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| Porn Users Forum » WHY DOESN'T POTUS ARREST BILL CLINTON, HILARY CLINTON, AND OBAMA? |
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| 04-25-18 10:54pm - 2390 days | #501 | |
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lk2fireone (0)
Active User  Posts: 3,618 Registered: Nov 14, '08 Location: CA |
POLITICS 8 hours ago Trump attorney Michael Cohen says he'll plead the Fifth in Stormy Daniels civil case By Elizabeth Zwirz | Fox News President Trump's longtime personal attorney Michael Cohen says he will assert his Fifth Amendment rights in lawsuit filed against him by Stormy Daniels; Catherine Herridge reports. Michael Cohen, the personal attorney for President Trump, has said he will plead the Fifth in a lawsuit with adult-film star Stormy Daniels due to an ongoing criminal investigation in New York, according to court documents. The formal declaration was filed Wednesday in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California. In it, Cohen noted the April 9 FBI raid on his home, office and hotel room, during which he said the agency seized “various electronic devices and documents in my possession, which contain information relating to the $130,000 payment to Plaintiff Stephanie Clifford at the center of this case, and my communications with counsel, Brent Blakely, relating to this action.” He continued to say that “based upon the advice of counsel” he would be pleading the Fifth “in connection with all proceedings in this case due to the ongoing criminal investigation by the FBI and U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York.” MICHAEL COHEN RAID RATTLES TRUMP ALLIES: DID FEDS SEIZE PRESIDENT’S COMMUNICATIONS Cohen asked a judge to delay the civil case 90 days following the FBI raid. Federal prosecutors in New York said they are investigating Cohen's personal business dealings. This comes as attorneys for the president informed a federal judge on Wednesday that Trump would “make himself available, as needed” to look over materials seized in the FBI raid to ensure the protection of privileged information, ABC News reported. Daniels, whose legal name is Stephanie Clifford and is referenced by Cohen in the filing, has claimed that she had a one-time sexual encounter with the president in 2006 and was paid $130,000 by Cohen in the days before the 2016 presidential election as part of a nondisclosure agreement she has sought to invalidate in order to speak freely. FBI RAID TARGETS TRUMP ATTORNEY MICHAEL COHEN, UNDER SCRUTINY OVER STORMY DANIELS PAYMENTS Trump has denied the allegations. Daniels has offered to return the $130,000 and argues the agreement is legally invalid because it was signed by her and Cohen, not by Trump. Daniel’s attorney Michael Avenatti tweeted that Cohen’s filing was “a stunning development.” “Never before in our nation’s history has the attorney for the sitting President invoked the 5th Amend in connection with issues surrounding the President,” Avenatti said. “It is esp. stunning seeing as MC served as the 'fixer' for Mr. Trump for over 10 yrs.” “And yes, my record of prediction stays intact,” he continued. “We will keep shooting until we miss.” Fox News Jodie Curtis, Brooke Singman and The Associated Press contributed to this report. | |
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| 04-26-18 08:05am - 2390 days | #502 | |
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lk2fireone (0)
Active User Posts: 3,618 Registered: Nov 14, '08 Location: CA |
Not just the world, but the entire Universe is imploding. Trump never heard of any payment made to Stormy Daniels by Michael Cohen, one of Trump's many lawyers. But now, it seems, that Trump is saying that Cohen represented Trump in the crazy Stormy Daniels payment. "Crazy", because Trump never heard of Stormy Daniels? "Crazy", because that's a lot of money to give to a porn star? "Crazy", because Trump did not receive $130,000 worth of services from Stormy Daniels? Enquiring minds want to know. And to see if there are any videos of the Trump-Stormy Daniels sex tape. And to see the "pee tape" people keep talking about. This is a matter of public interest. The public has the right to see if prostitutes peed on the future president, or how they peed. Or maybe Trump did the manly thing, and peed on the prostitutes. We want to see the tapes, preferably in UHD (Ultra High Definition). ------ ------ Trump says Cohen represented him in "Stormy Daniels deal" Associated Press Catherine Lucey, Associated Press,Associated Press 52 minutes ago FILE - In this April 16, 2018, file photo, Michael Cohen, President Donald Trump's personal attorney, center, leaves federal court, in New York. A New York judge wants more information from prosecutors and lawyers for President Donald Trump and personal attorney Cohen to help speedily analyze materials seized from Cohen. U.S. District Judge Kimba Wood set a hearing for Thursday, April 26. (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer, File) WASHINGTON (AP) -- President Donald Trump said Thursday that his personal attorney Michael Cohen represented him "with this crazy Stormy Daniels deal," after previously denying any knowledge of a payment Cohen made to the porn actress alleging an affair with Trump. Trump spoke by phone Thursday to "Fox & Friends." He told reporters weeks ago that he had no knowledge of a $130,000 payment Cohen made to Daniels before the 2016 election in exchange for her silence about an alleged sexual tryst with Trump in 2006. Arguing that Cohen was one of his "many attorneys," Trump said: "He represents me like with this crazy Stormy Daniels deal," and added, "From what I see, he did absolutely nothing wrong. There were no campaign funds going in." The telephone connection seemed to cut out for a few seconds after Trump mentioned Daniels. Cohen is under federal criminal investigation in New York into his personal business dealings. Trump said he has been told he was not involved. Daniels' attorney Michael Avenatti responded Thursday: "Mr. Trump and Mr. Cohen previously represented to the American people that Mr. Cohen acted on his own and Mr. Trump knew nothing about the agreement with my client, the $130k payment, etc. As I predicted, that has now been shown to be completely false." Avenatti told the AP on Thursday, "This is going to add considerable momentum to our effort to depose the president and place him under oath in an effort to discover which version of the facts is accurate." Cohen on Wednesday said he would assert his constitutional right against self-incrimination in a civil case brought by Daniels, who is seeking to invalidate the confidentiality agreement. Cohen has been asking a federal judge in Los Angeles to delay Daniels' case after FBI agents raided his home and office earlier this month. Daniels, whose real name is Stephanie Clifford, is also suing Cohen, alleging defamation. In a court filing on Wednesday, Cohen said that FBI agents had seized "various electronic devices and documents in my possession" which contain information about the payment to Daniels. Agents also seized communications with his lawyer, Brent Blakely, about the civil case, Cohen said. Daniels has offered to return the $130,000 and argues the agreement is legally invalid because it was only signed by her and Cohen, not by Trump. Reuters Trump says hands-off approach to Justice Dept. could change: Fox News interview Reuters Reuters 1 hour 30 minutes ago | |
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| 04-26-18 08:32am - 2389 days | #503 | |
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lk2fireone (0)
Active User Posts: 3,618 Registered: Nov 14, '08 Location: CA |
Fake news: President Donald Trump is deeply disappointed in the Justice Department. The Justice Department is a complete disgrace, and brings down the respect that Donald Trump has earned for his strength, honesty, and living the great American life story of a poor boy who rose to greatness by his pussy-grabbing style. The only fair solution would be for Trump to fire the entire Justice Department employees, including the secretaries and filing clerks and janitors and the entire taint-smeared disloyal traitors, and install his own personal picks, who will remain loyal to Trump the Godfather for Life of the United States of America. And if Congress refuses to confirm Trump's picks for the Justice Department, Trump should throw Congress in jail, for treason to the President, our Glorious Leader for Life (and beyond life, since his daughter Ivanka will continue her father's winning ways--with less pussy-grabbing, because she is a married woman with kids). ------------ ------------ Reuters Trump says hands-off approach to Justice Dept. could change: Fox News interview Reuters Reuters 1 hour 30 minutes ago FILE PHOTO: U.S. President Donald Trump toasts French President Emmanuel Macron (not pictured) during a State Dinner at the White House in Washington, U.S. April 24, 2018. REUTERS/Carlos Barria WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Donald Trump said on Thursday the hands-off approach he has taken to the U.S. Justice Department given the probe into possible collusion between his campaign and Russia could change, comments that could re-ignite concerns he might move to impede the investigation. "Because of the fact that they have this witch hunt going on with people in the Justice Department that shouldn't be there, they have a witch hunt against the president of the United States going on, I've taken the position - and I don't have to take this position and maybe I'll change - that I will not be involved with the Justice Department," Trump said in an interview with Fox News Channel. In the interview, Trump railed at former Federal Bureau of Investigation Director James Comey for what he said were illegal leaks of classified information, and suggested the Justice Department should be pursuing charges against him. Comey has said he never leaked any classified information. "I am very disappointed in my Justice Department," Trump said. "I may change my mind at some point, because what's going on is a disgrace. It's an absolute disgrace." Trump has frequently criticized Attorney General Jeff Sessions for his decision to recuse himself from matters relating to the Russia probe, and has blasted both Special Counsel Robert Mueller, who is leading the investigation, and Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein, who oversees it. Many Democrats have expressed concern that Trump may try to remove either Rosenstein or Mueller. Trump has denied there was any collusion between his campaign and Russia - and he did so again on Thursday - and Russia has denied interfering in the U.S. election, as U.S. intelligence agencies have charged. (Reporting by Tim Ahmann and Susan Heavey; Editing by Chizu Nomiyama and Andrea Ricci) | |
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| 04-26-18 09:23am - 2389 days | #504 | |
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lk2fireone (0)
Active User Posts: 3,618 Registered: Nov 14, '08 Location: CA |
Politics Trump had a revealing meltdown on 'Fox & Friends' this morning Ken Tucker 2 hours 57 minutes ago President Trump called in to Fox & Friends on Thursday morning. Hosts Steve Doocy, Ainsley Earhardt, and Brian Kilmeade were prepared for a cozy chat, a reassuring pep talk. What they got was a half hour of pure Trump meltdown mode, as the president said “no collusion” a half dozen times, railed against James Comey, and referred to “this crazy Stormy Daniels deal.” What began with all smiles ended with three grim-faced Fox News hosts trying to get a word in edgewise, as Trump, his voice raised and hoarse, blared past any questions they were asking. It was a tough morning for the president. The news broke just before Trump went on Fox that his nominee to run the Veterans Administration, Dr. Ronny Jackson, has dropped out of consideration. “These are all false accusations,” Trump said about allegations of drunken behavior and worse regarding Jackson. Again and again, over the course of 30 minutes, Trump went on long, loopy, repetitive riffs about how “fake” and “phony” everything is: the Jackson allegations, Comey’s memos, Stormy Daniels’s assertions, the Robert Mueller investigation. The hosts kept trying to bring up Kanye West’s pro-Trump tweets, but all they got were warmed-over campaign lines about how “black unemployment is at the lowest” and how the Republican party is better for African-Americans: “If you go back to the Civil War, it was the Republicans who did the thing.” In Trump-speak, “Did the thing” = “freed the slaves.” Toward the end, Trump tipped his hand. Asked by Doocy to grade his performance in office, Trump veered off, saying, “I’m fighting a battle … a phony battle … it’s a cloud over my head.” He seemed to be referring to the Mueller probe. “The message now is, ‘It’s a fix.’ I’ve been able to message it.” This is a crucial statement. This is how Trump — and his media handmaiden Fox News — views things. Figure out how you want to interpret facts, twist things to your liking, and then repeat it over and over and over again, thereby “messaging it.” The current message is, “It’s a fix.” What’s fixed? Everything: Mueller, Dr. Jackson’s nomination, the investigation of Trump lawyer Michael Cohen, Stormy Daniels. Listening to Trump this morning was like hearing a week’s worth of Hannity episodes crunched into a half hour. All the same conspiracy theories and twisted logic. For the Fox audience, it works like a charm. It’s what put Trump in office. By the end, Trump, who could not be controlled in any coherent way for the previous 30 minutes, suddenly became friendly and precise. “Ainsley, good luck with your book!” he called out to Earhardt, who’s just published a memoir. Your president of the United States: Useless on articulating policy, great at promotion. Fox & Friends airs weekdays at 6 a.m. on Fox News. | |
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| 04-26-18 09:40am - 2389 days | #505 | |
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lk2fireone (0)
Active User Posts: 3,618 Registered: Nov 14, '08 Location: CA |
President Trump strengthens his defenses. Michael Cohen, the lawyer who says he has President Trump as a client, represents Trump in only a tiny, tiny part of Trump's affairs. (Get the joke: affairs. Ha-ha-ha.) --------- --------- Politics President Trump distances himself from personal attorney Michael Cohen, says the lawyer handled only 'a tiny, tiny fraction' of his legal work President Trump says his longtime personal lawyer, Michael Cohen, handled only a "tiny, tiny fraction" of his overall legal work. Cohen "is really a businessman" who "also practices law," Trump says, apparently referring to Cohen's ownership of several taxicab medallions. Cohen is under federal investigation related to several matters, including work he says he did for Trump. Christina Wilkie | Brian Schwartz Published 3 Hours Ago Updated 34 Mins Ago CNBC.com Donald Trump Kevin Lamarque | Reuters Donald Trump President Donald Trump on Thursday sought to distance himself from his longtime personal lawyer, Michael Cohen, telling Fox News hosts that Cohen handled only a "tiny, tiny fraction" of his "overall legal work." Cohen, who has served as Trump's lawyer for more than a decade, is under federal investigation related to a 2016 payment he made to adult film actress Stormy Daniels, among other matters. Cohen has said he did it on Trump's behalf but without Trump's knowledge. "Michael is in business, he is really a businessman, a fairly big business, as I understand it," Trump said on "Fox and Friends." "I don't know his business, but [the investigation] doesn't have to do with me." Cohen "also practices law," Trump said, but "I would say probably the big thing is his business, and they're looking into something having to do with his business." Trump added that Cohen handles only "a tiny, tiny little fraction" of the president's "overall legal work" but "represents me on some things ... like with this crazy Stormy Daniels deal." "I've been told I'm not involved" in the investigation, Trump said. "From what I understand, they're looking at his businesses." Federal agents raided Cohen's home, office and hotel room earlier this month, where they seized documents relevant to the investigation. Cohen's lawyers immediately pressed to let Cohen, and potentially Trump himself review the seized documents and remove any covered by attorney-client privilege before the government is permitted to comb through them. Trump's latest comments appeared to undermine the argument being made by Cohen lawyers, who say their client was Trump's personal attorney first and foremost, and therefore, practically everything Cohen did was protected by attorney-client privilege. Following the Trump interview, CNBC spoke briefly to Cohen. At first, Cohen said he would need to call back. Moments later, he added, "I'm on the other line with my lawyers," before hanging up the phone. Christina WilkiePolitical Reporter for CNBC.com Brian SchwartzPolitics and Finance Reporter for CNBC.com | |
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| 04-26-18 12:26pm - 2389 days | #506 | |
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lk2fireone (0)
Active User Posts: 3,618 Registered: Nov 14, '08 Location: CA |
Fake news: The President of the US is an expert on the law. He hardly needs any lawyers, because of his profound knowledge of the law and how it works. That is why he only uses Michael Cohen for only a tiny, tiny part of Trump's legal work. And prosecutors have welcomed Trump's statement. They regard what the President says as the simple truth. Therefore, the documents they seized in the raid on Cohen's properties are probably not protected by attorney-client privilege, since Trump is hardly a client of Cohen. Will the judge also rule that Trump is not a client of Cohen? Or will the judge have a different opinion, that sometimes Trump does not tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth? "These critical decisions concerning a sacred privilege are not for a team of prosecutors to make,” Trump attorney Joanna Hendon wrote in a court filing last week. Does that mean that Trump is not only President, but also a preacher, minister, or God, that Trump's actions, letters, emails, twitters, etc. are sacred utterings of our God-like President. So Trump has not only civil rights and responsibilities, but religious rights and responsibilities, as well. Hail Trump, God-like President for Life of the United States of America. ------- ------- Prosecutors seize on President Trump's comments about Cohen on 'Fox & Friends' By Aaron Katersky, James Hill Pete Madden Apr 26, 2018, 12:04 PM ET Prosecutors have seized on comments made by President Donald Trump on Fox News on Thursday morning that could undermine his argument that records seized in the FBI’s recent raids of his personal lawyer Michael Cohen’s properties should be subject to attorney-client privilege. In a phone interview with Fox & Friends ahead of Cohen’s appearance in federal court in New York, Trump distanced himself from Cohen’s legal woes, saying his longtime attorney and confidant handles only a “tiny, tiny little fraction” of his legal work. “I don't know his business, but this doesn't have to do with me,” Trump said of Cohen. “Michael is a businessman. He has got a business. He also practices law. I would say probably the big thing is his business, and they're looking something having to do with his business. I have nothing to do with his business, I can tell you.” President Donald Trump called in to speak with the hosts of "Fox & Friends," April 26, 2018. It didn’t take long for federal prosecutors to take note. In a letter to Judge Kimba Wood filed to the court on Thursday morning, prosecutors suggested Trump may have damaged his own argument with his comments to the cable network. “President Trump reportedly said on cable television this morning that Cohen performs ‘a tiny, tiny little fraction’ of his overall legal work,” wrote U.S. Attorney Robert Khuzami. “These statements … suggest that the seized materials are unlikely to contain voluminous privileged documents, further supporting the importance of efficiency here.” Cohen has requested that a “special master” be appointed to review the seized material to weed out any potentially privileged material. President Trump’s attorneys have argued that he should get the first look at any documents that might contained privileged communications with Cohen before prosecutors are permitted to review the seized materials. “These critical decisions concerning a sacred privilege are not for a team of prosecutors to make,” Trump attorney Joanna Hendon wrote in a court filing last week. Federal prosecutors, meanwhile, have argued that appointing an outside referee would needlessly delay the investigation. They have said an internal team, separate from the investigators, is capable of reviewing the seized material without prejudice. In Thursday’s letter, prosecutors indicated they’re willing to withdraw their objections to a “special master” and proposed a compromise position that would give the special master a first look for potentially privileged materials “and then hear from both sides before making a final determination.” Judge Wood has signaled that the dispute will play out in public view on Thursday. “Counsel should be prepared to address the process to be undertaken by a Special Master, should one be appointed, to review claims of privilege,” Judge Wood wrote in her order summoning the parties to court. | |
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| 04-26-18 12:34pm - 2389 days | #507 | |
