Arkady Dvorkovich in the pre-sanctions list of the US Treasury: New problems for FIDE?
Jul 26, 2018
After the inclusion of its former president Kirsan Ilyumzhinov in the sanctions list of the US Treasury, the banking problems of FIDE seem to never end.
According to our sources, this week one more European financial institution, LHV Bank with branches in London and Tallinn, refused to open an account for FIDE although it is now public knowledge that Kirsan Ilyumzhinov is not running.
Facing the reality of Ilyumzhinov not getting re-elected after the infamous Glen Stark scandal, Russia replaced him with another candidate: the former Russian deputy prime minister Mr. Arkady Dvorkovich.
Rudy Giuliani, Bad Lawyer, May Have Just Spilled the Beans
Even Fox News wasn’t buying his attempt to clean up his own brain droppings.
By Jack Holmes
Jul 30, 2018
No one does Presidential Lawyering quite like Rudy Giuliani. The former mayor of New York, whose presence at Yankee games is no longer appreciated, attacked the credibility of another one-time Trumpian lawyer, Michael Cohen, last week. Except Giuliani used to praise Cohen’s honesty, and earlier in the week had done some lying himself. He also suggested there could be worse tapes than the one Cohen made public, in which he and the now-president discussed the payoff of a Playboy model in mafia-adjacent language. Giuliani also assured us that actual mob tapes are worse. So there’s that.
But today brought a new chapter in the Chronicles of Extreme Presidential Lawyering, as Rudy moved the goalposts in legendary fashion. Having contended forever that the president did not participate in any collusion with a hostile foreign power to sway a presidential election in his favor, Giuliani now declared that, forget all that, collusion isn’t a crime!
Anyway, the fun could only last so long. Giuliani must have realized he left some more brain droppings on the various television sets he’d visited early this morning, for he called up Fox News later in the day to announce that Actually, I Meant to Say There Was No Planning Meeting!
There is more, much more, to this article, which also includes a one minute film that will, no doubt, become an award winning film titled: C-O-L-L-U-S-I-O-N
is currently the Republican nominee for Governor of Georgia in 2018. In the Georgia Gubernatorial Republican Primary Election, 2018, Mr. Kemp finished second, with 154,913 votes, good enough for 25.5% of the vote.
Casey Cagle,
the current Lieutenant Governor of Georgia, finished first with 236,498, which was 39.0% of the vote. Things changed in the runoff between the two candidates as Mr. Kemp received 406,638 votes, or 69.45% of the vote, while Mr. Cagle received 178,877, which was only 30.55% of the votes cast.
What happened to Casey Cagle?
Portraits of a Casey Cagle collapse
By Isaac Sabetai
As soon as he announced his run in April 2017, the lieutenant governor became the Republican front-runner. He raised in excess of $11.5 million — more than double the man who beat him in the runoff, Brian Kemp — and amassed a long list of endorsements.
None of that mattered. Cagle won just 31 percent of the vote in a two-person runoff race. That was a drop of 8 points compared with his performance in a crowded primary election.
By Election Day, Cagle trailed with 44 percent of all early voters to 56 percent for Kemp. The fallout from a secret recording where Cagle admitted to supporting “bad public policy” to undercut a rival candidate and Donald Trump’s endorsement of Kemp had wiped him out.
Mr. Cagle was called a “reasonable Republican,” as if such a thing exists there days. Brian Kemp ran as a “politically incorrect conservative.” That is a quote, which can be found in this advertisement:
Much of Kemp’s success has been attributed to the above, and the one below:
Obviously, many of the Georgia Republicans liked what they saw, and heard.
Brian Kemp’s opponent for Governor of Georgia in 2018 will be Stacey Abrams.
Stacey Yvonne Abrams (born December 9, 1973) is an American politician, lawyer, romance novelist, and businesswoman who served as Minority Leader of the Georgia House of Representatives from 2011 to 2017. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stacey_Abrams
The future election has garnered much media coverage the world over because Ms. Abrams is “…the first black woman in American history to win a major party gubernatorial nomination.” The whole world will be closely watching this election.
Can Stacey Abrams Turn Georgia Blue?
David Byler
Georgia is changing as the graph below from the article shows:
The next graph illustrate how much the state of Georgia has changed as most of the new people move into larger metropolitan areas:
Stacey Abrams is in debt and much has been and will continue to be made of this fact by Republicans.
