Trump just installed a loyalist Twitter troll, Richard Grenell, as acting Director of National Intelligence. That may be even more dangerous than having Bill Barr in charge of the Justice Department. themoscowproject.org/dispatch/trump…
The DNI will be in charge of big decisions about protecting the 2020 election from foreign interference—or, as a Trump toady may do instead, helping the president weaponize it against political opponents.
Already, Grenell was allegedly involved in the effort to work with indicted Ukrainian oligarch Dmitry Firtash to smear Trump’s political opponents. What will he do in the future? thedailybeast.com/lev-parnas-dis…
The appointment is also another sign that Trump is purging anybody who was remotely involved in the Russia or Ukraine investigations and replacing them with unquestioning loyalists. Here’s a partial list: themoscowproject.org/dispatch/trump…
Lt. Col. Alex Vindman, who Trump’s trying to get the military to investigate over his testimony, and his brother Yevgeny. cnn.com/2020/02/07/pol…
Gordon Sondland—despite the fact that Sondland’s a million-dollar donor who tried really, really hard to cover for Trump early on. nytimes.com/2020/02/07/us/…
Bill Taylor, yanked back from Ukraine early so Mike Pompeo wouldn’t have to interact with him. cnn.com/2019/12/19/pol…
Jessie Liu, who oversaw the prosecutions of Roger Stone and Paul Manafort only to see her nomination to the Treasury Department withdrawn. cnn.com/2020/02/11/pol…
John Rood, a Pentagon official who helped certify that, contrary to what Trump said, Ukraine had made enough progress on corruption to receive military aid. cnn.com/2020/02/19/pol…
Elaine McCusker, another Pentagon official who resisted Trump’s efforts to extort Ukraine. nypost.com/2020/02/11/whi…
And Joseph Maguire, whom Grenell is replacing and whom Trump pushed out because a deputy dared to brief Congress on threats to the upcoming election. washingtonpost.com/national-secur…
Meanwhile, Trump’s attacking the DOJ officials who prosecuted Stone, the judge who oversaw his case, and even an individual juror. washingtonpost.com/politics/trump…
Trump is trying to turn the executive branch into his personal political weapon. Congress needs to step up and do everything they can to prevent him from doing so. themoscowproject.org/dispatch/trump…
