Jensen Huang, the co-founder and chief executive of Nvidia, resigns. This is the worst national security scandal in a generation. Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA.) vows to get answers since Huang’s departure “does not absolve him, other executives or the company as a whole of responsibility for putting our national security at risk or for any potential violations of our laws.” She pledged to get testimony from him and Trump officials. “Secretary Howard Lutnick and Under Secretary Jeffrey Kessler must explain why they have not closed export control loopholes and act today to ensure our advanced technology is not fueling China’s military,” she said.
Trump was reportedly told of the spying allegations but did nothing. The Economist reported that Trump is as culpable as anyone: “Even if no further dirt comes out, Mr Huang’s position is untenable. He must resign—or be fired. The same goes for American officials who are implicated in the scandal.”
The circular firing squad has only just begun. “Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent confronted Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick last week over his handling of a Singaporean company at the heart of revelations about Chinese spying on Nvidia, demanding to know why the United States had not already banned sales of advanced A.I. chips to the firm,” the New York Times reported. Maybe Bessent should ask his boss. Now that the horse is out of the barn, Lutnick promises to “move quickly to put restrictions on Megaspeed in place.”
The former Fox host with pending articles of impeachment for war crimes — who attacks others’ patriotism — has no respect for the military. CNN aired footage of an Arlington National Cemetery sentinel yelling at a group including Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth yucking it up as they took photos in front of the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier to “MAINTAIN SILENCE … PAY RESPECT!” after someone in his entourage started laughing. The reaction was blistering. Rep. Jim McGovern (D-MA): “Pete ‘Secretary of War Crimes’ Hegseth is a disgrace.” Combat vet and New York congresswoman-elect Cait Conley: “Show some damn respect, Pete Hegseth. What a disgrace.” VoteVets: “What a disgrace to have the Secretary of Defense reprimanded by a Sentinel at the tomb of the unknown soldier on Veterans Day. Pete Hegseth has no respect for the fallen and he can’t even remain reverent on this sacred day at one of our nation’s most sacred memorials. This makes our blood boil.” Vet and former congressman Adam Kinzinger: “This is truly abhorrent. Pete Hegseth doesn’t know how to conduct himself, even at The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at Arlington National Cemetery. His behavior is unbecoming of any visitor to the Tomb, let alone that which comes from a Secretary of Defense.”
These are fascists. “Justice Department leaders plan to force out additional US attorneys while preparing those who remain for wartime footing after their party’s midterms losses, a top official warned the nation’s chief prosecutors Monday,” Bloomberg Law reported. “In the first meeting for DOJ’s field office leaders since voters repudiated the Trump agenda at the polls, Principal Associate Deputy Attorney General Aakash Singh advised US attorneys and their first assistants to consider resigning if they’re not prepared for full-on battle and to obey the administration’s orders, said three people briefed on the call.” Expect a long line of whistleblowers.
Trump’s thuggish White House Counsel office threatened congressional investigators with criminal investigation. “It appears Donald Trump has something to hide. Let’s be clear: Congress’ authority comes from Article I of the Constitution, not from the permission of the White House. Congress has wide latitude to conduct investigations and oversight, an authority inherent in the power to legislate,” said soon-to-be-chairman of the House Oversight Committee Rep. Robert Garcia (D-CA). “The American people voted overwhelmingly for us to pass laws to root out corruption and abuse … and [we] will not be deterred by baseless threats from a weaponized DOJ or from the President’s lawyers.”
Legal experts agree. An NYU Law School expert on separation of powers says White House threats are “baseless” because the “Constitution protects legislators from the threat of criminal prosecution while performing official duties as an essential bulwark to repel executive overreach and defend checks and balances. … Congressional oversight and the issuance of subpoenas by definition cannot be the focus of legitimate criminal prosecution.” But threatening Congress can be the basis of impeachment. (No wonder the White House tried to crawl it back.)
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) had the perfect response to the most corrupt regime in U.S. history. “There are so many criminals in this administration, it’s hard to figure out who should be, you know, the order of operations,” she told CNN. “There are going to be many, many, many investigations. I imagine many subpoenas, and we have to follow wherever the evidence takes us.”
This must be driving Trump even more insane than he already is. “Two-thirds of Americans say the president has lost at least some power in the GOP since the party’s steep midterm losses,” Politico’s post-election poll found. “That includes 83% of Democratic midterm voters and 57% of Republican midterm voters. Just 40% of MAGA Trump voters, the president’s most loyal base, say he has just as much power as before.”
House Dems need to get their act together. “Democrats’ failure to all show up to block the effort to kill Hegseth’s impeachment has sparked frustration among some members,” the Daily Beast reported. “It has also raised concerns among outside observers about House Democratic leadership’s ability to present a prepared united front against Trump come January.” (Dems know they screwed up, and some apologized.)
