Trump’s revenge tour falters.

June 1, 2022

[Audio version here]

          After a week of discussing only the Uvalde mass killing, I turn to domestic politics and Ukraine.

          In Trump’s last year in office, he deputized Bill Barr to “investigate the investigators” who uncovered and prosecuted Russia’s interference in the 2016 election. Barr, ever the loyal lapdog, unleashed US Attorney John Durham to leave no stone unturned in an effort to prove misconduct by staff in the FBI and Justice Department alarmed by credible evidence that a US president was colluding with Russia to interfere in the American political system.

          Of course, John Durham’s investigation discovered no wrongdoing by the US attorneys who obtained sixteen indictments of Russian hacker groups and individuals. Durham has since resigned as a US Attorney, but Bill Barr appointed Durham as a special counsel to continue his Quixotic investigation on the taxpayer’s dime. We have now paid Durham nearly $4 million to pursue Trump’s vendetta against honest men and women who investigated credible reports that a corrupt president was colluding with Russia.

          Frustrated at his inability to discover wrongdoing within the US government, Durham indicted a private lawyer, Michael Sussman, who represented Hillary Clinton’s campaign. Durham claimed that Sussman did not inform the FBI that he represented the Clinton campaign when providing information about a possible connection between the Trump campaign and a Russian bank. It was publicly known that Sussman represented the Clinton campaign, but Durham viewed the immaterial omission as part of a grand conspiracy to discredit Trump.

          The indictment against Sussman was a flimsy embarrassment that no self-respecting US Attorney would have brought. But Durham was doing Bill Barr’s dirty work—and by extension—Trump’s, too. On Tuesday, a jury acquitted Sussman—as expected. The acquittal is another stake in the heart of Trump’s vendetta-driven conspiracy theories that now form the platform of the Republican Party. It was also a rebuke of John Durham’s impartiality and integrity that will forever stain his reputation.

          As usual, Trump attacked the jury’s verdict by claiming that “our legal system is CORRUPT [and] our country is going to HELL.” When you are reduced to attacking the unanimous verdict of a jury, you know that things are going badly. But things are going horribly wrong when you are reduced to threatening suit against the Pulitzer Prize Committee for awarding the NYTimes for its reporting on Trump’s Russia connections. See Fox News, Trump threatens Pulitzer committee with legal action if they don’t rescind award for Russia probe coverage.

          Trump is on a losing streak that bodes ill for his continued ascendancy in the GOP, a party he is currently holding hostage in a perverted variation of the Stockholm-syndrome. In this instance, the GOP invited Trump to kidnap the party and is in a love-hate relationship with its abductor. For example, in last week’s Georgia primaries, Trump failed to unseat two incumbent Republicans he blamed for his 2020 election loss—Governor Brian Kemp and Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger.

          The Trump-endorsed primary challengers to Kemp and Raffensperger lost so badly that neither incumbent must enter a run-off to be the GOP’s nominee. How could Trump-endorsed candidates lose so badly? The explanation is obvious if you ask Trump—massive voter fraud in the GOP primary! See Rolling Stone, Trump Pushes Article Claiming Kemp Landslide in Georgia Was Rigged. Of course, Trump is perfectly at ease in claiming that the election was rigged to favor Trump enemies Raffensperger and Kemp but was free of fraud when the Trump-endorsed Herschel Walker won in a landslide. But then, no one has ever accused Trump of being constrained by consistency, logic, or self-awareness.

          Do the Georgia losses mean that Trump is finished? That is the wrong question, according to Max Boot, self-described “Never Trump ex-Republican,” in his op-ed in WaPo, Does Georgia mean Trump has lost his hold on the GOP? Hardly. Boot believes that the 2024 GOP nomination is Trump’s for the asking but notes that Trumpism has taken root in the GOP so firmly that it will endure with or without Trump. Boot urges Democrats to avoid wishful thinking based on political commentary predicting the demise of Trump or Trumpism. After all, that tagline has been a political staple since 2016.

          I agree with Max Boot that Trump has remade the GOP in his image—which is its greatest strength and greatest weakness. Trump’s cruel insistence on appearing before the NRA in Houston before the bodies of the children of Uvalde were buried is offensive—and offended many. It can be daunting to stare into the MAGA black hole and wonder how Democrats can win in the face of unthinking allegiance to a party that views democracy as the problem—and authoritarianism as the solution.

          We need not change the hearts and minds of every MAGA adherent in America—just enough of them (and persuadable independents) to secure victories in narrowly divided elections. Issues like gun control, reproductive freedom, privacy, and personal liberty can be the difference in close races. Democrats must shake their feelings of defeatism and rally themselves to the defense of democracy as never before. We are up to that task but must first recognize the reality of the threat posed by MAGA and the urgency of our cause. The battle is upon us, and we have no time to lose.

Federal Grand Jury subpoena to Peter Navarro.

