Time for Democrats to go on the offensive.

April 12, 2022

[Audio Edition here]

          The news from Ukraine is grim—and reminds us that there is no room in American politics or media for those who sympathize with Putin. Tucker Carlson still reigns supreme at Fox even though he is “rooting for Russia.” That would be the same Russia that killed more than 10,000 civilians in its brutal siege of Mariupol. Even that staggering death toll has not satisfied the bloodlust of Putin, who is massing his troops for a renewed assault on the few remaining inhabitants hiding in the smoldering ruins of Mariupol.

          Unconfirmed reports allege that Russia used chemical weapons on Monday against the remaining Ukrainian defenders in Mariupol. This report is unconfirmed but is consistent with calls on Russian television to use chemical weapons against Mariupol. See NYTimes, Zelensky Responds to Apparent Russian Threat of Chemical Weapons Use. Per the Times, the Kremlin-backed leader of the Donetsk separatist movement said on Russian television that Russia should encircle the remaining Ukrainian defenders and “smoke out the moles.” Shortly thereafter, reports emerged on Twitter of chemical weapons use in Mariupol that caused “respiratory failure and ataxia” in its victims. See also, Institute for the Study of War,  Russian Offensive Campaign Assessment, April 11.

          The reports of mass civilian casualties and possible chemical attacks overlap with news that Putin has placed General Aleksandr Dvornikov in charge of the renewed campaign in the eastern part of Ukraine. General Dvornikov is called the “Butcher of Syria” for assaulting civilian populations in Syria and flattening the city of Aleppo. But as the Institute for the Study of War noted in its assessment (above), Putin may not have appointed Dvornikov solely because of his reputation for barbaric tactics against civilians:

This news [of Dvornikov’s appointment] is unsurprising; Dvornikov is the most senior of the three Russian military district commanders involved in the invasion, and the Russian military is concentrating its efforts almost exclusively in the area of Ukraine that Dvornikov had already been commanding.

          Although Dvornikov may have been the “logical” choice, he has a demonstrated history of committing war crimes against civilian populations and has the gruesome qualifications to carry out Putin’s orders to commit war crimes.

          But the Ukrainian Army has exceeded all expectations and is better disciplined, trained, and motivated than the Russian troops who have been ordered to commit fratricide. A reader sent a link to an article in The Bulwark that gave me hope that the Ukrainian Army may yet prevail against the much larger invading force. See Mark Hertling in The Bulwark, I Commanded U.S. Army Europe. Here’s What I Saw in the Russian and Ukrainian Armies.

          Although lengthy, the article is well worth your time. Hertling concludes that the Ukrainian leaders spent the last decade modernizing and professionalizing their army to good effect. Russia’s military leaders failed to modernize their army over the same period. Instead, they spent much of their time diverting military resources to themselves through wholesale embezzlement, graft, and corruption.

          The next few weeks will reveal the full brutality of the Russian Army under Putin’s lash and the unmatched bravery and devotion of the Ukrainian Army and people.

The worst corruption scandal in U.S. history?

          But for the war crimes against the Ukrainian people, the story of Jared Kushner’s corruption would lead every media outlet in the U.S. Jared Kushner was a special advisor to Trump. In that role, he controlled U.S. policy in the Mideast. Kushner was unusually close to Saudi Prince Mohammed bin Salman, protecting MBS “after U.S. intelligence agencies concluded that [MBS] had approved the 2018 killing and dismemberment of Jamal Khashoggi.” People assumed that Kushner was cozying up to MBS to garner goodwill for Kushner’s post-White House business career. It turns out that Kushner’s protection of MBS resulted in a $2 billion payday for Kushner.

          On Sunday, the NYTimes reported that the Saudi Sovereign Wealth Fund—controlled by MBS—gave Jared Kushner a $2 billion investment only six months after Kushner left the White House. An investment panel that screens investments for the Sovereign Wealth Fund objected to the investment on multiple grounds—but MBS overruled his advisors and gave Kushner the money. See NYTimes, Before Giving Billions to Jared Kushner, Saudi Investment Fund Had Big Doubts. 

          The $2 billion was provided to a newly formed private equity firm (“Affinity Partners) controlled by Kushner. Per minutes of the investment screening panel obtained by the Times, the panel objected to the investment on multiple grounds:

Those objections included: “the inexperience of the Affinity Fund management”; the possibility that the kingdom would be responsible for “the bulk of the investment and risk”; due diligence on the fledgling firm’s operations that found them “unsatisfactory in all aspects”; a proposed asset management fee that “seems excessive”; and “public relations risks” from Mr. Kushner’s prior role as a senior adviser to his father-in-law, former President Donald J. Trump.

