Tag: Advisers

Plenary Authority?

Recently that little bald Nazi adviser to Donny brought up an interesting term that needs explanation….’plenary authority’….

First of all what the Hell is ‘plenary authority’?

A plenary power or plenary authority is a complete and absolute power to take action on a particular issue, with no limitations.

What is its purpose?

The purposes of the plenary is to: draw together what has been learned, to highlight the most important rather than the most recent points, to summarize key facts, ideas and vocabulary, and stress what needs to be remembered; generalize from examples generated earlier in the lesson.

What brought this seldom used term to the forefront was an interview with Herr Miller on the use of troops in American cities…..

Stephen Miller’s assertion that President Trump has “plenary authority” to deploy the National Guard to US cities has ignited fresh debate and confusion over the limits of presidential power, leaving both legal experts and the public questioning what the White House may attempt next, Newsweek reports. The White House deputy chief of staff made the assertion on CNN Monday while discussing efforts to send federal troops to Portland, Oregon, despite a judge blocking such action. His abrupt silence after making the claim led to speculation on social media, with some users suggesting he was told to stop talking, though CNN attributed the pause to technical difficulties. The network did not include the phrase “plenary authority” when it edited the video to post on social media, HuffPost reports.

Asked if Trump would abide by the judge’s order, Miller said, “Under Title 10 of the US Code, the President has plenary authority, has—” before pausing, blinking, and failing to respond when the interviewer repeated his name a few times. After the show returned from a break, Miller continued, “I was making the point that under federal law, Section—Title 10 of the US Code, the president has the authority anytime he believes federal resources are insufficient to federalize the National Guard to carry out a mission necessary for public safety.” He said the administration would “abide by the ruling insofar as it affects the covered parties” but that Trump also has “many other options … to deploy federal resources and assets under the US military to Portland.” Online searches for “plenary authority” increased after the clip, WUSA reports.

Plenary authority, rare in the US, gives one of the three branches of government total control over one area (such as presidential pardons). Legal experts quickly weighed in. Matthew Mangino, a former Pennsylvania district attorney, described “plenary authority” as “complete and absolute power,” noting, “The office of the president is not endowed with it.” He added that US governmental checks and balances give Congress and the courts the power to keep a president from overstepping. Richard Painter, the former chief ethics lawyer for President George W. Bush, clarified that while Title 10 of the US Code allows the president to federalize National Guard units in certain circumstances, it does not grant unchecked power, and significant limitations remain under the Posse Comitatus Act.

Everyone of the sycophants are dancing hard and fast to find reasons for the occupation of American cities by troops.

More info available….https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/plenary-authority-stephen-miller-cnn-dictator-b2841627.html

This ‘authority’ is not a blank check and Donny needs to be made a ware of it use and misuse.

Now you know what Herr Miller was popping off about….and trying to set some sort of legal groundwork as cover.

I Read, I Write, You Know

“lego ergo scribo”

They “Hate America”!

Jeez I have not heard that piece of crap since my protests days in the 70s when some old fat white guy would get in my face and utter garbage.

I bring this up because an adviser to Little Donny has publicly made the statement about anyone that disagrees with the Orange Man on deportations hates America.

These accusations came from the demented mouth of one Gorka, a Trump adviser and a Nazi in sheep’s clothing….

One of President Donald Trump’s cronies has heavily implied that Americans who demand due process for a Maryland father who was wrongly deported could meet his same fate.

On Tuesday, Trump’s senior director for counterterrorism, Sebastian Gorka, appeared on “Rob Schmitt Tonight” on Newsmax and said that those who publicly criticize Kilmar Abrego Garcia’s incarceration in a notoriously brutal prison in El Salvador could be committing a federal crime.

This is despite the Department of Justice admitting that Abrego Garcia, a Salvadoran national, was wrongly deported due to an “administrative error,” and the Supreme Court ordering the Trump administration to help to bring Abrego Garcia back to the United States.

“The taxonomy of American politics is dead,” Gorka said a little over two minutes into his interview. “It’s not left and right. It’s not even Republican or Democrat. There’s one line that divides us: Do you love America or do you hate America? It’s really quite that simple.”

