Trump 32: Pissing off the World, One Country at a Time

[GreyhoundFan]

 

[AmazonGrace]

So many people responding, "Same here"

[mamallama]

4 hours ago, CTRLZero said:

I knew the story about the woman who was imprisoned for cocaine dealing, but am always suspicious when someone like Jared Kushner is involved in prison reform.  Although in his case, he is probably a natural choice since many of his acquaintance are no doubt headed in that direction...

In any event, good on Kim Kardashian if she was there for a worthy cause.  I'll continue to doubt the motivations behind the likes of Kushner.

If I recall correctly his father did time, prosecuted by Chris Christie.

[GreyhoundFan]

"Trump’s lawyers say he’s above the law. They clearly don’t understand it."

Spoiler

As lawyers and watchdogs who have prosecuted and defended federal investigations of public officials for decades, we thought we had seen (and made) every argument. But the memorandum by President Trump’s lawyers that the New York Times published Saturday startled even us. We often have argued about whether a subject is innocent under the law — but never about whether a subject is above it entirely, as Trump’s lawyers contend.

The president’s lawyers first assert that he should not be subjected to an interview by special counsel Robert S. Mueller III because the documents in the case provide sufficient information by themselves. But that is at odds with the most basic principles of law enforcement. The potential case against Trump turns on his state of mind: whether the president corruptly intended to obstruct a pending or foreseeable proceeding. In every investigation where state of mind is an issue, speaking to those involved in the activities under investigation is critical to evaluating whether the actions in question were undertaken for an improper purpose. The letter does contain the lawyers’ arguments about what certain documents and events suggest about Trump’s state of mind. But that is a far cry from the president actually answering questions about what he intended when he took actions that appear to have been meant to interfere with a federal investigation of himself and those close to him. The president’s argument that he should be treated differently than every other person involved in a criminal investigation by the Department of Justice or any other federal law enforcement agency simply because he is the president is at odds with the bedrock principle in our system that no person is above the law.

There is no legal authority for this audacious position to sidestep presidential testimony, and the lawyers’ letter cites none. It points to a decision from the prosecution of Mike Espy, former agriculture secretary in the Clinton administration — but that case simply stands for the proposition that before the president is required to provide testimony or documents, it must be shown that the information sought is relevant, admissible in a proceeding and not readily available from another source. In Mueller’s investigation, of course, there is no better way to determine the president’s intent then to hear from the president himself. His lawyers’ argument devolves into nonsense when they contend that former FBI director James B. Comey is lying about his conversations with Trump, but that it is not necessary for Mueller to interview the only other witness to those conversations — Trump.

The next argument, via his lawyers, is that it is not possible for him to obstruct justice — even if he did seek to interfere with the investigation to protect himself, his family or his cronies. This has no basis in the law, either, as we have explained in a Brookings report. The claim that a president can order the end of an investigation “at any time and for any reason” ignores the fact that, even if a public official has the authority to take some action, the law still forbids it being done for an improper reason. That is why public officials are regularly prosecuted for taking bribes to pass laws or take action that would have otherwise been proper if not for the unlawful payment. Similarly, police officers, judges, lawyers and others have been convicted of obstructing justice for taking action that would have otherwise been lawful, but for the fact it was undertaken for an improper purpose — to interfere with a criminal investigation or proceeding. Presidents are no exception, which is why obstruction charges featured prominently in the Clinton and nascent Nixon impeachments.