          Got that? The screening panel found Kushner’s firm “unsatisfactory in all aspects” and said the management fee was “excessive”—but MBS gave Kushner the $2 billion in financing despite those objections.

          The transaction reeks of corruption—a seeming payback for Kushner’s efforts to protect MBS from a U.S. investigation into the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi. The transaction is yet another example of how the Trump family monetized the U.S. Presidency for personal gain and should be investigated by the DOJ.

          Whatever resources the DOJ is wasting by examining the business transactions of private citizen Hunter Biden would be better spent on investigating whether a special advisor to the President leveraged that position to secure a massive financial windfall only six months after leaving office. This is a scandal that Democrats must keep at the forefront of any discussions about Trump’s potential run for the presidency in 2024. As Josh Marshall of Talking Points Memo said,

This is possibly the largest and most brazen instance of public corruption I’ve seen in twenty-five years covering American politics as a journalist.

          Let’s hope that the rest of the media agrees and brings this issue to the forefront of the public’s attention.

President Biden signs “ghost gun” ban.

           In the last four years, nearly 24,000 “ghost guns” have been reported as recovered at crime scenes in the U.S. (Many recoveries of ghost guns are not reported, so the prevalence of ghost guns is likely much higher.) Ghost guns are untraceable guns fabricated on 3-D printers at home or assembled from unregistered parts. A year ago, Biden instructed the DOJ to draft a regulation that required registration and record-keeping for privately manufactured guns and parts. President Biden announced the release of that regulation today. See AP News, Biden aims at ‘ghost gun’ violence with new federal rule.

          Gun groups announced that they would challenge the regulation in court to ensure that criminals can kill victims without having to wade through government red tape. The only reason someone needs an untraceable weapon is so they can commit crimes without being held accountable. The Republican Party has made protection of the right of criminals to commit gun violence one of its highest priorities for 2022. Just ask Senator Rick Scott, whose Republican platform for 2022 says that Republicans will oppose any “attempt to deny our 2nd Amendment freedoms.”

Colorado Republicans endorse a candidate for secretary of state under indictment for breaching election security laws.

          In Colorado, a former county clerk who is currently the subject of a “ten-count federal indictment for an alleged scheme to bypass election data security protocols” gained the support of the Colorado Republican Party to serve as Secretary of State, where she would be responsible for election security in all counties in Colorado. It might be tough for her to perform her duties from behind bars.

Learn about key state legislative races.

          I previously highlighted the good work of The States Project on the Today’s Edition Podcast (The interview with Melissa Walker is here: Future Now / The States Project). Winning state legislative races is vital to protecting the integrity of federal elections and protecting the rights regulated at the state level. This Wednesday, Focus for Democracy will provide a presentation on state legislative races with Aaron Frank and Daniel Squadron of The States Project. Here are the details:

• Wednesday, April 13 at 5pm Pacific / 8pm Eastern

• To register, click here and a Zoom link will be emailed to you.

Concluding Thoughts.

          I received a lot of positive feedback from readers about yesterday’s listing of issues that Democrats should highlight for youth voters in 2022. Here are some more issues that Democrats should highlight going into 2022:

• When Roe v. Wade is overturned in June 2022, abortion will become illegal in twenty-two states. See Talking Points Memo, If Roe Is Overturned, Many States Will Outlaw Abortions At Once. A November 2021 poll found that 60% of Americans believe Roe should be upheld, and only 27% believe it should be overruled.

• The Republican platform released by Senator Rick Scott proposes to increase taxes on 50% of Americans.  

• The same GOP platform proposes to end Social Security and Medicare in five years (unless re-authorized by Congress).

• Five weeks after Russia invaded Ukraine, thirty percent of House Republicans refused to re-affirm support for NATO.

• Jared Kushner received a $2 billion “thank you gift” for Mohammed bin Salman for helping MBS avoid accountability for the murder of Jamal Khashoggi. Hmm. Maybe that explains why the White House gift logs for 2020 are missing . . .

          You get the point. Although there are many issues where Democrats can show they are working for the American people, there are plenty of issues where Democrats should be on the attack. The Republican Party will be going after Democrats with hammer and tongs, and Democrats must respond with vigor and emotion. Emotional appeals from Republicans should not be met with dry discussions of policy from Democrats.

          True, Democrats have lots of baggage to contend with, but any objective observer can see that Republicans have much more! As Charlie Sykes said a few weeks ago, Democrats have to “hang the crazy” around the necks of Republicans. Let’s make them own every outrageous, unpatriotic, corrupt, ignorant, and mean-spirited position they have taken since Trump descended on the Golden Escalator at Trump Tower. I wish that politics were otherwise, but until it is, Democrats must go on the offense.

          Talk to you tomorrow!