The Events: January 2019

It's the end of the first month of 2019, and time to begin The Events, afresh. For new visitors, this is a monthly catalog of decisions and declarations of the Trump administration, its allies, and former employees.

The most obvious event of January was the 35 day partial government shutdown (start date December 22, 2918), which began under complete Republican control, and ended with a continuing resolution on January 25th 2019. This catastrophe of mismanagement furloughed nearly 400,000 workers, with another 400,000 compelled to work without pay. Federal workers missed two paychecks.

Other highlights of the Shutdown:

Trump, attempting to display the pretense of an operating government, tried to keep non-essential services operating. While Obama closed the National Parks during the 2013 shutdown, and was hysterically criticized by Republicans for his choice, President Trump demonstrated why these natural monuments need to be closed when there are no employees, as trash overflowed and trees were vandalized. When the wealthy worried tax returns would be delayed, Trump ordered, (excuse me, “gave permission”) 36,000 IRS employees to return to unpaid work, in a legally dubious attempt to facilitate tax returns. They wouldn't go.

Throughout the escalating national emergency, the President declared his willingness to declare a faux National Emergency to redirect funding already allocated by Congress to his border wall. When Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi informed Trump he would have to delay his speech about State of the Union until after the shutdown ended, he asked the major news networks for time to deliver a National Address about the border. Rebuttal. Rebuttal.

The spectacle ended when the President signed a short term deal. The same legislation which the Republican controlled Senate had passed in December, but which they had refused to pass in January under threat of Trump. The same bill which the Democratic controlled House passed immediately at the beginning of January.

The absurd performance also included a number of mind-bending gaffes and lies:

Under pressure, and looking for bipartisan support, the President claimed that at least one living President was in support of the wall. Unsurprisingly he never apologized when Presidents Carter, Clinton, Bush, and Obama denied this statement. Maybe he was talking about himself.

Further gaffes, about the plight of federal works, were so farcical, one must assume the Trump Administration deployed them in order to have everyone laughing about the shutdown:

“So then they have the vacation, but they don’t have to use their vacation days. And then they come back, and they get their back pay. Then in some sense, they’re better off.

“The obligations that they would undertake say borrowing from the bank or credit union are in effect federally guaranteed. So the 30 days of pay which some people will be out ― there’s no real reason why they shouldn’t be able to get a loan against it.”

“I can relate. And I’m sure that the people that are toward the receiving end will make adjustments, they always do. And they’ll make adjustments. People understand exactly what’s going on.”

“Remember this: They are eventually going to be paid. Put it in perspective: You’re talking about 800,000 workers, and while I feel sorry for individuals who have hardship cases, 800,000 workers if they never got their pay ― which is not the case they will eventually get it ― but if they never got it, you’re talking about a third of a percent on our GDP. So it’s not like it’s a gigantic number overall.”
“Local people know who they are, when they go for groceries and everything else. And I think what Wilbur was probably trying to say is that they will work along.

The shutdown is over, but we could return to the same position in a week, if the President won't relinquish his demand for a wall.

In foreign policy, the White House laid out conflicting policies about a withdrawal from Syria. The President said the removal would be immediate and swift, but Cabinet members, like Bolton and Pompeo kept tacking conditions onto the potential withdrawal: The defeat of ISIS, no Iranian boots in Syria, etc. Lashing out at reports he was abandoning American allies, the President threatened doom and destruction on Turkey, if they menaced the Kurds, we were deserting.

Reports also indicate the President has ordered plans to be drawn up for military actions against Iran, Venezuela, and considering withdrawing from NATO. And he recognized the self-proclaimed President of Venezuela.

Meanwhile, massive turnover at the White House means three Cabinet level positions needed filling. The President's picks for the EPA and Interior were both former lobbyists, for the coal and oil industries respectively. Also, former Attorney General, William Barr received a nomination for another round at his prior position. All three saw contentious Senate hearings, because of possible conflicts and corruption.

Finally, the Russia investigation continued to generate news. Manafort's transparent redacted filing, over his court battle with Special Counsel Mueller, revealed he was meeting regularly during the campaign with a Russian suspected of being a spy, and gave him (among other things), campaign polls. Another report, by Buzzfeed, claimed the President had asked Michael Cohen to lie to the Senate about Trump Tower Russia, and while Mueller issued a notable, terse repudiation of the story, Buzzfeed said they stood by their statement.

Then the New York Times revealed that the FBI had opened a probe into Trump's connections to Russia after he had fired Comey and told the Russian ambassador in the Oval Office, “I just fired the head of the F.B.I. He was crazy, a real nut job. I faced great pressure because of Russia. That’s taken off.”

Meanwhile, the Washington Post reported on Trump's success in preventing even his closest advisers from learning what he said to Putin in Helsinki. He has destroyed all notes relevant to the meeting.


At the end of the month, Trump ally and confidant, Roger Stone was arrested and indicted by the Special Counsel for crimes related to working with Wikileaks, Russia, and the Trump campaign to effect the outcome of the election.

The whole month was tainted with the usual smell of corruption. Ivanka received more patents in China, Trump sold roughly thirty-five million dollars in real estate which required approval by the Department of Housing and Urban Development, and T-Mobile executives, seeking Trump's approval for a merger, booked at least 52 nights at Trump's hotel in Washington.

Also:


and

An inside look at a Team of Vipers.

If you want to read the events themselves, follow the link.

See you next month.

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