Trump 13: More Scandal, More Fun. Yay! :/

[Destiny]

Continued from here:

Remember, THIS IS NOT NORMAL!

[fraurosena]

In the last thread, @Cartmann99 said:

Quote

 

Trump's stupid wall will have to go through Big Bend National Park, and the thought of that makes me stabby.

 

It looks like you don't have to worry, though:

The Tangerine Toddler's administration has found only $20m of $21bn needed for Mexican border wall.

Quote

Current funds would cover just 0.1% of project's cost - or buy just 2,5 miles of blockade.

The rapid start of construction, promised throughout Trump's campaign and in an executive order issued in January on border security, was to be financed, according to the White House, with “existing funds and resources” of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS).

But so far, the DHS has identified only $20 million that can be re-directed to the multi-billion-dollar project, according to a document prepared by the agency and distributed to congressional budget staff last week. (...)

An internal report, previously reported by Reuters, estimated that fully walling off or fencing the entire southern border would cost $21.6 billion - $9.3 million per mile of fence and $17.8 million per mile of wall.

 

[PsyD2013]

According to the Business Insider, Voldorange is considering direct military action against North Korea.  Nothing like starting a war to deflect from a scandal or a wall 

[formergothardite]

So how long can the Republicans keep pretending there is nothing with Russia? It seems like each day this gets harder and harder. At this point it seems like half of them have sold their souls to Russia. 

[Scribber]

So how long can the Republicans keep pretending there is nothing with Russia? It seems like each day this gets harder and harder. At this point it seems like half of them have sold their souls to Russia. 

Sadly? If their adoring public is any indication? A long time.

But I keep hoping...

[fraurosena]

52 minutes ago, PsyD2013 said:

According to the Business Insider, Voldorange is considering direct military action against North Korea.  Nothing like starting a war to deflect from a scandal or a wall 

Shades of Hitler. Really, the comparisons are eerie. 

1. whip up anger against minorities

2. promise to make the country great again

3. promise jobs back

4. silence dissenters/ gag and/or undermine free press and eventually all freedom of speech

5. increase fear-mongering

6. start up big military spending (creating jobs and thereby appeasing and increasing your support base)

7. start a war (because what else will you do with all that military stuff - besides it makes you look strong and bigly)

[Dark Matters]

Seems the Obama administration working hard during their last days.

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/03/01/us/politics/obama-trump-russia-election-hacking.html?_r=0

WASHINGTON — In the Obama administration’s last days, some White House officials scrambled to spread information about Russian efforts to undermine the presidential election — and about possible contacts between associates of President-elect Donald J. Trump and Russians — across the government. Former American officials say they had two aims: to ensure that such meddling isn’t duplicated in future American or European elections, and to leave a clear trail of intelligence for government investigators.

American allies, including the British and the Dutch, had provided information describing meetings in European cities between Russian officials — and others close to Russia’s president, Vladimir V. Putin — and associates of President-elect Trump, according to three former American officials who requested anonymity in discussing classified intelligence.

Separately, American intelligence agencies had intercepted communications of Russian officials, some of them within the Kremlin, discussing contacts with Trump associates.

The disclosures about the contacts came as new questions were raised about Attorney General Jeff Sessions’s ties to the Russians. According to a former senior American official, he met with the Russian ambassador, Sergey I. Kislyak, twice in the past year. The details of the meetings were not clear, but the contact appeared to contradict testimony Mr. Sessions provided Congress during his confirmation hearing in January when he said he “did not have communications with the Russians.”

Mr. Sessions said in a statement late Wednesday that he “never met with any Russian officials to discuss issues of the campaign.”

[laPapessaGiovanna]

Flynn fell cause he lied to Pence. What will happen to Sessions for lying to the Senate?

[GreyhoundFan]

14 minutes ago, laPapessaGiovanna said:

Flynn fell cause he lied to Pence. What will happen to Sessions for lying to the Senate?

Sadly, it seems like nothing will happen to him. I'm just writing a short note about what I want to say to my senators and representative about this, so I don't get tongue-tied on the call.

 

2 hours ago, PsyD2013 said:

According to the Business Insider, Voldorange is considering direct military action against North Korea.  Nothing like starting a war to deflect from a scandal or a wall 

This just smacks of the movie "Wag The Dog", where a war is fabricated to cover a scandal.

