Nick Penzenstadler and Steve Reilly of USA Today have a piece that will be seen in nearly every hotel, including Trump’s, in the entire country. It details the eleventy-billion ways that Donald Trump is made vulnerable by Robert Mueller’s investigation into his business practices.
It’s interesting to realize that Mueller could be perusing Trump’s personal and corporate tax returns right now, as well as Trump Corporation’s emails, without the president even being aware of it. I guess I had envisioned that Trump would be tipped off that Mueller was heading in that direction, but it appears that it can all be done through judges’ orders and without the need to go to Trump’s lawyers and accountants.
Knowing how Trump has run his businesses in the past, I know for a fact that he doesn’t dot his i’s or cross his t’s, so he must be losing his mind at the idea that the FBI is under his hood peaking around. He must be thinking “I’m the most powerful man in the world and I can’t even send my pitbull lawyers after my adversary!”
I think he’s basically in panic-mode at this point, and there might even be a small part of him who is worried about others beside himself. Like his children.
His desperation to get Mueller dismissed is obvious, as is his sense of urgency. But, so far, all he’s done is build an obstruction of justice case against himself and tip off Congress so they can block him from making any moves. He can’t do anything but fume as the wheels of justice churn closer and closer.
If he saw a way out, he wouldn’t be acting this way. But how long will we have to wait to see what is in store for the president?
Congress blocking him from doing anything is dependent on Congress actually doing something.
I do not believe the GOP-controlled congress will hesitate for a minute to actually let Trump get away with it.
Oh, they’ll huff and they’ll puff and Lindsey Graham will stamp his foot and threaten to hold his breath, but in the end they want this whole investigation to go away as much as Trump does, so they can get on with looting the country.
The Senate is broken, the House GOP majority more closely resembles the chaotic nest of velociraptors from “Jurassic Park” than a governing body.
You ask:
Not long, I’m thinking.
One way or another, someone is going to make a move. The wheels are coming off in the White House. Either we get some kind of real prosecution from Mueller et al, Trump pulls a fast war out of his pocket or he makes some sort of deal and then resigns.
Two, maybe three news cycles?
No longer.
AG
P.S. But…UH OH!!! Congress recesses all of August. Unless they make a move to stay the recess, Trump gets some breathing room. Plenty of time to start a war, at the very least.
Venezuela looks like a likely candidate for a war. Upcoming election, a government presented as illegitimate in US media and a militant opposition. Though in Latin America the US generally prefers financial support for right wing militias, not outright invasion. Then again, Trump does not appear to like doing anything discreet, so maybe he will brag about it on Twitter.
And let’s remember that war is the one thing the media applauds Trump doing. It’s so presidential.
The ‘coup’ installed president (with US support) in Brazil now enjoys a 94% disapproval rating. In real time after the failed coup in Venezuela, I appreciated that Bush/Cheney were too occupied with their ME wars to pay any attention to Central/South America.
What actions did the US take to support this soft “coup” in Brazil?
Do your own research and form your own conclusions.
Congress/WH/State Dept silence or statements that they have no objection to a coup tends to be a clue.
One reason that in real time US support works through the private sector. ITT in Chile. Speaking of which, from ’73 until Colin Powell let it slip decades later, whenever I mention US support for the Chilean coup, the response was often like yours here. One can either correctly piece together the bits and pieces, including the long history of US participation in overthrowing foreign governments (“Overthrow” is a good primary) or remain blind or in denial.
It’s your claim, onus is on you to provide the requested evidence in support of it.
“Do your own research [blah blah blah]” is a quite pathetic dodge.
Come on. People here make unqualified statements of opinion and conclusions here everyday without any onus to prove it. ie the Hillary landslide win and Russiagate.
This is my conclusion from following various reports as the ‘coup’ developed. And I’m not about to put in a couple of hours pulling up all that material to satisfy someone’s challenge. Particularly for those that have in the past rejected facts that I take the time to collect and present.
Fails.
