Tag: Scandals

The Consequences of Stupidity

Geez!  Every week is some new form of stupidity coming out of the White House….the latest is that of Don Jr and his email mash up….

The dribs and drabs about Donald Trump Jr.’s meeting with a Russian lawyer just ramped up significantly. The president’s son tweeted out his full email exchange with an ally in Russia who set up last year’s meeting, reports the Hill. Part one is here, and the final page is here. Trump tweeted them after the New York Times informed him it was about to publish his back-and-forth with British-born publicist Rob Goldstone. In his initial email, Goldstone said he wanted to arrange the meeting to pass along documents that “would incriminate Hillary and her dealings with Russia and would be very useful to your father.” He added, “This is obviously very high level and sensitive information but is part of Russia and its government’s support for Mr. Trump.” Trump Jr. quickly responded, “If it’s what you say I love it especially later in the summer.” (In a statement Tuesday, Trump Jr. insisted again that nothing came of the meeting in terms of Clinton information.)

Eventually, the pair arranged for Russian attorney Natalia Veselnitskaya to meet with Trump Jr. in New York. She has said she had no damaging information about Clinton, nor ties to the Kremlin, though Goldstone refers to her as a “Russian government attorney” in an email. Goldstone told Trump Jr. that he was writing on behalf of his client, Russian pop star Emin Agalarov, whose billionaire father has ties to both Putin and the Trump business empire. “Emin just called and asked me to contact you with something very interesting,” he wrote. “The Crown prosecutor of Russia met with his father Aras this morning and in their meeting offered to provide the Trump campaign with some official documents and information that would incriminate Hillary.” Because Russia has no crown prosecutor, the Times thinks Goldstone was referring to the prosecutor general of Russia, a close Putin ally.

Even The American Conservative thinks the Don Jr is not the brightest bulb in the pack…….the piece starts with a historical perspective of sorts…..

In May 1895, Ohio’s Republican Governor William McKinley, a presidential aspirant for the forthcoming presidential campaign year, dispatched his trusted lieutenant, Mark Hanna, to New York to solicit support from the big Northeastern GOP bosses. These men—New York’s Thomas Platt, Pennsylvania’s Matthew Quay, and a number of lesser lights—controlled enough patronage power to hold major sway over party decisions. McKinley figured that, if he could get their support, he might lock up the Republican nomination before the campaign even began.

During a post-dinner cigar session at his elegant Cleveland mansion, Hanna reported back to McKinley on the results of his mission. Another participant recalled that the excited Hanna seemed “as keen as a razor blade.’’

Source: The Consequences of Donald Trump Jr.’s Stupidity | The American Conservative

I have said all along that the Trump camp needs to pick a story and stick with it….so far they have not done that and it shows……let the lawyers do the talking…everybody else needs to shut the Hell up……they are NOT doing themselves any good what so ever…..

Somewhere deep in the bowels of DC the VP is practicing his acceptance speech…….

I will say one thing for the Trump admin….they are creating jobs but sadly most are for lawyers only.

Impeachment: How-To Manual

This is FYI…..so please all you ass backward thinking supporters just watch the vid and keep your insulting bullshit to yourselves.

Let’s say the unthinkable was about to happen….I am talking about the “I” word thing…….

To keep it simple, especially for Trump supporters, I have posted a couple of vids explaining the situation…..and how it will work.

That one is about 7 minutes long but if that is too much to muddle through….there is a more condensed one……of about 2 minutes that should hold the attention of Trump supporters for I realize their attention span is a bit limited.

Keep in mind that even if Trump is impeached he may not necessarily leave the office.

So don’t get your panties in a wad you Right wingers….you may be striking out for NO reason.

Have fun…learn something……

This should be the last post on this subject for awhile……any more and it will be speculation….I will leave that to the knuckle draggers.

Mueller: Man Of The Hour

A Special Counsel has been named…Robert Mueller, the former head of the FBI has been tasked with the duties surrounding the Russia thingy…..and he quickly became the talk of the town….DC that is…….

(Don’t worry this will not be the story it was a couple of days ago….but it will make a comeback….in due time)

And as usual the Right wing dolts are doing their hatchet job in protection of their petty dictator….

There are pros and cons about this person….since few will give you both at the same time then let me be the first…..

