the Republican Senators raised their hands to affirm under oath that they would be impartial. But they didn't get their hands up very high and they had the fingers of their left hands crossed.
4
Ugh. And the worst part is no matter what happens that ear-curdling, blood-splitting name and person attached to it will continue to show up in these pages.
3
In any mob trial your witnesses will be part of the mob and the mob boss will do a hit job either a real one or a figurative one to save their own skins. That Trump clocks himself in the mantel of legitimacy as president does not make him less of a mob boss. Even the Godfather became 'respectable' when it suited his purposes.
I guess Starr and Dershowitz are desperate for publicity, do not care about becoming part of Trump's mob or perhaps bucking for the position of consigliori in the next Trump mob operation. Perhaps they should consider the fate of Michael Cohen before they get too involved.
5
I want to hear it one more time for laughs. "I only hire the best people!"
9
With the way McConnell defended Trump, my question is what did he know? I think he should recuse himself from the trail.
8
Parnas with an ankle bracelet is more believable than our president.
He has notes and his story corroborates what we heard at the impeachment hearings.
Parnas shouldn’t be the one that is held up for the impeccable witness for the democrats but everything together makes the pieces of the puzzle fit. It becomes very clear how corrupt the president and all his men are.
In addition a picture is worth a thousand words and Parnas has over a dozen pictures with Trump, Trump’s family and Rudy.
Mr president you still don’t know this man?
I for one don’t believe you and you aren’t the one wearing an ankle bracelet.
7
@Charna
Yet.
1
So, Parnas was born in Russia. So that means he is Russian. So that looks to me like a go between with Russia diverting focus over to a convenient excuse; Ukraine, who is ruled by a young TV actor who was taught to take orders as an actor.
Republicans "know Trump did what he’s accused of and don’t care."
The only thing the Republicans will understand is complete and utter destruction at the polls on November 3, 2020.
Vote them all out of office. From president to senator to dog catcher. Every last one of them.
17
"Parnas’s decision to go public in the first place is hard to fathom."
I would put my money on Trump's having somehow stiffed or double-crossed him.
3
Parnas is under indictment for illegal foreign donation to GOP candidates and a Trump super PAC.
The GOP now claim he is an indicted fellow and therefore has no credibility.
From hero to villain in an instant.
How convenient.
6
Trump chooses n’er do wells to surround him for three reasons:
1. He feels superior around them
2. They are loyal to a fault and will take the fall
3. He can criticize them later
Of course, he is the ultimate n’er do well.
3
It became crystal clear when watching the Maddow interview of Parnas that Trump is a mob boss, acts like one, talks like one... then yesterday's quote from the new book by the WAPO reporters where Trump calls the generals and intelligence officials "dopes". Right out of the Godfather movies... all he needs now is to walk around the White House with a baseball bat.
Amazing, really... and I guess 60 million people like the idea of the president of this country being a mob boss... One can hope that number will decrease in the next election.
12
This is just the tip of the iceberg it is about natural gas transport to Ukraine and Europe, big money that is the real reason Rotten Rudy is there look past the headlines and think forward. It is always about the money.
5
JAC regarding "Iran wrecking havoc around the world": I suggest you read the recent book about the Dulles brothers. The Iran that exists today is the direct result of the policies of the republican administration of Eisenhower and the Dulles brothers obsession with "protecting American interests". That obsession resulted in an American orchestrated overthrow of a duly elected sectarian leader. The american puppet that followed was in turn overthrown by the religious fanatics in power today. Protecting "American interests" with regime change has not worked out well. Getting rid of S.H. in Iraq created a power vacuum further empowering Iran. All on us brother.
4
Anything coming out of Stephanie Grisham’s mouth should be taken with a truck load of salt. Wasn’t she fired twice for plagiarism? Doesn’t she have two DUI’s? Not surprisingly, she has what it takes to make it on Trump’s crew of misfits. She’s a severely damaged person who is very, very needy. It should shock the conscience of every American to learn that Grisham is being paid $183,000/ yr to regularly deceive us.
12
Sorry to burst your bubble ma'am, but republicans in both the House and Senate refuse to listen to any evidence or facts that clearly indicate President Fearless Leader is abusing the Office of the President.
So harping about President Fearless Leader is a waste of time because the people who have the power to do something see nothing wrong with what he has done.
Perhaps you should focus your attention towards those members in Congress who are enabling these questionable activities?
3
What the Senate will not do, the public must. Here's to November.
20
Goldberg hits the essence of Always-Trumpers at the end -- they don't care about his lying and criminality and, in fact, often see it as a major reason why they like him. A kind of Tony Soprano halo effect that is impossible to reason with, operating outside any sense of morality. What hope does our society have when 40% of voters embrace such views, when we discover what we are really like?
6
Trump is the leader that the tea party was waiting for. I stopped at a tea party rally in Camden county in 2011? It was not well attended but I knew that I had to leave quickly. Hay bales, confederate flag, Buffalo Springfield, and guns. That was a prelude to Trump. Now we see what happens to people who fall in line with con men.
4
@Lake trash Please don't lump Buffalo Springfield in with that lot.
4
Isn't the history of criminal prosecution littered (if not paved) with getting criminals to flip & spill the beans on the brains of some criminal enterprise. Of course he's going to try to minimize his own sentence... isn't that natural? That doesn't necessarily mean that his information is false. Prosecutors are going to vet what he says. In this case, Trump dumped this man under the bus for doing Trumps dirty work.
Yes, he's shady, dark, dirty, & sinister. But to this point he sounds more credible than a lot of the "upstanding citizens" that are holding positions in the Trump cabinet. Mike Pompeo, for instance, Is one of the biggest & worst liars we've ever seen.
Mulvaney can't be trusted to tell you the correct time.
At some point, even Mafia captains who we know murdered people were trusted and believed. This guy Parnas should be listened to.
5
“This is a man who is under indictment and who’s actually out on bail."....are you talking about Parnas or the President?
The talking heads tell us Parnas is not to be trusted because he is under indictment and will say anything to exonerate himself. How exactly is this different from a president that has been impeached and is facing a trial in the senate?
11
The person whose word means the least of all is trump.
Stephanie Grisham's logic applies doubly to her boss.
And I would believe Parnas over trump any day. He has pictures and receipts.
trump has a Sharpie, zero evidence, zero witnesses and zero credibility.
13
The more they cower in fear of Trump, the more they reinforce the impression that there is no lower limit to what Trump will do for retribution.
9
@Steve Bolger
So, mafia henchmen fear Trump. And all elected reps, especially elected Congressional Representatives and Senators, seem to fear Trump's backlash with a passion.
Makes you wonder...what does Trump say or do to these blokes that makes them shiver?
1
While you can say take what he says with a grain of salt, you can also say he had receipts for some of what he said. Also, some of the things he said offered more details to things that were already known.
8
Trump and Senate Republicans have the same supporters and voters. Since staying in office is their number one goal, don't look for these Senators to think about anyone but themselves in this trial. Only in America.
19
Remember a mere three years ago, when we thought the Republicans would come to their senses? You have to wonder how compromised they are, too, to stand with Trump and Trumpism all this time when they know better.
25
@Amelia
Republicans, independents and many democrats who will determine the next president have come to their senses. For 3 years they've witnessed a compromised Washington establishment and their media toadies engage in a massive smear campaign against president Trump that has culminated in a sham impeachment. Despite all that we have record low unemployment, record high stock market, a booming economy, trade deals, new respect from rogue regimes like Iran...Yet the never Trumpers still cling to their delusions. "You have to wonder how compromised they are, too, ... all this time when they know better".
By definition, the only people who are part of a criminal conspiracy are criminals. The difference between those in Trump's circle who have been criminally charged and those who have not yet is time.
15
Many, if not a majority of Republicans either are evangelicals or relied on evangelicals to be elected. Much of what Mr. Trump has done is immoral and corrupt, and I'm not referring to sexual escapades. I thought that evangelicals follow the word of Jesus and believe that morality is important. Apparently, the pursuit of causes such as right wing judges, religious right to deny services and abolition of a women's right to choose are such worthy goals that the devil himself would be tolerated in service of the end result. One of the most upsetting aspects of these times is the realization that many of those held up as the beacons of morality and claiming the moral high ground are righteous in name only as they destroy those in their path, toss conventional moral thought aside and promote a highly immoral vessel for their goals. Religion today, or at least this portion of the community, are doing a wonderful job of selling atheism!