Stacey Abrams: I’m running for governor and am $200,000 in debt
Turner Cowles
Producer
Yahoo Finance July 26, 2018
Stacey Abrams is running for Governor in Georgia. She would be the first black woman to be elected governor of a state in American history if she were to win the election. But she faces some major roadblocks.
The office of governor was staunchly Democratic in Georgia until Sonny Perdue was elected in 2002. He was reelected in 2006 and was succeeded by another Republican, Gov. Nathan Deal, in 2010.
Abrams wrote an op-ed for Fortune in April, in which she argued her personal debt shouldn’t disqualify her from running for governor. She owes more than $227,000 in credit card debt, student loan debt and back taxes. She also owes $178,500 in real estate debt and $4,434 on a car loan (but since those are assets as well as debt, we haven’t included it in our breakdown of what she owes).
She isn’t alone. Millions of Americans are in debt. In fact, the total household debt in America is $13.2 trillion, according to the New York Fed, and balances are rising on most kinds of debt; credit cards were the only debt to see balances decline in the first quarter of 2018.
Higher profile politicians have struggled with debt, including former presidential hopeful Marco Rubio. When Rubio was first elected to the Florida legislature in 2000, he reported around $150,000 in student loan debt as well as $30,000 as assorted credit and retail debt, according to the New York Times. https://finance.yahoo.com/news/stacey-abrams-im-running-governor-200000-debt-191600455.html
The current Governor of Georgia is Nathan Deal,
(Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
or as I prefer to think of him, Nathan “Raw” Deal; or Nathan “Asleep at the Wheel” Deal, as he continued to sleep while Georgia suffered, grinding to a complete halt during a blizzard.
Georgia gov.: “We did not make preparations early enough”
Last Updated Jan 30, 2014 3:29 PM EST
ATLANTA — Georgia Gov. Nathan Deal took responsibility Thursday for the poor storm preparations that led to an epic traffic jam in Atlanta and forced drivers to abandon their cars or sleep in them overnight when a storm dumped a couple of inches of snow. https://www.cbsnews.com/news/danger-passing-but-not-over-in-atlanta-area/
Stacey Abrams owes about one tenth what “Raw” Deal owed when becoming Governor of Georgia.
After the last US Presidential election, in which the Trumpster was out voted by THREE MILLION VOTES nationally, Democratic Georgia Congressman John Lewis, who had his skull fractured while in the streets protesting “Jim Crow” laws in the South, has called Trump an “Illegitimate President.” Which begs the question, “Why did US citizens with dark pigmentation need to be out in the streets protesting for rights given to each and every citizen of the USA over one hundred after the war of Northern aggression?”).
Simply put, there are many people in Georgia (and the nation) who will NEVER vote for a person who is not white.
After the election I received an email from a former Chess player who exclaimed, “Look at the map. It’s almost all red!”
Although he had a point, I pointed out to him that most of that red area consisted of fewer people than the blue areas in and around the larger cities. This can be verified by reading this article:
Am Extremely Detailed Map of the 2016 Election
Bu Matthew Bloch; Larry Buchanan; Josh Katz; and Kevin Quealy
In the last Presidential election 7054 (83%) people voted for Putin’s Puppet; 1243 (15%) voted for Hillary Clinton.
I did not vote, not that it mattered. When young I voted. The Viet Nam “police action” (It was NOT a WAR!) was happening and my life was on the line. I used to decry the fact that “old people” with one foot in the grave were voting when voting is about the future, and those folks lived in the past. Now I am that old person and I still believe the citizens with their lives before them should make the choices which will affect the rest of their lives. The last time I voted my vote was given to my Mother, who was dying of cancer. The absentee vote did not arrive in time, so I told her I would vote for the candidate for whom she would have cast her ballot, which was Republican Bob “Dour” Dole. After voting for Bob I told my Mother the vote had been cast while holding my nose. She laughed.
Life Chess Master David Vest, the only man to hold both the title of Georgia Chess Champion, and Georgia Senior Chess Champion, was fond of asking, “Are we moving forward?” Republicans are fond of calling themselves “conservative.” They do not want change, and many wish to go back to what they call the “halcyon” days. If they had the choice to make many of them would return to an earlier time when there were water fountains for “White” and “Colored” people. I am old enough to recall the separate water fountains. I hope this country chooses to move forward in the next election cycle, and the one coming in 2020.
