While virtually everyone in Washington is burning any Christmas card or note connecting them to Rudy Giuliani, President Donald Trump gave a rambling and at times baffling interview on Fox & Friends in which he not only doubled down on his faith in Giuliani but restated the importance of the widely discredited Crowdstrike server claims. Giuliani has been denounced for his role in the Ukraine scandal and portrayed as a universally despised individual in the State Department and national security agencies. Yet, Trump heralded Giuliani as “a great crime-fighter” and leader even though Fox co-host Brian Kilmeade questioned his role in the scandal and raised the fact that two of his associates are now under indictment. I have been critical of Giuliani’s representation of the President for years. The interview could be an effort to keep Giuliani, who is under federal investigation, in the fold or the President may genuinely still believe that Giuliani is not only blameless but praiseworthy. Either way, this is not good. Both Giuliani and the Crowdstrike theory have been discredited in prior testimony. Nevertheless, the interview offer a glimpse into a possible defense in the Senate.
Trump declared “Rudy is a great crime-fighter. Rudy is the best mayor in the history of New York City. Rudy Giuliani is a very legendary figure in our country.” He later added “He’s also a friend of mine. He’s a great person . . . the greatest mayor in the history of New York” and “the greatest crime-fighter probably in the last 50 years. When Rudy Giuliani goes there and you hear it’s a corrupt country, it means a lot.”
Trump may argue that he had every reason to rely on Giuliani’s opinion of Ukraine and, while many may disagree, it is his prerogative to accept the view of someone Trump views as an anti-crime figure. The problem is that the President appears alone in this view.
The Fox hosts also pushed back on Trump’s restatement of the Crowdstrike theory. The President declared “A lot of it had to do, they say, with Ukraine. They have the server, right? From the DNC … they gave the server to CrowdStrike — or whatever it’s called — which is a company owned by a very wealthy Ukrainian, and I still want to see that server. You know, the FBI has never gotten that server. That’s a big part of this whole thing. Why did they give it to a Ukrainian company?”
Even host Steve Doocy pointedly interrupted and asked, “Are you sure they did that? Are you sure they gave it to Ukraine?”
Trump responded “Well, that’s what the word is.”
That is not what the word is. However, the defense may be that the President again was acting on erroneous but good-faith views of the facts. The obvious retort is that this is not a good-faith view since the FBI did have access to the server and this is not in fact a Ukrainian company.
While I continue to believe that the Democrats are proceeding on an incomplete record and dubious theories of crimes like bribery, I do believe that they presented compelling evidence of that virtually everyone came to believe that there was quid pro quo demand coming from the President. From the first day of this scandal, I stated that such an abuse of power could be impeachable. However, the House must call key material witnesses like Rudy Giuliani and John Bolton rather than stick with an arbitrary December deadline for a vote.
Here is the interview:
doesn’t say much for ‘most of Washington’ but then the political appointees of the past are now a viable, acceptable, and preferable target.
Orginally i am from Chicago a town that is known for political corruption. Every day i would read about it in Mike Royko s column in the Sun Times. He was the best political writer who wrote 5 articles. I still have his collections. He wrote for the Sun Times newspaper. Oddly the paper moved to a new site and Donald Trump bought the land and built a 93 story hotel and it is on the river and it is the only building that actually has a sign Trump on it. The city is sueing to remove it because no buildings have giant signs on them. There is a group of us for the last fews who go back to take pictures and then we post them on facebook and we comment on the them. The Chicago River is beutiful and along with the Trump Hotel there on many iconic building. Thete are actually river tours. Last week for the first time ever i was forced to believe in a deep state. Someone was in Chicago took great pictures and it included a shot of. The Trump Hotel. .it stands near the iconic Wrigley Building Marina City. You cant help but take a picture of it. Long story short that picture had a message placed over it that said political ads are banned on this site .she sent a message about it of which now you cant comment on. I tried it and it happened. .This to me is scary. We are photographers not political but we cant take pictures.
Carole, since becoming president, Trump has routinely disparaged Chicago. So it’s not hard to see why locals would want his name off that building.
