Trump 19: Please Cry for Us Montenegro (and We Are so Sorry!)

[Cartmann99]

4 hours ago, GreyhoundFan said:

Politics takes a circular path sometimes: A quarter-century after his father declined what in retrospect looks like his biggest opportunity, Cuomo’s son Andrew, now himself the governor of New York, is among those being talked about as a 2020 possibility.

Sorry, no. If he won, then Sandra Lee would be the First Lady, and State Dinners featuring her "russipes" could start wars. 

Spoiler

 

 

[47of74]

Orange Caligula is going to address a religious bund meeting while Comey is testifying;

kwwl.com/story/35601731/2017/06/06/trump-schedules-speech-during-comey-testimony

Quote

President Donald Trump has scheduled a speech addressing religious conservatives around the same time that former FBI director James Comey is expected to testify before Congress.

   The Faith and Freedom Coalition's "Road to Majority" conference announced Tuesday that the president had agreed to address the annual gathering Thursday.

 

[sawasdee]

Now THIS I love. Apparently, no lawyer wants to represent the TT in his Russian troubles ......

https://www.yahoo.com/news/four-top-law-firms-turned-requests-represent-trump-122423972.html?soc_src=mail&soc_trk=ma

It's a long article, so I won't post it - but my favourite paragraph:

Quote

“The concerns were, ‘The guy won’t pay and he won’t listen,’” said one lawyer close to the White House who is familiar with some of the discussions between the firms and the administration, as well as deliberations within the firms themselves.

He's stiffed his lawyers before - some have taken him to court to get their fees......Karma!

[GrumpyGran]

Thank goodness for Jennifer Rubin. Obviously not a fan of Republicans but I can hope that at least some on the right who have retained possession of their brains are listening to her.

And while Trump has been dealing with the stress of the situations he puts himself in for 70 years now, the last five months have been different for him. We assume he gets little sleep because, well, he tells us so. He is hardly the picture of a healthy older man and I suspect sleep apnea considering his age and weight. What if he doesn't make it through the week?

14 minutes ago, 47of74 said:

  Quote

President Donald Trump has scheduled a speech addressing religious conservatives around the same time that former FBI director James Comey is expected to testify before Congress.

   The Faith and Freedom Coalition's "Road to Majority" conference announced Tuesday that the president had agreed to address the annual gathering Thursday.

Damn, he won't be tweeting? I feel like my favorite show got cancelled!

[fraurosena]

14 minutes ago, 47of74 said:

Orange Caligula is going to address a religious bund meeting while Comey is testifying;

kwwl.com/story/35601731/2017/06/06/trump-schedules-speech-during-comey-testimony

 

This will not stop him tweeting, though. I don't think anything could.

Thank Rufus!

[GrumpyGran]

You're probably right, @fraurosena, it will be interesting to see. You know the speech will be nothing but "oh poor pitiful me, they're attacking me!" But he will need to appeal to more than the few in the room. Can he talk and tweet at the same time? They might have to tie his hands behind his back. Or handcuff them.

[GreyhoundFan]

Going along with the Yahoo article @sawasdee posted, "The Trump administration has a recruiting problem"

Spoiler

It’s been almost a month since President Trump fired James B. Comey on May 9, leaving the FBI without a director. Under normal circumstances, a president planning to fire the head of the nation’s top law-enforcement agency might do so only once he had a replacement lined up. (The only other time an FBI director was fired, President Bill Clinton announced his replacement the next day.) Trump didn’t do that, pledging instead that a new director would be identified quickly. Shortly before he left on his overseas trip last month, he promised that he was “very close” to picking a new director. That was almost three weeks ago.

There have been a number of people who were identified as being in the running to get the job. And of that group, most have publicly withdrawn their names from contention.

Rep. Trey Gowdy (R-S.C.) withdrew from consideration May 15.

Sen. John Cornyn (R-Tex.) withdrew May 16.

Former FBI official Richard McFeely withdrew May 20.

Former Connecticut senator Joseph I. Lieberman withdrew May 25.

Why would so many people decline the chance to hold such a prestigious position? Well, it’s worth remembering the rest of the timeline, including reports on May 11 and 18 about Trump allegedly trying to improperly influence Comey on the investigation into Russian election interference. The FBI director gig is not a simple one — especially with a president who’s heavily focused on the outcome of one particular investigation.

Those four withdrawals are hardly the only ones the Trump administration has seen. Three of Trump’s picks to head the Army and Navy have withdrawn from consideration, Vincent Viola (Army), Philip Bilden (Navy) and Mark Green (Army). His first pick to run the Labor Department withdrew. His pick for deputy treasury secretary withdrew, as did his pick for deputy commerce secretary. Trump’s first pick to run the Office of Drug Control Policy, Rep. Tom Marino (R-Pa.), withdrew. Monica Crowley, his pick for National Security Council spokesperson, withdrew. A lawyer on the shortlist for solicitor general withdrew.

Even Trump senior adviser Kellyanne Conway’s husband, George, withdrew from consideration for a top job with the Justice Department. Why? His response to Trump’s tweets about the entry ban Monday offer some hint. In a series of tweets, George Conway defended his criticism of Trump’s comments about the travel ban earlier that day.

“Every sensible lawyer in [the White House Counsel’s Office] and every political appointee at [the Department of Justice] [would] agree with me (as some have already told me),” he wrote. “The [point] cannot be stressed enough that tweets on legal matters seriously undermine Admin agenda and POTUS — and those who support him, as I do, need to reinforce that [point] and not be shy about it.”

We don’t know that Trump’s itchy Twitter finger is why Conway chose not to work for the administration, but it’s safe to assume that Conway’s concerns about Trump’s behavior didn’t begin at 9 a.m. Monday.

Not all of those who withdrew from administration positions did so out of concern over the behavior of the president — some dropped out due to scandal or the requirement to eliminate financial conflicts. For others, it’s pretty safe to assume that the direct reason was Trump.

Yahoo News reported Tuesday that four different major law firms declined to represent Trump in the investigations into his campaign’s possible relationship with Russian actors during the 2016 campaign.

Reporter Michael Isikoff explains a key reason for the firms’ decisions:

“[A] consistent theme, the sources said, was the concern about whether the president would accept the advice of his lawyers and refrain from public statements and tweets that have consistently undercut his position.”

Another factor cited was that representing Trump would “kill recruitment” for the firms — that, in other words, an association with Trump would hurt their bottom lines.

For individuals considering positions with the administration, there’s another risk. Trump insists upon loyalty from his workers (including, according to a New York Times report, from Comey) but is not always generous with returning the favor. He has publicly disparaged or undercut advisers and staffers including Stephen K. Bannon, H.R. McMaster, Sean Spicer, Rod J. Rosenstein and Mike Pence.

Most recently, the target was Attorney General Jeff Sessions, whom Trump undermined with a tweet Monday and with whom, the Times reports, Trump has recently become frustrated. Trump blamed Sessions’s Justice Department for mishandling the entry ban, but he is reportedly also annoyed that Sessions recused himself from the Russia investigation after it was revealed that he’d met with the Russian ambassador last year despite telling the Senate that he hadn’t been in contact with Russian officials.

If you’re a potential FBI director, this is the situation you’re stepping into. Your boss, Sessions, is under fire from a quixotic president who may also try to lean on you to conduct your investigation with a particular aim in mind. That president is also deeply unpopular with the American public, meaning that your service under his administration may be viewed less than charitably in the future.

