Um… if this is what Trump's staff thought then the entire White House staff is just as idiotic as Donald Trump Jr. https://t.co/wDR1mzoiSo pic.twitter.com/pv2wflZkdP
— Daniel W. Drezner (@dandrezner) July 12, 2017
The W.H. is functioning perfectly, focused on HealthCare, Tax Cuts/Reform & many other things. I have very little time for watching T.V.
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 12, 2017
Says the guy who regularly rage tweets things he just saw on TV
— Robert Maguire (@RobertMaguire_) July 12, 2017
I remember hoping in mid-1973 that revelations about John Dean, Chuck Colson et al, didn't mean Nixon was directly implicated in Watergate.
— Bill Kristol (@BillKristol) July 11, 2017
Somewhere, the ghost of Richard Nixon snarls, “Hey, dipshit, y’ever consider a big steaming mug of Shut the F*ck Up?”
My son Donald did a good job last night. He was open, transparent and innocent. This is the greatest Witch Hunt in political history. Sad!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 12, 2017
The sort of witch hunt in which the alleged witch releases emails showing that he was actively seeking spells for turning people into newts. https://t.co/HxcQQcEvJG
— Josh Chafetz (@joshchafetz) July 12, 2017
“I do not consider Director Mueller to be on a witch hunt,” President Trump's own nominee for FBI director said moments ago https://t.co/G5jeGjJg6S
— Bradd Jaffy (@BraddJaffy) July 12, 2017
Why can't a guy do a shady meeting, lie about it, get caught, lie again, get caught again & lie again without folks going hysterical?
— Matthew Yglesias (@mattyglesias) July 12, 2017
Major Major Major Major
“She turned me into a newt! …well I got better.”
“See? No scandal!”
Villago Delenda Est
“Innocent” as in “Yeah, so what I’ve got this bloody dagger drenched in the victim’s blood in my hand. What’s it to ya, copper?”
debbie
I can’t imagine what Trump thinks was positive about the G20. For the first time in forever, the U.S. is totally isolated from practically the rest of the world.
Yarrow
Are there any protests organized in France? Has anyone heard anything? They’re pretty good at protests.
Roger Moore
@Major Major Major Major:
Except that in this case the spells seem to have had an effect. I don’t think people would be nearly as worked up about it if the Russian interference had been laughable and Hillary had won going away.
MomSense
What are we up to about a dozen high crimes and misdemeanors at this point?
When will our elected representatives stop betraying their sworn oaths to defend our constitution?
Traitorous bastards all of them.
Mike in DC
Still waiting for the rumored WaPo blockbuster.
Karen
I have no idea why dolt45 would go to France, he doesn’t like protests; and from what I have read protests are being planned. But then I don’t understand why Marcon even invited him, my thought was that he was setting dolt up for something.
schrodingers_cat
@debbie: He got to meet his one true love, Vladdy.
Roger Moore
@MomSense:
When Trump loses enough popularity with the Republican base they aren’t afraid of the consequences of turning on him.
raven
Ok Futbol freaks, is this Copa not a big enough deal to bring Randhino around?
lollipopguild
The next step is to admit to it all while saying that it’s no big deal and Clinton and the Dems have done/will do things that are even worse.
Patricia Kayden
Trump crying about witch hunts is hilarious. This is the idiot who claimed to have sent investigators to Hawaii to hunt for President Obama’s birth certificate. This is the man who asked Russia to dig up Secretary Clinton’s emails. This is the douche who invited twitter followers to watch a nonexistent porn tape of a beauty pageant contestant who condemned him for racism and misogyny.
But he’s the biggest victim of witch hunts. Yeah, right.
Karen
somewhere today, I saw a chart on what dolt has done with his time since G20; there are hours and hours of nothing the only thing he did spend time on was golf. A few phone calls and not much else in way of “work”
Patricia Kayden
@Karen: I suppose Macron has no choice but to meet with the American President at some point in time so he might as well get it over with now. Looking forward to the protests and I hope Trump is made aware that they’re against him.
OzarkHillbilly
@debbie:
In tRump world, that’s a positive.
