What Caught My Eye forApril 23 - 29 (#13)
Some of the articles that caught my eye that I felt were worth sharing from April 23 to 29.
Whistleblower says Trump officials thought USAID did 'just abortions,' asked for 'Barney-style' slides before gutting agency, per new book
It was during those critical early days that Nicholas Enrich, then-USAID’s acting assistant administrator for global health (GH), witnessed firsthand the carelessness and callousness with which the Trump administration destroyed the agency, ultimately leading to him becoming a government whistleblower. As a result, he was placed on administrative leave for sharing Trump officials’ decision to deny the continuation of life-saving aid, and the lies they told to justify it.
The administration’s callousness towards human suffering knows no bounds.
The Trouble with Trump's Bunker and Ballroom
Everything about the Trump ballroom is fishy, and we deserve better answers than we have.
Should the Secret Service take a second look at its security for events at the Washington Hilton? Yup.
But is Saturday’s incident a “unleash the hounds” moment to race into existence a permanent new ballroom and bunker for the president at the White House? Nope. And Washington can’t and shouldn’t be shamed into acquiescing as if this is the panicked time after 9/11.
The Comey Threat Indictment Is A Grave Embarrassment To The United States Department of Justice And The Rule of Law
But that’s not the point, is it? The point of the indictment is to demonstrate that the United States Department of Justice is wholly an instrument of Donald Trump’s senescent pique, no more independent of him than a boil on his ass. The point is to show that the administration can, and will, use the Department’s mechanisms to punish enemies. The point is to show that the Department can, and will, punish protected speech. The point is to show that the Department is staffed by committed fanatics willing to do anything, however unethical and unconstitutional, to promote Trump.
Trump tried this in his first term, mostly unsuccessfully, sadly now, the DOJ has just become his attack dog with the full backing of the federal government.
The road back to credibility for the Department will be long and arduous. I do not expect it to recoup its presumption of regularity or respect within a generation. Trump has twisted it beyond recognition, as we also saw today in this humiliatingly buffoonish pleading in the East Wing case.
One remedy is to keep fighting, expel the craven Republicans (and some Democrats) supporting Trump, then expel Trump himself. The remedy is to make certain that nobody involved in this travesty is ever respected or trusted or accepted again. That means among others W. Ellis Boyle, the U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina, and Matthew R. Petracca, the assistant United States Attorney responsible for this jurisprudential prolapse. Never trust them again, and never trust or tolerate again anyone who treats them as acceptable.