Trump charges...Saudi's LIV Golf lobbyist was on the board of a women's empowerment group...Imran Khan video
Donald Trump heavily premised his 2016 presidential campaign in opposition to the way that “Crooked Hillary” used a private server for some of her State Department emails. Trump was absolutely appalled (!) at her irresponsible approach to classified information. Recall that he even publicly urged Vladimir Putin to see if his hackers could find the emails, promising Putin would be richly rewarded by the American media with coverage if he did so.
It’s darkly hilarious that federal prosecutors have now told Trump he’s a target in their investigation into his own handling of classified information, and charges could come down any day now. Trump, mind you, as president had unilateral authority to declassify documents as he saw fit. To have that power and still get charged with a crime related to classified documents takes an unusual talent. (Of course, he could be charged with something more serious, like selling documents or negligently letting them fall into the hands of adversarial powers or some such, but still, it would be an incredible thing to go down for.)
PGA Takeover
Veteran Romney aide Gail Gitcho, a former board member of the GOP-affiliated Women’s Democracy Network, turns out to have been working as a registered agent on behalf of Saudi Arabia’s takeover of the PGA. My colleague Ken Klippenstein has that story.
Imran Khan Interview
I do not, broadly speaking, share Imran Khan’s politics. But who cares? What’s being done to Pakistan’s former prime minister and his party, the PTI, by the nation’s military is deeply frightening. Pakistan’s a country of some 250 million people, so we don’t need a reason to care about its stability and vibrancy beyond that. But we can also see a portrait of a true dystopian authoritarianism emerging there, and that’s dangerous wherever it crops up.
Last week, I reported with my colleague Murtaza Hussain that the military called a secret meeting to order news outlets in Pakistan to stop covering Khan – the biggest story in Pakistan. This week, I interviewed him about the crisis engulfing Pakistan. We aired the interview on Counter Points today and a longer, audio-only version ran on Deconstructed.
A Soft Coup In Colombia
In Colombia, the first leftist ever elected president, former guerrilla Gustavo Petro, is facing what a group of progressive leaders from around the world are warning is a “soft coup.” It’s a bit more complicated than that – but also not really. I have an exclusive today on a letter signed by former presidents from Colombia, Ecuador, and Spain along with leading progressive politicians from across Europe and Latin America.
Update: I still have some signed copies of We’ve Got People to sell. If you want one inscribed, tell me who to make it out to. My sister is selling them through her eBay account.
Below, for paid subscribers, is today’s episode of Counter Points.
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