Patricia Kayden
@lollipopguild: It almost feels as if that’s what they’re already doing. Among their supporters, that would be a perfectly rational argument.
Wag
@debbie:
Trump thinks our isolation IS a positive.
Edit. Beaten to the punch by OH!
BCHS Class of 1980
@Mike in DC: A serious question: so everything we’ve heard in the past few days is not related to that hypothetical blockbuster?
David ?Canadian Anchor Baby? Koch
Albert Z.
Echoes of Nixon? Witch Hunt? Turning people in to Newts? Newt Gingrich? It’s all making sense now. Now we just need a shrubbery.
Major Major Major Major
@Roger Moore: fair!
TenguPhule
@MomSense:
Well we can only execute them all for treason once.
So why not shoot for the moon, corruptly speaking?
dr. bloor
@debbie:
If you can’t master the art of “Groupthink” without the inconvenient “think” part, you’re never getting a gig with this administration.
TenguPhule
@Roger Moore:
First of Never, then.
low-tech cyclist
“the positive coverage they expected to receive from the President’s trip abroad” – these guys apparently expected brownie points for being able to get on an airplane. (Paraphrasing Owen Ellickson)
TenguPhule
@Albert Z.:
Wasn’t the muppet speaker hiding in one a few months ago?
TenguPhule
@BCHS Class of 1980:
Apparently not. So expectations have been raised.
Who did Donald Trump rape and kill in Moscow?
sm*t cl*de
Anyone can give just a single account of events. True transparency is giving five different accounts of events, so you can pick the one you want.
dmsilev
Which would be worse, a witch turning someone into a newt, or turning someone into a Newt? I submit that the latter would be far worse, especially since available evidence suggests that you don’t get better.
TenguPhule
@lollipopguild:
You haven’t seen the Rightwing Alt-media response today yet then. They’ve already jumped on that lifeboat with lead sneakers.
SiubhanDuinne
I know, right? Life is so sucky sometimes.
David ?Canadian Anchor Baby? Koch
They colluded right from the very beginning.
lollipopguild
@TenguPhule: I have to limit how much I read about dolt45 for mental health reasons. I check in here to get the latest updates.
efgoldman
@dr. bloor:
You need to stop right there. His name and any iterations of the verb “to think” don’t even belong in the same zip code.
OzarkHillbilly
@Wag: Not so great minds think alike…. Or something like that.
TenguPhule
@lollipopguild: Rest assured, you didn’t miss much. Everything you thought they were going to do, they’ve already done it today.
Major Major Major Major
@lollipopguild: I do that too! I even have a browser extension that replaces many pictures of trump with kittens.
NotMax
“Why is everybody always picking on me?”
–
Charlie Brown[insert name here] TrumpOzarkHillbilly
@Albert Z.: One that looks nice. And not too expensive.
Jeffro
@David ?Canadian Anchor Baby? Koch: I love Twitter Dick Nixon way, way too much…
Jeffro
@David ?Canadian Anchor Baby? Koch: Penetration at all levels, with the attendant hacking, fake news, and laundered donations takes at least a little time to arrange…
OzarkHillbilly
@Albert Z.: Then, when you have found the shrubbery, you must place it here, beside this shrubbery, only slightly higher so you get a two layer effect with a little path running down the middle. (“A path! A path!”) Then, you must cut down the mightiest tree in the forrest… with… a herring!
Karen
@Patricia Kayden: I “loved” the float in Hamburg.
TS
Unbelievable what ALL and any Republicans in congress will say to report Trump. One on Chris’s show just said “I will listen to anyone about my campaign” When called on it – says he is being asked “hypotheticals” and it is all conjecture. Pffffffffft – they would sell grandma – and their children – for a tax break and political power.
This is what they peddle night and day to the people they supposedly represent.
lollipopguild
@NotMax: “That Charlie Brown, he’s a clown. That Charlie Brown”
Mike in DC
@BCHS Class of 1980: while the NYT and WSJ story dropped within a few days of each other, the WaPo has been quiet on the Trump/Russia front, in terms of major news, for over a week now.
I assume theyre working on a collusion story as well, but likely have different sources. So it might be a different incident or even a story that puts Trump directly in the loop. The latter would certainly be a game changer.
