Report: Michael Cohen Wiretapped [UPDATED]

NBC News is reporting that Trump fixer and thug Michael Cohen's phones were wiretapped in the weeks leading up to the raid by FBI agents and Federal prosecutors on Cohen's home, office and hotel in early April. Sources in the report indicate that at least one of the phone calls was between a Cohen phone and the White (Supremacist) House.

"Two sources close to Trump's newest attorney, Rudolph Giuliani, say he learned that days after the raid the president had made a call to Cohen, and told Trump never to call again out of concern the call was being recorded by prosecutors."

Former U.S. Attorney Chuck Rosenberg noted that a Federal judge has to approve a wiretap after a detailed justification and evidence that an ongoing crime is occurring.

Hopefully, the Feds have Rump corruptly discussing a pardon for Cohen in return for his "loyalty." If the wiretaps go back far enough, perhaps there are discussions of the hush money and business dealings with Russia that could involve money laundering and bank fraud.

It gets better every day.

UPDATE: NBC News is correcting its original reporting to say the the phone calls were not listened to or recorded by Federal authorities, but that they were registering the phone numbers only.

Iran: No Renegotiating Nuclear Deal

Iran's Foreign Minister Javad Zarif said in a video message today that Iran would not renegotiate the nuclear arms deal that was signed by the U.S. and several world powers in 2015. Neo-fascist demagogue Donald "Rump" Trump, in his bid to tear down President Obama's foreign policy achievements, has said that he will ratchet up sanctions after the May 12 deadline for certification that Iran is complying with the agreement. In the message, Zarif said:

“Iran will not renegotiate what was agreed years ago and has been implemented.... Let me make it absolutely clear and once and for all: we will neither outsource our security nor will we renegotiate or add onto a deal we have already implemented in good faith.”

Despite the assessment of U.S. intelligence and the International Atomic Energy Agency that Iran is complying with the agreement, Rump maintains there are flaws in the agreement. On Monday, Rump's close ally, right-wing Israeli Prime Minister Bibi "Bibi Bomb Bomb" Netanyahu, conducted a presentation aimed at Rump that largely covered pre-2015 Iranian misrepresentations about their nuclear weapons program. Netanyahu tried to sabotage the agreement in 2015 by going directly to the Rethuglican Congress to lobby against the agreement.

What's next, assuming Rump maintains his belligerent stance, is that Iran will feel empowered to go ahead with its program, the U.S. and perhaps some allies will re-impose sanctions, and the threat of war with Iran will increase geometrically. It will also send a message to Kim Jong-Un before the upcoming denuclearization talks that the U.S. doesn't stick to its agreements.

Reactions To Giuliani's Screw Up

Opportunist and spotlight-seeker Rudy "Noun, Verb, 9-11" Giuliani seemed to have stepped in it last night on "Hannity" and this morning on "Fox and Friends" waxing bonkers about l'affaire Stormy. That left some of narcissistic sexual abuser Donald "Rump" Trump's cult in confusion. Vicious right-wing harpie and taunter of the Parkland students Laura Ingraham had this to say on her program last night:

“But you have the president on tape on Air Force One saying he did not know about the payment, and you’ll have to ask Michael Cohen about that. Rudy just goes on with Hannity and says ‘Oh no, he reimbursed them.’Like, what?' I love Rudy, but they better have an explanation for that. That’s a problem.”

Yes, lying is a problem, which is why Rump's handlers are doing everything they can to keep him from being interviewed by Robert Mueller. Cue some reactions to Rudy 9-11's revealing performances:

Tonight’s lesson: You can still self-immolate in a safe space.

— Elise Jordan (@Elise_Jordan) May 3, 2018

It's really clever how the Deep State got Rudy Giuliani to show the world that Trump and Cohen lied about the payment to Stormy Daniels. And it used @seanhannity for this operation. Fiendishly smart!

— David Corn (@DavidCornDC) May 3, 2018

Michael Cohen: “I’m arguably the dumbest lawyer in America.”
Rudy Giuliani: “Hold my beer.”

— R. Chase Brindisi (@RBrindisi12) May 3, 2018

Reminder that Trump hired Giuliani because he is, “good on television.”