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lk2fireone (0)
Active User Posts: 3,618 Registered: Nov 14, '08 Location: CA |
Side Note: Bill Cosby found guilty of 3 counts of sexual assault. ------- ------- The Latest: Cosby lawyer: 'Fight is not over' Associated Press Associated Press NORRISTOWN, Pa. (AP) — The Latest on Bill Cosby's sexual assault retrial (all times local): 2:50 p.m. Bill Cosby's lawyer says the "fight is not over" after the 80-year-old comedian's conviction on sexual assault charges. Tom Mesereau spoke Thursday outside the suburban Philadelphia courthouse where a jury found that Cosby drugged and molested a woman at his home in 2004. Mesereau says Cosby will appeal his conviction on three counts of aggravated indecent assault. Each count carries a maximum of 10 years in prison. He'll be sentenced in 60 to 90 days. Cosby said nothing to reporters but acknowledged the crowd on the courthouse steps, then gave a thumbs-up as his car pulled away. ___ 2:35 p.m. A lawyer for some of Bill Cosby's accusers says "justice has been done" after the comedian's conviction on sexual assault charges. Gloria Allred represents three of the five additional accusers who testified that Cosby drugged and molested them. Cosby's lawyers painted the women as home-wreckers and liars who made up their allegations in a bid for money and fame. Allred spoke Thursday outside the suburban Philadelphia courthouse where Cosby was convicted. She says her clients are grateful to the jury for seeing past "his defense attorney's lies." Cosby accuser Janice Baker-Kinney, who alleges he drugged and raped her in 1982, says in a statement she's relieved "this toxic chain of silence has been broken" and says the women can move forward "with heads held high." ___ 2:10 p.m. Bill Cosby is lashing out at prosecutors after a jury convicted him of three counts of aggravated indecent assault. Cosby stood up and erupted after jurors left the courtroom. He used an expletive to refer to District Attorney Kevin Steele, who was arguing to revoke Cosby's bail. Cosby shouted, "I'm sick of him!" The judge ruled that Cosby will remain free pending sentencing. Cosby was convicted Thursday of drugging and molesting a woman 14 years ago. The 80-year-old entertainer stared straight ahead as the verdict was read. His chief accuser, Andrea Constand, remained stoic. Shrieks erupted in the courtroom and some of his other accusers whimpered and cried. Judge Steven O'Neill told the panel of seven men and five women that it was "an extraordinarily difficult case." He says the jurors "sacrificed in the service of justice." ___ 1:50 p.m. Bill Cosby has been convicted of drugging and molesting a woman in the first big celebrity trial of the #MeToo era. A jury outside Philadelphia convicted the "Cosby Show" star of three counts of aggravated indecent assault on Thursday. The guilty verdict came less than a year after another jury deadlocked on the charges. Cosby was charged with violating Temple University employee Andrea Constand at his suburban Philadelphia home in 2004. His lawyer called Constand a "con artist" who leveled false accusations against Cosby so she could sue him. Cosby could get up to 10 years in prison on each of the counts. Dozens of women have come forward in recent years to say he drugged and assaulted them. Five of the other accusers testified against him at the retrial. The Associated Press does not typically identify people who say they are victims of sexual assault unless they grant permission. Constand has done so. | |
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| 04-26-18 01:26pm - 2389 days | #508 | |
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lk2fireone (0)
Active User Posts: 3,618 Registered: Nov 14, '08 Location: CA |
Fake news: Trump changes his mind. Now says he did stay overnight in Moscow. But Trump says lying, leaking, slimeball James Comey lied in his memos, that Trump denied he ever stayed in Moscow. So who are you going to believe: the President of the United States, a man known for his morality and honesty, or leaking, lying, slimeball James Comey, who was fired from the FBI because Comey is a slimeball? ------- ------- Politics Trump Says He Did Stay Overnight In Moscow, Claims James Comey Lied In Memo HuffPost Paige Lavender,HuffPost 7 hours ago President Donald Trump acknowledged to Fox News on Thursday that he did stay overnight in Moscow during a 2013 trip tied to the Miss Universe pageant. “I went to Russia for a day or so, a day or two,” Trump said. “Of course I stayed there. I stayed there a very short period of time, but of course I stayed,” he added. Trump claimed former FBI Director James Comey lied in a memo noting that the president had told him he never stayed overnight in Moscow. Flight records uncovered by Bloomberg this week show Trump’s plane was in Moscow for more than 24 hours during the weekend of the pageant. Thomas Roberts, the host of the pageant that year, told The Daily Beast he could confirm Trump was in Moscow overnight, having seen him both the day before and the day of the Miss Universe broadcast. The trip was mentioned in a dossier, parts of which remain unconfirmed, compiled by former British intelligence agent Christopher Steele. Steele’s dossier cites claims Trump hired prostitutes while staying at the Moscow Ritz-Carlton in 2013, asking them to urinate on the bed in the hotel’s presidential suite. The document also suggests the Russians may have proof of this encounter they could potentially use as blackmail. Trump denies the encounter ever occurred. Comey has said Trump discussed the claims with him at length, on multiple occasions, while he was FBI director. Trump fired Comey in May 2017. This article has been updated. CORRECTION: A previous version of this story misattributed a quote from James Comey to President Donald Trump. This article originally appeared on HuffPost. | |
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| 04-26-18 01:35pm - 2389 days | #509 | |
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lk2fireone (0)
Active User Posts: 3,618 Registered: Nov 14, '08 Location: CA |
Thank God Trump is innocent. As Trump defenders have explained, Trump is the President of the United States. As President, the President has the right to direct any investigation. Therefore, the President can never be guilty of obstruction of justice. (Even if it is somehow proven that the President has lied.) And since Trump is a moral man, he would never lie, anyway. God save the President, who is God's choice to lead the American people. -------- -------- Jurisprudence Donald Trump’s Russia Trip Lies Might Prove Obstruction Why would he mislead James Comey about the amount of time he spent in Moscow? By Liam Brennan April 24, 20187:53 PM President Donald Trump talks with journalists before signing tax reform legislation into law on Dec. 22 in Washington. President Donald Trump talks with journalists before signing tax reform legislation into law on Dec. 22 in Washington. Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images On Monday, Bloomberg revealed that President Trump spent at least one full night in Moscow during the Miss Universe pageant in 2013. While Trump’s travel schedule might be unremarkable in most circumstances, his flight plans directly conflict with statements he reportedly made to former FBI Director James Comey. To any prosecutors investigating possible obstruction of justice allegations, this data would seem to provide further evidence of possible “corrupt intent”—the linchpin of any obstruction prosecution—in Trump’s dealings with the Russia investigation. For months, Trump’s defenders have pressed a public relations campaign aimed at promoting the idea that a president could not obstruct justice. They argue that as the chief executive, the president is essentially the chief law enforcement official. In this role, any actions he takes regarding an investigation would be considered official acts: They may direct the investigation, but they cannot technically be considered to obstruct it. That has always been wrong. One way to understand how official actions can be criminal violations is to look at bribery law. Bribery convictions hinge on proving the corruption of public servants who engage in official acts that they have the power to take but who do so with a corrupt purpose. Official duties shed their harmless nature when they are undertaken for such corrupt purposes. In these cases, judges instruct juries that they can conclude that an act is corrupt if it is “motivated by a hope or expectation of either financial gain or other benefit to one’s self.” Obstruction of justice cases against public officials operate in the same way, turning on the defendant’s intent. However, whereas juries can infer an official’s corrupt intent in bribery cases by looking at his or her illicit benefit, proof of obstruction of justice is much more nebulous, depending on whether a defendant acted “with an evil or wicked purpose.” While proving an “evil or wicked purpose” is not the clearest standard, courts have provided one helpful guide: dishonesty. Most jury instructions make clear that a defendant acts “corruptly” if he or she acts “knowingly and dishonestly.” Trump’s misleading statements about his stay in Moscow predate his alleged request to Comey to let Michael Flynn go. Under this theory, DOJ prosecutors have convicted police officers from East Haven, Connecticut for obstruction of justice in the falsification of police reports. They also nabbed a captain and two deputies in Decatur County, Georgia for the same conduct on the same theory. And they convicted a member of the Detroit Police Department’s aviation section for falsifying his flight logs. In each of these cases, the corrupt intent of the action was shown by its dishonesty. ADVERTISING To date, the potential obstruction case against Donald Trump has offered some such evidence, but not necessarily enough. The obstruction allegations have focused on two things—the Michael Flynn investigation and Comey’s firing. Comey may believe that the president was attempting to obstruct justice when he allegedly asked him to let Flynn “go,” but proving that to a jury is not easy. Trump, for his part, has denied that he ever said this to Comey. If you believe that Trump is lying and Comey is telling the truth here, that might be evidence of corrupt intent. There’s further possible evidence of deception by Trump in this episode, as well. In an interview with the New York Times, Trump said he never cleared the Oval Office before this disputed conversation with Comey. The fact that he did clear the room could be testified to by others who were there—and by itself could help prove a corrupt intent. The fact that he has apparently lied about that would offer further proof of corrupt intent. But the corrupt intent evidence was never as clear for the Russian investigation itself. Although the president stated that the Russia investigation was on his mind when he fired Comey, he claimed that was because the investigation was based on a “made up story,” not because he was trying to keep it from revealing the truth. The guilty pleas special counsel Robert Mueller has secured against Trump’s associates are all tangential to this discrete issue and, thus, virtually worthless for purposes of proving obstruction. (Unless, of course, the defendants have additional non-public information, which is always a possibility.) While Trump’s explanation may seem far-fetched, if it were true, it wouldn’t be obstruction and there is currently nothing to disprove it. Without a witness or documents to explain the president’s thinking, no prosecutor is going to get “beyond a reasonable doubt“ with this evidence. The recently released Comey memos and Donald Trump’s flight records might change the game. According to the memos, On Jan. 6, 2017, Comey informed then–President-elect Trump about allegations that the Russians had a 2013 recording of him with prostitutes. Comey explained that it was the FBI’s job to try to understand what the Russians were doing and to ensure that the Russians do not try to coerce the president. Then, on Jan. 28, 2017, Trump allegedly raised the allegations again with Comey during a private dinner. According to Comey’s memo: ADVERTISING He said he had spoken to people who had been on the Miss Universe trip with him and they had reminded him that he didn’t stay [overnight] in Russia for that. He said he arrived in the morning, did events, then showered and dressed for the pageant at the hotel (he didn’t say the hotel’s name) and left for the pageant. Afterwards, he returned only to get his things because they departed for New York by plane that same night. Trump reportedly reiterated the claim in a Feb. 8 meeting with Comey, this time in front of then–Chief of Staff Reince Priebus: He […] explained, as he did at our dinner, that he hadn’t stayed overnight in Russia during the Miss Universe trip. The flight records directly contradict these statements, providing the first direct evidence of Trump’s concealment of facts from investigators and, thus, real evidence of his corrupt intent. As Bloomberg reported: The Bombardier jet [Trump was travelling on] landed in Moscow on Friday, Nov. 8, at a time unspecified in the records. He had a day full of public events that Friday, and the Miss Universe pageant wasn’t until Saturday evening. From Bloomberg: [T]he flight records support a narrow slice of what Trump told Comey: On the night of the pageant itself, the plane Trump was said to be using didn’t fully overnight in Russia. [The] Bombardier took off from Vnukovo airport at 3:58 a.m. Moscow time, the records show. Importantly, Trump’s misleading statements about his stay in Moscow predate his alleged request to Comey to let Michael Flynn go. Establishing that Trump was corruptly trying to mislead the investigation from the outset makes his subsequent statements about Flynn and his firing of Comey appear more nefarious. Under these circumstances, prosecutors could also call the various witnesses who have heard Trump contemplate firing Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein, Mueller, and Attorney General Jeff Sessions to drive home his desire to close the investigation at all costs and for corrupt purposes. On Sunday, Trump addressed the obstruction allegations in a tweet that quoted a Wall Street Journal writer who said this case “would be one of the weakest obstruction cases ever brought.” Based only on what the public knows, that is a lot less true today. Obstruction cases are won or lost on evidence of intent. Trump’s false claims to Comey provide just that. | |
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| 04-26-18 06:46pm - 2389 days | #510 | |
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lk2fireone (0)
Active User Posts: 3,618 Registered: Nov 14, '08 Location: CA |
Fake news: Will the White House spokesperson deny it was really Donald Trump who gave an interview to Fox and Friends today? My guess: Trump's lawyers wish they could deny it was really Donald Trump who spoke. Instead, they will claim it was a Fake News Imposter who was hired by his Evil Democratic enemies, to embarrass the President. And that all the comments be stricken from all records. So they can go on defending the President from his enemies (including the President himself). ------- ------- Politics Trump dug himself into a legal hole during 'Fox and Friends' interview, and Twitter loved it Heather Gardner 7 hours ago Viewers of Fox News’ Fox and Friends got a real treat this morning when President Trump called in for an exclusive interview. Trump rambled on for roughly 30 minutes, making several noteworthy remarks about his 2013 trip to Moscow, his controversial relationship with rapper Kanye West, and his feelings about the Justice Department. But the internet latched on to the president’s shocking confession concerning his former attorney Michael Cohen and the former adult-film actress Stormy Daniels. After Cohen confessed to paying Daniels $130,000 in hush money during the presidential election, Trump denied having any knowledge of the exchange. During the interview, however, he changed his tune. “Michael would represent me, and represent me on some things,” Trump told the morning show. “He represents me, like with this crazy Stormy Daniels deal, he represented me. And you know, from what I see, he did absolutely nothing wrong.” The internet went crazy with Trump’s admission, seemingly confessing he did know about the payment, for which Cohen is currently under investigation. Even Daniels’s attorney, Michael Avenatti, couldn’t believe the development; he tweeted a thank-you to the Fox and Friends. The reactions that followed were a mix of shock and mockery. The White House has not issued a statement on Trump’s long-winded interview. | |
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| 04-26-18 06:56pm - 2389 days | #511 | |
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lk2fireone (0)
Active User Posts: 3,618 Registered: Nov 14, '08 Location: CA |
Politics Trump’s Fox & Friends Interview Is a Nightmare for His Lawyers GQ Jay Willis,GQ 8 hours ago There’s a reason so many prominent attorneys have declined to represent him: They know he can’t be trusted. There is a really important reason that criminal defense lawyers on television constantly remind their clients to keep quiet: Clients have a nasty habit of saying dumb things that make the already complex task of mounting a legal defense into an even more difficult one. And in what is probably not a coincidence, the clients who seem to be victimized most frequently by their own self-incriminating verbosity are the ones who, it turns out, had a whole lot to hide all along. On Thursday, Donald Trump celebrated his wife Melania's 48th birthday by calling into Fox & Friends for an interview that ended up stretching for nearly 30 minutes. Even by his standards, this was a particularly unhinged performance. His voice never fell below a yell, and by the end of it, all three hosts were wearing the same thin, vacant smile, presumably to conceal the fact that producers had been screaming, "CUT HIM OFF, FOR GOD'S SAKE" in their earpieces for most of it. The president mostly played the hits, railing against the evils of James Comey, Hillary Clinton, Democrat obstructionists, Jim Comey, "NO COLLUSION," the Department of Justice, and the former FBI director he fired last May. But it was a brief tangent about his relationship with longtime fixer and archetypical casino pit boss Michael Cohen that is causing the most consternation for Rudy Giuliani, Ty Cobb, Judge Jeanine, and whoever else is on Trump's legal team these days. In a court filing on Wednesday, Cohen revealed that he would invoke his Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination in a lawsuit brought by Stormy Daniels, who seeks to return a $130,000 hush-money payment so that she can speak publicly about the extramarital affair she allegedly had with the president. Cohen, if you'll recall, has bravely insisted that he paid Daniels without Trump's knowledge. This position is absurd, but it has allowed Trump to deny any involvement in the transaction, which Cohen, in what is perhaps the saddest display of misplaced loyalty imaginable, financed by borrowing against his own home. And yet here is what Trump shouted into a smartphone today on Fox & Friends, his voice echoing throughout the hallways of the executive residence: Michael would represent me and represent me on some things. He represents me like with this crazy Stormy Daniels deal, he represented me. And you know, from what I see he did absolutely nothing wrong. You do not have to be a member of a state bar to understand that when your lawyer has been attempting to shield you from liability by insisting that he paid a six-figure sum on your behalf without telling you, publicly stating that your lawyer "represented" you in the matter is a devastating self-own. Just hours after the interview aired, the government cited it in a letter to the court as evidence that despite the president's social-media protestations, few (if any) of the Trump-adjacent documents seized from Michael Cohen's office earlier this month are likely to fall within the scope of attorney-client privilege. This morning's spectacle underscores the reason that every reputable white-collar attorney in the country has been politely declining the opportunity to represent Donald Trump of late: The prestige normally associated with representing a sitting president isn't worth the hassle of managing a client who keeps incinerating carefully crafted defense strategies on live national television. | |
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| 04-27-18 09:08am - 2388 days | #512 | |
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lk2fireone (0)
Active User Posts: 3,618 Registered: Nov 14, '08 Location: CA |