39
Talking to Trump supporters can be exhausting (lots of talking points, clown dancing), but if you put the time in they will usually admit that what they like about him most is that he beats everyone at their own game. By "everyone" they mean the establishment -- both parties plus mainstream media. They see Trump as playing a sort of reality TV game and winning. It's about beating the system, really.
One thing right wing media has convinced these people of is that while government can't really do anything to help you it can do a lot to hurt you, if placed in the wrong hands (the hated liberals). So trying to appeal to Trump supporters with fact-based or policy arguments is usually a waste of time.
Michelle is right that nothing will come of these new revelations, in terms of changing Republican votes. What Pelosi has managed to do is stall long enough for these things to come to light. This will rub Republican politicians' faces in their own moral corruption in front of the whole world. Hopefully Democrats and centrist independents will pay attention and vote accordingly.
32
If Trump is removed from office, the GOP still has Pence. He is no better than Trump --possibly worse in his religious narrow-minded zeal, but he can still sign any House bills that McConnell passes.
Power is all that matters now to republicans. One has to ask why so many in office are afraid of Trump's venal attacks. The four senators not running for reelection should think twice about their oath, and legacy. They still have to look at themselves when they brush their teeth, comb their hair or straighten their tie. Cringing because they lacked courage is avoidable.
Once more thing: waffling like Susan Collins does about witnesses; you are for them or against them There is no middle ground.
19
I will never understand the Republican party's continuing unshakeable loyalty to Trump. He gives them nothing, wouldn't hesitate to throw any of them under the bus at the slightest personal inconvenience, yet they continue to defend a man who is clearly guilty of many wrongdoings, if not illegal activities. And for what?
17
@Kristin Re election and perhaps afraid he has something on them that he will expose.
4
Why is it so difficult for people to believe Trump's denials of association with people like Parnas? Let me count the ways.
Trump is a compulsive, serial liar, so anyone who believes absolutely anything he says is either gullible or kidding themselves. He has always surrounded himself with questionable characters.
Trump, himself, has long led a tawdry existence, so it should come as no surprise that he surrounds himself with people having similar moral challenges. He has always denied knowing the people he has been associated with when it becomes necessary to do so, in spite of concrete evidence, like photographs, to the contrary. It's a patterned response on his part, so normal that it's entirely predictable.
Trump, himself, has long engaged in the very sort of unappetizing, sub rosa behavior that his suddenly de-friended friends have established as their own hallmarks. Birds of a feather, and all that.
Finally, just to keep the list of reasons short, is Trump's propensity to always blame others when the tide turns against him. He never accepts personal responsibility for catastrophes of his own doing.
The stain on Trump's reputation is nothing new. What is new and used to be shocking is the number of Republican officials, from the top down, who have sacrificed any reputation they might once have had for personal integrity, in order to curry favor with Trump.
That leads me to wonder what he's got on them. Nothing, at this point, would surprise me.
23
And Trump and his wife were introduced and walked on to the field at the National Championship college football game last Monday and the crowd actually cheered loudly. The teams came from red Louisiana and South Carolina which may explain it but it also shows the disconnect we have in this country. 100-1 that the majority of the cheers came from Fox News watchers. That station is bamboozling their viewers and causing a deep divide.
12
When crooks get caught and are faced with years of prison they tend to talk. The information coming from Parnas has been corroborated or can be corroborated. The issue is who will follow-up on the uncorroborated information he has provided. The DOJ under Barr? The Republican controlled Senate? Those elected Republicans that continue to support Trump are participating in a conspiracy to obstruct justice. The real question is why and the answer to that question may never be fully answered.
8
While many wonder why there is No outrage in the former party of law and order, it was explained for all to see and none to care, that Trump was known to be crooked in business, too close to organized crime, a serial liar, philander, and more. To these people, what we see is what we knew to be true, and it is worse for some, it is simply additive, not different for his supporters including those who Trump smeared. For those who were smeared over whose family reputations Trump climbed (Cruise, Rubio, etc.), Trump the smeared and sneered is Trump the feared. We see that the former law and order actors are flawed and disorder champions. Collectively the Republicans are the candidates seeking office crowing they wanted the greatest good for the greatest number; and we see the greatest number is #1.
1
While many wonder why there is No outrage in the former party of law and order, it was explained for all to see and none to care, that Trump was known to be crooked in business, too close to organized crime, a serial liar, philander, and more. To these people, what we see is what we knew to be true, and it is worse for some, it is simply additive, not different for his supporters including those who Trump smeared. For those who were smeared over whose family reputations Trump climbed (Cruise, Rubio, etc.), Trump the smeared and sneered is Trump the feared. We see that the former law and order actors are flawed and disorder champions. Collectively the Republicans are the candidates seeking office crowing they wanted the greatest good for the greatest number; and we see the greatest number is #1.
1
Trump’s followers and shills can try to discredit folks like Parnas with the argument that he’s untrustworthy because of what he’s done, but what he’s done is what trump directly or indirectly wanted and directed him to do. He’s just an actor in Trump’s corrupt and morally vacant (and real) reality script. The republicans in the congress might want to consider M. Cohen’s cautionary words when he testified before congress. Look at me, he said, this is how you end up when you front for Trump. And then his was off to prison.
7
It’s unbelievable what Republicans are doing to this country with their blind allegiance to Trump. Simply unbelievable. Who could have ever predicted that Republicans, with all their rhetoric about the sanctity of the Constitution and rule of law, would support a crook like Trump? I’m completely stunned by this. I wonder how they sleep.
18
Trump's thugs, we know all about. He has been studiously collecting them, training them to obey, and having them fetch more monsters on command for decades.
But what about the champions of the American people?
Would someone please explain to me how Chief Justice Roberts can preside over a court in which the most influential jurors have already announced they will acquit in spite of overwhelming evidence that multiple serious crimes against our country have been perpetrated by Trump and on his behalf? Will the complicit Republican senators be allowed to break their sworn oaths with impunity?
Or are we looking at nothing more than a solemnly sanctioned takeover?
13
As this entire tawdry thing explodes, all Republicans who support trump will be covered with the spot and ash of trump’s corruption. Forget protecting careers, don’t they care about their own souls? Do they really want to be part of a debacle that drags the entire country into the muck?
12
The old adage "It takes a crook to catch a crook" is well known for a reason. Only someone involved in "the loop" would know definitively what was going on and who else was involved. Just because he has been charged with another crime does not mean that Parnas is not telling the truth about this one. Quite the opposite. Parnas fears for his own safety, and is right to do so.
9
I saw Speaker Pelosi last night on Bill Maher's show. She once again stated that Trump left her no choice but to support his impeachment. As we all know, she was initially reluctant. That all changed with Trump getting caught in his own shakedown scandal. Trump is corrupt; so is Pence, and so are Pompeo, Barr (Deputy Dawg Barr), and many others in the Trump administration. Trump is the one that will be the focus in the upcoming Senate trial. Majority Leader McConnell doesn't want all the facts to come out because he knows Trump is guilty but just doesn't care, like almost all Republicans, office holders and Republican voters alike.
9
@tom boyd
It’s not that he doesn’t care; it’s that he (McConnell) has been bought off. His wife Elaine Chao was the first cabinet secretary appointed and then approved by McConnell’s senate (and then the FAA, under her, certified the Boeing Max 8). McConnell and Chao family wealth has soared under the Trump administration they’re a part of.
2
Republicans are just sticking their heads in the sand on this whole episode. Their justification is that Trump was elected by the people and he gives them what they want: tax breaks for the rich. Are tax breaks worth your soul?
4
One wonders why the Republican Senate does not realize that the truth will come out, and when it does, there will be nothing for them to hide behind. Trump will continue to do illegal things and disparage them when it is convenient. The party will continue to hemorrhage voters. This is their one chance to right their ship, but instead they all choose to drown together.
