Given the exquisite timing of the announcement of Osama bin Ladin’s death, were I a Trump staffer, I’d be at least a little nervous about that announcement. (Except, of course, were I a Trump staffer I’d be a self-involved idiot shitbird incapable of remembering anything that happened before last Easter.) From the NYTimes:
President Obama said on Thursday that the United States would retaliate for Russia’s efforts to influence the presidential election, asserting that “we need to take action,” and “we will.”
The comments, in an interview with NPR, indicate that Mr. Obama, in his remaining weeks in office, will pursue either economic sanctions against Russia or perhaps some kind of response in cyberspace.
Mr. Obama spoke as President-elect Donald J. Trump on Thursday again refused to accept Moscow’s culpability, asking on Twitter why the administration had waited “so long to act” if Russia “or some other entity” had carried out cyberattacks.
The president discussed the potential for American retaliation with Steve Inskeep of NPR for an interview to air on Friday morning. “I think there is no doubt that when any foreign government tries to impact the integrity of our election,” Mr. Obama said, “we need to take action. And we will — at the time and place of our choosing.”…
Mr. Trump has said privately in recent days that he believes there are people in the C.I.A. who are out to get him and are working to delegitimize his presidency, according to people briefed on the conversations who described them on the condition of anonymity…
Speaking of which, from USA Today:
House Intelligence Committee Chairman Devin Nunes on Wednesday blasted as “unacceptable” the refusal of the FBI, CIA and National Intelligence directors to brief his panel on the Russian cyber attacks that occurred during the presidential campaign.
Nunes had requested that National Intelligence Director James Clapper, with participation from FBI Director James Comey and CIA Director John Brennan, brief committee members in a closed session on Thursday. That briefing has now been cancelled…
However, the Office of the Director of National Intelligence said that “senior administration officials have regularly provided extensive, detailed classified and unclassified briefings to members and staff from both parties on Capitol Hill since this past summer and have continued to do so after Election Day.”
“Last week, the President ordered a full Intelligence Community review of foreign efforts to influence recent presidential elections — from 2008 to present,” the director’s office said in a statement Wednesday. “Once the review is complete in the coming weeks, the Intelligence Community stands ready to brief Congress — and will make those findings available to the public consistent with protecting intelligence sources and methods. We will not offer any comment until the review is complete.”
Nunes is a member of Trump’s presidential transition team. Trump has dismissed reports that the Russians were trying to help him win the election as “ridiculous.”…
I believe the technical term here is “SHOTS FIRED.” Paul Waldman, at the Washington Post:
The Trump-Russia scandal continues to widen, with revelations that are making it increasingly clear that not only do we need a full investigation, but that investigation needs to be independent and bipartisan, and include public hearings…
If this keeps going in the direction it’s headed, this could stand alongside Watergate and Iran-Contra as one of the most important scandals in modern American history. It’s increasingly looking like a hostile foreign power run by a murderous thug tried to swing an American election, and may have succeeded — at least, in helping to tip it…
Ah, well, a girl can dream…
Calouste
I doubt it will be economic sanctions. The shitgibbon would roll those back within a few hours. It has to be something that has an effect that lasts.
Brachiator
Will anything the president does be noted in the Daily Intelligence Briefing made available to Trump? Will information then be transmitted to the Russians?
Also, Trump’s choice for ambassador to Israel may guarantee war in the Middle East. He is a hardliner with no diplomatic experience.
JGabriel
Whiny little paranoid fuck, ain’t he?
The CIA doesn’t have to delegitimize Trump’s presidency; Trump did that himself when he publicly called on Russia to hack Clinton’s email account.
SWMBO
Is the Tangerine Taint trying to get out of Presidenting? Every move he makes seems like he’s saying “I don’t want this job.” So long as he isn’t stopped from making deals (even if they’re not as lucrative as if he is President), I don’t think he would seriously stop someone from keeping him from taking the oath of office. The closer we get to the inauguration, the more shit is coming out. If he thought they would really MAKE him put his assets in a blind trust, I think he would melt down and quit. In putting his assets in a blind trust, wouldn’t he have to tell where the money is coming from? How much he owes? How much he is really worth? If it comes down to making his bullshit public on what he’s really worth, I don’t think he can take it.
socraticsilence
@JGabriel:
Not to mention that if the CIA was “out to get him” (and they might be now out of self-preservation after that Iraq remark) they’d probably have both overt and covert methods better than this.
