Letter to the Editor

Trump fired Joe Maguire from Office of Director of National Intelligence, as head of all 17 intel-agencies because a high-level official under him, Shelby Pierson, lawfully briefed the bipartisan House Intelligence Committee: on election security, with a subsequent discussion of when U.S. government should warn Democratic candidates if they’re being targeted by foreign governments.  Intel-agencies have new information regarding Russia trying to interfere in the 2020 primaries, and the committee members briefed were told that Russia had developed a preference for the Trump administration to advance Kremlin’s interests.  Devin Nunes, present in that briefing, immediately called Trump to inform him that Rep. Adam Schiff, as head of the House Intel-Committee, was also present in this briefing.  Trump was infuriated, fired DNI Maguire and has now installed as Acting Director, Richard Grenell, who is U.S. Ambassador to Germany, where he is not liked or trusted, and is reportedly left out of many meetings.  Grenell is NOT qualified to be head of the Intel-agencies.  Trump is purging ranks of perceived “disloyal” officials; his removal of Maguire exacerbated long-standing tensions between Intel-officers, but Trump is definitely ‘Exacerbator-in-Chief’.

Truth is crucial to our democracy.  Truth still matters in this country!  Does it matter to you?  This politicalization of intelligence is very dangerous.  U.S. Intel-officials have all agreed that “Russia’s cyber-warfare and campaign of misinformation in 2016 was sweeping and systematic, unlike previous Russian or Soviet efforts”.  Trump feels this information sabotages his 2020 reelection campaign; he seeks to squelch all information he doesn’t agree with.   Adam Schiff said, “we count on the Intel-community to inform Congress of any threat of foreign interference in our elections.  If reports are true, and the president is interfering with that, he is again jeopardizing our efforts to stop foreign-meddling”.  Trump is a psychologically-impaired president, putting our country in constant peril.  Trump ousted Sean Doocey, as head of White House Presidential Personnel Office, replacing him with Johnny McEntee, instructing him to install more “MAGA loyalists” in government positions.  Trump fired John C. Rood, the official in charge of Defense department policy, who certified that Ukraine had met anti-corruption obligations required by law to receive the U.S. aid that Trump had froze.  On another note: all top newspapers carried the story today 2/21, “Mick Mulvaney says the U.S. is desperate for more legal immigrants, as a workforce to fuel our economic growth”.  SUGGESION:  Trump could grant immediate citizenship to ‘Dreamers’, instead of threatening and deporting them!

Trish Forsyth Voss

“Seventy former senators drafted an open-letter to current members of the chamber proposing a new bipartisan caucus amid the current era of aggressive partisanship — Congress is not fulfilling its constitutional duties — as the framers of the Constitution intended”.  They lamented, “it takes sixty votes to pass anything in the Senate”, calling it “new and obstructionist”.  The filibuster — once exceptional is now ordinary practice — a way to avoid bringing-up bills for a vote.  Elizabeth Warren proposes abolishing the filibuster, because she’s about getting things done!  A progressive-agenda relies on it being ended, to advance the cause of “a more perfect union”.  America needs fundamental, structural change, and Liz Warren has big plans for getting things done.  She has a multi-step plan to reduce gun violence, and plans for reforming an inherently-racist criminal justice system with reasonable sentencing reforms.  She has plans for early-childhood-care — on through higher education, addressing and reducing student debt.  She believes affordable healthcare shouldn’t be a privilege, that quality coverage should be an easily-accessible right for Americans at all income-levels.  She’s a strong fighter, who will fight for lower-cost prescription drugs, and for all women, children and men.  Recognizing the extreme disadvantage that women of color have been enmeshed in, the discrimination and resulting wage gap, Liz will fight for new regulations and increased diversity.  She has a 3-part plan to combat climate change, and refuses to surrender to rich corporations that profit from environmental damage.

