Today’s Edition (May 28, 2021)

Confession of guilt.

          In the end, Mitch McConnell was forced to beg Senate Republicans for a “personal favor” to vote against a bipartisan commission to investigate the assault on the Capitol on January 6, 2021. CNN, “'Personal favor': CNN reporter reveals McConnell's unusual request.” In calling for a “favor,” McConnell dropped all pretense of logic, decency, or patriotism. To McConnell, the vote about the most serious attack on democracy in 150 years was nothing more than a speed bump in his headlong plunge to regain control of the Senate in 2022. Power. Nothing else matters to McConnell (or to his weak-kneed colleagues in the Senate). In prizing power above all else, McConnell is the ultimate narcissist, the man who led his party into depravity so they could regain control of one chamber in Congress for a few years. To achieve that ephemeral goal, McConnell and Republicans in the Senate and the House will betray their country. They will not impede discovery of the truth because Democrats in the House can convene a select committee that lacks the bipartisan imprimatur of the commission. But in refusing to join in the bipartisan commission, Republicans will undermine confidence in the truth that emerges from congressional inquiries. And that, ladies and gentlemen, is their point.

          As McConnell begged his colleagues to vote against the commission, he admitted that the existence of the commission would harm GOP prospects in 2022. See MSNBC, “McConnell reduced to candor in making case against Jan. 6 commission.” McConnell reportedly told Senate Republicans that “regardless of tweaks to the bill, approving the commission could hurt the party's midterm election message.” As MSNBC notes, though McConnell was candid with his colleagues, he immediately left the meeting to spin a different tale for the press. We have come to expect no less from McConnell.

          But there is a deeper motivation for Republican opposition to the bipartisan commission. At root, the commission will be an investigation of how the Republican Party lost its way. It will examine how the leader of the Republican Party came to incite an insurrection, how the Republican base was deluded into believing that Trump won the 2020 election, and how congressional Republicans cowered before Trump in the aftermath of the assault. Kevin McCarthy’s “flip-flop for the ages” would be featured front-and-center in a bipartisan commission. Other Republican members of Congress would be compelled to tell the truth about what Trump said and did before, during, and after the assault. In the end, a bipartisan commission will assign culpability to Trump and all who enabled, ignored, and rationalized his treason. Republicans will not engage in any process that will implicate most of their party in the events that ultimately gave rise to the assault. No matter. Their opposition to the bipartisan commission is a confession of guilt. That is how history will mark the legacy of every Republican who votes against the bipartisan commission.

[Update as of 1:30 AM Eastern on May 28th: The Senate delayed the vote on the bipartisan commission until Friday, May 28, 2021. Senator John Thune said earlier in the day that Republicans had the votes to sustain a filibuster. See AP, “GOP poised to block bipartisan probe of Jan. 6 insurrection.”]

We aren’t as stupid as Republicans believe we are.

          Sigh. I don’t know why Democrats are still negotiating with Republicans over the infrastructure bill—other than to pander to the misguided hopes of Joe Manchin that Republicans will negotiate in good faith. On Thursday, Republican negotiators made a counteroffer to Biden that allegedly proposed $928 billion to repair and upgrade America’s aging infrastructure. As expected, the counteroffer was a sham. Of the $928 billion in the GOP counteroffer, $671 billion “comes from repurposing money that was appropriated for the response to the COVID pandemic.” See Talking Points Memo, “GOP Masks Tiny Infrastructure Counter-Offer With Lofty Claims And Muddied Numbers.” That leaves only $257 billion in new spending for infrastructure in response to Biden’s pared-down proposal of $1.7 trillion of new investment.

          To add insult to injury, during their news conference announcing the illusory counteroffer, Republican negotiators insinuated that “Biden is not really in charge” of his administration. The lead Republican negotiator also referred to Biden’s infrastructure bill as “socialism camouflaged as infrastructure.” As I said, I don’t know why Democrats are wasting their time negotiating with Republicans who have no intention of getting to “Yes.”

Russia hacks US government computer networks, again.

