Sunday School 9/29/19

As you know, I've been trying to focus on the 2020 presidential candidates when they choose to wander around the halls on Sunday morning. Today, Cory Booker is the only one making an appearance; he stopped by CNN's State of the Union for a conversation with Jake Tapper.

Why was he the only one? Probably because, as you might imagine, everyone wants to talk to someone about the impeachment inquiry, the Ukraine shakedown, the coverup, and of course, whatever it was that Adam Schiff did the other day, and so the candidates are not all that interesting, I guess.

Schiff is in two classrooms (Meet the Press and This Week) as is the president's personal nuclear weapon attorney, Rudy Giuliani (This Week and Face the Nation). Also making an appearance today? Stephen Miller, another Trump advisor, who's dropping on Fox News Sunday.

But let's stay with Booker, who, as Tapper noted, has been calling for the president to be impeached since this spring. Tapper wondered if the narrow focus that Speaker Nancy Pelosi announced for the inquiry is appropriate. Booker said that Pelosi was right, before answering Tapper's request to define the 'high crimes and misdemeanors' that the president has committed.

Well, clearly, I mean, from the federalist papers to even in past impeachment, we see that defined in a broader sense and for me it is -- comes down fundamentally how they portrayed their office. And I think we see a president right now what's implicated in that transcript, in that whistleblower report is someone that frankly was pursuing their own interests above our national security interests... We had a bipartisan agreement that we should give resources and aid to a desperate country. And this president seemed to be willing to hold that up in order to pursue his petty political aspirations.

And that is absolutely unacceptable. If this is true, that is an impeachable offense. History will look back on what did we do when a president was willing to trash the constitution, act less like a leader of the free world and more like a dictator or a thug in using American power to pursue his own personal gain.

Tapper asked whether Booker thought it was acceptable for a president or vice president's kid to be on a board of a foreign company while the parent was 'conducting foreign policy.'

I dreaded hearing the answer, but I was pleased with Booker's response - because he hit the nail on the head (emphasis added).

Look, I have a lot of beliefs about ethics rules and the needs for our government of the United States to go far further in the rules than we have. But the fact that the Republicans right now are trying to use this and distract from the president of the United States and his own actions is to me incredible.

And so, yes, I have problems with the way things happen. I have problems with Congress people coming in and holding their office and leaving -- and walking right out the door and going to work for lobbying firms. There are a lot of things I see in Washington that need changing and I intend to bring a whole new suite of ethics laws to the White House when I get there.

But right now we have a crisis in our country. It has been exposed that the president of the United States on potentially more than one occasion is using his office for his own political gain at the expense of national security, urgent national American interests.

Tapper pressed the question again, wondering if Booker was saying it would not be OK for someone to do what Hunter Biden did.

Look, I'm watching what's going on with the Trump family right now and Trump properties and I just find that deeply offensive to just a -- any kind of independent sense of what's honorable, ethical, not to mention inconsistent with the emoluments clause. I just don't think that children of presidents, vice presidents during an administration should be out there doing that.

He went on to describe Joe Biden as a "statesman. He is a truly honorable man." And he reiterated the key issue here (again, emphasis added).

And so I'm offended by the Republicans trying to shift the attention and this is -- and what is Trump's scandal. This is a Trump scandal and potential violation of office. It has -- it should in no way affect the vice president in his pursuit of the nomination.

Finally, since Booker is running for the Democratic nomination after all, Tapper turned to the 2020 race. Booker had set a fundraising goal of $.17M by the end of the third quarter to keep him in the race. Tapper noted that he was still about $200,000 short, and wondered if this was close to the end of his campaign.

Booker allowed as how it could be, but that he's had a lot activity and even though he's already qualified for the November debate,

...it's not a goal, it's a real number that we believe is necessary for us to stay in the race with a trajectory to win the nomination.

I'm in this to win it. It's not a vanity play. I'm not sticking around for ego. I don't think you should be in this primary, at least this is my values, my lens. I'm not going to be in this primary unless I have a viable path to victory. We have that right now but in the fourth quarter we're going to need help...

Booker got in three plugs for his website during that one question, so that's a plus. But the fact that the only question he was asked about the campaign was whether it was almost over is a real problem, and it's one that all of the candidates are going to face, I suspect.

See you around campus.