Day 1119

[matt (Matt Kiser)]

1/ Trump defended Roger Stone in a series of tweets while attacking the federal judge and prosecutors involved in the case. Trump also “congratulated” Attorney General William Barr for “taking charge of the case” – confirming that Barr intervened in Stone’s sentencing recommendation. Trump claimed that Stone was treated “very badly” and suggested that prosecutors “ought to apologize to him.” Trump also implied that U.S. District Judge Amy Berman Jackson, who is presiding over the case, was biased because of her role in the sentencing of Paul Manafort and dismissal of a lawsuit against Hillary Clinton. Stone is scheduled to be sentenced on Feb. 20. When asked if he would pardon Stone, Trump replied: “I don’t want to say that yet, but I tell you what, people were hurt viciously and badly by these corrupt people.” (Washington Post / New York Times)

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This is a companion discussion topic for the original entry at https://whatthefuckjusthappenedtoday.com/2020/02/12/day-1119/

[dragonfly9]

Ex-Ambassador Yovanovitch is sounding an alarm…and her remarks at Georgetown reflect what we’ve long feared. We are headlong into a crisis where US’s word is diminished, and we have gutted both our competency in the State Dept and our foreign affairs dept.

The retired career foreign service officer, as she did in her testimony before the House during the impeachment inquiry, cautioned that the department was being “hollowed out” and helmed by "senior leaders (who) lack policy vision, moral clarity and leadership skills."

“The policy process has been replaced by the decisions emanating from the top with little discussion,” Yovanovitch said Wednesday. "Vacancies at all levels go unfilled and officers are increasingly wondering whether it is safe to express concerns about policy, even behind closed doors."

“We need to re-empower our diplomats to do their job. We can’t be afraid to share our expertise or challenge false assumptions,” Yovanovitch said. “Working off of facts is not the trademark of the deep state but of the deeply committed state in the words of Ambassador McFaul. Truth matters,” she added, referring to the former ambassador to Russia Michael McFaul.

'An amoral, keep-‘em-guessing foreign policy’

Yovanovitch said the department needs “a coherent foreign policy,” one that is "principled, consistent and trustworthy."

“To be blunt: An amoral, keep-'em-guessing foreign policy that substitutes threats, fear and confusion for trust cannot work over the long haul, especially in our social media-savvy, interconnected world," Yovanovitch said. "At some point, the once-unthinkable will become the soon-inevitable: that our allies, who have as much right to act in their own self-interest as we do, will seek out more reliable partners, partners whose interests might not align well with ours.”

Yovanovitch swipes at Trump administration as she's honored for diplomatic work