Robert Mueller is getting bipartisan praise, but President Trump thinks the appointment of a special prosecutor over the Russia-Trump campaign probe is a “witch hunt.” What does the media say? Dueling editorials from the Wall Street Journal and the New York Times offer opposite takes:

  • The WSJ argues that special prosecutors are almost always a bust, largely because they’re basically accountable to no one. This appointment “opens up years of political risk to the Trump Administration with no guarantee that the public will end up with any better understanding of what really happened,” the paper’s editorial says. What is really needed is a counterintelligence investigation, but “Mueller will be under pressure to bring criminal indictments of some kind to justify his existence.” Full editorial here.
  • The NYT, though, says this is the only way Americans will have confidence that any alleged ties between Trump’s campaign and Russia are fully investigated. “Even before the stunning events of the past week, Mr. Mueller would have had plenty to work with,” its editorial states. “But after the president’s abrupt firing of Mr. Comey on May 9—followed by his apparent admission that he did so with the Russia investigation in mind, followed by reports that he previously pressed Mr. Comey to pledge his loyalty and asked him to drop a related inquiry into Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn, Mr. Trump’s former national security adviser—it became clear that the investigation needed to be kept alive at all costs, and as far from Mr. Trump as possible.” Full editorial here.

This was a smart move….now the GOP can get back to discussing policies and issues and stop being bombarded with the mundane crap from the media.

But I am sure that the Righties will keep this situation alive as long as they can try and blame Obama and even GW when they can……

But as far as reality goes…..we all have to let this play out….for better or for worse……it MUST play out!

Closing Thought–18May17

Before I begin….FOX News Roger Ailes is dead at 77…….gone but never forgotten….

We have been bombarded with this version or that on the firing of FBI head, Comey……of course his supporters are just telling the world to move on…..and the rest of us are just fascinating at the antics around the whole affair.

There has been as many version of this report as there are hairs on ones butt……so which is accurate?

The problem as I see it is that Trump sent his minions out to head off any negativity about this event…the problem is none of them had the same story…and then their fearless leader went on TV for an interview and basically threw those minions under the bus.

He pretty much crapped on the whole story line making his loyal minions look like douche bags and liars.

Trump’s interview made me think of something Lloyd George of the UK, a past prime minister, had to say in an interview he had given…….”one feature that distinguishes a first rate political leader from a second grade politician is the former is careful to avoid making any definite statement that can be subsequently refuted.”

To paraphrase:  keep your mouth shut until the correct time.

Our man in DC needs to shut the Hell up and stop making the situation worse with each tweet or interview.

Instead of acting like a butt hurt juvenile he should be avoiding this situation and talking about tax reform or infrastructure or anything else but the story line flying around the media.

Instead he opens his mouth and inserts another foot…he does not realize that everything he says is out there and can be pulled up at any time.  Plus what is with all the use of adverbs?

Not to worry the minions of the Trump Land are countering all this news with an Obama piece…..I would go into further but it is just too lame to repeat….another attempt to blame Obama for the massive fuck ups by their chosen king….anything to deflect people from the moronic bone head moves of Trump…..haven’t heard it yet…just wait it will get louder as Trump’s stupidity gets more clear.

Waiting for the Mother Ship………

I am spent!  Enough already!  Peace Out!

A Rolling Stone Gathers A Flynn

By now everyone has heard the problems that are flying around ex-NatSec adviser, Flynn…..none of it is good and all is virtually indefensible…..it appears that he was a really bad boy…..with each passing day there is more of his “betrayal” of the country and its people.

More and more it looks like the Trump team knew all about is involvement with foreign countries and did not care……

The newest batch of facts comes out……

Yet another twist in the Michael Flynn drama: President Trump’s transition team knew weeks before the inauguration that Flynn was under federal investigation for links to a foreign power, but that was no obstacle to his hiring as national security adviser, sources tell the New York Times. The insiders say Flynn told the transition team’s chief lawyer on Jan. 4 that he had been secretly working as a lobbyist for Turkey while advising Trump on national security issues during his campaign. He was hired in August by a Turkish businessman. Trump campaign officials—and the Justice Department—became suspicious after Flynn wrote an Election Day op-ed in the Hill criticizing a foe of the Turkish government.

The Justice Department investigation of Flynn’s Turkey links is separate from the FBI investigation of his ties to Russia, which President Trump allegedly asked former FBI chief James Comey to drop, Slate notes. Flynn was paid more than $500,000 for his work representing Turkish interests and McClatchy reports that just 10 days into the Trump administration, Flynn rejected a plan that would have involved Kurdish forces helping retake Raqqa, the de facto ISIS capital in Syria. The move, which was what Turkey wanted, halted an operation that had been months in the making. Trump revived the Raqqa plan weeks after Flynn was fired. (Flynn was warned about foreign payments years ago.)

It is apparent that the Trump vetting process sucks!