There are no buildings in Chicago with huge signs on them. Look at the skyline. There are no signs and many don’t even have addresses. Trump is the only one and since that building has been built before he was president people have been telling him to take it down.
Anonymous, for decades 3 prominent skyscrapers had large signs: Equitable, Prudential and Playboy.
Playboy building is gone and the other two sihns are small and on the roof. Trump sign is huge on the face of the building. Looks so out of place
Mr. Pence. Build up that wall! That is your campaign slogan.
RUSSIA SOUGHT TO FRAME UKRAINE..
FOR 2016 INTERFERENCE
The New York Times reports that U.S. intelligence officials have briefed the Senate regarding efforts by Russia to pin the blame on Ukraine for election meddling.
Therefore Donald Trump has either been a useful idiot, or stooge for Vladimir Putin. By demanding that Zelensky acknowledge the conspiracy regarding Hillary’s server.’
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/11/22/us/politics/ukraine-russia-interference.html
https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2019/11/liberal-law-prof-tells-disappointed-cbs-hosts-impeachment-is-designed-to-fail-video/
Oky1 Thank you!
….I didn’t know he was on TV this morning
Hi Cindy!
If it were up to me I’d have already thrown all the TV out, but… 😉
Usually if it’s interesting it ends up on a new media sites & I hopefully see it. Last night (Fri) it appeared to me there was a massive dump of great pieces.
1st, There’s something I like about Prof Turley even when I disagree with him. And does he try most/all the time to teach people how to civilly argue their cases, a community service? I think so.
2nd, I’ve noticed JT has been at a loss for words at times. I’ve been far worst for whatever reason.
3rd, Prof Turley seems to me to have found his voice again in this recent piece from The Hill. It’s more like the youthful Turley. As in it doesn’t matter if one loves Trump or hates him, it’s just what’s the constitution say, what is the laws intent, & does the law apply in any way to the Trump administration at this time.
https://thehill.com/opinion/judiciary/471778-a-case-for-impeaching-all-living-presidents-of-the-united-states
Oky1…..thank you…..that’s a really interesting article in The Hill.
p.s. better get your snow tires ready. Y’all are supposed to have a big snow/ice storm Thanksgiving.
Stay safe!
Snow/Ice/Thanksgiving.
Don’t talk that way, I’m not ready. That’s polly in part the trouble I’ve had sleeping.
We’ll see.
Regardless, hopefully you “gals” down there & us “gals” up here can have a few days of pleasant times through this holiday season.\.
LoL….thank you, gal friend! 😊Sorry to spook you about weather forecast! Maybe it will go further north.
I know the keys to diet successfully.
1. First and foremost,
Start, always, every meal and snack with lean protein.
Trump’s gonna have a heart attack.
I wish I were an Oscar Mayer weiner
That is what I’d truly like to be
Cause if I were an Oscar Mayer weiner
Everyone would be in love with me
wentz – I have always wanted to drive the weinermobile. 🙂
As a first grader, I would have 4 O.M. dogs for lunch everyday. Mom said I was going to turn into one. And, I DID.
Tell you what. Them Ruskies have the world’s best female figure skaters.
wentz – I am not a fan of O.M. weiners, I just want to driver the weinermobile. 🙂
i always wanted a ’67 Shelby Cobra.
BTW, Ford has just come out with an all electric Mustang Mach-E/ 0-60 in the mid-three second range with 900 horses
Nunes will sue CNN for defamation for its false story claiming he traveled to Vienna and met with a Ukrainian to get dirt on Biden. —–>
“House Intelligence Committee Ranking Member Devin Nunes (R-CA) announced Friday night that he is filing a lawsuit against CNN over a report that they published the same evening that alleged an indicted associate of Rudy Giuliani was willing to testify to Congress that Nunes met with a former Ukrainian prosecutor last year to discuss digging up dirt on former Vice President and current Democrat presidential candidate Joe Biden.
