The Presidential Events: February 2020

February, a time that in our present state seems so long ago. Yet in that month impeachment ended, the President began his rampage of revenge, and the United States contracted its first cases of the coronavirus in the United States.

Follow along with the full Presidential Events of February here.

Foreign Policy

The fallout continued from the President's assassination of Iran's Major General, Qasem Soleimani. In January the President assured the public that Iran's missile retaliation against US forces in Iraqi had caused no casualties. In February the Department of Defense admitted that 109 soldiers of the United States suffered traumatic brain injuries as a result of the counter attack.

After a few false starts, the United States and the Taliban reached another tentative pre-deal to end the Invasion of Afghanistan. The plan called for a reduction in violence as a first step to a long term agreement.

The United States blocked a Security Council vote condemning Jared Kushner's one-sided Middle East peace plan.

And the US military conducted a simulated nuclear exchange with Russia, under the dangerous idea that it's possible to engage in a limited nuclear war which doesn't end with global devastation.

Immigration

Internationally, the Trump administration expanded its travel ban to include Myanmar, Eritrea, Kyrgyzstan, Nigeria, Sudan, and Tanzania. Domestically, the White House began prohibiting foreigners from settling in the United States if they they would become a burden on taxpayers. Specifically, these factors included being too old, too young, having preexisting conditions, not having medical coverage, an inability to speak English, or having debt.

Past and Present Staff

The White House hired a coterie of new staff, including two returning faces. Hope Hicks returned as councilor to the President, while John McEntee came back to lead the Office of Personnel. Far right Trumpist, Richard Grenell left his job as ambassador to Germany to oversee American intelligence agencies as Director of National Intelligence, and Julia Nesheiwat was made Homeland Security Advisor.

Meanwhile, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, congratulated himself on denying NPR credentials for a trip to Europe, over an ongoing feud.

John Kelly joined the ranks of disgruntled former Trump employee when he expressed his disagreements with the President's foreign policy. His complaints regarding Trump's policies on North Korea, Ukraine, Mexico, and criminals were correct, but that it took him this long to admit it (while previously parroting the party line) are shameful.

The Environment

The President approved drilling in Utah's National Monuments, while destroying another National Monument in Arizona to build his border wall.

Budget

Though Trump vowed he would not touch Social Security or Medicaid in the 2021 budget, days later his budget proposal included cuts to Medicare, Medicaid, and Social Security. He repeatedly engaged in this behavior since he began campaigning for President. His budget also called for steep cuts in food stamps, the Education Department, the Department of Housing, the Department of Health and Human Services, the State Department, and the EPA, while asking for another massive increase in defense spending. The plan assumed the deficit will fall by $800 billion over ten years by imagining the economy would grow 3% each year (even though the economy hasn't been that robust for fifteen years). Meanwhile a federal judge ruled that the administration couldn't deny citizen's access to Medicaid with new work requirements.

Judges

Surprising no one, Mitch McConnell, clarified his statement of nominating Supreme Court Justices in an election year. Barack Obama nominated Merrick Garland on March 16^th, 2016. At the time McConnell claimed a Senate had never approved a nominee so close to a Presidential election. Now McConnell said, a Senate has never approved a nominee from a President of an opposing party. So if a Justice were to step down, and Trump nominated a candidate, Republicans wouldn't be talking about “letting the voters decide,” as they rushed through a nominee.

A judge blocked a contract between the Pentagon and Microsoft in favor of Amazon. Amazon insisted that the President personally interfered in favor of Microsoft, because of his public dislike for Jeff Bezos, who owns both The Washington Post and Amazon.

Impeachment

Readers may think it strange that this blog included such little coverage of the Impeachment trial. There was a lot of lead up coverage, but there was a few reasons for a lack of writing about the actual event. One, the outcome was mostly predetermined by the stubbornness of the Republican caucus. And two, for anyone that had been following the process, the actual on the floor speeches, while historic, were mostly a replay. Though lies were common as well. It's also difficult to pick out a few key points for hours of video. But in February impeachment concluded with an acquittal. There were two important factors. Republican Senator Alexander Lamar, who voted not guilty, admitted that Democrats proved their case that President Trump withheld aid to pressure Ukraine. And Republican Mitt Romney was the first (and only) Senator in the history of the United States to vote to remove a President of their own party.

Post-Impeachment Behavior

Trump delivered his State of the Union the day before his acquittal, making it restrained compared to the events to follow, but it was still a hyper-partisan speech, during which the President awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom to a crude, conspiratorial radio host. President's have devalued the medal by awarding it to any premier entertainer as a capstone to their successful career, but this was a particular low. The President even asked for a bill to lower drug prices, which the House had already passed, and Democrats protested at Trump's ignorant statement.

The day following his acquittal the President began his vengeance tour. At a speech delivered from the White House, Trump called FBI scum, viciously abused Democratic leaders, bashed Mitt Romney, and refused to apologize for the wrong doing which Republican's admitted he had committed. He slimed the National Prayer Breakfast by making it about his suffering, and how horribly he felt he was treated. During these speeches he told everyone he would take revenge, and he did.

The next day the Treasury Department forwarded information on Hunter Biden to the Senate GOP. Trump personally fired Gordon Sondland and Lt. Col Alexander Vindman, both of whom testified against him in the House. A day later, a former U.S. Attorney who oversaw the cases against Roger Stone, Michael Flynn, and Paul Manafort had her nomination for a premier Treasury post pulled by Trump.

The Department of Justice accepted information about Ukraine from Rudy Giuliani. The Assistant Attorney General informed the House Judiciary committee that the DOJ was reviewing information from Giuliani about Ukraine. Trump claimed he had the Constitutional right to intervene in any criminal case, and demonstrated his power by pardoning a collection of powerful, wealthy, corrupt individuals, from former Democratic Gov. Rod Blagojevich, who tried to sell Barack Obama's Senate seat, DeBartolo, a wealthy man who was convicted of gambling fraud, Kerik, the head of NYPD who pled guilty to tax fraud, Milken, who paid $600 million in fines for securities violations, and others. Julian Assange, of Wikileaks, claimed that Trump offered to pardon him, if he denied Russia's involvement in the leaking of Democratic emails.

The President held two rallies in February, one in Arizona, and another in Colorado. At the first, Trump called the FBI dishonest scum, featured lock her up chants directed at Hillary Clinton, and claimed the DNC was rigging the primary in Nevada. At the latter the President attacked Fox News for negative coverage, read false polls, and spewed conspiracy theories left and right. He criticized the Academy Awards for choosing a foreign film for Best Picture, encouraged his supporters to boo teenage climate activist Great Thunberg, and yelled that he should impeach Barack Obama.

The President's unchained behavior isn't over, if these behaviors are any indication.

Russia

If readers thought the fallout from the 2016 election and the Russia investigation had faded, they were sadly mistaken. Because Michael Flynn revoked his guilty plea a judge canceled his sentencing. The public also learned that AG William Barr had a separate prosecutor monitoring Flynn's case. The Department of Justice dropped its probe against former FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe.