Mega-Thread: Trump Focused Discussion

[Tenlo]

Trump is so horrible at projection. What was his tweet a few days ago about Shiff, calling him a liar, when this guy might be breaking records for the most lies a day/week/month and year.

I'm not saying Trump lies.. but not everyone is bigly enough to have a Wikipedia page on how much they lie.
#maga?

[Zaydin]

Meanwhile, Crooked Bill Barr is whining about people who dare protest against police misconduct might lose police protection.

How delightfully authoritarian of him and shows the contempt that conservatives treat every Amendment to the Constitution that isn't the Second.

[Zaydin]

He's not just whining about them, he's threatening them.

Like I said, conservatives have nothing but contempt for the majority of the Constitution.

[Cthulhu 2020]

So now for some lunacy going on in my state:

Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp on Wednesday appointed Atlanta businesswoman Kelly Loeffler to take over the seat of retiring Sen. Johnny Isakson.

Kemp, a Republican, had been pressed by President Donald Trump to appoint Rep. Doug Collins, CNN previously reported, but selected Loeffler in a rare act of defiance against Trump by a member of his own party.

Isakson is retiring on December 31 due to health concerns.

An executive at a commodities trading firm in Atlanta and the co-owner of the WNBA's Atlanta Dream, Loeffler, 49, had considered running for Senate in 2014. During Wednesday's announcement, Loeffler, a prominent Republican donor, introduced herself as "a lifelong conservative. Pro-Second Amendment. Pro-military. Pro-wall. And pro-Trump."

She confirmed Wednesday that she will be running to retain her seat in November.

Kemp rallied behind his pick during his announcement, comparing Loeffler to Ivanka Trump, the President's daughter and senior adviser, as "a savvy businesswoman," and describing her a "political outsider" who "knows that we need to drain the swamp."

Though Trump wanted the governor to pick Collins for the seat, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, a Kentucky Republican and fierce defender of the President, indicated his support for Loeffler on Tuesday, saying she would be a "terrific" choice for the seat. The powerful National Republican Senatorial Committee also plans to support her in next year's election, a source familiar with the matter has told CNN.

The Democratic Party of Georgia blasted Kemp's decision to pick Loeffler on Wednesday, with its chairwoman, Nikema Williams, saying in a statement that Loeffler "has already made it clear that she will not be an independent voice for our state, and instead will fall in line with Donald Trump" and other Republicans.

"Today's appointment showcases exactly where Brian Kemp's and Georgia Republicans' priorities lie: with their own special interests, instead of the people of Georgia," Williams said.

So while my governor is on the one hand defying Trump's pick FOR A SENATOR to replace a retiring Senator, he's simply appointing another high profile rich business owner who's another Trump cultist.

Yes, if the name sounds familiar, Brian Kemp is "that guy" who was the Georgia Secretary of State, the position of office that oversees and runs elections in a state. And he was overseeing and running his own election from within the government. A lawsuit was brought against him over concerns that he was "fixing" things from within the government to secure his own election as governor. He resigned on Nov 8, only short days after the election where there was huge controversy over his own office counting the votes that were EXTREMELY close, and could have forced a run-off. But it was too little, too late, as he resigned a bit late in the cycle, and his own lackeys basically confirmed him as the victor, rather than deciding on a run-off, which the votes were close enough to call for.

[nonameelf]

Meanwhile, Crooked Bill Barr is whining about people who dare protest against police misconduct might lose police protection.

How delightfully authoritarian of him and shows the contempt that conservatives treat every Amendment to the Constitution that isn't the Second.

That sounds like a pretty clear violation of the 1st amendment. Why is Barr not being dragged out of office simply for threatening to do that?

[Edge-]

I mean...can we appreciate that after years of Trump claiming, on the campaign trail and as president, that the rest of the world was "laughing" at the US, that the rest of the world is now actually laughing at the US? Trump is delivering on that promise.

Is this Making America Great Again? Being so incompetent that the heads of our closest allies will pretty much openly mock and belittle the POTUS? Because I sure don't remember this ever happening with Obama. Even after his "apology tour" he started off his presidency with.

[Breccia]

Even after his "apology tour" he started off his presidency with.

Henceforth to be named "the Laugh Track".

Also, from WaPo via TheHill, Barr's troubles continue.

The attorney handpicked by Attorney General William Barr to investigate the origins of the probe into the Trump campaign and Russia's election interference has reportedly found no evidence to support claims from conservatives that the case was a setup by U.S. intelligence officials.

