board77

aninkling wrote:

A Democratic president faced impeachment for having sex outside his marriage

Well, to be fair, he faced impeachment for lying about it under oath.

You're right - I'd forgotten.

Though, given the number of lies and the forgetfulness about Russian contacts from various members of this administration, lying about having had an affair seems almost quaint.


To be fair, here's Trump's entire tweet, which doesn't seem a complete admission of guilt:

Quote:

As President I wanted to share with Russia (at an openly scheduled W.H. meeting) which I have the absolute right to do, facts pertaining....
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 16, 2017

...to terrorism and airline flight safety. Humanitarian reasons, plus I want Russia to greatly step up their fight against ISIS & terrorism.
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 16, 2017

Not that even a blank denial would mean much from the person who claimed his inauguration crowds were bigger than during Obama's first inauguration, despite clear photo evidence to the contrary.



btw,if you want to see how Trump's supporters feel about Trump firing Comey, see below;
http://thehill.com/blogs/pundits-blog/t ... eys-firing

The gist of it seems to be: we don't know that Trump did anything wrong [apparently, because we haven't heard anything yet from the investigations].... thus, he clearly didn't do anything wrong.... oh, and btw, he has the legal right to fire the FBI director at any time, so he was right to do so in the middle of an active investigation.

Hell, by this reasoning, we might as well shut down all ongoing court cases because "they haven't proven anything yet." And let each person charged choose his or her own prosecuting attorney.

Edit: Edited a typo - I can't spell today. Probably because I'm so fed up with the GOP leadership. I didn't even have the courage to check the latest on The Hill at lunch.

Technically, the President does have the right to declassify anything. The disclosure could cause our allies to stop sharing intel with us to protect their sources, ultimately leading to the loss of American lives, but it is not illegal if the President does it.

Yes, and the Post article does point that out.

But that's a technicality that could be used to justify Trump openly sharing every single US secret with the Russians, North Korea, Iran and everyone else. Despite what his supporters say (and I know you're not one of them), that doesn't mitigate the seriousness of what he did.

That the entire GOP isn't up in arms, pending full confirmation of this report, is insane.

Nah, just hypocritical.

Eta:
"White House reaction cycle
1 - It never happened
2 - POTUS tweet
3 - It happened; NBD
4 - Nobody cares but you
5 - No more questions on this"
Brad Heath, of USA Today

You forgot the bit about Trump yelling at his staffers because they can't keep their stories straight.



Poor world. You're about to get hit with Trump. Good luck.
https://foreignpolicy.com/2017/05/15/na ... -brussels/

Quote:

NATO is scrambling to tailor its upcoming meeting to avoid taxing President Donald Trump’s notoriously short attention span. The alliance is telling heads of state to limit talks to two to four minutes at a time during the discussion, several sources inside NATO and former senior U.S. officials tell Foreign Policy. And the alliance scrapped plans to publish the traditional full post-meeting statement meant to crystallize NATO’s latest strategic stance.

Given recent events, it seems NATO had better lock up its classified information, too.

yovargas wrote:

Quote:

Why Americans deserve the politicians we get: blind loyalty to party, and a refusal to think for yourself.

IMO, this is the #1 threat to the continued success of our democracy.

Even The Biggest Scandals Can’t Kill Party Loyalty

That's an interesting historical analysis.

Though there might be one difference with Trump, which stats alone don't reveal: he's not the usual insider politician. His obvious lies, emphasis on personal loyalty to him, constant missteps, grandiose plans (like the insistence on a physical wall, which practically everyone else realizes is nonsense), refusal to accept advice from career administration personnel, appointment of family members to positions better filled by people with experience, combativeness with allies, praise of autocrats (Erdogan, Putin) etc. are drawing attention away from the Republican agenda.

And they have Pence, who looks like he would promote a very conservative agenda, without the circus and worries about what he will do next.

Plus opinion polls that are increasingly shifting toward people wanting a special prosecutor for the Russia investigations. I think there was one where even Republicans want that now.


There are signs that some Republicans might be starting to get fed up. More news about Trump today:
http://thehill.com/homenews/house/33375 ... with-trump

Quote:

Daily dramas from the White House are increasingly frustrating Republicans on Capitol Hill and threatening to derail the party’s agenda heading into the midterm elections.