With that context in mind, the question isn’t why no FBI director has yet been named. The question is when one might be.

It's interesting that the law firms were also concerned that associating with the TT would cause recruitment issues for them going forward. They're right.

[sawasdee]

Sorry - another WaPo comment quote - but I think it sums up the Orange One.

Quote

I think a large part of the problem with Donald Trump and his followers (setting aside that they're demonstrably imbeciles) lies in the fact that both Trump and his fans seem to think that by winning the election, Trump somehow OWNS the US Government now. Trump doesn't see himself as having been elected to a political office. He sees himself as having been appointed God... and his fans align themselves with that reality. 
 
The US Government, in Trump's mind, no longer exists to serve the people of the United States. Instead, it exists only as a tool to enforce Donald Trump's will.... and any behavior that fails to reinforce that reality is seen as traitorous. Whenever any of his staff... or Congress... or the Senate.... do something that is not EXACTLY what he wants, he throws a tantrum.... as if they shouldn't have been allowed to disobey him. 
 
Don't get me wrong. I realize he's a narcissistic infant, with a limited capacity for rational thought.... but I think this explains how he can reconcile in his mind that the FBI Director should make a personal oath of loyalty to him. Trump doesn't think he's the President. He thinks he IS America.

And TT is having dinner tonight at the WH with Rubio and Cotton - both on the committee that will question Comey.

Nothing here to see folks, nothing here to see.....

[Gobsmacked]

1 hour ago, Cartmann99 said:

Sorry, no. If he won, then Sandra Lee would be the First Lady, and State Dinners featuring her "russipes" could start wars. 

  Reveal hidden contents

 

 

Omg. The Duggars must have learned to cook watching this woman! That mess she has just cooked up is only vaguely French because of the Herbs. She obviously doesn't eat her own food, she is to thin for that!

How can any one travel to France and come back inspired to cook that slop! What a wasted trip!

Is it just me, but she sounds like Jill selling plexus?

PS. Trump would enjoy it.  I've heard that  his favourite dish is a steak with a side of Ketchup? No culinary imagination there then.

[fraurosena]

53 minutes ago, GrumpyGran said:

You're probably right, @fraurosena, it will be interesting to see. You know the speech will be nothing but "oh poor pitiful me, they're attacking me!" But he will need to appeal to more than the few in the room. Can he talk and tweet at the same time? They might have to tie his hands behind his back. Or handcuff them.

If anything, his tweets will be something like this:

"Everything Comey says is FAKE!"

"Comey is just mad because he got FIRED. He's friends with Crooked Hillary. Everybody knows this! LIAR!"

"So glad I FIRED FAKE Comey. Disloyal!"

"Soor loozer. Covfefeffevce     "

[fraurosena]

What goes around, comes around...

European Parliament votes to end visa-free travel for Americans

Quote

The European Parliament has voted to end visa-free travel for Americans within the EU.

It comes after the US failed to agree visa-free travel for citizens of five EU countries – Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Poland and Romania – as part of a reciprocity agreement. US citizens can normally travel to all countries in the bloc without a visa.

The vote urges the revocation of the scheme within two months, meaning Americans will have to apply for extra documents for 12 months after the European Commission implements a “delegated act” to bring the change into effect.

The Commission discovered three years ago that the US was not meeting its obligations under the reciprocity agreement but has not yet taken any legal action. The latest vote, prepared by the civil liberties committee and approved by a plenary session of parliament, gives the Commission two months to act before MEPs can consider action in the European Court of Justice.

Australia, Brunei, Japan and Canada were also failing in their obligations, but all four have lifted, or are soon to lift, any visa restrictions on travel for EU citizens.

The Commission is legally obliged to act to suspend the visa waiver for Americans, but the European Parliament or the Council of the European Union have the chance to object to the “delegated act” it uses to do so.

I'm not sure I like these "tit-for-tat" politics, but I do understand why the European Parliament chose not to object to the "delegated act" and thereby voted to end visa-free travel for Americans within the EU.

The presidunce hasn't exactly endeared himself to Europe lately now, has he? So yeah... (to use a Duggarism).

[GreyhoundFan]

A couple featuring junior and eric, who need to crawl under a bridge: "Donald Trump Jr. joins father in bashing London mayor"

Spoiler

London Mayor Sadiq Khan’s time would be better spent addressing the terrorism in his own city instead of attacking U.S. President Donald Trump, the president’s son said in an interview that aired Tuesday morning.

“Rather than the mayor of London attacking maybe he should do something about it,” Donald Trump Jr. said in an interview with ABC’s “Good Morning America.” “Maybe he should do something to fix the problem rather than just sit there and pretend there isn't one. I think that's an important message.”

The president first criticized Khan, via a post to Twitter, in the hours after the London terrorist attack, quoting the mayor out of context to suggest that he was downplaying the severity of the incident. A spokesman for Khan responded that the mayor “has more important things to do than respond to Donald Trump’s ill-informed tweet that deliberately takes out of context his remarks.”

The president lobbed another insult across the ocean Monday morning, again via Twitter, criticizing what he called a “pathetic excuse by London Mayor Sadiq Khan who had to think fast on his ‘no reason to be alarmed’ statement. MSM is working hard to sell it!”

Nonetheless, Donald Trump Jr. suggested that his father will ultimately be vindicated and that a more proactive approach would ultimately be to London’s benefit.

“Every time he puts something out there he gets criticized by the media all day every day by everyone else and guess what? Two weeks later he's proven to be right,” the president’s son said. “It happened again and we keep appeasing it and keep saying, ‘okay, it's going to be great. We're going to hold fast and we're going to keep calm and carry on.’ Maybe we have to keep calm and actually do something. And I think that's what he's trying to say because he's been proven right every time.”

Since when has Agent Orange "been proven to be right"?

 

"Trump sons call Russia probe a 'hoax' and 'witch hunt'"

Spoiler

President Donald Trump’s adult sons echoed their father’s regular refrain in an interview that aired Tuesday morning, labeling the ongoing Russia investigations a “witch hunt” and “the greatest hoax of all time.”

Both Eric Trump and Donald Trump Jr. made the remarks in interviews with ABC’s “Good Morning America,” although neither son claimed to have spoken to their father about the various probes.

The president’s 2016 campaign is the subject of multiple ongoing investigations, including inquiries by both the Senate and House intelligence committees as well as by special prosecutor Robert Mueller, examining potential ties between Trump associates and the Russian government. Trump has repeatedly labeled the investigations a “witch hunt” even as his White House has said that nobody is more interested in getting to the bottom of the matter than the president himself.

“It's the greatest hoax of all time. I was there throughout the campaign. We have no dealings in Russia. We have no projects in Russia. We have nothing to do with Russia,” Eric Trump said in the pretaped interview in which the brothers appeared on camera separately.

“I mean, to me it's without a question you know, reads and smells like a witch hunt,” Donald Trump Jr. said in his own interview.

The two brothers also discussed a meeting they’d had with FBI agents last month on the day before the president announced his decision to fire FBI Director James Comey, who was at the time overseeing the bureau’s Russia investigation. They said their meeting was about cyberattacks against the Trump Organization and had nothing to do with their father’s FBI interactions. The Russia investigation, they both said, did not come up.

Yeah, right, a witch hunt. Everyone who believes that, stand on your head.

[sawasdee]

@fraurosenaOh wow. I just keep thinking of my old job, as a tour manager for an American company. Now, I would have to check everyone's visas on day one, and then sort out the problems - Embassy visits, if possible, for a quick issue, or redoing travel arrangements so people could skip countries for which they had no visa....

