Friday, May 19, 2017
Islamophobe Travels To Saudi Arabia
Pathological liar and anti-Muslim bigot Donald "Rump" Trump is traveling to Saudi Arabia today, the first stop on a tour that he's already griping about. There, he's going to meet, dine and make nice with leaders of some 50 majority Muslim countries. It's hard to imagine the amount of hypocrisy that will be exhibited on both sides, with Rump's Muslim-banning Islamophobia and the Muslim leaders' tolerance of his bigotry against their religion. One of the goals is to sell more U.S. arms to the various kingdoms and principalities under the guise of creating an "Arab NATO" against Iran, but also to suppress their subjects. Of course, big oil is never far from the discussion (see: Sec. of State Rex "Rexxon" Tillerson, who will be with Rump). After the fall of Saddam Hussein's Iraq, and with an Iran-friendly Shiite government replacing it, Sunni Arabs, led by Saudi Arabia and the Gulf States, have been pushing for more aggressive U.S. policies toward Iran, fearing a Shia ascendancy in the region. Notably, they opposed the Iran nuclear agreement almost as fiercely as the Likudniks in Israel.
The overwhelming irony, of course, for right-wing Islamophobes in the U.S. is that Saudi Arabia is the wellspring of the radical fundamentalist Wahabi sect that continues to preach jihad against the U.S. and its allies, and supplied support and 15 of the 19 terrorists that brought down the World Trade Center. You know right-wing Islamophobes here in the U.S. would be on their hind legs howling, howling if President Obama had made Saudi Arabia his first foreign visit, and were accepting the plaudits and a banquet from the Saudi royals.
Thursday, May 18, 2017
Today's Cartoons
(click on images to enlarge)
(Nick Anderson, Hearst Papers)
(Rob Rogers, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette)
(Mike Luckovich, Atlanta Journal-Constitution)
(Jeff Danziger, The Rutland (VT) Herald)
Has Trump Been Tampering With A Potential Witness? (UPDATED)
Hmmm. Do we have another potential Article in a bill of impeachment?
Late last month, fired National Security Adviser Michael Flynn — under investigation by federal prosecutors, with his lawyer seeking immunity for him to testify to Congress — met with a small group of loyalists at a restaurant in the northern Virginia suburbs.
Saddled with steep legal bills, Flynn wanted to reconnect with old friends and talk about potential future business opportunities. But one overriding question among those present were his views on the president who had fired him from his national security advisor post.
Flynn left little doubt about the answer. Not only did he remain loyal to President Trump; he indicated that he and the president were still in communication. “I just got a message from the president to stay strong,” Flynn said after the meal was over, according to two sources who are close to Flynn and are familiar with the conversation, which took place on April 25. [snip]
Democrats and some legal commentators say that Trump’s request, as recorded by Comey in a memo — “I hope you can let this go” — could amount to an effort to obstruct a federal investigation that might ultimately implicate the president himself. Any ongoing contacts between Trump and Flynn are likely to be among the matters closely scrutinized by Robert Mueller, the ex-FBI director named late Wednesday as the new Justice Department special counsel in charge of the Russia investigation.It's easily within the realm of possibility that Flynn's communications have been monitored (under court order, of course!), since he's the subject of an ongoing criminal investigation. One might expect the FBI already has any such communications in its possession.
As far as the specific reasons for Rump's tampering, we are now finding out that Flynn (and others in the campaign) had multiple contacts with Russians during the campaign. Was Flynn -- a chain of command guy -- following Rump's orders in colluding with the Russians? What if Flynn got an order late last year from then- President- elect Rump to be in contact with Russian officials, in violation of the Logan Act? What if Rump directed Flynn to do other backdoor dealings with Russia after he became National Security Advisor? How about if Flynn has personal knowledge, through intel from his Russian friends, that the Russians have kompromat information on Rump, and Rump knows that Flynn knows. These or any similar, credible scenarios would make Flynn, as a potential witness, a mortal threat to Rump, who would see it in his best interest to assure Flynn that he will be "protected" (i.e., pardoned) if he keeps quiet.
But we're expected to believe Rump, who's never shown any compassion toward others, suddenly feels bad for "good man" Flynn, who (the regime narrative would have it) lied to others in the regime (and is still "lying" =cough= Honest Dense Pence =cough=) and caused a major regime derailment in the first three weeks of the Rump shitshow? Now it comes out he's been in touch, and wants Flynn to "stay strong"? Nothing suspicious about this at all, no siree!