Fake news: Trump is cleared of all wrong-doing by GOP House panel. Wonderful news: The Republican party has found that President Trump is innocent in the Russia probe. That means he can fire Mueller and the rest of the Justice Department and concentrate once again on making America the greatest country in the world. And Trump can now invite Putin to Trump's golf clubs, where Trump's billionaire friends can meet the 2nd Greatest Leader of the World. -------- -------- GOP-led House panel officially clears Trump in Russia probe Associated Press Tom Lobianco and Chad Day, Associated Press,Associated Press 1 hour 39 minutes ago Rep. Devin Nunes, R-Calif. speaks during a committee hearing on possible tariffs and the effect on the U.S. economy and jobs, Thursday, April 12, 2018 on Capitol Hill in Washington. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana) WASHINGTON (AP) -- The Republican-led House intelligence committee on Friday officially declared the end of its Russia probe, saying in its final report that it found no evidence that the Trump campaign colluded with Russia in the 2016 presidential campaign. The report's conclusion is fiercely opposed by committee Democrats, who say the committee did not interview enough witnesses or gather enough evidence to support its finding. The investigation began with bipartisan promise but ultimately succumbed to factional squabbling. Republicans had already announced the main findings last month. An investigation led by special counsel Robert Mueller is ongoing, as are probes led by the Senate intelligence and judiciary committees. The House panel did find that Russia sought to sow discord in the U.S. through cyberattacks and social media. Some portions of the public report are redacted for national security reasons. Republicans say they will pressure intelligence agencies to be able to release more information. Trump has repeatedly said there was "no collusion." In a statement, Rep. Mike Conaway, R-Texas, who has been leading the investigation, said he was "extremely disappointed with the overzealous redactions" made by the intelligence agencies. He said many of the blacked out details include information already public such as witness names and previously declassified information. Conaway said the committee had pledged to be "as transparent as possible" with the report. "I don't believe the information we're releasing today meets that standard, which is why my team and I will continue to challenge the IC's many unnecessary redactions with the hopes of releasing more of the report in the coming months," he said. ---------- ---------- | |
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| 04-27-18 11:58am - 2388 days | #513 | |
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biker (0)
Active User  Posts: 632 Registered: May 03, '08 Location: milwaukee, wi |
If Congress doesn't impeach him soon, Trump may become dangerous. That 30 minute rant was from an insane man. Melania and their son could be in danger. Anyone working in the White House could be in danger. Warning Will Robinson | |
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| 04-27-18 12:23pm - 2388 days | #514 | |
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lk2fireone (0)
Active User Posts: 3,618 Registered: Nov 14, '08 Location: CA |
Trump's doctor, who has a history of prescribing meds (one of the accusations that hurt his nomination to run the VA), needs to get Trump on a regimen of meds to calm Trump down. Trump could be a danger to more than just his wife and son. He is the President. With the power to start a war, even to start a nuclear war. He's got a lot of rage/anger inside of him. Good thing he doesn't drink. | |
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| 04-27-18 12:48pm - 2388 days | #515 | |
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lk2fireone (0)
Active User Posts: 3,618 Registered: Nov 14, '08 Location: CA |
However, there is a ray of hope. During his interview, Trump gave a critique of his administration: "I’ve accomplished, with all of this going on, more than any president in the first year in our history, and even the enemies and the haters admit that,” he said, without providing support for his claim. “Nobody’s done what we’ve done, what I’ve done.” With all the wondrous things Trump has accomplished, would he want to stain that legacy by starting a nuclear war? Only if some enemy country really deserves it: Not Russia, our dearest friend. But maybe China or North Korea, or the rapists in Mexico who would be better of dead instead of crawling over our borders. “Kill them all and let God sort them out.” | |
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| 04-27-18 01:39pm - 2388 days | #516 | |
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biker (0)
Active User Posts: 632 Registered: May 03, '08 Location: milwaukee, wi |
He mentions Melania's birthday, but all he got her was a card. Then he goes a this tirade about himself. Why did he even bother to mention her. He didn't want to talk about her. He only wants to talk about himself. In the newest additions to any thesaurus you will look up narcissus and the will add the word Trump. Warning Will Robinson | |
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| 04-27-18 11:45pm - 2388 days | #517 | |
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lk2fireone (0)
Active User Posts: 3,618 Registered: Nov 14, '08 Location: CA |
It's been over 54 years since John Kennedy was assassinated. Trump, after boasting that he would release all the remaining Kennedy assassination papers that are still classified secret, now says that it will take 3 years or more before some of the remaining records will be released. 54 years since Kennedy was killed. Why not just wait 54 years before we can find out if Trump was guilty of any crimes, and seal all papers due to national security? The public is too stupid to be able to read what happened, or what is happening, with any matters that affect the United States. The president is killed. Hide the truth, until our brilliant politicians, security forces, etc. decide what facts the public has the right to know. This includes any crimes that Trump may have committed, because Trump is a Republican, and the Republicans don't want any dirt revealed to the ignorant masses. Go, Trump, President for Life of the United States of America. Go, Trump, the greatest, smartest businessman who ever lived. Maybe Trump (or one of his relatives) paid for the assassination, or furnished supplies to the assassins, and that is why the secrets must still be kept. Loose lips sink ships. ------- ------- WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump boasted last fall that he would open all remaining John F. Kennedy assassination records. So far, Trump hasn't made good on the "great transparency" he promised then. Trump announced on Thursday that the public must wait another three years or more before seeing material that must remain classified for national security reasons — more than five decades after Kennedy was killed Nov. 22, 1963 in Dallas, Texas. The National Archives released its last batch of more than 19,000 records on Thursday. But an undisclosed amount of material remains under wraps because Trump said the potential harm to U.S. national security, law enforcement or foreign affairs is "of such gravity that it outweighs the public interest in immediate disclosure." He ordered the CIA and other agencies to take yet another look at each blacked-out section of their documents during the next three years to see what more can be released. CIA spokesman Nicole de Haay said the agency has already released more than 99 percent of CIA information that was in the Kennedy assassination records collection. "CIA narrowly redacted information in rare instances only to protect CIA assets, officers and their families as well as intelligence methods, operations and partnerships that remain critical to the security of our nation," she said. Larry Sabato, director of the University of Virginia Center for Politics and author of a book about Kennedy, lamented that it might be 100 years post-assassination before everyone has a more complete picture of what happened. "I envy the scholars of, say, 2063," Sabato said. The files released Thursday — mostly FBI and CIA records — detail how authorities combed through tips in the wake of Kennedy's death, including a report from a woman who claimed she saw a man who looked like Oswald at a party in Mexico City. Another file shows ex-CIA officer David Atlee Phillips being grilled by lawmakers about whether he believed Oswald was the lone assassin. Phillips said he wished there was information showing the Soviets or former Cuban leader Fidel Castro had played a role "because there are so many people, especially on college campuses who are convinced the CIA did it." But Phillips said since there was no evidence showing Cuban or Soviet involvement, he had to believe Oswald was just "a kind of loony fellow who decided to shoot the President." "Lee Harvey Oswald didn't miss, and the American public doesn't want to believe that one man could murder Camelot," Phillips said. The records are still being released today because in 1992, Congress passed the President John F. Kennedy Assassination Records Collection Act. The act ordered the archives to disclose all information collected — some 5 million pages of material — on the assassination within 25 years — barring any exceptions designated by the president. Those 25 years ended Oct. 26, 2017 and Trump had to decide whether any of the documents should still be kept secret. Several days before the deadline, it appeared Trump had no plans to withhold anything. "Subject to the receipt of further information," he tweeted on Oct. 21, 2017. "I will be allowing, as president, the long blocked and classified JFK FILES to be opened." Again, on the day before the deadline, it appeared every last shred of the government's material was headed for release. "The long anticipated release of the #JFKFiles will take place tomorrow. So interesting!" Trump tweeted. A lot of documents were released, but not all. Bending to appeals from the CIA and FBI, Trump blocked the release of hundreds of records pending a six-month review. "In the end there will be great transparency. It is my hope to get just about everything to public!" Trump tweeted in October. His six-month review ended Thursday when all documents, he said, were to be released "with redactions only in the rarest of circumstances." While happy for what's been released so far, Sabato said more than 15,000 of the 19,045 in Thursday's National Archives release have redactions — "some quite substantial." He said more than 500 files were held back in their entirely for various reasons. "Trump has set the next official argument over further disclosures at October 2021, when he may or may not still be president," Sabato said. ___ Associated Press writer Alanna Durkin Richer in Boston contributed to this report. | |
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| 04-28-18 12:02am - 2388 days | #518 | |
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lk2fireone (0)
Active User Posts: 3,618 Registered: Nov 14, '08 Location: CA |
Hush money deals business as usual for Stormy Daniels' ex-attorney By Sara Sidner and Scott Glover, CNN Updated 10:55 PM ET, Fri April 27, 2018 Source: CNN Stormy, Hulk Hogan had nearly identical NDAs (CNN)California attorney Keith M. Davidson drafted a confidential contract in 2012 for a client trying to get cash for a secretly recorded video of pro wrestler Hulk Hogan having sex with a friend's wife. The ensuing deal resulted in an extortion allegation, an FBI sting and Davidson subsequently claiming he would invoke his Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination if called to testify about the matter. Davidson was questioned by the FBI, but never arrested or charged with a crime. Years later, Davidson used a contract nearly identical to the one he'd used in the Hogan case for another client: Stormy Daniels. That's because he wrote them both, according to a source familiar with the matter. In the Hogan case it was to keep a sex tape from being sold to the press. In the Daniels case it was to keep her quiet and force her to hand over any text messages, or other evidence of an alleged affair with Donald Trump. No evidence of the affair has ever been publicly released. The documents share full paragraphs of identical information, with changes to the parties involved, the amount paid, and some other details. Davidson also wrote the contract between Republican fundraiser Elliott Broidy and a former Playboy model who claims Broidy impregnated her, said the source, who asked not to be identified due to an ongoing investigation regarding the Daniels' deal. In all three instances, the source said, Davidson drafted the agreements even though it was the other side that was paying for silence or nondisclosure. It's the opposite of how such matters are typically handled, according to legal experts. "I think that's not being a good lawyer," University of Southern California law professor Robert Rasmussen told CNN. "As the attorney representing a client who wants to keep someone from talking you want to make sure that it's an airtight agreement. If the other side writes it, it could be sloppy. They have an incentive to write something that makes it easier to get out of." Judd Burstein, a New York City civil litigator with a long list of high-profile clients, including at one time Donald Trump, was more blunt: "Any attorney will tell you, you don't let the side you are trying to silence write the contract," Burstein said. "It is generally just not done." In a profile on Davidson earlier this month, The Smoking Gun noted Davidson used a template for his settlement deals, including the one he did for Daniels. In the cases involving Daniels and Broidy, Davidson's opposing counsel was Michael D. Cohen, President Trump's longtime personal attorney. The contracts used in both cases used the now famous pseudonyms David Dennison and Peggy Peterson to disguise the true identities of the parties involved, according to the source who has seen both agreements. Dave Wedge, a spokesman for Davidson, declined to provide a detailed characterization of his role in either case he worked on with Cohen. "Attorney Davidson cannot comment on these matters due to the constraints of attorney-client privilege," Wedge said in a prepared statement. "Generally speaking, agreements such as these can be drawn up by either side and are frequently edited by both sides as part of the negotiation process." Federal agents raided Cohen's office, home and hotel room earlier this month and seized his computer, phone and legal documents. Among the information agents sought were records pertaining to the $130,000 Cohen has acknowledged paying Daniels in exchange for keeping quiet about an alleged sexual encounter with Trump more than a decade ago. Agents also seized recorded telephone calls between Cohen and Davidson, a source told CNN. Davidson said through a spokesman last week that he has provided federal investigators "certain limited electronic information" and intends to cooperate to the full extent possible under the law. Cohen has not responded to requests for comment. Cohen's lawyer stated in federal court in New York that Cohen has only three clients regarding legal matters: Trump, Broidy and Fox News host Sean Hannity. Hannity said he sought Cohen's advice on real estate, but had never paid him any legal fees and that their dealings never involved a third party. Cohen has long been described as a "fixer" for Trump, but relatively little is known about what exactly that title entails. Davidson might be able to provide some answers. The Beverly Hills, California, attorney has intersected with Cohen on at least five matters in recent years, CNN found. Cohen referred at least two clients to Davidson, according to the source, including a strange case involving a GoFundMe account a Trump supporter set up for a homeless woman who was trying to protect Donald Trump's star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame from vandalism. When a homeless advocate allegedly ran off with the money, Davidson helped the Trump supporter by filing a lawsuit in an effort to reclaim the funds. The source said Davidson drafted two settlement deals involving Daniels and Trump in the weeks prior to the 2016 election. The first deal fell apart after Cohen failed to pay the $130,000 Daniels was demanding to stay quiet, said a source familiar with the matter. Documents CNN has reviewed show the second time around, Cohen provided the money for the deal two days in advance of the contract being signed. It was wired to a client trust account Davidson held at City National Bank in Los Angeles. Davidson said in an interview with CNN that the transaction raised red flags at his bank even before the scandal became public. He recalled receiving either an "email inquiry" or a "very brief phone call" from the bank, he said. He said he had never received such an inquiry before. In 2017, Davidson came to represent a former Playboy model who said she was impregnated by Broidy, then the deputy finance chairman of the Republican National Committee. Cohen represented Broidy, who agreed to pay the woman $1.6 million for undisclosed "injuries" and to stay quiet about the deal. Michael Cohen facilitated $1.6 million agreement on behalf of GOP fundraiser Michael Cohen facilitated $1.6 million agreement on behalf of GOP fundraiser Again, it was Davidson who drafted the contract. Cohen assured Broidy that he was "very experienced" in handling such matters, according to another source familiar with the deal. Broidy assumed that Cohen "must have known what he was doing," said the source, who is not authorized to speak publicly about the matter. "He left it in the hands of Michael Cohen to write." After the story published, Michael Avenatti, Stormy Daniels' current lawyer, sent a comment saying, "Any suggestion that Michael Cohen was not actively involved in the negotiation and drafting of the NDA for Ms. Daniels is patently false. He has already admitted as much." | |
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| 04-28-18 01:13am - 2388 days | #519 | |
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lk2fireone (0)
Active User Posts: 3,618 Registered: Nov 14, '08 Location: CA |
I am nominating Hitler and Stalin, as fearless leaders who tried to help their countries during depression times. Also, Donald Trump, the fearless President for Life of the United States, who is trying to make America great again--while working under a massive strain of haters who can not appreciate Trump's brilliant plans for America. But before Trump can claim the Nobel Peace Prize, he needs to unleash nuclear fires on China and North Korea, our sworn enemies. They are wicked people who must be destroyed. And maybe Mexico too. -------- -------- Politics Donald Trump Deserves Nobel Peace Prize, Says GOP Congressman HuffPost Amanda Terkel,HuffPost 15 hours ago President Donald Trump should be awarded the Nobel Peace Prize, according to Rep. Luke Messer (R-Ind.). Rep. Luke Messer (R-Ind.) is launching an effort to nominate President Donald Trump for the Nobel Peace Prize. “We are seeing unprecedented progress toward peace, and it’s a direct result of President Trump’s strong leadership,” Messer said in a statement Friday. The GOP congressman is pointing to Trump’s work on North Korea as the impetus for promoting the nomination. Messer first proposed the idea in March and has consistently pushed it since then. At a historic summit this week, North and South Korea announced that they agreed to the goals of removing nuclear weapons from the Korean Peninsula and pursuing talks with the United States to declare an official end to the Korean War. “Our peace through strength strategy is delivering never before seen results,” said Messer, saying Trump deserves the credit for the Korean leaders’ announcement. Messer said he is in the process of gathering congressional support for the nomination. Trump has agreed to meet with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, possibly in late May or early June. Mike Pompeo, Trump’s newly confirmed secretary of state, met with Kim in secret three weeks ago. At the time, Pompeo was the CIA director. But Trump had also ratcheted up tensions with North Korea. White House officials contemplated striking the country, and he and Kim traded insults. President Barack Obama was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2009, less than one year into his first term ― an honor that infuriated conservatives. The Nobel Committee pointed to “his extraordinary efforts to strengthen international diplomacy and cooperation between peoples” and “attached special importance to Obama’s vision of and work for a world without nuclear weapons.” Messer is seeking the Indiana GOP Senate nomination this year, and many of the candidates are trying to prove how much they’re like Trump. Messer has pitched himself as a “conservative who supports the Trump/Pence agenda.” This article originally appeared on HuffPost. | |
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| 04-28-18 09:22am - 2387 days | #520 | |
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Loki (0)
Active User  Posts: 395 Registered: Jun 13, '07 Location: California |
I really feel sorry for Melania and Barron Trump. They aren't guilty of anything, but have to endure all this crap. And he didn't get Melania more than a card? What a doofus. "A man talking sense to himself is no madder than a man talking nonsense not to himself." | |
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| 04-28-18 09:52am - 2387 days | #521 | |
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lk2fireone (0)
Active User Posts: 3,618 Registered: Nov 14, '08 Location: CA |
A card from Donald is a collectible item. Especially if he signed it. That should be worth serious cash from collectors. So after Donald dumps Melania for his next trophy wife, Melania can sell the card on Ebay.  | |
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| 04-28-18 10:44am - 2387 days | #522 | |
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biker (0)
Active User Posts: 632 Registered: May 03, '08 Location: milwaukee, wi |
I found it funny that the only time I have seen Melania smile is when she was away from Trump when she went to Barbara's funeral. She looked happy. It says a lot when a funeral makes you happier then being with your husband. Warning Will Robinson | |
