Today in Politics, Bulletin 70. 2/13/25

… Pete Hegseth continued to embarrass himself and the US at the NATO Summit in Brussels today. After his comments yesterday detailing how the US was willing to give up every bit of negotiating leverage with Russia, he tried to walk some of it back while generally looking like a bumbling drunken fool completely out of his depth.

… Hegseth opened his remarks to the group of 32 Secretaries of Defense by ridiculously claiming that the US doesn’t have the naval firepower to deal with Russia’s fleet. He told his counterparts with NATO that it will take at least 7 years to rebuild our Navy before it can catch up to Russia. Incompetent, absurd lies, playing right into Putin’s hands and destroying our credibility on the world stage.

… Hegseth then further beclowned himself with this gem: “Make no mistake, President Trump will not allow anyone to turn Uncle Sam into Uncle Sucker.”

… Trump said Ukraine has to make some concessions to Russia since they volunteered themselves to be invaded: “I think they have to make peace. That was not a good war to go into.”

…. But Trump said that Russia deserves to keep the conquered territory since they worked hard for it. He was asked if he could see a future where Ukraine returns to its pre-invasion borders: “It certainly would seem to be unlikely. Russia took a lot of land and they fought for that land.”

… Sen. Tim Kaine - “Am I missing something or did Trump just give Russia exactly what it wants in Ukraine – no NATO admission, Russia keeps Ukrainian land, and Putin gets to visit the U.S.? In return for… one prisoner exchange? That’s the grand deal?”

… Trump ally Sen. Roger Wicker (R-MS) told Punchbowl he isn’t thrilled with how this is being handled so far: “I’d prefer we don’t give away negotiating positions before we actually get started.”

… European leaders were stunned trying to deal with Hegseth and Trump’s comments yesterday about Russia and Ukraine. Hegseth said that the US will hold talks with Russia that will not involve Ukraine or EU nations in attendance, said NATO will not admit Ukraine, and said that it’s up to Europe to defend itself.

… President Zelensky responded that Ukraine will not accept any agreements reached between Russia and the US if he is not included in the discussions, and said that other European countries must be included as well.

… AP reported that several EU leaders addressed Hegseth and Trump’s comments. U.K. Defense Secretary John Healey: “There can be no negotiation about Ukraine without Ukraine. And Ukraine’s voice must be at the heart of any talks.”

… German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius: “For me, it’s clear that Europe must be involved in the negotiations — and I think that’s very easy to understand,” particularly if Europe is ”supposed to play a central or the main role in the peace order.”

… EU’s foreign policy chief, Kaja Kallas: “We shouldn’t take anything off the table before the negotiations have even started, because it plays to Russia’s court. Why are we giving them everything that they want even before the negotiations have been started? It’s appeasement. It has never worked.”

… Former Trump NSA John Bolton on Trump negotiating with Putin without Zelensky being involved: “Putin doesn't want to negotiate with Zelensky. He wants to negotiate with Trump because he thinks he'll get more out of him. And he's absolutely right.”

… Bolton also posted this on X: “It is unconscionable to allow Russia to assault Ukraine’s sovereignty, recruit enemies like N. Korea to aid in their fight, and then sell out the Ukrainians by conceding the loss of their territory and NATO security guarantees or membership. By making these and other concessions before negotiations even started, Trump has effectively surrendered to Putin on Ukraine.

… Bolton on CNN later after Tulsi Gabbard was confirmed: “They're drinking vodka straight out of the bottle in the Kremlin tonight. It was a great day for Moscow. This is palpable harm to American national security, because what Hegseth and Trump did was not only blow up the NATO position on Ukraine, they blew up a thing called the Belovezha Accords. Not only is unprovoked aggression by Russia against Ukraine now ok, every other former Republic of the Soviet Union is vulnerable to the same thing without any indication that the US will do anything about it.”

… One of Trump’s first acts as president was to disband the Kleptocapture task force that seized Russian assets. That was another bargaining chip that we could have used in negotiations that was just voluntarily given away for nothing in return.

… Russian State Media Monitor Julia Davis reports on comments from two of their most popular TV hosts: "Trump is sawing through the western world," Luzyanin said. "One piece is Canadian, another one is European. We'll see how successful he'll be with his saw." Host Popov responded that Trump is using tactics right out of the Russian playbook: "Basically he is taking our bread and butter. We wanted to saw the western world into pieces, but he decided to saw through it himself."

… AP reports that Republican Danielle Sassoon, the interim US Attorney in charge of the NYC Mayor Eric Adams’ public corruption case, has resigned after refusing to drop the charges after DOJ Dep AG Emil Bove demanded it.

… Sassoon wrote a scathing 8-page letter to AG Pam Bondi, explicitly outlining how Adams's attorneys proposed "what amounted to a quid pro quo" where Adams promised to assist with ICE deportations "only if the indictment were dismissed." Sassoon wasn’t willing to go along with that illegal and unethical arrangement, Bondi was. Now Bondi will replace Sassoon with someone who will.