We Americans are the world, which is why America is called the “melting-pot.” If there is any hope for the world it is only the people who embrace change that hold any hope for the country and the world. I learned a long time ago that an old, rigid tree will crack and fall in a storm, while a younger, more flexible tree will bend with the wind, and remain upright after the wind abates. I have, therefore, tried to embrace change during the course of my life, because change is the way of life. The next election, and possibly the next one, will be called the “Year of the Woman.” That is change, and I have absolutely no problem with the change. Old white men have made a complete mess of things. Maybe it is time We The People acknowledge that fact and lend our support to the women. After all, they cannot be worse than the Trumpster.
1. e4 e5 2. Bc4 Nf6 3. d3 Nc6 4. Nf3 (Back in the day the only move I played was 4 Nc3. If one played the BO that was the accepted way to play. When checking the game at ChessBomb I noticed the Stockfish program showed the move 4 a4 as best. SF and Houey at the CBDB show 4 Nf3 as the best move. After 4 a4 SF at the Bomb gives this variation: (4. a4 Bc5 5. Nf3 O-O 6. O-O d5 7. exd5 Nxd5 8. Nbd2 Bb6 9. Re1 Bg4 10. a5 Bxa5 11. h3 Bh5 12. g4 Bg6 13. Nxe5 Nxe5 14. Rxe5 c6 15. Ne4).
This is the theory. The following games are what has appeared in practice:
Kovalenko, Igor (2632) vs Malakhov, Vladimir (2685)
Event: Coupe de France 2018
Site: Asnieres-sur-Seine FRA Date: 06/23/2018
This game was found at the ChessBaseDataBase by happenstance. While looking at this opening I glanced over at the long list of other games having been played and noticed “Carlsen.” I know little about the PCL, but learned it is more quickie Chess, something for which I do not care. My brain stopped working at warp speed some time ago. I am comfortable at impulse speed, much preferring time to cogitate.
A younger man asked me recently, “Are the Chess players of today superior to those from ‘back in the day’?” My first thought was why he had chosen the word “superior” in lieu of “better.” My answer was, “Yes.” He was expecting more, so he asked, “You think they are better?” I responded, “You asked me if they “superior,” not “better,” I said, continuing, “They are superior because they have vastly more knowledge than 20th century players. But if you are asking if the current players actually play better Chess, the answer is “No.”
“Why do you say that?” he asked. “The older generation had more time. Still, it is difficult to compare players of different generations.” Knowing he was an avid fan of Baseball I continued, “It’s like 1972 in MLB when the Designated Hitter was added to the American League. It became impossible to compare pitchers from the two leagues. The same thing happened when Chess stopped having adjournments. The Chess game changed form. The top players do not play the endgame as well now because they do not have the time needed in the latter stages of the game. They do not have the time for the middle game so there are more weaker moves made by top players today, which is to be expected.”
I have no idea how much time the players had in this game because the quick games are published along with the longer games, which is tragic.
World Human Chess Champion Magnus Carlsen
v Mikhail Gorozhanin FM 2421
1 e4 e6 2 d3 d5 3 Qe2 Be7 4 Nf3 (Komodo’s move; Stockfish plays g3) Nf6 5 g3 c5 (SF 9, at depth 41, castles; SF 050717 SSE plays the move in the game, but Komodo 12.1 would play 5…b5)
6 Bg2 Nc6 7 O-O (Komodo plays 7 c3; SF prefers 7 Bf4)
7…b6 (Houdini is the only one of the ‘big three’ listed and it would play 7…h6) 8 e5 Nd7 9 c4 dxc4 (Houdini and SF would simply castle) 10 dxc4 Bb7 (SF and Houey would play this, but the Dragon plays 10…a6)
11 Nc3 h6
(After seeing this move I sat back and reflected…What if a student had shown this move? If he had I would have asked, “Why did you make this move?” No matter what his answer I would say, “Look at it this way, White has the first move of the game. He is ahead one tempo. Tal said all one needed to launch an attack in the opening was three tempo’s. You have just given him the second.” After returning the pawn to h7 I would point out the possibility of White playing Nb5 and point to the d6 square hopeing he would move the a-pawn one square. I would also mention the move made was weak because it was unnecessary. With the Queen and Bishop lined up the g5 square does not need protection, but if White ever played his pawn to h4, controlling the square, then h6 would be an appropriate response.)