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| 04-28-18 03:17pm - 2387 days | #523 | |
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lk2fireone (0)
Active User Posts: 3,618 Registered: Nov 14, '08 Location: CA |
Donald Trump is the President of the United States. Jon Tester is merely a Senator. If Donald Trump wants to fire Jon Tester for cowardice or dishonesty or treason, as President, Trump should have that right and power. Or, the power to order his Secret Police to eliminate this treasonous Senator. Trump is the President, after all. Just like Vladimir Putin, Trump's best buddy, is the President of Russia. Putin has the power to eliminate his enemies. Maybe Trump can ask Putin to do him a small favor, and send some Secret Agents to the US, to help with this treasonous Senator. What Trump really needs is a select advisory committee from PU members who can guide Trump in the policies that need to be carried out to Make America Great Again. As a loyal member of PU, I nominate and elect myself to be chair of the PU Committee for Glorious President for Life Donald Trump.   -------- -------- Politics Donald Trump Demands Democratic Senator Quit In Saturday Morning Twitter Rant HuffPost Lee Moran 8 hours ago President Donald Trump kickstarted his weekend by launching a blistering Twitter attack on Sen. Jon Tester (D-Mont.). The Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee, of which Tester is the ranking Democrat, was probing allegations that White House physician Ronny Jackson had created “a hostile work environment,” which included the improper dispensation of medications and “excessive drinking on the job.” Trump called on Tester to resign on Saturday morning after the Secret Service said it had no record of an alleged drunken incident that helped to sink Jackson’s nomination to become Secretary of Veterans Affairs. On Tuesday, the committee postponed Jackson’s confirmation hearings. Jackson withdrew his nomination on Thursday, citing how the “false allegations have become a distraction for this president” among his reasons. Trump similarly rebuked Tester on Thursday, saying he thought it would “cause him a lot of problems in his state.” Tester is yet to respond to Trump’s Twitter rant. This article originally appeared on HuffPost. | |
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| 04-28-18 04:25pm - 2387 days | #524 | |
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lk2fireone (0)
Active User Posts: 3,618 Registered: Nov 14, '08 Location: CA |
Stormy Daniels previous attorney who got her to sign an NDA (Non-Disclosure-Agreement) was a slimeball. He got her to sign the NDA that apparently, as far as I can see, favored the opposing side in the requirements of the NDA: complete silence, eliminating all evidence of the incident(s), or turning all evidence over to the other side, and requiring Stormy Daniels to lie and deny the incident. With massive penalties ($1 million penalty for each time the agreement was broken). For a relatively low amount of money paid to Stormy Daniels--$130,000 is a small amount of money when you are dealing with a guy running for President of the United States. An attorney is supposed to represent his client (in this case, Stormy Daniels). But it seems that Stormy Daniels attorney was playing for the opposing side (Trump and Cohen). -------- -------- https://www.cnn.com/2018/04/27/politics/...ents-invs/index.html Hush money deals business as usual for Stormy Daniels' ex-attorney By Sara Sidner and Scott Glover, CNN Updated 9:02 AM ET, Sat April 28, 2018 (CNN)California attorney Keith M. Davidson drafted a confidential contract in 2012 for a client trying to get cash for a secretly recorded video of pro wrestler Hulk Hogan having sex with a friend's wife. The ensuing deal resulted in an extortion allegation, an FBI sting and Davidson subsequently claiming he would invoke his Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination if called to testify about the matter. Davidson was questioned by the FBI, but never arrested or charged with a crime. Years later, Davidson used a contract nearly identical to the one he'd used in the Hogan case for another client: Stormy Daniels. That's because he wrote them both, according to a source familiar with the matter. In the Hogan case it was to keep a sex tape from being sold to the press. In the Daniels case it was to keep her quiet and force her to hand over any text messages, or other evidence of an alleged affair with Donald Trump. No evidence of the affair has ever been publicly released. The documents share full paragraphs of identical information, with changes to the parties involved, the amount paid, and some other details. Davidson also wrote the contract between Republican fundraiser Elliott Broidy and a former Playboy model who claims Broidy impregnated her, said the source, who asked not to be identified due to an ongoing investigation regarding the Daniels' deal. In all three instances, the source said, Davidson drafted the agreements even though it was the other side that was paying for silence or nondisclosure. It's the opposite of how such matters are typically handled, according to legal experts. "I think that's not being a good lawyer," University of Southern California law professor Robert Rasmussen told CNN. "As the attorney representing a client who wants to keep someone from talking you want to make sure that it's an airtight agreement. If the other side writes it, it could be sloppy. They have an incentive to write something that makes it easier to get out of." Judd Burstein, a New York City civil litigator with a long list of high-profile clients, including at one time Donald Trump, was more blunt: "Any attorney will tell you, you don't let the side you are trying to silence write the contract," Burstein said. "It is generally just not done." In a profile on Davidson earlier this month, The Smoking Gun noted Davidson used a template for his settlement deals, including the one he did for Daniels. The cases that bind Cohen, Davidson In the cases involving Daniels and Broidy, Davidson's opposing counsel was Michael D. Cohen, President Trump's longtime personal attorney. The contracts used in both cases used the now famous pseudonyms David Dennison and Peggy Peterson to disguise the true identities of the parties involved, according to the source who has seen both agreements. Dave Wedge, a spokesman for Davidson, declined to provide a detailed characterization of his role in either case he worked on with Cohen. "Attorney Davidson cannot comment on these matters due to the constraints of attorney-client privilege," Wedge said in a prepared statement. "Generally speaking, agreements such as these can be drawn up by either side and are frequently edited by both sides as part of the negotiation process." Federal agents raided Cohen's office, home and hotel room earlier this month and seized his computer, phone and legal documents. Among the information agents sought were records pertaining to the $130,000 Cohen has acknowledged paying Daniels in exchange for keeping quiet about an alleged sexual encounter with Trump more than a decade ago. Agents also seized recorded telephone calls between Cohen and Davidson, a source told CNN. Davidson said through a spokesman last week that he has provided federal investigators "certain limited electronic information" and intends to cooperate to the full extent possible under the law. Cohen has not responded to requests for comment. Cohen's lawyer stated in federal court in New York that Cohen has only three clients regarding legal matters: Trump, Broidy and Fox News host Sean Hannity. Hannity said he sought Cohen's advice on real estate, but had never paid him any legal fees and that their dealings never involved a third party. Cohen has long been described as a "fixer" for Trump, but relatively little is known about what exactly that title entails. Davidson might be able to provide some answers. The Beverly Hills, California, attorney has intersected with Cohen on at least five matters in recent years, CNN found. Cohen referred at least two clients to Davidson, according to the source, including a strange case involving a GoFundMe account a Trump supporter set up for a homeless woman who was trying to protect Donald Trump's star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame from vandalism. When a homeless advocate allegedly ran off with the money, Davidson helped the Trump supporter by filing a lawsuit in an effort to reclaim the funds. The source said Davidson drafted two settlement deals involving Daniels and Trump in the weeks prior to the 2016 election. The first deal fell apart after Cohen failed to pay the $130,000 Daniels was demanding to stay quiet, said a source familiar with the matter. Documents CNN has reviewed show the second time around, Cohen provided the money for the deal two days in advance of the contract being signed. It was wired to a client trust account Davidson held at City National Bank in Los Angeles. Davidson said in an interview with CNN that the transaction raised red flags at his bank even before the scandal became public. He recalled receiving either an "email inquiry" or a "very brief phone call" from the bank, he said. He said he had never received such an inquiry before. In 2017, Davidson came to represent a former Playboy model who said she was impregnated by Broidy, then the deputy finance chairman of the Republican National Committee. Cohen represented Broidy, who agreed to pay the woman $1.6 million for undisclosed "injuries" and to stay quiet about the deal. Michael Cohen facilitated $1.6 million agreement on behalf of GOP fundraiser Michael Cohen facilitated $1.6 million agreement on behalf of GOP fundraiser Again, it was Davidson who drafted the contract. Cohen assured Broidy that he was "very experienced" in handling such matters, according to another source familiar with the deal. Broidy assumed that Cohen "must have known what he was doing," said the source, who is not authorized to speak publicly about the matter. "He left it in the hands of Michael Cohen to write." After the story published, Michael Avenatti, Stormy Daniels' current lawyer, sent a comment saying, "Any suggestion that Michael Cohen was not actively involved in the negotiation and drafting of the NDA for Ms. Daniels is patently false. He has already admitted as much." | |
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| 04-28-18 05:21pm - 2387 days | #525 | |
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lk2fireone (0)
Active User Posts: 3,618 Registered: Nov 14, '08 Location: CA |
Reporters can be put into jail for failing to reveal confidential sources. So why not put Michael Cohen in jail, for refusing to testify against Donald Trump. Yes, Michael Cohen can plead the 5th Amendment. But the judge can still put Michael Cohen in jail for refusing to answer questions. The law is a 2-edged sword. The public has the right and duty to know the facts. We, as a democracy, must follow the rule of law: So we need to know the facts: Is Donald Trump truly a scumbag, a slimeball, because he has unprotected sex with porn stars? And then has his fixers make the porn stars sign NDAs to silence them? -------------- -------------- L.A. judge delays Stormy Daniels' lawsuit, suggests Cohen likely to be indicted Rong-Gong Lin II Apr 27, 2018 | 8:55 PM A federal judge in Los Angeles has delayed a lawsuit filed by porn star Stormy Daniels against President Trump and his personal lawyer, Michael Cohen, saying that a recent FBI raid targeting Cohen is significant and suggests a criminal indictment is forthcoming. U.S. District Judge S. James Otero ruled that proceedings in Daniels' civil suit be pushed back until at least July 27, saying the postponement is justified until the court is able to determine "the scope and context of the FBI investigation and potential criminal proceedings." "The significance of the FBI raid cannot be understated. This is no simple criminal investigation; it is an investigation into the personal attorney of a sitting president regarding documents that might be subject to the attorney-client privilege," Otero wrote in a ruling released Friday. "Whether or not an indictment is forthcoming, and the court thinks it likely based on these facts alone, these unique circumstances counsel in favor of stay." Cohen has come under scrutiny for crafting a hush-money agreement with Daniels, who said she had a sexual affair with Trump years ago. Daniels, whose real name is Stephanie Clifford, was given $130,000 shortly before the November 2016 presidential election, a payment that critics have described as a potentially illegal campaign expenditure. Daniels has accused Cohen of breaking federal law when he set up a shell corporation called Essential Consultants to pay her the hush money less than two weeks before the election. Daniels' lawsuit seeks to void the agreement, saying Trump never signed it. The White House has denied that Trump and Daniels had an affair. Federal authorities have not publicly revealed the focus of their investigation, but the judge Friday said in his written order that both government officials and Cohen have indicated that the subject matter in the criminal probe, and the documents seized, "in some part reference the $130,000 payment made to Ms. Clifford." "Any criminal investigation into this payment would likely have significant overlap with plaintiff's assertion that the agreement, and the payment in particular, had an illegal purpose," Otero wrote. Cohen has said in court filings that he would assert his 5th Amendment right in connection with the civil case "due to the ongoing criminal investigation by the FBI and U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York." On April 9, after obtaining court-approved search warrants, FBI agents launched a series of raids across Manhattan and reportedly seized computers, tax documents, emails, communications and business documents from Cohen's home, his office, and his hotel room. If the civil lawsuit were to proceed without delay, Cohen would have to choose between defending himself or asserting his 5th Amendment privilege to not provide testimony that could be self-incriminating, the judge wrote, and "the adverse inference drawn from the invocation of his privilege, if he so chose to maintain it, would undeniably impact the case. … The potential prejudice to Mr. Cohen thus weighs in favor of a stay." On Thursday, the president appeared to confirm that Cohen was representing him when the lawyer paid $130,000 to Daniels. Those comments seem at odds with his April 6 statement that he knew nothing about the payment, including why Cohen made it or where he got the money. Cohen has said he used his own money and never consulted Trump about it. A lawyer for Daniels, Michael Avenatti, said on Twitter he would probably appeal the ruling. "Justice delayed is justice denied," he wrote. | |
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| 04-28-18 07:30pm - 2387 days | #526 | |
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lk2fireone (0)
Active User Posts: 3,618 Registered: Nov 14, '08 Location: CA |
Fake news: Bill Maher calls President Trump a liar. That is not right. The President of the United States is a man we elected President, a man we hold in respect. If Bill Maher calls President Trump a liar, the President is duty-bound to sue Maher for defamation of character, and slander. The people demand that Presidents speak the truth. And Trump has answered the people: My soul demands that I sue Bill Maher. And may God have mercy on us all. --------- --------- Bill Maher: America Must 'Start Penalizing Liars' Like Donald Trump [HuffPost] Lee Moran ,HuffPost•April 27, 2018 Bill Maher is calling time on liars. On Friday’s broadcast of “Real Time,” the comedian said people, including President Donald Trump, should be held more accountable for their lies. Speaking about Trump’s “very disturbing” Thursday interview with “Fox & Friends,” Maher said the president had broken “his own record for lying within a sentence.” “I swear to God, he was talking about CNN, and he said, ‘I don’t watch it at all. I watched it last night,’” he said. People had “normalized” Trump’s lies, Maher added, before claiming “the most important thing we have to do in America right now, is start penalizing liars.” “[Former President Barack] Obama should sue Trump for saying that he wiretapped him,” said Maher. “I’m just saying that I don’t think we can leave this in the court of public opinion anymore. That’s what the liars want.” This article originally appeared on HuffPost. | |
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| 04-29-18 08:28am - 2387 days | #527 | |
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lk2fireone (0)
Active User Posts: 3,618 Registered: Nov 14, '08 Location: CA |
Tales from the Darkside: Be careful before you decide to donate to a cause, political or otherwise. It might pay to know beforehand, if you are entered into a mailing list for spam, donations, etc. Also, it might pay to know if you can cancel any future donations. --------- --------- Fox News Clinton donation controversy THE CLINTONS 9 hours ago Clinton nonprofit won't let donor cancel $10.48 monthly contribution: report By Stephen Sorace | Fox News Hillary Clinton's nonprofit, Onward Together, wouldn't let a Seattle man cancel his monthly donation, a report says (Reuters) A Seattle man who recently sought to end his monthly donation to a Hillary Clinton nonprofit group ran into a small roadblock: There was no way to cancel his contribution, according to a report. Corey Koscielniak, 29, wanted to stop his $10.48 recurring tithe to Onward Together, the politican action organization Clinton formed after her 2016 election defeat, because the group disclosed little information on how it spent the money, he told the Seattle Times. “Onward Together (OT) accepts payment information, but provides no ability to alter or cancel donations once the initial donation is received,” Koscielniak wrote in his complaint to the Washington state Attorney General’s Office. Political groups have employed aggressive tactics in the past when asking for contributions, many times using email blasts to persuade would-be donors. According to the Seattle PI, one such email sent to a potential Clinton backer 11 months after the 2016 presidential election read: “Heather -- It's an old joke by now that I took a few long walks in the woods after Election Day. But I did, and I came out ready to fight for our vision of a fairer, more inclusive country by supporting the incredible groups and leaders who are encouraging people to organize and run for office. "I hope you're ready, too. Because I'd like for you to become a Founding Donor to Onward Together by starting a monthly donation of just $10." Koscielniak, who began contributing in May 2017, has spent weeks on a mission to keep that $10 and change in his bank account, the Seattle Times reported. Hillary Clinton founded Onward Together in 2017 to help progressive groups with fundraising, training and introductions to advisors and donors, its website said. The Seattle Times noted that the organization was what’s known as a 501(c)(4) in the federal tax code, making it a tax-exempt social-welfare group with no requirements to reveal its donors. Nick Merrill, communications director for Clinton, told the paper that the organization gave upwards of $1 million to “various groups” and it plans to exceed that in 2018. Koscielniak, with help from state Attorney General Bob Ferguson, was able to use a newly implemented cancel button on the group’s website. But when the next month came, another $10.48 was withdrawn from his account, the Seattle Times said. Merrill told the paper that Koscielniak’s situation has since been “rectified” and they “will make sure this doesn’t happen again, with anybody, in the future.” Koscielniak wouldn’t find out if his donation was canceled until next month’s bank statement, the paper reported. While he didn’t take issue with Clinton personally, he told the paper that “what surprised me is, the Democratic Party is supposed to stand for other people and not be part of this larger industrial complex.” | |
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| 04-29-18 08:42am - 2386 days | #528 | |
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lk2fireone (0)
Active User Posts: 3,618 Registered: Nov 14, '08 Location: CA |