I feel for my erstwhile colleagues.

PS Why I think there would be problems, is that a lot of tourists on group tours are first time travellers. I had a great deal of trouble explaining that yes, in the EU, we had free at the point of use medical care, but we paid for it through our taxes. And, no, they did not get free care because they hadn't paid taxes in an EU country...and your US insurance doesn't work here, unless you have paid an extra premium for travel, or bought a travel insurance.

I was never so relieved than when the company I worked for included travel insurance in the price.(It was $99 for up to one month.) If you wanted to opt out, you had to give proof of another insurance which covered you on the tour.

Once, a lady slapped my face because I told her she had to pay for the treatment for her broken arm - I was ripping her off, she KNEW medical care was free in the UK!

Those were the days.....

[nvmbr02]

13 minutes ago, sawasdee said:

@fraurosenaOh wow. I just keep thinking of my old job, as a tour manager for an American company. Now, I would have to check everyone's visas on day one, and then sort out the problems - Embassy visits, if possible, for a quick issue, or redoing travel arrangements so people could skip countries for which they had no visa....

I feel for my erstwhile colleagues.

PS Why I think there would be problems, is that a lot of tourists on group tours are first time travellers. I had a great deal of trouble explaining that yes, in the EU, we had free at the point of use medical care, but we paid for it through our taxes. And, no, they did not get free care because they hadn't paid taxes in an EU country...and your US insurance doesn't work here, unless you have paid an extra premium for travel, or bought a travel insurance.

I was never so relieved than when the company I worked for included travel insurance in the price.(It was $99 for up to one month.) If you wanted to opt out, you had to give proof of another insurance which covered you on the tour.

Once, a lady slapped my face because I told her she had to pay for the treatment for her broken arm - I was ripping her off, she KNEW medical care was free in the UK!

Those were the days.....

Honestly, I find Americans are horrible travelers for many reasons.  And I'm American

 

I haven't seen this story before, but I find it horrifying. 

How Donald Trump Shifted Kids-Cancer Charity Money Into His Business

Spoiler

LIKE AUTUMN LEAVES, sponsored Cadillacs, Ferraris and Maseratis descend on the Trump National Golf Club in Westchester County, New York, in September for the Eric Trump Foundation golf invitational. Year after year, the formula is consistent: 18 holes of perfectly trimmed fairways with a dose of Trumpian tackiness, including Hooters waitresses and cigar spreads, followed by a clubhouse dinner, dates encouraged. The crowd leans toward real estate insiders, family friends and C-list celebrities, such as former baseball slugger Darryl Strawberry and reality housewife (and bankruptcy-fraud felon) Teresa Giudice.

The real star of the day is Eric Trump, the president's second son and now the co-head of the Trump Organization, who has hosted this event for ten years on behalf of the St. Jude Children's Research Hospital in Memphis. He's done a ton of good: To date, he's directed more than $11 million there, the vast majority of it via this annual golf event. He has also helped raise another $5 million through events with other organizations.

The best part about all this, according to Eric Trump, is the charity's efficiency: Because he can get his family's golf course for free and have most of the other costs donated, virtually all the money contributed will go toward helping kids with cancer. "We get to use our assets 100% free of charge," Trump tells Forbes.

That's not the case. In reviewing filings from the Eric Trump Foundation and other charities, it's clear that the course wasn't free--that the Trump Organization received payments for its use, part of more than $1.2 million that has no documented recipients past the Trump Organization. Golf charity experts say the listed expenses defy any reasonable cost justification for a one-day golf tournament.

Additionally, the Donald J. Trump Foundation, which has come under previous scrutiny for self-dealing and advancing the interests of its namesake rather than those of charity, apparently used the Eric Trump Foundation to funnel $100,000 in donations into revenue for the Trump Organization.

And while donors to the Eric Trump Foundation were told their money was going to help sick kids, more than $500,000 was re-donated to other charities, many of which were connected to Trump family members or interests, including at least four groups that subsequently paid to hold golf tournaments at Trump courses.

All of this seems to defy federal tax rules and state laws that ban self-dealing and misleading donors. It also raises larger questions about the Trump family dynamics and whether Eric and his brother, Don Jr., can be truly independent of their father.

 

[fraurosena]

27 minutes ago, GreyhoundFan said:

The two brothers also discussed a meeting they’d had with FBI agents last month on the day before the president announced his decision to fire FBI Director James Comey, who was at the time overseeing the bureau’s Russia investigation. They said their meeting was about cyberattacks against the Trump Organization and had nothing to do with their father’s FBI interactions. The Russia investigation, they both said, did not come up.

I find this part of the article very, very interesting.

We know the presidunce has a very short fuse and loves to retaliate quickly and without thinking things through. The brothers were interviewed by FBI agents and the very next day Comey is fired? Huh. It could  be a coincidence... but.

And I don't for a minute believe that it had nothing to do with Russia.

[GreyhoundFan]

Bars in Washington, DC are opening early Thursday and plan to hold viewing parties for Comey's testimony.

Spoiler

Forget summer blockbuster movies — the biggest show in town Thursday will be the testimony before a Senate committee of former FBI director James B. Comey.

For proof, see the handful of Washington bars opening early and/or offering specials in honor of the potentially fireworks-laden event. (Also, what does it say about our collective mood that we need cocktails to get through it? Okay, drink every time anyone says “Putin”!)

Shaw’s Tavern is opening at 9:30 a.m., in time for pregaming before the Senate Intel Committee convenes at 10 a.m., for what it’s calling the “Comey Hearing Covfefe,” borrowing the term from President Trump’s cryptic tweet. All five of the bar’s TVs will be airing the main event, and vodkas are five bucks (morning, sunshine!).

Duffy’s Irish Pub on Vermont Avenue NW is usually a draw for Washington Nationals fans, but Thursday, the 15 screens will be on C-SPAN, not ESPN. The contents of the featured “Covfefe Cocktail” is as murky as the White House’s Russia controversy: the hangout promises it’s “like drinking the Kool Aid but only a small group of people know what’s in it.”  The “small group of people” reference comes from White House press secretary Sean Spicer’s explanation of said Trump tweet.

...

The Partisan, aptly named, is opening an hour early, at 10 a.m., for customers looking for a perch downtown to watch in a meat-and-booze haze. Breakfast sandwiches will come from the adjoining Red Apron butchery, and two cocktail specials, “The Last Word” and “Drop the Bomb,” are on-theme.

So when the committee chairman says “raise your right hand,” you can at least have something cold in it.

Too bad that I have an appointment that will take much of the day Thursday.

[nvmbr02]

Before the reports of tension a few days ago I would have been very surprised to see this. I hope this is true and the administration continues to crumble.

 

[formergothardite]

I wonder if Sessions is trying to jump ship before it sinks, Trump is making his life a living hell or both. 

[GreyhoundFan]

Wow: "Top intelligence official told associates Trump asked him if he could intervene with Comey on FBI Russia probe"

Spoiler

The nation’s top intelligence official told associates in March that President Trump asked him if he could intervene with then-FBI Director James B. Comey to get the bureau to back off its focus on former national security adviser Michael Flynn in its Russia probe, according to officials.

On March 22, less than a week after being confirmed by the Senate, Director of National Intelligence Daniel Coats attended a briefing at the White House together with officials from several government agencies. As the briefing was wrapping up, Trump asked everyone to leave the room except for Coats and CIA Director Mike Pompeo.