...Even as Republican lawmakers dealt with the latest deluge of questions about Trump’s intelligence disclosures, a new bombshell dropped: Trump reportedly sought to get former FBI Director James Comey to end an investigation into former national security adviser Michael Flynn, who was fired after he misled Vice President Pence and other White House officials over his conversations with Russian officials.

Israel is also NOT HAPPY.
http://thehill.com/homenews/administrat ... ump-report

Quote:

Israeli intelligence officers are “boiling mad and demanding answers” after President Trump reportedly shared classified information from Israel with Russia, according to a new report.

Which pretty much destroys McMaster's defense of Trump, i.e., he didn't do anything wrong.




Argh. And there's more:
http://thehill.com/homenews/administrat ... -reporters

Quote:

President Trump reportedly told now-ousted FBI Director James Comey to consider jailing reporters who publish leaked classified information, according to The New York Times.

One of Comey's associates told the newspaper that the conversation occurred shortly after a joint meeting on Feb. 14 that included Vice President Pence and Attorney General Jeff Sessions

I'm a puzzled by the continued support of Republican lawmakers. What have they got to lose? They will have Pence, who is even more amenable to promoting their agenda than Trump, without the daily distractions...

Ah.

They might be trying to play the balancing act of avoiding the ire of diehard Trump supporters vs. alienating the people who detest Trump. Waiting until things look as dire as possible, then capitulating to "the will of the people."

Though I wouldn't be half surprised if there were discussions going on behind the scenes, between top Republicans and Trump. It seems possible that they're looking for a way to get him out without him losing face. I've never really thought that Trump wanted to govern; he just likes winning and power.


Meanwhile, the chorus of criticism is getting louder:

http://thehill.com/homenews/administrat ... -amendment

Quote:

Conservative columnist Ross Douthat on Tuesday argued President Trump should be removed under the 25th Amendment — rather than impeachment.

In his New York Times column, Douthat says that the 25th Amendment, which permits the Cabinet to remove the commander in chief if a majority tells Congress he cannot perform his presidential duties, is a “more appropriate” method for “this strange situation than impeachment.”

... Another conservative columnist on Wednesday had a slightly different opinion, arguing that Douthat’s 25th amendment tact would cause a “psychic shock” for America.

Charles Cooke wrote in National Review Online that while he agrees with much of Douthat’s descriptions of Trump’s conduct as president, “a legalized coup” would cause “discord the likes of which we have not seen in a while.”

When Fox starts to express reservations about Trump, it might be the beginning of the end. Might be wishful thinking, of course.
http://thehill.com/blogs/blog-briefing- ... fter-comey

Quote:

Fox News host Bret Baier shared Tuesday there weren't "any Republicans willing to go on camera" in the wake of a New York Times story that reported President Trump had asked former FBI Director James Comey to end an investigation of former National Security Adviser Michael Flynn.

Regular panelist Charles Krauthammer found it "stunning" Republicans wouldn't defend the president. ... “We don’t see any Republicans on camera,” he continued. “And that is totally understandable. They’ve just watched over the last ten days, people who went out on a limb on the Comey firing, and said it was the result of the memo from the deputy Attorney General, and had they’re limb sawed off by Donald Trump himself without a flinch."

In the meantime,
http://thehill.com/policy/energy-enviro ... les-office

Quote:

President Trump is considering a 70 percent cut to the Department of Energy’s (DOE) renewable energy office, Axios reported on Wednesday.

...The office conducts research, development, grants and more aimed at developing and deploying energy efficiency and renewable technology.

... Axios also reported that the Trump administration wants a 31 percent cut to DOE’s nuclear energy office and 54 percent less going to its fossil fuel office.

Quote:

Why Americans deserve the politicians we get

If this is true, we deserved Obama as well. IMO, Obama was better than Americans deserved, and Trump is worse. But the winner-take-all system means we oscillate between extremes instead of settling around some sort of average.

I agree that we seem to oscillate between extremes, at least in political ideology. Though I'm not sure Obama was better than Americans deserved. I mostly liked him well enough,* and certainly more than some we've had.
But was he a great president? I don't know.
Personally, I'd prefer Angela Merkel.