Debbie(aussie)
@Brachiator:
Just checked out wiki for info on this person. With that sort of experience he should do a bang up job (NOT) then again why should this appointment be different to allllll the others. You ( and thereby we) are well and truly fucked! Sad!
Mikefromarlington
Not even in office and the great orange, fluffy headed turd is involved in a constitutional crises level scandal involving collaborating with U.S.A’s arch enemy, Putin
OzarkHillbilly
If the CIA isn’t out to get him, large parts of it are, and will succeed, to varying extents. Same for all the other intelligence agencies.
CarolDuhart2
I’ve often wondered if he would really go through the whole thing all this time. It’s won thing to win, another to have to deal with all of the issues of the office. If he quits, he has the title without the confinement, responsibilities or scrutiny. He could still make deals or whatnot.
And he wouldn’t have to suffer the inevitable losses either if he quit. Every Trump-branded property is now a target for protestors, terrorists, and the generally disgruntled, is already being boycotted by many, and in short losing what value it has. He quits, he could at least take the pressure off of them.
He wouldn’t have to go through briefings, haggle with Congress, or wonder about whether or not someone would take a potshot at him. Nor would he be confined to the White House, have his every move tracked, or endure a constant stream of criticism.
So I’ve always wondered what would keep him from quitting. Not a sense of duty-he has none. Not a sense of mission-he’s all over the place with no fixed ideology. Not even a sense that he could shape his legacy for the better- he doesn’t care about that either. So what would, after perhaps a short administration?
JPL
@CarolDuhart2: Trump thrives on the adulation from the crowds. For him, it’s like crack and he can’t give up the bully pulpit.
OzarkHillbilly
As to Trump quitting…. Ain’t no way. His ego is too sucked into the power of the Presidency. He sends out a single* tweet complaining about the F-35 program and Lockheed Martin lost $4 billion off the value of their stock. You don’t think the CEO of L-M was groveling on the phone to Trump that same day? That’s like a shot of pure meth straight to his ego. He’s going to be addicted to it before he’s even sworn in.
* as far as I read. i find it hard to believe trump could ever send out a single tweet about anything.
raven
@OzarkHillbilly: ding
NeenerNeener
The first time some radical group counts coup by bombing one of his properties outside the US may be a wake up call for him, or when some warlord snatches Uday/Qusay on safari. He’s created a target-rich environment for violent protest because he won’t give up the businesses. Better to fake a health problem soon and walk away with the title than put up with the hassle of the actual job.
But I’m not a narcissist, so what do I know?
satby
@OzarkHillbilly: I agree, he won’t quit. He thinks he’s the smartest fucker in the room and is going to really show that smartass that mocked him at the correspondent’s dinner.
I’m hoping the CIA has him in it’s sights to take down hard, and I worry about the implications of hoping for that too.
Some Dude
For an insight about the Wikileaks angle, take a look at this post from BadTux:
http://ow.ly/YxSZ307bjnv
opiejeanne
@satby: I feel my own decency taking a back seat, my hatred of this person is so visceral. I’ve hoped that someone would do something, anything, to stop him and then was shocked at myself. I know I’m very flawed, but this was beyond my normal imperfections.
p.a.
File under: “maybe he just wanted to steal our wirecutters”- maybe tRump is in it for the Presidential pension.
CarolDuhart2
He’d still get the adulation.Nothing to prevent him from being a tv evangelist of sorts, constantly having rallies, being on tv, and in short be the center of attention. He could constantly be a back-seat driver, telling the current President what to do and what not to. He could be the power behind the throne in the Republican Party, have a lot of proteges.
But he’s have none of the hassles, criticism or risk.
NeenerNeener
@opiejeanne: It’s all I can do to keep my mouth shut around a known Trumpster at work, as popping off would probably get me fired for creating a hostile work environment. I’ve never felt this negative about an incoming president before, but maybe that’s because of what we went through with Bush II. This promises to be so much worse.
Betty Cracker
@OzarkHillbilly: I think you’re correct about Trump being an adulation junkie. All narcissists are, but Trump is mainlining attention at levels few humans get to experience at the moment.
But the other side of that coin is that Trump’s ego is brittle, which is why he can’t let slights go unremarked. It will be interesting in a clinical sense (and horrifying as a citizen) to see how he handles the stratospheric levels of criticism and dissent that all presidents encounter. I suspect the contrast with PBO’s characteristic calm and grace will be…stark.
Hill Dweller
The post-election/pre-inauguration window is the best it’s going to get for Trump. Once sworn in, it’s all his responsibility. Let’s see how Trump handles the inevitable adversities on the horizon.
