.JPG)
UPDATE V: Trump must go!
Read the Washington Post, Trump reportedly sought a loyalty pledge from Comey. The FBI says this ‘leads to tyranny.’
UPDATE IV: "Possible collusion between Russia and the Trump campaign was once little more than a conspiracy theory, but not anymore. The only way to make sense of this week’s stunning events is to conclude that there is something that President Trump desperately wants to hide. . .
Trump claims to have no business ties with Russia. But in the past, his sons have reportedly bragged about a flood of Russian money boosting the Trump Organization’s fortunes. Trump could settle the question by fully disclosing his finances, including his tax returns. Why the secrecy?
If Trump wanted to end this scrutiny by firing Comey, he may have had the opposite effect. Ask yourself one question: Have you ever seen a coverup with no underlying crime? Neither have I."
Read the Washington Post, Trump seems to be staging a coverup. So what’s the crime?
As I noted before, Trump is trying to hide that he is a Russian agent, he "may be an unwitting agent, but Putin has the kompromat to control Trump, and Trump knows it since he knows his own compromising financial and personal information."
And the more the FBI learns, the more it appears, there was nothing unwitting about it.
At the very least, Trump has been helping Russian mobsters launder dirty money.
UPDATE III: "This was always the main question: Would President Trump go beyond mere Twitter abuse and move against institutions that limit his power?
By any reasonable standard, we now have an answer.
Trump’s official rationale for firing FBI Director James B. Comey — that the president was suddenly seized with outrage at the shocking treatment of Hillary Clinton by the FBI during the election — is false in a typically Trump-like way. It requires his supporters to demonstrate their loyalty by defending the indefensible. This is apparently the manner in which Trump identifies true believers. They must be willing, when instructed, to say that 2+2=5. On cable television.
In fact, according to media accounts, Trump has been in a spittle-flinging rage since Comey’s March 20 testimony before the House Intelligence Committee, in which he confirmed the existence of an investigation of Russian influence on Trump’s inner circle. On May 2, Trump tweeted that the 'Trump/Russia story' is 'phony.' On May 9, Trump fired Comey. The president removed a perceived threat, threw an active FBI investigation into chaos and raised the prospect of a Trump stooge being appointed in Comey’s place. (The correct answer is 4.)
All of this is consistent with — even mandated by — Trump’s contempt for institutions. He has called the FBI investigation process 'rigged.' If the system is dirty, only a fool would not play by the same rules. This is the logic of conspiratorial disdain for government. An independent, nonpolitical FBI? What a joke. It is all political. And politics is power. And power is making people do what you want, or destroying those who get in your way. The gospel according to Nixon. . .
Republicans often talk of judicial restraint; less, recently, of presidential restraint. Presidential limits are often found in norms, not laws — what Lord Moulton called 'obedience to the unenforceable.'
But Trump seems to take pleasure in throwing acid into the face of convention. In his calls to lock up his electoral opponent; in his wink and a nod toward violence at his rallies; in his groundless accusations of being spied upon by his predecessor; in his Twitter taunting of congressional leaders; in his bold and obvious lies; in his dehumanization of migrants and refugees. Grace, dignity, empathy, integrity and kindness are stripped away, leaving the emperor naked but incapable of shame. Trump is the spendthrift of our public character, squandering an inheritance he does not understand or value."
Read the Washington Post, The real test of our tolerance for Trump comes now.
UPDATE II: Trump can't stop talking.
And since he's not very smart, it only means trouble.
Read the Washington Post, Trump said he was thinking of Russia controversy when he decided to fire Comey.
UPDATE: Speaking of inconsistent explanation for firing Comey:
Read the Washington Post, Trump says he was going to fire ‘showboat’ Comey regardless of recommendation.
Read also the Washington Post, President Trump just decimated the White House’s entire Comey narrative, which stated:
"I wrote Wednesday that the White House’s explanations for firing James B. Comey were crumbling. Well, President Trump just exploded them.
In one fell swoop, Trump totally contradicted his three top spokespeople and offered a polar-opposite version of events than they had provided.
After they had spent the past 45 hours emphasizing that this was a decision Trump arrived at after receiving a memo and recommendation from Deputy Attorney General Rod J. Rosenstein, Trump just blurted out that he was going to fire Comey all along. Basically, he admitted the memo was a ruse and a political ploy. . .
It’s clear that the White House wanted to use Rosenstein’s credibility, built up over three decades in law enforcement, to make this decision look apolitical. This made it seem like it wasn’t just the president unilaterally firing the guy who was investigating his 2016 campaign's ties to Russia. This was actually a talking point and narrative that was intended to protect Trump.
But then Trump himself told us the truth."
"Attorney General Jeff Sessions recused himself from the Russia investigation. . .
[Yet] Sessions consulted with the president and coordinated the firing of James Comey. . .
Sessions may have some explanation for why he chose to participate in the firing of Comey. But the attorney general may now be in considerable legal peril."
Read the Washington Post, Jeff Sessions is in deep trouble, and here’s why.
No comments:
Post a Comment