Liz has plans to end inhumane conditions at the border, “to eliminate the profiting centers at current migrant detention centers”.  Elizabeth Warren is the person who can bring others together to enact common-sense immigration-legislation.  Recently, over a hot-mic, Mick Mulvaney was heard saying that “America is DESPERATE for legal immigrants — we need immigrants as a workforce to fuel our economic growth”.  Yes, we do!  And America needs big changes in the rules of the economic game.  A Free-Trade Capitalist, Liz believes the uber-rich should pay their fair share.  She built the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau to protect consumers from predatory lenders.  Don’t succumb to the fear-talk that a woman can’t win the 2020 presidency; many people didn’t vote in 2016, still Hillary won 3 million more votes than Trump.   “The paths to America’s middle class have gotten a lot smaller and narrower …. I know what’s broken.  I know how to fix it, and I’m going to lead the fight to get it done!”  VOTE WARREN!

Trish Forsyth Voss

Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman, decorated Vietnam veteran, star-witness in the House impeachment inquiry, worked until recently for the National Security Council, and his brother, Lt. Col. Yevgeny Vindman, Ethics attorney at the NSC, both active-duty Army officers, were escorted by security from the White House recently,  were reassigned to the Pentagon. (This folowing Rush Limbaugh being presented with the Presidential Medal of Freedom, and a Trump-pardon of court-marshalled soldier, Eddie Gallagher; the Navy secretary resigned.)  Trump has tweeted many derogatory remarks about the Vindman brothers, as he pushes the Army to conjure-up charges against them.  Senate Minority leader, Chuck Schumer has asked every agency inspector-general to investigate retaliation against these brothers as possible whistleblowers having perhaps reported presidential misconduct.  Trump recalled and fired his European-Union-ambassador, Gordon Sondland, who testified in the House; and Trump has deplorably bashed Mitt Romney, who proved himself to be the lone GOP patriot.  Donald will do his best to ruin Romney.   Trump has been pushing for charges against retired FBI-deputy-director, Andrew McCabe, though a grand jury declined bringing charges.  Where’s the outrage?

Attorney General, William Barr, has now inserted himself into Roger Stone’s sentencing (for perjury, witness-tampering, obstruction of court proceedings), announcing a shorter sentence recommendation than the prosecutors requested; resulting in 4 prosecutors resigning 2/11/20.   Michael Flynn’s sentencing is being finagled behind the scenes.  Back in April 2019, Barr had offered a seriously-misleading summary of the Mueller report, and Trump continues to make false pronouncements of that probe having been unfounded & corrupt.  LIES UPON LIES; THIS IS CORRUPT JUSTICE!  More blatant corruption will follow.  Trump is using Barr as a political weapon against his opponents!  Trump just withdrew the Treasury nomination of former U.S. Attorney, Jessie K. Liu, who oversaw Stone’s prosecution.  Barr had replaced Liu in her position of U.S. Atty for District of Columbia (largest U.S. Atty office in the country), with his own pick, Timothy J. Shea, on 1/30/20, as interim U.S. Attorney.  Chess pieces in place; they can indict almost anyone, and will definitely pardon Stone, Gates, Flynn, Manafort, etc. after the November election, whether or not Trump will remain in office.   House Judicial Committee has called William Barr to testify March 31, 2020, to face questions on his leadership of DOJ, and the president’s  improper influence over the justice dept.   The House will continue to do its duty to serve as a check against corruption in the Executive & Judicial branches of our government.