. . . [unequivocally stated as fact with total certitude, no hedging, no caveats] . . . “
= the circumstance making the request for evidence perfectly reasonable and putting the onus on you to be responsive to it.
I gave you the opportunity to discuss in good faith but then you went and proved that a fool’s errand.
Diplomatic “silence” is now your standard for proof that the US supported a coup in Brazil.
If you had mentioned Chile, Iran, Guatemala, or any one of long list of proven cases then I would have taken zero issue with it. But, you had to go and use an example for which you have absolutely nothing other than your belief that it must be true.
Oh, you demand and I’m supposed to jump? Screw that. I’ve provided three good references in this thread for those that are curious “Overthrow,” “The Devil’s Chessboard,” and “Confessions of an Economic Hitman.” Will add “The Shock Doctrine.” People have to read books to grasp the complexity and the wide net of the USG. What have you contributed to this discussion other attacking me for not condensing and spoon-feeding a huge volume of information (far in excess of the works I’ve cited) to you? OTOH, when I’m curious I do my own research and reading and don’t demand it from others.
.
You were asked one simple question. No one made demands of you or attacked you. No one down-rated your posts or called you names.
You then made multiple off-topic posts to deflect from the fact that you couldn’t answer the question.
As always, you are simply incapable of admitting when you are wrong.
People will die an agonizing slow and painful death if they ever have to admit they were incorrect even slightly.
So its totally unreasonable to ask for clarification that takes the ambiguity away that provides shelter, so dodging questions and throwing out red herrings is a totally valid device if thats the way to make it any less obvious.
Oh, shit, almost a two sentence post, thank god i didnt make that mistake, or i would be toast.
Recapping:
marie3:
ishmael2’s perfectly reasonable question in response to that unsupported claim — unequivocally stated with total certitude as fact, with no hedging, no caveats:
Now your latest failed dodge is to pretend you were asked for help or evidence “to grasp the complexity and the wide net of the USG”, instead of the quite simple, specific, reasonable, and completely warranted question that you were, in fact, asked.
And, as I now see marduk has documented upthread by quoting it, the one piece of documentary evidence you finally deigned to provide that is actually relevant to your claim . . .
. . . in fact rebuts it.
If your goal in entering this thread was to obliterate whatever tattered remnants of credibility you might still have retained around here, then heckuvajob, marie.
It’s always 2002 in Venezuela, it’s always 1973 in Chile. Maduro sending cops to knock heads? Well they’re cops, from the left, so they’re good. Everything in the world that happens is because of US imperialism.
Pretty short list you’re using there bub.
Nor does the list include the corrupt governments the US has propped up before and during attempts by the people to kick the bums out: ie. the Philippines and South Africa are two biggies off the top of my head.
Go cite some more Hersh falsehoods and deny war crimes some more before you continue to trash other people’s view of facts on the ground — conflicts where you’re consistently standing with the State over the people.
Which reminds me:
Hersh? Didn’t take that list from Hersh and all of them have been well documented.
Not in real time of course which is as major factor that you seem unaware of.
I was addressing your kneejerk comment that “it’s always, x, y, or z” for some people. Those that consciously lived through many of those events — that observed how the truth slowly emerged from a starting point of total denial of US participated to well yeah, sure but it was long ago.
Some of us have learned how to smell a US rat in foreign events because we’ve seen it many times. We object to this behavior on the part of the USG because it’s harmful to us and the world. Those that want to rule the world think it’s great, but if we’re so great, how come we don’t have affordable universal healthcare?
Here’s the point: “the left” as defined by you are the ones who are “knee jerking” about everything when it comes to understanding the world. Everything that is happening around the world — including now in your list Libya, which was undergoing a revolution and fragmenting into civil war — is because of US government imposed “imperialism”.
This mindsight leads to unseemly places, including now defending Maduro and the Venezuelan government (but there was a coup in 2002!) and Assad with the Syrian “government”. To the point that you deny evidence right in your fucking face when it comes to war crimes and gassing. To believing insane nonsense stories from Hersh over international investigative bodies. Someone who is taken in by bullshit like that while simultaneously lecturing other people when they ask for your evidence? Yeah, beyond laughable.
