WTF Community

Day 447

General Discussion
#1

Updated 4/11/2018 9:16 AM PDT

1/ Trump tweets that "smart" missiles "will be coming" toward Syria in response to a chemical attack, taunting Russia to "get ready." Russia's ambassador to Lebanon said any U.S. missiles fired at Syria would be shot down and the launch sites targeted. Trump also condemned Moscow's backing of Bashar al-Assad, saying: "You shouldn't be partners with a Gas Killing Animal who kills his people and enjoys it!" In a pair of subsequent tweets, Trump said relations between the U.S. and Russia are "worse now than it has ever been" and the "Fake and Corrupt Russia Investigation," Democrats, and everybody that worked for Obama are to blame. (New York Times / Washington Post)

This is a companion discussion topic for the original entry at https://whatthefuckjusthappenedtoday.com/2018/04/11/day-447/
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Comey's book and his reveals
#2

Comey has said Trump acts like a mob boss – and Trump did indeed act like one when he installed a U.S. Attorney who he thought would protect him from prosecution in NYC. Fortunately, that “play” is not working out for him. Trump has placed our democracy in peril by trying to subvert the independence of the judicial branch and make it nothing more than another department within the executive branch.

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#3

Another “wow moment” in the investigation.

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#4

With Comey’s book “A Highter Loyalty” coming out on 4/17/18 we are going to be hearing a lot more from him. Yes, I believe T does act like a mob boss, requiring loyalty, ignoring laws and acting with an imperious attitude.

And more bits of evidence will be coming out as well, including the Dana Boente’s corroborating notes of Comey’s interview with T, when T asked for Comey to back off the Russian investigation (Maddow’s show 4.10.18 presented these notes). Dana Boente was the former Justice Dept official, and fired by T now at the FBI.

Don’t know who might have released these notes…somebody’s lawyer perhaps?

And we are also seeing the full weight of the FBI coming at T, because T has been acting like a mob boss and firing them at will.

Axios article
In an ABC promo, Stephanopoulos says Comey compared Trump to a mob boss.

According to the source:

ABC: Comey compares Trump to mob boss

A source present at the taping says James Comey’s interview with ABC’s George Stephanopoulos, airing Sunday at 10 p.m. as a “20/20” special, is “going to shock the president and his team.”

The Comey interview left people in the room stunned — he told George things that he’s never said before.
Some described the experience as surreal. The question will be how to fit it all into a one-hour show.
Comey answered every question.
If anyone wonders if Comey will go there, he goes there.

What’s next: Comey’s book, “A Higher Loyalty,” is out next Tuesday. He taped the interview Monday at his Washington-area home.

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#5

WOW. I can’t wait to see this interview.

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#6

Scrolling down through the list, it’s remarkable to see how many red discs roll by and how few blue.

If you want to see a political wave forming a year before an election, watch the retirements.

They’re often a leading indicator for which direction a party is headed, and so far, 2018 is shaping up ominously for Republicans, who will be defending twice as many open seats this fall as Democrats. By far the biggest and most consequential retirement announcement came on Wednesday, as Speaker Paul Ryan told his colleagues he would not seek reelection to his House seat this fall.

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#7

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saw this on twitter and can’t find the source (still trying to track it down). but… illustrative!

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#8

Ryan leaving means he ‘knows’ the republicans are going down. He could never take the humiliation fron his party losing and thus having to hand the gavel to the dems!

#9

Meuller unleashed. Comedy’s no-holds-bar interview. Nothing on the agenda in congress.
Most of you know the story of Peter Pan. In it, of course, is Captain Hook. This character is a liar, a dispicable person, with a following that will do anything to please the boss. BUT Hook is afraid of one thing, the tic-tic of the coming of the crocodile.
Trump had better look at his watch because his time is up!

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#10

Bannon suggests firing Rosenstein, repealing the previous testimonies…it’s completely crazy time with Bannon back in the mix.

One thing for sure…T is in a big STEW.

"Trump remains furious with the Mueller probe, which on Wednesday he blasted on Twitter as “never ending and corrupt.” He has also considered firing Rosenstein, whom he has criticized for approving surveillance applications of former Trump campaign adviser Carter Page, which extended a warrant that partly relied on information that was funded in a roundabout way by Hillary Clinton’s 2016 presidential campaign.

Bannon and his allies sense that Trump simply needs a nudge to fire Rosenstein, according to the people familiar with Bannon’s discussions. They said Trump has recently told friends and aides that he is willing to engage in political warfare in the coming months to stop his presidency from being consumed by the investigation."

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#11

What…NY post, a rapid T supporter comes down on The Donald. Yup, they see it too.

Editorial
President Trump made no sense Wednesday when he blamed strained US-Russian ties on special counsel Robert Mueller’s Russia probe.

