Tiny favor, Scott

The headlines are piling up this afternoon (or evening or morning where you are).

Subpoena for Giuliani:

The Democratic chairmen of three House committees announced they have subpoenaed Rudy Giuliani, the president’s personal lawyer.

The former New York mayor has reportedly played a key role in trying to convince Ukraine to launch an investigation of Joe Biden and his son, a claim that Giuliani himself has confirmed in television appearances.

When pressed last week by CNN’s Chris Cuomo whether he urged Ukraine to investigate the Bidens, Giuliani eventually said, “Of course I did.”

And Cuomo’s eyes bugged out of his head.

Adam Schiff of the intelligence committee, Eliot Engel of the foreign affairs committee and Elijah Cummings of the oversight committee wrote a letter to Giuliani asking him to hand over materials relevant to the impeachment inquiry by Oct. 15.

The three Democratic committee chairmen wrote: “Our inquiry includes an investigation of credible allegations that you acted as an agent of the President in a scheme to advance his personal political interests by abusing the power of the Office of the President.”

The subpoena goes on to specifically request any communications Giuliani may have showing evidence that other Trump administration officials were involved in the “scheme.”

Also, Pompeo was on the call.

Secretary of state Mike Pompeo took part in Trump’s controversial call with the Ukrainian president, the Wall Street Journal is reporting.

Pompeo has already been sent a subpoena from three House committees, and some senior state department officials are scheduled to speak to the panels.

If Pompeo has firsthand information about the call, it could drag the state department even more directly into the impeachment inquiry.

Ya think?

But most astounding of all…Trump also tried to rope Australia’s PM into his dirty game.

The New York Times is now reporting that Trump similarly encouraged the Australian prime minister to work with attorney general William Barr in an investigation meant to discredit the findings of special counsel Robert Mueller.

The Times reports:

The White House restricted access to the call’s transcript to a small group of the president’s aides, one of the officials said, an unusual decision that is similar to the handling of a July call with the Ukrainian president that is at the heart of House Democrats’ impeachment inquiry into Mr. Trump. Like that call, the discussion with Prime Minister Scott Morrison of Australia shows the extent to which Mr. Trump sees the attorney general as a critical partner in his goal to show that the Mueller investigation had corrupt and partisan origins, and the extent that Mr. Trump sees the Justice Department inquiry as a potential way to gain leverage over America’s closest allies.

And like the call with the Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelensky, the discussion with Mr. Morrison shows the president using high-level diplomacy to advance his personal political interests.

President Trump initiated the discussion in recent weeks with Mr. Morrison explicitly for the purpose of requesting Australia’s help in the Justice Department review of the Russia investigation, according to the two people with knowledge of the discussion. Mr. Barr requested that Mr. Trump speak to Mr. Morrison, one of the people said.

Where do they get off? Why would they think Morrison has any interest in meddling with US internal affairs? Is Trump also asking other heads of state to wash his underpants, scrub his toilet, pick the nits out of his combover?

Not to mention what business does he think he has asking heads of other states to help him get away with crimes.

NBC News confirms the Times story:

NBC News: A Justice Department official confirms that President Trump recently asked the Prime Minister of Australia, over the phone, for help in a Justice Department effort to look into the origins of the Mueller probe, @PeteWilliamsNBC reports.

First reported by the NY Times.

So that’s about a month’s worth of scandals in an afternoon.

7 Responses to “Tiny favor, Scott”