Actual footage of the Victoria Nuland in the Ukraine:
It’s amazing the omnipotent and omnipresent national security establishment hasn’t aimed their orbital mind control lasers at the truly woke people like marie3 yet. I assume it takes time to repurpose them after turning the Brazilian people against their wonderful president.
SOON.
So fucking good:
Just this morning:
Phone calls, dismissal threats: Venezuela pressures state workers to vote
Things can be true at the same time: Venezuela was democratic and had free and fair elections, but under the pressures of a failing economy it is no longer the case.
But that’s all happening because of US imperialism, you see.
A lot of these are valid, but Russia in 1993? Seriously?
I keep hearing lefties make these kinds of comments about Brazil or Honduras and then all always add a little side-note that the US supported it.
There’s usually very little detail included but people are just supposed to skip over it and presume it’s true simply because the US has supported coups in the past.
Honduras is clear. Brazil is still too recent for the facts — what entities were involved, etc. — to be collected. And some of it always remains below the radar (ref — “Confessions of an Economic Hit Man”)
A review of Honduras and a summary so far on Brazil: A US Hand in Brazil’s Coup?
Another good primer is David Talbot’s “The Devil’s Chessboard.” Much in it that is surprising even those that lived through much of this.
Man, I LOVE it when you do your parody posts pretending to be a republican, with the perfect attitude of grievance and victim hood to pull it off.
Keep it up! It’s very entertaining!
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Your link specifically denies that there is any evidence whatsoever of US involvement in Dilma’s impeachment, you lying hack.
* hahahahahahahaha derrrrrrp
The other day I commented here that Trump was too stupid to be in panic mode. But you know what? Though he IS extremely stupid, I guess there’s a limit to everything. I’m starting to think you’re right, he is in panic mode.
Looks to me as if all he’s done is told Mueller which holes to dig. Trump freaked when Mueller extended the investigation into his financial dealings but learning this week that Mueller can get his tax returns without any approval or awareness from him has him panicked.
Stephen Colbert and Trevor Noah did a good job covering these current events, and viewing both segments back-to-back puts it all out there.
The Hill – Scaramucci’s wife files for divorce
I find it hard to believe anyone could live with that guy.
He may not have been as bad before he came under the Trump spell. Mooch need not worry — Trump knows lots of beautifool, first class women who love men like him — he’ll have his pick of the hordes beating a path to his door.
Those are great segments. And now Priebus is gone.
Good to see that they’re finally hitting their stride with the nincompoop and his flunkies in the WH. Shouldn’t be too difficult for them to maintain this standard.
We often watch both those guys and my son never misses Colbert.or Oliver.
Heads roll
http://talkingpointsmemo.com/livewire/john-kelly-white-house-chief-of-staff
Kelly would replace White House chief of staff Reince Priebus.
Announced the hiring of Kelly and firing of Priebus in tweets. TBD is that was Priebus’ first and only notice.
i saw a report that Priebus says he resigned yesterday.
“Best thing for him, really. His
therapyjob was going nowhere”He wants a general, eh?
We are militarying up, aren’t we.
Sounds more and more like war.
Which tail will wag which dog, I wonder.
AG
An interesting time to make this move, too. End of the day on a Friday; news coverage is generally down on the weekends and Monday is the beginning of Congressional recess.
Hmmmmm…
And North Korea just fired another ICBM.
HMMMMMmmm…!!!
Stay tuned.
May we all be born(e) into interesting times!!!
Watch.
AG
Friday news dump has been in practice by Presidents for the past sixteen years. As such, nothing odd about the timing.
Moving Kelly from DHS to the WH means that Trump now has to come up with someone for DHS that can be confirmed. It’s getting close to two months since he fired Comey and no names for his replacement have surfaced.
You’re excited and intrigued, Arthur.
I don’t think he’s wrong that things are about to get interesting. There are rumblings that Trump is looking to end the Iran deal. Anything’s on the table after that.