The president’s attorneys turn next to a more typical legal claim: that he did not seek to interfere with a “proceeding” as required under the obstruction statutes, and therefore the statutes do not apply. But — like so much else in the lawyers’ letter — that begs the question of what the president actually knew and intended. While the president’s lawyers correctly argue that an FBI investigation alone generally does not constitute a proceeding for purposes of triggering obstruction liability, they ignore other statutory provisions that only require that a grand jury or other formal proceeding be reasonably foreseeable. In Trump’s case, it certainly was. And there was likely an ongoing grand jury investigation in the Eastern District of Virginia focused on Trump’s former national security adviser, Michael Flynn, at the time Trump discussed Flynn with Comey. Whether the president intended to influence a grand jury proceeding that he believed was foreseeable based on Flynn’s misstatements (or an existing grand jury investigation) can best be answered by the president himself. The same is true of the disputes the letter points to over what conclusions Trump drew about the likelihood of a proceeding based upon statements about Flynn by the acting attorney general, Sally Yates, and Flynn himself. Even if Trump doesn’t give complete and truthful answers, an interview will reveal much about what was on his mind.

The letter also attempts to explain away the president’s seeming admissions to NBC’s Lester Holt and, reportedly, to Russian officials visiting the Oval Office that firing Comey was intended to impede the Russia investigation. The lawyers seem to be saying that the president’s position is that he didn’t really mean what he said last year — which actually reinforces the arguments for a Trump interview or other testimony. It is difficult for any interviewee to persuade investigators to disregard the plain meaning of prior statements — but it is impossible if he does not even try.

The weakness of the president’s position is, finally, highlighted by his attorneys’ concluding attempt to discredit the investigation. That is done by making the extraordinary argument that his own Department of Justice and the FBI are corrupt. While many subjects of criminal investigations may harbor that view, the fact that the attorneys for our chief law enforcement officer — who oversees the executive branch, where the Justice Department and FBI reside — made that desperate claim in their letter is striking. The president is not only arguing that he is above the law, but also above the facts. That audacious move is unbecoming for our nation’s chief law enforcement officer, and neither Mueller nor Congress should let him get away with it.

 

[GreyhoundFan]

"His Majesty Czar Donald I claims imperium"

Spoiler

President Trump is a bald-faced liar who covered up collusion between his campaign and the Russians, tried to derail a federal investigation and claims to be above the law like some tin-pot dictator. This is not my assessment. It is what Trump and his attorneys proudly proclaim.

Don’t be distracted by Trump’s showmanship and buffoonery. Look instead at the essence of what he is trying to do: Save himself from possible impeachment by subverting the rule of law and enhancing tribalism at the expense of citizenship. In place of “E Pluribus Unum” he attempts to substitute a very different idea of the nation and what it stands for: “Just Win, Baby.”

A confidential Jan. 29 letter from Trump’s legal team to special counsel Robert S. Mueller III, first published Saturday by the New York Times, gives copious new evidence — as if more were needed — of the president’s utter shamelessness and his smirking contempt for the people he is sworn to represent.

Begin with a particularly egregious example of Trump’s lying. You will recall the now-famous June 2016 meeting at Trump Tower — organized by Donald Trump Jr. and attended by Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort and Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner — for the purpose of obtaining damaging information about Hillary Clinton from a Russian lawyer, Natalia Veselnitskaya, who has close ties to the Kremlin. This meeting was a clear act of “collusion” (which is not a legal term), but whether any laws were broken is up to Mueller.

When the meeting was revealed last summer, Trump Jr. issued a statement saying that “we primarily discussed a program about the adoption of Russian children” — a subject that reportedly did come up while Veselnitskaya was being pressed, vainly, for dirt on Clinton. A report by The Post that the president had “personally dictated” the deliberately misleading statement was flatly denied by White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders and one of Trump’s attorneys, Jay Sekulow.

But the newly disclosed letter to Mueller — signed by Sekulow and John M. Dowd, who was then another of Trump’s attorneys — admits that, indeed, “the President dictated” the bogus statement.

Ho-hum, just another of Trump’s lies — but stop for a minute and think about that. We have a president who lies constantly about matters big and small, a president whose word we can never trust. How can we accept that? How can democracy and constitutional order function in contempt, rather than reverence, of truth?

Trump is untroubled by this question because democracy and constitutional order, to the extent he understands them, do not seem to be what he has in mind. Rather, he claims imperium.