*While disagreeing with him on a number of things, like the expansion of the drone killings, the continued strong influence of lobbyists and corporate interests, the influence of the health insurance lobby when crafting Obamacare, the inability to close Guantanamo, the attempt to open the Atlantic Ocean to oil drilling ...


More news.

Erdogan's bodyguards seem to have attacked protesters during the meeting between Trump and Erdogan. One person is in critical condition after the brawls that resulted:
http://www.newsweek.com/turkish-preside ... -dc-610662

Quote:

Footage has emerged of a mass brawl outside the Turkish embassy in Washington during which men believed to be Recep Tayyip Erdogan's bodyguards are seen attacking protesters just hours after the Turkish president’s meeting with Donald Trump.

The brawl ensued as Erodgan’s security detail and pro-Erdogan supporters confronted Kurdish and Armenian demonstrators. A video—posted by Voice of America—showed punches and kicks being thrown by both parties as the fight spills onto the grass outside the embassy.

One man holding a megaphone is shown being kicked in the face by a man in a dark suit. U.S. police officers are seen attempting to separate the two parties.

Report of the meeting itself (sounds fairly routine):
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/wor ... use-chaos/

Quote:

Ahead of the Turkish leader's visit to the White House, some observers saw potential for a showdown between frenemies, while others suggested it was an opportunity for a dramatic reset. Trump, after all, was the only Western leader to congratulate Erdogan after his camp won a razor-thin — if suspect — victory on a constitutional referendum in April. But with Trump engulfed in the backlash from his latest spectacular unforced error, neither outcome occurred.

http://thehill.com/blogs/blog-briefing- ... afort-home

Quote:

Federal investigators are intensifying their probe of President Trump's former campaign chairman Paul Manafort, issuing subpoenas for records related to the $3.5 million mortgage he took out on his home in the Hamptons, NBC News reported Wednesday.

Manafort never filed the mortgage document disclosing how he would pay back the loan, NBC reported, citing a source close to the matter. He also never paid taxes on the loan, amounting to as much as $36,000.

... Manafort took out the loan through a shell company, and neither his name nor his signature appear on any of the publicly available mortgage paperwork. The shell company, Summerbreeze LLC, was created on August 19 — the day that Manafort resigned from the Trump campaign.

http://thehill.com/policy/healthcare/33 ... l-research

Quote:

Lawmakers are making clear that they have no intention of carrying out President Trump’s proposal to decrease funding for the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the nation’s medical research agency.

http://thehill.com/homenews/administrat ... -bombshell

Quote:

The White House has remained virtually silent in the wake of a bombshell report that President Trump pressured then-FBI Director James Comey in February to drop his probe of Michael Flynn, Trump's former national security adviser.

Aside from an unsigned statement Tuesday night denying The New York Times report, no officials have spoken publicly about the allegations, which have shaken the White House to its foundation.

White House press secretary Sean Spicer did not take questions from reporters aboard Air Force One Wednesday morning, as scheduled.

Gingrich supports Trump, blames the media for Trump's problems:
http://thehill.com/homenews/news/333741 ... y-us-media

Quote:

Former Speaker Newt Gingrich (R-Ga.) claimed Tuesday that “the damage the news media is doing to the United States is despicable" while calling to shutter the White House press briefing room.

“I am personally offended by the American news media,” Gingrich told Politico. “I think it is destructive and disgusting. It is a danger to the country right now.”

Gingrich reiterated his call for President Trump to “close down the White House press briefing room” and let “the American people” question White House press secretary Sean Spicer.

Edit, more news:
http://thehill.com/homenews/administrat ... rump-hotel

Quote:

A state-run Russian bank financed an asset sale in 2010 involving President Trump's partner in a Toronto hotel, The Wall Street Journal reported Wednesday. Trump's partner, Russian-Canadian developer Alexander Schnaider, pumped money into Trump's Toronto hotel after selling his company's share in a Ukrainian steelmaker. The Russian bank Vnesheconombank (VEB) provided the money for the sale, according to the Journal — a transaction worth about $850 million.

...A Trump Organization spokesman told the Journal that the company did not have any financial dealings with VEB, and Trump himself has repeatedly denied having any ties or dealings with Russia.

