Mega-Thread: Trump Focused Discussion

[Smitzelplix]

https://www.nytimes.com/2019/12/09/u...stigation.html

The DOJ IG report is out on the FBI investigation into Trump.

The good news for Republicans: Some low level staffers made mistakes/improperly altered some documents relating to the FISA warrant for Carter Page. I haven't seen if the alterations were enough to alter the outcome yet (only did a quick skim), but it doesn't seem that way at first blush.

The bad news for Republicans: This was their best chance to prove the "DEEP STATE" exists and that everyone was "out to get Trump" and...it didn't do that at all.

This is a black eye for the FBI, but at the end of the day it's a win and it backs up that they largely acted appropriately and that the Trump campaign are not the victims of a "DEEP STATE" conspiracy against them.

Sorry Bill Barr, guess you'll have to rent out another $30K in rooms at a Trump property to make up for it.

How's the Barr-Durham investigation going though? I bet now that DOJ IG report didn't pan out like Republicans hoped the new talking point will be to just wait for the Durham report.

[Edge-]

How's the Barr-Durham investigation going though? I bet now that DOJ IG report didn't pan out like Republicans hoped the new talking point will be to just wait for the Durham report.

Durham apparently disagrees with the IG report, as does Barr as evidenced above. We'll see if Durham provides any receipts, but if the IG didn't find anything then I'm skeptical. So we wait for the Durham report now.

Unrelated but - https://www.businessinsider.com/jedi...plaint-2019-12

Amazon suing Trump over missing out on the $10B JEDI contract with the DOD. Why? Because Trump has spent years publicly, and privately, trashing them and they believe that there's a strong case that he had a personal hand in the government choosing winners and losers.

[Thekri]

Unrelated but - https://www.businessinsider.com/jedi...plaint-2019-12

Amazon suing Trump over missing out on the $10B JEDI contract with the DOD. Why? Because Trump has spent years publicly, and privately, trashing them and they believe that there's a strong case that he had a personal hand in the government choosing winners and losers.

Which is extremely likely. Skroe even posted about that one a couple of times, Trump was quite publicly influencing the decision.

Amazon is extremely likely to win this case, which will cost taxpayers a hell of a lot more money then the Mueller and Impeachment investigations combined. 0% Chance that republicans will complain about Trump wasting taxpayer money by running his mouth until the Federal government gets sued.

[Breccia]

Looks like we're getting a two-fer today.

Team Trump argues in court that Congress can't apply the Emoluments Clause because Reasons.

The only role that the constitution gives Congress with respect to the Foreign Emoluments Clause is to allow them.

The Constitution already prohibits the acceptance of emoluments, absent congressional consent. So unless they are going to stand up here and say that what they really want to do is approve them, and that's why they're so injured, their argument just doesn't make any sense

So, let's recap.

1) Team Trump is saying that Congress can only enforce the Emoluments Clause by enacting a law...such as the Emoluments Clause. This sounds a lot like "You can't impeach Trump for bribery, you have to pass a law that says the President can't extort bribes." I.e. stupid.

2) The lawyers argued that the only thing Congress could do is allow the emoluments. Um, isn't taking Trump to court evidence they disapprove?

3) And Trump didn't ask for approval. He just took money from foreign governments and put it in his own pocket. That's why he's in court.

4) And finally, this part:

Judge David Tatel, who was appointed by Bill Clinton, pointed out that the Justice Department has been arguing in other cases that the president is largely immune to congressional oversight, which would make it difficult for lawmakers to address the issue.

“Here's what troubles me about your position,” said Tatel. “It seems to me that if you were right about standing — I'm not saying you are — it does raise the question of what is the remedy for alleged violations of the Emoluments Clause? And it seems to me one easy answer to that is congressional oversight. But you're resisting that in other cases. In other cases, you're saying congressional oversight is inappropriate. So I'm just wondering what is Congress to do in a case where it has reasons to think the Emoluments Clause is being violated?”

Yep, Team Trump is trying both "Congress can't do anything but oversee" and also "Trump is immune to Congressional oversight" at the same time. That's dictator talk, because it's arguing that Trump is specifically immune to rules that apply to the President applied by Congress, because he says so that's why.