Trish Forsyth Voss

If you thought the president might offer an apology to the nation following his acquittal, like president Bill Clinton did, you’d be wrong.  The Trumpian State of the Union address was a defiant punch; then he attended the National Prayer Breakfast (supposed to be non-partisan) on Thursday 2/6, where he made nasty remarks about people who “use religion as a crutch, to justify doing what’s wrong”.  That spectacle was immediately followed by an uncouth victory lap around the grand East Room of the White House, surrounded by Republican bobble-heads, who clapped and cheered as their vindicated leader brandished The Washington Post, headline screamed: “TRUMP ACQUITTED”.   Trump then launched into a strange ad-lib, stream-of-consciousness-rant, going over his expanded Enemies list, in over an hourlong flashback of his aggrieved commentary about how the evil-genius Democrats had conspired against him, his nemesis Hillary, the star-crossed FBI lovers, Lisa & Peter, their failed “insurance policy”, the “dirty cops & Human Scum”: Comey, McCabe, and Mueller, ‘Witch-hunt’.   “Leakers, Liars & Stone-cold-crazy Sleazebags”.  Amidst cursing and slightly-veiled threats, a vengeful-Trump slandered Vindman, Schiff, Pelosi, and Romney, whom he characterized as a spiteful, jealous opponent, previously vanquished in a run for the presidency, “the only one who voted against me”.  He praised his defense team and extremist supporters, like Devin Nunes, for their extraordinary measures.  He claimed responsibility for their electoral successes.  He claimed repeatedly that he “did nothing wrong”, and stated “we cannot allow this to happen ever again in our country” (though it’s firmly part of our Constitutional Rule of Law).  Trump said, “now we have that gorgeous word — total acquittal”.

Complicit Republicans have defiled the law, disgraced the nation, undermined our national security, scorned allies while cozying-up to dictators.  Attorney General, William Barr, is making up new rules, and now that a defiant-Trump is unfettered, an even nastier scorched-earth fight is ON; Trump seeks to gin-up charges against John Bolton, and calls for a DOJ investigation into Hunter Biden.  Mitt is bound to “go through some things”, as Don Jr. tweets daily that “Romney needs to be banished from the GOP!”  Authoritarian-Trump demands that, “Dems will pay for this!”    The Cult of Trump is strong, vocal and ruthless.   All who dare to oppose him …. Watch Out!   “Heads-on-pikes”.    “History will not be kind to Trump”, admonishes Adam Schiff.     “We’re here for a time, but we’re part of a long history”, Elizabeth Warren reminds us.   Mitt Romney understands that.

Trish Forsyth Voss

“Isn’t it bliss, don’t you approve?”  Another SAD and sorry moment in our nation’s history!  President, Donald John Trump, was impeached; a trial in the Senate followed.  The White House counsel argued that nothing Trump has done rises to the level of removal, and went further, saying that a president could even accept information from a foreign leader to help in his election!  Really?!   Isn’t that Mob talk?!  “It’s a normalization of lawlessness” — it’s outrageous!  “Isn’t it rich, isn’t it queer?”  Dershowitz claimed: “as long as a president, in his mind, believes he is doing a thing for the good of the nation, it is NOT impeachable” (this from a person who admittedly received a massage at friend, Jeffrey Epstein’s mansion, where underage girls were sex-trafficked!  Dershowitz does assert he kept his underwear on and his masseuse was really old!)  “Don’t you love farce?  There ought to be clowns.”  I guess clowns bring levity for some, but I, for one, never liked clowns, and don’t care much for circuses.  I envision clown-painted faces like John Wayne Gacy, Pennywise, and JOKER.   I read, after seeing the latest JOKER movie, that “JOKER is the archetypal agent of Chaos”.  That agent, brilliantly portrayed by Joaquin Phoenix, dramatized a broken man descending into total madness.  The ending scenes of that movie depict a city engulfed in such a descent.   I was reminded of those scenes today, as I heard Adam Schiff exclaim, “in the last few days we’ve seen a descent into constitutional madness”.

In a 1977 interview with Robert Frost, former president, Richard M. Nixon wrongly claimed, “when the president does it, that means that it’s not illegal”.   Now Trump boasts, “I can do whatever I want under constitutional privilege”.  Scheme exposed, Trump absolved!    Trump has become King!   “Send in the clowns. Don’t bother, they’re here!” (Judy Collins lyrics: Send in the Clowns.)

