Defense Secretary Mark Esper indicated on Sunday that the Pentagon will not participate in the White House’s stonewalling of the House impeachment inquiry against President Donald Trump.
I suppose that we will see what level of cooperation is really forthcoming. (Accepting the subpoena and showing up are good first steps.)
It sounds like he is not complicit in the phone call so doesn’t have to worry about charges against him coming out of it but “The White House has a say on the release of documents as well,” which puts the blockage of documents on Trump. He is smarter than the typical Trump stooge – staying out of the line of fire and letting Trump and his advisers commit the crimes.
BREAKING: Acting Defense Secretary Mark Esper just announced his resignation, stating that he wants to spend more time with his lawyers, er, family…
/s (but not for long)
So, on FTN he says ¨Sure¨, and on Fox he says, ¨It´s complicated¨?
“. . . everything we can . . .”
Not: “We will comply.”
Margaret Brennan is good at extracting information from her interviewees. She has a way of looking alarmed by an evasive answer as if to say “are you seriously kidding me right now?”
uh, he didn’t say he’d comply with the subpoena… he said the Pentagon would do whatever the White House allowed them to do…
“We will do everything we can to comply,” Esper said…
…“I don’t know what restrictions we may will have internally with regard to releasing them.”
“The White House has a say on the release of documents as well,” he added. “There are a number of things that play into this.”
@txlawyer raises a very good point re/ “…everything we can…”
IANAL, but I read the overall gist as also implicating–as ever–people in US Gov also sending messages, of either complicity or resistance, to the Dotard, as well as coded signals to others who are in similar situations. As I hear it, this is DoD saying “No, sir, we are not going to fall on our swords for your wide Cadet Bone-Spurs ass.”
As aside, but I’m just so disgusted and alarmed by Trump’s decision to end our support of Kurds in Syria. It’s so blatantly immoral, dangerous and self-interested, and there’s surely yet another quid pro quo here that needs to be uncovered and turned into yet another article of impeachment. It’s also going to erode a lot of support for him in the military, I expect. Plus, I wouldn’t at all be surprised if there’s blowback from Kurdish militants, to Trump properties and interests around the world. So many people are going to die because of his evil actions. In some ways he’s worse than Bush II.
I wish he would just tell the truth. They’re not going to release jack crap.
We all know what horseshit smells like …
The Pentagon is full of majors, colonels and general officers who have got to look at Trump with profound contempt. If he had done a hitch as company clerk he’d get infinitely more respect than he gets now.
“…sending messages…” These messages are in all caps:
FUCK YOU STOP STRONG LETTER TO FOLLOW STOP
He doubles down on removal of the troops.
“We will do everything we can to comply,” Esper said.
For the moment, I’m with Missouri on this one.
“The White House has a say on the release of documents as well,” he added.
Therein lies the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth. The rest is just empty rhetoric and political theater.
Many of the biggest crimes keep happening somewhat under the radar, and almost all of them have to do with giving Putin what he wants. He promised Putin he was going to get the sanctions lifted before he even took office, and he continues to work on that. How many things have kept Trump’s focus and attention for years?
I hope I get a satisfying answer as to why before I die, but maybe the answer is already out there and I just don’t believe it or see it.
Why can’t Esper comply with the Congressional investigations?
Never trust a conservative’s love of the law. Never underestimate their willingness to lie, their loyalty to their party and tribe, their hatefulness and what they will do for money. One visit from Lara Trump, who is Preshitident Skanky Putin Whore and Iwanka’s fixer, thug, procurer and bag lady, will cure Mark Esper of this momentary lapse of judgement.