Sources told The Washington Post that John Durham, the U.S. attorney chosen by Barr to lead the investigation, told the Justice Department's inspector general (IG), who conducted his own probe, that he has found no evidence to support claims that a Maltese professor who spoke with former Trump campaign adviser George Papadopoulos was secretly a U.S. intelligence asset.

Sources close to the investigation added to the Post that the draft report written by IG David Horowitz is likely to detail instances of misconduct by FBI agents involved with the investigation but to conclude that top FBI officials did not act with political bias during the 2016 election.

This is not the first such report we've seen, and it likely will not be the last. Barr, however, has a job to do, and I'm sure he'll release a report just as factually accurate as the accusations thrown by GOP members in the impeachment inquiry.

[Dontrike]

LMAO, putting your issues with Kemp aside, why tf would a Republican Governor nominate "an independent voice for [Georgia]" when appointing the replacement for a retiring GOP Senator? What whacky bizarro world is the Democratic Party of Georgia living in?

Nothing like admitting the problem. Why wouldn't they go with the people and choose based on that? We get you need more Trumpeters helping, but don't be so blatant about it.

[Breccia]

So it's been a while since we heard from Iran.

A U.S. Navy warship seized advanced missile parts believed to be linked to Iran from a boat it had stopped in the Arabian Sea.

Oh.

Iran building hidden arsenal of short-range ballistic missiles in Iraq

Uh-oh.

I guess that's going to be a problem, after all, Iran is a dangerous country that is working on nukes and they're not supposed to --

U.S. President Donald Trump said on Friday that North Korea’s missile tests may have violated United Nations resolutions but did not break his agreement North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.

Ah. Well, I guess Trump has three choices.

1) Completely handwave the fact that Iran has short-range missiles and is making more.

2) Break off North Korea's "Christmas gift" and also any further talks because of their missile launches.

3) Be inconsistent.

[PACOX]

Laughed at overseas when amongst allies, booed and labeled a criminal at home. Life is hard when you're the president

[Deja Thoris]

Laughed at overseas when amongst allies, booed and labeled a criminal at home. Life is hard when you're the president

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/blogs-the-papers-50666892

They're having a good laugh at him in the newspapers in the UK.

[Breccia]

So, it looks like there's been some development with the Wall.

And...holy shit, it's hilarious.

Nearly three years after President Trump took office, work is finally underway on one of his key campaign promises. CBS News was able to get access to the locations where new border wall is being constructed along the 2,000-mile-long southern border.

In rural south Texas, construction crews are pushing to finish an 8-mile stretch of border wall in the town of Donna. The total cost is about $167 million.

West of Donna, CBS News saw a second 3-mile stretch of wall that is also being built. Nearly $10 billion has been diverted from government agencies for wall funding. That's a bill U.S. taxpayers, not Mexico, are footing.

Border Patrol Sector Chief Rodolfo Karisch said it's just a start. "We're looking at about 80 to 90 miles over the next year to year and a half," he said. But it won't all be connected.

Bolded for emphasis.

Let's math the shit out of this.

1) 8 miles at the cost of $167 million would become, duh, $16.7 billion to make 800 miles, which is roughly what Trump said the Wall would be after backing down from the original pledge. Trump doesn't have enough money.

2) Also, that's far more money than Trump said it would cost. When the Wall was announced, a lot of people who weren't Trump said it would cost about $20 million per mile, which the cost above matches. Looks like they were right.

Oh, before maintenance costs and overrun.

3) Using the most aggressive timeline -- 90 miles in one year -- means Trump's 800 miles will take another nine years. Not the 3, 3.5 he said.

For more info, consult Politifact, Politifact, and Politifact, who as always cite their sources, including of course

I would build a great wall, and nobody builds walls better than me, believe me, and I’ll build them very inexpensively. I will build a great great wall on our southern border and I’ll have Mexico pay for that wall

- - - Updated - - -

Right, so, I could use your help on this one.

Who is this guy talking about?

China’s envoy to the United States on Wednesday said the two countries were trying to resolve their differences over trade, but he warned of forces that he said were trying to drive a wedge between the two, without providing any details.

Ambassador Cui Tiankai, speaking at a dinner hosted by the US-China Business Council, said U.S.-Chinese ties were at a critical crossroads due to trade frictions, but it was possible to return to a better path.

“At the same time, we must be alert that some destructive forces are taking advantage of the ongoing trade friction (through) extreme rhetoric such as ‘decoupling,’ the ‘new Cold War,’ and ‘clash of civilizations,’” Cui said.