4
@C
You call Hunter Biden’s seat on the board of Burisma a gravy train gig and suggest that he was hired so that a corrupt foreign entity could traffic in favors and that the mere suggestion of this is fatal to Joe Biden’s chances.
What exactly did Ukraine get out of the Obama and Biden administration? Trump and his team like to say that they gave Ukraine the hard core military weapons they needed while the weak Obama/Biden team gave them only blankets and food.
So which is the truth? To me it shows that any efforts to corruptly influence Biden by giving his son a cushy job didn’t work as opposed to the Trump administration which is corruption personified.
Just look at how Trump’s family has personally benefited from his Presidency (we will someday find out how other corrupt entities successfully affected foreign policy decisions via gravy train pay offs to the Trumps).
The whole Ukraine business highlights the ethical difference between Trump and Biden very well. It’s not fatal to Joe Biden at all. To me it shows that Biden is a much more honest and trustworthy broker than anyone named Trump could ever be.
7
This notion that a criminal has credibility problems is ridiculous. This guy spent so much time with Giuliani that his credibility is enhanced, not suspect.
Who would know more about the crime than one of the partners in crime?
9
Just imagine, given the pervasive lies, corruption, scandal, and criminality that we have witnessed during the last 3 years, what crimes Trump has committed during a lifetime of sleaze. Just imagine the financial impropriety, the tax and bank fraud, the scope of white collar crime that have almost assuredly been committed by Trump during a lifetime of being a con man and thug. What a surprise that he has never released his tax returns or allowed his business records to be scrutinized. And how disgusting are Trump’s Republican enablers for allowing Trump to hide his financial records behind a fake curtain of executive privilege. The courts, including the Supreme Court, deserve some of the blame for allowing Trump to evade closer investigation. It takes a village to destroy a functioning Democracy, and the Republicans and the court system, including our corrupt AG Barr, are a large and powerful village.
12
Democrats are shocked at new revelations of unethical and unlawful actions taken on behalf of Trump with his full knowledge.
Republicans aren’t shocked, know and accept what Trump is and does and will defend Trump forever because they approve of every one of Trump’s unlawful, sadistic, inept impulses. Their silence isn’t out of fear.
The only time Republicans were hypocrites was when they claimed offense at the p-grabbing
Access Hollywood tape.
Melania’s jacket with the graffiti ‘I REALLY DONT CARE, DO U?’ should become the new logo of the GOP.
17
It is a curious thing to listen to people who defend a man who has lied to them 16,000 times in three years saying others have no credibility because of this or that. Being indicted does not, in an of itself, discredit a person. Chronic lying does. It's Trump, therefore, who has no credibility whatsoever.
5
As participatingly guilty as Trump may look, and in fact, be, I have known many business men who have taken the stance, "get it done" and have walked away, guilty as sin, unrepentant and unindicted. It is an MO powerful people use, ie, "bring me solutions not problems". What we are seeing here is Trump's use of that MO. The problem lies with his savvy. He knows he hasn't taken an oath denying anything as did the hapless Clinton with the sex charge against him. It will take some wily lawyers to bring this guy down and so far, I haven't seen much skill demonstrated in that area.
2
Republicans don’t care. And it’s not just the judges. He is doing the one thing they have been trying to do since Reagan. And that is to destroy the federal government, to them the source of all evil. They don’t want to go back to the 1950s. They prefer the 1850s. Why should they care about his moral deficiencies? Let him wreak havoc on the federal government. Good times for them.
8
I was surprised at how articulate and believable Parnas was in Rachel Maddow’s interview. I didn’t expect that considering the activities he was involved in with the likes of Giuliani and Trump and his sycophants. Parnas came across as more intelligent than any of the clowns associated with Trump. Of course Parnas has all the documentation to back up what he’s saying. Anyone that interacts with Trump at any level must be keeping records and documents to defend themselves when Trump throws them under the bus. I wouldn’t ask Trump the time of day unless I was recording the conversation.
11
@Mary
We know that Trump hates people who take notes. It's quite clear why.
2
Republicans won't defect partly because they are politicians, bound to keep their jobs and partly because the nature of the GOP and its ideology is black/white thinking. Flexible thinking and open-mindedness aren't their bread and butter and never have been. What shapes extreme ideologies -- liberal and conservative -- are beliefs usually strident and fixed. The world is full of right and wrong (and they are right). Some of the GOP players are incapable of fathoming the depth of DJTs depravity, and a portion of that is because they share his traits; in other cases it's because they don't and assume, with zero analysis or critical thought, that most people are like them. These guys, nearly all white and usually male, have spent lifetimes with blinders on. They mostly believe they've earned every last ounce of their power, status and wealth through the sweat of their brows--when we know they got a big head start due to gender, race, second chances and (at times) wealth.
3
Trump has been dealing with crooks and thugs all his life. It seems that he brought his mob ties with him into the administration, and the hapless senators and congressmen that adore him actually appear to have been won over by the dark side. Trump's strategy of doubling down when caught lying and responding to attacks with scorched earth counter attacks have found him a big fan club among the Republicans. I truly believe they are dumb enough to bet on getting away with it the same way they got away with filibustering Obama, and it may work for a while longer. Hopefully not long enough to see this republic completely altered and the Constitution mortally wounded. The daily spectacle of America's pain and helplessness is being broadcast to the world and will lower the standing of this formerly strong nation forever. It is unfathomable and terrifying that the monster in the White House, and he is evil, actually is still given a good chance of winning a second term.
8
Historically, it seems to require someone in the employ of the mob boss to take down the mob boss. Yes, they are unsavory. But the great criminal prosecutors know how to use an insider to flip on that mob boss.
And in the case of Mr. Parnas, he was just barking at the moon. He provided a lot of documentation. Which is why the Republicans are turning to their favorite tactic of "So what!?!?" As the former party of Lincoln morphs into Trump's stooges, it will take the skillful efforts of the prosecutors to pull the rug from under those tactics.
As Intell' Committee chairman, Adam Schiff, noted in his impeachment summations, "Getting caught is not an excuse."
7
The Republican party is the single greatest threat America faces. This is not an exaggeration.
Unfortunately I have little faith that Americans will acknowledge this clear fact and show the courage to face this threat.
11
Parnas’s presence in Trump’s Ukrainian conspiracy
actions proves Trump’s corrupt intent and his abuse of power. He was there to dig up dirt on the Bidens regardless of its veracity and to work with corrupt Ukrainian officials in the manner of a small town mobster. Giuliani and his mob like associates were perfect to represent Trump in this action since Rudy had made a good living working in this corrupt country and had chosen Parnas because of his familiarity with it and his contacts. Trump knew all of this from his long term real estate business that derived much of its finances from similar contacts with corrupt officials and oligarchs.
Parnas is telling the truth and just revealing the low standard of Trump’s morality. He fired the US Ambassador because he feared her strong anti corruption reputation would upset his plot and his desire to tarnish Biden’s reputation.
To the contrary Parnas was part of team Trump
and that alone strongly supports the validity of his impeachment and the necessity for his conviction.
2
In a court of law you can't be judged by the company you keep. In life, however, it's got alot to do with your character.
3
Parnas bought himself an insurance policy by going public. His life has been threatened so by going public he insures himself that if anything should happen to him it would look might suspicious. It wouldn't surprise me if IMPOTUS himself helps Parnas cross the street. Yes, he is under indictment but in interviews he comes across as ernest and believable; someone who wants to get the TRUTH out there. IMO he is one of the only people who has mentioned the T Word on a regular basis and for that alone we need to listen to him
2
The day when Trump turns against Pence and Giuliani will be very beautiful to behold.
That day will surely come as Trump's ego and paranoia cannot stand any other player hugging the limelight, even if that limelight is his very own Senate trial.
Already got a Moët in the chiller for such occassion.
4
Unbelievable. So this is American foreign policy under Trump. A corrupt Ukrainian prosecutor essentially successfully ordered the firing of a US ambassador. And still the GOP won't find him guilty. All I can hope is this is the sound of the GOP death rattle.
