5.28.17: Republicans' Summer Agenda in Jeopardy/ Memorial Day Comment

There is smoke, lots of smoke but the only smoke we should be talking about today comes off the barbecue and while we thinking of all those who have given the ultimate sacrifice for our country. Yet, here we are discussing the president's son-in-saw Jared Kushner and his suspicious communications with Russia.

Mr. Kushner, it was leaked to The Washington Post, is not a target of the Russia investigation but is "under scrutiny." Let's face it, if you're "under scrutiny" by the FBI then you're being investigated. And no matter the outcome, this is going to hang over the administration and this presidency until its resolved, nothing will get done. Senator Bob Corker (R-TN) explained that no everything on the slate - health care, tax reform, a budget, debt ceiling - will get done. With the exception of preventing the United States from defaulting on its debt payments, it's difficult to see anything getting done. It was reassuring to hear Senator Corker say that the sanctions on Russia would continue as they should, but they should actually be harsher as a consequence of interfering with the past election. 

The problem with completing any of the aforementioned policy agenda items is that Republicans who control all of Congress are fractured on how to proceed. The House passed a healthcare that will be completely rewritten in the Senate and be unacceptable to the hard right. Compromise within the Republican party itself seems difficult. Not to mention that any of the few times policy is discussed, there is never any mention of Democratic participation. And according to Senator John McCain (R-AZ), there is no plan in place for getting anything done.

The Wall Street Journal's Kimberley Strassel cited an example of Barack Obama representatives setting up a back channel  is similar to what Jared Kushner was doing, and feels that all this is essentially much to do about nothing. However, when former Director of National Security James Clapper says that his "dashboard light was on" (without confirming anything) about the Trump transition team contacts that's troubling. There seems to be more there than just the meetings between Mr. Kushner and Russian Ambassador Kislyak.

Summer is upon us and the heat gets to people; it can be a crazy time. Most of the problems the Trump Administration have faced are self-inflicted, but what happens if there is a real crisis? That would surely knock the administration and by extension the Congress further off its already shaky moorings.

Whatever the outcome all these Russia investigations, the damage the Trump Administration is already thoroughly done, with only itself to blame.

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Memorial Day Comment

First and foremost, on this particular holiday this column would like to give a grateful shout-out to the soldiers and vets at the Intrepid Spirit Center at Ft. Belvoir in Virginia. Thank you for being the people you are.

One thing to know about this column is its strong sense of what America should be and how it should act and lead in the world. Because of that, our soldiers' sacrifices are never taken lightly and respect is seriously paid. 

With that said, it's also important to keep in mind the allies/friends that help us when we put troops in harm's way. Since the establishment of NATO in 1948, every president -  Harry S. Truman, Dwight D. Eisenhower, John F. Kennedy, Lindon B. Johnson, Richard Nixon, Gerald Ford, Jimmy Carter, Ronald Reagan, George H.W. Bush, Bill Clinton, George W. Bush, Barack Obama - has confirmed the NATO commitment to Article 5, which states that if one member is attacked, we're all attacked. It has been invoked once by us, The United States, after 9/11.

President Donald Trump did not make this commitment; did not state this confirmation at the meeting of NATO nations in Brussels earlier this week. What does that say about our leadership in the world? It was a conspicuous decision by President Trump not to say so, and it was disgraceful.

Panel: Joy-Ann Reid, NBC News; Kimberley Strassell, The Wall Street Journal; Charlie Sykes, NBC News; Amy Walter, Cook Political Report

5.14.17: What's Thin And Then Not So Much... The Fall-Out of the President's Decisions

This week's firing of FBI Director James Comey is just another mess in an ever-growing line of messes for President Trump and his administration.  Unlike other self-manufactured controversies, this one in particular could, and really should, be used as evidence of obstruction of justice. By the president's own admission to NBC's Lester Holt, Mr. Trump said that "this Russia thing" factored into his decision to fire Mr. Comey, who was leading the investigation into Russian involvement in our election and to the larger extent our democratic processes. Then there was the completely awkward ill-timed, frankly bizarre, meeting with Russian Minister of Foreign Affairs Sergey Lavrov and Russian Ambassador to the U.S. Sergey Kislyak where no U.S. media were allowed but Russian media was.

The Washington Post's Eugene Robinson commented that it was impossible to predict the timing of the things the president does, but I would content that it's not that difficult - just imagine the worst possible time in which to do something and that's when Mr. Trump will act.

But there is a big "if," which Senator Lindsey Graham (R-SC) outlined in his interview, which is that right now the investigation is a counter-intelligence investigation and not a criminal one, meaning that at this time appointing a special prosecutor would be premature. This argument treads thin due to the presidents statements, which included his mention of recordings of White House conversations with then-director Comey on January 27, 2017 at a private dinner between the two. What's not thin is the president's threat of "tapes." No "thinly-veiled," it was simply a threat. The president should take Senator Graham's advice to cease tweeting or commenting about the investigation.

Senator Schumer, for his part, is in wait-and-see mode for the president's choice to replace Mr. Comey as FBI director, which will then dictate the decision on whether there should be a united democratic call for a special prosecutor.