According to Gorka, who was born in the United Kingdom to Hungarian parents, those who “love America” include Trump, his administration and his supporters because they want to “protect” the U.S..

Gorka then went on to describe those who “hate America” as anyone who opposes Trump and his administration’s actions by claiming they are “on the side of the cartel members, on the side of the illegal aliens, on the side of the terrorists.”

Gorka, a former Newsmax host, then dialed up the autocratic tone of his argument to an unsettling level

“And you have to ask yourself, are they technically aiding and abetting them?” Gorka said of critics. “Because aiding and abetting criminals and terrorists is a crime in federal statute.”

The implication of Gorka’s threat wasn’t lost on social media users on X, formerly Twitter.

“This is how freedom of speech dies,” one user pointed out.

“That’s the mark of authoritarianism. When you can’t win an argument, you criminalize the people who disagree with you,” another said.

“They’re saying it — if you criticize them, you are ‘aiding and abetting’ terrorists,” another user echoed. “If you take a stand against them, you’ll be targeted too.”

https://www.huffpost.com/entry/trump-adviser-threat-oppose-deportations_n_68010f63e4b0f92ccce14fae

It is getting close to the rule of the ‘brown shirts’….we cannot say or do anything that does not conform to what Donny and his Merry Band of thugs feel is best for the country….you know damn the Constitution full speed ahead for authoritarianism.

Once again I guess I am being pigeon holed by morons that pretend to ‘love this country’ when everything they do is to the contrary.

Screw this sanctimonious asshole and the political wave he rode in on.  PERIOD!

I Read, I Write, You Know

“lego ergo scribo”

Rest Easy, We Have A NatSec Adviser

With Bolton gone there is the hope (by some me not included ) that there will be a reset of American foreign policy…..

Tom Wright makes the case that Trump is about to make a “foreign policy pivot”:

Trump wants to write a new chapter, closing the one marked “Militarism and Maximum Pressure” and opening one called “Dealmaking and the Pursuit of the Nobel Peace Prize.” He wants a summit with Iran’s leaders and deals with the Taliban, Kim Jong Un, and Vladimir Putin on arms control. He does not care about most of the details, as long as he gets the credit.

Few of his officials are particularly enthusiastic about this pivot, but led by Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, they accept it and will seek to shape it.

The pivot metaphor has been used many times during Trump’s presidency to describe an impending change in direction, but the pivots never seem to take place. Like the expectation that Trump will eventually grow and learn while in office, the expectation that the president will become more responsible in his policies is always disappointed. It would make sense for Trump to deescalate tensions with Iran after creating the current crisis, but I see no evidence that he really intends to do this. Trump absolutely should extend New START, and without Bolton acting as an anti-arms control gremlin he could do this, but there has been no sign of interest in keeping the treaty alive. Trump should conclude negotiations to end the war in Afghanistan, but he just blew up the negotiations earlier this week. Negotiating with Iran requires ending “maximum pressure,” but so far the post-Bolton line from the administration is that “maximum pressure” isn’t going anywhere:

A Foreign Policy Pivot? I Wouldn’t Bet On It

A reset?  Not a chance!

The village peasants may now rest easy.

The revolving door at the NatSec desk is still working….Bolton Out now O’Brien in…..

President Trump has named hostage negotiator Robert O’Brien to be his new national security adviser, reports the AP. Trump tweeted Wednesday that he has “worked long & hard” with O’Brien and that “he will do a great job!” Trump’s announcement about O’Brien comes a week after he ousted John Bolton from the national security adviser’s post, citing policy disagreements. Bolton was Trump’s third national security adviser

He is a professional….maybe not my idea of a good choice but Hell NO one asked me….but that said where does he stand on some of the major issue of the day?

O’Brien – a fierce critic of former President Barack Obama – published a collection of his national security essays in 2016 called “While America Slept: Restoring American Leadership to a World in Crisis.”

Here are passages from his book that shed light on some of his views:

https://uk.reuters.com/article/uk-usa-trump-adviser-obrien-factbox/factbox-trumps-new-national-security-adviser-in-his-own-words-idUKKBN1W32P2

While he may be a pro he is in direct opposition to Trump’s ideas for making American great again….will he adjust his opinions to conform with the president or will he be a short lived adviser?