The president then started complaining about the FBI investigation and Comey’s handling of it, said officials familiar with the account Coats gave to associates. Two days earlier, Comey had confirmed in a congressional hearing that the bureau was probing whether Trump’s campaign coordinated with Russia during the 2016 race.

After the encounter, Coats discussed the conversation with other officials and decided that intervening with Comey as Trump had suggested would be inappropriate, according to officials who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive internal matters.

The events involving Coats show the president went further than just asking intelligence officials to deny publicly the existence of any evidence showing collusion during the 2016 election, as The Washington Post reported in May. The interaction with Coats indicates that Trump aimed to enlist top officials to have Comey curtail the bureau’s probe.

Coats will testify on Wednesday before the Senate Intelligence Committee. Lawmakers on the panel said they would press him for information about his interactions with the president regarding the FBI investigation.

The question of whether the president obstructed the Russia investigation is expected to take center stage this week with Comey’s highly anticipated testimony on the Hill on Thursday. Comey associates say that before the director was fired in May, the president had asked him to drop the investigation into Flynn, and Comey refused.

Brian P. Hale, a DNI spokesman, declined to comment on whether Trump asked Coats to intervene with Comey regarding the Flynn investigation. Hale said in a statement: “Director Coats does not discuss his private conversations with the President. However, he has never felt pressured by the President or anyone else in the Administration to influence any intelligence matters or ongoing investigations.”

A spokesman for Pompeo declined to comment on the closed-door discussions. The White House referred questions to outside lawyers, who did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Trump has repeatedly denied any coordination took place between his campaign and the Russian government, which, according to U.S. intelligence agencies, stole emails embarrassing to Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton and leaked them to undermine her campaign.

Flynn had served as an enthusiastic surrogate for Trump during the campaign and then was fired after just 24 days as national security adviser over revelations he misrepresented his discussions with the Russian ambassador to the United States.

The incidents suggest that Trump may not have appreciated the traditional barriers meant to insulate the intelligence agencies from politics.

Though the office of the DNI oversees other intelligence agencies, the FBI director operates independently of the DNI on many matters. For example, Comey kept James R. Clapper Jr., Coats’s predecessor in the DNI job during the Obama administration, in the dark about the bureau’s investigation into possible coordination.

A day or two after the March 22 meeting, the president followed up with a phone call to Coats, according to officials familiar with the discussions. In the call, Trump asked the DNI to issue a public statement denying the existence of any evidence of coordination between the Russian government and the Trump campaign. Again, Coats decided not to act on the request.

Trump similarly approached Adm. Mike Rogers, the director of the National Security Agency, to ask him to publicly deny the existence of any evidence of coordination between the Russians and the Trump campaign, as the Post previously reported, according to current and former officials. Like Coats, Rogers refused to comply with the president’s request.

Trump announced in January that he was nominating Coats to serve as DNI, an office which is responsible for overseeing U.S. intelligence agencies and for briefing the president on global developments.

In February, as tensions flared between intelligence agencies and the White House over Russia and other issues, some of Trump’s advisers floated the idea of appointing a New York billionaire, Stephen A. Feinberg, to undertake a review of the DNI. Coats, who was preparing for his confirmation hearing, felt blindsided, officials said.

The White House backed away from the idea of naming Feinberg after Coats and members of the intelligence community and Congress raised objections.

Officials say Trump’s advisers have since revived their proposal to appoint Feinberg to a senior position, possibly to review the roles of the DNI and other intelligence agencies.

Some officials said they viewed the prospective appointment of Feinberg as an effort by the White House to put pressure on intelligence agencies to close ranks with the White House.

In an appearance last month before the Senate Armed Services Committee, Coats refused to provide details about his interactions with Trump.

But Coats indicated that he would cooperate with the Russia probe now being led by special counsel Robert S. Mueller III. Under questioning by Sen. Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.), Coats said that if asked, he would provide details of his conversations with Trump to Mueller.

Coats also said that if he is called before an investigative committee, such as the Senate Intelligence Committee, “I certainly will provide them with what I know and what I don’t know.” He said the Trump administration has not directed the Office of the Director of National Intelligence to withhold information from members of Congress conducting oversight.

 

[nvmbr02]

I wasn't sure if I should post this here or in the Russian Connection thread, but decided on this one.

The Washington Post has an updated timeline of the Trump campaign and the Russia investigation, I found it pretty helpful with all the breaking news that has happened recently to see where everything that is known fits into the equation.  The timeline covers from the campaign  starting in December 2015 to mid May 2017.

Timeline: What we know about Trump’s campaign, Russia and the investigation of the two

Spoiler

Before the election

Dec. 10, 2015
Lt. Gen Michael Flynn is part of a panel discussion in Moscow for the 10th anniversary of government-backed Russia Today, for which he receives payment (The Washington Post, Aug. 15, 2016). Officials notice an increase in communication between Flynn and the Russian ambassador to the United States, Sergey Kislyak, following the Russia Today event

Late 2015
British intelligence agencies detect suspicious interactions between Russia and Trump aides that they pass on to American intelligence agencies (The Guardian, April 13, 2017).

March 19, 2016
Hillary Clinton campaign chairman John Podesta is sent an email that encourages him to change his email password, likely precipitating the hack of his account (CBS News, Oct. 28, 2016).

March 21
During an interview with The Post, Trump lists Carter Page as part of his foreign policy team. Page had been recommended by a son-in-law of President Richard Nixon, New York Republican Party Chairman Ed Cox (WP, March 21, 2016).

March 28
Political veteran Paul Manafort is hired to help the Trump campaign manage the delegate process for the Republican National Convention. He is recommended by Trump confidante Roger Stone (New York Times, March 28, 2016).  Before joining the campaign, Manafort lobbied on behalf of Oleg Deripaska, an ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin. That deal followed a memo from Manafort in which he offered a plan that could “greatly benefit the Putin Government.” His relationship with Deripaska ended in 2009 (Associated Press, March 22, 2017). Manafort also worked on behalf of the Russia-friendly Party of Regions in Ukraine, helping guide the party’s leader, Viktor Yanukovych, to the country’s presidency. Yanukovych would later be ousted. 

April 27
Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-Ala.) may have met with Kislyak at a reception at the Mayflower Hotel in Washington before a foreign-policy speech given by Trump (CNN, May 31, 2017).

June
At a closed-door meeting of foreign policy experts and the prime minister of India, Page praises Putin effusively (WP, Aug. 5, 2016).

June 15
A hacker calling himself “Guccifer 2.0” releases the Democratic National Committee’s research file on Donald Trump (Gawker, June 15, 2016). News reports already link the stolen data to Russian hackers (WP, June 14, 2016).

July
At some point this month, the FBI begins investigating possible links between the Russian government and Trump’s campaign (Wired, March 20, 2017).

July 7
Page travels to Moscow to give a lecture (NYT, April 19, 2017). The Trump campaign approved the trip (USA Today, March 7, 2017). This trip was likely the catalyst for the FBI’s request for a secret surveillance warrant to track Page‘s communications (WP, May 25, 2017).

July 11 or 12
Trump campaign staffers intervene with the committee developing the Republican Party’s national security platform to remove language call arming Ukraine against Russian aggression. (July 18, 2016).

July 18
At an event hosted by the Heritage Foundation as part of the Republican National Convention, Sessions and Kislyak have a brief conversation (WP, March 2, 2017).