Our battle standard taken-up, this skirmish was lost.  What more was lost in the fight?  It signifies a crucial blow to our democracy!  The enemies of democracy will continue their onslaughts against our Constitution.  Expect it!   When we “elect a clown, expect a circus”.   “It is NOT legal to solicit or accept foreign assistance in an election, NOT in this Democratic Republic of the United States of America”, emphatically stated Representative Hakeem Jeffries.   Cory Booker urged, “Never stop being a ‘prisoner of Hope’!  This is a moral nation!”      “I’m free to leave but I’ll never go.”  (Johnny Lee lyrics)

Trish Forsyth Voss

The trial of Donald John Trump began 1/21/20; the Democratic House managers began Opening Arguments, laying-out foundational details of the case against the president; several votes were taken throughout the first day, with all Republican Senators voting down each request to subpoena government documents and for witnesses, Mick Mulvaney and John Bolton.   The first day’s proceedings ended on Day 2, around 2 a.m.   Adam Schiff, Jerry Nadler, Hakeem Jeffries, Zoe Lofgren, Jason Crow, and Val Demings all spoke eloquently; they showed clips of witness testimonies from the impeachment hearing that occurred in the House.  Trump’s legal team took turns speaking falsehoods and platitudes, urging a quick end to this “Constitutional Nonsense”.  Senator Chuck Schumer said Wednesday, “it was a dark day from a dark night”.   “This is a partisan forced-march toward a predetermined outcome”, stated Sheldon Whitehouse, Democratic Senator and lawyer.

The GOP Senators stated they wanted to follow the William Jefferson Clinton impeachment trial, but “The so-called Clinton ‘precedent’ was a very advantageous one for Trump because it overlooked that the Senate HAD ALL THE EVIDENCE IN CLINTON” case, per the NYT.   Even without any further evidence, the impeachment hearing in the House garnered more than enough to prove the extortion case of Abuse of Power and Obstruction of Congress, which Trump proves daily.  The OAG stated Trump did break the law in withholding Congressionally-authorized aid to Ukraine, and Trump and Mulvaney have both confessed to that.   We, indeed, have a Constitutional Crises if a president is above the Rule of Law, and if we can expect nothing better from our democracy.  “We struggle to protect this idea, and our security”, urged Adam Schiff, in Wednesday’s arguments, “A president does not have the right, under our laws and our Constitution, to use the powers of his office to corruptly solicit prohibited foreign-aid in his reelection, to withhold official presidential acts to garner such help, to undermine our elections and place our security at risk. He does NOT!  His obstruction strikes at the heart of our Constitution, it threatens our last line of defense, that our founders enshrined in our system to protect our Democracy from a rogue president who presents an ongoing threat. Every American should be concerned about that.” The media, the investigation, impeachment, and trial are guardrails. Will they hold?   “Obstructing an impeachment inquiry to neutralize and nullify the impeachment clause, to shield himself from any accountability” is a flagrant criminal act!

Trish Forsyth Voss

The Articles of Impeachment were delivered to the Senate 1/15/20; the trial proceedings began in the Senate the following afternoon.  Adam Schiff presented the charges, the Senate received the impeachment articles; Chief Justice, John Roberts, was sworn in for the impending trial, set to resume on Tuesday, Jan 21, 2020.  President Donald John Trump has been impeached!  Make no mistake: Senators will be on trial as much as president Trump, who has ordered his administration to ignore the lawful subpoenas from the House, ordering all the departments NOT to provide any requested documents or evidence.  The exception: the White House provided a draft of the July 25, 2019 phone call from Trump, proving that he did indeed try to coerce a foreign leader to  ‘do him a favor’  in exchange for Congressionally-authorized aid to Ukraine.

In the holiday-vacation ‘pause’, more evidence has come forth and is included in the impeachment materials received in the Senate; damning evidence regarding Rudy Giuliani’s actions, and explosive evidence and phone transcripts of Lev Parnas, indicted key-player in the Ukraine affair.  Parnas, with his criminal-attorney, Joseph Bondy, in an interview with Rachel Maddow 1/15/20, laid-out details of his clandestine exploits with Giuliani, for the president, and Parnas implicates Barr, Pompeo, Pence, Nunes, Perry and others, as all being “on the team”; much as Gordon Sondland outlined during his hearing testimony, “They were all onboard”.   Parnas even talked about a congressional-candidate from Connecticut, Robert Hyde, who was surveilling and stalking our former U.S. ambassador, Marie Yovanovitch, whom they wanted eradicated, of whom Trump told Ukrainian president Zelensky by phone, “she’s bad news; she’s going to go through some things”.  Trump even tweeted out defamatory remarks about Yovanovitch, which sounded like threats, on 11/15/19 as she gave testimony during the House impeachment hearing.   The FBI visited the home and business of Robert Hyde on 1/16/20.