"Your cheat sheet to four potential investigations of Russia and President Trump". It's a lengthy article, but interesting. I can't believe Chapass actually Tweeted that Sessions should recuse himself.

 

I so hope this is true: "It’s now political suicide for Republicans if they don’t call for deeper investigations on Russia"

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President Trump's Russia problems just got a whole lot worse.

Attorney General Jeff Sessions spoke with Russian Ambassador Sergey Kisylak twice in 2016, according to The Washington Post, conversations that run directly counter to Sessions's assertions during his confirmation hearing to be the nation's top cop.

In that Judiciary Committee hearing Jan. 1o, Sen. Al Franken (D-Minn.) asked Sessions whether he was aware of any contacts between Trump campaign officials and Russian intelligence officials. “I have been called a surrogate at a time or two in that campaign and I did not have communications with the Russians,” Sessions replied.

It does not take a political genius to understand how big a problem this is for Sessions, Trump and congressional Republicans more broadly. (Sessions's response — I talked to a lot people! -- isn't going to cut it.)

Before this report, most congressional Republicans were resistant to the idea of appointing a special prosecutor to investigate the contacts between Russia and Trump campaign officials and surrogates — insisting that the ongoing FBI investigation and congressional committees looking into the issue were more than enough.

That's going to become an untenable position for Republicans — starting with House Speaker Paul D. Ryan (R-Wis.) and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) -- in light of this new information about Sessions. Not only is there a very serious question about whether Sessions misled — purposely or accidentally — his colleagues while under oath, but this is only the latest incident involving unanswered questions about the ties among Trump, his top advisers and Russia.

...

In short: Where there's smoke and smoke and smoke and smoke and smoke, most reasonable people will assume there is fire — or that there should be an independent investigation to determine whether there is fire. Arguing that “there's nothing to see here” is simply not a tenable position for Republicans at this point.

 

 

[47of74]

43 minutes ago, laPapessaGiovanna said:

Flynn fell cause he lied to Pence. What will happen to Sessions for lying to the Senate?

Well if Bitch McFuckstick has his way, probably nothing.  Of course Bitch probably his soul to the Russians a long time ago because he probably figured it was a good way to strike a blow for the white man.

[fraurosena]

32 minutes ago, GreyhoundFan said:

“there's nothing to see here”

With all that smoke everywhere, of course you can't see anything. Duh!

 

On a serious note though, what do you think the repercussions will be when this whole Russian Connection thing explodes? Because that is going to happen, sooner or later.

Will it only end the current administration, or will the scandal be so deep that it will bring about the end of the whole GOP? Personally, with what we know already, I can't see it going any other way. But that would mean that the whole American political system as it is will explode. In my opinion it would be a good thing (because of the undemocratic and corrupt way things have evolved now and a new, and better system can be built), but what will happen in the political vacuum that will certainly be one of the consequences of the explosion?

Or don't you think it will come to that?

[formergothardite]

I think(hope!) that it will eventually bring down a whole lot of high ranking republicans. There is a reason they are trying so hard to cover it up. But there are also republicans like John McCain and Lindsey Graham who are setting themselves apart and probably hoping to come out of this the leaders of the new republican party. 

[47of74]

14 minutes ago, formergothardite said:

I think(hope!) that it will eventually bring down a whole lot of high ranking republicans. There is a reason they are trying so hard to cover it up. But there are also republicans like John McCain and Lindsey Graham who are setting themselves apart and probably hoping to come out of this the leaders of the new republican party. 

Of course the GOP is like a 10,000 headed snake.  One head comes off but there are still the other 9,999 heads.  After the 2008 election I dared to hope for a bit that the GOP was pretty much dead in the water and would be on its way to minor party status before too long. 

[GreyhoundFan]

"Has Trump become the ‘don’t blame me’ president?'

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He blamed “the generals” for a raid that led to the death of a Navy SEAL in Yemen. He accused former president Barack Obama of fomenting protests against him and leaks within his administration. He blamed the judiciary for future terrorist attacks against the United States, and the media for the firing of his first national security adviser. He even blamed the weather for his smaller-than-desired inauguration crowd.