Flynn delivers a speech at the Republican convention, joining in the crowd’s “Lock her up!” chant. “If I, a guy who knows this business, if I did a tenth of what she did,” Flynn said, “I would be in jail today” (C-Span, July 18, 2016).

July 22
Wikileaks releases emails stolen from the Democratic National Committee (WP, July 22, 2017).

Jul. 27
During his last news conference of the campaign, Trump asks Russia to release emails hacked from Clinton’s private server. He later says that he was joking (WP, July, 27, 2016).

Aug. 9
Flynn Intel Group, a consulting firm founded by Flynn, signs a contract with Inovo BV, a firm run by a Turkish businessman close to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, for more than $500,000 (Daily Caller, Nov. 11, 2016).

Aug. 15
The New York Times reports on secret ledgers from the Party of Regions showing off-the-books payments to Manafort‘s consulting firm (NYT, Aug. 15, 2016). Those payments were allegedly hidden by passing them through third parties, according to Ukrainian leaders (WP, March 21, 2017).

Aug. 19
Manafort is fired from the campaign (NYT, Aug. 19, 2016). He’d reportedly lost the confidence of Trump’s family, including son-in-law Jared Kushner (Politico, Aug. 19, 2016).

Aug. 21
Stone tweets, “Trust me, it will soon [be] Podesta’s time in the barrel” (Aug. 21, 2016).

Aug. 23
Stone communicates with Guccifer 2.0 privately over Twitter (Smoking Gun, March 8, 2017).

September
At some point in September, congressional leaders are briefed about the CIA’s belief that Russia was intervening in the election to benefit Trump (WP, Dec. 9, 2016).

Sept. 8
Sessions and Kislyak meet in Sessions’s Senate office (WP, March 2, 2017).

Oct. 7
The director of national intelligence and the head of the Department of Homeland Security release an unusual joint statement in which they warn of Russian efforts to meddle in the election and suggest that Russia had a hand in the Wikileaks document releases (DHS, Oct. 7, 2016).

Oct. 8
Shortly after the publication of a 2005 “Access Hollywood” video in which Trump discusses sexually assaulting women, Wikileaks releases the first emails from Podesta’s email account. The leaks continue for weeks (WP, Oct. 8, 2016).

Oct. 12
Stone tells a reporter from a local news station in Florida that he has “back-channel communication with [Wikileaks’ Julian] Assange,” though he’d never spoken to Assange directly (CBS, Oct. 12, 2016). Wikileaks later denies the assertion (CNN, March 27, 2017).

Oct. 19
During the final presidential debate, Trump says that Putin has no respect for his opponent, Hillary Clinton. She responds, “That’s because he’d rather have a puppet as president of the United States.”

“No puppet,” Trump replies. “”You’re the puppet.”

Trump then argues that Clinton doesn’t know who’s behind the hacking, if it’s “Russia, China, or anybody else” (WP, Oct. 19, 2016),

Nov. 8
An opinion piece supporting the Turkish government runs in the Hill under Flynn‘s byline (The Hill, Nov. 8, 2016).

Trump is elected president.

During the transition

Nov. 10
In his Oval Office meeting with Trump, Barack Obama warns the president-elect against hiring Flynn as national security adviser (WP, May 8, 2017).

Nov. 18
Trump offers Flynn the job of national security adviser (CNN, Nov. 18, 2016). Trump offers Sessions the job of attorney general. These are two of the first appointments Trump makes (WP, Nov. 18, 2016).

Late November
Trump transition team members warn Flynn that his communications with Kislyak will be monitored by American intelligence agencies. To impress upon Flynn the risks of cozying up to the Russian ambassador, the team requests a dossier on Kislyak to share with Flynn. It’s not known if he ever read it (WP, May 5, 2017).

Nov. 28
In an interview with Time magazine, Trump denies interference from Russia. “I don’t believe they interfered,” he said. “That became a laughing point, not a talking point, a laughing point. Any time I do something, they say ‘oh, Russia interfered.'”

He also addressed the hacking: “It could be Russia. And it could be China. And it could be some guy in his home in New Jersey” (Time, Nov. 28, 2016).

Nov. 30
The Justice Department informs Flynn that he is under investigation for his unreported lobbying on behalf of Turkey  (NYT, May 17, 2017).

Dec. 1 (or 2)
Flynn and Kushner meet with Kislyak at Trump Tower (NYT, March 2, 2017). Kushner proposes setting up a back-channel of communication between the administration and Putin, perhaps going so far as to use secure communications systems at the Russian embassy (WP, May 26, 2017). The FBI believes the conversation may have included a suggestion by the Russians that easing sanctions would allow Russian banks to offer financing to people with ties to Trump (Reuters, May 27, 2017). Sources close to Kushner indicate the the only focus of the back-channel would be Syria (Fox, May 30, 2017).

Dec. 8
Page is back in Moscow to meet with “business leaders and thought leaders” (NYT, Dec. 8, 2016).

Dec. 13 or 14
At Kislyak’s urging, Kushner meets with Sergey Gorkov, chairman of Russia’s government-owned Vnesheconombank and a confidante of Putin. The bank, known as VEB, is under sanction from the U.S. government (NYT, March 27, 2017).

Dec. 14
Gorkov apparently flies to Japan, as Putin was visiting (WP, June 1, 2017).

Dec. 25
Flynn texts Kislyak to wish him a merry Christmas (NPR, Jan. 13, 2017).

Dec. 29
The Obama administration orders new sanctions against Russian organizations and individuals in response to Russian interference in the election. (WP, Dec. 29, 2016).

Flynn calls Kislyak a reported five times (Reuters, Jan. 23, 2017). Among the topics of discussion: the government’s sanctions of Russia (WP, Feb. 9, 2017).

Dec. 30
In a tweet, Trump praises Putin’s decision not to respond in kind to the U.S. sanctions (Dec. 30, 2016).

Jan. 4, 2017
Flynn informs Don McGahn, chief attorney for the transition effort, that he’s under investigation by the FBI (NYT, May 17, 2017).

Jan. 6
American intelligence agencies release a report outlining why they believe Russia was behind the campaign hacking (NYT, Jan. 6, 2017).

Jan. 9
The Trump transition team announces that Kushner will join the administration as an unpaid senior adviser (Fox, Jan. 9, 2017).

Jan. 10
The Senate holds confirmation hearings for Sessions‘s attorney general bid. In that hearing, Sessions is asked what he would do if “anyone affiliated with the Trump campaign communicated with the Russian government in the course of this campaign.” Sessions replies that “I have been called a surrogate at a time or two in that campaign and I did not have communications with the Russians, and I’m unable to comment on it” (WP, Jan. 10, 2017).

Outgoing national security adviser Susan Rice asks Flynn to approve an operation in Syria in alliance with Kurdish forces that would extend into Trump’s presidency. The alliance with the Kurds is opposed by the Turkish government. Flynn declines (Miami Herald, May 17, 2017).

Jan. 11
At a news conference, Trump discusses the hacking that took place during the election. “As far as hacking, I think it was Russia, but I think we also get hacked by other countries and other people,” he said (CNBC, Jan. 11, 2017).

Jan. 15
On CBS, Pence denies that Flynn and Kislyak discussed sanctions (CBS, Jan. 15, 2017).

Jan. 17
Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) sends a list of questions to Sessions, including one that reads, “Have you been in contact with anyone connected to any part of the Russian government about the 2016 election, either before or after Election Day?” Sessions responds, “No” (WP, Jan. 17, 2017).