He urged U.S. and Chinese companies keen to expand trade between the two countries to stand up against what he called efforts to “spread hostility and even create conflict between us,” as well as “fake news” about the situations in both Hong Kong and Xinjiang, China’s troubled western region that is home to a large Uighur Muslim minority, whom some U.S. officials have said are the victims of human rights abuses.

So, at first I thought he was talking about Congress. But the "Fake News" might be a shot at Trump. Who's the target?

- - - Updated - - -

The most obvious difference being that Hunter was hired by a private firm. Trump's kids were hired by their dad for government or advisory positions in his administration. The latter is nepotism, the former is not.

Oh, and don't forget the security clearances they failed. Because foreign influence.

[Xarkan]

So, at first I thought he was talking about Congress. But the "Fake News" might be a shot at Trump. Who's the target?

China has used that rhetoric before, it is probably the [mostly] western media [but also any media not controlled by the party] whenit does not say what they want

Actually the same way Trump uses it i guess

[Paranoid Android]

Again clips of him speaking are off the rails.

TRUMP: "Climate change is very important to me. I've done many environmental impact statements over my life and I believe very strongly in very, very crystal clear, clean water and clean air. That's a big part of climate change." https://t.co/aUR441egxN

.

https://twitter.com/atrupar/status/1...509023745?s=19

First I assume he is talking about when they are doing any type real estate development, which has nothing to do with climate change.

Second, this clean, clean water and air has nothing to do with climate change. I understand he is a simpleton and thinks this equates to combating climate change. Yes pollution contributes to climate change but a small grasp.

Speaking above a ticker that shows the Dow down more than 400 points today, Trump ludicrously claims that "I don't watch the stock market." https://t.co/ArQ0uHejVk

https://twitter.com/atrupar/status/1...024927744?s=19

This is a lie and why make this statement when Trump has numerous tweets mentioning the stock market. A blatant lie.

Trump on the Kurds: "We have taken the oil. I've taken the oil. We should have done it in other locations, frankly, where we were. I can name four of them right now, but we've taken the oil ... our great soldiers are right around the oil where we've got the oil." https://t.co/GS6uNGUkQV

https://twitter.com/atrupar/status/1...324149760?s=19

This is a war crime. If true or enacted by Trump, this would be a war crime.

Trump is so simple he again is 'Oil...good!' His simple little mind is seizing oil fields is the best result you can achieve.

[Orbitus]

So not only is the Horowitz Report that is due out the 9th, going to be a dud, but apparently the Durham Report, that was labeled a "criminal investigation" is now pretty much done. https://www.washingtonpost.com/natio...2b1_story.html

They can't find any wrongdoing. This is the one where Barr, PERSONALLY, was flying around to these places with Durham, to Australia, Italy, and the UK to talk to these people, and they can't find anything that helps them apparently.

[Dontrike]

Spare your fake/misplaced outrage.

Outrage? I asked a question and you didn't answer it, but that's nothing new.

[Breccia]

More about the upcoming trade war failure:

1) Huawei is going to sue the US government directly over restrictions by the FCC for being a National Security risk. They claim the distinction is arbitrary and baseless, to which the White House responded "Well, yeah...Trump."

"Well, are they a security risk or not?"

Personally, I think they are. Problem is, if Trump contests this in court, China will take it personally and the trade talks will suffer because of it. Most Presidents wouldn't be in a position where doing the right thing breaks their campaign promises, but, here we are.

2) Tariffs are due to rise, making the biggest tax increase on Americans in history another $160 billion biglier in ten days. While there are some talks scheduled, China is now asking for tariffs to be reduced/removed before the talks, even before this so-called "Phase 1" whose details we don't even know yet are signed. Considering China has suggested this multiple times before and Trump has refused multiple times before, I don't see why this time will be any different, unless Trump just flat-out caves...which to be fair, I don't see happening this year. He might surrender next year and try to disguise it as a victory, but not yet.

And now, a former World Bank President:

Robert Zoellick, a former World Bank president who has served in past Republican administrations, has delivered a public rebuke of Donald Trump’s China policy, warning the president risks pushing Beijing towards a parallel system that would clash with US interests.

Speaking to the US-China Business Council in Washington on Wednesday, Mr Zoellick lamented the White House’s “logic of constant confrontation” with China, calling it ineffective and based on faulty reasoning.

“I understand many of today’s complaints, but we are at serious risk of losing sight of American aims and how best to achieve them,” Mr Zoellick said.