“The attorney, Joseph A. Bondy, represents Lev Parnas, the recently indicted Soviet-born American who worked with Giuliani to push claims of Democratic corruption in Ukraine,” CNN reported. “Bondy said that Parnas was told directly by the former Ukrainian official that he met last year in Vienna with Rep. Devin Nunes.” ….
https://www.dailywire.com/news/breaking-devin-nunes-will-take-swift-legal-action-against-cnn-for-demonstrably-false-story/
Tis funny. Leftists have no doubt that the Biden Boys are guilty of serious crimes. Otherwise, they could not state emphatically that Trump is guilty of digging up dirt on them.
Would Trump be guilty of investigating those two if he was going to publish their squeaky clean backgrounds? Why assume he would find dirt? Releasing the news that they were upholding only the finest American values would be a misdemeanor or high crime?
You’re missing the point. As Sondland made clear, Trump only wanted Zelensky to ANNOUNCE investigations into the Bidens. Trump never cared if the investigations were ever conducted or if they ever turned up any dirt. Trump simply wanted the P.R. value of having Ukraine ANNOUNCE they were investigating the Bidens. It was never about there being any dirt. Trump’s whole career and presidency are built on spin and lies. To presume there is any substance behind it is to make a classic mistake about Trump.
I see. So, again, Trump did nothing worthy of impeachment.
Pressuring Zelensky to announce investigations of the Bidens is an abuse of power and a violation of campaign finance laws. Indisputably impeachable offenses. And Zelensky even took the substantial step of scheduling a CNN interview to announce the investigations, so don’t fall back on the feeble excuse that nothing actually came of Trump’s pressure.
“Indisputably impeachable offenses.” ANON
When slick raped Juanita Broaddrick, that, my fine feathered friend, was an insidious abuse of power.
Seems that CNN published accurately. He might have an issue with Rudy’s buddy though.
I think the Ukraine thing is much Ado about nada. But Rudy does not rank high on the totem pole with me. Biden is one who will be rejected by voters because of sunny boy Hunter.
Let’s move on.
Al zheimer – Lindsey Graham and Ukraine have started investigations.
One thing the Trump lovers here have is inexhaustible energy to defend him regardless of how noxious he is.
And that’s why the American hating authoritarians have a real & growing problem.
“No man in the wrong can stand up against a fellow that’s in the right and keeps on a-comin'”
I agree. Male Trump lovers are bent.
Rudy Giuliani called into America This Week and mounted stunning new allegations against former Vice President Joe Biden regarding the alleged Ukraine corruption that the Trump administration claimed to be investigating.
In what can be only called a very timely booking for host Eric Bolling, Giuliani went into great detail about his past and current role in trying to dig up dirt on President Donald Trump’s opponents and claimed that Biden bribed former Ukraine President Petro Poroshenko.
https://www.mediaite.com/tv/exclusive-giuliani-now-claiming-biden-bribed-former-ukrainian-president/
Those outside of government need to be very careful about saying what is what. Remember that the President of the United States has the FBI, CIA and NSA, among many, working FOR HIM! The truth is we don’t know what the situation is with CrowdStrike and the DNC server. All we know is that the DNC had CrowdStrike working for them and they, and they alone, said the server was “hacked by the Russians.” Bear in mind that the founder of CrowdStrike is a Russian expatriate who hates Putin. As for the server, no one knows what happened to it. The FBI certainly didn’t have it. Rudy Giuliani really does have a good reputation, except among his detractors. Remember that in spite of Schiff’s Shif-show, we really don’t know what happened in Ukraine. Schiff called witnesses who would help his case, or so he thought. Not a single one has offered anything but opinion and Vindman and Hill offered nothing at all. They are security wonks which makes them suspect. After all, the most corrupt elements of the Federal government are intelligence and security, oh, and State, which has been suspect since the 30s when FDR was violating Federal law after law and hiding it form the American people. As the late Yogi Berra said, “It ain’t over ’til it’s over.” We’ll see.
The fact that the FBI did not access the DNC server is a big problem that might even tie back into Seth Rich. I presume that this question falls under Durham.