Trump’s lawyers argue in the letter that Trump could not have obstructed justice by firing FBI Director James B. Comey because “a President can fire an FBI Director at any time and for any reason,” and any impact on any pending investigation — the investigation into Russian election interference and the Trump campaign, say — “is simply an effect of the President’s lawful exercise of his constitutional power.”

Interviewed by NBC’s Lester Holt shortly after firing Comey, Trump said this: “I was going to fire Comey knowing there was no good time to do it. And in fact, when I decided to just do it, I said to myself — I said, you know, this Russia thing with Trump and Russia is a made-up story.” Around the same time, in a private meeting with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and another Russian diplomat, Trump reportedly called Comey a “nut job” and said that “great pressure because of Russia” had been “taken off” by the firing.

None of that matters, according to Trump and his lawyers. Nor does it matter whether Trump asked Comey to end his investigation of Trump’s former national security adviser, Michael Flynn — saying, according to Comey, that “I hope you can see your way clear to letting this go, to letting Flynn go.” Trump doesn’t admit saying that, according to the letter to Mueller; but even if he did, so what?

On Monday, following disclosure of the letter, Trump was defiant on Twitter: “As has been stated by numerous legal scholars, I have the absolute right to PARDON myself, but why would I do that when I have done nothing wrong?”

Pardon himself? Is he President Trump or His Majesty Czar Donald I?

Trump has flagrantly abused his power. The Constitution gives Congress the authority to constrain or remove him, but Republicans in both chambers refuse to act or even speak out. We the people must take our stand in November.

 

[47of74]

Man baby doesn’t want to see the Eagles if they won’t kiss his orange ass.

Fornicate him.

[JMarie]

1 hour ago, 47of74 said:

Man baby doesn’t want to see the Eagles if they won’t kiss his orange ass.
 

 

Fornicate him.

 

Way to go, Trump!  You shit all over the city where 82.19% of residents voted for Hillary (all of Philadelphia the city is all of Philadelphia the county).  Let's see how that affects Philadelphians heading to the voting booth in November.

https://philly.curbed.com/2016/11/10/13584502/trump-election-voter-map-philadelphia

Quote

In the end, Pennsylvania went red, though Philadelphia went overwhelming blue. Mayor Jim Kenney congratulated city residents for coming out in droves to vote—more than ever in recent history, he said.

Specifically, 82.19 percent of Philly voted for Hillary Clinton, while Trump drew just 15.45 percent of the votes.

 

[47of74]

1 hour ago, JMarie said:

Way to go, Trump!  You shit all over the city where 82.19% of residents voted for Hillary (all of Philadelphia the city is all of Philadelphia the county).  Let's see how that affects Philadelphians heading to the voting booth in November.

https://philly.curbed.com/2016/11/10/13584502/trump-election-voter-map-philadelphia

 

Something just occurred to me - how long until Fuck Face tries to get the owners to force the players to come grovel in front of him at the White House?  Knowing that orange fuck and his NFL fuck owner buddies that wouldn't surprise me if he tried that. 

 

[candygirl200413]

My suburban Philly self is excited for this to happen (#flyeaglesfly). They never kneeled but of course gaslighting and not fitting his narrative.

The title is trash but the article:

Trump disinvites Philadelphia Eagles from White House visit, citing national anthem dispute

Quote

President Trump disinvited the Philadelphia Eagles late Monday from a planned White House celebration of the team’s Super Bowl championship, opening a new salvo in his culture war over National Football League players standing for the national anthem.

Less than 24 hours before the players were expected to arrive in the Rose Garden, Trump said he would appear with only the team’s fans and the United States Marine Band and Army Chorus, and the anthem would be played “loudly and proudly.” 

The decision came after some Eagles players said they would skip the ceremony to protest the president and his rhetoric. In recent seasons, a number of NFL players — starting with former San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick — have elected to take a knee during the playing of the national anthem to protest police brutality. Trump has repeatedly attacked those players, turning the controversy into a political cudgel that he sees as beneficial to his standing with supporters.

