I asked Giuliani again if he and Trump have a representation agreement. His response: “All I can tell you is that I still represent him as I have since April 2018. End of story.”
— Olivia Nuzzi (@Olivianuzzi) October 11, 2019
In a mean way, the $64,000 question to Rudy Giuliani was always what Olivia Nuzzi put to him, obliquely: Is your ass really covered by the president's favor on purpose in writing? Because this SOB will throw you over like boxers that "shrunk" in the wash. In a senseless goober way, Giuliani's response does not seem to indicate that he thought this shit through. Because the Magic 8Ball in Trump's head is reading "Situation Hazy" at the mo'. He might have lunch with him, sure. Like you have a pleasant meal with someone who has broken up with you but wants to maintain the peace.
Yeah. I'm saying Trump is definitely that guy. Giuliani is wearing treads right now from the front wheels of the bus and waiting on the last wheels to have their way with him.
He's that guy that casts about for people to do his dirty work when he doesn't want it to turn back on himself. (This is probably why he has "acting" this and that offices--he wants people who will just do a thing for him, not even being fully sure of the rules or the equities of their department.) Folks at the Pentagon worried if the delay in Ukraine aid was kosher, as well. It starts to look like Trump's definition of "deep state" is just "professionals in government who understand their jobs and reject his ideas". Needless to say, Pentagon and OMB docs are so subpoenaed right now. And really ought to be.
We've now heard from the "You're Fired!"'d Ambassador Masha Yovanovich, who is a badass.
“Although I understand that I served at the pleasure of the president, I was nevertheless incredulous that the U.S. government chose to remove an ambassador based, as best as I can tell, on unfounded and false claims by people with clearly questionable motives,” she said.
Ms. Yovanovitch’s testimony, which could help build momentum for the impeachment inquiry, captured the arc of her troubled tenure in Ukraine: how Mr. Giuliani and his allies mounted a campaign against her based on what she described as scurrilous lies, how the State Department capitulated to the president’s demands to recall her, and the upshot — losing an experienced ambassador in a pivotal country that is under threat from Russia and in the middle of a change in government.
Her situation--being removed from her post because of an influence campaign led by foreign actors, who rankled at her focus on corruption because they rather liked their brand of corruption, is definitely a big part of the story, here. But also important is her message about what government service means, and what Trump's lack of leadership has done to the State Department:
More broadly, she portrayed the State Department as a whole as “attacked and hollowed out from within.” Unless it backs up its diplomats, especially in the face of false attacks by foreign interests, she said, more of them will leave and the wrong message will be transmitted around the world.
“Bad actors” in Ukraine and elsewhere will “see how easy it is to use fiction and innuendo to manipulate our system,” she warned. “The only interests that will be served are those of our strategic adversaries, like Russia.”
As if on cue, we have the resignation of a top advisor to Sec. of State Mike Pompeo. An example of the drain of good people.
Maybe it's in part a reaction to Yovanovitch's testimony that Trump's folks decided Ambassador Sondland should speak, but this might not be great for Trump: Sondland is expected to say that Trump told him to say there was no "quid pro quo" but you know what? There really was one. There really in retrospect was.
Huh.
But let's just keep this in mind, what with the timely release recently of volume 2 of the Senate report on Russian interference. The Russians definitely did interfere in the 2016 election. The Ukraine stuff Giuliani and Fox News have been peddling is bogus. And, in case you missed it, Weird Rudy enlisted Ukrainian folks affiliated with Dmitry Firtash who is under the tutelage of Semion Mogilevich meaning they were putting Russian money into US elections--while supposedly on a mission to debunk Russian involvement in US elections.
This seems pretty circular and entirely dumb. I guess one of the big questions is "Did Giuliani know this was circular and dumb?" and that should be rapidly followed by "Did Trump know this is returning to the scene of the crime AG Barr just tried to absolve your stupid orange-peel ass of?"
The current issues regarding Trump's impeachment based on the Ukraine call aren't separate from the Mueller report or the longer Russian counterintelligence investigation--they are part of the very same issue with respects to Trump's corruption and biddability by foreign powers. It should be viewed as both the core question of his impeachment, how he abuses his office for any international dealings, whether for emoluments (personal financial gain) or his own personal power, and of his re-election campaign--can someone under such a cloud be considered fit to continue to serve?
I say he never was capable of adhering to his oath of office and has always been illegitimate. But I do not fault those who only now realize what a mistake placing trust in Trump has been (even if you ignored a shit-ton of bigotry and misogyny and other fucknuttery in the process).
Those who stick with him, though? What the entire fuck is wrong with you?
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