Mr Zoellick said the challenges of US-China relations “fit poorly with bombast and tariff barrages”.

“The speeches of administration principals herald rivalry, but with no sense that the United States can shape China’s international behaviour — whether through diplomacy, negotiation, competition, building coalitions to pressure Beijing or deterrence,” he said.

- - - Updated - - -

Will articles of impeachment get sent to the Senate before the end of the calendar year? Unlikely since Congress adjourns on the 13th correct?

Well it's more than that. There's no signed budget yet, either. And since the most recent news on the subject was two weeks ago, I'm not convinced a lot of headway is being made. It's certainly not public, which is what good news would be.

The deadline is the 20th.

[Twdft]

https://twitter.com/atrupar/status/1...509023745?s=19

First I assume he is talking about when they are doing any type real estate development, which has nothing to do with climate change.

Second, this clean, clean water and air has nothing to do with climate change. I understand he is a simpleton and thinks this equates to combating climate change. Yes pollution contributes to climate change but a small grasp.

Knowing that is a bit much to ask of a man who doesn't know the difference between climate and weather.

[Breccia]

The DoJ offers a million dollar reward for Russian hackers.

Maksim Yakubets and Igor Turashev are cited for making some nasty software to lift passwords and log into banks. The reward for their capture is the largest ever offered for cyber criminals.

"What's wrong with that?"

Nothing. It's good to see Trump taking "the cyber" seriously. I'm sure he'll go after other Russian hackers any day now. Until then, at least this one's a win.

- - - Updated - - -

The Associated Press got hold of some of Trump's comments in the overly-long (no really, he exceeded his time allotment twice, then went home early) comments at NATO. I'll show the summaries, feel free to follow the link for the details.

TRUMP: “We won, in the World Trade Organization, we won seven and a half billion dollars. We never used to win before me, because, before me, the United States was a sucker for all of these different organizations.” — remarks with NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg.

THE FACTS: He is wildly wrong to state that the U.S. never won victories in disputes taken to the trade organization before him.

TRUMP: “For the hearings, we don’t get a lawyer.” — remarks with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.

THE FACTS: Trump is wrong about being deprived of an attorney in the House Judiciary Committee hearings. The committee has invited Trump and his lawyers to appear if he wishes, but so far the White House has refused.

TRUMP, on whether acting chief of staff Mick Mulvaney and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo should testify: “We don’t get any witnesses. ...This is a fix. ...I want them to testify, but I want them to testify in the Senate where they’ll get a fair trial.” — remarks with Trudeau.

THE FACTS: He’s incorrect that the Intelligence Committee hearings only brought forward witnesses hand-picked by the Democratic majority on the panel. Several were invited at the request of Republicans on the committee.

TRUMP: “We have a tremendous amount of captured fighters, ISIS fighters over in Syria. And, they’re all under lock and key, but many are from France, many are from Germany. Many are from U.K. They are mostly from Europe.” — remarks with French President Emmanuel Macron.

THE FACTS: Trump is incorrect to say the Islamic State fighters who were captured and held by the Kurds in Syria are mostly from Europe.

TRUMP, on protecting oilfields in Syria: “We have the oil, and we can do with the oil what we want.” — remarks with Stoltenberg.

THE FACTS: That’s not true. The oil in Syria belongs to Syria and the U.S. can’t do anything it wants with it.

TRUMP, speaking about claims that Britain’s state-funded health care system would be part of future U.K.-U.S. trade talks: “I don’t even know where that rumor started. We have absolutely nothing to do with it and we wouldn’t want to. If you handed it to us on a silver platter, we want nothing to do with it.” — remarks with Jens Stoltenberg.

THE FACTS: He’s referring to his own past statements as a “rumor.”

I absolutely love that last one. Trump is using "I heard, everyone says it" about something he himself said.

In Greek Mythology, the amphisbaena is a snake with a head on both ends. What do you call an animal with an ass at both ends?

- - - Updated - - -

Democrats apparently have to remind Republicans that the reason that folks like Nunes and Solomon are popping up in call logs isn't because they're being surveiled for being conservatives, as some allege without evidence, but because they also spoke with Lev Parnas, who is currently under indictment, and Rudy Giuliani, who is currently under investigation.

Incidentally, this ties into the DoJ report we keep hearing about. Team Trump keeps shrilling "they were spying on MEEEEEEEEEEE" when, no, you got caught because you called foreign operatives. The report, as we've now seen from multiple sources, is going to confirm that story and that's why Barr is fighting its release.

[Shadowferal]