Jan. 18
Kushner submits his application for top-secret security clearance, excluding a number of meetings with foreign officials, including the one in December (NYT, April 6, 2017).

Jan. 20
Trump is inaugurated.

The presidency

Jan. 22
Flynn is sworn in as national security adviser (WP, Jan. 22, 2017).

Jan. 24
The FBI interviews Flynn about his conversations with Kislyak the previous month (NYT, Feb. 14, 2017).

Jan. 25
Acting Attorney General Sally Yates receives a breakdown of the Flynn interview and decides to inform the White House about what was said (ABC, May 8, 2017).

Jan. 26
Yates meets with McGahn, now White House counsel, and explains what Flynn revealed during the FBI interview and that it contradicts public statements from the vice president, making it possible that the Russians could compromise the national security adviser by threatening to leak that information (ABC, May 8, 2017). McGahn “immediately” briefs Trump on the conversation (Slate, Feb. 17, 2017).

Jan. 27
Yates returns to the White House to meet with McGahn again at his request. McGahn asks to review the evidence against Flynn (ABC, May 8, 2017).

During a private dinner at the White House, Trump allegedly asks FBI Director James Comey to pledge that he’d be loyal to the president. Instead, Comey offers only his honesty (NYT, May 11, 2017).

Trump signs his executive order on immigration (WP, Jan. 27, 2017).

Jan. 30
Yates invites McGahn to come to the FBI and review the evidence against Flynn (ABC, May 8, 2017).

Trump fires Yates after she refuses to enforce his immigration ban (NYT, Jan. 30, 2017).

Week of Feb. 6
Trump Organization lawyer Michael Cohen and business associate Felix Sater partner with a Ukrainian lawmaker on a proposal for easing Russian-Ukrainian tensions, which is delivered to Flynn‘s office. (NYT, Feb. 19, 2017).

Feb. 8
Sessions is confirmed as attorney general (Senate, Feb. 8, 2017).

Feb. 11
Flynn files a financial disclosure that omits his payment from Russia Today (Daily Beast, April 1, 2017).

Feb. 13
Flynn resigns as national security adviser (NYT, Feb. 13, 2017).

Feb. 14
During a meeting in the Oval Office, Trump asks Comey to move away from his investigation of Flynn. “He is a good guy,” Trump said, according to a memo drafted at the time by Comey. “I hope you can let this go.” (NYT, May 16, 2017)

Feb. 15
In the wake of Trump’s request, Comey tells Sessions that he did not want to be put into a position where the FBI director and Trump were alone, citing concerns about propriety (NYT, June 6, 2017).

Mid-February
At some point after a Feb. 14 New York Times report about communication between Trump staff and Russia during 2016, the White House allegedly asked Comey and McCabe to publicly deny the report (NYT, Feb. 23, 2017). Comey later indicates that he told Trump that such communications between the White House and FBI were inappropriate (NYT, May 18, 2017).

March 2
Attorney General Jeff Sessions annouces that he will recuse himself from any Russia investigation after his meetings with Kislyak are revealed (WP, March 2, 2017).

March 5
In an interview on NBC, former director of national intelligence James Clapper acknowledges that he had no knowledge of evidence proving that Russia and the Trump campaign colluded during the course of the campaign (NBC, March 5, 2017). He later clarifies that he would not necessarily have known about such evidence and that he was not aware of the FBI’s investigation (Politifact, May 12, 2017).

March 20
Comey testifies before the House Intelligence Committee and, for the first time, confirms the existence of the investigation into Russian hacking and possible links to the Trump campaign (WP, March 20, 2017).

March 22
Shortly after being confirmed by the Senate as Director of National Intelligence, Dan Coats attends a briefing at the White House with several other officials. As it wraps up, Trump asks Coats and CIA Director Mike Pompeo to remain in the room. During the private conversation that ensued, Trump asks Coats and Pompeo to try and intervene with the FBI to end the investigative focus on Flynn (WP, June 6, 2017).

March 31
Flynn amends his financial disclosure report (Daily Beast, April 1, 2017).

April or May
The FBI focuses on Kushner as a person of interest in their investigation as that effort intensifies. (WP, May 25, 2017).

May 10
Trump fires Comey, citing the recommendation of Sessions (WP, May 10, 2017). In the letter firing Comey, Trump includes a line saying that he appreciates Comey telling him “on three separate occasions” that he is not under investigation (May 10, 2017). The president later tells NBC’s Lester Holt that the firing was because “this Russia thing with Trump and Russia is a made-up story” (CNN, May 12, 2017). Sources indicate that Kushner was a prominent voice behind the firing (CBS, May 17, 2017).

May 11
In a private meeting with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and Kislyak, Trump reveals classified information shared with the United States by an ally, later reported to be Israel (WP, May 15, 2017). He also reportedly disparages Comey as a “nut job” to Lavrov and Kislyak and says that he “faced great pressure because of Russia,” which was now “taken off” with the firing of Comey (NYT, May 19, 2017).

May 12
Lawyers representing Trump release a statement indicating that the president’s tax returns don’t show income from Russian sources, with a few exceptions (NYT, May 12, 2017).

May 17
Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein appoints former FBI director Robert Mueller as special counsel to oversee the Russia investigation (WP, May 17, 2017).

 

 

[GreyhoundFan]

"Trump undercuts his aides by contradicting their statements"

Spoiler

Members of President Trump’s Cabinet and top White House aides tried to soften his travel ban by calling it a “temporary pause.” They said his firing of former FBI director James B. Comey was not about the Russia investigation. And this week they used their public comments to attempt to keep the United States out of a messy regional conflict in the Middle East.

But every time, Trump weighed in with a different message that effectively undercut what his aides and Cabinet secretaries appeared to be trying to achieve.

Trump’s aides are quickly learning they speak for the president at their own peril.

The president seems to shrug off these incidents, several of which have occurred since he took office, and he has made clear that ultimately only he speaks for his administration, all while rejecting efforts to curtail his use of Twitter.

“The president has always said that Twitter is like owning his own newspaper, except he can’t lose money,” said former Trump adviser Sam Nunberg. “He’ll listen to your advice. He’ll listen to suggestions. But the president is not going to be handled.”

The challenge for Trump’s aides reached an international scale this week. After Saudi Arabia and other Gulf nations cut off diplomatic ties with Qatar, over its alleged support for terrorists in the region, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, Defense Secretary Jim Mattis and principal deputy press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders all said on Monday that the United States hoped to help mediate and de-escalate the crisis.

But on Tuesday, in early morning tweets, Trump leaned into the dispute. He lambasted Qatar and voiced support for the Saudi Arabia-led coalition of nations, all the while seemingly ignoring that the United States has long had strategic military ties to Qatar.

“During my recent trip to the Middle East, I stated that there can no longer be funding of Radical Ideology,” Trump wrote. “Leaders pointed to Qatar — look!”

He later tweeted: “So good to see the Saudi Arabia visit with the King and 50 countries already paying off. They said they would take a hard line on funding extremism, and all reference was pointing to Qatar. Perhaps this will be the beginning of the end to the horror of terrorism!”

The tweets sent the administration into a familiar cycle. Officials de-emphasized their significance, arguing they do not signify a shift in policy and claiming that they simply reinforce the statements made by other officials in the government.

Meanwhile, a spokesman for the Defense Department voiced support and appreciation to Qatar for allowing U.S. troops to remain on a base in their country.