3
The criminal conspiracies for which Trump is on trial extend to the Grand Old Party of thieves, aiders, and abetters. Not that many politicians from either party can stand tall on the plain of moral integrity. But why keep driving down that road? Look where it’s gotten us as a country, as a nation. Poverty, homelessness, despair at every turn. Some legacy. Yet is it “truth” we strive to achieve? Do we even know the meaning of that? Why not kindness instead? In the words of FDR, “Human kindness has never weakened the stamina or softened the fiber of a free people. A nation does not have to be cruel to be tough.”
2
I believe that tawdry grifting and criminality are now the essential characteristics for the successful GOP candidate. In fact, they may be the very definition of modern day presidential, to a borrow a phrase from Donald. No doubt, honest Abe is rolling in his grave.
2
"...Trump’s defenders are pointing out that he (i.e.,Parnas) is a disreputable person who can’t be trusted..."
And it sounds like Trump's defenders must share Trump's inability to recognize and appreciate irony as well.
1
What is almost funny is how the media deals with Trump's assertions of: "I don't know him." The reporters don't get the context. The statement is not an assertion of fact, it is a message to, in this case, Parnas (or anyone who has run afoul of Trump) that he no longer recognizes you because you are no longer faithful of important to him.
Like the girl who jilted you, or the Godfather, this isn't a statement of fact, it is a judgement that you are no longer in the "good graces" of the person making the assertion "I don't know him/you/them..."
I don't know if Trump is more the girl of the Godfather although I'm sure he sees himself as the Godfather and not the petty girl.
As to the issue of Ukraine, I do see a combination of elements designed to make the American people and their elected representatives so tired that they are willing to stop funding Ukraine and leave them to the tender mercies of Putin.
Unfortunately, one of these days Putin will deny "knowing" Trump.
2
As a prosecutor once said to me when I questioned his use of a compromised witness who had a terrible record and who was a codefendant of the accused: "these cases don't happen in heaven."
3
Day by day we get more disheartening evidence of the thorough Putinization of this administration. Will Republican senators see past their re-election blinders?
3
The sickness in my stomach has been there nearly three years, and I fear it will continue...
This administration has set the precedent for corruption of truth.
I believe Parnas, but the truest crime is that our Senators will support the Evilness occupying the White House without examining any facts, calling any relevant witnesses, and with disregard to the previous investigations , most notably Mr. Mueller's.
8
The Muller Report feels like a million years ago. Someone needs to write all the crimes, scandals, and crazy through the whole of the Trump administration- volumes one through 1000.
2
Once again the Russians are messing with us. Now we are obsessed by this Parnas guy - why is he talking? who was paying him? should we believe him? etc. etc.
All of this keeps our government and the media from focusing on the things we really need to think about: climate change, tax reform for middle class, gun violence, better schools, fair elections. Sigh.
Thanks, Mr. Putin.
4
Seems that everyone that comes into contact with Trump is a con artist or turns into one. This includes the whole GOP. I just can't imagine how they all could just March along behind him with blinders on not seeing how rotten this all is.
4
So Parnas, Cohen, et al., commit crimes at the direction of the Donald and the Rudy then Trump's lawyers. and his Renfields in the GOP, say these people can't be trusted because they committed crimes. If my head wasn't spinning, it would explode.
3
Parnas strikes me as one of the more lucid and intelligent members of Trump's crew. Even though he is interested in reducing his sentence, I think Lev might even have a bit of a conscience.
Not so with other Trump team members. They ooze sleaze,
graft, and stupidity. They can't even blame Trump- someone doesn't just wake up with those qualities one day- but our President has certainly helped to take criminality to another level.
1
Any one who becomes an enemy of Trump receives instant fame and is elevated to being a hero to the Trump haters. The list is getting bigger with the addition of Lev Parnas who is providing music to those with Trump derangement syndrome. We had Cohen, Comey, Tillerson, Avennati, Stormy, Marie, Fiona, Scarmucchi, Sondland. Where did they all end up? In the dustbin of history or in prison. I expect Parnas to end up somewhere between the dust bin and prison but maybe with the plea bargain could get a lighter sentence. What does that say to the general public? There is a big market in the media for those who are ready to create some rabble rousing against Trump but it turns out meaningless
2
What will be worse, that Bill Barr completely dismissed the Mueller report, or that the U.S. Senate will choose to prevent relevant evidence and witnesses in trying Donald Trump for attempted extortion of Ukraine?
3
That so many people still support Trump after all that has transpired just shows how prideful humans can be after they realize they've been duped.
2
THIS: "A willingness to associate with Trump is a sign of moral turpitude, so most witnesses to his venal schemes will necessarily be compromised."
Trumpies, many a mob member has been convicted when one of his compatriots sang in order to save themselves. Why do you think there's 'honor among thieves'? Because if one starts talking, the gig is up.
Well, trump's gig is up. Mobsters are shady criminals because they're cowards. They didn't have the integrity to do upright work in their lives, like Col. Vindman. Instead, they spend their energies on greedy machinations. When they're caught like Lev Parnas, they squeal because they're cowards and want favorable treatement.
One need not admire Parnas in order to connect dots.
1
It’s mob all the way down. The sooner we recognize this, and the MSM focuses on this, the better the American public can be informed of exactly who the enemy is.
Trump has hidden his lifelong mob connections. These are not just features of his administration, they are fully what it is.
5
I’ve decided that Trump and these Republicans in leadership, and some Evangelical leaders, as well as our newest Supreme Court Justice represent the worst of ‘white male privilege’. They alone have the luxury of doing as they please and never paying any consequence, as their parent’s wealth and money has protected them, just as they’ll continue to protect their sons. The crazy thing is I was watching footage of Trump complaining about his impeachment saying something like ‘he’ll have to take it, just like he’s done his whole life’, like he so persecuted. HA! Interestingly, ‘white male privilege’ used to be combined with a sense of duty, honor and courage, as in George Washington or John McCain. ‘To much is given, much is required’ as the good book says. But in Trump world, you are not blessed to be a blessing to others, but you are blessed because you’re so special and deserve to win! Whatever happened to if not for the grace if God, so go I? It’s like they think they were born to rule and be rich and do as they please. What, you say, there is the rule of law? Oh yeah, that’s for everybody else. Justice will be served. The day of reckoning will come. God is not mocked. You will reap what you sow. Sow to bear good fruit that will last, NOT fruit that is rotten to the core.
4
Trump has such a large entourage it is difficult to decipher who is or may be a "thug" versus a thrown away follower. It is the silence maintained by the discarded followers that amazes.
There are probably many comparisons, but I see a lot of Elmer Gantry in our President.
3
When does our body politic become sufficiently disgusted with the stench coming out of all of our revered institutions to finally clean out our Augean Stables (AS)? First it was the White House (AS), now our August Senate (AS) is itself on trial. Do the majority of our Senators themselves became part of Trumpian refuse? What about our presiding Chief Justice? Who (or what institution) will stand up to become our Hercules? Have Putin and his henchmen (clearly also part of the AS) discovered the fatal flaws in our Constitutional Safeguards? We shall see in the coming weeks and months.
2
Way back in the SDNY days when Giuliani was legit he relied (as do all prosecutors) on less than savory characters who were 'in the room" to testify and take down the big fish. He and his pal Trump are now the big fish thrashing in the tank.
4
If there is one thing that we can take from Parnas, it is that the "love of Trump" is a cult. Pundits have been inching toward that conclusion for months now. the Times reporting on the supporters with their caps and t-shirts and the mob roaring "lock her up" are all signs of a cult. Finally someone came out and used the word.
5
No, Tim, they have no shame. Why should they? To take a stand against Mr. Trump is political suicide. You are from NYC, so you really know that.
Do we still have people in the government who would begin the preamble to a document with the ringing words, "We the People ..."? Do we still have people who take those words seriously? That sentence begins with the simple word "We". How many elected politicians in the Senate really think in terms of "We" if that word includes people across this nation?
1
Feeling down & out? As if everyone is immoral?