Since the only thing on Trump’s mind these days is KSA and Iran and O’Brien fits nicely with Trump’s position…..

O’Brien was a critic of the Iran nuclear deal, and sees Iran’s nuclear programme as a major threat.

“The Islamic Republic of Iran is the largest state sponsor of terrorism in the world and is building an archipelago across the Middle East using proxies and Revolutionary Guard forces from Yemen to Syria to Lebanon.”

We will see if he makes the transition from Neocon to Trump thug.

Learn Stuff!

“Lego Ergo Scribo”

Is Bolton Out?

I have made NO secret that I do not like the policies and the ideas of Trump’s adviser John Bolton.

I have disliked this man for decades when I first became acquainted with him and his war hawk ideas…..I shuddered when he became ambassador to the United Nations under GW.

He then became a hit man against Obama foreign policy on FOX where he fit in well with the spreading of crap news.

And then Trump installs this hawk into his inner circle of adviser as the NatSec Adviser……and every since he has not been on the same page as his president…..and now it looks like His Majesty may have had enough crap out of Bolton….

John Bolton doesn’t seem like a sidelines kind of guy—but the hard-talking national security adviser appears headed that way as he opposes his boss yet again, the Washington Post reports. Their latest conflict? Afghanistan, where President Trump is considering a reduction in US troops if the Taliban will cut ties with al-Qaeda and stop them from training, fundraising, recruiting, and so on. Bolton opposes the Taliban talks and wasn’t invited this month when Trump huddled with top officials to discuss Afghanistan at the president’s golf club. Officials say they feared Bolton and his aides would oppose the deal and leak details to the media. “His team has a reputation for losing and leaking,” says a top White House official.

Bolton later got into the meeting and did disagree with Trump. Bolton has also clashed with US envoy Zalmay Khalilzad, who’s leading the talks and apparently refused to let Bolton have a copy of the draft agreement with the Taliban. One official said Bolton was enraged. “I can’t think of another example where a national security adviser was sidelined like this,” says an international security expert. But Bolton has already disagreed with Trump on Iran and North Korea—playing the hawk to Trump’s quasi-dove—and maybe that helps. “I think Bolton loves it, and I think the president does too,” the head of a think tank told the New York Times in May. “It opens up some diplomatic space for him to go back and forth between a very hard-line position and holding talks.”

It is about time!

His departure cannot come soon enough to my way of thinking……now we need to work on that slug Pompeo who is in the same vane as Bolton….time for him to look to the exit door.

“Et Certa Apud Verbis”

Mr. Bannon Departs?

There seems to be a rash of departures from the White House….and the Oval Office loses another player….

Steve Bannon is out as White House chief strategist, or will be soon. President Trump told his senior aides he has decided to remove Bannon, two administration officials tell the New York Times. Officials warn that Trump could change his mind; they say Bannon’s future was still being discussed by Trump and Bannon as of Friday morning and that Trump is still discussing with other officials when and how to proceed. Another source says the resignation was actually Bannon’s idea, and that it was supposed to be announced at the beginning of the week but the Charlottesville violence delayed it. The Drudge Report also reported Friday that Bannon would be “moving on” after an “impressive run” as senior adviser to the president, and that he may return to Breitbart News. Vanity Fair reporter Gabriel Sherman says the latter is true.

Following the reports from Drudge and the Times, other outlets including Fox News cited their own sources in reporting that Bannon will be leaving the White House. And ABC News echoes the Times source who said Bannon submitted his own resignation; per ABC, the resignation date was supposed to be Aug. 14, exactly one year after Bannon joined Trump’s campaign. His reported ouster comes after increasing clashes with other Trump advisers, including Trump family members. Known as a right-wing nationalist, calls for Bannon to be removed increased after the white nationalist rally in Charlottesville that ended in violence. Earlier this week, Trump insisted that Bannon is “not a racist,” but said “we’ll see what happens” with regard to his future at the White House. Also this week, Bannon gave an unsolicited interview in which he called the far-right “clowns.”

We should have seen this coming…..in his last interview Pres. Trump referred to him as Mr. Bannon….not a title of someone in his good graces.

