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

[GreyhoundFan]

"Calif. man carrying Mace arrested on White House grounds after scaling fence"

Quote

A California man carrying two cans of Mace and a letter to President Trump about “Russian hackers” scaled a White House fence Friday night and neared an entrance to the presidential mansion before he was arrested, according to a court document.

The suspect — identified as Jonathan Tuan-Anh Tran, 26 — made it all the way to the exterior of the White House, which he walked alongside, and then hid behind a pillar before he was spotted and apprehended near the South Portico entrance.

The court document released Saturday evening omits any reference to alarms sounding and suggests that the first realization of an intruder was when a uniformed agent saw the suspect, up to 200 yards from where he entered. The U.S. Secret Service declined to answer questions about how the man penetrated so deep onto the White House grounds, citing an ongoing investigation.

...

Surveillance video showed Tran jumping a fence near the Treasury Building on East Executive Avenue. He was arrested about 11:38 p.m. According to the criminal complaint, Tran told the arresting officer: “I am a friend of the president. I have an appointment.”

...

It's not funny when someone tries to harm anyone else, but it is kind of amusing that someone would jump the fence (which is very high) to get to an appointment.  And, Agent Orange's "friends" are a strange group, so I can imagine trying to separate friend from foe would be difficult.

[RoseWilder]

There are so many stories coming out about Trump's ties to Russia, that I've completely lost track of whether this has been posted yet or not. 

 

[RoseWilder]

Well, of course they did: 

 

[onekidanddone]

4 minutes ago, RoseWilder said:

Well, of course they did: 

 

Russia. Russia RUSSIA!  Color me not shocked.

[RoseWilder]

I like Rep. Nadler's style: 

 

[RoseWilder]

Funny, but sadly true: 

 

[fraurosena]

Well, well, well...

First, on wednesday, watchdog groups ask the US attorney to investigate the tangerine toddler over foreign business deals:

https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/us-attorney-asked-to-investigate-trump-for-alleged-constitutional-violation/2017/03/08/845f51a8-0390-11e7-b1e9-a05d3c21f7cf_story.html?utm_term=.b75f27e6a950

Then the US attorney is fired.

'Nuff said.

[Dark Matters]

Do you ever get the impression that The Current Occupant of the WH is Nero fiddling while Rome burns?  SNL does.

https://vid.me/gURx

 

 

[Howl]

Quote

[Preet] Bharara was chosen in part because he is known for fierce independence.

Definitely this is the guy you want to get rid of if you're Trump.  Bharara went after Wall Street and actually got some convictions.  He's fierce, tenacious and really, really smart. 

Heh!  ETA: I just found this! From CNN After firing Preet Bharara, President Trump beware

Quote

In terminating Bharara, though, the President has created a formidable and charismatic enemy who shares the President's social media skills. Mr. Bharara has now become the first US attorney for the Southern District of New York to announce that he had been fired via Twitter. POTUS beware.

In the WTF category (isn't it all WTF these days?), here's a March 11 op-ed by Josh Marshall over at Talking Points Memo, simply titled What?

Quote

Trump toady Devin Nunes (R-CA), who currently serves as the Chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, says America should be thanking disgraced former National Security Advisor Michael Flynn for his secret conversations with Russian Ambassador Sergei Kislyak during the 2016 campaign and the presidential transition.

Said Nunes: “From everything that I can see, his conversations with the Russian ambassador, he was doing this country a favor, and he should be thanked for it."

Nunes, who is nominally charged with investigating Russian contacts with the Trump campaign earlier drew controversy for agreeing to act as a press surrogate to dispute reports of Russian contacts with the Trump campaign.

 Things like this dash my hopes for any kind of real investigation into the Russia connection in the House or Senate.  It's up to our free press and CIA (but not the FBI, thanks a lot, Comey) to sort out this nasty mess and hopefully drive Trump crazy (crazier?) in the process. 

[sawasdee]

"Preet Bharara was known for his fierce independence" as in prosecuting Democrats and Republicans who broke the rules. So of course, despite being assured by tRump that he would be left in place, he has been sacked.