          A federal grand jury has issued a subpoena for testimony and documents to former Trump coup-advisor Peter Navarro. The existence of the subpoena was revealed in a lawsuit filed by Navarro to quash subpoenas from the federal grand jury and the January 6th Committee. The subpoena is good news for those who hope that Merrick Garland will pursue criminal charges against Trump. See The Guardian, Peter Navarro subpoena suggests DoJ may be investigating Trump. Let’s stop on this positive note, for once. The subpoena is good news. Let’s hope there is more to come.

          Separately, a Georgia grand jury has subpoenaed the Georgia Attorney General, who Trump pressured not to interfere in Trump’s efforts to overturn the 2020 election. See CNN, Chris Carr, Georgia attorney general, subpoenaed in Trump investigation. This development also suggests forward movement in a criminal investigation in which Trump is a target. Good.

Putin’s war on the Ukrainian people.

          The US will send medium range rocket systems to Ukraine that will allow it to extend its reach in artillery battles with Russia. See WaPo, US is sending advanced rocket systems to Ukraine, Biden says. In response, Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov said that the West has “declared total war against Russia.” Biden issued a statement saying that the US provided only those weapon systems that allow Ukraine to defend itself without extending the war beyond Ukraine’s borders.

          In the week since I have addressed the war in Ukraine, the developments can be summarized as follows: Russia has curtailed its territorial ambitions, concentrating its forces in some regions of the Donbas (Severodonetsk) while effectively ceding other areas (Kherson). Russia appears to be repeating the mistakes in Donbas that led to its retreat from the eastern parts of Ukraine. Russian Military Is Repeating Mistakes in Eastern Ukraine, US Says - The New York Times.

          EU leaders have agreed to implement a ban on Russian oil by the end of the year. Russia retaliated (?) by saying that it would find other customers. Objections by Hungary limited the extent of the sanctions, leaving a loophole for nations receiving oil by pipeline. The embargo is significant—as is the first crack in European unity to accommodate Hungary.

Update on Uvalde.

          Two revelations have undermined the narrative provided by Texas law enforcement officials about their response at Uvalde. First, police have retracted their statement that a rear door was propped open by a teacher. Officials now acknowledge that the teacher closed the door before the shooter gained access to the building—a fact apparently verified by school security footage. See NBC, Teacher Closed Propped-Open Door Before Shooting: Police.

          Second, an audio recording of 9-1-1 dispatch calls shows that operators informed officers on the scene that “eight” children were still alive in the room with the shooter. See CNN, Uvalde mass shooting: Fresh developments over holiday weekend raise new questions about the failure of the law enforcement response. The audio contradicts the evasive response by an official who said he “didn’t know” if the information in the 9-1-1 calls from children in the classroom was conveyed to police on the scene. It was.

          The tragedy at Uvalde is unimaginable, and it is being made worse by repeated misrepresentations by police officials. Each omission or misrepresentation conceals or excuses the delay by officers or shifts blame to the school. The failure to be transparent and truthful is damaging the credibility of law enforcement officers across the nation. Texas officials owe the truth to everyone: the victims, their families, their colleagues, and every American who lives with the threat of gun violence.

Podcasts.

          On Wednesday, June 1, at 4:00 PM Eastern, I will interview Julie Becker and Kate Friedman of the Blue Wave Coalition Miami Dade, which is focused on the 62 precincts in Miami-Dade County with the highest number of inconsistent Democratic voters. Listen to the interview live on Today’s Edition with Robert Hubbell on the Callin App to join the discussion. I will include a link to the recorded podcast in tomorrow’s newsletter.

          Also, due to technical difficulties, I have been holding a podcast discussion with a progressive reader of the newsletter about the frustrations experienced by the progressive wing of the Democratic Party. I plan to release that podcast over the weekend. Stay tuned!

Concluding Thoughts.

          June 1st marks the beginning of LGBTQ Pride Month, which commemorates the Stonewall Uprising in Manhattan in 1969—an event that was the tipping point for LGBTQ rights in America. It is difficult to imagine now, but in the living memory of most readers of this newsletter, police routinely raided “gay bars” to arrest patrons for “being gay,” cross-dressing, or dancing in a “gay bar.”

          The protests that followed the closure of the Stonewall Inn led to the gay liberation movement in America. Forty-six years later, the Supreme Court invalidated all state laws prohibiting same-sex marriages. The lesson of Stonewall is that change may be slow or non-existent—until it emerges fully formed from the frustration and anger of people who are fed up with the status quo.

          As we celebrate LGBTQ Pride month, reflect on the fact that social change can happen suddenly. Do not despair, do not give up. We are on the right side of history and will prevail. It will not be easy, and things may get worse before they get better, but they will get better—if we work harder and persist longer than those who seek to destroy democracy. We can do that. We must do that.

          Talk to you tomorrow!