Frelga wrote:

I'm a puzzled by the continued support of Republican lawmakers. What have they got to lose?

As long as Trump remains popular with the base, what they've got to lose is that base.

Where's it gonna go?

To whoever stays loyal to Trumpism.

Special prosecutor appointed to investigate Russian ties:
http://thehill.com/blogs/floor-action/s ... for-russia

Quote:

Lawmakers are quickly backing the decision to name former FBI Director Robert Mueller as a special prosecutor for the probe into Russia's meddling into the 2016 election.

The administration was under growing pressure to name a special prosecutor in the wake of President Trump's decision to fire James Comey, with Democrats increasingly demanding the move over the last week.

A growing number of House Republicans have backed the issue amid allegations that Trump tried to quash a probe into former national security advisor Michael Flynn.

http://thehill.com/blogs/blog-briefing- ... eks-before

Quote:

President Trump's transition team was told ahead of his inauguration that former national security adviser Michael Flynn was under investigation for working as a lobbyist for Turkey during Trump's campaign, The New York Times reported late Wednesday.

It seems a bit strange that Trump himself has not issued a strong condemnation of the attacks on anti-Erdogan protesters. At a moment when he's under siege, it would appear to be any easy way to make himself look better. I can't imagine Obama not saying anything.
http://thehill.com/homenews/administrat ... p-headache

Quote:

The attack allegedly perpetrated by bodyguards and other supporters of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan came under fierce criticism from Washington, D.C., police and local officials, who described it as a violent attack on peaceful demonstrators.

GOP senators have also condemned the attack as an assault on U.S. democratic principles.

...The State Department took more than a day to respond to the event, eventually responding with a statement saying only that State is “concerned by the violent incidents involving protestors and Turkish security personnel.”

“Violence is never an appropriate response to free speech, and we support the rights of people everywhere to free expression and peaceful protest,” State spokeswoman Heather Nauert said.

“We are communicating our concern to the Turkish government in the strongest possible terms.”

And White House press secretary Sean Spicer declined to comment on the footage or on whether Trump had seen it when asked Wednesday on an Air Force One gaggle, instead referring reporters to the State Department’s statement.

Odd. Wouldn't the administration have had cybersecurity experts in, the minute Trump started using these properties to conduct official business? Or is this a side issue, and the administration uses separate, more secure channels?
http://thehill.com/policy/cybersecurity ... mar-a-lago

Quote:

Wireless networks at Trump properties — including his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida, where he regularly spends weekends — sport weak internet security that could leave them vulnerable to hackers, according to a new report by ProPublica and Gizmodo.

The two news outlets found the vulnerabilities when they attempted to access Wi-Fi networks at Mar-a-Lago, Trump National Golf Club in New Jersey, Trump International Hotel in Washington, D.C., and Trump National Golf Club in Virginia.

http://thehill.com/policy/national-secu ... s-subpoena

Quote:

Former national security advisor Michael Flynn is not cooperating with the Senate Intelligence Committee's investigation into Russian election interference, Chairman Richard Burr (R-N.C.) said Thursday.

Burr initially said Flynn was not complying with a subpoena issued by the committee before quickly walking back his remarks to reporters.

While Flynn "is not cooperating" so far, Burr said, he hasn't gotten a "definitive" answer from Flynn's lawyers.

"I may have been premature," Burr said. "There may be a day or two left."

http://thehill.com/homenews/administrat ... ans-report

Quote:

Advisers to President Trump's campaign reportedly had at least 18 undisclosed contacts with Russian officials and those with ties to Moscow.

Reuters reported that former national security adviser Michael Flynn, along with other advisers to Trump, had contact with Russians in at least 18 calls or emails during the last seven months of Trump's 2016 presidential campaign.

Of the 18 undisclosed contacts, six were phone calls between Russia's ambassador to the U.S., Sergey Kislyak, and advisers to Trump, Reuters reported, citing current and former officials.

http://thehill.com/homenews/news/334041 ... ton-report

Quote:

U.S. spies reportedly heard a Russian military intelligence officer bragging about his organization planning to target Hillary Clinton in May 2016.

The officer told a colleague that GRU would cause havoc in America’s presidential election, Time reported Thursday.