Just remember the strength and wisdom of Yovanovich, and, oh my, Fiona Hill. They are Americans as well. Cream of the crop. They are the enemies of trump & co. as they are so wonderfully decent, and wise. Justice will prevail. It might well be slow, but the awful stink & endless corruption of trump and his many cronies will not, in the end, overtake our sweet democracy for good.
Stay strong, focused, and, of course, vote.
5
Republicans "just don't care" is about as succinct, precise and accurate can be. I would add to that, "a silent majority of enablers,". Those enablers are US Senators, US House representatives who have plugged their ear with each others fingers, and Trump voters.
Facts in evidence strongly support the notion that Guiliani was choreographing the plan to get dirt on the Biden's, telling his henchmen ( Parnas and others) what was needed, expected and desired, and then tasked them with getting it. In this instance, their activities were focused on getting Ukraine officials to acknowledge, announce, or merely give creedence to basically a debunked rumor...that the Biden's were involved in some form of corrupt activity. Trump, campaign associates, surrogates and proxies would then use this information to help defeat his opponent ( Biden) in 2020.
The fact that Trump spent so much time entertaining such claptrap shows his "win at any cost", "ends justifies the means" mentality. But, Guiliani, acting on the behalf of his clinet, the POTUS, was the architect, master mind and Svengali all rolled into one of the mechanics of this highly illegal and unethical process. At this point, turning a blind eye to this behavior further emboldens and enables Trump and his associates. As such, they are the "silent majority of enablers".
1
Maybe ... most likely, in fact, given the record of those cited in the piece. Still though, connecting the dots is, objectively considered, speculative ... which is made worse by political preference, if not moral outrage. Effective crime bosses know what they’re doing, which America is up against in the frustration and confusion of justice now suffered. America knew Trump as a con man, going in. And that’s what America presently has. The election in November will be telling about which way America wants to go. Getting rid of Trump right now is, relatively speaking, small potatoes, especially because he’s been checked to large extent.
I believe Parnas (and Fruman) are Russian assets whose mission was to push Putin's 2016 Ukrainian conspiracy disinformation campaign, which Trump and the Republicans have embraced. Parnas may have been arrested for campaign finance law violations, but he was fleeing the country. Such is the act of a spy who is blown. Of course he's talking, so the story of the conspiracy doesn't end with him sitting in Federal prison like Cohen. It shouldn't be hard to check out what he says, and he already has provided documents to support his allegations. That is, of course, if any Republican senator really wants to establish the truth.
9
Why is a Fox Lawyer who represents Russian Oligarchs asking the question here???
"A lawyer and Fox News regular named Victoria Toensing — who has represented a Kremlin-aligned Ukrainian oligarch who is, according to the Justice Department, an upper-echelon associate of Russian organized crime figures — texted Giuliani saying, “Is there absolute commitment for her to be gone this week?” Why the obsession with Yovanovitch?
15
Wow, excellent article and writing that gathers together and correlates so much. Thanks.
13
Good reporting, Michelle. I look forward to reading your commentaries. You write with clarity, insight and elegance. Thanks.
14
It is truly sad to witness the death of the rule of law and the lack of decency. I see this as sort of the logical conclusion of the Reagan plus Bush II years, but more extreme. There are simply no limits anymore. I have also wondered why the Democrats can't field a JFK, or somebody who truly appeals to our better nature. Our society doesn't seem to create those people anymore. I believe that Trumpism and the Republican lack of shame and any sort of decency is representative of much broader problems in our society. Reflecting on a personal approach to this demoralizing condition, I think that people in totalitarian states habilitate themselves to the conditions. They learn to focus on family and friends (or maybe their phones) and forget about the state which is so corrupt and demoralizing, it is not worthy of consideration. Maybe we'll be surprised and our fellow citizens will reject Trumpism and decide to live as free people again. That is an open question.
14
@Todd Your clarity of insight into the demise of the Republican party is impressive... but your lack of belief in any of the Democratic challengers is cynical and depressing. More than a couple of them have been steadily polling above the corrupt incumbent for months now. It might do you and all of us some good to put some of your fight into supporting somebody instead of putting it all into attacking the other side (even though they deserve it and then some).
3
Goldberg's comments seem balanced and to my mind are therefore not truly partisan. The fact that Mr Trump is bad news is objective reality. As has been pointed out, the idea that balance is necessarily a mix of pros and cons is false when what you are dealing with is all cons.
3
The "It's all a hoax" defense has been abandoned.
Because of the mountain of facts collected in spite of Donald Trump's obstruction, the Senate trial defense of Donald J. Trump will be "So what".
So what if he asked Russia, Ukraine, China, and any other foreign nations to interfere in American elections;
So what if he did not faithfully execute the LAW passed by congress to supply Ukraine with military aid that effects America's security;
So what if he abused his power by obstructing the evidence of his plot and actions.
His defenders will claim that the nation's Founders would not have judged these acts to be impeachable. They are lying.
The men who wrote the Constitution expressly prohibited receipt of aid from foreigners in our elections, and did so especially in the case of the president. They knew the danger of allowing a president to become dictator, by corrupting elections with the support of other dictators and Kings. They did not forsee the complicity of this current GOP Senate majority, nor the rise of powerful propaganda media in service to one man.
33
They must have shut this man out when he was arrested. I don’t blame him for coming forward, not wanting to be made the ultimate fall guy. He’s very good at documenting things.
12
Someone should point out to Trump's defenders that Trump is also under indictment at the moment.
30
Folks! It’s a race to the finish!!
My Life vs America.
I’m staring down 80 years old.
I hope I win because I’m not sure I’d want to continue if America gets there before I do.
17
The country let a fox into the hen house because deep down we, collectively, have a love affair with tony soprano and from our attachment at the hip with tv are not fully in touch with reality. All those folks, not much different from myself, that long for the simplicity and moral clarity of The Waltons, went down a deep rabbit hole never to return. Their leaders made a one way trip deal when they said, "yeah, I want to be a tony soprano." If only HBO could do a follow up series with tony paying the price for his monsterous nature. Binging the right tv programming has a better chance of saving ourselves than the current two political parties. The one exception is Bloomberg. He knows how to deal with the cons and thugs of New York City. Unfortunately, he is low on entertainment value.
25
@william phillips Good comments.
"Bloomberg ………...knows how to deal with the cons and thugs of New York City."
And he was a real businessman not a pretend businessman on The Apprentice. I think that many of The Donald's faithful don't know that The Apprentice was made up. When The Donald did try business he ended up declaring bankruptcy five or six times.
Bloomberg, in my opinion, would be the best nominee for the Democrats. He knows how to deal with The Donald's flimflam and he would know what to do when he gets into office.
The country desperately needs a rational health care system for anyone who wants to participate; desperately needs infrastructure building -- highways, bridges, railways, airports, dams, etc; desperately needs a rational foreign policy to get us out of places (such as the middle east) where we are bogged down and hemorrhaging money. There are others such as the deficit, etc.
Bloomberg would be the best bet to tackle some of these issues and to actually achieve results. But as you say "he is low on entertainment value." America has become one giant The Apprentice.
Best wishes and stay positive.
15
Tony Soprano died at the end of the series. It was subtly done. A lot of people missed it or misunderstood the significance of the final, sudden cut to black.
2
@william phillips A few years ago David Chase said Tony Soprano WAS killed by one of the people looking at him in the diner. So eventually Tony did pay. So maybe Trump will, too. (In a non-lethal way, of course.)
1
The Republican party is akin to a losing desperate gambler — he's so deep in he wrongly assumes the only choice and the only way out is to throw all his good money after his bad. There is only one outcome to that scenario which is the one we will see November 3rd.
30
This past week we were all witness to an impressive display of well choreographed pomp, ceremony and decorum in our nation's capitol, as the articles of impeachment were transferred from the House to the Senate. Nothing more than the last vestiges of what America used to be, or at least always strove to be - A more perfect Union. No longer; underneath all of that ritual in the beautiful Capitol building, we are a very, very corrupt nation. This is especially true under GOP governance. Far too many Americans do not see or appreciate how inadequate our once lofty ideals have been against the forces of greed. The rest of the world certainly knows how far we've fallen.