Did he leave on good terms?  If not, then Breitbart may not be a Trump cheer leader anymore.  Trump needs Breitbart and the like to keep his base in line.

This situation will be worth watching…it could be the best drama of the year…..so far.

Flynn: From Russia With Love

I know that most of my Right wing readers are sick of the Flynn thing…..but as usual they cannot see past partisan bullshit…..if it were a Dem they would be having a stroke to get a hearing and an investigation…..but as usual the Repubs in Congress are showing their true colors……YELLOW.

I too could be sick of this situation if not the way it is playing out…..so far everyone in the WH is lying…..sorry too strong a word for politics….everyone is being forgetful.

To save time and space…I have written about the Flynn affair for some time now and the background is in these posts…

Source: In Like Flynn – In Saner Thought

Source: Trump-Russia Connention…. – In Saner Thought

Source: A Flynn Of A Different Color – In Saner Thought

So far the president, VP, AG and Press Sec are all telling the same tale……

Attorney General Jeff Sessions said “you don’t catch everything” in reference to the Trump transition team’s vetting of former National Security Adviser Michael Flynn,

Flynn, who was fired early in his tenure by President Donald Trump, is under scrutiny for his dealings with Russia, including whether the former Army lieutenant general violated the law by accepting payments from foreign governments.

“We need to do a good job of vetting, but that’s a complex issue and I’m not sure anyone could be expected to find that,” Sessions told ABC News’ Amy Robach live on “Good Morning America” today.

(Yahoo News)

They played the typical Trump admin excuse ……”Obama Did It”

They are saying that the last clearance the Flynn got was under the Obama admin…..but there is more to this tale than they want to admit……

“NBC News has learned from sources close to the Trump-Russia investigation that both the Trump transition and the White House did do a background check on Flynn,” Maddow said on her program, citing reporting from NBC’s Andrea Mitchell.

“This is in addition to his already approved security clearance. They did a background check on Flynn specifically for him to become national security adviser.”

Source: Trump team did background check on Flynn, knew of Turkey ties: report | TheHill

Apparently the transition team including the VP were told about the concern of Flynn and his involvement with Russia and Turkey…..and yet he was chosen to be the NatSec adviser…..that’s troubling.

So far we have nothing but lies on top of lies over this situation….it is time for the cowardly GOP to get off their ass and do what must be done…..hearings, investigations and a special prosecutor…..

Do this and they can settle this issue one way or the other……but I expect the spineless cowards to do what they are doing now……NOTHING!

A Flynn Of A Different Color

First let me say….I Love This Stuff!

It appears that the Flynn controversy is far from over…..the discredited Trump adviser is once again in the news….

Documents released by lawmakers show President Trump’s former national security adviser, Michael Flynn, was warned when he retired from the military in 2014 not to take foreign money without “advance approval” by Pentagon authorities, the AP reports. Also, the Defense Department inspector general’s office confirms in a separate document that it is investigating whether Flynn failed to obtain prior approval. The chairman and senior Democrat on the House Oversight Committee say they want the Army to rule on whether Flynn informed and asked permission for the payments from Russian and Turkish entities. Flynn earned tens of thousands of dollars from Russia’s state-sponsored RT television network and from a Turkish businessman linked to Turkey’s government. (Flynn may face criminal prosecution.)

I am sure that some of those mentally challenged people that still support Trump will have lots to say about this….all I can add is the US Constitution…..the Emoluments Clause of the Constitution, noting it “prohibits receipt of consulting fees, gifts, travel expenses, honoraria, or salary by all retired military personnel, officer and enlisted, regular and reserve, from a foreign government unless congressional consent is first obtained.”

And now the Trump team is pushing an old reliable excuse….it is Obama’s fault!

Spicer made the remark during a press briefing on Thursday, when asked about suggestions the White House may have failed to properly vet Flynn.

“His clearance was last reissued by the Obama administration in 2016 with full knowledge of his activities in 2015,” Spicer said. “All of that clearance was made by the Obama administration.”

In other words……Flynn was NOT vetted…a National Security Adviser with no vetting….now there is a good idea.