The Wrap ‘The Fourth Estate’ Film Review: Inside Look at NY Times Reveals Low-Level Dread in Trump Era Showtime documentary series uncovers the challenges reporters face on a daily basis reporting on the scandal-ridden administration Dan Callahan | April 28, 2018 @ 9:34 PM Last Updated: April 29, 2018 @ 5:23 AM fourth estate liz garbus new york times The American press, or the “The Fourth Estate,” is under steady attack throughout the first episode of this documentary series for Showtime. Director Liz Garbus takes us inside the newsroom of the New York Times during the first months of the scandal-ridden Trump administration, and she reveals the challenges that the reporters face on a daily basis. A lot of what we see in the first scenes looks like impotent wheel-spinning, as the journalists try to figure out how to cover a president who is openly hostile to them. We see them patting themselves on the back a lot, and this expresses the insecurity of their position. The New York Times is in competition with the Washington Post, and we watch how they try to beat each other on stories, but there is little genuine excitement in what we see these reporters doing; there is instead a constant low-level sense of dread. The conversation we hear is peppered with the qualifying words and phrases that have crept into and degraded American vernacular: “kind of” and “sort of” turn up all the time in meetings. And the man who became president doesn’t qualify anything, unless he’s trying out one of his verbal evasions that are reliant on conspiracy theories or worse. White House correspondent Maggie Haberman is heavily relied on in the Times newsroom as a source for Trump information and Trump character analysis because she has been covering him since she worked at New York tabloids in the 1980s. He used to give her quotes to “juice” her articles then, and it is clear that she is beyond tired of having to deal with him. Haberman often openly admits to being drained of energy, and she is stuck in a disbelieving, defensive persona. What she really wants to do is get back to her children, and she talks about how she thought her coverage on the Trump beat would finally end when he lost. Garbus shows Haberman having to take a call from one of her children while she tries to do an interview for a podcast, and the way Haberman crouches on the floor of the office while she attempts to reassure her child is an image of helplessness that epitomizes what most of the people in this movie are feeling. If there is a star in “The Fourth Estate,” it may be Washington bureau chief Elisabeth Bumiller, a very tough, skeptical journalist who knows how to separate what is important from what isn’t, which turns out to be a particularly crucial skill for covering this particular White House. There’s an exciting scene where Bumiller reacts incredulously when she sees that her lede has been watered down, and we see her defiantly trying to get some of her original intent back into the top of the story. It says something about this administration that the scandals covered in “The Fourth Estate” feel like they happened in an already distant past even though they occurred just a little over a year ago. There is the start of the scandal about Russian interference with the 2016 election, and then the turnovers and resignations of officials close to Trump, and the reporters write about these things in all seriousness and with all due diligence. It is made clear that the New York Times needs money, and that Facebook and Google are eating into their business. “We’re not driven by clicks,” says Time publisher A. G. Sulzberger. “We think in decades.” But there is the very uneasy sense that the foundation of newspapers like the Times is fragile, especially when we see Trump attacking the press as any dictator would. Trump himself is seen giving speeches throughout, and we hear him on the phone with Haberman, who has to listen to his off-the-record profane anger. The thing that makes Trump so hard to fight is that he is such a comic figure on the surface. His face often takes on the supercilious look of a grand female dowager, like Margaret Dumont, before it folds back into the cartoonish grin of a minor fat-cat capitalist. Haberman says that Trump’s greatest dream is to be taken seriously, and she says that he is searching above all for respectability. “The Fourth Estate” ends on a cliffhanger that is supposed to whet our appetite for future episodes, but surely many of us are waiting for this whole thing to be finished. Everyone in this movie seems to be wondering how long we have to wait for the end of this publicity stunt gone wrong. But if we are in for a long haul, it feels as if Bumiller is the one who can best lead us through it. | |
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| 04-29-18 07:54pm - 2386 days | #529 | |
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lk2fireone (0)
Active User Posts: 3,618 Registered: Nov 14, '08 Location: CA |
Sessions aide pledged loyalty to Trump's agenda in order to be hired: report By Avery Anapol - 04/29/18 08:17 PM EDT Attorney General Jeff Sessions’s choice to serve as his spokeswoman met with President Trump to assure him of her loyalty to his agenda so that she would be hired, according to a report from the Washington Post. Sarah Isgur Flores, who has worked as an adviser for GOP candidates and organizations for at least a decade, told the president in a 2017 Oval Office meeting that she supported his agenda and would be honored to work in his administration, several sources familiar with the meeting told the Post. The meeting was seen as necessary because Isgur Flores had criticized Trump during the 2016 campaign and would likely lose her chance at the job unless she met with Trump, according to the Post. Cabinet secretaries typically have the freedom to make their own hires. Flores declined The Hill's request for comment. Trump’s reported requests for loyalty have repeatedly emerged throughout his presidency, especially with figures close to the Russia investigation. Former FBI director James Comey testified that Trump told him he expected loyalty from him, which the White House has denied. And Trump reportedly asked Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein if he was “on [his] team.” A GOP strategist close to the administration told the Post on the condition of anonymity that the White House’s process for vetting appointees is “an oxymoron.” “There’s only one answer,” the strategist said. “Trump decides who he wants and tells people. That’s the vetting process.” | |
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| 04-30-18 03:25am - 2386 days | #530 | |
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lk2fireone (0)
Active User Posts: 3,618 Registered: Nov 14, '08 Location: CA |
Does Trump know how to spell hypocrite? Trump has complained bitterly about how Ronny Jackson was treated after being nominated to lead the VA, and defended him as a good man who did not deserve such treatment. Trump has said Tester should resign after publicly discussing unproven allegations about Jackson. But instead of giving Ronny Jackson back his old job of personal physician to the president, Jackson will now be given a slot on the White House medical staff. So Jackson is a good man who should have been appointed to lead the Veteran Affairs Administration, but since he did not get the job, Trump has basically demoted Jackson from physician to the president, to an appointment on the White House medical staff. That's how Trump backs up a "good man". By demoting him. But at least Jackson still has a job, and was not fired. Even though one of Trump's favorite actions is saying to his employees: "You're fired." ---------- ---------- Report: Jackson not returning as Trump's personal physician Associated Press Associated Press 5 hours ago WASHINGTON (AP) — Dr. Ronny Jackson, a Navy rear admiral who abandoned his nomination to be secretary of Veterans Affairs amid numerous allegations, will not return to the job of President Donald Trump's personal physician but will remain on the White House medical staff, Politico reported Sunday. The newspaper reported that administration officials said Jackson has returned to a job with the White House medical unit. Dr. Sean Conley, a Navy veteran, who has taken the role of Trump's personal physician after Jackson was nominated by Trump, will remain in that role. Jackson withdrew his nomination Thursday after Sen. Jon Tester, D-Mont., released allegations that Jackson drank on the job, overprescribed medication and presided over a toxic work environment. Jackson has denied those allegations. Tester, speaking on MSNBC, acknowledged that not all the allegations had been verified, but said they should be investigated. The White House released records that it says show the allegations were not true. The Secret Service said it has found no evidence of an alleged car accident involving drunken driving, one of the claims released by Tester. Trump has complained bitterly about how Jackson was treated, and defended him as a good man who did not deserve such treatment. Trump has said Tester should resign after publicly discussing unproven allegations about Jackson. Tester faces a tough re-election bid in a state Trump won easily in 2016. | |
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| 04-30-18 10:37am - 2385 days | #531 | |
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biker (0)
Active User Posts: 632 Registered: May 03, '08 Location: milwaukee, wi |
Anyone who expects loyalty from Trump should seek help. Good-bye Ronny.  The list of people that go through the revolving door in the Trump administration continues to climb. I wish there was a way to get rid of Carson and Pruitt to name a couple. Warning Will Robinson | |
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| 04-30-18 11:15am - 2385 days | #532 | |
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lk2fireone (0)
Active User Posts: 3,618 Registered: Nov 14, '08 Location: CA |
If Trump is forced out (through impeachment or resignation), then Pence takes over. God forbid. Pence will probably appoint God-fearing homophobic conservatives, so most of Trump's choices will be out the door. But do we really want Pence to be the President?   | |
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| 04-30-18 11:22am - 2385 days | #533 | |
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lk2fireone (0)
Active User Posts: 3,618 Registered: Nov 14, '08 Location: CA |
Trump campaign has paid portions of Michael Cohen's legal fees: Sources By Katherine Faulders, JOHN SANTUCCI Soo Rin Kim Apr 30, 2018, 12:44 PM ET The Trump campaign has spent nearly $228,000 to cover some of the legal expenses for President Donald Trump’s personal attorney Michael Cohen, sources familiar with the payments tell ABC News, raising questions about whether the Trump campaign may have violated campaign finance laws. Federal Election Commission records show three payments made from the Trump campaign to a firm representing Cohen. The “legal consulting” payments were made to McDermott Will and Emery — a law firm where Cohen's attorney Stephen Ryan is a partner — between October 2017 and January 2018. Cohen has said that he did not have a formal role in the Trump campaign, and it is illegal to spend campaign funds for personal use – defined by the FEC as payments for expenses “that would exist irrespective of the candidate’s campaign or responsibilities as a federal officeholder.” "They're on shaky legal ground," said Stephen Spaulding, chief of strategy at the nonprofit watchdog group Common Cause. "It sounds like they are really pushing the envelope … If the campaign were to say they are campaign-related payments, then maybe it's okay to use campaign funds. But he can't have it both ways." Legal experts told ABC News that if the payments referenced in the FEC filings are related to the Russia investigation, they likely wouldn't violate campaign finance law, as the investigation is related to the 2016 presidential campaign. If the payments are related to the Stormy Daniels matter, however, the campaign could have a problem. It is not clear what type of legal work the payments were for, but sources familiar with the matter said that the legal work in question was not related to Daniels. A spokesperson for the Trump campaign declined to comment on the payments. Ryan, Cohen’s attorney, did not respond to multiple requests for comment. Cohen has been Trump's personal attorney and confidante for more than a decade, but he is now facing possible legal exposure related to his work for Trump. Ryan has represented Cohen in two key legal matters — Special Counsel Robert Mueller's ongoing investigation into possible collusion between the Trump campaign and Russian agents ahead of the 2016 presidential election, and the so-called “hush” agreement he arranged with a porn star who claimed to have had a sexual encounter with Trump in 2006. Mueller's team has subpoenaed the Trump Organization for Russia-related documents, according to sources with direct knowledge of the matter, and congressional investigators have asked Cohen to explain his role in confidential negotiations to build a Trump Tower in Moscow at the height of the presidential campaign. Cohen told ABC News in Augusts that the Trump Organization seriously considered the proposal — which would have brought the world’s tallest building to Moscow — before eventually abandoning the plan. The special counsel could also be interested in Cohen’s $130,000 payment to adult film actress Stormy Daniels shortly before the election to keep quiet about an alleged affair with Trump. Earlier this month, the FBI raided Cohen’s home, office, and hotel room and seized records related to the Daniels matter, after a referral from Mueller’s team was made to the U.S. Attorney in the Southern District of New York. Cohen has not been charged with a crime. He appeared in court last week, where a judge appointed a “special master” to review the seized material to determine what records, if any, fall under attorney-client privilege. Cohen’s possible legal jeopardy doesn’t end with the investigation by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York or the special counsel. Daniels has since sued Trump and Cohen over the “hush” agreement, challenging its legitimacy because Trump never signed it, and she later added defamation charges against Cohen to the suit. In a court filing last week, Cohen revealed his plans to exercise his Fifth Amendment rights against self-incrimination in that lawsuit. The Trump campaign spent more than $830,000 on legal consulting during the first three months of 2018, including one payment to the firm representing Cohen, according to FEC reports. The payments made up more than 20 percent of the total campaign expenditures. More than $279,000 of that went to two other law firms — Harder LLP received $93,181 and Larocca, Hornik, Rosen, Greenberg & Blaha received $186,279 — that have represented President Trump and Cohen in matters related to Daniels, but sources said these particular payments were related to other matters. The Trump campaign also paid Larocca, Hornik, Rosen, Greenberg & Blaha firm nearly $81,000 for "legal consulting" during the 2016 election cycle, FEC reports show. President Trump added Lawrence Rosen, a partner at Larocca, Hornik, Rosen, Greenberg & Blaha, to his legal team in March to handle the legal issues following the disclosure of the so-called "hush" agreement that Cohen negotiated with Daniels. Rosen did not respond to a request for comment on the payments. The Patriot Legal Defense Fund was established earlier this year to help former Trump campaign staffers and Trump administration officials pay for legal bills associated with the ongoing Russia probes. It is unclear, however, who has benefited from the fund as it does not disclose its beneficiaries. Trump and his immediate family members are excluded from receiving money from the fund, and a source close to former national security adviser Michael Flynn told ABC News in February that he would not accept support from the fund. In 2017, the Trump campaign also paid legal fees to the attorneys representing top aides – and family members – tangled in the ongoing Russia probes. The Trump campaign and the Republican National Committee paid $514,000 in legal fees for Donald Trump Jr, and in January, the Trump campaign paid more than $66,000 to the law firm representing former Trump bodyguard Keith Schiller, who has been a fixture at Trump’s side for decades and served as Trump’s director of Oval Office operations until September. | |
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| 04-30-18 03:36pm - 2385 days | #534 | |
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lk2fireone (0)
Active User Posts: 3,618 Registered: Nov 14, '08 Location: CA |
Fake news: President Trump is such a genius. If he wasn't busy taking care of Presidential business, the stock market would have been up 60%. Unfortunately, Trump has more important things to do than making the stock market go up. ----- ----- Politics Trump: The stock market ‘would’ve been up 60%, but I have to do things’ Krystal Hu 4 hours ago President Donald Trump hasn’t been shy about taking credit for the stock market’s rise. And since prices started falling from their highs of last December, he has largely been silent. But now he’s taking some ownership, saying he is doing something that “bothers the market.” This past weekend during a rally in Washington, Michigan, Trump touted tax cuts, job creation and the 35% jump in the stock market since the election. “The stock market, which is not really the all-time indicator, because the country is actually doing much better than the stock market,” he said to thousands of supporters. “It would’ve been up 60%, but I have to do things. I can’t let other countries take advantage of us, so we’re doing trade deals.” ‘We’re not playing games’ In effect, Trump is taking the blame for the recent market volatility, which many experts have attributed to his aggressive rhetoric. The selling really picked up when he started to announce tariffs on steel, aluminum and other imported goods from China in March. Though no tariff has been imposed yet, the looming trade war between the U.S. and China has had markets reeling. Following Trump’s announcement of 25% tariffs on $50 billion worth of Chinese imports to the U.S., the S&P 500 stock index tanked 6% in a week, the worst sell-off since January 2016. Now, the market awaits trade negotiations between the U.S. and China, which will start later this week. U.S. President Donald Trump speaks in Washington, Michigan on April 28, 2018. REUTERS/Joshua Roberts In the past month, China has made some bullish moves by announcing decisions to open up its financial sector and to cut tariffs on car imports. But little has been said about the alleged technology theft at the center of the trade debate. “I’m not going to give you what’s actually going to happen because we don’t really know,” Trump said on Saturday. “But I’m telling you one thing: we’re not playing games.” Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin also expressed some uncertainty regarding trade negotiations, but said he is cautiously optimistic about the meetings with China’s vice premier in Beijing. “I don’t want to predict what is going to happen or not going to happen,” Mnuchin told Fox Business News on Sunday. “We’re going to have very frank discussions — these are issues President Trump has been focused on for over the last year and hopefully we’ll have significant progress.” During the rally, Trump also spoke of China’s President Xi Jinping and praised his help with the North Korea situation. “He’s a friend of mine,” Trump said. “But he likes China. I like the U.S.A.” Krystal Hu is a technology and economy reporter at Yahoo Finance. Follow her on Twitter | |
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| 04-30-18 10:27pm - 2385 days | #535 | |
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lk2fireone (0)
Active User Posts: 3,618 Registered: Nov 14, '08 Location: CA |