71
@Paul Mc: The states are the fault lines the US will cleave on. They Balkanize the US to perpetuate unequally protective laws. Slavery is alive and well in the enablement of employers to dictate employee's lives on the basis of religion.
1
Fallen? Nonsense. You're still endorsing then as a Grand Old Party.
That's what those 3 letters mean. Disagree? then spell it out for the rest of the class, which cannot read your mind.
Thank you.
It boggles my mind that so many people with good reputations have sunk so low for Trump. Does Trump know the dark arts? Surely they do not believe he was just concerned about corruption in Ukraine. The Democrats need to talk about what tackling corruption in Ukraine would look like if Trump followed normal procedures. I bet it does not include hiring a private lawyer to investigate that country.
40
@Thomas - The real question the Democrats need to be asking is why did the Republican Senate knowingly allocate taxpayer money to a corrupt nation such as Ukraine? McConnell and Lindsay have known all about Burisma for a long time and they were not concerned. Nor were the 4 Republican Senators who wrote a letter calling for the resignation of the Ukrainian prosecutor.
2
I, as millions of others, was totally engrossed in Rachel Maddow’s interview w/ Lev Parnas and was also impressed w/ his knowledge of the corrupt inside group operating out of the bar at Trump Tower. Much of what he detailed has been corroborated including Nunes’ involvement from the beginning. Will this make any difference in the upcoming impeachment trial ? Trump’s team now joined by discredited Dershowitz will probably continue to stonewall keeping any relevant witnesses or documents from being used. The complicity of the Republican Party will now be on public view for the world.
67
What I don’t understand is that many say to take what he says with a grain of salt since he is indicted for campaign finance violations... yes, but in relation to the president of the US. He had all the receipts to prove it. How is Parnas not to be trusted, yet the rest of Trump’s henchmen have not been arrested? Privilege, anyone? Or is it just the fact that he is just a scapegoat due to his foreign origins?
50
Republican friends see the kinds of people Trump works with, including his cabinet secretaries. Still, they support him. I tell them America is paying a high price to make the evangelicals happy. “What shall it profit a man if he gain the whole world and lose his soul?”
89
@WestHartfordguy Good comment.
"America is paying a high price to make the evangelicals happy."
You hit the nail on the head. Everything that The Donald does is to pander to his base -- a key part of which is the evangelicals.
Best wishes.
4
I purged my friends list of Republicans. Still encounter them on occasion socially - but keeping my distance. Too toxic and ignorant.
4
My goodness...all the bits and pieces of the impeachment hearings are starting to fit together. And now the characters from the Mueller report are fitting into the picture more clearly.
I'd love to see a time series sequence chart that puts it all together.
67
When the tv shows Scandal and House of Cards depicted the flagrant inner-workings of politics and demonstrated high-level corruption the depths of which average Americans could only perceive in a fictional world, I used to imagine this was closer to the realities than the writers and audience might think. I was right.
52
The current president really is spectacular.
He gets followed by the media everywhere it seems – as though starring on a reality show.
He every day broadcasts comments on his little Twitter account, sometimes defending his observed actions, often lambasting other participants in the one game.
Within his good performance of his duty, he ought to in us goodly thoughts create, or in us invoke well thought.
I would like to hope all the best for him – which might even be good American ways – and for impeachment to be an option considered good.
14
Even if one believes that a Congressional Law trumps the President's Constitutional prerogatives to appoint and dismiss Ambassadors and as Commander-in-Chief decided when and if military aid is appropriate, a Presidential challenge to that law is every presidents' right, as is CONGRESS's right to take to controversy to the Supreme Court. Had the President refused to follow a specific, explicit order the Supreme Court, that would be a High Crime.
Whether President Trump felt or expressed that a public investigation of Burisma, Hunter and Joe Biden might be of political benefit, delayed the release of funds as an act of persuasion, or removed the Ambassador because he did not like her, is irrelevant to any High Crime.
Investigating Burisma is a legitimate issue, the funds were released within the window required by law, and every Ambassador is subject to the President's whim.
Hopeful the attempted Schiff-Pelosi coup of congress and presidency will be quickly placed in the shredder of history.
12
As Commander-in-chief, Trump doesn’t have the power to decide whether military aid is appropriate— that is the role of Congress. And the only reason that the money was released was because, after the whistleblower’s accusation, Trump knew the jig was up. And he isn’t being impeached for his treatment of the Ambassador, even though the Ukrainians he was trying to shake down have launched a criminal investigation into the alleged surveillance of her.
368
@Dennis J Solomon and it all would have happened sub rosa if we did not have the Whistleblower. That's not how the US government is s'posed to operate.
151
@Dennis J Solomon
Trump only released the funds when Congress found out about it and insisted. He would not have done it on his own, other than under the terms he demanded.
His only motive was fear of a Biden win in 2020, his only goal to intimidate Zelensky into doing his bidding.
Trump really had no interest in the soundness or rightness of his argument, just the results.
223
The testimony of Mike Cohen against Trump did not turn out to be that damaging legally or even politically. Most people were simply not interested by someone who was a habitual lier and convicted for that, and tuned out.
The testimony of Lev Parnas, who says that he believes that what he does is somehow in the center of Trump's attention far away, is just the same as Cohen's.
Even if it were true, and that's a giant if, having someone followed in public spaces, discreetly, without any interference, is not illegal. Remember the Nancy Drew novels? That's what private investigators do.
12
@novoad The last paragraph of the above comment, I must say, is one of the most naive comments in regard to the Trump scandal I have ever seen. Having a U.S. ambassador trailed? This could be illegal on many different levels and the government of Ukraine is investigating.
151
@Doug Terry
The poor Ukrainians walk on a thin wire, careful not to upset either the Republicans, who after all gave them the defensive weapons, or the Democrats, who now control the purse.
In this whole story, they tried to stay away from any American politics. That is why they did no investigations on the Bidens, for instance.
13
@novoad
The documents would strongly suggest that the surveillance included the interior of the embassy. Hardly 'public space'!
61
Yes what trump and his party has done is unacceptable; but I fear that in the fervor to condemn trump, we are ignoring a history of horrific wars and other actions that devastated vulnerable nations around the world and elevated sectors of our own population while crushing others. The current administration is truly outrageous but we should not forget what came before. Trump does not exonerate Bush et al.
12
One frightening prospect is getting too little attention. What happens if Senate Republicans rush to acquit Trump and close the impeachment? And then, days or months later, irrefutable documentary evidence surfaces to show Trump has committed horrible crimes against the United States? What would that do to the GOP? What would it do to the nation? Why are Republican senators so obviously willing to run that risk?
39
@S.P.
I believe that if that happened, the poll numbers (approval/disapproval) would be little changed. I think the Republicans are increasingly emboldened that even when more and more damaging evidence comes to light, Republican voters' minds don't change a bit.
14
@S.P. - The Republicans (and their base) are trying to take over the democracy and turn it into their own theocracy. They don't care about fair elections, the Constitution, or anything other than Monica.
1
Much of Parnas' information is verified by contemporaneous documents he prepared and that he received from others. Documentary evidence is often what is used to most effectively support or contradict testimony.
Nothing Trump says regarding this sorry Ukraine mess is verified as convincingly with contemporaneous documents; in fact what he says is contradicted by written, photographic and even video evidence. Sad to say but Pardas, as shady as he is, is more credible than Trump --and it's not even a close question.
51
@Woodtrain50 Parnas liked Insurance and that is how he is now being saved as a state witness. If I were going to be doing shady things with shady people, everyday I'd be wearing a wire, and taking as much of the dealings down as possible, it's called leverage and being smarter than the others. If you going to do the crime, at least be smart about it.
13
@Charles E Owens Jr -- A while ago when asked about Trump's turning on him, Giuliani said he has "insurance." Parnas's claims and documents suggest what that insurance is: that Giuliani knows everything and can provide first hand, direct evidence of Trump's criminality.