While this revelation was making the rounds another shoe dropped concerning Flynn…..

Former national security adviser Michael Flynn pushed to delay a plan to retake ISIS stronghold Raqqa that Turkey opposed, according to a new report.

McClatchy reports that former President Obama and his national security adviser Susan Rice informed then president-elect Trump of a Pentagon plan to retake the city of Raqqa, an ISIS stronghold, with the help of Syrian Kurdish forces. Obama’s team informed Trump because while the plan would be approved under Obama, it would likely be executed after Trump took office.

Flynn told Rice to delay approving the mission. His explanation for the delay was not recorded, according to McClatchy, but the decision to delay approval lined up with Turkey’s interests in the region. Turkey has been a staunch opponent of the United States partnering with Kurdish forces in the region.

The recommendation to delay the mission approval took place during the Trump team’s transition period, ahead of Trump’s inauguration.

(thehill.com)

If this is true then this alone should be grounds to BBQ this douche!

Is this why it is taking so long to route ISIS from Raqaa?

Time to drag this person over the coals and find out who knew what and who did what!

Stop “pussy footin'” around and go for broke!

But first…..More on the Russian Front……it seems that the Trump campaign had at least 18 undisclosed contacts with the Russians…..

Michael Flynn and other advisers to Donald Trump’s campaign were in contact with Russian officials and others with Kremlin ties in at least 18 calls and emails during the last seven months of the 2016 presidential race, current and former U.S. officials familiar with the exchanges told Reuters.

The previously undisclosed interactions form part of the record now being reviewed by FBI and congressional investigators probing Russian interference in the U.S. presidential election and contacts between Trump’s campaign and Russia.

Source: Exclusive: Trump campaign had at least 18 undisclosed contacts with Russians: sources | Reuters

Sorry dudes but with each passing day the news gets worse……how long before heads start rolling down Pennsylvania?

How long before his ass scratching supporters wake up  and smell the manure they are standing in?

Beginning Of The End?

Every drama has a point when the shit hits the fan…..and all one can do is just sit and watch for things are escalating almost out of control…..

This whole firing of the FBI head was the spark that lit the fuse….and now the fuse is covered in gasoline…..and the match is waiting to ignite the whole mess……

President Trump asked James Comey to stop the federal investigation into Michael Flynn, according to a memo written after a February meeting with the president by the former FBI director. “I hope you can let this go,” the New York Times quotes the memo as saying. Comey, in the memo, says Trump hoped Comey would agree to “letting Flynn go.” Flynn was—and remains—under federal investigation for his financial ties to Russia and Turkey. He resigned as Trump’s national security adviser a day before the conversation between Trump and Comey detailed in the memo. The memo provides more evidence that Trump has tried to influence the investigation into his campaign’s ties to Russia. Last week, the president said he fired Comey over “this Russia thing.”

Comey is said to have created a paper trail documenting what he believes was inappropriate behavior by Trump, detailing all phone calls and meetings with the president in memos. Such notes by FBI agents are often considered credible evidence in court. The White House issued a statement denying the contents of the memo: “The president has never asked Mr. Comey or anyone else to end any investigation, including any investigation involving General Flynn.” According to Comey’s memo, Trump also told Comey he should possibly start jailing reporters for publishing classified information. Read the full Times piece here.

And now the acceleration will begin…….

White House aides and senior staffers admit that former FBI Director James Comey’s revelations on Tuesday are probably going to be the hull breach that sinks Donald Trump’s presidency.

“I don’t see how Trump isn’t completely f*cked,” said one senior official to The Daily Beast on Tuesday, referring to Comey’s announcement that he has kept notes of his conversations with Pres. Trump regarding requests Trump made asking Comey to back off on the investigation of retired Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn.

Source: ‘Completely f*cked’: Trump’s White House staff admits the Comey memo is the beginning of the end

Even the GOP in Congress can see the handwriting on the wall……there have been the usual Dem calls for an impeachment process…..but now the GOP is getting in the line……and the voices will grow as more and more loose ends are revealed.

Rep. Justin Amash (R-Mich.) on Wednesday said reports that President Trump pressed ousted FBI Director James Comey to end an investigation would merit impeachment if true, becoming the first Republican lawmaker to broach the idea.

Asked by another reporter whether he trusted Comey’s word or Trump’s, Amash said: “I think it’s pretty clear I have more confidence in Director Comey.”

Amash is one of only two House Republicans to cosponsor a Democratic bill to establish an independent commission to investigate Russia’s role in the election. Rep. Walter Jones (R-N.C.) has also endorsed the legislation.