Or they could have nothing. But i doubt it!
mainmata
@Karen: Since Macron won the previous arm wrestling…er handshake contest, he wants to play again. We were told he doesn’t even like to travel but he’s back to Europe. Hopefully, there will be protests but we already know that he pays little attention to such things. He thinks the G-20 was a success for him when, in fact, it was another disaster. I think Trump’s basically in escape mode at this point. (Sad!) He must sense that his Presidency is rapidly going down the drain pretty much due to his arrogance and monstrous vengeance-against-all-things-Obama destructive agenda and wants to just get out of town.
Timurid
@Major Major Major Major:
Witches get stitches.
Adam L Silverman
@debbie: It’s better than the G7 because it’s 20 not 7.
Adam L Silverman
@Yarrow: He’s going for Bastille Day. I’m pretty sure the French will work it out.
Adam L Silverman
@raven: We can’t use him because of the new travel ban.//
debbie
@Adam L Silverman:
There better be puppetry!
Adam L Silverman
@lollipopguild: They already did that. Apparently a Ukrainian American DNC staffer got wind that Manafort was in the running to take over the Trump campaign. So on her own accord she arranged a meeting with someone at the Ukrainian embassy in DC to compare notes on Manafort then sent a backbrief via email to several other staffers at the DNC. Sarah Huckabee Sanders trotted this out at today’s not televised press conference to explain that the Democrats, the DNC, and the Clinton campaign actually colluded with a foreign power during last year’s campaign.
Adam L Silverman
@Karen: There was reporting this afternoon that he complained after the Middle East and NATO trip last month that he didn’t have any downtown when he got back. Apparently he was very upset. So staffers cleared several days for him to recover from last week’s trip.
gene108
@OzarkHillbilly:
Especially with his voters, who don’t get that we are not the boss of the rest of the world.
And if we want to not be isolated and ignored and have our standing diminished we need to cooperate with other countries.
These voters do not support ratifying treaties. Even those that are just clarifying existing international law, which we already ratified, like recent updates to the Law of the Sea treaty.
efgoldman
@Adam L Silverman:
Pro.
Jec.
Shun.
One of the things they’re best at.
Lying bastards.
Fuckem
Adam L Silverman
@lollipopguild: Yours or his?
efgoldman
@gene108:
Most of those voters don’t know what treaties are, unless it means we put the boot on somebody’s neck.
NotMax
@Adam L. Silverman
Adam, would appreciate any insight or comment you might have regarding this.
From a purely layman’s perspective, seems a logical evolution in terms of both military preparedness and potential deployment options (though I would expect inter-service jousting to result in delaying or lessening the massive announced cut).
Adam L Silverman
@debbie:
https://www.pinterest.com/pin/78179743512446359
NotMax
@efgoldman
Rhode Island is compact enough that you ought to be able to detect a tremor in the Force this week.
Adam L Silverman
@NotMax: I read something a few weeks ago that the actual readiness of the PLA was around 1 million troops that could be fought at any time. I don’t spend a lot of time focusing on the PLA, my interests in the PRC in terms of regional and geo strategic issues is in other areas, so I’m not sure how accurate the article I saw was. Regardless, I’m sure this makes sense for them in terms of how they see their operating environment.
Mike in NC
How ironic that Trump wanted to go watch a Bastille Day parade, when the whole point of the French Revolution was to dispose of rotten entitled plutocrats like the Trump clan.
efgoldman
@NotMax:
Local nooz is full of it.
Also, not that I care, but they said Kris Krispie cancelled, but Snotty Walker will be here.
efgoldman
@Mike in NC:
He can order one up; get the four service bands marching around in circles so it looks like the whole Pentagon. He can have cotton candy.
?BillinGlendaleCA
@Jeffro:
And I thought the pee tape was just about pee.
Adam L Silverman
Ooopsie!
TenguPhule
@Adam L Silverman: Trump brings in only the best illegal immigrants!
Adam L Silverman
@lollipopguild: Here’s more:
TenguPhule
@Adam L Silverman:
Pay per view for his tumbrel ride?