 “They disagree with their President because he insists that they proudly stand for the National Anthem, hand on heart, in honor of the great men and women of our military and the people of our country,” Trump said in a statement, issued by the press secretary. 

A spokesman for the NFL did not respond to a request for comment. While the Philadelphia franchise had several players who vocally supported the protests, no Eagles were among those who knelt during the National Anthem last season.

The team put out a statement Monday night on Twitter saying, “It has been in­cred­ibly thrilling to celebrate our first Super Bowl Championship. Watching the entire Eagles community come together has been an inspiration. ”

A senior administration official said the Eagles promised to have about 70 people there last week. By Monday, the team said only 10 to 12 people might come, this person said, creating a meager celebration. Trump deemed the smaller crowd unsatisfactory, aides said.(Dropped below 10!)

The president plans a “very patriotic” celebration, this person said, and will highlight why it is important to stand for the national anthem to the Eagles fans. 

Kellyanne Conway, the presidential counselor and a die-hard Eagles fan, was helping to plan the event, according to two White House officials.

The president has repeatedly raised the national anthem issue after a raucous rally last fall during which he called for owners to fire “son of a bitch” players who don’t stand for the song before kickoff. Administration officials said Trump was surprised by the cacophonous and continuing cheers and became convinced that making players stand for the anthem — and repeatedly railing about the issue on Twitter — is a political winner. He watched the league’s approval ratings drop — particularly among his supporters — and frequently quizzed senior administration officials in the Oval Office about his ongoing feud Polls consistently showed much of the country disagreed with the protests; 53 percent told The Washington Post in a poll last fall it was “never appropriate” to kneel.

“He’s fired!” Trump yelled at the September rally in Alabama, where he was ostensibly endorsing later vanquished Senate candidate Luther Strange. 

 

When some players continued to kneel during the anthem, Trump told White House officials they should punish the NFL as part of a GOP-tax plan, according to White House and Hill aides. Some aides even began researching how to punish the lucrative league, and ideas trickled over to Capitol Hill.

A White House spokeswoman declined to comment. Another White House official noted that Trump’s ideas were never implemented and described his orders more as venting. 

Vice President Pence flew across the country to an Indianapolis Colts games only to leave minutes after entering the stadium when the players knelt. It was largely seen as a publicity stunt but earned the vice president credence from his boss.

In turn, locker room and board rooms have faced uncomfortable conversations. Many athletes, Democratic politicians, black activists and fans urged the league to take on Trump and back the players. At the first, the NFL stood by kneeling players and said they had a right to protest. 

The NFL said last month that players on the field for the national anthem would have to stand; those not interested in standing for the patriotic tune could stay in the locker room, in a move widely seen as a capitulation to Trump to stem bad publicity and fears of declining attendance.

“He’s 100 percent beaten the NFL into submission,” said Sam Nunberg, a former Trump aide. “It’s quite a smart move for him because he opens the White House to the fans while making it about the national anthem.” 

Trump critics say the decision by African American football players to skip a White House visit makes sense given the president’s history of racially charged positions, including frequently questioning the birth certificate of President Obama, his campaign rhetoric on Muslims and immigrants, his handling of deadly protests in Charlottesville to his labeling African countries as “shithole countries” and saying he preferred Norwegian immigrants over Haitians during an Oval Office meeting in January.

“It shouldn’t be hard to understand why black players might not want to go to the house and shake the hand of or hang out with someone who made excuses for white supremacists in Charlottesville and has attacked their teammates,” said Rashad Robinson, executive director of Color of Change, an online civil rights group which has supported the protesting NFL players.

Last year, the president also rescinded an invitation to the National Basketball Association’s Golden State Warriors, whose players were split on attending. 