This was written after copying the game that day, before my back went out on me yet again. Having the time to research the opening led to the game, which can be found below, between Vlastimil Jansa and Lutz Espig, in which 11…a6 was played. After White played 12 h4 Black responded with 12…h6)
12 Rd1 a6 13 h4 (Both SF and Komodo play 13 b3) Qc7 14 h5 (All three versions of SF shown play 14 Bf4) O-O-O 15 Bf4 g5 (Stockfish says 15…Kb8)
16 hxg6 fxg6
17 Nd5 (Lo & Behold, we have, by a different move order, arrived at the same position found in the aforementioned game. Lutz Espig took the knight. Gorozhanin backed down and advanced the Queen to the rear. I was left wondering why Magnus did not play 17 Bh3, which looks to be strong…For days I was unable to connect with the ChessBaseDataBase because when attempting to sign in with the Advast browser a message appeared informing the “connection was not secure.” Advast would not allow me to input my password. I was, though, able to access the CBDB using Firefox, even though it, too, was insecure, but the engine analysis did not come up, so I spent a considerable amount of time looking at the position the old fashioned way, using a set and pieces, which were moved around as I looked at different variations. This led me to settle on 17 Bh3. Why sacrifice a piece when it is not necessary? When finally able to access the CBDB it showed Stockfish and Houdini agree. Maybe the human WC came to the same conclusion and decided to have some fun. The rest requires no comment)
I was born and raised in the Great State of Georgia. I recall reading about a study some time ago in which Americans were asked how strongly they identified with their region. Unsurprisingly, Southern people identified most strongly with their region. As the saying goes, “You can take the boy out of the South, but you cannot take the South out of the boy.” We Southern folk know it goes even further than just region. During a conversation while living in the beautiful North Carolina mountain area of what is called the “WNC,” I mentioned something about “we,” as in “We are from the South.” One fellow shot a question, “Where are you from?” After answering, “The Atlanta area,” he fired back, “You ain’t one of us!” Obviously, some of the folks in the WNC region identify strongly with that area…
Georgia is a large state, geographically speaking. Most of the population is concentrated in the larger metropolitan areas. Politically speaking, the forward looking and thinking people live in the cities. The more conservative thinking people, who oppose change of any kind, live in the rural areas, which was known during the last election cycle as “Trump country.” Georgia is, therefore, a greatly diverse, and divided, state.
If you live in the US you are probably aware of the Republican State Congressman, Jason Spencer,
who greatly embarrassed our state on TV recently. If you live in other parts of the world, as do many of my readers, you may not have heard of the debacle. In case you missed it, here is Jason, the Republican, in all his glory:
Here are a few articles written after Jason made a fool of himself on national TV:
GOP Lawmaker Jason Spencer Strips Down, Screams ‘N-Word’ on Sacha Baron Cohen’s ‘Who Is America?’
The second episode of Baron Cohen’s Showtime series upped the ante with Dick Cheney and a seriously unhinged state representative from Georgia.
Heavy daylong rains may have slowed the arrival in Williamsburg, VA of some of the hundreds of go players at the 2018 U.S. Go Congress, but it didn’t dampen their spirits in the slightest, as old friends and new connected and hit the boards. New York City swept DC in the finals of the Pandanet City League — watch for full details soon — and the first round of the 9×9 tournament was held after the opening ceremonies. The U.S. Open commences at 9a sharp Sunday morning; watch live on Twitch (https://www.twitch.tv/usgoweb) or YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCR3qjXCiYEokW7bW3HkFzfg) and there will also be live pro commentary on KGS. Plus check out lots of photos and reports on Facebook and Twitter and the free Congress mobile app not only has all the information attendees need — including latest schedule updates, pairings and more — but a cool social stream as well, where we’ll be posting additional photos and reports, handy for anyone in the world who wants to see what’s going on at this popular event. photo: a fife and drum corps welcomes go players to historic Williamsburg.
report/photo by Chris Garlock http://www.usgo.org/news/2018/07/2018-u-s-go-congress-launches-in-williamsburg/
I wish I could interrupt the mainstream train of thought and derail it in order to get someone to understand that it now can be declared the Russian meddling probes are a distraction from what is truly going on.