Fake news: The article says to forget the Pee tapes. This is wrong. As a member of the public, I demand my right to view the Pee tape(s). Did they catch the future President of the US peeing? On prostitutes? Or did they catch the prostitutes peeing on the future President? Enquiring minds want to know.' And to view the tapes for themselves, without any editing. --------------- --------------- Observer Opinion Forget Pee-Pee Tapes: the Kremlin Just Dropped a Bigger Bomb on the White House By John R. Schindler • 04/30/18 1:11pm As long as suspicion has surrounded President Donald Trump regarding his secret ties to Russia—that is, every day of his presidency—lurid rumors have swirled about what unpleasant things the Kremlin might know about the Oval Office’s current occupant. In particular, tabloid-worthy speculation has it that the president’s unseemly personal habits were caught on video during his November 2013 visit to Moscow. This, of course, is the notorious “pee-pee-tape” floated by Christopher Steele, the former British spy whose 2016 dossier has been the source of so much gossip and controversy in our nation’s capital. As I’ve previously explained, there’s no reason to doubt that the Russians indeed possess compromising information on Trump, given the many trips to that country he’s made over the last 31 years, but scandalous adult videos are perhaps the least of the president’s worries when it comes to Kremlin kompromat. It’s Trump’s shady business dealings and how they connect to powerful Russians that constitute the real scandal here. While it’s likely that the president has had some sort of less-than-above-board relationship with Moscow’s intelligence agencies for many years, as I recently elaborated, a Bondian secret agent he certainly is not. KremlinGate is fundamentally a long-term financial-cum-influence scandal with an element of espionage thrown in—not the other way around. That said, during the presidential campaign, Team Trump made multiple hush-hush outreaches to the Kremlin, most of them inept and bumbling, which raise glaring questions for anyone versed in counterintelligence. None of these clandestine parleys has gotten more attention than the June 9, 2016 meeting held in Trump Tower in Manhattan between a top Team Trump delegation (including Donald Trump, Jr. and Paul Manafort, Trump’s then-campaign manager who has an inordinate degree of dubious Kremlin links) and several Russians, led by Natalya Veselnitskaya, a lawyer known in Moscow for her links to Kremlin power circles. This meeting was ostensibly about adoptions, a ridiculous line the White House stuck with when word of the Trump Tower rendezvous reached the media many months after the event. Eventually, Don Jr. conceded that the meeting’s real purpose was obtaining kompromat on Hillary Clinton, specifically allegations that the Democratic presidential nominee had her own unsavory ties to Russia. In exchange, Veselnitskaya wanted help getting sanctions off Moscow, in particular, some relief regarding the Magnitsky Act, a 2012 U.S. law that punishes Russians suspected of human rights abuses. Indeed, one of the attendees at the Trump Tower meeting, Rinat Akhmetshin, who admits to being a former officer in Kremlin military intelligence or GRU—with all the caveats that implies in Putin’s Russia—is a dodgy character who has been engaged in aggressive lobbying against the Magnitsky Act. However, Akhmetshin is a naturalized American and well known in Washington, D.C.; while he has ties to Moscow officials, Veselnitskaya was the delegation boss, the one who was speaking for the Kremlin at Trump Tower. Don Jr. insists that nothing came of the meeting, but the mere fact that Team Trump felt it was appropriate to discuss obtaining kompromat on Democrats from anyone linked to the Kremlin raises troubling questions—especially considering who Veselnitskaya actually is. She is known in several countries as a senior operative for Russia’s intelligence services. The unsavoriness of her work was exposed recently in a sensational case in Switzerland, where Veselnitskaya attempted to infiltrate Swiss investigations of Russian oligarchs. As I explained: A top federal investigator, known only as Victor K. due to Swiss privacy laws, in late December 2016 was lured to Moscow to meet with Veselnitskaya. For years, K. had been the lead investigator of Russian organized crime and financial malfeasance in Switzerland. His supervisors forbade K. from traveling to Moscow, given his position, but he did so anyway, in secret. There, Veselnitskaya attempted to recruit him as a mole inside the Swiss investigation of Kremlin crimes. This is typical Russian espionage tradecraft yet again, and this case firmly establishes that Veselnitskaya is no ordinary lawyer, rather a high-level operative for Kremlin intelligence. Nevertheless, the Trump White House has persisted in its story that they had no idea who Veselnitskaya really is. In this telling, the June 9, 2016 meeting, while perhaps less than entirely ethical, was no more than forward-leaning opposition research. For some time, Veselnitskaya played along, telling the media that she was just an attorney, nobody’s secret agent. She informed the Senate Judiciary Committee in a written response to its questions, “I operate independently of any governmental bodies” in Russia. That narrative has just been exploded, however, by none other than Natalya Veselnitskaya herself. On Friday, NBC News broadcast an interview conducted by Richard Engel, in which Veselnitskaya stated, “I am a lawyer and I am an informant,” specifically for the Kremlin’s prosecutor-general Yuri Chaika. She added, “Since 2013, I have been actively communicating with the office of the Russian prosecutor general.” Chaika, who has been Russia’s top justice official since 2006, is known for his aggressive efforts to thwart Western sanctions on his country. Here Veselnitskaya, no mere private attorney, admits she has played an important role. The White House seems dumbstruck by this public revelation, which blows apart its cover story about the Trump Tower meeting. On Saturday evening, at a Michigan rally, the president tried to slough off Veselnitskaya’s revelation by stating, “In fact, have you heard about the lawyer? For a year—a woman lawyer—she was like, ‘Oh, I know nothing.’ Now all of a sudden, she supposedly is involved with the [Russian] government.” Interestingly, the president conceded that obviously Veselnitskaya wouldn’t drop a bombshell like this without Kremlin approval. He explained his take on Putin’s motivation, “You know, this Trump is killing us. Why don’t you say that you’re involved with government so that we can go and make their life in the United States even more chaotic.” This seems highly unlikely. While Trump regularly pronounces that “nobody’s been tougher on Russia than Donald Trump,” this would be news to Ronald Reagan or John F. Kennedy—or even Jimmy Carter. In truth, Putin’s regime is disappointed in Trump, who has proven incapable of managing any sort of “re-reset” of relations between Moscow and Washington. While Trump’s public pronouncements regarding his Russian counterpart have ranged from the nervously flattering to the outright obsequious, his administration’s policies toward Russia by and large have remained consistent with longstanding U.S. actions. Not much has changed to Russia’s benefit since Trump took office, while in some areas—for instance, dispatching defensive weaponry to Ukraine, which remains in a low-boil war with Russia—there are backsteps from Obama-era policies. In short, Moscow sees little to be gained in helping Trump save himself from his increasingly dire predicament with KremlinGate. On the contrary, Putin and his retinue now are seeking to inflict damage on our beleaguered and weakened president: More chaos on the Potomac is good for Russia, goes this perennial line of Kremlin thinking. The White House ought to prepare for rough seas ahead. John Schindler is a security expert and former National Security Agency analyst. | |
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| 05-01-18 02:09am - 2385 days | #536 | |
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lk2fireone (0)
Active User Posts: 3,618 Registered: Nov 14, '08 Location: CA |
Yahoo Documents show ties between university, conservative donors Associated Press MATTHEW BARAKAT,Associated Press 6 hours ago FILE - In this May 22, 2012, file photo, Charles Koch speaks in his office at Koch Industries in Wichita, Kan. A sure sign of policy success for the sprawling conservative network funded by the billionaire Koch brothers is Democratic pushback. With regulations being rolled back and huge tax cuts, Democrats question how far the Koch network's influence extends. (Bo Rader/The Wichita Eagle via AP, File) FAIRFAX, Va. (AP) — Virginia's largest public university granted the conservative Charles Koch Foundation a say in the hiring and firing of professors in exchange for millions of dollars in donations, according to newly released documents. The release of donor agreements between George Mason University and the foundation follows years of denials by university administrators that Koch foundation donations inhibit academic freedom. University President Angel Cabrera wrote a note to faculty Friday night saying the agreements "fall short of the standards of academic independence I expect any gift to meet." The admission came three days after a judge scrutinized the university's earlier refusal to release any documents. The newly released agreements spell out million-dollar deals in which the Koch Foundation endows a fund to pay the salary of one or more professors at the university's Mercatus Center, a free-market think tank. The agreements require creation of five-member selection committees to choose the professors and grant the donors the right to name two of the committee members. The Koch Foundation enjoyed similar appointment rights to advisory boards that had the right under the agreements to recommend firing a professor who failed to live up to standards. Cabrera emphasized in his note to faculty that the "agreements did not give donors control over academic decisions" — an apparent reference to the fact that the Koch Foundation did not control a majority of seats on the selection committees. A university spokesman said Cabrera was unavailable for an interview. On Monday night, Cabrera issued a statement saying he is ordering a review of all the university's donor agreements that support faculty positions to "ensure that they do not grant donors undue influence in academic matters." Cabrera's admission that the agreements fall short of standards for academic independence is a stark departure from his earlier statements on the issue. In a 2014 blog post on the issue, he wrote that donors don't get to decide who is hired and that "these rules are an essential part of our academic integrity. If these rules are not acceptable, we simply don't accept the gift. Academic freedom is never for sale. Period." In 2016, in an interview with The Associated Press, he denied that the Koch donations restricted academic independence and said Koch's status as a lightning rod for his support of Republican candidates is the only reason people question the donations. The documents were released to a former student, Samantha Parsons, under a Freedom of Information Act request she filed earlier this year after years of having similar requests rejected. Parsons, who now works for the activist group UnKoch My Campus, said the documents are strikingly similar to agreements the Koch Foundation made with Florida State University that caused a similar uproar. She said provisions giving the foundation a say in which professors are chosen are especially alarming. "The faculty is supposed to have the independence to choose the best-qualified candidate," she said. The Koch Foundation issued a statement saying the agreements with Mason are "old and inactive" and that newer agreements contain no such provisions. "We took criticism of our agreements seriously when similar concerns were raised" about the Florida State deal in 2008, the foundation's director of university relations, John Hardin, said in the statement. Mason, which has developed a reputation over the years as a conservative powerhouse in law and economics, has received increased scrutiny about its connections to the Koch Foundation since 2016, when Mason renamed its law school for conservative jurist Antonin Scalia. A 2016 analysis by the AP found that Mason received more money from the foundation than any school in the country. UnKoch My Campus released documents on Monday that spell out some of the details of the donation leading to renaming of the law school for Scalia, which occurred in conjunction with a $10 million donation from the Koch Foundation and $20 million from an anonymous donor. The newly released emails are heavily redacted and do not expose the donor, but they do show that Leonard Leo, executive vice president of the conservative Federalist Society, is described as a representative of the donor. Emails between Leo and the Mason law school's dean, Henry Butler, show Leo inquiring on behalf of law school applicants and expressing approval of faculty hires. In one email, Butler informs Leo of a unanimous faculty vote in favor of hiring a new member of the law school faculty, to which Leo replies "Great!" The faculty member later went on leave to join the Trump administration. In a 2015 email, Leo informs Butler about a student prospect who has been working at RAGA, the Republican Attorney General Association, and who is looking to apply to Mason's law school. Leo asks if Butler will meet the prospect and Butler replies, "Absolutley! (sic) I will work with the admissions office to make sure we get together." Bethany Letiecq, president of the American Association of University Professors at GMU, said in a statement that the Scalia school documents confirm what many faculty have suspected for years. "Private donors have been provided influence over faculty affairs at our public university," she said. "This is a violation of the public trust." Del. Marcus Simon, a Fairfax County Democrat who helped lead a petition effort in 2016 to block the name change, said he is not surprised to see the level of influence granted to the donors in these agreements. "The idea that the Kochs are giving money without anything expected in return always seemed a little absurd," he said. He said the university should release all of its agreements with the Koch Foundation, including its most recent ones. | |
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| 05-01-18 07:47am - 2385 days | #537 | |
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lk2fireone (0)
Active User Posts: 3,618 Registered: Nov 14, '08 Location: CA |
Fake news: House conservatives draft articles of impeachment against Rod Rosenstein. My take: Trump should order his Secret Service agents to assassinate Rod Rosenstein, but make the act appear to be a random act of violence in Washington, DC. Then Trump can appear on national TV, and declare martial law in this time of emergency. Then Trump can order the Secret Service to assassinate Robert Mueller. Trump can then state there are counter-revolutionaries, which everyone is already aware of, and that justifies becoming Dictator For Life of the United States, since Trump is the only person able to defend the United States against the threats and evil doers that are out there. -------- -------- Yahoo Politics House Conservatives Draft Articles Of Impeachment Against Rod Rosenstein HuffPost Antonia Blumberg,HuffPost 11 hours ago A group of conservative House members has drafted articles of impeachment against Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein, who is overseeing special counsel Robert Mueller’s Russia probe, multiplenews organizations reported Monday. The reported draft is the latest in an ongoing feud between Congress members allied with President Donald Trump and the Justice Department over its investigation into Russian meddling in the 2016 election. Members of the House Freedom Caucus, a group of conservatives led by Rep. Mark Meadows (R-N.C.), recently finalized the draft, The Washington Post reported. Meadows called it “a last-resort option if the Department of Justice fails to respond” to congressional requests for documents pertaining to the Russia investigation and another federal inquiry into former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s use of a private email server. A representative of Meadows did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The impeachment articles accuse Rosenstein of several transgressions, The Hill reported, including that he violated federal law by not immediately complying with a congressional subpoena to release documents regarding FBI surveillance during the 2016 presidential election. The documents also accuse Rosenstein of “knowingly provided misleading statements related to his supervision of the initial Department of Justice investigation into the Trump campaign’s alleged contacts with Russia,” according to The Hill. Rep. Devin Nunes (R-Calif.), who oversees the House Intelligence Committee, threatened to impeach Rosenstein, along with FBI Director Christopher Wray, earlier this month. “I can tell you that we’re not going to just hold in contempt. We will have a plan to hold in contempt and impeach,” Nunes said in an appearance on Fox. Trump and a handful of vocal conservatives in Congress have long mistrusted Rosenstein over his role in the Russia investigation. The president reportedly considered firing Rosenstein last summer. But an impeachment proceeding is unlikely to progress far. Paul Ryan (R-Wis.), the Speaker of the House, and other GOP leaders in the House have largely remained silent amid calls for Rosenstein’s impeachment or firing. USA Today also noted that the last time a member of the executive branch other than a president was impeached by the House was in 1876, when Ulysses S. Grant’s secretary of war, William Belknap, was accused of taking kickbacks. He was acquitted in the Senate. This article originally appeared on HuffPost. | |
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| 05-01-18 02:05pm - 2384 days | #538 | |
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lk2fireone (0)
Active User Posts: 3,618 Registered: Nov 14, '08 Location: CA |
When I was much younger, I listened to a record called House of the Rising Sun, which warned about the dangers of growing up in a whorehouse. Now I read tweets from the White House, which seems to be the House of Lies. The White House is the source of fake news, or news which is twisted or invented to protect the President from his enemies. Trump may have the most corrupt administration the US has ever had. But if you listen to Trump, Trump is the greatest President we've ever had. Which version of Trump is more accurate: Trump is a slimeball con man who has lied repeatedly to the public? Trump is a man who constantly boasts about his greatness, based on his own lies? If men show up at your place of business and demand your property, and you think they may have guns and may use force, is that natural? Sarah Huckabee Sanders says it is natural, as long as the men are working for Donald Trump, the President. Even if the men don't have a warrant. Even if the men are not proper law enforcement officers. Sarah Huckabee Sanders is the White House Spokesperson. She would have done well under the Nazi regime of Adolph Hitler. ---------- ---------- Yahoo White House defends seizure of Trump's medical records Associated Press Associated Press 1 hour 13 minutes ago White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders speaks during the daily press briefing at the White House, Tuesday, May 1, 2018, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci) WASHINGTON (AP) — The White House says President Donald Trump's former bodyguard did nothing out of the ordinary when he took possession of the president's medical records in what Trump's former doctor says felt like a "raid." Harold Bornstein, Trump's longtime personal doctor, told NBC that Keith Schiller and two others showed up at his office in February 2017 in an episode that left him feeling "frightened" and "sad." White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders defended the move: "As is standard operating procedure for a new president, the White House Medical Unit took possession of the president's medical records." She disputed that it had the feel of a raid. The incident took place two days after Bornstein divulged that he had prescribed Trump Propecia, a drug to combat hair loss in men. | |
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| 05-01-18 02:21pm - 2384 days | #539 | |
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lk2fireone (0)
Active User Posts: 3,618 Registered: Nov 14, '08 Location: CA |
Justice Department does not believe in freedom of the press. Justice Department does not believe the public has the right to know. Only the President and his Administration have the right to know. Fuck the public. Fuck the press. Contacts with the press must be reported, as fraternizing with the enemy. Unless the contact was authorized by the President, who has the right and privilege of tweeting and speaking any lies he tweets or utters, under the freedom of political speech. Hail to President Trump, leader of the United States of Trump. (Maybe this is a little pre-mature, since Trump has not officially declared himself as Dictator for Life of the United States of Trump.) -------- -------- Yahoo U.S. Trump administration removes language on freedom of the press from Justice Department handbook The Independent Emily Shugerman,The Independent 23 hours ago Attorney General Jeff Sessions testifies during a hearing before the Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies Subcommittee of the House Appropriations Committee: Alex Wong/Getty Images The Trump administration has removed language about freedom of the press from its guidebook for US attorneys. The US Attorneys' Manual is a guide to Justice Department policies written for US attorneys and other department employees. It was edited late last year, for the first time in two decades, with significant changes to the “Media Relations” section – changes experts say reflect a larger Trump administration hostility towards members of the press. Gone from the handbook is a section specifically reminding attorneys of the public's right to know. Gone is a section on the need for free press and public trial. Added to the manual is a section reminding employees to report any concerns to their superiors, and requiring them to disclose any contacts they have with the media. Summer Lopez, the Senior Director of Free Expression Programmes at PEN America, said the changes showed a "deliberate effort to shift the tone of internal debates away from press freedom concerns". "It confirms what we already know: That this administration is dismissive of the important work done by the press to promote government accountability," she said in a statement to The Independent. Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein ordered a review of the handbook last year, department spokesperson Ian Prior told BuzzFeed News, who first reported the changes. The purpose of the overhaul – the largest since 1997 – was to “identify redundant sections and language, areas that required greater clarity, and any content that needed to be added to help Department attorneys perform core prosecutorial functions,” Mr Prior said. The new manual removes a section titled “Interests Must Be Balanced,” which reminded attorneys to balance the public's right to information with an individual's right to a fair trial and the government’s ability to enforce justice. Instead, it adds language on "the right of the public to have access to information about the Department of Justice" to a sentence in the opening section. Also gone is a section on the need for free press and public trial, which previously stated that employees should consider “the right of the people in a constitutional democracy to have access to information about the conduct of law enforcement officers, prosecutors and courts, consistent with the individual rights of the accused”. Added to the manual is a section on “whistleblower protections,” which reminds DOJ employees that they can report concerns to their management or the inspector general without threat of retaliation. Another new section, “reporting media contacts” tells employees they must report any contact with members of the media about DOJ matters to their designated media representative. Previous language in the handbook did not make such a stipulation. Instead, it said the department’s Office of Public Affairs should be informed of requests from national media organisations to discuss “in-depth stories and matters affecting the Department of Justice, or matters of national significance”. Alexandra Ellerbeck, the North America Program Coordinator for the Committee to Protect Journalists, said the handbook changes were largely symbolic, and more of an indication of the department's priorities than a guide to how attorneys will behave on the ground. But taken in the context of current Justice Department leadership and the administration as a whole, she said, the changes are concerning. President Donald Trump has made his disdain for the mainstream press clear, at one point referring to them “the enemy of the American people”. He has suggested challenging the licenses of television networks that run negative coverage of him, and threatened to make people who leak information to the media “pay a big price”. The head of the Department of Justice, Attorney General Jeff Sessions, has made similar statements. Last year, he told reporters his department had tripled the number of leak investigations over the previous administration, and even created a new counterintelligence unit in the FBI to work on the issue. Mr Sessions also said he would review current rules that make it difficult to subpoena reporters for the names of their sources. Ms Ellerbeck said these comments made her nervous about the edits to the handbook. “This administration has shown an unprecedented level of overt hostility to the press, and in that context I think these changes are concerning,” she told The Independent. “...They’re another example and another indication of where the administration's priorities are when it comes to a free press.” HuffPost | |