(thehill.com)

So the question is….is this the beginning of the end?

What say you?

“All The President’s Men”

With the drama playing out in DC these days maybe some channel should show the Watergate Drama on a continuous loop…just as a reminder to those “Ignorati” that cannot remember the history of this country. (thanx to beetleypete for the idea)…..bye the bye…this situation will make an excellent movie in the future……and look for a novel with this scenario come out soon also.

But that aside there is lots happening in Foggy Bottom…especially around the presidents men……

This is for those readers that do not want to spend hours on Google or Twitter…..

Flynn

The Senate Intelligence Committee issued a subpoena Wednesday to force former national security adviser Michael Flynn to turn over documents related to the panel’s probe into alleged Russian meddling in the 2016 elections, including possible ties between the Kremlin and the presidential campaigns. – Washington Post

White House lawyers have had to warn President Donald Trump repeatedly against reaching out to his fired National Security Adviser Michael Flynn, two people familiar with the matter tell The Daily Beast. – The Daily Beast

Targeted in widening investigations of his foreign entanglements, President Donald Trump’s former national security adviser, Michael Flynn, is at odds with his former Turkish client over two unusual payments totaling $80,000 that Flynn’s firm sent back last year to the client. The disagreement points to inconsistencies in Flynn’s accounts to the U.S. government about his work for interests outside the United States. – Associated Press

Trump-Russia Connections

Acting FBI director Andrew McCabe and other top U.S. intelligence officials are scheduled to testify before a congressional committee in a public hearing Thursday that has taken on new significance since President Trump suddenly removed James B. Comey as the leader of the FBI.   – Washington Post

The Senate Intelligence committee’s leading Democrat, Sen. Mark Warner, said Wednesday that he has asked former FBI Director James B. Comey, who was fired by the White House Tuesday, to testify before the committee next week. – Washington Times

Senate Democrats laid out new demands on Wednesday in the aftershock of FBI Director James Comey’s firing that they said would ensure the current federal probe into potential collusion between the Trump campaign and Russian officials is not impeded. – Politico

I am sure there are others out there but these are the largest circulation…..we will see how far the cowards in Congress are willing to go…..my guess is they will procrastinate for as long as they can before they actual do something…..they will continue to pout party ahead of country.

Comey If You Will

All the news you will NEVER use!

Comey is gone but will he be forgotten?

Some are saying that this situation is a perilous moment in our democratic nation…..and others think Comey got what he deserved…..

Is President Trump’s firing of FBI Director James Comey a dangerous moment for American democracy, a justified and long-overdue move, or something in the middle? Like much about the Trump administration, it depends on whom you listen to. Opinions are sharply divided on the surprise firing and the reasons for it, though both sides tend to agree that Comey handled the Hillary Clinton email investigation very poorly. A roundup of opinions:

  • This is a “perilous moment” for the US, according to the New York Times editorial board, which says that while Comey certainly bungled the Clinton investigation, it’s clear that Trump fired him for other reasons. “The president of the United States, who is no more above the law than any other citizen, has now decisively crippled the FBI’s ability to carry out an investigation of him and his associates,” the board warns.
  • Comey had to go because he “made law enforcement decisions that probably influenced the outcome of the presidential election, a terrible precedent for our democracy,” writes John Yoo at Fox News, praising Trump for making a “tough call” and urging Democrats to support the move.
  • “What Trump is doing here is not simply unpredictable. It is potentially very dangerous,” writes Chris Cillizza at CNN. “Removing the person charged with overseeing an investigation into a foreign country attempting to influence US elections by hurting one candidate (Clinton) and helping another (Trump) sends a chilling message up and down the federal bureaucracy—not to mention the populace.”
  • The Wall Street Journal editorial board says Comey deserved to be fired and the agency deserves a fresh start. “A new FBI director who looks at the Russia evidence with fresh eyes and without the political baggage of the last year will have a better chance of being credible to the American people,” they write.
  • At the New Republic, Brian Beutler calls this a “moment of truth” for US democracy. If this is not a “calamitously ham-fisted attempt to obstruct the Russia-Trump investigation,” he writes, there needs to be a special prosecutor appointed to handle the Russia probe and Trump needs to nominate a nonpartisan replacement for Comey.
  • Ruth Marcus at the Washington Post is no Comey fan—she says she would probably have fired him herself, given the chance—but she finds Trump’s timing and rationale very fishy. “Trump’s priority is, first and always, Trump,” she writes. “Which raises the question: Knowing, as he must have, that firing Comey would set off a firestorm, why did he calculate that this move was in his self-interest?”