Adam L Silverman
@TenguPhule: I’m sure someone will periscope it.
Adam L Silverman
@Jeffro:
Get your own schtick!
lollipopguild
@Adam L Silverman: Wow! What a coinky-dink. Nothing to see here, move along.
TenguPhule
Facepalm, the Trump edition
I think I threw up in my mouth a little.
?BillinGlendaleCA
@Adam L Silverman: Heh.
TenguPhule
Hey Adam, Qatar dropped off the news map.
What the hell is going on since everything started going to hell there?
TenguPhule
@Adam L Silverman: Schlong. Its pronounced Schlong.
Jeffro
@Adam L Silverman: oh I’m sorry did you copyright that phrase?
J/k and my bad next time I will be sure to give proper credit
Laura
So does he sleep during the day? 3:39 am tweets? I’m guessing he does his watching of “the shows” all night long and then twits out his missives followed by the routine’s of a White House morning, seemingly unconcerned about the Daily Presidental Briefing, meetings of great import, KFC luncheon, calls to pals, pushing the diet coke button, signing vague executive orders, raging at any/everyone, having his hair reassembled, checking the financial status of the various properties and the debt service, consultation with legal and dinner with Melania and Barron (presumes facts not in evidence on that last one).
So when does he sleep, or does he sleep?
Adam L Silverman
@TenguPhule: Dude’s got a serious issue with windmills.
?BillinGlendaleCA
@TenguPhule:
There is so much wrong with this, it makes no economic sense. If we use wind power and reduce our demand for fossil fuels, then we reduce demand for them. That would make prices go down, not up. Did Trump ever take an Economics survey class, much less a principles class?
Adam L Silverman
@TenguPhule: Secretary Tillerson is trying to broker a resolution. From the reporting I saw yesterday he’s in the process of trying to get the Saudis and their allies to back off and cool down to create space to negotiate a proper settlement that everyone can live with.
?BillinGlendaleCA
@Laura: From what I’ve heard, Trump only sleeps 4 hours a night and believes that exercise is harmful.
Adam L Silverman
@TenguPhule: I know the difference.
Adam L Silverman
@Jeffro: Just being snarky.
TenguPhule
@Laura:
He sleeps between the long hours he spends goofing off and the short minutes he devotes to ruining the government.
lollipopguild
@Adam L Silverman: My mental health. I also have acid reflux which has gotten worse since November 2016.
TenguPhule
@Adam L Silverman:
That’s not what she said! (j/k)
TenguPhule
@Adam L Silverman:
So open warfare by Labor day then?
TenguPhule
@lollipopguild:
You too? Nothing like the taste of stomach acid after waking up from a nightmare. To another nightmare.
Jeffro
@Adam L Silverman: oh I know that – just kidding you back
Omnes Omnibus
@Adam L Silverman: Let’s hope his next Eurotrip involves the Netherlands.
TenguPhule
@Omnes Omnibus:
What did the Netherlands ever do to us?
Adam L Silverman
@lollipopguild: I’m sorry to read that.
Omnes Omnibus
@TenguPhule: They know what they did.
Adam L Silverman
@TenguPhule: Doubtful. The Saudi military has serious issues. Which is why it has been unable to take out the Houthi tribesmen in Yemen and why, before the current crown prince, the preferred Saudi course of action was to work behind the scenes and through proxies.
efgoldman
@?BillinGlendaleCA:
Hanging upside down from the ceiling?
Jeffro
Rachel Maddow is discussing the Wall Street Journal story from today where not only were the Russians talking about getting the Trump campaign going back in 2015(!) but European intelligence agencies were warning there US counterparts about Russian money flowing into Republican campaign coffers.
Wow. I don’t care how long it takes I hope they get every bit of this out into the open, as an object lesson to both the Russians and two republican traitors.
So number one I have to give some props to Adam (and others) who have been saying “follow the money” all along. Exposing who got paid and who supplied the funds could have significant multiple benefits down the road when it comes time for some truth and reconciliation and then some serious campaign-finance reform. That’s right, Citizens United, I am COMING FOR YOU.
