.
IMO, the fact that Trump hasn’t ditched his new mook (or, to be precise, had someone ditch Whitaker for him) would seem to indicate that the Oval Office Occupant is running out of half-decent alternatives.
Acting AG Whitaker’s appointment does violence to the Constitution. @FaceTheNation pic.twitter.com/nhDeZePyoA
— Nancy Pelosi (@NancyPelosi) November 11, 2018
Trump literally thinks Attorney General is his bodyguard. pic.twitter.com/iEcrH34PSV
— Schooley (@Rschooley) November 9, 2018
If Whitaker doesn't recuse himself and has any involvement in Mueller's probe, we will expose it, including whether he made any commitments to Trump, is serving as a back channel, or interfering in the probe.
He will be held accountable. There must be no ambiguity about that. pic.twitter.com/ZpNmOynWLi
— Adam Schiff (@RepAdamSchiff) November 11, 2018
Chris Christie on ABC, on Whitaker: "I think he's really there to land the Mueller investigation, to get it done. … What the president's attempting to do here is to have someone who's already been involved, to get the Mueller investigation to its completion."
— Will Saletan (@saletan) November 11, 2018
Lindsey Graham says he spoke with Whitaker yesterday and will meet with him this week. “I don’t think he has to recuse himself,” Graham says on CBS, adding that Mueller will be “able to do his job” without “political interference” from Whitaker.
— Manu Raju (@mkraju) November 11, 2018
My interpretation: Lindsey Graham is desperate to be the next Attorney General, if just for a single day. Chris Christie, on the other hand, still believes he may have a politics-adjacent future… as long as he stays well away from Trump!
“Very interim.”
“I think this will be a very interim AG,” Mitch McConnell said of Matt Whitaker. “I expect we’ll get a new nominee quickly for the job.” https://t.co/pBurtRdp2A
— Jennifer Jacobs (@JenniferJJacobs) November 9, 2018
“Very interim” is not exactly a ringing pronouncement in Whitaker’s favor…
Fact check: The White House pressured Sessions to make Whitaker his chief of staff. https://t.co/NfercUDLwz
— Michael S. Schmidt (@nytmike) November 10, 2018
ICYMI: @benjaminwittes says Pres. Trump can't 'fire his way' out of the Mueller investigation. #MTPDaily pic.twitter.com/viK89nOUhv
— Meet the Press (@MeetThePress) November 10, 2018
tobie
I’m beginning to appreciate the full power of Schiff’s cool contempt for Trump and his minions. The statement regarding Whitaker should scare the be-jeezus out of him (Whitaker).
Yarrow
LOL.
Dorothy A. Winsor
@Yarrow: If he recuses himself, Trump will have a stroke.
geg6
Can I just say how much I love Adam Schiff?
khead
Open thread?
Chuck Jones: Cartoons :: Stan Lee: Comics. These folks are two of the faces on my childhood Mt. Rushmore. Gene Roddenberry is probably the third. I need a fourth person. Who ya got?
geg6
@Yarrow:
Bwahahahaha! Looks like the interim is about over.
Yarrow
@Dorothy A. Winsor: Yep! Along with the Sinema win today he’s going to be apoplectic.
@geg6: Me too. He’s so good. Never gets ruffled.
Platonailedit
Nope, that’s not what the cowardly nj thug’s ‘statement’ is saying at all.
Major Major Major Major
So glad the adults will have some power again.
Mnemosyne
Oh, FFS. We have massive fires all over Southern California and what did the asshat neighbor behind our office do? Build and light a massive fire pit in his backyard! ?
geg6
@Dorothy A. Winsor:
We can only hope!
Yarrow
@Major Major Major Major: How’s NYC?
A Ghost To Most
@geg6: Schiff has an article up on WaPo. In comments, I asked him to run for president.
Mnemosyne
@khead:
I would say Ray Bradbury, but I was a reader from a young age.