Now that we are being told by the President that Russia meddled in the 2016 elections, I am curious as what is to be done about it and how to we conclude that the Russia is an enemy and that Trump has committed an act of treason.
I want to say that the real enemy is the mainstream media who is now framing a dangerous narrative which is distracting us from what needs to be reported and investigated.
China is now moving its chess pieces as we are focusing on Russia and they are certainly being strident and no one is noticing.
When our DARPA whistleblower “Sam” called in to give us information about a possible attack on a diplomat during the Trump summit – he said that he believed the Chinese are responsible for using the secret Medusa weapon. A listener from Florida called the show to say that he was a Cuban who claimed to have been a witness to the mysterious cases of the diplomats who were victims of mind control and sonic torture.
He stated that he believed that the Chinese were involved in the Cuban, Chinese Embassy and Singapore Summit attacks.
Now new revelations again create a compelling conspiracy that needs to be addressed.
According to Patrick Tucker of Defense One, four days before U.S. and Russian leaders met in Helsinki, hackers from China launched a wave of brute-force attacks on internet-connected devices in Finland, seeking to gain control of gear that could collect audio or visual intelligence.
Traffic aimed at remote command-and-control features for Finnish internet-connected devices began to spike July 12, according to a July 19 report by Seattle-based cybersecurity company, F5.
Finland is not typically a top attacked country; it receives a small number of attacks on a regular basis,” the report says.
China generally originates the largest chunk of such attacks; in May, Chinese attacks accounted for 29 percent of the total. But as attacks began to spike on July 12, China’s share rose to 34 percent, the report said. Attacks jumped 2,800 percent.
The China-based hackers’ primary target was SSH (or Secure Shell) Port 22 — not a physical destination but a specific set of instructions for routing a message to the right destination when the message hits the server.
It’s the sort of attack that’s easier for actors with lots of human and computer power to throw at the problem, but hardly exclusive to them.
The attackers also heavily targeted Session Initiation Protocol, or SIP, Port 5060, used by teleconferencing software and internet-based phone apps.
China wasn’t alone in trying to gain access to Helsinki’s internet-connected devices in the lead-up to the July 16 summit. Attack traffic came from the U.S., France, and Italy as well, in that order. But the U.S. and French traffic was in keeping with averages. Russian attack traffic dropped considerably from third, its usual spot, to fifth. German attack traffic jumped.
Speaking at the Aspen Security Forum on Wednesday evening, FBI director Christopher Wray commented that “China from a counterintelligence perspective represents the broadest, most pervasive, most threatening challenge we face as a country.”
We are focusing on Russia meddling when we should be keeping our eyes on China, which last time I checked is a Communist country.
‘F*ck Trump’: Art Gallery Under Fire For ISIS-Style Trump Beheading
Latest depiction of ‘tolerant’ left’s violent fantasies
Adan Salazar | Infowars.com – July 17, 2018
An art gallery in Portland is being blasted online for prominently displaying an image of President Donald Trump being decapitated.
As part of their “Fuck you Mr. President” exhibit held on July 13, One Grand Gallery showed art from leftists still suffering Trump derangement syndrome more than 18 months after his inauguration.
One image displayed on a window facing SE 10th Avenue depicts a brutal ISIS-style decapitation of Trump.
A June 4 call to artists for the exhibit is exemplary of the gallery’s hatred for the sitting US president.
“How far we’ve come since our Bernie Sanders show from the fall of 2016,” the post reads.
“[Trump’s] election has brought out the worst in American citizens, exacerbating political divides, and we have been devastated watching the unfortunate turn of events since” his inauguration,” the now-deleted post read.
“We hate the president and want to let him know,” reads another call to artists.
It is my misfortune to notify you I must take a break from blogging because of back pain, caused by simply bending at the waist while cleaning the desk. Upon once again feeling the searing pain I managed to get up the stairs and into the bed, which is where I spent all of that day and night, in hopes of feeling better in the morning. Unfortunately, it did not happen and the paramedics had to be called. It took some time for them to arrive as the only ambulance at the local hospital was in use, so one had to come from another nearby city. Things are different in the country.