Personally I think he should have been fired….but back in November 2016 not now….it is a bit suspect to fire him via email (a cowards way of doing it)….but now that he is gone who will trump pick to take his place….will he do the right thing or will he pick someone who spends some on their knees worshiping him?

Who will it be?

James Comey is out as director of the FBI—but who’s in? Comey’s deputy, Andrew McCabe, has become acting director and is a potential candidate to fill the post permanently, reports CNN. But he’s not the only one. John Pistole, the FBI’s deputy director under former President George W. Bush and TSA administrator under former President Obama, is a possibility, as is Ray Kelly, who served as NYPD commissioner for 13 years before joining Bill Clinton’s administration, CNN reports. Fox News names Trey Gowdy, the former chairman of the Select Committee on Benghazi, as another possibility. Rudy Giuliani or Chris Christie could also get the promotion, though the choice of either would be heavily criticized.

Republicans and Democrats have suggested Comey’s replacement be a credible individual with a background in law enforcement. Democrats add the person should have no political or professional link to Trump; both Giuliani and Christie backed Trump during his campaign and have remained close to him. We won’t be long in suspense: A White House official tells the New York Times that Trump plans to fill the post by the end of the week. He offered no clue to his feelings in a tweet Wednesday, but said Comey’s replacement “will do a far better job, bringing back the spirit and prestige of the FBI,” per the Hill. The appointment needs just 51 votes to pass the Senate. (Many are calling Comey’s firing “Nixonian.”)

Rudy?  Seriously?  Just what we need to dole out justice a political ideologue….

That aside….what are the chances of a “special prosecutor”?

Amid the uproar following James Comey’s surprise firing, many have called for a special prosecutor to take up the probe into Russian interference with the 2016 US presidential election—but those people are going to be disappointed. A new investigation would “only serve to impede the current work being done,” said Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell on the Senate floor Wednesday, per Politico. As FBI director, Comey was heading up the bureau’s investigation into the matter (as well as whether President Trump’s campaign team was involved), but the Senate Intelligence Committee is also running its own investigation, and McConnell said “too much is at stake” in that investigation to appoint special counsel, Time reports.

Did anyone really believe that the cowards in the GOP would put country before party?

NO such luck!

These toads will play politics as the country burns…..at least Nero gave the public some music…..

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!

Trump-Russia Connention….

There is lots of news these days about Pres. Trump and Russia….some times it is a bit overwhelming…..so I sat down and tried to give an overview for those readers that would like to learn more……why?  Because after this I will avoid this subject until there is some real news to report.

Former national security adviser Michael Flynn has offered to cooperate with congressional investigators in exchange for immunity from prosecution, a suggestion that has been met with initial skepticism, according to people familiar with the matter. – Washington Post

At least three senior White House officials, including the top lawyer for the National Security Council, were involved in the handling of intelligence files that were shared with the chairman of the House Intelligence Committee and showed that Trump campaign officials were swept up in U.S. surveillance of foreign nationals, according to U.S. officials. – Washington Post

The House intelligence committee will soon receive top-secret documents that investigators expect to reveal whether private communications of the president-elect and his transition team were improperly gathered. – Washington Free Beacon

The top Democrat on the Senate Intelligence Committee said Thursday that he will not jump to conclusions in the panel’s investigation into Russian election meddling, but said “so far there is a great, great deal of smoke.” – Roll Call

Interview: Author and journalist Masha Gessen has emerged as a perceptive, prolific—and not at all predictable—analyst of the two presidents as American politics has been consumed by the investigations surrounding the Russian hacking of the U.S. election and whether Trump and his team might have colluded with it. – Politico

Mikheil Saakashvili writes: Of course, legitimate questions need to be answered about whether anyone in his camp colluded with Moscow, but based on my personal experience, I believe the conspiracy theories that are swirling around Trump are just that: theories. What is unquestionable fact is that his predecessor’s weakness and misreading of Putin has led to dire consequences in this part of the world. When will you Americans investigate that? – Politico

David Ignatius writes: President Trump has been trying since early March to deflect the FBI and congressional investigations of Russian covert action by arguing that he had been a victim of improper U.S. surveillance. His argument got little traction until last week, when Rep. Devin Nunes (R-Calif.) made the case for him. – Washington Post

Suzanne Spaulding writes: The committee already had a full-time job on its hands with regular intelligence oversight, which must continue. The Senate should provide more resources to appropriately staff this investigation — because it is the best hope for a prompt, impartial examination of a controversy hanging over the country. – Washington Post

Enough is enough!