The political problem with anything to do with issues like crowdstrike is that it reminds people that it was used to make a multi-year baseless circus of Trump involvement in working with Russia. If you want to talk about a conspiracy theory that spiraled out of all reality, that would be it.
All issues within the envelope of this impeachment business hurt the Democrats.
I think some of them are trying to find a way out. Just thinking out loud, perhaps you could schedule and impeachment vote back-to-back with a censure vote. Trump might narrowly avoid impeachment but he would be censured. The Senate can’t hold a trial, and you could give Trump a black mark for your base, and rap this up before the year is out.
Something, anything, to get out of this mess and leave your base somewhat satisfied.
“…Giuliani has been denounced for his role in the Ukraine scandal and portrayed as a universally despised individual in the State Department and national security agencies…”
Are you saying it’s BAD to be despised by the US State Dept. and NSA’s? SERIOUSLY! It’s bad to be despised by the people that bring us felonious torture, murdering innocents including American citizens, converting Libya into a hell hole with open slave trading, etc., etc.
With all due respect, IMHO Turley has shared too many meals with the above scum bags.
Actually, the NSA eavesdrops. The CIA is the agency that tortures. State just screws up time after time.
FDR thought he could handle Uncle Joe and he ended up snookered by Uncle Joe and Churchill, both.
So when it comes to Trump and Putin, who is the snookerer and who is the snookeree?
Neither – the snooker is Adam Schiff and his cronies and the snookerees are the American people.
https://www.claremont.org/crb/basicpage/the-empire-strikes-back/#.XdgnTUAE1sA.twitter
good essay
When will everyone learn that Trump doesn’t and shouldn’t care about the opinions of politicians, media or bureaucrats. The swamp, deep state and people clinging to “norms” are what he is fighting and doing so for all Americans. The way he does it could be improved but no matter how he does it, this it what change looks like. It’s ugly and the republicans, media, bureaucrats and those professing “norms” are gonna DO ANYTHING to try and stop it cause they have nothing to lose as he forces them to lose by effecting change everywhere in government. Who cares about Guliani he is just a soldier/vehicle to fight back and push change. These ambassadors were a bunch of people complaining about how we should things their way and their boss said “no”. Their reason is “this is the way we have always done it”. Trump is saying do it different and get a better result. No one seems to get it and people are so afraid of any kind of change they just figure they will fight it and him.
The way we have always done it has gotten us a long list of forced errors by the IC and the State Department.
oh its easy for people to go along with the mass media that always tells us what’s discredited and what isnt
but they don’t tell the truth
https://consortiumnews.com/2019/06/17/fbi-never-saw-crowdstrike-unredacted-or-final-report-on-alleged-russian-hacking-because-none-was-produced/
you guys forget the CIA’s official mission is to actually inform the POTUS and not just spy on him
isnt it possible Trump knows what he’s talking about? Just possible?
No. It’s not possible.
Has P Turley always lied like this or is he just practising on us to see if he can get away with it?
I seen today Alex Jones/Infowars went after Fiona ( Phony) Hill’s slanderous /Perjury with her House
testimony. Look cutNdry.
And what the hell was that damn American Hating Red coat trash doing in the Fed Govt in the 1st place & Vindman?
Hell, if we have to Out Source important Jobs we might as well be stupid & hire North Koreans, sarc off.
Pieczinikc was correct, just fire 2/3s or more of the aprox 2mil bureaucrats, & if they can’t be fired reassign them to temporary trailers lining the US/Mexican border & have them sit on they’re thumbs.
OH HELL YES TO YOUR LAST PARAGRAPH!!!
“I seen today Alex Jones/Infowars…” So says Oky.
Say no more.
Trump is sometimes given the benefit of the doubt by saying he is new to all this and therefore makes errors like believing stories about the server et al. I believe he is a conman and chooses it for his own benefit knowing it is false
I believe those of you in the programmed Collective chose it as preferable to getting an education .
Remember you can’t say ad hominem when acting as a machinei part. Ad Machina.