CarolDuhart2
@Hill Dweller: It’s the best it gets for anybody. Right now Trump is somewhat free. But after Jan 20-there’s a reason why Truman called the White House “The Big White Jail”. And that was during a time when Truman felt free to take a daily walk, the White House was free to visitors, and the press more deferential. And Truman had a sense of duty and mission, which is how one survives the White House years.
Trump is 70,with the sense of time passing that it brings even to narcissists. He’s at a stage where he would rather golf all day instead of being holed up in meetings. So why stay?
OzarkHillbilly
@Betty Cracker: Yep. A little frightening too.
gogol's wife
@NeenerNeener:
The accepted term is Trumpanzee.
Iowa Old Lady
@CarolDuhart2: My guess is he just won’t go to the meetings. He’ll “delegate.” Then he’ll hold a rally.
MJS
@CarolDuhart2: I am going to print your comment out and refer to it whenever I need a definition of “wishful thinking”. All of the things you state apply to normally functioning people. Trump is not one of those. He does not believe rules apply to him, with good reason – they never have. As soon as it looks like rules will apply to him, he finds the nearest escape hatch (e.g., settling the Trump University lawsuit). He is quite sure that the issues with the Russians, his business interests, etc., will soon be forgotten, and given the combination of a truly worthless press and his Republican enablers in Congress, they probably will. I honestly believe that it is more likely Trump dies of a heart attack while in office than he voluntarily quits.
qwerty42
@CarolDuhart2: … So I’ve always wondered what would keep him from quitting. Not a sense of duty-he has none. Not a sense of mission-he’s all over the place with no fixed ideology. Not even a sense that he could shape his legacy for the better- he doesn’t care about that either. So what would, after perhaps a short administration?
There is always the intriguing possibility the GOP itself – once Pence is safely sworn in as VP – will be looking to get rid of him. Not the Trump cultists in Congress, but they will get enough Democrats to sign on. A sort of coup – basically impeach him, offer a way out via resignation. It’s kind of dreadful. But nothing about this has been normal and I don’t think it is over yet. The Russian spying, the conflicts of interest, the overall incompetence. There are some problems with this: the Trump cult will be enraged if they think the “eeleets” drove their guy out. And Pence would be in some ways worse.
Really, none of this is good. I have to say, he is certainly acting as if he has no plans to be in office for any amount of time.
MJS
I also believe that while he cannot help but respond to it, due to his narcissism, arrested development, or whatever, Trump is impervious to criticism. Anyone who criticizes him is obviously a loser, stupid, etc., so all he needs to do is tweet a response, and that person has been put in his/her place, at least in Trump’s mind. If others don’t believe that, then they are, by definition, also stupid losers. This level of mental illness in a president is scary, but when morons are permitted to vote alongside those who can actually think, and the abomination that is the electoral college process exists, this is what you get.
Ohio Mom
@qwerty42: I agree, I think Trump will be impeached in short order. I think there could be a Balloon Juice pool for the date, with the proceeds going to an animal charity.
Anyway, that leaves us with Pence, and without any hope that the social insurance system (SS, Medicare, Medicaid, ACA) will be left alone — I have had vague hopes that when it became clear that his public was angry at him, that Trump would position himself to save those programs. And Pence is the worst sort when it comes to things like abortion rights, civil rights for GLBTs, and the like.
But on the other hand, Pence won’t be as blantantly corrupt, won’t be stuffing his own pockets in full view of the world, won’t be sending out tweets, won’t be involving family members in the affairs of the state, etc., etc. He will bend constitutional democracy but I don’t think he will completely break it.
Still totally depressing.
CarolDuhart2
@MJS: It’s not so much “wishful thinking” as it is what I’ve seen so far of his personality. The escape hatches have been just that-walking away from the issues. The Presidency is the first thing he’s faced that isn’t so easy to quit and is confining to wit. None of the other stuff changed his lifestyle very much or altered his reputation very much. The Presidency is hard time compared to those. Even those with healthy egos-like Obama feel the sting, the confinement. Trump?
Also Trump has a self-destructive streak a mile wide. He inherited $300 million. He could have easily just put his cash in stocks and lived the lifestyle he was born to. But he needed an ego stoke, so he turned that into 900 million in losses. He created Trump U and ruined others and is paying for a settlement. Everything he touches turns to crap, and now he’s touching something that’s way over his head.
MJS
“The Presidency is hard time compared to those.” He will not be a president like any others. For instance, his presence in the White House will be the exception, not the rule. He will tweet out a response to any who dare criticize him, either in the media or in Congress, declare himself the winner of the exchange, and then move on.