— Schooley (@Rschooley) May 3, 2018

Rudy should do more interviews

— Dan Pfeiffer (@danpfeiffer) May 3, 2018

None of you took Rudy seriously when he said he was going to end this thing in two weeks.

— Adam Wren (@adamwren) May 3, 2018

Giuliani Bombshell: Trump Repaid Cohen For Stormy Hush Money (UPDATED)

The same genius who unintentionally bollixed up the Muslim immigration ban, new White (Supremacist) House consigliere Rudy "Noun, Verb, 9/11" Giuliani, admitted last night on Sean "Heil" Hannity's sh*tshow that previous denials that malignant liar Donald "Rump" Trump knew about hush money payments made to porn star Stormy Daniels are inoperative, but that the payments weren't a campaign finance violation:

“It’s going to turn out to be perfectly legal; that money was not campaign money,” Giuliani, who joined Trump’s legal team last month to handle issues related to special counsel Robert Mueller’s Russia investigation, told Fox News’ Sean Hannity Wednesday night in an attempt to argue that the payment wasn’t a campaign finance violation. The payment was “funneled through a law firm, and then the president repaid it.” 

“Sorry, I’m giving you a fact now that you don’t know,” Giuliani continued. He told The New York Times that a monthly $35,000 reimbursement scheme was set up, coming out of a personal Trump family account. Trump ended up paying Cohen $460,000 to $470,000 in total, including funds for “incidental expenses,” he said.

As far as campaign finance laws, legal eagle Giuliani might not be totally up on the law:

... How the payment was made doesn’t affect the legality. 

There was still almost certainly a campaign finance violation.

“We still have the same question: What was the purpose of this,” Noble said when we spoke by phone Wednesday evening. We’ve noted in the past that the question of whether the payment was meant to aid Trump’s candidacy is central to campaign finance considerations — and that it’s hard to argue that this payment wasn’t related to the campaign. 

“If the purpose of this was to stop [Daniels] from hurting the campaign,” Noble continued, “then what you have is Cohen made a loan to the campaign. And it was an excessive loan because lending the campaign money is a contribution. It was an excessive contribution until it’s repaid.” 

Another observer points out that the manner in which the payments were made, according to legal eagle Giuliani, may put Rump's ample ass in even more hot water:

To reiterate, RudyG said the Cohen payment to Stormy Daniels was reimbursed by Trump, through a bank, in installments. That is structuring. That is bank fraud. That is a felony. That is what put former Speaker Hastert in jail.

— Gregg Levine (@GreggJLevine) May 3, 2018

Giuliani claims Rump was informed and on board with the revelations that could end up damaging his cosmically ignorant client in even more ways. Sounds about right. Thanks, Giuliani!

BONUS:

This is obvious, but still should be said: Giuliani’s reveal that Trump repaid Cohen $130,000 for hush money to Stormy Daniels renders the repeated denials to the American people from POTUS and his press secretary false and untrue.

— Philip Rucker (@PhilipRucker) May 3, 2018

But, Michelle Wolf was harsh.

Musical accompaniment to any story involving Stormy here.

UPDATE:  Continuing to dig a hole for his dimwit client, legal eagle Giuliani was on Rump's council of advisers show "Fox & Friends" this morning:

Admission (self-goal) by #Giuliani on Fox and Friends connecting Stormy Daniels payment to the election-campaign:

“Imagine if that came out on October 15th 2016 in the middle of the last debate with Hillary Clinton"

Then says Cohen did what he needed to do to make it go away pic.twitter.com/ZMApG8S0ZC

— Ryan Goodman (@rgoodlaw) May 3, 2018

(Photo: A fool with a fool for a lawyer.)

Today's Cartoon Twofer

(click on images to enlarge)


(Emily Flake, The New Yorker)


(Tom Toles, Washington Post)

Mike Pence: Disgraceful Toady

Amoral ass-kisser Vice President Mike "Dense" Pence was plucked from obscurity as the failed Governor of Indiana to be con man and sexual predator Donald "Rump" Trump's running mate. Pence's record on everything from LGBT rights to regressive economic and social policies made him one of the more extreme Rethuglicans on the map. His eagerness to suck up to whatever alpha male can give him coattails to ride was apparently his attractiveness to Rump.