A Ghost To Most
@khead: Mel Blanc, of course.
dmsilev
@Yarrow: Why do I have a sneaking and nasty suspicion that the meeting will consist in large part of career Justice people giving the “Acting Attorney General” a long list of shady to illegal things which he’s involved in and then hinting very broadly that said things might possibly find themselves on the front page of the Post if he didn’t recuse?
Ruckus
@Mnemosyne:
I hope someone turned him in. Even if it isn’t illegal he should have to be bothered by the fire dept coming out and having a discussion. Which I imagine they’d do.
trollhattan
Two-hundred missing person inquiries remain from California’s Camp Fire. Because cell service is basically non-existent this count will hopefully resolve in a good way. I have a lot of dread, given who lived in Paradise and how very limited the routes out of the fire’s path were, the fatality count is going to climb further.
trollhattan
@Mnemosyne:
People still do that here?
Frankensteinbeck
@dmsilev:
Because that’s what Adam said would happen.
different-church-lady
@khead: What decade were you born?
Mnemosyne
@Ruckus:
We can’t find a non-emergency number for the fire department, and I have to leave the office in 5 minutes. Christ, what an asshole.
Ruckus
He ran out of half decent alternatives that he might accept on January 20, 2017.
All the fully decent alternatives would fry his ass in a nano second and he would never want them in the first place, they would be competent.
burnspbesq
@Mnemosyne:
Did you call the cops?
Ruckus
@Mnemosyne:
Call 911, it’s a fire. Let them decide if it’s an emergency. It’s not your job to decide if it is or isn’t. It’s not like he’s a black man barbecuing hot dogs is it?
Patricia Kayden
@Yarrow: Actually, Whitaker has probably finally realized that the gig is up and if he tries to mess with Mueller, he may end up in jail. I hope he’s hired a good attorney. Working for Trump = legal exposture.
Platonailedit
Frankensteinbeck
@Ruckus:
It is worth making the point that Sessions, while utterly evil, was basically competent. It’s hard to tell how competent, since he looked like a shining god next to the other cabinet members who would step on their own feet and then complain they can’t walk.
debbie
@Dorothy A. Winsor:
I’d pay to have a seat at that press conference!
burnspbesq
Of course, if you believe certain commenters here, Wittes is a doofus who doesn’t know his ass from a hole in the ground.
Ha. Hahaha. BWAHAHAHAHA.
khead
@different-church-lady:
I’m sorry. Should have added that. 1968. I will be 50 next month. So 11 when The Martian Chronicles – see Mnemosyne above – hit TV.
A Ghost To Most
@Frankensteinbeck:
Let’s not forget the other scumbag Sessions who is packing his bags – Pete Sessions. Thoughts and prayers, Pete!
different-church-lady
@debbie: Don’t give them any ideas.
trollhattan
NRA’s assault on America’s surgeons may not be developing to their advantage.
Corner Stone
@burnspbesq: He may know your ass from a hole in the ground. But otherwise…
burnspbesq
@Patricia Kayden:
The statute of limitation hasn’t run on the inventor-fraud scam. Whitaker is pretty much toast no matter what he does.
different-church-lady
@khead: You need some music in there. Stevie Wonder? Elvis Costello? Season to taste.
Major Major Major Major
@Yarrow: wouldn’t know, we’re in Hawaii. One-way to NYC is Wednesday. Tonight we swim with the manta rays!
burnspbesq
@Corner Stone:
Keep digging.
zhena gogolia
@geg6:
Oh, me too!!!! This Benjamin Wittes guy is also pretty hawt.
Yarrow
@Major Major Major Major: Cool! Have fun.
dmsilev
@trollhattan: Who could have possibly predicted that? Aside from “everybody”, that is.
Platonailedit
What are the odds whitaker is gone next week?
Mike J
OT, but did they ever find Judge Glenn Devlin? Is he planing on serving out his term or just sulking?
Eric S.