“It’s not just undercutting Secretary Tillerson, it’s putting at potential risk the relationship between the Defense Department and Qatar, something that is extremely important to the Department of Defense,” said John B. Bellinger, a former legal adviser to the State Department under President George W. Bush. “He has repeatedly necessitated having both secretaries Mattis and Tillerson to quietly reassure allies that the president doesn’t really mean these things.”

The White House insists that Trump’s social-media reach — which tallies more than 31 million on his personal Twitter account alone — is one of the reasons he was elected president in the first place.

“The president is the most effective messenger on his agenda,” White House press secretary Sean Spicer told reporters on Tuesday when asked if the president’s tweets were obstructing his own agenda. “The same people who are critiquing his use of it now critiqued it during the election, and it turned out pretty well for him then.”

Moments later, faced with a question about Trump’s comments on Qatar, Spicer read carefully from a piece of paper to clarify the president’s remarks.

“The U.S. still wants to see this issue de-escalated and resolved immediately,” he said.

While the White House seeks to play down the contradictory statements from Trump and his aides, the president’s critics charge they can have dangerous consequences, particularly in foreign affairs.

“He has said himself he values unpredictability, but what he is is impetuous,” said P.J. Crowley, a former assistant secretary of state for public affairs during President Barack Obama’s first term. “He gets something in his mind and immediately communicates it without thinking through the broader implications. It’s that lack of discipline which has had an enormous and negative impact on perceptions of American leadership.”

All of this has put Trump’s Cabinet officials on the defense. Mattis has tried to limit his engagement with the media in recent days, declining customary interviews during a trip where he finds himself responding separately to concerns raised by allies about Trump’s perspectives and apparent lack of regard for long-standing relationships.

Trump’s aides tried to reverse some of the damage done by his tweets this week by accusing the media of obsessing over them. But even that message was overshadowed by a Trump tweet Tuesday.

“The FAKE MSM is working so hard trying to get me not to use Social Media,” he said, using an acronym for the mainstream media. “They hate that I can get the honest and unfiltered message out.”

The administration’s split personality on talking points has not gone unnoticed on Capitol Hill, where there is growing frustration with the lack of coherence from the White House and Trump’s penchant for upending the news cycle with his tweets.

“I don’t believe Trump colluded with the Russians, because I don’t believe he colludes with his own staff,” Sen. Lindsey O. Graham (R-S.C.) quipped, referring to the ongoing investigation into Russian meddling in the 2016 election and possible collusion with Trump campaign associates.

In some cases, Trump’s tweets have only heightened the legal risk facing his administration.

When it comes to the travel ban directed at six Muslim-majority countries that is being held up by federal courts, the president has repeatedly undermined his staff — and his own legal case.

Spicer and Homeland Security Secretary John F. Kelly repeatedly corrected reporters, chiding them for calling it a “ban” — a word that is causing legal headaches for the administration in the courts. But the president continues to use the term.

“People, the lawyers and the courts can call it whatever they want, but I am calling it what we need and what it is, a TRAVEL BAN!” Trump tweeted early Monday morning after the terrorist attack in London over the weekend.

As the Russia investigation continues to expand, Trump has not tread with caution there either.

After he made the decision to fire Comey last month, the White House attempted to present an agreed-upon narrative for how the president reached his decision, with aides leaning heavily on a memo written by Deputy Attorney General Rod J. Rosenstein, which criticizes Comey’s handling of the investigation into Hillary Clinton’s use of a private email server while secretary of state.

But then two days later, Trump said in an interview with NBC’s Lester Holt that he had long been planning to fire Comey and was frustrated that the FBI director was so focused on the Russia investigation.

He acknowledged on Twitter that his aides were left in the dark.

“As a very active President with lots of things happening, it is not possible for my surrogates to stand at podium with perfect accuracy!,” he said.

There are signs, however, that some aides are learning to avoid falling into a trap when they can.

On Tuesday, when Spicer was asked whether the president still has confidence in Attorney General Jeff Sessions after a report about tensions between the two, he declined to say.

“I have not had a discussion with him on that question,” Spicer said. “If I haven’t had a discussion with him on the subject, I tend not to speak about it.”

 

[Howl]

7 hours ago, sawasdee said:

Now THIS I love. Apparently, no lawyer wants to represent the TT in his Russian troubles ......

Better Call Saul.....

[JMarie]

https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/onpolitics/2017/06/05/saudi-payments-to-hotel-owned-by-president-trump/102536764/

Quote

The Trump International Hotel recently took in about $270,000 in payments tied to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia as the country fights to roll back a U.S. terrorism law, according to newly filed lobbying reports.

The spending, which covered lodging, catering and parking expenses, was disclosed in Justice Department filings last week by MSL Group Americas, a public relations firm. The filings detailed the work the firm engaged in between Oct. 1, 2016 and March 31, 2017 on behalf of the Saudis, Bahrain and other foreign governments.

In a statement Monday night, Trump Organization officials said they would donate any profits from the transactions at the end of the year.

Quote

Before he took office, Trump pledged to donate foreign profits from his hotels to the U.S. Treasury. However, the Trump Organization is not trying to comprehensively identify all foreign profits to its hotel business, according to a company policy document recently provided to the House Oversight Committee.

“To fully and completely identify all patronage at our properties by customer type is impractical in the service industry and putting forth a policy that requires all guests to identify themselves would impede upon personal privacy and diminish the guest experience of our brand,” the Trump Organization’s document said.

I guess they're too lazy to look at the addresses the guests use while checking in.

[GreyhoundFan]

Oh, Thursday is shaping up to be epic: "Trump, furious and frustrated, gears up to ‘punch back’ at Comey testimony"

Spoiler

Alone in the White House in recent days, President Trump — frustrated and defiant — has been spoiling for a fight, according to his confidants and associates.

Glued even more than usual to the cable news shows that blare from the televisions in his private living quarters, or from the 60-inch flat screen he had installed in his cramped study off the Oval Office, he has fumed about “fake news.” Trump has seethed as his agenda has stalled in Congress and the courts. He has chafed against the pleas for caution from his lawyers and political advisers, tweeting whatever he wants, whenever he wants.

And on Thursday, the president will come screen-to-screen with the FBI director he fired, James B. Comey, who has consumed, haunted and antagonized him since launching an expanding Russia investigation that the president slammed as a “witch hunt.”

Comey’s testimony is a political Super Bowl — with television networks interrupting regular programming to air it, and some Washington offices and bars making plans for special viewings.

Trump is keen to be a participant rather than just another viewer, two senior White House officials said, including the possibility of taking to Twitter to offer acerbic commentary during the hearing.

“I wish him good luck,” the president told reporters on Tuesday.

“He’s infuriated at a deep-gut, personal level that the elite media has tolerated [the Russia story] and praised Comey,” former House speaker Newt Gingrich said. “He’s not going to let some guy like that smear him without punching him as hard as he can.”

This account of Trump’s mind-set and the preparations of his team in the run-up to Comey’s testimony is based on interviews with 20 White House officials, Trump friends and other senior Republicans, many of whom spoke only on the condition of anonymity to offer candid perspectives.

The president’s lawyers and aides have been urging him to resist engaging, and they hope to keep him busy Thursday with other events meant to compete for his — and the news media’s — attention.

“The president’s going to have a very, very busy day,” White House press secretary Sean Spicer said. “I think his focus is going to be on pursuing the agenda and the priorities that he was elected to do.”

As of now, Trump’s Thursday morning — when Comey is scheduled to start testifying — is open. He plans to deliver a 12:30 p.m. speech at the Faith and Freedom Coalition’s conference in Washington, followed by a 3:30 p.m. meeting with governors and mayors on infrastructure projects.