The one person President Trump never seems to blame is himself.

For a businessman who views the world through a binary win-or-lose lens, Trump has become the “don’t blame me” president — struggling to adjust to the reality of a job often revealed in shades of gray. The man in the nation’s highest elective office, who is eager to claim credit for positive developments, has yet to show signs of accepting responsibility or blame when things go wrong.

“When you run on a campaign of win, win, win, you never can admit a setback,” said Douglas Brinkley, a presidential historian who has met with Trump several times. “If that’s the case, that’s a pathological situation.”

Nearly six weeks into his presidency, Trump has regularly faulted his political opponents for many of the obstacles — some of them of his own making — that he has encountered so far. The buck rarely stops with him. 

...

Trump also blamed Obama this week for widespread protests against his policies, and has alleged that Obama administration officials are behind damaging leaks from within federal agencies. 

“In the early days, you might be able to get away with blaming your predecessor for some of the problems that you’ve inherited, but that wears off after a while,” said Rep. Charlie Dent (R-Pa.). “I don’t know how long that is, but that dog will only hunt for so long.”

“Over time, you have to stand up, and it’s a function of leadership that sometimes you just have to take it on the chin,” Dent added.

One of the most striking example came Tuesday, when Trump — the commander in chief who authorized the mission — defended the raid in Yemen that claimed the life of Chief Petty Officer William “Ryan” Owens while minimizing his own role in the decision-making process.

“Well, this was a mission that was started before I got here,” Trump said on Fox News. “This was something that was, you know, just — they wanted to do.”

My generals are the most respected that we’ve had in many decades,” he added. “And they lost Ryan.”

The White House disputed the suggestion that in the interview, Trump did not take responsibility for the raid.

“He is clearly talking about the military and the fact that they lost one of their own,” Walters said.

The comments were a stark break in a long tradition of presidents, as commanders in chief, taking responsibility for military actions authorized under their command and ultimately bearing the burden of life lost. President Ronald Reagan, for instance, wrote that the responsibility of speaking to the families of those who died in the line of duty was a “weight on my shoulders” that “felt like a ton of iron.”

...

He has, however, been insistent on receiving credit for things that are going well, even if he had nothing to do with them. 

After years of slamming Obama for claiming credit for job growth, Trump immediately took credit for the first positive jobs report of his tenure — which actually covered a period mostly under Obama. 

He has also taken credit for businesses’ announced intentions to expand within the United States — most of which were decided long before he became president — and for job creation. And over the weekend, Trump tweeted his displeasure that the news media did not give him credit for a minuscule drop in the federal debt, a statistic that fluctuates daily.

“Due to his Twitter habit and impetuousness, he constantly has to seek credit for anything that happens,” Brinkley said. “Whether the stock market rises one day or a company opens a factory, it’s always ‘me, me, me.’ ”

Trump’s penchant for wrapping himself in positive news and dodging accountability for negative headlines under his watch has already frustrated Democrats.

Many were quick to note that Obama did in fact “inherit” a true mess — a crumbling economy and a globe tumbling into a deep recession — when he took office in 2009.

“The irony is he’s ‘Mr. Don’t Blame Me,’ but he’s also ‘Mr. I Want Credit,’” said Jesse Ferguson, a Democratic operative and former spokesman for Hillary Clinton’s presidential campaign.

“It is consistent with his belief that he shouldn’t be held responsible for things he said or the things he did in his life before politics, and he now doesn’t think he should be blamed for the things he does in public life,” Ferguson added.

Typical toddler behavior -- "not my fault" -- combined with narcissist -- "I am the greatest".

 

A couple of amusing statements:

 

[Mecca]

This Russia thing could all be put to rest if the Trump Administration and other GOP leaders would be transparent. But they won't and they can't because if they do this situation will be, in the words of the Great Pumpkin, "YUGE!"

There is a massive coverup happening before our very eyes, and I would encourage everyone to pester the living crap out of your Rep. and Senators to do something about this with opening an independent investigation with a special prosecutor. They can't keep pissing on our heads and expecting us to believe it is raining. They need to understand that and understand it clearly. 