I do not understand the emoluments clause. Does it cover a sitting president forcing Secret Service to use his overpriced accommodation and food at both Mar-a Lago and Trump Tower? He is profiting from his own protection!

This is before we start examining who, exactly, are the membership of Mar-a-Lago, and what access are they getting to the President for their enhanced membership fee of $200,000 (doubled since the election), to advance their agendas, and who staying at the Old Post Office tRump hotel in Wwashington is also getting advanced access because of the money they are putting in tRump's pocket?

I live in a seriously corrupt country - but this is a bit blatant even for Thailand! Our rulers would disguise it better .....but he has decided that he is invulnerable and invincible,and is NOT being challenged enough for this oh so obvious profiteering.

We keep reading of how much such protection costs - but how much is going back into his pocket?

Oh, and the protection costs for Melania choosing to stay in NY, and for Rumplethinskin to go golfing every weekend? Could certainly pay for the cuts in military childcare, at least....

No conscience, no ethics. Most of us would like at least the appearance of probity, but he doesn't give a sh*t.

I feel like Alice.

PS And this is the guy who said Obama golfed too much.....

[Howl]

2 minutes ago, sawasdee said:

PS And this is the guy who said Obama golfed too much.....

Ironic, right?

[Bethella]

12 minutes ago, sawasdee said:

I do not understand the emoluments clause. Does it cover a sitting president forcing Secret Service to use his overpriced accommodation and food at both Mar-a Lago and Trump Tower? He is profiting from his own protection!

Unfortunately the emoluments clause specifies foreign states. So by letting a foreign embassy rent the ballroom at the Trump hotel in DC for a party, he is violating the emoluments clause. But the Secret Service having to stay at Mar-a-Lago wouldn't be covered. Oregon Rep. Earl Blumenauer has introduced the No TRUMP Act which stands for "No Taxpayer Revenue Used to Monetize the Presidency" Act. If it passes it would close that loophole. 

http://www.salon.com/2017/03/10/democrat-congressman-introduces-no-trump-act-to-prevent-taxpayer-spending-at-trump-properties/

Quote

No Title of Nobility shall be granted by the United States: And no Person holding any Office of Profit or Trust under them, shall, without the Consent of the Congress, accept of any present, Emolument, Office, or Title, of any kind whatever, from any King, Prince, or foreign State. ARTICLE I, SECTION 9, CLAUSE 8

 

[CTRLZero]

3 hours ago, Dark Matters said:

Do you ever get the impression that The Current Occupant of the WH is Nero fiddling while Rome burns? 

As a matter of fact, right after the election I bought a book on Ancient Rome (basically Rise and Fall of the Roman Empire for Dummies*).  I found a description of an emperor with certain similarities:

Quote

Commodus, the new emperor, quickly showed signs of insecurity and megalomania.  Leaving it to powerful officials to carry on the work of government, his regime soon became unpopular for its corruption, a situation which was not helped by the idiosyncratic behaviour of the emperor himself.

In my more despairing moments, I call Trump "President Commode."

 

*The Penguin Historical Atlas of Ancient Rome, by Chris Scarre.  (Lots of pictures!)

 

[sawasdee]

@Bethella So if, as the present incumbent, you are determined on monetizing the presidency, there is nothing to stop you!

The Founding Fathers never envisaged a shameless charlatan in office.

That strange sound you hear is them revolving in their graves.

[Childless]

11 hours ago, GreyhoundFan said:

"Calif. man carrying Mace arrested on White House grounds after scaling fence"

It's not funny when someone tries to harm anyone else, but it is kind of amusing that someone would jump the fence (which is very high) to get to an appointment.  And, Agent Orange's "friends" are a strange group, so I can imagine trying to separate friend from foe would be difficult.

Maybe Lord Dampnut cut funding for security at the White House and that's why no alarms went off. 

[sawasdee]

I WANT TO KNOW - what percentage of the cost of Mar-a Lago weekends is on Secret Service accommodation and food- and thus going into tRump's pocket?