The second thought, which I mentioned to my wife just a little bit ago is: The way that this almost mind blowing turn of events has been gradually exposed for public consumption and built to this level in this short amount of time … it would not shock me if in 10 or 20 or 30 years we found that some deputy director somewhere helped direct traffic and monitor the pace of these leaks so that by the time indictments begin to drop, the public will have turn mostly against this gang of crazy criminals. Or at the very least they will be able to wrap their heads around possibly the biggest scandal in American political history
Adam L Silverman
@debbie: And to think I was joking…
TenguPhule
@Adam L Silverman:
As I recall, having military forces of doubtful effectiveness has not been a historical restraint against attacking other countries in the region.
debbie
@Adam L Silverman
Those 20 countries beg to differ, Sir.
Adam L Silverman
@Jeffro: Now is when you employ
!
Adam L Silverman
Oy vey!
Ladyraxterinok
@Yarrow: Invited to commemorate Bastille Day. Think about what happened during the French Revolution!!
Hope T is not supposed to give a speech/make some remarks. Unbelievable potential for stupid, disasterous statements.
Think of the words to the French national anthem: a bllody battle called for/remembered.
Adam L Silverman
@TenguPhule: No it has not. It has been a detriment to successfully doing so.
Mike in NC
Maybe Trump told Pence that he was born in a log cabin and taught himself to read by candlelight. Such humble origins!
lollipopguild
@Adam L Silverman: Pence is both incredibly stupid and totally clueless. These, of course are his good points.
Another Scott
@Yarrow: If you’re on FB, there’s Paris Against Trump with details about protests planned. (If you’re not on FB, you can see the stuff with the banner in the way.)
Cheers,
Scott.
NotMax
@Adam L. Silverman
Pence moonlighting as ambassador from Bizarro world?
Adam L Silverman
@NotMax: Who knows. Maybe Mother slipped him a mickey.
Shana
@Mike in DC: Can I just say here, that while I have my issues with a fair amount of the coverage from both NYT and WaPo during the campaign, subscriptions pay for the journalists who are doing this work we’re all enjoying so much right now.
No, I don’t work for either, or know anyone other than one book reviewer at WaPo.
NotMax
@Adam L. Silverman
Or slipped him a copy of “Trolling for Dummies.”
sm*t cl*de
@Adam L Silverman:
I was under the impression that it exists primarily to provide glamorous and low-risk jobs for otherwise-unemployable scions of royalty, while spending money in a way that allows most palm-greasing along the way. So they excel at bombing civilians from a safe altitude, and crushing democracy protests in Bahrein.
sm*t cl*de
@TenguPhule:
‘Such time as he can spare from the adornment of his person he devotes to the neglect of his duties’.
Jeffro
@Adam L Silverman:
El
Oh
El
‘Penetration’ or just plain ol’ carpet bombing, it’s already been a good week. People might not have realized it, but we crossed several major milestones just in the past 72 hours:
– no more denying collusion happened; it’s just a matter of how much, when it started, and most importantly, who ok’d it (wait – even MORE importantly – who has lied to cover up that it happened)
– investigations looking hard at Russian financing, at the illegal hacking of the DNC and how Trump/Russia worked together to exploit that info at a precinct level (HUGELY important for the next stage of this crisis)
– Trump Jr. and Kushner and Bannon clearly at each others’ throats; Flynn HAS to be talking at this point (Page too)
– Even the Bannon strategy of ‘smear the reporters, babble at the mainstream media, outright lie to Trump supporters’ is out there and being openly discussed
Here’s to you, unknown deputy director in the IC: you’ve done a great job prepping the battlefield. Give ’em another week to see who wants to talk, and then let’s see some indictments…a LOT of ’em.
Laura
@?BillinGlendaleCA: @TenguPhule:
Thanks to the two of you’s! I know Martha Stewart is another ‘celeb’ noted for the short sleeping hours but she works (and works out) like a rented mule.
This tool, his behavior just reminds me of folks that had a serious coke habit, none of whom had delusions of grandeur about presidentin’
jc
“The Aristocrats!”
Thank you for that. The exact thought occurred to me this morning. The traitorous first family, and the gang of goons surrounding them, such a shit-show.