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“Ethics and oversight are what you eliminate when you want absolute power.” ― DaShanne Stokes









AUTHORITARIANS



Armed with unimaginable tools of social control and disruption, authoritarianism has returned as an ideological force at a time when the liberal world is suffering its greatest crisis of confidence since the 1930s, writes Robert Kagan in a new essay for the Washington Post. [Brookings Brief, March 20, 2019]





TRUMP




So here's what we know -- and don't know -- about the report from special counsel Robert Mueller. Keep in mind that what we know about the report came from Attorney General William Barr,who reviewed the report in one day with his deputy, Rod Rosenstein, and wrote a four-page summary for Congress.

One caveat: Trump has said hundreds of times that Mueller and his prosecutors are all deep-state corrupt cops who were conducting a witch hunt and can't be believed. So keep that in mind. ;-)

The probe was conducted to look into whether the Trump campaign conspired with Russians to influence the 2016 election, and whether Trump obstructed justice by asking former FBI director James Comey to stop investigating his national security adviser,Michael Flynn, and by trying to stop the Mueller investigation.

1. Conspiracy: Mueller's prosecutors did not establish that members of the Trump campaign conspired or coordinated with Russia as it tried to undermine US democracy by interfering in the 2016 election -- by using disinformation to sow social discord and by hacking into Democratic e-mail systems -- to hurt Hillary Clinton and get Trump elected.

For all those gnashing their teeth over this news, trust me -- this is a very good thing. Can you imagine the massive disruption a conspiracy finding would have caused in this country?

Yet that conclusion doesn't explain this: Why all the lying?

Why did Trump help his son make up a fake cover story about Donald Jr.'s meeting with Russians at Trump Tower, and why did they both lie about it?

Why did Flynn lie about discussing sanctions with the Russian ambassador during the transition?

Why did Trump, his children, and his former lawyer and fixer,Michael Cohen, lie about Trump Organization plans to build a luxury skyscraper in Moscow?

Why did Trump's former campaign manager, Paul Manafort, lie about giving private polling data during the campaign to Konstantin Kilimnik, who has connections to Moscow's spy operation?

Why did Trump's longtime political adviser, Roger Stone, allegedly lie about his attempts to contact WikiLeaks about hacked Clinton and Democratic Party e-mails?

Why did Trump's former campaign foreign policy adviser, George Papadopoulos, lie about his conversations with a Maltese professor who allegedly told him that Russians were collecting dirt on Hillary Clinton and had thousands of e-mails -- months before any e-mails were released?

Apart from the lying, why has Trump been so fulsome in his praise and admiration for the murderous Putin? Why did the Trump campaign weaken language in its party platform at the 2016 convention, removing wording that said the US should arm Ukraine in its fight against Russia?

And why has Trump repeatedly and forcefully said he doesn't believe Russia interfered in the election -- even though he received a thorough intelligence briefing before he became president that concluded exactly that -- and instead points to China or a 400-pound guy sitting in his mother's basement as possible culprits?

Inquiring minds want to know. That's one reason why the Dems -- and all of us, frankly -- want the full report released.

2. Obstruction of justice: This one is interesting. Barr's letter to Congress says that Mueller set out evidence on both sides of the obstruction question, but kept in mind the Justice Department policy that a sitting president cannot be indicted. So Mueller punted on the obstruction question, not concluding that Trump obstructed justice, but also not exonerating him.

Now it may be that because of that Justice policy of non-indictment, Mueller decided that Congress is the appropriate body to settle the question, given its constitutional mandate to provide oversight of the executive branch. Instead, Barr -- appointed by Trump and confirmed just a month ago -- stepped in and made his own conclusion: Not enough evidence.

This is a curious move, particularly since last June, Barr famouslysent an unsolicited memo to DOJ officials and all of Trump's lawyers saying he thought Trump had not obstructed justice and Mueller shouldn't even be investigating it.

The bottom line here is that the entire report should be released, minus national security stuff, and Congress should receive as much of the background investigatory work as possible. It's the only way to bolster the public's confidence in the rule of law and the constitution.

​You can read Barr's letter to Congress here.

Meanwhile, much to Trump's chagrin, there still are ongoing investigations and prosecutions:

-- The NY state tax department is investigating a shocking report in the New York Times last October that showed that Trump and his family engaged in tax fraud, dodges, and schemes to increase the family fortune by hiding millions in gifts, taking improper tax deductions, and dramatically undervaluing real estate holdings.