… CNN reported that after the senior US Attorneys in NY refused to dismiss the case against Adams, Bove then went to the prosecutors in the office’s Public Integrity Section and they refused and resigned in protest also.

… Bove was Trump’s criminal defense attorney on his election interference / hush money case.

… The NYT is now reporting that Adams may switch parties to run as a Republican in this Spring’s primary, since he has no shot at securing the Democratic nomination for a second term. I’m sure he would feel much more at home there with all the other criminals. Plus Trump’s endorsement will be huge in NYC.

… Hopefully, by now, you’ve figured out when I’m being sarcastic!

… AP broke a big story today that the Office of Personnel Management sent out a notice this afternoon directing federal agencies to lay off almost all probationary employees immediately.

… Former CIA Ops Officer Marc Polymeropoulos: “Whoaaa. Total madness. If true – this removes the entire next generation of US government civil servants. This is akin to a dream covert action plan by our adversaries to cripple the US government for decades.”

… Trump escalated his trade war rhetoric today by threatening to impose tariffs on countries with domestic Value Added Taxes (VAT), which is clearly aimed at the EU: “We will consider countries that use the VAT System, which is far more punitive than a tariff, to be similar to that of a tariff. Sending merchandise, product, or anything by any other name through another country will not be accepted. In addition, we will make provision for subsidies provided by countries in order to take economic advantage of the US.”

… The non-partisan Tax Foundation: “A value-added tax (VAT) is not a tariff, it is a consumption tax assessed on the value added in each production stage of a good or service. VATs are border-adjusted, meaning they rebate tax on exports and impose tax on imports. They’re trade neutral.”

… Future German Chancellor Friedrich Merz: “Europe has no interest in a trade conflict. On the contrary, we think trade benefits everyone and tariffs damage everyone. But if Trump wants this conflict, then we will have to give the right answer.”

… Stephen Miller on Fox: “Donald Trump looks more brilliant and genius every single day.”

… Trump’s National Economic Council Director Kevin Hassett was asked on MSNBC if he can assure the American public that Trump’s tariffs won’t substantially drive up prices of goods to consumers: “Prices move up, prices move down, that's the way the world works.”

… Let them eat cake.

… Dementia Trump got a carried away talking about himself again at the swearing in ceremony of Tulsi Gabbard, which was being carried live on Newsmax. After taking a few questions, he walked out of the room right by Gabbard and her family as aides ushered out the press, who seemed mystified since Trump forgot to have Gabbard sworn in. He later came back after they reminded him and finished the ceremony.

… Drop Site News broke the story, all based on public record procurement documents, that Elon Musk is likely to be awarded the largest State Department contract of fiscal year 2025 to purchase $400 million for "Armored Teslas.”

… After that story went public, Time reported that the document was then immediately changed from “Armored Teslas” to “Armored Electric Vehicles”. I guess now we won’t be able to figure out the scam.

… Reporter to WH Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt: There is a conflict of interest law in place that says people who have personal interests can't interact with govt entities that could touch on those. Has Trump signed a waiver for Musk? Leavitt: “I have not seen the law you are referring to. As the president said, if he feels like Elon is engaging in something that's a conflict of interest, he'll tell Elon not to do that.”

… So Trump will decide if Musk is being ethical. I feel better.

… Rep. Jasmine Crockett: “While Musk was stopping money, somehow the only money that didn’t stop was the money going to his organization. I don’t know how you can have him be watchdog as well as the guy living off of the government. If you want to talk about government welfare, it looks like Elon Musk.”

… US Service members discharged because they refused the covid vaccine are fuming after formal written guidance was issued on Trump’s campaign promise to reinstate them with an apology and full back pay, because it isn’t exactly what they promised and comes with a few minor strings attached.

… There is a lengthy list of eligibility criteria set forth in the memo which makes it clear they aren’t just going to show up to collect a big check for doing nothing. They have to apply for reinstatement, and must agree to sign a new contract to serve a minimum of 2 additional years on active duty. There is also no guarantee they will received back pay. All applications will be reviewed by a board who could reject them.

… Navy Commander Rob Green: “Why was this released so quietly, Pete Hegseth? I am an Active Duty member of your DOD and tracking COVID-related items about as closely as one can. I did not get my hands on this until the 12th, 5 days after release. It does little to win back trust, nothing to hold any leader accountable, and leaves out restoration for thousands of service members who were harmed in myriads of ways not covered by the two criteria specified.”

… Another vet posted this on X: “This memorandum hardly meets what Trump and Hegseth proclaimed regarding restitution to those who left because of the unlawful vaccine mandates. What a let down. SecDef please make it right.”

… Jordan Karr, an Air Force officer who sued DOD after being discharged: “SecDef Hegseth, I collected letters in support of your nomination. I showed up to your hearing. I met with senators advocating for you. I supported you and I think you have a huge undertaking, but respectfully this is NOT the best we can do.”