ETA: The reason Trump and his minions are trying to slam and discredit the press is because at this point the press is the only ones that can and are willing to investigate the Russia coverup. The Trump administration want to mislead the public with catchy phases such as "fake news." Unfortunately, the Dems are very limited in what they can do because the Republicans keep blocking, so we need the press to keep on the Trump administration and drag all their lies into public for all to see. 

[fraurosena]

14 minutes ago, Mecca said:

They can't keep pissing on our heads and expecting us to believe it is raining

Yeah damn those stinkt golden showers! 

[RoseWilder]

Last night I said to my Mom, "I think in the next 48 hours we'll know exactly which Congress members are in this Russian scandal up to their eyeballs by the way they respond to the Jeff Sessions scandal." 

I think we can safely assume the following Congress members are in on the Russian scandal:

1. Devin Numes from the House of Representatives. 

http://www.rawstory.com/2017/03/be-careful-gop-intel-chair-threatens-to-investigate-reporters-for-persisting-on-sessions/?comments=disqus

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Rep. Devin Nunes (R-CA), chairman of the United States House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, warned reporters on Thursday that they could find themselves under investigation if they continued to ask questions about Attorney General Jeff Sessions’ ties to Russia.

Yeah, that's right. He's actually threatening the reporters who are asking questions about the Jeff Sessions scandal. 

2. Paul Ryan. 

http://www.rawstory.com/2017/03/paul-ryan-bats-down-jeff-session-questions-i-see-no-reason-for-him-to-recuse-himself/

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In a press conference Thursday, House Speaker Paul Ryan tried to allay concerns that Attorney General Jeff Sessions could oversee an impartial probe of the relationship between the Russian government and Trump campaign.

Ryan referred back to Sessions’ own position on the issue, noting, “If he himself is a subject of an investigation, of course he would (recuse himself)… But if he’s not I don’t see any purpose or reason for doing this,” Ryan said. Ryan said Democrats are “lighting their hair on fire” to keep the Russia story in the news.

Yeah, that's right. Paul Ryan thinks that Jeff Sessions should be allowed to continue investigating Trump's Russia ties when he's part of the scandal. 

3. Ted Cruz.

http://www.rawstory.com/2017/03/ted-cruz-shrugs-off-sessions-ties-to-russia-as-nothing-burger-questions-are-just-political-theater/

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Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) defended Attorney General Jeff Sessions from questions swirling about his apparent efforts to conceal his contacts with Russia.

“What we are seeing is a lot of political theater,” Cruz said Thursday on MSNBC’s “Morning Joe.”

The Texas Republican questioned the timing of a Washington Post report showing Sessions had met twice with Russian ambassador Sergey Kislyak, in July and September, as U.S. authorities investigated whether the Kremlin had attempted to interfere with the presidential election.

“Everyone is in high dudgeon about the meeting,” Cruz said. “The underlying meeting is a nothing burger. It’s what senators do every day. Meeting with foreign ambassadors, that’s part of the job.”

Oh that's cute Ted, the way you try to pretend like people are upset because some random senator talked to Russia as part of their job. No, you asswipe, we're upset because he talked to Russia WHILE he was an advisor to Trump's campaign and then lied to Congress about it. 

[GreyhoundFan]

Because they already know everything... "Trump’s team nixed ethics course for White House staff"

Quote

President Donald Trump’s team rejected a course for senior White House staff, Cabinet nominees and other political appointees that would have provided training on leadership, ethics and management, according to documents obtained by POLITICO.

The documents suggest the program could have better prepared officials for working within existing laws and executive orders, and provided guidance on how to navigate Senate confirmation for nominees and political appointees, how to deal with congressional and media scrutiny, and how to work with Congress and collaborate with agencies — some of the same issues that have become major stumbling blocks in the early days of the administration.

But the contract was never awarded because after the election the transition team shifted its priorities, according to a letter the General Services Administration sent to bidders such as the Partnership for Public Service. The program was expected to cost $1 million, the documents show. The contract-based training program was authorized in 2000, and the Obama and Bush transitions both received the training.

“It has been determined that the requirements as defined in the RFQ do not accurately reflect the current needs of the Presidential Transition Team,” the GSA contracting officer, Matthew Gormley, wrote in the Jan. 10 letter.