The officer reportedly described the intelligence agency’s effort as retribution for what Russian President Vladimir Putin considered Clinton’s influence campaign against him while serving as secretary of State.

http://thehill.com/homenews/administrat ... ato-speech

Quote:

White House senior adviser Stephen Miller, an outspoken skeptic of the United States' participation in the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, will write President Trump's upcoming address to NATO

Miller, a longtime Trump aide, has been tasked with writing of Trump's high-profile speeches during his trip abroad.

http://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/33 ... sing-surge

Quote:

President Trump's reelection campaign said it saw a fundraising surge Wednesday amid a series of damaging stories about investigations into Russian election interference and Russian links to Trump. The campaign said it raised $314,000, its highest single-day total since Election Day.

The surge came the same day a special counsel was named to probe his campaign’s alleged ties to Russia's election meddling, as well as a report that Trump’s team knew Michael Flynn had been under investigation for ties to foreign actors before Flynn became national security adviser.

...Trump’s campaign sent a fundraising email to supporters Wednesday blaming the media and political opponents. The email was headlined “Sabotage” and it accused the "fake news media of working hand-in-hand with the Washington's corrupt bureaucracy to try and slow and block our America First agenda."

I'd be willing to bet quite a lot of money that there won't be a second term for Trump.


http://thehill.com/policy/finance/33405 ... iate-nafta

Quote:

U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer notified Congress on Thursday that President Trump intends to renegotiate the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA).

Whether that's a good bet would depend on how much damage is done to the ability of the US voters to cast their votes and have them count.

OTOH, the fundraising total means nothing when Trump is surrounded by people for whom it's pocket change.

Well, I'm also willing to bet that votes will count in the next election just as they have in others.

Do you really think that the money is coming in from wealthy donors? I assumed it's less educated voters he's parting from their money, with conspiracy theory emails like that.



Things seem to be turning quite serious:
http://thehill.com/policy/national-secu ... estigation

Quote:

Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein dropped two bombshells during a hotly-anticipated appearance before the Senate on Thursday, less than 24 hours after he announced the appointment of a special prosecutor in the FBI’s investigation into Russian election meddling.

According to lawmakers, Rosenstein confirmed that the bureau’s investigation into Russian interference in the election is no longer strictly a counterintelligence investigation — a kind of probe that does not normally result in charges — but also a criminal one.

He also said he was aware President Trump intended to fire Comey prior to penning a memo that the White House later used as its justification for the dismissal.

What looks like an overreaction to another reporter's questions:
http://thehill.com/homenews/news/334164 ... cc-hearing

Quote:

Security guards reportedly “manhandled” an award-winning reporter after he asked Federal Communications Commission officials questions at a public hearing Thursday, according to a National Press Club statement.

John Donnelly, a journalist at CQ Roll Call, was removed from the scheduled press conference by security after he attempted to ask the commissioners questions before they arrived at the podium.

....The security at the monthly open meeting was unusually high as the FCC voted on the high profile issue of net neutrality.

“[W]e apologized to Mr. Donnelly more than once and let him know that the FCC was on heightened alert today based on several threats,” a spokesman for the FCC said in an email Thursday.

I also saw this tonight, about potential fallout for Pence.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the ... y-problem/

Quote:

There are more than a few people who look at Vice President Pence and see President Pence — possibly sooner than later. For wistful Democrats, it would be the end result of President Trump stepping aside or being impeached; for wistful Republicans, some dream of a more serious, less error-prone Republican president actually succeeding at passing a conservative agenda.

But as The Post's Abby Phillip began documenting last week, Pence has hardly been immune from Trump's foibles and from saying untrue things about them. And now twice in the past week, his defenses of the White House he serves in have been pretty directly contradicted in ways that seriously call into question his credibility.

btw, best title I've seen lately. He's probably not the only one.
http://thehill.com/homenews/administrat ... ump-report

Quote:

Comey once tried to blend in with WH curtains to avoid Trump: report

http://thehill.com/homenews/administrat ... ial-report

Quote:

Investigators in the federal probe of possible ties between President Trump’s campaign and Russia now consider a current White House official a "significant person of interest," according to a new report.

...Investigators reportedly are keenly interested in people who previously had power in Trump’s campaign and administration but are now absent.