Trump grew angry in April 2017 when Tom Brady said he planned to skip the White House visit with the Patriots, huddling angrily with aides and even calling Patriots owner Robert Kraft. One former senior administration official described a chaotic scene unfolding over the heartlands of America, as Trump flew back from an event in Wisconsin. Trump made a number of calls and asked aides to help fix the situation, worried that Brady’s absence would reflect poorly on him.

Brady later said he skipped the event to be with his ailing mother, while another half-dozen Patriots skipped to protest Trump. 

Eventually, Trump was calmed down, and the Patriots came to the White House. 

Honestly any time that wins should just stop planning to go to the white house. I'm just really proud of my team!

[formergothardite]

Am I understanding it correctly that the real reason it was canceled is because almost no players were going to come and Trump didn't want that sort of public humiliation?

[AmazonGrace]

 

[Audrey2]

I am sure that it won't happen, but my fantasy is that the next president goes back and invites each of these championship teams to the White House, and they go for him or her. I wouldn't want to go to Trump's White House either!

[candygirl200413]

@formergothardite It was going to end up being 4 of the captains to be like a team representative and the mascot I think from our local Philly paper found that out!

[onekidanddone]

13 minutes ago, candygirl200413 said:

@formergothardite It was going to end up being 4 of the captains to be like a team representative and the mascot I think from our local Philly paper found that out!

Didn't some real life eagle attack him? He might be thinking real actual birds are going to descend upon him. 

I'm not a football person by any means, but YAY. 

[47of74]

CNN wasn't sure what that thing fuck face was going to do today was going to look like.

Quote

It is still unclear what the patriotic celebration will look like Tuesday afternoon, even to White House officials, but Trump was insistent on holding an event. It could very well likely end up being just dozens of staffers, a source noted.

Hey, CNN, here's a hint...

[AmazonGrace]

 

[Cartmann99]

I have a favor to ask. There's an Australian television series on Trump that I would like to watch. When I click on the link,  I get sent to Google Play to download their app to watch the show, and I'm getting the "Bless your heart, you live in the wrong damn country to download this app" error message. I'd be extremely grateful if someone who can watch it would summarize it for me. 

 

[formergothardite]

Quote

must sit for a seven-hour deposition

He is going to throw a tantrum. I bet he is screaming at his lawyers right now to make it all go away. 

[47of74]

9 minutes ago, formergothardite said:

He is going to throw a tantrum. I bet he is screaming at his lawyers right now to make it all go away. 

That probably explains why he wants to have his Nazi/Klan Rally Celebration of the National Anthem today and why he's being such a fuck lately.

[formergothardite]

Trump can't pay attention for five seconds, seven hours will drive him into insanity and he will start saying whatever he thinks will get him out of their faster. His lawyers are probably dreading this more than he is. 

[Alisamer]

Ugh, a (distant) friend of mine is in the Army chorus, and he'll have to go sing at whatever sort of mess that turns out to be. I don't know his politics, but I do know he is a good person trying to raise his family while following his dream of singing for a living, and also serving his country. He's been singing through the past 2 administrations, and I'm sure will keep plugging on, but it's really got to suck having to perform in front of that orange windbag. Trump disrespects this country far more than someone taking a knee during the anthem at a sports event ever could. 

[JMarie]

http://www.philly.com/philly/news/trump-eagles-fans-white-house-visit-jason-kelce-20180605.html

A sixth reason: in Pennsylvania you can straight ticket vote, meaning you can select "all Republican" or "all Deomcrat" instead of choosing someone for each individual race.  Stunts like this will make more people vote all Democrat, instead of possibly mixing in a Republican or two.  Also, the New Jersey primary is today, and a lot of Eagles fans live in south Jersey.

[AmazonGrace]

 

[Destiny]

Someone needs to take twitter away from the Orange Menace. He has been tweeting all morning and most of the afternoon!

I can't help but notice that he's trying hard to get Nancy Pelosi voted out. I have no idea how likely that is, but it has historically not gone well for him when he endorses a candidate. He's also stumping hard for a Republican for California governor. Not bloody likely (I hope!).

[Rachel333]