Jay Sekulow, a high-profile conservative lawyer in Washington, has met several times recently with Trump and said he found the president to have his attention squarely on his proposals.

“He’s been very much in control and in command,” Sekulow said. “I don’t sense any siege or panic at all. . . . I’ve been there a lot, and I don’t see the president in any context distracted or flustered by any of this. I just don’t see it.”

But privately, Trump’s advisers said they are bracing for a worst-case scenario: that he ignores their advice and tweets his mind.

“He’s not going to take an attack by James Comey laying down,” said Roger Stone, a longtime Trump friend and former political adviser. “Trump is a fighter, he’s a brawler and he’s the best counterpuncher in American politics.”

The president increasingly has come to see Twitter as his preferred method of communicating with his supporters, no matter the pitfalls.

“The FAKE MSM is working so hard trying to get me not to use Social Media. They hate that I can get the honest and unfiltered message out,” Trump tweeted on Tuesday morning, making a reference to the “mainstream media.”

The West Wing, meanwhile, has taken on an atmosphere of legal uncertainty. White House counsel Donald F. McGahn has told staff to hold onto emails, documents and phone records, officials said, a move of caution designed to prepare the staff for future legal requests, should they come. McGahn has specifically advised staffers to avoid what are known as the “burn bags” in the executive branch that are often used to discard papers.

While people familiar with the White House counsel’s office described McGahn’s moves as appropriate steps because of the ongoing probes, they said many junior staffers are increasingly skittish and fearful of their communications eventually finding their way into the hands of investigators.

Some staffers nervous about their own personal liability are contemplating hiring lawyers and have become more rigorous about not putting things in text messages or emails that they would not want to be subpoenaed, one person familiar with the situation said.

Attempting to invoke executive privilege to restrict Comey’s testimony was never seriously considered by Trump or his legal team, said one senior White House official. But, this official added, the White House liked floating the possibility as a distraction.

In the weeks leading up to Comey’s testimony, the White House had privately tried to erect a war room that would handle the communications and legal strategies for responding to the Russia matter. Former Trump campaign aides Corey Lewandowski and David Bossie were in discussions to lead it.

But the plan was scuttled, as with so much else in Trump’s administration, because of internal disagreements, according to multiple officials. Arguments included whether the war room would be run from inside or outside the gates of 1600 Pennsylvania Ave.; who would staff it; whether they could be trusted by the president’s senior team, or even trust one another; and whether Marc Kasowitz, Trump’s outside counsel, would ultimately control the message.

Kasowitz, who has a long-standing relationship with Trump, has been operating as an island of sorts in Trump world. He has been meeting regularly with the president and has a nascent relationship with McGahn, but he has not widely shared his legal strategy within the West Wing, according to two officials involved.

Kasowitz, whose combative personality mirrors Trump’s, has not found it easy to entice other big-name lawyers with Washington experience to join the cause because many prominent attorneys are reluctant to have him giving them direction and wonder whether he will be able to keep Trump from stumbling, one official said.

In the absence of a war room — and with the departure of communications director Michael Dubke — planning for the White House’s response to the Comey hearing has fallen largely to Chief of Staff Reince Priebus and his lieutenants.

Trump’s team is preparing a campaign-style line of attack aimed at undercutting Comey’s reputation. They plan to portray him as a “showboat” and to bring up past controversies from his career, including his handling of the Hillary Clinton email investigation in 2016, according to people involved in the planning.

The Republican National Committee has lined up a roster of surrogates to appear on conservative news stations nationwide to defend Trump. But a list the RNC distributed on Tuesday could hardly be described as star-studded: The names include Bob Paduchik, an RNC co-chair who worked on Trump’s Ohio campaign; Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi (R); and Arkansas Attorney General Leslie Rutledge (R).

Trump so far has been unable to recruit reinforcements for his beleaguered senior staff. Conversations about former Trump campaign official David Urban possibly joining the White House have stalled, although he remains in contact with several Trump advisers, officials said.

The White House has long struggled with its communications team, with Trump both privately and publicly voicing displeasure with his current staff. Press secretary Sean Spicer has started appearing less frequently on camera, and Trump and several top advisers, including son-in-law Jared Kushner, are considering a range of options to revamp the current structure.

The White House recently approached Geoff Morrell — who served as the Pentagon press secretary for more than four years under former defense secretary Robert Gates — about coming inside the administration and overhauling the communications operation, according to three people with knowledge of the overture.

Morrell declined to comment, but BP announced last month that Morrell would be moving to London this summer to run government relations and communications for the company globally.

Scott Reed, senior political strategist at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, was also approached about taking a communications role within the White House, according to two people familiar with the outreach. Reed declined to comment.

In addition, Laura Ingraham, a conservative talk-radio host and Trump friend, discussed joining the White House but made clear to officials that she is more comfortable remaining outside as a vocal Trump ally because of her many broadcasting and media commitments, officials said.

Some Trump loyalists outside the White House who are preparing to go on television news shows Thursday to defend the president and undermine Comey’s testimony said they have been given no talking points, nor seen any evidence of a strategy taking shape. One such loyalist said external supporters are afraid to coordinate too closely with the White House because they fear they could be accused of obstructing justice.

Trump is personally reaching out to some allies on the Senate Intelligence Committee ahead of their questioning of Comey. He was scheduled to have dinner Tuesday night at the White House with Sens. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.) and Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), both committee members, along with a few other lawmakers. The dinner had been long scheduled for the president to offer a debrief on his foreign trip, a senior White House official said.

Inside the West Wing, senior officials and junior aides fear that the president’s erratic behavior could have sweeping legal and political consequences, and they are frustrated that he has not proved able to focus on his agenda — this was supposed to be “infrastructure week,” for instance. Many are also resigned to the idea that there is little they can do to moderate or thwart Trump’s moves, so instead they are focused on managing the fallout.

One Republican close to the White House summed up the staff’s mantra as: “Please, don’t, you’re not helping things.”

But Trump and his loyalists see a political advantage to the president personally engaging, however unseemly it may appear to traditionalists.

“He believes in the long run there is an enormous premium on being the person who stands there fighting,” said Gingrich, author of “Understanding Trump,” an upcoming book. “People respond to that and wonder if he’s fighting this hard, maybe he’s right and the other guys are wrong. It’s the core of how he operates.”

Alan Dershowitz, a Harvard Law School professor and criminal law expert whose television commentary on the Russia probe has caught the Trump team’s attention, said he understands why the president would be motivated to speak out to counter Comey’s testimony.

“Every lawyer would tell the president not to tweet, not to react,” Dershowitz said. “But he’s not listening. This is typical. I tell my clients all the time not to talk and they simply disregard it. It’d very hard to tell a very wealthy, very powerful man not to tweet. He thinks, ‘I tweeted my way to the presidency,’ and he’s determined to tweet.”

Haul out the popcorn and adult beverages.

[JenniferJuniper]

The freak can't even find a law firm to defend him.

Let that one sink in.  The President of the United States is going to have to call 1 800 DIAL LAW to speak to a friendly representative about his legal problem.  No decent firm will take him on because he won't do what they say.  And he won't pay them; he doesn't pay anyone.

This has to end.  If it doesn't end soon, the Republican party must be destroyed for the horrific things they are turning a blind eye to.  Killed deader than the Whigs and the Know-Nothing Party, never to be heard from again.