The paramedics are good at their job, but still, moving me from the bed to the contraption, a mini-wheelchair type thing, caused me to scream out in pain. The contraption had something called “tiger tracks,” which allowed me to be wheeled down the stairs in lieu of being carried down by the paramedics., one of whom was talkative. He mentioned what a wonderful invention was the “tiger tracks” because the poor paramedics had to carry people down steps, which caused many of the paramedics to have back problems. Once outside I had to be loaded into the ambulance, which again caused me to scream out in pain.
Unlike a city hospital with all of its bustle, this country hospital seemed rather quiet, without much activity, so I was seen and questioned by the nurses quickly. I was prepped with an IV, etc., and answered their questions. The nurses elicited the information needed and since the doctor had yet to arrive asked general questions, learning that Patricia and I were originally from “the city.” It has been said that the state of my birth, Georgia, is really two different states, Atlanta, and the rest of Georgia. Atlanta is known colloquially as “the city.” One of the nurses said, “In the country we say, “My back went out on me.”
“Funny,” I said, “but we city slickers say the same thing!” This caused some laughter.
The doctor arrived and began asking questions, learning this was the second time I had been delivered to a hospital in an ambulance because of being unable to walk. I told him morphine had been administered the first time I had been in the hospital. The first was back in the fall of 2015. I had spent a torturous night writhing on the floor unable to walk because of extreme pain when “my back went out on me.” That was not the first time being afflicted with extreme back pain. I was young and strong enough to withstand the pain and continue doing most of what I was doing on the other occasions. An example would be the time I was forced to man the front desk at the House of Pain, aka, the Atlanta Chess & Game Center, when Spinks informed me he was too ill to work. The place had not been cleaned, so I nabbed the roller broom, which had a very short handle, and began cleaning the floor. Doing so meant bending awkwardly and, you guessed it, “my back went out on me.” This was a Saturday, fortunately with no tournament. Still, we were open around the clock and I managed to work all day and into the night, while obviously in great pain. I grimaced with pain the whole day. It was a struggle to even stand up…One legendary Chess player who lived nearby went home and brought me an Icey Hot pad to tape to my back, which helped immensely. This fellow later became my roommate when I moved into his apartment.
That ended in 2015, the year I turned sixty-five. The back went on me at the apartment and I spent a torture filled night on the floor in hopes it would improve by morning. It did not improve and when my roommate opened the door to my bedroom in the morning I told him he needed to “Make the call.” His response was to say, “We’ll let you rest easy a little while,” before closing the door. He could not be bothered to make the call until after smoking his morning pot while drinking his first cuppa coffee…So I spent another hour on the floor wracked with pain with tears running down my cheeks.
The doctor prescribed something which was administered by IV. A little later the nurses entered asking that I attempt to get out of the bed and into a small wheelchair. I managed to stand, but when attempting to sit I screamed out in extreme pain. The nurses left immediately to find the doctor. He returned and gave me morphine, injected into the “fat globules” in my derrière by one of the nurses. Patricia said they were SHOCKED, and described the sound emanating from me as a “blood-curdling scream.” One of the nurses said it sounded more like a “Rebel yell.” They sort of laughed nervously when I replied, “Yeah, like at Gettysburg.”
The morphine did the trick and I managed to walk out of the hospital on my own power, with one of the nurses lightly holding my arm.
I am in recovery mode. Because of the pain I am unable to spend the necessary time sitting at the ‘puter to continue writing the blog. It is with regret I must discontinue the blog for some time, at least until I recover. I have enjoyed writing the blog immensely, but even more is that I have greatly enjoyed the emails sent by you readers. I have been in touch with so many people that I would never have had any contact with if I had not started writing the old BaconLog, followed by the AW.
Although my time sitting at the computer is limited, I did read an article yesterday I would like to share with you. Please check back in about a month or so when I am able to fire more salvos.
‘NO SENSE OF DECENCY’
Republicans Thought Peter Strzok Would Be a Punching Bag. He Just Knocked Them Out.
He was supposed to be a key in the imaginary conspiracy Trump’s congressional lackeys and media fantasists have desperately tried to write as history. He was having none of it.
Rick Wilson
07.12.18 4:04 PM ET
Those who forget the lessons of televised congressional hearings are doomed to repeat them, which is why the morning segment of the Capitol Hill show trial of veteran FBI agent and former head of the Bureau’s Counterespionage division Peter Strzok turned into a disaster for Republicans.