          Joe Biden imposed sanctions against Russia for the “Solar Winds” cyberattack that infected thousands of computer networks around the world, including parts of the US government network. In April, Biden imposed sanctions against Russia for the attack. Three days ago, Biden announced that he and Putin will meet in Geneva on June 16, 2021. As a “pre-meeting” welcome gift, Putin unleashed the Solar Winds hackers in a new attack against US companies and the federal government. The hackers did so by taking control of the computer network of the U.S. Agency for International Development and launching a “phishing” campaign. See MarketWatch, “SolarWinds hackers launch new attacks against 150 U.S. organizations, Microsoft says.”

          Coming on the heels of the hijacking of a Ryanair flight by Belarus (likely approved by Putin), a cyberattack in advance of a summit between the US and Russia is a hostile act. In many quarters in the GOP, Putin is viewed with admiration and envy for his “tough guy” approach and iron-fisted control of Russia. He is, in fact, the most dangerous enemy of the United States and should not be idolized or idealized by the GOP. He is a thug and should be treated as such by Biden. This new attack warrants additional sanctions. Tough ones.

US Attorney in New Jersey investigating Ukrainian interference in 2020 US election.

          Here is an encouraging sign for those hoping that Trump and Giuliani will be held accountable for their efforts to induce Ukrainians to interfere in the 2020 election: “Prosecutors Investigating Whether Ukrainians Meddled in 2020 Election - The New York Times.” Here’s the good news: If the US Attorney finds evidence that Ukrainians interfered in the 2020 election, their “contact” in the US was likely Rudy Giuliani. Per the Times,

          The Brooklyn federal inquiry has examined whether former and current Ukrainian officials tried to interfere in the election, including funneling misleading information through Rudolph W. Giuliani.

          Giuliani claims that he was acting on behalf of Trump in dealings with Ukraine. The investigation could thus ensnare both Giuliani and Trump—if we are lucky!

Reader comments on Merrick Garland’s appeal of Judge Jackson’s order

Several readers sent notes saying they believe Merrick Garland may have appealed Judge Jackson’s order for political reasons. (Judge Jackson ordered the DOJ to produce the unredacted version of a memo that Bill Barr claims he relied upon in deciding not to prosecute Trump for obstruction of justice.) The readers suggested that by appealing the order to produce the unredacted memo, Garland may be hoping that the DC Circuit will order Garland to produce the unredacted memo—thereby avoiding partisan criticism for allegedly acting to promote Joe Biden’s political interests. Garland may have appealed Judge Jackson’s order so that he could obtain political cover for producing the unredacted memo. If so, it would be a disappointing and inappropriate use of the appeals process by Garland. I doubt he acted for political reasons, but many other people believe he may have done so.

Concluding Thoughts.

In the run-up to the 2020 election, I grew weary of the avalanche of articles that predicted the end of democracy because Trump would refuse to leave the White House if he lost, relying on the military to defend him. Although things got tough on January 6, 2021, for a few hours, we came nowhere near the apocalyptic meltdown predicted by dozens of respected media personalities. Those same stories are gaining steam again. This time, they revolve around potential gerrymandering, voter suppression, nullification of election results by rogue legislatures, and Trump’s impending 2024 presidential candidacy. I won’t link to these doomsday articles because you should give yourself a mental respite over the long weekend. But one of the articles featured a prominent media presence saying that he was beginning to look for countries to move to in 2024 if Trump wins.

          Okay, I get that people entertain fantasies about moving out of the country if Republicans flip Congress in 2022 or Trump wins in 2024. But no one should seriously consider such a move—or even talk about it. Fleeing the country constitutes abandonment of our nation in her hour of need. We may (or may not) be in for some rough patches ahead. But whatever happens, we must continue to resist the encroachment of Trumpism in American democracy. The tide will turn, and sanity will prevail over the long term. Our job is to hold down the fort until reinforcements come. If we flee now, there will be nothing for future generations to protect. Don’t give up hope, and don’t surrender to defeatism. I vow to be here and to keep up the fight whether we expand our majorities in 2022 or lose control of Congress. It is not a choice; it is our duty. Let’s not bemoan that fate but accept it willingly and confidently.

          The next edition of the newsletter will be published on Monday evening, May 31st, for delivery on Tuesday, June 1st.  I will be taking a holiday over the Memorial Day weekend, so there will be no edition on Sunday evening/Monday morning. I hope that you have a blessed and safe weekend! Talk to you Tuesday!