“Everything he touches turns to crap, and now he’s touching something that’s way over his head.” Everything he has touched has been way over his head. He still lives like a king. Not one penny of the Trump U settlement will come out of his pockets, or those of his children. In the midst of that shit show, he was elected President. There is always a loophole. Prime example – even when you lose by 2.7 million votes, you still get to be President. Somehow, some way, he always escapes unscathed.
He is the walking, talking embodiment of “No one ever went broke underestimating the intelligence of the American people.” You’re correct – he should have been broke a long time ago. But the rules of the game are already rigged in favor of people like him. Throw in the idiocy of approximately half of this country, who will never abandon him, and he won’t find being president all that difficult. He will blame Obama for anything that goes wrong, and those rubes will lap it up.
artem1s
@OzarkHillbilly:
No, I think the officers were on the phone with each other and boards of other businesses who are dependent on them. I think the CEO was on the phone to someone in Defense or the Pentagon who is looking forward to a nice cushy lobbying job at LM once s/he retires. The Idjit believes he is a big deal. The deplorables like to think he is a big deal. But the reality is, he is no more a big deal than he was the night The President mocked him for his pretend importance, while actual big deals were making life and death decisions. Donnie wasn’t in the room when real life was happening. It happened without his knowledge and input. That is never going to change. He is never going to be anything to the real power brokers except an actor playing President on a reality TV show.
bjacques
So, if Obama does retaliate in kind against Russian cyberattacks, does he have to brief Trump on this? And do the briefings exclude anyone on his team who don’t have the required security clearance(s)? just curious…
Belafon
@efgoldman: It would be interesting to ask a number of conservatives what Trump would have to do for them to go along with impeachment, and record them for later.
Chris
@CarolDuhart2:
In a sense, it’s not that different from being a CEO, though. Sure, the presidency is a hard job, if you’re trying at all to do it right. But there’s no evidence that he will. He’ll enjoy all the perks of the office, delegate everything else to others, and just bullshit his way through whenever he’s in front of the cameras.
artem1s
@Ohio Mom:
I’m in. wasn’t there a pool for Alberto Gonzalez resignation date?
Chris
@NeenerNeener:
Hell no. That’s not how these people think. Trump’ll just say “it’s simply terrible that Obama and those milquetoast RINOs have neglected our defense to the point that terrorists can bomb an American businessman’s property and think they can get away with it!” Then he’ll invade Macedonia, unless the dart he throws at the map finds an even more random place to land on.
Belafon
@Chris: I’m pretty sure the dart will always find Iran.
Ben Cisco
@Ohio Mom: Put me down for April 15, for the symbolism.
Chris
@qwerty42:
Trump is a rock star to the GOP base like nobody since Sarah Palin, George W. Bush, possibly Ronald Reagan. The GOP base isn’t going to get rid of him. They’ve spent the last eight years watching their own getting primaried by the frenzied mob the minute they’re perceived as too soft and out of touch with The Movement. They’ve spent the last few months watching him fuck with corporate giants like Boeing and Lockheed simply for shits and giggles and sic his supporters on anyone he thinks isn’t showing him the proper respect. No, they are not going to try and get rid of him. They’re going to be tiptoeing around him like he’s that omnipotent toddler from the Twilight Zone.
Ohio Mom
@efgoldman: Calm down e.f., and think about it. Pence is a much more reliable Rethug than shoot-off-the-hip Trump. He is on the same page as the rest of them, while Trump…well, who knows what he will come up with next? No power is lost by getting rid of Trump, the White House, Congress, and (too) many states remain in their hands. And the Supreme Court wouldn’t change either.
Impeaching Trump could send important messages: for the not politically-inclined, those who don’t pay much attention, it might make it seem that Republicans aren’t completely nuts, that they have some limits, that they are indeed grown-ups. For those in the party, it would be a warning not to stray, ever.
Yes, there are still those 27%ers, the half of Trump supporters in that basket. They are trouble no matter what. But they aren’t going to withdraw their support, they have nowhere else to go, and they will end up liking everytjing Pence does.
Ohio Mom
@Ben Cisco: I wasn’t clear. I think a front pager should set up the pool. I’m not here consistently enough (life intervenes).
But I like your thinking. April 15 is easy to remember. Don’t know what date I would end up picking, but definitely before a full year has passed.