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| 05-01-18 04:45pm - 2384 days | #540 | |
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lk2fireone (0)
Active User Posts: 3,618 Registered: Nov 14, '08 Location: CA |
Fake news: Wouldn't it be cheaper and easier to tell the Secret Service to assassinate Hilary Clinton instead of spending so much time, effort and money in trying to assassinate her politically. Or maybe I don't realize how much fun and profit the Republicans and Donald Trump are having in promoting Hillary Clinton as a criminal who belongs in jail. The only problem is: Trump is almost certainly a criminal who belongs in prison. Except he is the President, and the Republicans stand staunchly behind his graft, corruption, and illegal acts. ----- ----- Republicans are still running against Hillary Clinton David Knowles 3 hours ago Former Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton says she’s not going to run again, but Republican midterm candidates are still using her as a political target. (Photo: Brooks Kraft/ Getty Images) Old political habits die hard. Republicans running in midterm elections have picked a familiar target to try to fire up voters: Hillary Clinton. The former U.S. secretary of state and Democratic presidential nominee has vowed she’s “not going to run again,” but that’s not stopping several candidates from portraying her as their de facto opponent in the fall. According to data compiled by USA Today, Clinton has been mentioned more than 5,000 times in television ads in the Ohio gubernatorial race in the past four months. In West Virginia’s U.S. Senate race, Clinton has been featured in TV spots that aired 3,751 times, while in Indiana’s Senate contest, she’s appeared 2,222 times, USA Today reports. The only Democratic politician to appear in more television ads is former President Barack Obama, who has turned up in 18,971 spots paid for by Republicans and 3,976 paid for by Democrats. Clinton has been portrayed negatively in 12,864 ads nationally — a stunning figure for a politician who lost and doesn’t plan to run again. Hillary Clinton Clinton herself has joked about the fact that she still garners so much attention on Fox News, quipping in early April that “Fox News is always trying to impeach me, so someone needs to tell them that it doesn’t apply to a private citizen.” Of course, while Fox News hosts like Sean Hannity regularly run segments bashing Clinton, President Trump has also offered his Twitter followers a steady diet of anti-Clinton messages, keeping that feud alive in the minds of his supporters. Indeed, rarely a week goes by that Trump doesn’t find a way to insert a reference to Clinton into his Twitter feed. Perhaps one reason Clinton remains a rallying cry for Republicans is the fact that her approval ratings have slipped below Trump’s. In December, a poll released by Gallup found that just 36 percent of Americans held a favorable view of the former senator and secretary of state, compared with 61 percent who held an unfavorable opinion. | |
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| 05-01-18 04:49pm - 2384 days | #541 | |
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lk2fireone (0)
Active User Posts: 3,618 Registered: Nov 14, '08 Location: CA |
Fake news: If Donald Trump was moral (God forbid), he would support sex workers. Instead, he pays them off in private (with NDAs--Non Disclosure Agreements), to keep secrets about his sex life. And in public, he supports laws that erode any protections the sex workers might have. Typical Trump behavior. ----- ----- Unfiltered: ‘Society treats sex workers as second-class citizens’ Yahoo News Wed, Apr 25 5:17 PM PDT By Brian Prowse-Gany and Joyzel Acevedo As a prominent face in the world of adult entertainment, sex worker Ginger Banks has endured her share of insults and discrimination: “When I read comments on articles about sexual assault happening to sex workers, it breaks my heart. Because a lot of the people say, ‘Well, she’s a sex worker. She gets f***ed for money. Why can’t I grab her right now?’” “Which makes no sense. If you are going to run into a UFC fighter on the street, you’re not going to punch him in the face and say, ‘That’s your job,’ right?” Following a recent string of deaths by suicide and drug overdose among female adult-film actresses, including the popular performer August Ames, Banks has spoken out about the damaging and discriminatory treatment sex workers in the industry regularly face. The issue, Banks believes, stems from the stigma society places on sex work and the porn industry. “There are people who probably respect drug dealers, that shoot and kill people, more than they do sex workers,” she says, “because sex is so negatively viewed still by such a large percentage of the country. … There are mothers who have had their children taken away from them because they are sex workers, there are banks and other institutions that have shut down sex workers’ accounts.” “We’re all just people who want to provide for themselves and for their families.” In this latest episode of “Unfiltered,” adult-film actress Ginger Banks explains why porn stars need more support for the kind of work they do — both within the industry and in society at large. The 27-year-old has worked in the sex industry for eight years, first finding success as a webcam model and most recently having filmed a big-budget XXX feature. She was a chemical engineering student when she made the decision to pursue webcamming full-time, a choice that shocked her father. “When my dad found out, he immediately said, ‘Is someone forcing you to do this?’” she recalls, “Because it’s easier to think of that and accept that, than it is to realize that your independent, intelligent daughter decided to go into the sex work industry.” Ginger Banks (Photo courtesy of Ginger Banks) It took time for Banks to get past her shame: “When I was lying about my job as a sex worker, that’s when I was the most depressed. Because deep down I knew there was nothing wrong with being a sex worker, but I had to hide it and I had to lie to people about my job. And that made me feel terrible.” Now, with the new Fight Online Sex Trafficking Act and the Stop Enabling Sex Traffickers Act, known as the FOSTA-SESTA bill, signed by President Trump on April 11, 2018, Banks believes the struggles many sex workers face will not only increase, it will also “cause [them] to die.” “Full-service sex workers are already at a higher risk of being murdered due to their job,” explains Banks. “And taking away their resources to screen through violent clients is just going to make that worse.” Online platforms, like classified advertising website Backpage.com, are being held responsible by the new law for any sex related content. (Image: Backpage) Banks also feels that the new law will hurt those who are involuntarily trafficked into the industry. “If we make it safe for people to do sex work,” she asserts, “We are going to be making it safer for these people to come forward who are being forced into this industry.” Ultimately, Banks wants sex workers to be treated fairly and with respect, “My goal in life is to help change the stigma surrounding sex workers. … We are just like any other part of society,” she says. “It is important to see us as people, because that’s what we are.” | |
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| 05-01-18 04:50pm - 2384 days | #542 | |
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lk2fireone (0)
Active User Posts: 3,618 Registered: Nov 14, '08 Location: CA |
Reuters Two top EPA staffers resign amid ethics probes Reuters By Valerie Volcovici,Reuters 2 hours 5 minutes ago WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Two high-level Environmental Protection Agency employees whose names have come up in investigations of Administrator Scott Pruitt's ethics and travel have resigned from the agency, the EPA confirmed on Tuesday. Pasquale "Nino" Perrotta, a former Secret Service agent who served as the head of Pruitt's security team, resigned on Monday but said he will continue to cooperate in a U.S. House of Representatives investigation of his role in costly decisions around Pruitt's security. ABC News first reported the resignation on Tuesday. Albert "Kell" Kelly, who ran the agency's Superfund cleanup program, also announced his resignation, the EPA confirmed. Kelly, a friend of Pruitt's from his days in Oklahoma, was barred by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation from working at any U.S. financial institution after unspecified violations while working at a bank in that state. Lawmakers last week grilled Pruitt in back-to-back hearings on reports of ethics violations, excessive spending on travel and security, close industry ties and the reassignment of agency whistleblowers who flagged concerns about high spending. Those issues included the installation of a $43,000 soundproof phone booth in Pruitt's office and routine use of first-class flights - both of which the EPA has argued were important to Pruitt's safety and privacy. Perrotta had also hired a business associate from a firm where he also works to carry out a $3,000 security sweep of Pruitt's office, which internal staff said did not meet national security standards. Pruitt praised both men for their work at EPA, citing Kelly's "tremendous impact on EPA’s Superfund program" and Perrotta's service to four EPA administrators. House Oversight Committee Chairman Trey Gowdy said on Sunday on CBS' "Face the Nation" that his committee had scheduled interviews with Perrotta and other senior Pruitt aides this week. A committee aide told Reuters the staff will conduct a transcribed interview with Perrotta on Wednesday and that his resignation will not affect his appearance before the panel. The committee also is confirming dates for transcribed interviews with other EPA witnesses, the aide said. The panel received more than 1,000 pages of documents it requested from the EPA in February and April related to Pruitt and his staff's use of first-class flights and a condo rental agreement between Pruitt and the wife of an industry lobbyist. President Donald Trump has not indicated whether the investigations would affect Pruitt's tenure. "At this point, EPA is complying with our requests," the aide said. Several Republicans in the House who have embraced Pruitt's deregulatory agenda said Pruitt was unfairly grilled by Democrats, but others said his answers to some key questions were vague. U.S. Representative Frank Pallone, the top Democrat on the House energy and commerce committee, said despite the resignations of some of Pruitt's controversial associates, his colleagues will not ease up on the scrutiny. "Democrats will continue to shine light onto the corruption at Scott Pruitt’s EPA, even if congressional Republicans refuse to join us," he said. (Reporting By Valerie Volcovici; editing by Jonathan Oatis and Bill Trott) | |
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| 05-01-18 05:10pm - 2384 days | #543 | |
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lk2fireone (0)
Active User Posts: 3,618 Registered: Nov 14, '08 Location: CA |
Fake news: “After 12 years of marriage, we have decided to go our separate ways. We will always have tremendous respect for each other and our families,” they previously said in a joint statement. "We have five beautiful children together and they remain our top priority. We ask for your privacy during this time.” Why break up when a couple has such love and respect for each other? Because they have publicists, who write such crap for publication. "I love you, darling, forever. But we must go our separate ways. For the benefit of each of us." Maybe Donald Trump Jr. and his current wife can hire sarah huckabee sanders to do press for them. Keep it all in the family. Huckabee is known for her loyalty and how she speaks with admiration and devotion for her boss, President Donald Trump. So what better than to speak for Donald's son and his soon-to-be ex-wife? -------- -------- Donald Trump Jr. wants to know estranged wife Vanessa’s net worth New York Daily News VICTORIA BEKIEMPIS May 1st 2018 4:08PM X Donald Trump Jr. wants to know how much money his estranged wife, Vanessa, has in the bank. A “defendant’s demand for statement of net worth” was filed in Manhattan Supreme Court on Friday. Vanessa Trump, who married the President’s eldest son in 2005, filed for divorce on March 15. The circumstances behind their divorce remain unclear. While the divorce is classified as “uncontested” in court filings — suggesting the split might be amicable — divorcing couples exchange information on their assets to determine, for example, child support payments. Vanessa Trump, 40, and her estranged husband, 40, have five children. “After 12 years of marriage, we have decided to go our separate ways. We will always have tremendous respect for each other and our families,” they previously said in a joint statement. "We have five beautiful children together and they remain our top priority. We ask for your privacy during this time.” | |
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| 05-01-18 05:15pm - 2384 days | #544 | |
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lk2fireone (0)
Active User Posts: 3,618 Registered: Nov 14, '08 Location: CA |
The real reason Michelle Wolf is under attack is because her Sarah Sanders jokes are true Sarah Huckabee Sanders can dish it, but Republicans can’t take it. By Laura McGannlaura.mcgann@vox.com Apr 30, 2018, 11:25am EDT Michelle Wolf headlined the White House Correspondents’ Dinner in 2018. Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images Comedian Michelle Wolf headlined the White House Correspondents’ Dinner Saturday night, shocking the crowd and spinning up indignation among Republicans and even some journalists for accusing press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders of ... lying. “Every time Sarah steps up to the podium,” Wolf started, “I get excited because I’m not really sure what we’re going to get — you know, a press briefing, a bunch of lies, or divided into softball teams.” This isn’t exactly a controversial joke. Huckabee Sanders lies all the time. It’s not spin. It’s not an ideological narrative wrapped around shared facts. She states and defends stacks of untruths — from the motivations of Donald Trump accusers to the state of health care negotiations. Many of her most measurably false claims indict the character of entire groups of people, notably brown people. Mexican men are rapists. Immigrants vote illegally en masse. Republicans, who’ve never called out Huckabee Sanders for any of her comments, had a lot to say Saturday night. Mike Huckabee, Sarah’s father and former governor of Arkansas, captured the sentiment when he tweeted: “The WHCD was supposed to celebrate the 1st Amendment. Instead they celebrated bullying, vulgarity, and hate.” Wolf’s routine hit a nerve because it’s true. Huckabee Sanders represents White House policy, which includes smearing people for political gain and selling legislation through blatant falsehoods, like a health care repeal bill that would have cost millions their insurance. But Washington insiders think standing at a podium and saying all this calmly is professional, and telling a joke about it is cruel. Until we take a hard look at Huckabee Sanders’s own words, though, the joke’s on us. Sarah Huckabee Sanders tells a lot of lies Huckabee Sanders stands poised in front of the White House press corps nearly every day, laying out the White House’s priorities and taking questions. Unlike her predecessor Sean Spicer, she keeps her cool or goes on the offense. She doesn’t backpedal. She doesn’t hide in the bushes. She’s a PR pro. | |
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| 05-01-18 08:59pm - 2384 days | #545 | |
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lk2fireone (0)
Active User Posts: 3,618 Registered: Nov 14, '08 Location: CA |
Fake news: President Trump's former personal doctor says Trump himself wrote his own letter of health during the 2016 presidental campaign, when Trump's health was questioned. But the doctor signed the letter, making it legitimate, even if was full of lies or exaggerations. During the raid on the doctor's office, when 3 men took all of Trump's medical records, they told the doctor to take down a photo showing Trump and the doctor. My guess is that Trump wants to declare that he only visited the doctor on very rare occassions, and that he does not want any evidence to contradict that "truth". Maybe Trump could even go so far as to deny knowing the doctor at all, except for one brief physical exam where it was found that Trump was in the best of health, and truly fit to be president. Which was a very un-biased medical opinion, since Trump basically wrote the opinion himself. ------- ------- Politics Trump's Doctor Says Trump Basically Wrote That Glowing Health Letter: Report HuffPost Carla Herreria,HuffPost 3 hours ago President Donald Trump’s doctor claims that Trump himself wrote the bizarre letter of health that included results from a 2015 physical suspiciously written with many superlatives, CNN reported Tuesday. Trump’s presidential campaign released the letter, signed by his personal physician Dr. Harold Bornstein, after Trump’s health came into question in 2015. “Mr. Trump has had a recent complete medical examination that showed only positive results,” Bornstein’s letter read. “Actually, his blood pressure, 110/65, and laboratory test results were astonishingly excellent.” “His physical strength and stamina are extraordinary,” Bornstein continued. “If elected, Mr. Trump, I can state unequivocally, will be the healthiest individual ever elected to the presidency.” Bornstein told CNN on Tuesday that Trump essentially wrote the letter himself. “He dictated that whole letter. I didn’t write that letter,” Bornstein told CNN. “I just made it up as I went along.” Trump has been Bornstein’s patient since 1980, according to the doctor’s original letter. Dr. Harold Bornstein's Letter of Health for Donald Trump by carla on Scribd Bornstein, who is based in New York City, told NBC News earlier Tuesday that White House aide Keith Schiller (Trump’s longtime personal bodyguard), Trump Organization chief legal officer Alan Garten and an unidentified “large man” raided his office in search of medical records in 2017. The surprise raid allegedly took place in February 2017, two days after Bornstein told The New York Times that he had prescribed Propecia, a medication that promotes hair growth, for Trump for years. Bornstein also told the paper that Trump took medications to treat cholesterol and rosacea, a common skin disease that causes redness. During the raid on Bornstein’s office, Trump’s team took all of the president’s medical records, including the only copies of Trump’s charts and lab reports. They also reportedly told Bornstein to take down a framed photo of Trump and Bornstein from a wall in the waiting room. The incident left the doctor feeling “raped, frightened and sad,” Bornstein NBC News. “They must have been here for 25 or 30 minutes. It created a lot of chaos.” White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders told Boston Globe reporter Matt Viser that the alleged raid of Bornstein’s office was “standard procedure” for a newly elected president. This article has been updated with details of the 2015 letter and Bornstein’s comments. This article originally appeared on HuffPost. | |
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| 05-01-18 09:01pm - 2384 days | #546 | |
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lk2fireone (0)
Active User Posts: 3,618 Registered: Nov 14, '08 Location: CA |