[Edge-]

https://twitter.com/Comey/status/1204140338320986114

FYI: I offered to go on Fox & Friends to answer all questions. I can’t change their viewers on Donald Trump but hoped to give them some actual facts about the FBI. They booked me for tomorrow at 8 am. They just cancelled. Must have read the report.

Welp, guess Fox figured it'd be hard to spin his interview given that the report debunked all the "DEEP STATE" nonsense. So rather than have a guest on to share inconvenient truths, they'd rather "deplatform" him.

I eagerly await all the Freeze Peach warriors on YouTube to create videos about this outrageous censorship. Aaaaannnnnyyyyyy mmmmiiinnnnuuuttteeee nnnnnoooooooowwwwwwww

- - - Updated - - -

Yep, Team Trump is trying both "Congress can't do anything but oversee" and also "Trump is immune to Congressional oversight" at the same time. That's dictator talk, because it's arguing that Trump is specifically immune to rules that apply to the President applied by Congress, because he says so that's why.

The DoJ, apparently: The Constitution doesn't exist.

[Shadowferal]

I think Chris Wallace would have been heard laughing in the background...

[Wyrt]

But then, "is Trump racist or stupid?" is a question that has no good answer anyhow.

Remember when he called American Jews traitors for not voting for him?

I'm going to go with racist on this topic.

[Santti]

Remember when he called American Jews traitors for not voting for him?

I'm going to go with racist on this topic.

Why not both?

[Edge-]

Comey was on MSNBC following the release of the IG report. He claims Fox & Friends cancelled his scheduled appearance tomorrow after shit didn’t go their way.

https://twitter.com/Comey/status/1204140338320986114

Yeah, the report didn't turn out how they hoped so they're going to need more airtime to spin it. Can't have a meddlesome former FBI director and his "facts" gumming up the works.

[Masark]

Space based orbital weapons, in this scenario, is a promising avenue, especially if they can be stealthy and change their orbits with an ion drive. Yes I know it sounds exotic, but we're talking a 2060s conception.

Ion drives aren't really exotic anymore. They're in fairly wide commercial use, under the mundane name "electric propulsion".

[Edge-]

https://www.cnn.com/2019/12/09/polit...ess/index.html

So Trump's former doctor, and one-time would-be nominee to run the VA, Ronny Jackson, remember the guy who was giving out opioid prescriptions like he was Santa, wants to run for Congress in Texas.

I didn't see this coming, I don't think anyone did. This is a new level of stupid.

Dwrena Allen, spokeswoman for the inspector general, confirmed to CNN on Monday that the Pentagon inspector general's investigation into Jackson remains ongoing. CNN has reached out to Jackson for comment.

And he's still under investigation.

- - - Updated - - -

The economy is booming!

Look at the stock market!

But those jobs numbers!

OUR FINANCES MUST BE FUCKING AMAZING!

The U.S. government deficit rose by 12 percent in the first two months of the 2020 fiscal year, hitting $342 billion, according to new estimates from the Congressional Budget Office.

The deficit is on track to surpass $1 trillion in the 2020 fiscal year, which began on October 1. CBO has called the deficit path "unsustainable" and warns that the increasing debt burden will push down economic growth and could worsen future financial crises.

...oh. So the Republicans are still not being fiscally responsible. Strange!

[Odinfrost]

https://twitter.com/nytimesworld/sta...281874945?s=19

Another international embarrassment by Trump cause he can't have his ego bruised.

An oh btw about the American ambassador to Denmark who barred him. A Trump donor, who was in the the movie we all know, iDeathstalker 2 and chiropractic therapy.

I am like 99% sure that the expert was barred was not just for being critical of Trump, but that if the expert were to make their speech the ambassador would lose their job. So it was more like "We are barring this guy cause I dont wanna get fired" because that would most likely happen due to how easy it is to bruise Trumps ego.

[Edge-]

https://www.vanityfair.com/news/2019...pector-general

I feel like this has been covered but...

So how's Trump gonna deal with Ivanka being a potential source for the Steele Dossier, and at the very least longtime friends with Christopher Steele?