If you disagree with the charge of obstruction of justice, what is obvious is that the president is using all legal means, politically ugly or not, to impede the FBI investigation. As the BBC's Katty Kay pointed out - we haven't gotten the full, real story so conspiracy theories will reign. One is left only to speculate, but best guess from my perspective is that it has to do with his businesses being put under a legal microscope. Congress' investigation is more focused on Russia's interference with our election where the FBI seems more targeted at individuals within the Trump campaign, which could lead to an investigation of the president. It's all more personal in nature and that would seem to be more of a concern to Mr. Trump.

Paraphrasing Axios' founder Jim Vandehei, you can't be thinking small while trying to accomplish big things. It just won't work. That's where we all are with Donald Trump's presidency.

To directly quote Matthew Continetti of the conservative Washington Free Beacon, "He is the crisis." The boiling point comes when a larger enough portion of the Republican party disapprove and it's moving in that direction.

On the personal front, President is not helping himself certainly, but Secretary of State Rex Tillerson isn't helping the administration's credibility cause of U.S. foreign policy either. At the outset of this administration I had hope that Mr. Tillerson would be the pleasant surprise in an administration consisting of many political novices, but that hope ceased early on and today's interview confirmed any doubt that Mr. Tillerson simply doesn't have what it takes to represent the United States as its head diplomat.

Senator Graham said that he was 1,000 percent sure that Russia interfered in our election and Sec. Tillerson doesn't bring it up in his meetings with Putin on his Kremlin visit, saying it was "part of that broader landscape of conversation." With all due respect to the Secretary, what the hell does that mean? Another country meddling in the U.S. election is an attack on our democracy and indeed our sovereignty. Fine, it's part of broader conversations, but it's the first conversation.

Mr. Vandehei was a last minute addition to the panel to break the news that the Trump Administration is going to have a major shake up and names like Bannon, Priebus, Spicer, and McGahn are potential pink slip recipients. So much for Mr. Trump's hiring prowess and 'getting the best people.' No matter what side of the political aisle you favor or none at all, we would all agree that all this needs to be promptly resolved. In this instance Donald Trump is the only one who can fix all this, and indeed we need the full, real story because Americans' patience is running really thin with this unpredictable president and chaotic presidency.


Panel: Katty Kay, BBC News; Haley Jackson, NBC News; Matthew Continetti, Washington Free Beacon; Eugene Robinson, The Washington Post

5.7.17: Healthcare and the Russia Question No One in Congress Answers

Andrea Mitchell in for Chuck Todd

Since the Republican-controlled House [read: Republicans only] passed their Healthcare Bill there have been a lot of people in the media making football analogies - today's "Spiking the Football, It's only the first quarter, this is a first down not a touchdown," et al.  While apt, because the politics of it are certainly being playing like a game, the outcomes will most definitely not be.

The Rose Garden beer party the House Republicans had after the vote was asinine and juvenile, pure cynically political legislation prematurely and inappropriately celebrated by a group of men, who frankly were as diverse as a white bread American cheese sandwich, with mayo. Bad optics?

In that vane, bad optics and bad policy is the Senate committee consists of 13 white guys crafting their version of the bill. No women, pointed out by Senator Diane Feinstein (D-CA) while also noting that women are over 50 percent of the population. They don't have a seat at the table?

Secretary of Health and Human Services Tom Price neither talks about health nor sounds human. He answered every question with some form of we're going to give individuals, families and doctors more control and choice over the health care that they want to have. What he left out was that the insurance companies are taking back control of health care distribution and what they can charge. The Medicaid Expansion will be the responsibility of the individual states which will not be given enough funding to continue then eventually be cut altogether.

After scrolling 22 organizations across the screen, which included the AARP, American Lung Association, American Cancer Society, American Academy of Family Physicians, American Nurses Association, and the March of Dimes, among others Secretary Price said all of those organizations "don't see that there is a better way." Really? Interpret as you will but that's a little suspect to me.

By the same token, however, the taunting the Democrats did singing, "Na Na Na Na, Hey Hey Hey Goodbye" on the floor of the House was bush-league and also inappropriate, even if you get the 'why' of it. Most everyone would agree - that Republicans are repealing a major social program, something we've never done Yahoo's Matt Bai noted, and the political outlook for doing so will cost Republicans seats in Congress. But that's no excuse.

The take away is this: the Medicaid expansion will eventually be phased out by giving the responsibility to the individual states and people will lose coverage not being able to afford private insurance. The money that the federal government will save with go into a tax cut coming in the near future.


As for widely known as fact Russian meddling in the American election and other in Europe (appropriate today given France's election today), here's the question for Congress:

What's the recourse? 

Senator Roy Blount (R-MO) called it "unfortunate." OK... (?)

What are the consequences for these actions, which threatens the sovereignty of the United States? I guess we have to wait until all the investigations are concluded to get those, timetable not-soon-enough. It's just beyond comprehension the passivity on the part of members of Congress when the speak on this topic. Odd. However, Senator Feinstein also pointed out that when the Obama Administration expelled 35 Russian government employees, the Kremlin didn't react, inferring the connection between Michael Flynn and the Russian ambassador. Between Michael Flynn, Carter Page, Roger Stone and Paul Manafort all of whom are the focus of the FBI, there are some bad actors.

During the Republican Party convention in Cleveland, they changed the platform position on its support of Ukraine in terms of support and armaments to stand up to Russia. Paul Manafort is seen as the driving force behind that effort so we're he and Flynn working in coordination or independently?

And the twists just keep on coming...


Panel: Kristen Welker, NBC News; Eliana Johnson, Politico; Matt Bai, Yahoo News; Rich Lowry, The National Review