Yesterday, Pence was appearing at a rally in Arizona to talk up Rump's tax-cuts-for-the-wealthy plan when he noticed bigot and birther Joe Arpaio, the convicted former sheriff of Maricopa County entering the room. Shifting into his role as Master of Obsequiousness, Pence saluted the despicable,  law-flouting Arpaio:

“(He’s) a great friend of this President, a tireless champion of strong borders and the rule of law. He’s spent a lifetime in law enforcement— Sheriff Joe Arpaio and I’m honored to have you here.”

Remember that this champion of "the rule of law" was convicted of disobeying a Federal Court order to cease racial profiling Hispanics. He was on his way to get justice when Rump pardoned him in August 2017, a move popular with his racist base.

Arpaio is now running as a Rethuglican for the seat that will be vacated by Sen. Jeff Flake, a Rump critic of late. The only problem with Pence's embrace is that Arpaio is running third in the Rethuglican primary behind Air Force veteran Rep. Martha McSally and wingnut Kelli "Chemtrails" Ward, with only 25% of the Rethug vote. So Pence stumbled into a Senate race that the Rethugs need to win by hailing the least popular candidate. Why do you think we call him "Dense"?

(photo: A kiss for the ass-kisser.)

BONUS: Even some Rethug stalwarts have a problem:

The decline of Mike Pence. https://t.co/VepaI6G8ps

— David French (@DavidAFrench) May 2, 2018

Depressing. https://t.co/cgCRJbYVL3

— Brit Hume (@brithume) May 2, 2018

Look with this Arpaio thing it’s fine all Mike Pence had to do not to end up in political purgatory in 2016 was sell his soul you’d do the same right

— John Podhoretz (@jpodhoretz) May 2, 2018

For a while, I thought Pence just played dumb. He doesn’t. He is a willing accomplice. 🤮🤮🤮 https://t.co/pIKdFtlC02

— Ana Navarro (@ananavarro) May 2, 2018

Tweet Of The Day -- Take A Letter, Dr. Bornstein

Seven feet tall he was, with arms like tree trunks. His eyes were like steel, cold, hard. Had a shock of hair, red like the fires of Hell... Are you sure this is what you want me to write? pic.twitter.com/1HLglDdeAq

— Schooley (@Rschooley) May 2, 2018

A big, non- mystery solved. (Also, he's the smartest, bestest man with big hands ever to be elected "president!")

Mid-Week Everyone Song

Jazz trumpeter Cindy Bradley's music ranges from contemporary to smooth jazz, and she's received awards in both genres. A graduate of the New England Conservatory in Boston, when she's not touring or recording (she's recorded 5 successful albums), she teaches elementary school band classes (bravo!).  We last featured her about a year ago. Today, our song choice is her "Everyone But You," from her album "Natural." Enjoy.

Rosenstein: DOJ "Won't Be Extorted" By House Republican Crackpots

News Item:

A group of conservative House lawmakers have begun drafting a resolution that calls for the impeachment of Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein, the top Department of Justice (DOJ) official overseeing special counsel Robert Mueller’s Russia investigation. 

The impeachment document makes a series of charges against Rosenstein, the latest sign of escalating efforts among conservatives to oust the DOJ’s No. 2 official, according to a copy of the draft obtained by The Hill. [snip] 

Conservative members led by Rep. Mark Meadows (R-N.C.), chairman of the House Freedom Caucus and a close ally to President Trump, drafted the eight articles of impeachment against Rosenstein.

To which Rosenstein replied:

"I can tell you, ya know, there've been people who have been making threats, privately and publicly against me for quite some time," Rosenstein said at a Newseum event in Washington. “I think they should understand by now the Department of Justice is not going to be extorted." [snip] 

"I just don't have anything to say about documents like that that nobody has the courage to put their name on and that they leak in that way," said Rosenstein. 

Meadows, Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Crackpot) and the other nihilist ultra- rightists in the House are doing what they can to derail the investigation by Robert Mueller by trying to remove one of the Justice officials blocking Mueller from being fired.  "Extortion" is exactly what they're up to, modeling the kind of behavior we're used to from Stormtrumper thugs and their vile leader.