- - - Updated - - -

https://www.thedailybeast.com/maxine...lking?ref=home

While he hasn't been on Trump's radar proper, Omar Navarro has been a rising far-right star who made a name for himself talking a big game to beat Maxine Waters and losing by 50 points+ in both 2016 and 2018. And he's been raising big money from conservatives off of this, which is odd but whatever.

Just got picked up for stalking his ex-GF. This is so on-brand for far-right Trump nutters that it hurts. Completely delusional to think that losing by 50 points+ isn't a sign that nobody likes him, and appears to have....questionable views when it comes to women.

[Breccia]

Soooooo remember how Trump said, while signing Russian sanctions, while in turn crying like a bitch, that he could make the best bestiest best deals with foreign countries?

The shine is coming off that apple. Um, bad metaphor, Trump hates Apple and probably has never seen a fruit. The...botox is wearing off the trophy wife?

Two members of the Senate's GOP leadership signaled on Monday there are concerns among Republicans that President Trump's trade deal with Mexico and Canada may have shifted too far to the left as part of an effort to get Democrats on board.

The White House and House Democrats appear on the verge of new North American trade agreement after The Washington Post reported that AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka said the two sides had come to a deal, which the labor union was reviewing.

Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas), an adviser to Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), said a deal that the AFL-CIO's endorsed "could be problematic," but vowed to reserve judgement until senators got a presentation on the agreement.

"I just hope he hasn't gone too far in Speaker Pelosi's direction, and the AFL-CIO's direction that he might lose some support here," he said. "My concern is that what the administration presented has now been moved demonstrably to Democrats, the direction that they wanted."

To make that clear: leadership-grade GOP lawmakers are publicly admitting that, not only is Trump failing to make a good deal with friggin' Canada, but he also still hasn't gotten his balls back from Pelosi yet.

Expect the same thing from China. Trump, eager to even claim he made a good deal, will create a situation objectively worse than what he started with.

Expect both to be thrown in his face in 2020. Or, maybe, expect at least one to fail.

They're creating excerpts and soundbytes for their cult members to take out of context and spray across the internet like a firehose spewing Diarrhea. People accross facebook only see "Republicans being 'alpha dogs' and 'owning the competition', and see nothing else. No context. No questions. No evidence. Nothing

And what the hell, this too. The problem with pushing a lie of omission, is that it's relatively simple to just play the whole tape.

[Edge-]

Man...I'd laugh so hard if they finally put the USMCA up for a vote and it's Republicans that vote it down.

[PACOX]

Did the Articles of Impeachment just get 10 pages taller???

[Breccia]

Man...I'd laugh so hard if they finally put the USMCA up for a vote and it's Republicans that vote it down.

Yes, but it's not a valid risk. The GOP is too far gone to dare cross Trump on his signature legislation, or more specifically, the piece he will call his signature legislation since everything else failed. You could make the argument Republicans have already voted down his trade deal with China, but so did everyone else. And it's being called "the Nightmare before Chistmas" when Trump eventually walks away from that and blames everyone but himself for his failure.

By the way, Trump claims millions of jobs were lost to China, and millions more to Mexico. I'm curious who he will blame when, despite his because of his words and actions, 2019 is the worst year for manufacturing jobs in recent memory. And he has nobody to blame, because the tax cut for the rich was in full effect, and he was in sole control of the tariffs.

[Dacien]

I actually had some things I wanted to say about the IG report, and then my mind wandered off thinking what it would be like to rattle a hornets nest.

[Justank]

I actually had some things I wanted to say about the IG report, and then my mind wandered off thinking what it would be like to rattle a hornets nest.

"The report didn't say what we wanted it to say so I'm just going to make facetious comments instead."

Don't worry fam I gotchu.

[Xarkan]

https://twitter.com/nytimesworld/sta...281874945?s=19

Another international embarrassment by Trump cause he can't have his ego bruised.

An oh btw about the American ambassador to Denmark who barred him. A Trump donor, who was in the the movie we all know, iDeathstalker 2 and chiropractic therapy.

That is kinda how ambassadors to easy postings like Denmark are found (easy when noone is looking to buy Greenland anyhow)

Gifford may have been well received but it was still an appointment to an easy place for loyalty points

Admittedly Gifford ran with it and made the US look like it could be cool but that is not guaranteed