… John McAfee: “Unworthy. I left service because the institution was unworthy. Still is. Where's the apology? Pete Hegseth, you are letting the rot dictate the terms and process for restoration. Foolish.”

… Elon Musk suggested that many government employees should be investigated to find out why they have significant assets: “We find it sort of rather odd that there are quite a few people in the bureaucracy who have a salary of a few hundred thousand dollars but somehow managed to accrue tens of millions of dollars in net worth.”

… Obama WH Ethics Counsel Norm Eisen reacted to Musk’s comment to HuffPost: “How on earth would he have the info about the net worths of govt employees? Either he’s making it up, which is profoundly concerning for the most powerful government official in history, or he has gotten access to data that he has no business getting.”

… North Korean state media condemned Trump’s comments on Gaza. “The world is now boiling like a porridge pot over the US’ bombshell declaration.” NK then called Trump a “ferocious robber” for wanting to seize Greenland, Canada, and the Panama Canal. “The US should awaken from its anachronistic daydream and stop at once the act of encroaching upon the dignity and sovereignty of other countries and nations. It’s not an issue limited to the Gaza Strip only.”

… Trump is such a menace the most brutal repressive dictatorship in the world is condemning his behavior.

… NY Daily News reports that NYC Comptroller Brad Lander called a press conference to announce that Trump and Musk just took $80 million out of NYC bank accounts, which was being paid as compensation for providing food and housing for migrants: “Am I concerned about the security of the city's bank accounts as a result of this? I am concerned.”

… James Surowiecki former financial writer for The New Yorker: “This is bizarre. The people at the NYC comptroller's office looked at their city's account and saw that $80 million was missing, and realized the feds took it. Can the federal govt really go into a city or state's bank account and just take money anytime it wants?”

… CNBC reported Musk’s remarks by video to the World Governments Summit in Dubai: “I think we need to delete entire agencies, as opposed to leave part of them behind. It’s kind of like leaving a weed. If you don’t remove the roots of the weed, then it’s easy for the weed to grow back. But if you remove the roots of the weed — it doesn’t stop weeds from ever going back, but it makes it harder. So we have to really delete entire agencies, many of them.”

… Musk later posted on X: “A second American revolution is needed to free the people from their oppression by the bureaucracy!”

… Friedrich Merz, who is likely to be Germany’s Chancellor after their Feb. 23 elections, told WSJ that he is going to deal with Musk’s election interference in his country when he endorsed and promoted far-right AfD party: “What happened in this election campaign cannot go unchallenged. It can be a political response. It can be a legal response. I want to analyze this calmly after this election campaign.”

… Merz was asked whether those consequences could impact Tesla’s only factory in Europe, which is in Germany: “I am deliberately leaving the consequences open for now. It is election campaign support. Whether it also represents an economic saving or contribution to the AfD needs to be investigated. The fact that someone from outside Europe intervenes in a national election campaign in this way is new.”

… Yashar Ali reports that 6 witnesses and the victim told him that right-wing CPAC Chair Matt Schlapp allegedly engaged in lewd conduct and sexual assault of a man at a restaurant and bar in Virginia on Saturday night. Schlapp has repeatedly been accused of sexual misconduct several men while pretending to be in a monogamous heterosexual relationship with his wife Mercedes.

… The latest victim: “Every time I looked around—whether we were on the dance floor, at the bar, or back at the table talking to people—every time I turned around, this guy was right there, one foot behind me. And I was just not comfortable with this.”

… Ali: “Schlapp—while the man was mid-sentence—grabbed and gripped his genitals while looking him directly in the eyes, the man told me. After the alleged assault, the man who says he was assaulted reported the incident to a manager, who escorted Schlapp out.”

… Former Herschel Walker staffer Carlton Huffman, who sued and settled with Schlapp in 2023 after his penis was groped by a drunken Schlapp while he was attempting to drive him home from a bar, posted his response on X to these latest allegations: “I see the least surprising headline ever.”

… WH Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt (Nurse Ratched, below) was asked about AP reporters being banned from events because they continue to use ‘Gulf of Mexico’: “I was very up front in my briefing on day one that if we feel that there are lies being pushed by outlets in this room, we are going to hold those lies accountable. And it is a fact that the body of water off the coast of Louisiana is called the Gulf of America.”

… Leavitt was also asked about Trump’s plan to remove all Palestinians from Gaza: "The president feels it would be much better and more majestic if these Palestinians could be moved to safer areas."

In just under 4 months, this Bulletin is now averaging over 250,000 reads a day. I research and write this for 14 hours every day. My goal is to make this the best and most comprehensive daily column on politics in America. That is why I work so hard to put this together. I try to aspire to be a little bit like my hero Gandhi, in that I live a simple and humble life where material things don’t matter as much to me as this cause to shine a bright light of truth of the criminality and corruption behind Trump, Musk, and the toxic MAGA movement.

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… Politico reports that DOGE's detailee to the Dept of Education says they haven't accessed student borrowers' tax info yet, but may do so for ‘conducting analyses to