@khead: I would have Lucas or H. Ford on my list. They obviously overlap. A lot!
karen marie
@Dorothy A. Winsor: A girl can only dream.
khead
@different-church-lady:
I was the kind of kid who traded his money for candy after Sunday School.
gene108
@trollhattan:
Despite the medical profession getting things wrong, at times, such as advocating a low fat high carb diet throughout the 1980’s and 1990’s, people generally have a lot of faith in doctors and other medical professionals as being people to trust.
And at some point everyone sees a doctor or two. These aren’t professionals hidng in the shadows.
Tough to make them the bad guys.
Major Major Major Major
@Yarrow: thanks!
wasabi gasp
Shame has been sucked into the same black hole that swallowed irony. Don’t let benefit of doubt be the next to follow. Let’s give this clown a chance.
Kayla Rudbek
@burnspbesq: yeah, and checking out the OED decision records, D2017-14 (5-year suspension) D2017-18 (20-months suspension) D2018-21 (excluded from practice and resigned) D2018-35 (48-months suspension) so at least 4 patent attorneys/agents caught in this so far
sukabi
@Dorothy A. Winsor: where’s the down side?
Juju
Is it just me or does Matthew Whitaker look like Baby Sid from “Toy Story 3” or the connector spider baby head toy from “Toy Story”?
??? Goku (aka Amerikan Baka) ??
@khead:
Bruce Timm and Dwayne McDuffie
Wait, do they have to be dead?
??? Goku (aka Amerikan Baka) ??
@Juju:
He looks like Kingpin, just less fat
Keith P.
I’m starting to think that Trump has a latent desire to be dominated by big, bald “tactical” men, and I do mean sexually. Is Jeff Gannon still around?
Patricia Kayden
@Dorothy A. Winsor: Heart attack and epic meltdown on Twitter.
Patricia Kayden
@trollhattan: Who knew that telling doctors to stay in their lane when they speak out about a medical issue was a bad idea?
Platonailedit
More heartburn for the sexist rapist totus thug
Juju
@??? Goku (aka Amerikan Baka) ??: I had to lookup Kingpin. I think Whitaker has too much of a baby face to look like Kingpin. Whitaker looks like an adult baby.
khead
@Eric S.:
The inclusion of Ford is interesting. Hadn’t even thought about it. Several folks I know took Lucas as the 4th guy. I would go with Speilberg over Lucas. For me, Jaws + Close Encounters > Star Wars. But Harrison Ford? I might can roll with that. Dude covers two franchises from my childhood.
DCrefugee
@Platonailedit: 50/50. But by then, Bobby Three Sticks will have dropped some shit and Agent Orange will have a whole ‘nuther set of problems.
Paul Campos at LGM has up an interesting post on how hard it will be to pry him out of the WH when the time comes. It’s getting closer…
Mnemosyne
@khead:
Pfft. I had already read “The Martian Chronicles” several times before the TV movie aired and was able to be disappointed in what they changed. And I’m a year younger than you.
But, as I said, I was a very advanced reader (they put me in the 3rd grade group when I started 1st grade), so I was reading stuff I probably shouldn’t have been reading.
Juju
@Keith P.: Bleh.
rikyrah
Schiff’s rage is palpable.
And, that makes me ??
??? Goku (aka Amerikan Baka) ??
@Major Major Major Major:
I’ve always wanted to go to Hawaii. Have fun!
Jay
From Chris Grey’s Brexit Blog;
”
So we have a strange and, to the best of my knowledge, unprecedented situation. A group of people who are passionate and uncompromising advocates of a fundamental economic and geo-political shift for a nation don’t actually know much about what it means in practice, and have very little interest in delivering it. It is political irresponsibility on a wanton, scandalous scale.