19
If Mr. Trump is so bad, dishonest, corrupt, and surrounded by others so like himself, why does it look increasingly like the voters will return him in November for four more years? Or, let's turn that around the other way and frame it as a practical political question: If Mr. Trump is so bad what are Democrats getting so drastically wrong that voters appear to prefer him to any of the Democratic alternatives?
5
A majority of voters preferred Hilary Clinton in 2016. They just weren’t geographically distributed in the right way.
Given that Trump’s approval ratings have been under water since day 1, it’s almost certain that a majority of voters will prefer the Democratic candidate in 2020. Unfortunately that doesn’t necessarily translate to winning in our system.
9
@Ronald B. Duke
Actually, the opposite is true. Recent polls in swing states show Trump's chances for re-election are falling. In one, a generic Democrat (doesn't matter which one) beats Trump by 12 points. See link below.
https://washingtonpress.com/2019/08/20/a-pair-of-new-polls-show-trumps-re-election-chances-sharply-dwindling/
4
@Ronald B. Duke "If Mr. Trump is so bad, dishonest, corrupt, and surrounded by others so like himself, why does it look increasingly like the voters will return him in November for four more years?"
Simple, GREED. It seems that many in our "uber" capitalist society has been convinced that you can ignore almost anything for money.
2
I am afraid that "the lawyers" for trump will use procedural and technical maneuvers to defend trump in an effort to get around the more difficult task of trying to defend an obviously guilty and corrupt person.
The country stands on the edge of a sword; With hatred, authoritarianism, and fear on one side and liberty and justice for all on the other.
28
@Lalo - So far, the Trump lawyers have done little in providing intelligent arguments which is why they keep getting shot down in court. Let them scream about process. It was the Republican voted/approved process that was being followed.
The rot in the American political system goes straight to the core. The greed, avarice and self-interest that is is always part of a political system has blighted. I'm not sure it can be salvaged since the only way one can ever deal with such systemic rot is to cut it out. All of it.
The question is how far has it penetrated? Worse case would be that too far and the patient, the structure it has burrowed within, dies. Possible best case? The patient survives but becomes severely compromised, hanging on for the remainder of a lifetime.
I suspect the latter will be the case because even if Trump is removed, or fails to be re-elected, the damage that has been done to the whole American experiment in Republic styled democratic rule by the people has been badly compromised.
The trust in it, the trust between people who participate in it, has been harmed, perhaps irrevocably though I hope not. This is the legacy Trump leaves us.
Sad. So sad. But so it goes.
John~
American Net'Zen
23
Great read! Trump campaigned to drain the swamp, yet he took the swamp to a whole new level. He brought in his own corrupt friends to help serve his own agenda. So the swamp just got a whole lot murkier.
What I find to be very ironic is that he might inadvertently achieved his goal of draining some of the swamp, as his associate has exposed some members of the swamp. The players just wrote their own life sentence in history. The only way for any of them to redeem themselves today, and for their legacy in history, is to testify under oath and admit guilt. That takes courage that they have obviously lacked. I applaud those who have provided testimony and I applaud those no longer part of this administration because you disagreed with Trump.
20
Given who else is implicated, at this point, if Trump goes down the Republican Party goes with him. So we can count on them to close ranks around Trump yet again. As for rank-and-file Trump supporters, they probably admire and appreciate Trump's unscrupulous ruthlessness. "Sometimes it takes a bully to get things done" is what they say, right?
16
Tawdry and disreputable Trump perfectly and only tawdry sycophants stick with him. Those that have an ounce of dignity or honor will lose it when they stick around with him for more than a few weeks. William Barr proves the point as well as James Mattis and Mike Tillerson who had the sense to bail. And others have left in disgrace. Trump blames it all on them.
Trump may evade the judgement of his Republican Senate sycophants, but if he loses the election in november there are prosecutors who are waiting for the chance to indict Mr. Trump, Trump has always claimed that losing is not an option. For Trump that means staying out of jail.
21
That Republicans (or at least Republican politicians in office) "know Trump did what he’s accused of and don’t care" is the worst part of the whole sordid Trump "presidency." It means that we are not losing our republican democracy; it means we have already lost it. When a major political party condones criminal conduct as a way to gain and hold power, the system is irretrievably broken.
48
"By going public, Parnas has probably done nothing to sway Republicans toward removing Trump from office, not because they don’t believe him, but because they know Trump did what he’s accused of and don’t care. "
This is the saddest conclusion of all. No amount of seedy witnesses, or high-level witnesses, or even just garden variety incompetent witnesses who happened to be in the wrong place at the same time will detract from Trump's 45%.
Ironic, right--45 is also his nickname. And a "less than majority," in a country where half the people don't vote, has more power than the rest who do.
28
I am left wondering why the GOP doesn't wake up and take the opportunity that it has been given to them to dump Trump. He's served as a useful dupe carrying their water to trash environmental regulations, hand out a generous tax windfall to the wealthy and corporate America, and, most usefully, chock the federal judiciary full of ultra-conservative shills. So why do they want to continue to put up with his cringe-worthy behavior and equally loathsome tweeting? Surely, Trump keeps many, if not most of them, perpetually aggravated, irritated and embarrassed when they're not otherwise running for cover. This is their chance to shuck the huckster and declare victory. Don't forget there's strength in numbers so here's hoping they'll take this opportunity to throw him out!
28
It’s like one commentator said: you don’t give up on your favorite ball team just because one player beats his wife or cheats when he plays golf.
You find excuses to stay with that team, hoping tomorrow is better.
2
Sadly, they will likely stick with the huckster to the end, even if it means the end of their careers. Think what dark secrets they must be hiding from their constituents to put loyalty to thugs and corruption over country. We are a banana republic and they bear the blame.
1
This excellent column once again begs the question, "Why is trump so bulletproof?"
Why don't republicans care? Do they really -- as one told me recently -- hate "liberals" so much that their greatest joy is watching their heads explode at trump's doings, never mind what it does to the nation they allegedly revere? Could they really be that disassociated with the good of the country?
Scary version: They are.
32
What’s truly disturbing is that Trump and his cronies (and many of his supporters) are not just corrupt, but corrupt and mentally unhinged. That makes them much more dangerous and unpredictable. Who knows what their endgame is and how far they’ll go to carry it out?
24
It is ALL insanity: the Trump entourage, his family, the tweets, the corruption, the private enrichment, the daily lies, the secrets. Meanwhile, while we're distracted, the Cabinet Departments and other agencies keep proposing and issuing new federal regulations that will worsen public health and safety; destroy various animal species and the environment; ruin public lands; ignore scientific evidence; harm communities, particularly children; increase segregation; decrease the quality of higher education; and so on. Many of these new rules will increase corporate profits, allowing businesses opportunities to avoid both taxes and consumer protections. Please, New York Times, give us more stories such as today's on the proposed rule changes to publicly funded school-lunch programs.
51
I found Mr. Parnas to be a credible person, despite the cartoonish characterizations by tv. talking heads. He is a victim of Trump and now realizes that fact. The bigger picture in all this, as those below have written, is Putin and Russian imperialist aims. Putin wants a weakened US, he wants a weakened and fragmented Ukraine. He wants a reconstituted Warsaw Pact and the disintegration of NATO. He has found a more than willing stooge in the person of Trump to carry out these plans. The events described in the articles of impeachment are just a few lines of music in a much larger symphony.
27
This cynical charade exists because pointing fingers at and denouncing the culprits with utmost outrage, as they deserve, is seen in American culture as more aggravating than the deeds themselves.
2
Parnas has documentation to bak up his claims. Also, much of what he has said has been corroborated by other witnesses. There are other fact witnesses we have not yet heard from because of Trump's obstruction and scores of documents and correspondence Trump has also locked up.
Parnas may very well be an unwieldy underworld type character, but so long as his testimony can be backed up by other independent sources, it is just as valuable as any.
Notice that the Trump team is only attacking his credibility. So far, they have not provided any counter testimony, alibis, or documentation that disproves Parnas's claims. If all Parnas says if bogus, then Trump has every opportunity to prove it.
Bad guys turn states evidence all the time. Many organized crime figures have been taken down by the most unscrupulous underlings. This is no different.