Donald Trump’s congressional enablers, sycophants, and political suck-ups wanted a punching bag, but Strzok instead delivered one of the rarest of moments: the full Joseph N. Welch.
Welch, the chief counsel for the U.S. Army during the infamous McCarthy hearings in 1954, had reached a breaking point. After McCarthy’s tendentious badgering reached a fever pitch, Welch delivered a famous rejoinder that ended the Wisconsin senator’s career. Watched by millions on live television, Welch went full beast-mode.
“If it were in my power to forgive you for your reckless cruelty I would do so,” said Welch. “I like to think I am a gentleman, but your forgiveness will have to come from someone other than me… You’ve done enough. Have you no sense of decency, sir? At long last, have you left no sense of decency?”
This morning, it was Strzok’s turn. After an hour of drama-queen badgering from Trey “Benghazi” Gowdy and Bob Goodlatte, Strzok issued two passionate statements that will be the takeaways from an otherwise disorganized and contentious shitshow of a hearing before the House Judiciary and Oversight Committees.
The first was a ringing defense of the FBI, with Strzok showing the kind of real passion that makes for great television. The FBI lifer issued a ringing defense of himself and his agency, punching Gowdy hard in the nose.
“I can assure you, Mr. Chairman, at no time, in any of these texts, did those personal beliefs ever enter into the realm of any action I took. Furthermore, this isn’t just me sitting here telling you you don’t have to take my word for it. At every step, at every investigative decision, there are multiple layers of people above me, the assistant director, executive assistant director, deputy director, and director of the FBI, and multiple layers of people below me, section chiefs, supervisors, unit chiefs, case agents and analysts, all of whom were involved in all of these decisions. They would not tolerate any improper behavior in me any more than I would tolerate it in them.”
He closed with this fastball:
“That is who we are as the FBI. And the suggestion that I in some dark chamber somewhere in the FBI would somehow cast aside all of these procedures, all of these safeguards and somehow be able to do this is astounding to me. It simply couldn’t happen. And the proposition that that is going on, that it might occur anywhere in the FBI, deeply corrodes what the FBI is in American society, the effectiveness of their mission, and it is deeply destructive.”
The second was a shot across Donald Trump’s bow: “I understand we are living in a political era in which insults and insinuation often drown out honesty and integrity. I have the utmost respect for Congress’s oversight role, but I truly believe that today’s hearing is just another victory notch in Putin’s belt and another milestone in our enemies’ campaign to tear America apart.”
This latest spectacle was designed for one purpose only: the destruction of Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation into Donald Trump’s Russia ties. Republicans like Fredo Nunes who have tried to present a series of dramatic, table-flipping reality TV moments to reach that goal have failed time and again to derail the Mueller investigation. This morning was yet another swing-and-a-miss for the Trump GOP.
Because Trump supporters live in a hermetic media echo chamber, these hearings are part of a predictable, hokey Kabuki dance. They’re a device for generating a new round of hyperbolic base-only stories that will follow the same dumb arc as all the rest. In the coming days, you’ll see Sean Hannity flirt with apoplexy, coating the camera lens with flecks of spittle as he rants over Strzok’s perfidy. You’ll see pro-Trump columnists herniate themselves stretching to turn flippant text messages into a vast conspiracy. Twitter will be a flood of moronic memes, white-hot takes, and promises that Strzok will soon be in Gitmo alongside Hillary, Obama, Podesta, and Soros.
None of it will deter the Terminator in the Special Counsel’s office. None of it will change the facts of Russia’s interference in the 2016 election, and Trump’s ass-deep ties to Russian money and influence. Trump’s unhinged, shithouse-rat-crazy tweets today should tell you how deeply he fears Mueller.
Strzok was supposed to be a key in the imaginary conspiracy that Trump’s congressional lackeys and media fantasists have desperately tried to write as history. The idea that his text messages poison the entire Mueller investigation was a pillar of their defense of the president. This morning they were going for a quick kill. They needed Strzok to flail, and wilt. The Gowdy, Goodlatte, and Gaetz types needed their grandstanding, dick-waving mock outrage to leave Strozk shaking and begging for mercy.
Strzok had none of it. In this morning’s round he left the Trumpists of the House staggered in their corner, cut and shaky, wondering where Strzok learned to hit back that hard.
Armchair Warrior 