Trump was the architect of these schemes; directing the many threats to Zelensky, if he failed to announce an investigation into Burisma & Biden.  Trump held Pence back from attending the inauguration of Zelensky; he withheld the crucial aid to Ukrainians, who were defending themselves in a hot-war with Russia.  The ‘T-team’ also sought a natural-gas deal in Ukraine.   Dmytro Firtash, an indicted Russian, mobbed-up oligarch, was funding these schemes executed by Rudy Giuliani, Lev Parnas, Igor Fruman, et al.    Senators will be judged by history and held responsible for their actions and inactions.

Trish Forsyth Voss

“The Trump administration gave no details of imminent threat evidence, to justify their targeted-killing of Qasem Soleimani, the Iranian major-general of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard and commander of Quds Force, “responsible for exterritorial military clandestine-operations”, and included in Iraq’s state security. Despite Soleimani being immediately replaced by his deputy, millions of Iranians crying, shouting and marching in the streets, carried the pictures of Soleimani and  Iraqi militia leader, Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, one of Iran’s top lieutenants in Iraq, a veteran of battles against the U.S. and the Islamic State.   The attack violates the agreement the U.S. had with Iraq: not to use their territory to attack other countries.  The Iraqi parliament swiftly voted to expel U.S. troops.  Ayatollah Ali Khamenei vowed revenge, and Tuesday, Iran launched several ballistic missiles into two Iraqi bases, housing Iraqi and U.S. troops.   No deaths were reported.

Trump gave a televised statement on Wednesday, stating that “Iran will never be allowed to have a nuclear weapon”, that he was issuing further economic sanctions on Iran, and that he would be calling on NATO (yes, the same NATO he’s called obsolete and has alienated in multiple ways) “to become much more involved in the Middle East process”, stating NATO “must now break-away from the ‘remnants’ of the Iran Nuclear Deal”, from which Trump withdrew the U.S.   Trump didn’t advise Congress of his intended actions, nor did he advise our NATO allies in the region, placing them at risk, and now expects that NATO should fall into line behind him to help him save face.   Alienating our allies, destabilizing long-standing relationships, escalating tensions to appease his own ego, does not increase our diplomatic standing worldwide.  On Wednesday, the Secretaries of State and Defense, Head of the CIA and Joint Chiefs of Staff gave a ‘supposed’ briefing to Senators, from which many emerged frustrated and upset!  Republican Utah-Senator, Mike Lee, stated he’d never seen a worse briefing, but he was most enraged by  the briefers warning Senators they should not debate nor discuss the appropriateness of further military intervention in Iran, as that would only embolden Iran.

The Ayatollah promised further revenge.  Iran has precise military capabilities, able to hit Israel and southeastern Europe, and has substantial maritime defenses.  Iran provides material support and training to regional militant groups, whose defenses might well threaten the U.S, and give Iran plausible deniability.  The world should now be on high alert!

Trish Forsyth Voss

Do-nothing Democrats?  Don’t believe it!  Not much for the Dems to be proud of?  WRONG!  Nearly 400 bills, not including resolutions, have been passed by the House to help the American people, but those bills languish in the McConnell graveyard; McConnell dubbing himself “the grim reaper”.  Most of those bills sit, ignored as McConnell instead has prioritized the Senate in confirming over 150 conservative judges (many unqualified) to life-terms, transforming the federal judiciary.  The majority of those stalled bills concern bipartisan issues like raising minimum wage, saving net neutrality, Equal Pay Act, reauthorizing the Violence Against Women Act, protecting  & expanding healthcare, bringing down prescription drug prices, protecting preexisting-conditions, universal gun background checks.  Dems have passed bills at a rapid clip, in addition to investigating a rogue-president, whom more than half the country now want removed from office.   Legislative paralysis has gripped Capitol Hill long before the impeachment began; the Republican-controlled Senate has ignored their duties for years.  Some senators SAY they are anxious to pass some positive legislation, but actions speak louder than words.  They stand solidly behind their Don, defending the Trumpino Crime Family at each turn.  Trump only has time for golfing, hosting obscene rallies, doing corrupt deals and tweeting out insults, calling the FBI and our awesome diplomats “HUMAN SCUM”!