Ironically, though, it is just this ignorance and irresponsibility that is one of the things Theresa May will gamble on in what I suspect* we will see next week: an attempt to play on the fact that her MPs don’t really grasp or care enough about the detail to get her deal through. If that’s right – and, if so, I’ll write about it next week – that will be an even greater irresponsibility, as it will set the stage for years of political infighting, strategic drift and economic decline as the meaning and implications of her deal unfold and unwind.”
http://chrisgreybrexitblog.blogspot.com/2018/11/ignorance-and-irresponsibility-continue.html?m=1
Dunning-Kruger isn’t just an American phenom.
debbie
@trollhattan:
The more mocking, the merrier.
The Dangerman
We should start a contest of how many minutes elapse between recusal and Interim AG Ivanka.
dnfree
@geg6: Adam Schiff!!! Yes!!! I never understand why he isn’t mentioned among the 2020 Presidential prospects.
debbie
Oh, now he cares.
dnfree
@khead: Ursula K. LeGuin? Or someone else from SF?
??? Goku (aka Amerikan Baka) ??
@Juju:
Depends on the artist, I guess. What is it about some of these conservatives and their doughy, baby face looks? Soft lives, I guess.
danielx
@Dorothy A. Winsor:
It should only be so. Might be hard to tell though.
Major Major Major Major
@??? Goku (aka Amerikan Baka) ??: thanks! It is actually fairly easy to get to from California. I’ll miss that.
divF
@debbie: Complete, grammatically correct sentences. Therefore, written by a staffer.
Wag
@trollhattan:
As a member of the American College of Physicians, I have to correct you on a small point. It was the ACP that published the articles and position paper that set off the NRA. We welcome the backup from our surgical and ER colleagues, but it was the interests that received first fire from the NRA.
#thiisourlane.
Jay
@debbie:
Too sane, too coherent, Insane Clown POSus didn’t write that.
khead
@Mnemosyne:
The only good thing(s) about the miniseries were Rock Hudson, Bernie Casey and Darrin McGavin. Because 70’s TV.
Platonailedit
@debbie: That sounds presidential. So, not his words.
debbie
@divF: @Jay:
Doubtless. But that well-meaning staffer has only made it worse.
Jay
@Platonailedit:
Probably not his actions either. He’s still holed up on Executive Time, watching Faux, seething and tweeting.
khead
@??? Goku (aka Amerikan Baka) ??:
I had to look them up. I don’t do DC. Heh. Wait, I actually liked Justice League.
Wag
@different-church-lady:
I’d nominate either David Byrne or Brrrruuuuuccce!
sukabi
@debbie: someone wrote it for him. He was threatening to pull disaster funding for them this weekend, also for Puerto Rico.
different-church-lady
@The Dangerman:
“DOJ says Acting Attorney General Ivanka Trump will consult with senior ethics officials at DOJ about possible recusal in Special Counsel investigation.”
Bobby Thomson
@geg6: Pelosi, Lieu, and Schiff are the Holy Trinity of the House of Representatives.
sukabi
@different-church-lady: can the acting ag act as an ag with an indicted husband and brother?
Mnemosyne
@sukabi:
By a 5-4 margin thanks to Kavanaugh, the Supreme Court says yes! ?
??? Goku (aka Amerikan Baka) ??
@Major Major Major Major:
A lot easier to fly to than from the east coast, anyway, I suspect. It took me 5-6 hrs to fly to LAX from PIT. It was so long and boring I wish looking back I had been into comic books back then to entertain myself.
Which island are you and your husband staying on? Maybe you’ll run into TenguPhule lol.
different-church-lady
@sukabi: Depends on whether they’re a good actor.
sukabi
@Mnemosyne: don’t you even go there???
Mike J
@khead: Gary Gygax.
gene108
@divF:
Too many big words to be Trump. Expedited? Alleviate? Way beyond his vocabulary
scott alloway
@A Ghost To Most: Agree.
KnittyGal
@Major Major Major Major: My husband and I did this a few years ago on Kona. It was absolutely the most amazing diving experience I have ever had.
??? Goku (aka Amerikan Baka) ??
@khead:
Have you ever checked out BTAS or STAS? I’d recommend them. Justice League is sort of like a sequel to both of those shows. If you liked JL you’ll like them.