UPDATE: Adding to the bill of particulars, Rump is sending signals that he would like Flynn back:
But Trump doesn’t just hope that Flynn will beat the rap. Several sources close to Flynn and to the administration tell The Daily Beast that Trump has expressed his hopes that a resolution of the FBI’s investigation in Flynn’s favor might allow Flynn to rejoin the White House in some capacity—a scenario some of Trump’s closest advisers in and outside the West Wing have assured him absolutely should not happen. (our emphasis)"Keep your mouth shut and you'll have a job waiting for you when this all blows over."
Measuring The Oval Office Drapes Are We, Mr. Pence?
In a sign that the S.S. Rump has hit an iceberg and is taking on water, Vice President Mike "Dense" Pence is setting up his own political action committee (PAC) called the "Great America Committee" well in advance of the 2018 and 2020 elections. It's the first time a sitting Vice President has created a PAC separate from the administration he belongs to.
While Pence's allies claim that the PAC is intended to cover his travel costs and other expenses related to campaigning for Rethuglicans, there's an unmistakeable whiff of presidential aspirations here. Dense as Pence is, he's likely sized up the growing turd tornado enveloping the White (Supremacist) House and decided it's time for him to develop a "plan B" for 2020....or sooner.
Or, maybe Dense should just focus on lawyering-up.
(photo: "Et tu, doofus?")
"Preparing To Deal With A Child": Trump's Trip Abroad
As neo-fascist obstructor of justice Donald "Rump" Trump prepares for his first international trip tomorrow, foreign officials are nervous about how to handle the unstable, ignorant and reckless Rump. He's already embarrassed the hosts of one country on his itinerary, namely Israel, over his bragging disclosure of highly classified intelligence to Russia that their crack intelligence agency Mossad provided to the U.S. Israeli intelligence officials are "gravely concerned" by Rump's careless breach of confidence, while the Rethuglican-friendly Likud government is trying to downplay the betrayal. And that's not including the White House-stoked kerfuffle over whether the Western Wall is a part of Israel.
He's also meeting with NATO leaders presumably to reassure them after his multiple claims during the 2016 campaign and beyond that NATO was "obsolete" and that members needed to pay up for their defense costs (Rump apparently sees the relationship as a Mafia-style protection racket). Since Rump lacks the intellectual power to grasp many of the nuances to be discussed, officials preparing for the NATO summit of 28 member heads of state are deliberately shortening and "dumbing down" the sessions to address Rump's extremely short attention span. Also, given his fealty toward Moscow, the officials are dispensing with the traditional declaration at the end of the meeting for fear that Rump won't like it if it's too critical of the Kremlin. One observer familiar with the preparations said:
“It’s kind of ridiculous how they are preparing to deal with Trump. It’s like they’re preparing to deal with a child — someone with a short attention span and mood who has no knowledge of NATO, no interest in in-depth policy issues, nothing. They’re freaking out.” (emphasis added)All of which absolutely delights autocratic thug Vladimir "Vlad the Invader" Putin, who has the child-like leader of his main adversary under control, even if we don't.
"Calm And Measured" Trump Reacts To Special Counsel
The White (Supremacist) House narrative is set last night:
One senior White House official who was present when Trump was informed of the Justice Department's decision to appoint as special counsel Robert S. Mueller III, a former prosecutor who served as the FBI director from 2001 to 2013, described Trump as “unbelievably calm and measured.” (our emphasis)Now here's Mr. "Calm and Measured" a few hours later, starting at 7:52 this morning, stepping on the narrative (and his dick):
This is the single greatest witch hunt of a politician in American history!— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 18, 2017
With all of the illegal acts that took place in the Clinton campaign & Obama Administration, there was never a special counsel appointed!— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 18, 2017
He can't help himself, and apparently no one else can, either.
Right-Wing Propagandist Roger Ailes Dies
Right-wing propagandist and force behind
Ailes' career in right-wing politics started with disgraced former President Richard Nixon as a communications aide. In a foreshadowing to his development of a network to pump out right-wing opinion and "fake news," Ailes wrote in a 1970 memo, "People are lazy. With television you just sit -- watch -- listen. The thinking is done for you." That should be Fux's motto, as well as his epitaph.
BONUS: Driftglass keeps the farewell short and sweet.