The ball is now in Trump's court. If Parnas is a liar, then Trump should go ahead and prove it. Otherwise, not providing evidence to that effect is a further indication of his guilt, because he is guilty.
37
@Bruce Rozenblit - If Parnas was such an underworld character, surely Mayor RICO Rudy would have seen right through that and walked away. Surely!
The problem with Parnas is he's not reputable.
The problem for Trump with Parnas is that at least 90% of what he's said has been corroborated, and that he brings massive amounts of verifiable documentary evidence.
But the Republicans will try to stick with Parnas being an accused crook and bury the corroboration and evidence. Yet EVERYONE surrounding and defending Trump is a crook.
21
What's the point of commenting when it doesn't show up until the next day, 12, 18, or 24 hours later? You cannot have a discussion that way, and, by then, the news has moved on.
1
Republicans' complaints that 1st hand witnesses like Lev or Michael Cohen to Trump's wrongdoings are felons, and therefore not credible witnesses to detail his wrongdoings
That argument is similar to the one they make about the Democrats' "shoddy work product" that doesn't include the testimony of several key witnesses.
It's all because of Trump's degree of corruption that in the first case he tends to deal with thugs and crooks, and in the second case he blocked testimony himself. That these Republican talking points fail the smell test is obvious to all objective persons that watch this drama.
If the Senate Republicans continue this line it will be obvious to the 60% of voters who can still think for themselves that Republicans are defending a fool in king's clothing.
Let Trump convince the other 40% to invest all their savings on Trump's campaign. A 60/40 split of the national vote to the Dems' favor would hold the house, flip the Senate, win the presidency and use up a lot of cash Republican donors have to cause mischief.
Remember, Trump's is the gang that can't shoot straight. As long as Dems listen to Nancy Pelosi and stay tuned in to what independents and working class families want to see at the top of the ticket, Dems can pull off the big win we need in November.
19
I hope you’re correct but reading some of the replies here causes me agita .
2
In addition to all the other scary things Trump is, this opinion piece essentially describes Trump as inept. That's potentially one of the scariest descriptors yet.
5
@JEAiil
Remember former White House Chief of Staff, John Kelly, telling Trump "if you fire me, you'll end up getting yourself impeached." Kelly tried to protect Trump from himself, but failed. Trump has been impeached.
1
This article is on the mark, especially the analogies to organized crime. Certainly, DJT will go down as the most corrupt president in U.S. history. But the most disturbing part is how an entire political party in what is supposed to be a democracy abetted him.
15
@HB - Why is that surprising? Both parties are completely corrupt and both need to go the way of the Whigs and the Torries.
Does everything Trump touches get dirty? I used to think so, but after reading this article, and reviewing the cast of characters, its more like vultures flocking. Trump is just one of the dirty birds, and half our country likes it like that. These are dangerous times for the USA, like 1933 was for Germany.
17
I am in my 30’s, I promise I will live to see the day when Republicans of the future make the false claim that all this time DJT was a Democrat.
14
Wait a red-hot minute: We are ALL under surveillance, tracked with cell phone data, security cams, etc. Parnas's ongoing relationship with Trump and Guiliani is not just hearsay, nor him-say, nor even available in photos we've all seen: It is provable by electronic data. The White House can say whatever they want about Parnas, but if he's a criminal like they say, we can prove the President and his lawyer were regularly meeting with a criminal.
8
Yovanovitch's honesty and integrity was what Trump and his henchmen feared. That's why they threatened her and got her removed from her position so quickly. As this sordid tale unravels more fully, Trump is looking dirtier with each passing day.
22
Impeachment is irrelevant when we all know the outcome will be acquittal. If we want a democracy, we need to work for and fight for it by protecting our elections. If we don’t, we will suffer with corruption and the Trump Party for years to come.
6
Trump has shown that his judgement is awful. He is a terrible judge of character as shown by the great number of criminal types he has included in his cabinet. But that paucity of character judgement goes back to his business relationships. He has his own rogues gallery of men with whom he has surrounded himself. His business dealings from his unsuccessful casinos to his " University" Trump's businesses were more likely to fail as succeed. The list of his decisions as President that show his lack of judgement are many . Governing via tweet should probably head the list. It is not that other presidents didn't have their own judgement issues or poor decisions on who they pick for their inner circle. It is Trump's lack of judgement on top of his total lack of understanding of the issues, his total lack of any knowledge of historical, geographical, social, religious, economic context for why we are where we are on top of his narcissistic point of view and his vile temper and his impulsivity makes him very, very dangerous. Every decision begins and ends with making money and self-aggrandizement. But it is his ability to be manipulated and influenced that make him the President of choice for men like Mitch McConnell. Over the years of President Obama's tenure and now into Trump's these men who want to promote their ultra conservative agenda have slowly become corrupted. They have abandoned all moral code to maintain their vast power. That is the great American tragedy.
13
For those who prosecute criminals, especially in conspiracies, it's well-known that all the likely witnesses will be almost as bad as the top criminals. That's why corroboration is so important, and Parnas has lots for his major claims.
8
Assuming we still have freedom of speech and of the press after this criminal president it will be most instructive when it totally unravels, as it surely will.
Trump will not be taking secrets to his grave, rather he will be liberating them.
4
The spineless, soulless, mindless, heartless Trump has demonstrated patently and consistently that he will surround himself with the most scurrilous, mendacious and felonious characters, if only to shield himself from culpability. Parnas, while no angel, is prototypical of Trump.s cohort of scoundrels. What Trump lacks in intellect, understanding and patriotism, he makes up for in cunning corruption. He is a walking disaster area, luring miscreants and felons into his sphere, watching them implode, then denying he ever met them. And he’s asking us to reelect him?
13
After the Rachel Maddow interview with Parnas, if Trump is impeached by the Senate thanks to it, considering what this will do to her ego and her motor mouth I'm going to be praying for the end of the world just for the silence of it.
Don’t worry—Senate Republicans have made it clear that there is literally nothing that would cause them to remove Trump from office.
3
@John Doe Or you could just not watch her program if truth bothers you that much.
2
We do not have a good system of government if such corruption can be spotted, proved, shown to the American people and still not be successfully litigated. We must end the two party system. It's killing us and our country.
4
Maybe of interest only to psychological workers is the question -- How can there be almost a complete uniform mass of sociopath-like, empathy-devoid, predatory, sycophantic and power-hungry people, occupying one political party, in the halls of Congress and adjacent to the highest office in the land? The answer will have to do with the Republican Party, the backgrounds of those people attracted to it, the mental injuries that create sycophancy and an obsession with material goods and power. Essentially, it is too easy in our society to grow up to be seriously impaired. Therapists understand that most, if not all, families are dysfunctional. We are what we were. We grow from seeds and roots.
4
I am only sorry that the Articles of Impeachment are not far more extensive.
Trump is a criminal and probably only .01 per cent of his crimes (and the crimes of his administration) have been exposed.
We need these crimes to be thoroughly exposed and duly punished or we will never have a President (and a government) that is not corrupt again.
13
Not sure there's any reason to call this guy a goon, or any other name. He might be a criminal, but that seems to be enough. He also might have material facts and be willing to share them. But the elected accused and those who evidently share culpability will want to spin him and his information, and name-calling is part of their MO. Facts have legal weight. Labels, characterizations and innuendo do not.
5
Given the extent and seriousness of Parnas' confession of guilt and his linking Trump to wrongdoing after wrongdoing...I wonder what his motivation is for turning on his former boss. After all, that boss is both vengeful and powerful. I think Parnas must believe he has nothing to lose. Trump would forever brush off Parnas' claims and respond with: "I don't know the guy." He recognized that he was about to become a sacrificial lamb in Trump's storyline of crusader against Ukraine corruption.
5
The Machiavellian makeup of Trump’s partners in crime is to be expected. No one is remotely trustworthy including the presidential iteration, Trump. This is a lousy way to run a country as we have seen repeatedly. Somehow we must find a way to parse our way through this evil cobweb and remove Trump.
5
My father, a WWII veteran, would be sickened to read this. I am glad he is not around to see what has become of our nation. I am sickened for him.
17