Thread. The reported resignation of Berat Albayrak (Erdogan’s son-in-law) as Turkish Finance Minister reminds Americans of his reported involvement with Michael Flynn in discussions abt ‘renditioning’ Fetullah Gulen. google.com/amp/s/www.wsj.…
The WSJ article also reminds us that it was VP Biden to whom James Woolsey, former Director of CIA, reported the Essex House meeting (Woolsey was a Trump advisor at the time).
The Turkish Government has been silent on Biden’s election. There is apprehension (exaggerated IMO) abt what his election will mean for U.S. - Turkey relations.
Albayrak knows “where the bodies are buried” in the confounding Trump-Erdogan relationship. That knowledge is probably his best protection if (a big conditional) he has broken w/ Erdogan.
Indeed, some in Turkey speculate that, after Trump’s defeat, a desire to distance himself from the Trump-Erdogan relationship may be part of the motivation for Albayrak’s resignation. All is murky and in flux. Bears watching.
2.00 Eastern — Erdogan has just accepted Berat Albayrak’s resignation as Finance Minister. The fat’s in the fire.
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In Aug. 2011, VP Biden spoke at Sechuan University in Chengdu, China. His subject was U.S.-China relations. It's well worth reading. obamawhitehouse.archives.gov/the-press-offi…
The speech gives strong indications that Pres. Biden will approach our relationship with China constructively. The foreign relations savvy shown in this speech is one reason why we're fortunate to have elected Biden.
Near the end, in answer to a Q about the role of public speaking, Biden speaks w/ striking honesty about overcoming a severe stutter. It's a more detailed account of his struggle than I've seen. To have given it to a foreign audience shows real self-confidence and humanity.
Thread: Following is a brief speech I've written for @JoeBiden. Its principal purpose is to go on record saying that a Biden Administration will pursue Trump related crimes "without fear or favor." Saying so now is, I believe, important.
START: "If I’m elected, I pledge that we’ll again have a Government that serves *all* the people. A Government committed to the highest standards of ethics and professionalism. A Government that is, above all, committed to a restoration of law and justice.
While many departments of Government have been severely damaged, and must be rebuilt, none has been so undermined as the Department of Justice. DOJ must never again be allowed to become a partisan political tool. The Nation cannot, and will not, allow that to continue.
Since his installation, Barr has engaged in flagrant, serial obstructions of justice. It continues, in plain sight. Proving the crime of obstruction of justice under 18 U.S. Code § 1503(a), however, will be a tall order.
It will need indisputable evidence of corrupt intent similar to that which put John Mitchell away. In Barr's case, the *pattern* of his obstructive acts will be a key factor in showing intent.
Every time he pushes against a valid investigation of Trump or associates, Barr adds to the pattern, and increases his exposure. This will not be settled before the election, but will be an urgent matter for the Biden administration.
It takes 4 Justices to grant cert. Taken in context of the pending cases on access to Trump tax returns, in which many observers felt writs shouldn’t have been granted, it’s clear there’s a core of conservative Justices susceptible to Barr’s ‘unitary executive’ claptrap.
SCOTUS' decision to hear an appeal from a D.C. Circuit order to DOJ to turn over Mueller grand jury materials to House Judiciary probably 'chimes' with pending SCOTUS decisions in Trump v. Mazars USA and Trump v. Vance (Trump tax returns).
All 3 cases touch, in different ways, on separation of powers, and the power of POTUS. With that in mind, granting cert on the Mueller grand jury materials may be a 'signal' as to the likely disposition of the tax return cases. We just don't know which 'signal' is being sent.
By statute, Acting U.S. Attorney/SDNY Audrey Strauss' term will now last 120 days, unless a Presidentially appointed nominee is confirmed by the Senate in the meantime. That takes her into mid-October, effectively until the Election. Not what Barr was trying for, obviously.
However, Strauss can be expected to abide by the generally sensible rule (policy, not law) that no politically sensitive indictments should be issued within a 'quiet period' of 60 days prior to an election. That period starts Sept. 4th.
Therefore, in practice, the period in which any sensitive indictments might be issued by SDNY is from now until Sept. 4th: approximately 12 weeks.
@RobBenjamin@debmorello@HCandler@sundancefest@HISTORY Well done. I was about to post on Longstreet's shunning, because it's so revealing about the particular slate of names chosen for these Southern forts. As the article details, Longstreet was almost alone among the top tier of Confederate generals in avowing that the war +
@RobBenjamin@debmorello@HCandler@sundancefest@HISTORY had been about preserving slavery (the others were all busy advancing the 'Lost Cause' myth that it had really been some post-doctoral skirmish over States' Rights). He joined the Republican Party, and supported Grant (his West Point classmate and friend) for Pres.+
@RobBenjamin@debmorello@HCandler@sundancefest@HISTORY Having been Lee's most trusted confidant and aide during much of the War, Longstreet openly criticized Lee's tactics (Gettysburg in particular), annoying the hell out of Southern leaders who were anointing Lee as "Greatest Military Leader Since Alexander."