“Much of the bad blood with Russia is caused by the Fake & Corrupt Russia Investigation,” Trump tweeted, after earlier declaring that America’s relationship with Russia is worse than ever.

Yes, Washington and Moscow are at odds on several fronts. But, sorry, Mr. President: That has nothing to do with Mueller.

Fact is, Vladimir Putin has been increasingly hostile ever since moving on Georgia, Crimea and Eastern Ukraine. He aims to subvert European and US political systems, including through cyberattacks. His minions recently poisoned a former British spy and his daughter on UK soil. He and Syrian butcher Bashar al-Assad work together bombing hospitals and gassing civilians.

Not interested in this "serious new sanctions last week against Putin’s inner circle and dozens of diplomats expelled after the UK poisoning attack.

But Trump’s words Wednesday made it seem like Mueller, not Putin, is at fault. Investigators have found no collusion, he tweeted, so “they go crazy!” — referring to the raid of his private attorney’s records.

The whole “collusion” case may be utter junk; and certainly Democratic operatives wish to undermine Trump. But the Kremlin isn’t angry about the inquiry — it’s thrilled by the turmoil Russian meddling caused.

Trump also tweeted off-base after Russia vowed to shoot down US missiles aimed at Syria in response to its recent chemical attack: “Get ready Russia, because [missiles] will be coming.”

Huh? Trump spent years chiding Obama for “broadcasting when we are going to attack Syria.” The Twitterverse erupted with quotes of his 2013 question: “Why can’t we just be quiet and . . . catch them by surprise?”

Please, Mr. President: Think before you tweet."

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#12

This is so incendiary…and it is a tweet from Jon Favreau (former Obama speechwriter, Crooked Media) regarding Newt Gingrich’s comments on Fox

@jonfavs
This is so dangerous, and Gingrich knows better. What an awful person.

https://t.co/azJyVhnWAL

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#13

One more tweet from Laurence Tribe (Harvard Law Professor)

@tribelaw
Anyone advising Trump he has power to remove Mueller better read In re Hennen (1839), reaff’d by CJ Taft (1926) and CJ Roberts (2010), holding that POTUS cannot personally remove an officer appointed by a member of his Cabinet unless an Act of Congress greenlights such removal.

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#15

The New Yorker uncovers another case of hush money paid by Trump’s friend, David Pecker, to protect Trump’s reputation during his campaign.

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#16

Very comprehensive chart, @Keaton_James especially with the interactive functions.

Found another one dated Jan 2018 from Washington Post, with an eye towards how the seats are being emptied and the many reasons why and where they fall on the ideological scale. (R’s fleeing due to D wave, retirement, moving on to higher office, scandal…etc)

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#17

Yes, Pruitt positively lied when he said he didn’t know about the huge pay raises awarded to two of his close staffers.

This article also mentions that Pruitt directed his staff to book flights with one particular airline so he could maximize his personal frequent flier miles. Things may have changed today, but when my brother worked for the government a couple decades ago, he was absolutely forbidden to earn personal miles from travel paid for by the government. That was (is?) an excellent rule because if perks are accumulated via travel paid for by the government, that basically amounts to a “legitimized kickback” – in other words, the airline is “paying” the government employee to direct taxpayers’ dollars to their company. Businesses often turn a blind eye to the issue of rewards points, but government should not. The only criteria for selecting an airline for government travel should be issues such as price, time savings, etc. If a traveler/government employee is considering how much they will profit from the flight then they are not spending our tax dollars wisely.

And BTW, where is Paul Ryan, “Mr. Fiscal Responsibility,” on this scandal? All questions of influence peddling aside, you’d think he’d call out Pruitt for wasting taxpayers’ dollars on exorbitant raises, luxury travel, etc. Maybe he has done so, but I can’t find any mention of it – if he has spoken out, he must not have been very vocal. If anyone finds a quotation from him regarding Pruitt, please share!

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#18

thanks for tracking that down

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#19

@dragonfly9 Very interesting graphs! They give an insight into the kinds of analyses that strategists in both parties must be commissioning as we ramp up to campaign season. I imagine the national committees will be using graphs like this to help decide where they should deploy their resources. Cool “wonky” stuff!

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#21

These graphs are sort of moving targets that the strategists will run their numbers against. You are so right @Keaton_James. They feel sort of old fashioned in that they target where on the left to right spectrum candidates fall, without the added layer of immersive, psycho-graphic, FB/Cambridge Analytica data which now presents it’s ugly head.

But the typical fall off for the ruling party’s mid term election is in effect here. But we did not expect a mass exodus - 42 R’s out now, whereas it was 17 D’s out in Obama’s midterms (per Maddow). Ryan is skipping out on his own major anticipated defeat…he’s a piece of work.

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#22

If only the Trump administration spent as much time trying actually running the country as they do trying to smear others.

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