NOTHING TO HIDE? — The Weekly Opine

The moment Trump feared and Dems tried to avoid has arrived. (Photo credit CNN screenshot)

It was worth the wait

Readers know I harshly questioned Democrat’s reluctance, with respect to getting after Donald Trump in a timely manner. Particularly in the aftermath of the release of the damning, impeachment roadmap, aka the Mueller Report. However, as the well-worn phrase says, it is what it is.

What matters now is House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has boxed Trump into a corner. And the only way out for Trump is if Dems channel Cleveland Browns running back Earnest Byner and fumble, with impeachment within grasp.

Pelosi made a smart move awarding the closed-door testimony segment to Chairman Adam Schiff’s Intelligence Committee. Schiff methodically lined up key witnesses and, with assembly-line efficiency Henry Ford would have applauded, set the table for a series of knockout punches as the inquiry went public this week.

Hopefully, House Judiciary Chair Jerry Nadler is taking notes while Schiff handles his business. Nadler is a smart man who plays well on cable news interviews. He has been less adept handling glaring TV lights during Judiciary Committee hearings.

The point is, sooner or later, this should end up in the Judiciary Committee, given this committee historically formalizes articles of impeachment, prior to a full House vote. The notion of the “next man up” being ready will be tested when Schiff presumably hands over the outcome of his investigation to Nadler.

Communicating to the public will be significant. Sentiment regarding impeachment and removal of Trump has stagnated. This was confirmed by a guest on cable news last week who acknowledged polling for/against removing Trump has not moved much the past few weeks. (A similar pattern occurred during Watergate.)

According to a CNN compilation of numerous polls, on average, Americans who say Trump should be impeached and removed from office stands at 47%. A few polls show removal in the low-50s. But it’s not as if the removal number has shot up to 70% the past few weeks. There is still much public convincing needed in order to scare Republicans (at their core, Republican senators are scared-y cats) into abandoning and convicting Trump.

Diplomats George Kent and Bill Taylor accomplished what Robert Mueller failed to do. Confidently articulate Trump’s wrongdoing. (Photo credit CNN screenshot)

Great start, now communicate

Yesterday’s opening public hearing, featuring Ambassador Bill Taylor and Deputy Assistant Secretary of State George Kent, was the right way to contextualize Ukraine-gate. Not only did Taylor and Kent testify credibly regarding Trump’s not “perfect” phone call with Ukrainian President Zelensky, the two outlined how diplomacy is supposed to work. To boot, they gave a vital lesson on why Ukraine is strategically important to American and European security. We learned without equivocation that Trump, and his minions, put American security in jeopardy, while aiding Trump’s master, Vladimir Putin.

Also, with help from outlandish theories and questions from conspiracy-wielding Republicans, the hearing reminded Americans of the chaos and corruption permeating the Trump administration. Gordon Sondland and Rudy Giuliani may need sleep aids, as they appear the most at-risk players (notwithstanding Trump) in this sordid mess.

Taylor and Kent gave powerful opening statements. It is a fact they are non-partisan diplomats, having served under Republican and Democratic presidents. As proof, it was clear both were unhappy with President Obama for not providing lethal weapon aid to Ukraine. And both are unhappy Trump tied Ukrainian aid to an investigation into Trump’s political opponent. Consequently, anyone doubting the credibility and patriotism of Taylor and Kent is an ignorant fool.

Kent was consistent throughout and unshaken by goofy GOP tactics. Taylor, confronted with GOP shenanigans designed to obfuscate, distract and glean a soundbite or two, momentarily drifted into Mueller-like wobbly testimony. During one stretch, Taylor repeatedly asked Republicans to repeat the question and I thought, oh boy, here we go. But Taylor recovered and, like Kent, did a superb job.

The fact the witnesses did a great job is important insofar as they explained to the American people what happened. Fox News pundits who argue the witnesses engaged in hearsay, not having spoken directly to Trump about this matter, should be reminded that Fox News went all-in when Trump unleashed his hearsay birther movement.

Democrats need an iron-clad communications strategy to walk the American people through this process. A consistent, digestible message that can withstand the inevitable bombast that Trump, Sen. Lindsey Graham, Rep. Jim Jordan and others will deliver. Pelosi should hold daily press briefings, summarizing testimony and offsetting hocus-pocus tricks Republicans will offer.

Several weeks ago, I suggested these hearings be scheduled in primetime to allow larger audiences to see live testimony. Cable news presents Trump’s fascist rallies in primetime so showing something as monumental as impeachment hearings should be a no-brainer.

A misnomer that should be squashed is that this whole thing is political. That’s false, the impeachment inquiry is not political. The House is doing what the U.S. Constitution mandates. When faced with an unfit president the House must impeach. To the extent the inquiry is political, it is so because Republicans place their political party ahead of the U.S Constitution.

Gordon Sondland is in deep, deep trouble. (Photo credit CNN screenshot)

Mr. Transparency

Dems should invite Trump to testify. It’s great that Gordon Sondland, Fiona Hill, Marie Yovanovitch, and Lev Parnas will be on Capitol Hill soon. By the end of next week, Dems should wrap up all witnesses who are not fighting subpoenas. Strike before the public may lose interest or become overwhelmed by Thanksgiving, Black Friday and Cyber Monday.

And then invite Trump in. He talks big game about the whistleblower this, and transparency that. OK, big boy, if you are the most transparent president in history, show up at the U.S. Capitol and testify under oath. And bring your tax returns.

A highlight yesterday was when Democratic Rep. Peter Welch offered a crushing retort to Rep. Jordan, after Jordan argued Democrats should bring the person who started all of this, the whistleblower, in to testify. Welch responded if Republicans want to bring in the person who started all of this, Trump should testify. Brilliant.

Republican Rep. Jim Jordan has a big problem in his home state. (Photo credit CNN screenshot)

Another creep

During the Taylor-Kent testimony, Jordan did his perfunctory proselytizing. But Jordan has his own problem due to credible accusations he protected a deviant team doctor, when Jordan was an assistant wrestling coach at The Ohio State University. The doctor committed over 1,400 sexual assaults and 47 rapes on student patients. It is inconceivable that Jordan, who coached for nearly a decade, was unaware what was happening.

In another signal they have lost their moral compass, the GOP showcases Jordan, an alleged enabler of a sexual assault criminal, as its star questioner. The GOP does this as they continue making excuses for a proven creep president and proven fake-Christian vice president.

Most valuable commodity

In the classic movie “Wall Street,” Gordon Gekko, played by Michael Douglas, says the most valuable commodity he knows of is information. Yesterday, Ambassador Bill Taylor delivered information that would make Gekko proud and surely made Trump cringe.

In a stunning reveal, Taylor testified one of his staff members was with Sondland, in a Ukrainian restaurant, and overheard a conversation (unsecured cell phone call) between Trump and Sondland. After the call, Sondland told the staff member Trump was more interested in Ukraine investigating Joe and Hunter Biden than he was about the fate of Ukraine.

Taylor may have delivered to this impeachment inquiry information on par with the discovery in 1973 that Richard Nixon recorded Oval Office conversations.

Taylor and Kent testified in a manner that counterbalanced Robert Mueller’s tepid performance. At that time, many cable news hosts and pundits effusively praised Mueller. The truth is, for the first time in his career, Mueller did a disservice to his country with his near apologetic confirmation of Trump wrongdoing.

There was nothing apologetic coming from diplomats Taylor and Kent. Just irrefutable, fact-based information.

I wonder how many sheep Trump, Sondland and Giuliani counted last night?