“Interesting” is not an adjective I would choose for all this shit.
The war Trump wants to wage is the one against his secret enemies inside the White House and all levels of the Federal Bureaucracy. He’s hired this Gen. to crack heads, fire people and generally install a reign of terror inside Washington so that all leaks and dissent can be crushed.
Unfortunately for Trump he doesn’t really have the power to do that. A lot smarter Presidents than Trump have railed against leaks. Leaking is how Washington works. Trump is no more going to eradicate leaks than the DC police are going to eliminate prostitution.
All he’s accomplishing by his descent into paranoia and madness is to make everybody afraid and distrustful. And angry. And fearful people start keeping files on everything. And angry people leak.
The last President to go to war with his own government was Richard Nixon who pissed off the FBI after installing his own henchman L. Patrick Gray as it’s head. The result was FBI Deputy Director Mark Felt becoming Deep Throat and that, as they say, was that.
“…If he saw a way out, he wouldn’t be acting this way….”
He does see a way out and he is taking it. Collate the other day’s speech about immigrants and today’s speech to police. Throw in the transgender tweets Brownback appointment for a little extra salt. Expect a rapid escalation of explicit incitement.
Yup.
Aggressive as always.
His timing looks pretty good, too. (See my comments above.)
AG
Don’t start imagining that I am comfortable with you agreeing with me…
😉
I never gave it a thought.
Why would I?
As I have said elsewhere here recently, I just say what i honestly think. I don’t really worry much one way or another about who does or doesn’t agree with me or to whom I might be speaking.
That’s pretty much the way i am in real life as well. Diplomacy is highly overrated.
AG
Trump’s plan is simple. Step 1. Humiliate Sessions until he resigns. Then, Step 2, use a recess appointment to replace him with someone who won’t recuse himself. Step 3, have this new Attorney General fire Muller, thus shutting down the investigation.
He will pay a terrible political price for doing this of course. If he were really concerned about the legal consequences, he should just pre-emptively pardon everybody. That would be an admission of guilt, but firing Muller would be an even bigger admission of guilt. Of course he can’t be indicted while in office, and even afterwards no Democrat is going to want to put former President Trump in jail. Republicans would do that to Hillary, but Democrats never will.
So, he just flips everybody off and rides into the sunset – probably with several $billion in illegal influence peddling deals.
He won’t do that because it would be humiliating. Not because he’s in real legal jeopardy.
It’ll be interesting to see how Kelly, Mattis and others get along with Trump’s Mini Me, The Mooch.
Good news, as far as I am concerned. Although I have to admit that I am nervous about how much collateral damage there will be, when the Trump edifice comes crashing down.
Trump ‘s basic theory of interaction with anyone (whether he can articulate it or not) is to get inside their OODA loop. Fundamentally that’s what high pressure sales is all about. Get the mark off balance, uncomfortable until they just capitulate out of mental weakness. Unsurprisingly, those tactics don’t lead to repeat business.
If the interaction is in-person it starts with his obnoxious handshake. And moves on to asking for loyalty. If it’s virtual it starts with his twitter nonsense.
Trump is panicked because he couldn’t get inside Comey’s OODA loop and he knows he won’t be any more successful with Mueller.
And since Mueller doesn’t need to assert his dominance in public, in person, or thru some juvenile test of wills, Trump is desperately trying to engage him, assert his dominance, and then fire him. He realizes that his game has virtually no chance of working with forensic accountants with access to every bit of his records without his knowledge or permission. Sever the head the body will die.
But that strategy assumes a mark weaker than him.
A good lawyer would be reminding him that the last two presidents Vice Presidents that seriously messed with the FBI and/or CIA did not do well. Nixon/Agnew and Bush/Cheney. In the latter case people forget that Libby and Rove would both have been convicted of perjury except that Rove’s gold bar lawyer found the weak link at Time who exposed Rove’s defense strategy as worthless.
I don’t think the Trump crew can match wits with Nixon/Cheney/Rove never mind best Mueller’s corruption fighting brigade.