Tweet Of The Day: "Unhinged"

After yesterday's news that several sources heard White (Supremacist) House chief of staff John Kelly call unfit narcissist Donald "Rump" Trump an "idiot," this tweet from CNN's Jeremy Diamond is even more unsettling. We'll see if there's additional reporting behind this, but it fits with the general view of Rump beginning to unravel under the pressure of investigations, etc.

John Kelly told sr national security officials last month that he believed the President was becoming "unhinged," a senior admin official tells me. Kelly made the comments in a room w/ Mattis, Dunford & NSC officials after Trump said publicly he wanted to pull troops from Syria.

— Jeremy Diamond (@JDiamond1) April 30, 2018

Maybe a real doctor -- not sycophant Dr. Ronny "Candy Man" Jackson -- should get involved in the next examination of Rump's fitness for duty.

Today's Cartoons

(click on images to enlarge)


(Darrin Bell, Washington Post Writers Group)


(Rob Rogers, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette)


(Tom Toles, Washington Post)


(Clay Bennett, Chattanooga Times Free Press)

Trump Took His Records From His Former Doctor

NBC News is reporting that the office of narcissist and thug Donald "Rump" Trump's doctor, Dr. Harold "Dr. Feelgood" Bornstein, was raided by Rump's bodyguard Keith Schiller and another man in February 2017, shortly after Rump's inauguration. Bornstein says that the duo took all of Rump's medical records spanning decades, and that Rump has cut all ties with him. The report also indicates that Rump was angry at Bornstein's revelation to the New York Times that Rump used Propecia, a hair growth drug.

"Bornstein said he was not given a form authorizing the release of the records and signed by the president —known as a HIPAA release — which is a violation of patient privacy law. A person familiar with the matter said there was a letter to Bornstein from then-White House doctor Ronny Jackson, but didn't know if there was a release form attached. Bornstein said the original and only copy of Trump's charts, including lab reports under Trump's name as well as under the pseudonyms his office used for Trump, were taken."

Bornstein also admits what any sentient person already knew:  that Rump himself dictated the over- the- top, glowing "medical report" on his health during the 2016 campaign.

Along with his unreleased tax records, Rump obviously has a major problem with the public getting a true picture of his health -- both physical and mental. Note that Rump sycophant and enabler Dr. Ronny "Candy Man" Jackson's name also comes up in the story, facilitating the apparently unlawful removal of the records without a written authorization from Rump. Loyalty!

(photo: Dr. Bornstein. A picture's worth a thousand words.)

Colbert Drags The 2018 WHCD

Having been someone invited to deliver a roast at the 2006 White House Correspondents' Dinner, we were certain that Stephen Colbert would have some choice comments on the annual self-congratulatory dinner of the smug, access-driven Beltway media. He didn't disappoint.

Help These Organizations In Our Fight

As a regular service, we're posting a list of some key progressive organizations that are in the forefront of resisting the existential menace of neo-fascist sociopath Donald "Rump" Trump and his treasonous party-before-country allies in the Rethuglican Party. Here are the links to those organizations fighting the fight against destructive, un-American policies of the Rump regime. We encourage you to contribute generously to them:

NAACP Legal Defense Fund

Planned Parenthood

Emily's List

Natural Resources Defense Council

American Civil Liberties Union

Southern Poverty Law Center

Union of Concerned Scientists

ActBlue

MoveOn

THANK YOU!

QOTD - "The Worthless Washington Media" (UPDATED)

Let's be frank here: The basic job of Sanders and Conway is to lie and dissemble on behalf of a corrupt president who has taken vicious media-baiting far beyond the Spiro Agnew level. They do it nearly every time they open their mouths. That it is possible to react to these mild insults outside of this overtly and personally threatening context is final confirmation that the above journalists are not capable of perceiving the reality of the American state, much less how they are enabling it. As Alex Pareene once noted, "These people practice a form of corruption in which the corrupt individual literally cannot understand why anyone wouldn't consider him or her a stalwart and productive member of society." -- The Week's Ryan Cooper, in a blistering takedown of the Beltway corporate media and their essential worthlessness as guardians of our democracy, as evidenced once again by the reaction to Michelle Wolf's White House Correspondence Dinner remarks.  Worth a read this morning.

UPDATE:  Ashley Feinberg is maintaining a running list of the "cowards, courtiers, strivers and suck-ups" in the corporate media.