Back in the day, during the Clinton Benghazi and email hearings, I watched the head of the House Oversight Committee, Jason Chaffetz, play his part well got on his high horse and did everything to chastise Clinton short of banging his shoe on the podium….from his chair had several long diatribes on conduct and such (it was all so much beautiful political theater)…he was outraged, to say the least.

And now that there is a GOP president and his adviser having a tough time…was he the same “tough” representative?

You tell me.

Rep. Jason Chaffetz (R-UT), chairman of the Oversight Committee, said the payments were “inappropriate” and that there are “repercussions for the violation of law.”

I have called Repubs many things…toads, worthless etc but the one word that describes them the best is COWARD!

And Rep. Chaffetz has proven my point.

After being a firebrand with Clinton to avoid all the crap that will come about because of the Flynn affair….Chaffetz is decided it is time to run home and hide…..

Jason Chaffetz now says that he’s immediately taking leave from Congress due to a problem with his foot. Considering the controversial roller coaster of events surrounding Chaffetz over the past two weeks, this is not particularly plausible. Sure, he’s having the foot surgery. But it’s for a twelve year old injury (CNN), and he’s using it as a timely excuse to bail. It may be that he’s stuck between a rock and a hard place, the rock being Russia and the hard place being the FBI.

Like I said….COWARDS!

Who Da Boss?

Happy Valentine’s Day everyone!

There has been a debate among some of us here in the Blogosphere about the Trump presidency…..some think that our prez is nothing more than a puppet of some of his advisers and cabinet…like Bannon and/or Pence are the ones most pointed to as the problem.

Recent problems within his, Trump’s, closest advises have been brewing for a few days now, in the media that is, over a phone call that National Security adviser, Gen. Flynn, had with the Russian ambassador over US sanctions.

Like a black head all that back and forth came to a head last night….Flynn resigns!

Michael Flynn has stepped down as national security adviser less than a month into the Trump administration. Flynn abruptly resigned Monday night after coming under increasing pressure over his conversations with Russia’s ambassador to the US while Trump was president-elect, CNN reports. “I inadvertently briefed the Vice President-elect and others with incomplete information regarding my phone calls with the Russian ambassador. I have sincerely apologized to the President and the Vice President, and they have accepted my apology,” Flynn said in his resignation letter, adding that he has performed his duties “with the utmost of integrity and honesty” in his White House role and during his 33 years in the military.

Sources tell the New York Times that Pence told others in the White House that he believed Flynn had been lying when he said he hadn’t discussed sanctions with the Russian ambassador in a conversation that would have broken the law as well as protocol. The Washington Post reports that President Trump accepted Flynn’s resignation and appointed retired Army Lt. Gen. Keith Kellogg as acting national security adviser. An insider tells the Post that Flynn’s resignation after 24 days in the job was his own decision, and that Trump had been planning to wait at least a few days before deciding whether to fire him. “I think Flynn just figured, if it’s imminent to the boss, then let’s make it immediate,” the source says.

Flynn was one of Trump’s first supporters so I feel that the resignation was the plan from Pence and others…..

First “loyal soldier” falls on his sword!

I have the feeling that Flynn will NOT be the last.

Is this a newer version of the Valentine’s Day massacre?

Trump Needs Good Advice

We now have a new president-elect and he is in the process of putting together a government for the nation……and its people……

So far I am not sure about some of his choices, although it is by NO means complete, but since he has no direct experience in governing then he needs good advisers with good advice….not yes men….he needs advice that will be the best for the nation and its people…..

The American Conservative has a good article on this situation….I may not agree with them on everything but they do have some excellent writers and analysts………this article makes some very good points…..

I would very much like to see the White House revert to a George Marshall type of foreign policy, in which the United States would use its vast power wisely rather than punitively. As Donald Trump knows little of what makes the world go round, senior officials and cabinet secretaries will play a key role in framing and executing policy. One would like to see people like Jim Webb, Chas Freeman, Andrew Bacevich, or even TAC’s own Daniel Larison in key government positions, as one might thereby rely on their cool judgment and natural restraint to guide the ship of state. But that is unfortunately unlikely to happen.

Source: Trump Needs Good Advice | The American Conservative

Everyone needs to remember that Trump is the president for all Americans not just the ones that will kiss his ring.