Wednesday, May 17, 2017
Special Counsel Named To Investigate Trump- Russia Connection
This is a huge, long- awaited development for those of us interested in getting an impartial (i.e., non- Congressional) investigation into the Trump- Russia nexus going:
The Department of Justice announced on Wednesday evening former FBI director Robert Mueller will serve as a special counsel to oversee the FBI’s investigation of the Russian government’s efforts to influence the 2016 presidential election.
The investigation will also examine “any links and/or coordination between the Russian government and individuals associated with the campaign of President Donald Trump,” according to the order creating the position.
It’s an official concession from the Justice Department that the Russian intervention in the 2016 presidential election was an extraordinary circumstance, and that bringing in an outsider to oversee the investigation is in the public interest. Rod Rosenstein, the second-in-command at the Justice Department, made the decision. That’s because he oversees the Russia investigation, due to Attorney General Jeff Sessions’ recusing himself from it.
It’s not currently clear if the White House received notice the announcement was coming.
Mueller will have the power to bring in staff from outside the Justice Department to help with the investigation, and will have all the authority of a U.S. Attorney. He will also be able to request a budget for the investigation, which Rosenstein will ultimately approve.
“In my capacity as acting Attorney General, I determined that it is in the public interest for me to exercise my authority and appoint a special counsel to assume responsibility for this matter,” he said in a statement. “My decision is not a finding that crimes have been committed or that any prosecution is warranted.”
“What I have determined is that based upon the unique circumstances, the public interest requires me to place this investigation under the authority of a person who exercises a degree of independence from the normal chain of command.”This is expected to focus and greatly accelerate the investigatory process, given the fact that Mueller is a well- regarded, professional with standing in the FBI and intelligence community. We have no doubt they're doing cartwheels over at the FBI building right now.
Rosenstein did the right thing, clearly under pressure because of the revelations of the past few days of unfit Donald "Rump" Trump's bizarre leaking of highly sensitive intel to Russian officials, and most importantly, the leak of former Director James Comey's memo indicating Rump's interest in Comey dropping the investigation into former National Security Advisor Michael Flynn's Russian connections.
Something worth watching is how this impacts and interfaces with the on- going "inquiries" by various Congressional committees, which have been hamstrung by Republican efforts to slow-walk progress or provide distractions to the main focus.
But, at the risk of being overly optimistic, we're still going to be sleeping a little better tonight.
Dress-Up Sheriff Gets DHS Position (UPDATED)
Far-right lunatic Milwaukee Co. Sheriff David "Uncle Ruckus" Clarke has been offered the position of Assistant Secretary in the Department of Homeland Security overseeing liaisons with State and local law enforcement. Sadly, the position does not require Senate confirmation, where it would be pointed out that Uncle Ruckus is one deranged customer. His Milwaukee County jail resembles a third-world hellhole where 4 prisoners died in custody last year, one of dehydration. He likes to dress up in cowboy attire and ride around Milwaukee County on horseback to project a "tough guy" image. His abysmal poll numbers earlier this year suggest that he was heading for the unemployment line after the 2018 elections.
Milwaukee's gain is DHS' loss. Uncle Ruckus will fit right in with the unhinged crowd making up the Trump administration.
UPDATE: Is Uncle Ruckus a fascist? Jon Chait makes the case.
UPDATE II: DHS isn't saying whether he's been appointed or not.
(photo: Horse's ass on horse's ass)
Mid-Week Dreams Song
Brooklyn-based indie band The National has been together since 1999, and garnered a Grammy nomination in 2014 for Best Alternative Album. They have a new album coming out in September 2017 entitled "Sleep Well Beast," and a few days ago, they released the first track off of that album, "The System Only Dreams in Total Darkness." Enjoy.
Quote Of The Day -- Our Disgrace
“Now I want to take this opportunity to give you some advice. Over the course of your life you will find that things are not fair... You will find that things happen to you that you do not deserve and that are not always warranted but you have to put your head down and fight, fight, fight... No politician in history, and I say this with great surety, has been treated worse or more unfairly.” -- whining Giant Toddler Donald "Rump" Trump in a commencement speech (!) at the Coast Guard Academy. Of course, when you're a malignant narcissist, this is a perfectly normal occasion to throw a tantrum and share your deranged sense of victimhood with the world.
