From the outset of Trump term-2, I have been saying the missing element, the fundamental flaw, was the administration not going full wolverine in opposition to the leftists in congress. When dealing with a comprehensively corrupt branch of government, a fearless cabinet nominee who confronts the corruption and fails is worth buckets more than a weak cabinet member who acquiesces and succeeds.
We need more direct oppositional confrontation, done from a place of righteous -AND AUTHENTIC- indignation. That said, Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche carries a stronger disposition toward that confrontation than his predecessor.
In this exchange Senator Chris Van Hollen, a man of notoriously corrupt disposition, and AAG Blanche battle over the establishment of a $1.776 billion victim’s compensation fund created to compensate people who have been targeted by a weaponized government.
The full Senate appropriations hearing is below. Todd Blanche did a great job confronting the lies, smears and Alinsky tactics of the institutional leftists.
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi greeted Russian Federation President Vladimir Putin upon arrival in Beijing, China, for a summit with Chairman Xi Jinping just days after Xi and President Trump spent two days in personal conference.
There will be more details from this visit that will surface in the next several hours and few days; however, for those who walk the deep weeds the video of the arrival is very interesting. Russia controls Russian interests in all things, including diplomatic missions. Foreign Minister Wang Yi greets President Putin and there are customary celebratory festivities on the tarmac that most are familiar with.
Putin is walking briskly, very deliberately and giving warm waves to the assembled children. But Putin is all business, focused and walking fast. Minister Yi slows his pace in an effort to slow Putin and emphasize the welcome. Putin keeps forward momentum. It’s subtle, but so typically Russian in approach. Nothing extraneous, nothing off script, nothing casual – straight, predictable and forward.
Notice the Russian control and immediate separation at the moment when they reach the end of the red carpet. Wang Yi and the Chinese welcome delegation as well as all security elements just disappear as in typical Russian fashion the Russian security service takes control from there.
It is a subtle difference between the merged casual formality of a U.S-China visit, and the hard lines of a Putin visit. I find myself thinking about what a difference it would make in relations between our nations if Americans really understood Russians. Russians are not cold per se’, they just don’t do casual very well.
There’s no “small talk” in Russian culture. There is talking that has a purpose and benefit – or there is silence. It is a facet of cultural distinction that many Americans just don’t understand. There are no pretenses and everything is deliberate.
