Lev saves America!

Commentary with a little News with a Twist

After Maddow interview, Parnas to write book, “Miscreants I Have Known“

In a stunning interview with Rachel Maddow on MSNBC, Rudy Giuliani (and Donald Trump) associate Lev Parnas revealed chapter and verse how Trump and his gang shook down the president of Ukraine in order to have him publicly announce an investigation into Joe and Hunter Biden, and fired the U.S. ambassador to Ukraine because she was getting in the way of their schemes.

While this was only Part One of a two-part interview (Part Two airs tonight), Parnas not only implicated Trump and Giuliani in the plot, but also Vice President Mike Pence, Attorney General William Barr, and House Intelligence Committee ranking member Devin Nunes (R-Ca).

While I made up the bit about Parnas’ book deal (as plausible as it might be), as I watched the interview, I couldn’t help thinking back to an Around the Block I wrote in September 2019 called, “Impeachment Smoking Gun: Tapes, then; Whistleblower complaint now?”

In that column, I re-told the story of the Nixon impeachment hearings, the revealing of the White House tapes by Alexander Butterfield and the “missing” 18-1/2 minutes from those tapes. Here’s how I ended that piece:

We’re taught in school to learn from history, so we don’t repeat history’s mistakes. I fear that lesson is lost on our current president and his gang that can’t shoot straight. (Actually, fear is the wrong word; I’m pleased, in this case at least, that this crowd doesn’t know history because I’m anticipating that they will repeat Nixon’s lurid history, public opinion will turn – but maybe not GOP sycophantism – and we’ll finally have enough support to impeach this latest “cancer on the presidency.”)

So, imagine if you will, the next few days.

Trump and his miscreants (note for the Trump gang: miscreant means, bad hombres, criminals, lowlifes, AKA, “Mexicans”) continue to obfuscate (there I go again), changing their story on a daily (hourly, minutely(?) basis, finally leading to the release of Walter/Wendy Whistleblower’s complaint.

And guess what? There are 18-1/2 sentences redacted from the complaint! After a week or so of dithering while she calculates the political pros and cons of an impeachment hearing, Nancy Pelosi acquiesces, the hearings go forward and the evidence is so compelling that even the GOP senatorial bootlickers have to vote to remove Trump. And stunningly, in the uncovering of the evidence, it is also revealed, unequivocally, that Vice President Pence was also complicit in all the Trumpian high crimes and misdemeanors and is removed as well.

And Nancy Pelosi becomes PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES!

And finally, after 2-1/2 years, we can have a good night’s sleep.

And we all live HAPPILY EVER AFTER!

Except, of course, Donald Trump and Mike Pence, who are in prison. And, Don Jr., Eric, Ivanka and Jared who also are in prison. And, Tiffany, well no one really knows where Tiffany is so she might not have received the news.

But, including Melania, who says, “FINALLY!” And, Barron, who says, “Mommy, you mean I never have to see Daddy again? Hurrah!!” 

Alas, it didn’t happen then. But since September the facts have changed, are even more compelling, and Trump has been impeached. So, because of Lev “Smoking Gun” Parnas, will it happen now?