Chris
@MJS:
It is scary, but honestly, what’s scary is the extent of the country that also thinks like this in the first place. This is, after all, the whole logic behind all the “he’s a businessman, he knows how to run things” shtick his supporters have been touting – that the simple fact of being rich and in charge of businesses means he’s smarter than anyone else and no one else can possibly have anything to teach him.
MJS
@Chris: Agreed. That’s why I referenced the morons who voted for him. The cold comfort is that there are 2.7 million more thinking voters than moron voters. Now, if we can just get the thinking voters properly distributed throughout the country so we don’t lose the electoral college again, we’ll be okay. Sorry, California and NYC, we’re going to need some of you to suck it up and move to Michigan, Wisconsin and Pennsylvania.
vhh
@efgoldman: Except they did get rid of Nixon when it was a clear he was a boat anchor. And Nixon was a statesman compared to Trump.
vhh
@JGabriel: Wait till he cuts himself out of the loop on some important stuff and he ends up with shit on his face, tries to pass the buck, and they say “well, I guess you didn’t attend the briefings or read the write-ups. Here they are to share with the US citizens who just got decimated (or whatever) because you weren’t paying attention.”
Mnemosyne
@Chris:
Not Macedonia — they’re run by Putin’s puppets, so they won’t be on the list that Tillerson and Flynn hand him. It’ll be someplace that conveniently has some easily extracted oil, because that worked out so well for us in Iraq.
rachel
@vhh: They were all statesmen compared to the cranks and panderers that the GOP nominates now.
Petorado
…Noticing a trend in which political party is always involved with this nation’s worst political scandals. The f#&k both sides do it.
chopper
@efgoldman:
they won’t impeach him. they will dangle the threat of investigations into russia interfering with the election over his head in order to make sure he plays ball i.e. signs whatever dreck they send to his desk.
this is why the turtle has had such a shit-eating grin all month. they get to pass whatever crazy shit they want to and trump has to sign it. and when shit goes pear-shaped trump gets to take all the blame for it.
J R in WV
@Ohio Mom:
We’re watching the North Carolina legislature attempt to build an impenetrable armored shell preserving Republican control over the state following an election they lost. They are attempting to make their gerrymandered districts permanent, turn the N C State Supreme Court into a Republican yes group.
And you think we will eventually get over Trump? Just put up with his tweets for a while? You must be crazy. This is the end of American Democracy, and it makes 27% of the population deliriously happy, and another 20% reasonably happy.
Note that’s a large minority… but they plan to have their way with the rest of us, and to make that a permanent condition.
dianne
Papa Doc will helicopter in to the White House for the the occasional State of the Union or Declaration of War and Baby Doc (son in law) will run the Govt day to day. He will continue on with his adulation tours untill the hordes lose their SS and Medicare and charge up the scooters and pull out the funny hats and turn on him. He’ll be a short timer.
Ohio Mom
@J R in WV: I didn’t say we’ll survive Trump, I said I don’t think he’ll last his term. I don’t think Pence is any better — in some ways he’s definitely worse (I can see Trump getting off on showing acts of mercy here and there but Pence is heartless).
But Pence won’t conduct himself like a third world dictator. Maybe that’s just clinging to optics on my part. But we have never had the level of blatant of self-dealing and conflicts of interest Trump is bringing to the office. It’s not much but Pence understands why he can’t run businesses on the side; his kids will stay wherever it is they belong (school? college? I don’t know how old they are).
I agree that what is happening in North Carolina is frightening.
SWMBO
@bjacques: Let’s sit in the WayBack machine for a moment, shall we? GWB showed maps, war plans, top secret classified material to Bandar bin Sultan, a relative of the House of Saud and apologist for Osama bin Laden. No one said a peep. Not one fucking thing. The President, if he’s a Republican, can do any damn thing and no one in Congress or the press will object. IOKIYAR over anything.
Mike G
Let’s ask JFK how that turned out for him. Oh, wait — we can’t.
qwerty42
@Chris: … No, they are not going to try and get rid of him. They’re going to be tiptoeing around him like he’s that omnipotent toddler from the Twilight Zone.
I sort of agree: the GOP will tiptoe around him. But. If he is discredited with that base, even a portion of it, especially if they think he is blowing the next election, they will look to get rid of him. That is part of why this becomes dreadful: they will want him damaged first. I don’t think you can have the presidency damaged without damaging the country. He is incompetent in so many areas, but probably especially in foreign policy. He does not seem to be getting the Republican foreign policy folks to signon in any numbers. The ones he does get are loons. I’m not sure he has any coherent foreign policy and that becomes a danger in itself. I do not know where he gets his fp advice.