The agency’s cancellation notice elaborated on the reasons for dropping the program.

“As a result of a change in Presidential Transition Team leadership after the Nov. 8, 2016, election, there have been changes in the PTT’s goals for the political appointee orientation program,” it said. Shortly after the election, Vice President Mike Pence took over running the transition from New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie.

The changes included the transition team’s desire to control all the speakers and content, according to the notice.

Gormley referred questions to an agency spokesperson who didn’t answer a request for comment.

After the story was published, a White House spokeswoman said in a statement, "Several sessions on ethics issues were done in the Transition office as a prerequisite to employees being allowed to get on the White House campus for the first time, and get their badges. The Office of the White House Counsel continues to work to provide employees of the Executive Office of the President with direct instruction on the standards they are expected to follow during their employment at the White House."

The Trump team has said it was determined not to spend all of its transition funds, and it returned millions to the government. To some Republicans, the program could be seen as wasteful.

Several political appointees at agencies said they received very little training and that the period between the election and Inauguration Day was hectic. There has also been little contact between the political appointees at agencies and the longtime civil servants because of a lack of trust, several of these people said.

The lack of training likely fueled a series of early missteps in the presidency, as aides fired off executive orders and new rules without briefing Congress or their peers at agencies.

"It looks like a good program, and I wish they had implemented it,” said Norm Eisen, a White House ethics lawyer in the Obama administration who now leads the watchdog group Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington. "It might have spared them the numerous ethics and other messes they have encountered.”

Maybe if he wanted to save the million dollars, he could have cancelled one of his golf outings.

[47of74]

5 minutes ago, GreyhoundFan said:

Because they already know everything... "Trump’s team nixed ethics course for White House staff"

Maybe if he wanted to save the million dollars, he could have cancelled one of his golf outings.

Or told the family that they would all be living in the White House for the next four years, none of this Trump Tower bullshit.

[RoseWilder]

Yeah, sure Sean, we'll take your word for it because you seem like a really stable, honest guy. 

[RoseWilder]

I think we can add Tom Cotton to the list of Republicans who are involved in the Russia scandal: 

So that makes 4 Republicans who are looking awfully guilty right about now: 

1. Ted Cruz 

2. Devin Numes

3. Paul Ryan 

4. Tom Cotton

[fraurosena]

Speaking of the emoluments clause... oh, you weren't... oops. Well, anyway, now I brought the subject up:

White House Power Player Jared Kushner Is Keeping Parts of His Real Estate Empire

Quote

Jared Kushner, the president’s son-in-law and the heir to a family real estate empire, has emerged as perhaps Donald Trump’s closest adviser. A near constant presence by Trump’s side, his portfolio includes business, tax, political, and foreign policy matters.

Last month his lawyers outlined a plan under which they said Kushner would avoid any possibility that his White House work would overlap with his business interests.

The plan didn’t have much detail. But newly releaseddocuments and statements from the White House are making the picture clearer: Kushner is keeping parts of his family business. (...)

Kushner’s decision to keep some of his business, ethics lawyers say, raises questions about how he will recuse himself from government matters that could affect his own bank account.

“What mechanism will the White House use to ensure that Kushner will not participate in matters that affect his retained financial interests?” asked Kathleen Clark, an ethics law expert and professor at Washington University School of Law. “We, the public, should have information about what types of matters Kushner is going to have to recuse from.”

 

[RoseWilder]

And we can now add Lindsey Graham to the list of traitors to our country: 

Oh yeah, I'm sure the guy who just got caught lying to congress is going to get up and explain what happened to congress and tell the truth. What the even loving fuck is wrong with these Republicans. 

[JMarie]

http://www.cnn.com/2017/03/02/politics/democrats-sessions-russia-resignation-call/index.html

The sky is starting to get dark, and it's getting windy outside.  A storm is coming....

[RoseWilder]

The list of Republican traitors is now up to 6: 

Oh yes, it's so rude to be upset when someone commits perjury. I guess we should stop being so rude to all criminals who break the law and let them all walk free. 

1. Ted Cruz 

2. Devin Numes

3. Paul Ryan 

4. Tom Cotton

5. Lindsey Graham

6. Orin Hatch