Bloomberg White House Defends Taking Records From Trump’s Former Doctor Bloomberg Bloomberg 8 hours ago Washington (AP) -- The White House said Tuesday that President Donald Trump's former bodyguard did nothing out of the ordinary when he took possession of the president's medical records last year, despite a claim by Trump's former doctor that the episode felt like a "raid." Harold Bornstein, Trump's longtime personal doctor, told NBC News that Keith Schiller, the president's longtime bodyguard and former director of Oval Office operations, showed up at his office in February 2017 along with two other men to collect the records, leaving Bornstein feeling "raped, frightened and sad." White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders disputed the doctor's characterization of the episode. "As is standard operating procedure for a new president, the White House Medical Unit took possession of the president's medical records," she told reporters at a White House briefing. As for Bornstein's description that it had had the feel of a raid, she said, "No, that is not my understanding." Bornstein told NBC that Schiller and another "large man" were in his office about 30 minutes and "created a lot of chaos." The doctor said the two men were joined by Alan Garten, the chief legal officer for the Trump Organization. A spokeswoman for the Trump Organization did not respond to a request for comment Tuesday. The incident at Bornstein's office came two days after the doctor told The New York Times that Trump takes Propecia, a drug for enlarged prostates that is often prescribed to stimulate hair growth in men. Bornstein told the Times that he prescribed Trump drugs for rosacea and cholesterol as well. Bornstein told NBC that Trump's longtime personal secretary called him after the story ran and said: "So you wanted to be the White House doctor? Forget it, you're out.'" Bornstein said he wasn't given a form authorizing him to release Trump's records, but said Schiller and Garten took the originals and copies of Trump's charts and lab reports, including records filed under pseudonyms the office used. Questions were raised about the legality of the seizure. Patients have a right to a copy of their medical records but the original physical record belongs to the doctor, said Dr. Matthew Wynia, director of the Center for Bioethics and Humanities at the University of Colorado. "If a patient wants a copy, they can have a copy, but they don't get the original. Patients can also ask for their records to be transferred to a new doctor, but that also involves making copies (i.e., transferring the information), not literally packaging up the originals and sending them off," Wynia said in an email. Most states require doctors to keep and maintain records, Wynia said. Federal patient privacy law bars doctors from relinquishing records without a signed release from the patient. "Law enforcement can get copies of medical records, under some specific circumstances, but it doesn't seem like the people gathering these records were acting as law enforcement officers," Wynia said. Bornstein did not respond to a request for comment Tuesday. Schiller departed the White House last fall and also could not be reached. With his long flowing hair and large glasses, Bornstein became a colorful character in Trump's unlikely 2016 campaign for the presidency. In a letter released in December 2015, Bornstein wrote that Trump would "unequivocally" be the healthiest president in history and deemed the celebrity businessman's condition "astonishingly excellent." He later said he wrote the note in five minutes while a limo sent by the candidate waited outside his office. Bornstein's return to the headlines comes just days after Trump's White House physician, Dr. Ronny Jackson, withdrew his nomination to the head of the Department of Veterans Affairs after allegations of workplace misconduct. Jackson has denied the claims. ___ Lemire reported from New York. Associated Press writer Carla K. Johnson contributed to this report from Seattle. | |
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| 05-01-18 09:30pm - 2384 days | #547 | |
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lk2fireone (0)
Active User Posts: 3,618 Registered: Nov 14, '08 Location: CA |
Fake news: Who are going to believe: A doctor who does an autopsy for the Sacramento police. Remember, the police are law enforcement officers. Sworn to uphold the law. Or a private doctor who did an autopsy, but is not working for the police. The police autopsy doctor says the police shot a black man 7 times. And that the victim (the dead black man) was probably shot as he was approaching the police officers. The private doctor says it was strange that the coroner's office brought in its own independent pathologist to review the official autopsy. So who are you going to believe? We need White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders to tell us what the truth really is: And since Trump is a conservative Republican, who supports the police, we can take what the police and the police coroner say as the truth, since police do not lie, or cheat, or steal. ------- ------- California 4 hours ago Coroner releases official Stephon Clark autopsy Associated Press Stephon Clark was shot and killed by Sacramento police in March. SACRAMENTO, Calif – An official autopsy released Tuesday says an unarmed black man was shot seven times, not eight as concluded by an independent doctor hired by the man's family. A pathologist retained by the Sacramento County coroner says that's a crucial distinction because it shows the pathologist hired by the family of 22-year-old Stephon Clark mistook an exit wound for an eighth entry wound, creating an impression that police first shot Clark from the side or back. Clark was most likely shot as he approached police, a conclusion that is consistent with the officers' story of the fatal encounter, Dr. Gregory Reiber wrote after reviewing the official autopsy along with video taken by the two officers' body-worn cameras and a sheriff's helicopter circling overhead. The autopsy also says Clark was legally drunk and had traces of marijuana, cocaine and codeine in his system when was shot, but the report said the toxicology findings are not directly relevant to the fatal shooting. The officers shot Clark after chasing him into his grandparents' backyard. They were responding to a report of someone breaking car windows, and said they shot Clark because they thought he was approaching them while pointing a handgun. Investigators found only a cellphone. The slaying set off weeks of protests as demonstrators called for the officers to be fired and criminally charged. Protesters at times blocked fans from attending professional basketball games and disrupted rush hour traffic downtown in the state capital and on a nearby interstate. Benjamin Crump, a spokesman for the family's attorney, did not immediately comment. The pathologist hired by the family, Dr. Bennet Omalu, told The Sacramento Bee he found it strange that the coroner's office brought in its own independent pathologist to review the official autopsy. Omalu found that Clark was hit by six bullets in the back, one in the neck and one in the thigh, and took three to 10 minutes to die. Police waited about five minutes before rendering medical aid. The official autopsy found that Clark was hit three times in his right back; in the right front of his neck; his right arm; in his right chest, slightly back to front; and in the left thigh. Two bullets perforated his lungs, with one of those two bullets hitting his heart and aorta, and another bullet striking his spine. The direction of the bullets "do not support the assertion that Clark was shot primarily from behind as asserted by Omalu," Reiber wrote. He wrote that a frame-by-frame analysis of video from both officers' body-worn cameras shows Clark facing the officers while helicopter footage shows him "walking ... toward the officers' position." He was most likely shot first in the thigh, then in the right side and back as he fell first to his knees and then face down with his right side facing the officers, Reiber wrote. | |
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| 05-01-18 09:52pm - 2384 days | #548 | |
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lk2fireone (0)
Active User Posts: 3,618 Registered: Nov 14, '08 Location: CA |
Begala: Donald Trump is no 'idiot.' He's something worse By Paul Begala Updated 11:41 PM ET, Tue May 1, 2018 Begala: Staff deriding Trump a recurring motif "Paul Begala, a Democratic strategist and CNN political commentator, was a political consultant for Bill Clinton's presidential campaign in 1992 and was counselor to Clinton in the White House. He was a consultant to Priorities USA Action, the pro-Hillary Clinton super PAC. The opinions expressed in this commentary are his." (CNN)Add the name of White House chief of staff John Kelly to the astonishingly long list of close Trump aides who have reportedly disparaged the President's intellect, in his case referring to the leader of the free world as "an idiot." Kelly called the report "total B.S." But, like the dog that didn't bark, Kelly's statement reveals more by what it does not say. It does not say the President is bright. It does not say he is engaged. It does not say he digs into the impossibly difficult issues that come into the Oval Office each day. And Kelly's silence on those matters is telling. Of course, former Secretary of State Rex Tillerson called President Trump "a [expletive deleted] moron" then heroically refused to participate in the ritualistic dishonest denial. Tillerson told CNN's Jake Tapper, "I'm not going to get into that kind of petty stuff." National security adviser H.R. McMaster, according to a report in BuzzFeed, has called President Trump an "idiot," a "dope" and a man with the brain of a "kindergartner." In Michael Wolff's book, "Fire and Fury" (which ought to be taken with an entire salt lick), the former chief of staff Reince Priebus and Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin refer to the President as an "idiot." Then-chief economic adviser Gary Cohn says Trump is "dumb as [poop]," and is "an idiot surrounded by clowns." (Note that this was at the time that Cohn himself was one of the people surrounding the President. Does that make him Clarabell?). And billionaire media baron Rupert Murdoch reportedly called President Trump "a [effing] idiot" after a phone call on immigration. The tumultuous relationship between Trump, Kelly The tumultuous relationship between Trump, Kelly 02:32 I'm beginning to see a pattern here. Those closest to the President think, well, it's pretty clear what they think. But I dissent. I think Donald J. Trump is plenty bright. Not in the intellectual, Mensa-meeting sense, but he has, I think, an undeniable intelligence. He is street smart, savvy, clever. No one can be that conniving and be an idiot. So why the disconnect? Why do I as an outside analyst see an intelligence that those closest to the President do not? Because there are different kinds of intelligence that are useful for different purposes. The kind of intelligence I believe Trump has is enormously useful if you want to, say, be a politician -- even better if you want to be a demagogue. He has a cynical, innate intelligence for what his base wants to hear. It's like a divining rod for division, prejudice and stereotyping. His relentless rhetorical repetition ("No collusion, no collusion, no collusion") is brilliantly designed to tell folks who are predisposed to like him what they want to hear. Forget the objective reality that his campaign chairman, his son and his son-in-law all met with Russians who promised dirt on Hillary Clinton from the Russian government, helping make the case for why Robert Mueller should be investigating potential collusion. He has an unerring sense for how to command media attention, whether it was assuming a pseudonym and leaking the "Best Sex I Ever Had" myth to the New York tabloids, or dominating water coolers across the country by attacking NFL players who kneel during the National Anthem. It's like he knows what every barstool blowhard is about to say before he or she even says it. Tapper to Tillerson: Did you call Trump a moron? His penchant for third-grade nicknames undoubtedly demeans the discourse, and yet otherwise sophisticated people repeat them: "Lyin' Ted," "Little Marco," "Crooked Hillary." So who's really the idiot? The problem is, Trump's idiosyncratic intelligence, while enough to propel him to the White House, does not serve him well for the job of President. He lacks, by most accounts, the broad curiosity, the policy depth, the healthy skepticism of his own positions, the attention span, the appreciation of nuance, and most of all, the intellectual humility that successful presidents must have. Serving President Clinton in the West Wing was the highlight of my professional life. He is the smartest person I have ever known -- and he never, ever acted like (or felt like) the smartest person in the room. He paired his astonishing intellect with an immeasurable empathy, and the combination brought out the best in everyone around him. He didn't merely want to know; he wanted to understand. Then he would integrate, cross-pollinating new information about farm prices with the latest briefing on the French military budget, and seeing the world in subtle hues. It is impossible to imagine any of his top aides speaking as contemptuously of him as President Trump's do of him. Finally, a word of caution for the Democrats: Don't attack Donald Trump's intelligence. Liberals already suffer from the conceit that they are more intelligent, and it can make them insufferable. Plus, in a weird way, calling President Trump stupid excuses his intentional acts of malice. So, don't call him "moron" or "idiot;" call him what he is: a conniving, corrupt con man, a dangerous, divisive demagogue -- and, most sobering of all, the man who carried 30 states in the last election, and may well do it again if Democrats don't focus their fire more effectively. | |
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| 05-02-18 06:48am - 2384 days | #549 | |
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lk2fireone (0)
Active User Posts: 3,618 Registered: Nov 14, '08 Location: CA |
Fake news: The article says that Trump tweets will haunt him because they are inconsistent with the facts, or might prove embarrassing if Trump had a moral center. However, Trump has no problem with being inconsistent, telling lies that are proven to be lies, or being morally conflicted. So read the article with a grain of salt: the article just shows that Trump is a hypocrite, who criticizes people before he does the same thing even worse. ----- ----- This Old Trump Tweet Is Coming Back to Haunt Him — Because, Well, Just Read It Trump Tweet About Obama's Staff Turnover Rate This Old Trump Tweet Is Coming Back to Haunt Him — Because, Well, Just Read It May 2, 2018 by Victoria Messina First Published: March 14, 2018 It's no secret that President Donald Trump isn't the best at keeping officials in his administration around for very long. Though it feels like he's been in the Oval Office for centuries, it's only been a little more than a year — and in that time more than 30 of his staff members have either resigned or been fired from their posts. Notable departures include Sean Spicer, former White House Press Secretary, James Comey, former FBI Director, and Steve Bannon, former White House Chief Stategist — just to jog your memory, since these departures seem to happen so often that they all blend together. Trump's most recent staff switch up came when he announced on March 13 that he had fired Secretary of State Rex Tillerson. As soon he shared the news — on Twitter, naturally — many were quick to call out his alarmingly high turnover rate, and some even resurrected an old tweet from the president in which he slammed Barack Obama for the amount of staff change-ups he made during his time in office. Way back in January 2012, just one day after Obama announced that his second Chief of Staff, Bill Daley, would be stepping down, Trump tweeted, "3 Chief of Staffs in less than 3 years of being President: Part of the reason why @BarackObama can't manage to pass his agenda." Little did he know that six years later he'd wind up in the White House, already on his second Chief of Staff before even reaching his two-year mark, with his third COS, John Kelly, possibly on his way out soon. We've said it before and we'll likely say it again: for almost all of Trump's controversial statements or decisions, there's always a corresponding tweet from his past that totally contradicts it. And everyone on social media isn't about to let him off the hook for it . . . | |
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| 05-02-18 06:57am - 2384 days | #550 | |
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lk2fireone (0)
Active User Posts: 3,618 Registered: Nov 14, '08 Location: CA |
Chaplain Ouster Shows What Version Of Christianity Controls The GOP HuffPost Michelangelo Signorile,HuffPost 18 hours ago There was an uproar last week among Democrats, and even some Republicans, after it was reported that House Speaker Paul Ryan abruptly fired the Catholic House chaplain, the Rev. Patrick J. Conroy. Many have charged that Ryan axed Conroy in retaliation for the chaplain’s November prayer that there not be “winners and losers” created by the GOP tax bill, but rather “benefits balanced and shared by all Americans.” In response, Ryan reportedly told GOP colleagues that he let the Jesuit chaplain go because he wasn’t serving members’ “pastoral needs,” and not because of politics. It’s true that it would be quite petty if Ryan was so personally offended by Conroy expressing concern about the speaker’s signature piece of legislation that he decided to fire the chaplain. But this kind of purging and retribution is the stock-in-trade of religious right leaders and their faithful in the House GOP, to whom Ryan has bowed on issues ranging from abortion to LGBTQ rights. Democratic Rep. Gerald Connelly, a Catholic from Virginia, hinted at this “dark theory,” telling The Washington Post, “There’s a crowd that doesn’t like urban, Catholic Jesuits who have a broad-minded approach to things, and they want to replace him.” And though Ryan is leaving Congress at the end of this term, there’s been pressure on him from conservatives to resign now rather than wait. So far resisting, he’s still pandering and still bowing. He likely also desires to maintain good relationships with those who he no doubt will need if he becomes a lobbyist in the future, like so many other retired politicians. Devout white evangelicals dominate the influential House Freedom Caucus ― from Reps. Jim Jordan of Ohio and Louie Gohmert of Texas to Reps. Mo Brooks of Alabama and Mark Meadows of North Carolina. Another, Rep. Mark Walker of North Carolina, stirred controversy when he suggested the next chaplain should have a family, a requirement that would automatically exclude Catholic priests from the position. Freedom Caucus members’ beliefs in curtailing government funding of many programs that help the less affluent ― with which Ryan agrees, and which is reflected in the new tax law ― has support among evangelical leaders and even among the broader evangelical electorate. A Washington Post and Kaiser Family Foundation poll last year found 53 percent of white evangelicals believe an individual’s poverty stemmed from lack of effort. Apparently a line in Second Thessalonians that says, “The one who is unwilling to work shall not eat,” is enough to rebut statement after statement by Jesus in the gospels to help the poor and the sick. So much for Christian charity ― at least among a subset of evangelical believers and their leaders. It’s easy, then, to understand how evangelical politicians, as well as those politicians who pander to evangelical voters, are threatened by Conroy’s remarks. The Jesuit’s prayer reflects a Christian spirit of giving a helping hand to the poorest and the weakest among us that goes back centuries. But evangelicals have cast that spirit aside. The modern evangelical political movement, which has been focused more on social issues such as abortion and homosexuality than programs for the poor, has been a key part of the Republican Party going back to President Ronald Reagan, who actively courted evangelicals. Today they are a force ensconced in many state legislatures, governorships and within Congress. And President Donald Trump ― whose words and actions reveal his intent on eviscerating social welfare programs perhaps more than any other president ― received more of the evangelical vote than even the devout evangelical George W. Bush. White evangelical leaders boast about having more access to this White House than any in the past, and are gearing up for yet another meeting with Trump next month. As I noted last month, it appears they’re going to use the Stormy Daniels affair as a bargaining chip, claiming the president needs to give them even more if he wants them to stick by him. The religious right ― which includes conservative Catholic leaders, Mormon leaders and conservatives among other faiths in addition to white evangelicals ― was viewed only a few years ago as a waning political force in American life. Yet right now evangelicals are wielding enormous power within the Republican Party, with a continued, firm grip on both the White House and Congress. The ugly firing of Rev. Patrick Conroy is yet another vivid example of that. Follow Michelangelo Signorile on Twitter @msignorile. This article originally appeared on HuffPost. | |
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