You can thank Master Parliamentarian Pelosi for some of the best parts of the new trade bill that passed; read some moderate news reports about it.  And we can possibly thank Pelosi if we get the prime witnesses in the Senate trial that we should hear from: Bolton, Mulvaney and Pompeo. The majority of WE THE PEOPLE want to see a real Senate trial.  Rudy Giuliani should be indicted soon, and more information will be forthcoming from Lev Parnas and others, so this PAUSE may prove impactful.   On a different note: the people who claim they didn’t vote for Donald Trump, but defend him to the hilt are ludicrous: some say they voted for a 3rd party candidate in 2016, but voting for a 3rd party is a throw-away vote, as any ‘political scientist’ knows!  Why do these ludicrous people keep defending this despicable con-artist, in spite of all the evidence that shows he is colossally-crooked, monstrously-cruel, and absolutely spiritually bankrupt?  They didn’t vote for him, but they sure sound like they would next time around.   As for me, “I’m gonna get me a beer” with Warren or Buttigieg.

Trish Forsyth Voss

“Sadly, but with confidence and humility, with allegiance to our founders, and a heart full-of-love for America, today I’m asking our chairmen to proceed with articles of impeachment”, stated Pelosi 12/5/2019 — (made necessary by the Inspector General’s report of “credible and urgent wrongdoing by the president”, evidenced by facts attested to on record).  Pelosi asserted that Democrats were undertaking their solemn obligation to uphold our Constitution, our safety, and our democratic republic.  This comes as news that Barr’s appointee, Assistant U.S. Attorney, John Durham, informed  “inspector general that he can’t back right-wing theory that Russia case was U.S. intel setup”, as Trump and Barr have long asserted.  Pelosi reiterated that — with Trump’s actions “all roads lead to Putin”.  History has found us and will judge us!”   If GOP refuses to legitimize the process, shirking their obligation to hold a rogue-president responsible for his actions, that is THEIR failure to fulfill their oaths of office.  If Republicans are willing to be complicit in the president’s illegal actions, and lose their legacy according to the principles they uphold or abandon, so be it!

House minority leader, Kevin McCarthy stated, “while Trump was overseas, making America stronger, the Democrats were weakening U.S.”   Malarkey!  Trump’s actions weaken us daily!   New York Times headline screamed, “Trump mocked abroad and assailed at home”.   Trump is incapable of world leadership.!  The world is alternately laughing and cringing at his actions and foibles; he is unraveling in real time!  The Trump administration just tightened work requirement reforms for SNAP; in rural and high-unemployment areas this may result in another 700,000 poor and disabled (if unable to prove disability) losing supplemental nutritional assistance; THIS after delivering billions of dollars in subsidies and welfare payments to farmers to offset trade-war effects.  AND, after declaring he was bringing our troops home, Trump is NOW considering sending 14,000 more troops (without approval from Congress) to the Mideast to counter Iranian attacks.  (I thought we were OUT OF THAT FIGHT!)

McCarthy stated that ‘their scholar’, Jonathan Turley, in Wednesday’s televised-hearing described these accusations as “the weakest, thinnest impeachment evidence” ever brought forth; and McCarthy then invoked the warning of founding father, Alexander Hamilton: that the time would come when persons in power would wield that power ruthlessly; INDEED!  Hamilton had unfortunately been unfaithful to his wife; I assert that Hamilton would have viewed the impeachment of William Jefferson Clinton for perjury over an extramarital affair, ACTUALLY the weakest, thinnest impeachment excuse ever brought forward!

Trish Forsyth Voss