-- The New York Department of Financial Services is looking into whether Trump really did falsely inflate the value of his properties so he could get insurance coverage, as his former lawyer, Michael Cohen, told Congress he did. The NY AG is investigating whether Trump engaged in the same practice to get big bank loans.

-- The NY AG also is still looking into self-dealing by the Trump Foundation, which apparently was set up just to benefit the Trump family. Any money distributed actually came from outside donors, not the Trumps, and foundation money was shamelessly -- and illegally -- used to help Trump's campaign. The Trumps agreed to dissolve the foundation last December, but now the AG is trying to figure out if the Trumps violated tax laws, and wants to bar Trump and his three oldest children from the boards of other New York charities and force them to pay millions in restitution and penalties.

-- Prosecutors in the Southern District of New York are investigating possible campaign finance violations related to Trump's payment of hush money to Karen McDougal and Stormy Daniels before the 2016 election to keep them quiet about their alleged affairs.

-- Federal prosecutors in several locations are investigating where the record $107 million that Trump's inauguration committee raised came from, including already disclosed illegal foreign donations,how it was spent, and whether anyone got special access or favors for their money.

-- Federal and state investigators are looking into whether Trump's golf clubs and resorts deliberately helped undocumented workerswith fraudulent papers so they could hire them as cheap labor.

-- The aforementioned Trump confidant Roger Stone goes on trialin November in federal court in DC, charged with witness tampering and lying to Congress about his communications with WikiLeaks.

There's so much more, such as the emoluments clause lawsuit, the Summer Zervos defamation suit, and multiple congressional investigations by the House Intelligence, Judiciary, Oversight, Financial Services, Ways and Means, and Foreign Affairs committees, as well as the Senate Intelligence Committee.

So much sleaze, so little time. But I'm exhausted and believe it or not, there is other news. [Fast Forward, March 25, 2019]



FOREIGN POLICY

Trump Administration Approves Sale of F-16s to Taiwan

He’s Trump’s Point Man on Iran—and Under Investigation


U.S. SUPREME COURT





U.S. MILITARY



HEALTH







2020 PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATES



FROM THE PORCH







READ









GREAT BRITAIN




RUSSIA






MYANMAR
(BURMA)







DAILY TAKE AWAY


Shadowy Group in N Korean Embassy Raid Says It Gave FBI Info

An obscure group seeking to overthrow North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has taken responsibility for a raid on North Korea’s embassy in Madrid last month and said it shared information seized during the raid with the FBI, The Washington Post reports. In a Tuesday statement, the group, Free Joseon, claimed the information they gathered had “enormous potential value” and said the FBI had requested they voluntarily share the information. In the raid, members of the group reportedly tied up staff and stole computers and other items. A Spanish judge—who lifted a secrecy order on the case Tuesday—said “an American, a Mexican, and a South Korean” from the 10-member group had carried out the raid. The judge, Jose de la Mata, also reportedly concluded one of the men in the “criminal organization” shared some of the stolen information with the FBI. The Post reports De La Mata believes the men fled to the U.S., and said he intends to request their extradition so they can face up to 28 years in prison.

 When asked if the group shared information with the FBI, the bureau said it “enjoys a strong working relationship with our Spanish law enforcement partners that centers on information-sharing and regular cooperation around matters of mutual assistance,” the Post says. The group claims it has evidence “verifying our account.” The group also claimed the FBI appeared to break “mutually agreed terms of confidentiality,” which puts those who were involved in the Madrid raid in danger. [The Daily Beast: AM Cheat Sheet, March 27, 2019]





Poll: Almost 60% of Americans Want Mueller’s Full Report

If Donald Trump thinks he can now put the Mueller report behind him, he should think again. A new poll, conducted after Attorney General William Barr’s four-page Mueller summary arrived Sunday, shows nearly 60 percent of Americans surveyed want to see the full report—and almost 50 percent still think Trump worked with Russia to interfere in the 2016 election. According to Barr’s summary, Mueller found no evidence the Trump campaign conspired with Russia, but did not exonerate Trump on the question of obstructing the investigation. When asked about accusations of collusion, 48 percent of poll respondents said they believed “Trump or someone from his campaign worked with Russia to influence the 2016 election.” That’s down 6 percentage points from last week. Of those familiar with Barr’s summary, just 9 percent said it changed their thinking about Trump’s ties to Russia and 57 percent said they want to see the entire report before deciding. The president’s approval rating hit its highest this year, with 43 percent of respondents saying they approved of his performance. [The Daily Beast: AM Cheat Sheet, March 27, 2019]






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