Jay
“Video captures refugee children enjoying snow for 1st time
Facebook
Twitter
Eritrean children, who arrived on Thursday, experience pure joy at seeing snow
CBC News · Posted: Nov 12, 2018 3:38 PM ET | Last Updated: 5 hours ago”
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/refugee-children-eritrea-first-time-snow-ripple-refugee-project-1.4902162
khead
@khead:
A friend just dropped Fred Rogers on me on social media.
AKA MISTER Rogers. I’m a dumbass. I grew up with the trolley and the sweater.
Ken
@DCrefugee:
So leave him there, and build his wall at the same time. “For the love of God, Montressor!”
Jay
@Ken:
Then you have that problem of the tell tale beating heart for a few more years.
Gin & Tonic
@Keith P.: Good to see you. Hope you’re feeling better.
eemom
@dnfree:
They’re running out of ink.
Mr Stagger Lee
@khead: Mel Blanc voice of Bugs Bunny among others
Mandalay
@Jay: From another link on the excellent page you linked to:
Imagine that. Instead of immigrants being presented as a military problem for the government, the Canadian government offers an opportunity for citizens to help make their country better.
Jay
@Mandalay:
Yup, groups form, raise funds, “sponsor” refugee’s, find homes, jobs, education, meals, support, baby sitting, outings, even teach them to skate and play hockey. It’s a whole social/economic support system. Even “redneck” towns like mine have “imported” refugees.
G
Born in 1948, as a kid, my influences were Heinlein, Edgar Rice Burroughs, Andre Norton, Clayton Moore (The Lone Ranger.) As a teen, add Pete Seeger, Tolstoy, John Ford.
Badgetoon
@khead:
Ditko or Kirby depending on which way you swing
MCA1
@khead: That’s more like it. You did say of your childhood, not teen years and beyond. I was going to suggest Charles Schultz, who certainly would have been on my own childhood cultural Mt. Rushmore.
joel hanes
@G:
My wonderful great-aunt gave me an HG Wells omnibus, with
The War of the Worlds
The Time Machine
The Invisible Man
The First Men In The Moon
The Island of Dr. Moreau
The Food Of The Gods
and a bunch of his shorter works.
For a long time, he made everyone else look amateur.
Procopius
@burnspbesq: You think anyone will prosecute him? Whitaker was a States Attorney. He’s a member of the club, as minor as he is.
khead
@Badgetoon:
@MCA1:
These are good too! I had Kirby and Ditko wrt comics – just not enough room on the mountain. Someone else I know mentioned Henson too. I would probably say Schultz > Henson – but that’s probably because I really liked Snoopy. YMMV!
gogiggs
@khead: Lucas? Tolkien? Gygax?
trnc
???
Looks to me like Christie is campaigning to be the next AG exactly the same way Whitaker got the job.
Beautifulplumage
@khead: Can we have a small shrine to Carl Stalling, mastermind behind the cartoon soundtrack of my early TV?
There are a couple of compilations of his music for WB; it’s amazing to listen to without the visuals.
Ferdinand
@khead: Heh. I love the idea of a personal childhood mythology Mt. Rushmore with Chuck Jones, Stan Lee, and Gene Roddenberry. Since that covers animation, comics, and television, my forth would either have to represent movies (I’d choose Spielberg) or represent literature (I’d choose Tolkien).
JGabriel
@Dorothy A. Winsor:
I’m okay with that, as long as it’s not severe enough to keep Trump from being sent to prison.
Also, the only way Whitaker recuses himself is if, once he’s read into the investigation, he realizes that recusal is the only way to either avoid being charged himself, or to ameliorate the damage from an already inevitable charge against him.
If Whitaker is, in fact, now seeking an opinion on recusal from the DoJ’s ethics lawyers – i.e., if he’s already looking for a good excuse, like an authoritative legal opinion, to recuse himself – that’s a good indication that the above has already occurred.