And how MUCH is spent at the tRump Tower every week by federal employees?

I think taxpayers SHOULD know this - can you imagine if his name was Obama? We'd already be on enquiry number 4.

ETA I know this is relatively minor, when you look at what else he is doing/trying to do - but it is symptomatic of an acceptance of venality and greed at the heart of the administration.

[onekidanddone]

12 hours ago, RoseWilder said:

There are so many stories coming out about Trump's ties to Russia, that I've completely lost track of whether this has been posted yet or not. 

 

Until Orange Julius Cesar fires them.

[fraurosena]

The Tangerine Toddler, aka the Parasitic President, has gone to a golf course for the 9th time in 7 weeks

Because how else is he going to make money? And who cares how much it costs the taxpayers?

Quote

In fact, an estimate by the Washington DC-based Judicial Watch says Trump and his family have cost the American taxpayers over $97m already - that's more than the Obama and Biden families did in eight years.

So in less than eight weeks the Trumps cost the taxpayers more than Obama and Biden in eight years! And that's not even including the costs for the Pences.

I wonder what the Branch Trumpvidians think about that little fact.

[onekidanddone]

4 minutes ago, fraurosena said:

The Tangerine Toddler, aka the Parasitic President, has gone to a golf course for the 9th time in 7 weeks

Because how else is he going to make money? And who cares how much it costs the taxpayers?

So in less than eight weeks the Trumps cost the taxpayers more than Obama and Biden in eight years! And that's not even including the costs for the Pences.

I wonder what the Branch Trumpvidians think about that little fact.

They would rationalize it.  Say he needs the time off because he works so hard. Short memory for the orange zombies  They can't or won't see the contradiction.

[fraurosena]

 

1 minute ago, onekidanddone said:

They would rationalize it.  Say he needs the time off because he works so hard. Short memory for the orange zombies  They can't or won't see the contradiction.

Yes, the cognitive dissonance is strong... the facts don't hit their brains, so to speak.
But I have to wonder what will happen when it hits their pockets.

[sawasdee]

There MUST be an enquiry into how much of this is going directly into tRump coffers - or Congress loses what little credibility it has.

[onekidanddone]

7 minutes ago, sawasdee said:

There MUST be an enquiry into how much of this is going directly into tRump coffers - or Congress loses what little credibility it has.

Congress has credibility?

10 minutes ago, fraurosena said:

 

Yes, the cognitive dissonance is strong... the facts don't hit their brains, so to speak.
But I have to wonder what will happen when it hits their pockets.

ARRRRGHA!  I need a break for reality  I think I'll go train spotting.  We have extra daylight might as well take advantage before the snow tomorrow.

[47of74]

1 hour ago, fraurosena said:

The Tangerine Toddler, aka the Parasitic President, has gone to a golf course for the 9th time in 7 weeks

Because how else is he going to make money? And who cares how much it costs the taxpayers?

So in less than eight weeks the Trumps cost the taxpayers more than Obama and Biden in eight years! And that's not even including the costs for the Pences.

I wonder what the Branch Trumpvidians think about that little fact.

Well if I was Prez I'd be trying to get some bowling in at least once a week.  At least that's a sport that doesn't required large swaths of land be shut down.  The White House has its own lanes so I wouldn't even need to leave the WH.  Of course I'd only be working on getting a 300 after all my work is done.

And as for what the Branch Trumpvidians think of Presidunce Ferret Face golfing...since it's a white overweight rear end golfing and not a fit African American male they're fine with the golfing now.  Jesus Fornicating Christ, the reich wingers would bitch if the President so much as looked at golf clubs longingly. 

[fraurosena]

11 minutes ago, 47of74 said:

Presidunce

I'm borrowing that one, if you don't mind!

[47of74]

3 minutes ago, fraurosena said:

I'm borrowing that one, if you don't mind!

Not at all.  All my insults are freely redistributal, and can be used by everyone else here to their heart's content.  Including President Fuck Face, Agent Orange, Orange Toxic Megacolon, Orange Ferret Face Shitgibbon, The Asswipe of Humanity, and so on.