Reactions from left, right and center were on point (h/t Raw Story):
That's because no President in history has been worse. https://t.co/CfDTyJoBCA— Ted Lieu (@tedlieu) May 17, 2017
Trump: "UNFAIR! No politician in history who obstructed justice and gave away state secrets has been treated as unfairly as I have."— Top Conservative Cat (@TeaPartyCat) May 17, 2017
even a service academy commencement speech becomes a vehicle for his grudges, victimhood and vanity. He is our disgrace.— Mark Salter (@MarkSalter55) May 17, 2017
@jpodhoretz No Commander in Chief has been less deserving of the title.— Erika Dreifus (@erikadreifus) May 17, 2017
(Image: credit Wonkette)
He Has Met The Problem, And It's Never Him
With the White (Supremacist) House in a state of chaos after days of self-inflicted wounds by sociopathic con artist Donald "Rump" Trump, Rump has decided, after conversations with himself, that his staff is to blame for not locking him in a closet and taking away his smart phone. Rumors persist that a shakeup of the staff is imminent, with Sean "Spicy" Spicer and Reince "Prepuce" Priebus being most likely to be axed. After the New York Times' report of the Comey memo hit, the scene inside the White (Supremacist) House was grim, per Politico:
"Top White House officials learned of the looming New York Times story about a memo Comey wrote memorializing Trump’s request two hours before it went online. Aides rushed to ask Trump what he had actually told Comey. But the White House had no memos or tapes of the meeting to rebut the claims, several officials said. Trump didn’t even give an entire readout of his conversation, leaving staffers 'actually unaware of what happened,' one official said.It must be punishing to work for a immature, narcissistic, dishonest ignoramus such as Rump, whose lack of self-awareness leads him to conclude the he's not the problem, everyone else is.
'It’s not like we were in on the meeting,' this person said. 'We had no idea. We still don’t really know what was said.'
Another official laughed when asked if Trump had really 'taped' the meeting, as he’s suggested on Twitter: 'If so, none of us have heard the tape.'
Trump was furious about the story, one of the officials said, but retreated to the White House residence within 75 minutes of it going online – leaving aides to 'figure out how bad the fallout was.'” (emphasis added)
Tuesday, May 16, 2017
Comey Memo: Trump Asked Him To Shut Down Flynn Investigation
President Trump asked the F.B.I. director, James B. Comey, to shut down the federal investigation into Mr. Trump’s former national security adviser, Michael T. Flynn, in an Oval Office meeting in February, according to a memo Mr. Comey wrote shortly after the meeting.
“I hope you can let this go,” the president told Mr. Comey, according to the memo.
The existence of Mr. Trump’s request is the clearest evidence that the president has tried to directly influence the Justice Department and F.B.I. investigation into links between Mr. Trump’s associates and Russia.
Mr. Comey wrote the memo detailing his conversation with the president immediately after the meeting, which took place the day after Mr. Flynn resigned, according to two people who read the memo. The memo was part of a paper trail Mr. Comey created documenting what he perceived as the president’s improper efforts to influence a continuing investigation. An F.B.I. agent’s contemporaneous notes are widely held up in court as credible evidence of conversations.
Mr. Comey shared the existence of the memo with senior F.B.I. officials and close associates. The New York Times has not viewed a copy of the memo, which is unclassified, but one of Mr. Comey’s associates read parts of the memo to a Times reporter.
“I hope you can see your way clear to letting this go, to letting Flynn go,” Mr. Trump told Mr. Comey, according to the memo. “He is a good guy. I hope you can let this go.”
Mr. Trump told Mr. Comey that Mr. Flynn had done nothing wrong, according to the memo.We'll leave it to others to determine if this crosses the line of obstruction of justice, but to us laymen, it sure sounds like Article I of the bill of impeachment.
Today's Cartoons
(click on images to enlarge)
(David Fitzsimmons, The Arizona Star)
(Tom Toles, Washington Post)
(Pat Bagley, The Salt Lake Tribune)
(Jen Sorensen, via gocomics.com)
Birds Of A Feather Torch Together
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| White supremacists rally, Charlottesville, VA. Allison Wrable, AP |
A couple of dozen torch-bearing white supremacists held a brief rally in Charlottesville, VA, on Sunday night protesting the planned removal of a statue of treason-in-support-of-slavery leader Robert E. Lee. Heading the demonstrators was racist neo-Nazi punching bag Richard Spencer, notorious for his anti-minority, anti-immigrant rabble rousing. After counter-demonstrators arrived and scuffles ensued, the demonstration broke up.
Torches are a favorite symbol of far-right racist movements, often used in a rally, parade, or ceremony.
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| Nazi SS rally |
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| Ku Klux Klan parade |
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