White House restricted access to Trump's calls with Putin and Saudi crown prince - CNNPolitics

White House restricted access to Trump's calls with Putin and Saudi crown prince - CNNPolitics:

Administration officials say John Eisenberg, the White House deputy counsel for national security affairs and a national security legal adviser, directed the Ukraine transcript call be moved to the separate highly classified system, as detailed in the whistleblower complaint. That system is normally reserved for "code word" documents that are extremely sensitive, such as covert operations.

The White House acknowledged earlier Friday that administration officials directed the Ukraine call transcript be filed in a highly classified system, confirming allegations contained in the whistleblower complaint.

The Risk Trump Poses to All Americans | emptywheel

The Definition of "Collusion" as Impeachment Proceeds: the Risk Trump Poses to All Americans | emptywheel:

So not only do Americans lose out on having a President who makes decisions based on how they benefit the country rather than himself personally, but they also get a far weaker President in the bargain, someone who — if he ever decided to prioritize American interests over his own — would have already traded away his bargaining chips to do so.

Please read the whole post.

Manafort, Giuliana, Trump and Ukraine

Thread by @AshaRangappa_: "Manafort was calling the shots to WH[?]":

This is the part that was most interesting to me: The part where Fruity and Trump feel they need to “reassure” Manafort that he’ll get a pardon, like they have to keep him happy. Why? 🤔

What a tangled web...

How to Break Trump's Stonewall - The Atlantic

How to Break Trump's Stonewall - The Atlantic:

Pressed for his reaction, Ervin said Nixon’s position was “executive poppycock, akin to the divine right of kings.” Ervin declared that his committee had no intention of submitting to the suggested judicial delays, but would instead utilize the Senate’s sergeant at arms to arrest any recalcitrant White House aide, bring him to the bar of the Senate for trial, and ultimately compel him to testify.

Impeach Already

If Trump extorted a foreign leader for political gain, it’s impeachment time - The Washington Post:

This complaint was considered so troubling by a Trump-appointed inspector general that he asked that the acting director of national intelligence, Joseph Maguire, immediately forward the complaint to Congress, but Maguire refused to do so, reportedly on the advice of William Barr’s Justice Department.

Everything You Need to Know About the DNI, the IG, and the Whistleblower Report - The Bulwark:

Upon receipt of the report from the IG, the DNI “shall within 7 calendar days of such receipt, forward such transmittal to the congressional intelligence committees” of Congress. “Shall” means shall. It does not mean “may” or “if the DNI agrees with the inspector general.”

George Conway and Neal K. Katyal: Trump has done plenty to warrant impeachment. But the Ukraine allegations are over the top. - The Washington Post:

So it appears that the president might have used his official powers — in particular, perhaps the threat of withholding a quarter-billion dollars in military aid — to leverage a foreign government into helping him defeat a potential political opponent in the United States.

If Trump did that, it would be the ultimate impeachable act. Trump has already done more than enough to warrant impeachment and removal with his relentless attempts, on multiple fronts, to sabotage the counterintelligence and criminal investigation by then-special counsel Robert S. Mueller III and to conceal evidence of those attempts. The president’s efforts were impeachable because, in committing those obstructive acts, he put his personal interests above the nation’s: He tried to stop an investigation into whether a hostile foreign power, Russia, tried to interfere with our democracy — simply because he seemed to find it personally embarrassing. Trump breached his duty of faithful execution to the nation not only because he likely broke the law but also because, through his disregard for the law, he put his self-interest first.

Trump whistleblower complaint involving Ukraine, explained - The Washington Post:

The overlapping timelines of Coats’s resignation, Maguire’s elevation and the whistleblower complaint are also raising eyebrows. Trump announced the exit of Coats, with whom he occasionally clashed, on July 28. That’s three days after his call with Zelensky. Trump announced Maguire’s selection Aug. 8. Four days later, the whistleblower complaint was filed.

Trump Whistleblower Complaint: The Obvious Problem with Rudy Giuliani's Spin on Ukraine | National Review:

There is not a Republican alive who would find it acceptable for a Democratic president to press a foreign country to work with his personal lawyer to investigate a domestic political rival.

Trump and Giuliani’s Quest for Fake Ukraine "Dirt” on Biden: An Explainer

To abstract from all of these articles: Trump should be impeached, ASAP.

1. Just Security: Trump and Giuliani’s Quest for Fake Ukraine “Dirt” on Biden: An Explainer
2. The Hill: Dem senator calls for Senate to investigate Giuliani's planned Ukraine trip
3. Washington Post: Whistleblower complaint about President Trump involves Ukraine, according to two people familiar with the matter
4. Washington Post: Trump tries to force Ukraine to meddle in the 2020 election
5. The Intercept: A Republican Conspiracy Theory About a Biden-in-Ukraine Scandal Has Gone Mainstream. But It Is Not True.