All Things Trump: Is it over yet?

[L'Emmerdeur]

'Trump wishes "happy Memorial Day" to US, Japanese troops'

[rainbow]

Or someone being deliberately sarcastic...

Yes, clearly it was Hilary.

[Brian Peacock]

The ham-handed 'strategy' by the Trump administration to block any and all attempts by Congress to fulfill its duty of oversight on the executive branch is resulting in swift rulings against it in federal courts.

'Why Trump’s Stonewalling Legal Strategy Will Keep Failing'

In the space of three days this week, two federal judges ruled decisively in favor of Congress’ right to subpoena President Donald Trump’s personal financial and business records. The speed of the decisions—unusual in complex federal litigation—demonstrates a significant flaw in the administration’s “fight all the subpoenas” strategy. More importantly, it suggests that Trump’s strategy of categorically fighting all congressional subpoenas will undermine his ability to stonewall Congress in subsequent cases.

Already, one of the rulings has been appealed by the Trump administration, and a three-judge panel is scheduled to hear the case in July. In the meantime, however, we are witnessing profound legal decisions in defense of congressional power. If Trump’s stonewalling strategy was intended to run out the clock by forcing Democrats into interminable court fights, it appears so far to be having the exact opposite effect—almost like a little league game that gets called early because one team is scoring too many unanswered runs.

On Monday, federal Judge Amit Mehta issued a sweeping decision rejecting Trump’s personal challenge to a House Oversight Committee subpoena of his financial records from an accounting firm he has used. The main argument Trump advanced was that there was no legislative purpose for the subpoena.

Mehta made quick work of that argument, noting that courts have long held that they must presume Congress is acting to legislate. But Trump’s argument went further, claiming that Congress is engaging in “law enforcement” and that corrupt behavior by the president is not a “proper subject of investigation.” Mehta cited Watergate as an obvious rebuttal.

Trump’s argument is doomed to fail in the courts because the Constitution gives the House the “full power of impeachment” and it could not exercise that authority without investigating presidential wrongdoing. Mehta found that it is “simply not fathomable” that “a Constitution that grants Congress the power to remove a president for reasons including criminal behavior would deny Congress the power to investigate him for unlawful conduct—past or present—even without formally opening an impeachment inquiry.”

...

Trump has appointed hundreds of federal judges, many of whom undoubtedly share his expansive view of executive power. One of his appointees, Neomi Rao, sits on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit, which will hear arguments about the Mehta ruling. But Trump has made it difficult for judges to show him the deference that courts might otherwise show the president.

For that reason, a savvy litigator would not roll the dice with the risky legal strategy Trump has advanced. A more sophisticated approach would be to make limited accommodations to Congress and advance very fact-specific objections to congressional subpoenas that would require a court to engage in a time-consuming inquiry to parse through. Trump’s current strategy lacks that sophistication.

As a result, his strategy is not only generating adverse results quickly, but it could very well convince a court that he is acting in bad faith. If that happens, the House could get the courts to do what it is ill-equipped to do itself: enforce compliance with congressional subpoenas. That could get congressional investigations, or even an impeachment inquiry, off the ground.

To me it doesn't look like Trump's argument is about Congressional overreach, but that a President is a law unto themselves.

[JimC]

When the first armoured division surrounds Congress with tanks, we'll know what is happening...

[Tero]

We can't have disaster aid because...the wall.

The Texas Republican objected to the bill because it "spends $19 billion of taxpayer money without members of Congress being present in our nation's Capitol to vote on it." He also said the package should include money for the Department of Homeland Security to address immigration issues at the southwest border.

Democrats expect to have enough votes to pass the legislation when Congress returns on June 3, but House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., called the intervention a "last-minute sabotage" of the bipartisan bill.

[Tero]

trump diet coke.jpg (44.38 KiB) Viewed 1459 times

[Sean Hayden]

[Tero]

[Tero]

He means "the eyes of conservative Americans," not the world.

[Tero]

trump pulls out.jpg (73.62 KiB) Viewed 1436 times

Trump pulls out. He has pulled out of so many things, there must be some condoms that he left behind.

[Tero]

Captain Bone Spurs visits an aircraft carrier?

WASHINGTON – President Donald Trump used a Memorial Day address aboard a Navy ship in Japan to tout his administration's defense spending, even as he questioned advances in technology he suggested might be "too much."

"Memorial Day links every great American heart in eternal tribute to those souls who gave their last breath for our nation," Trump said to chants of "USA."

Obama
https://twitter.com/BarackObama/status/ ... 5880099840

[Tero]

[Scot Dutchy]

Trump/Russians have the electoral college sown up.

[Alan B]

I've seen loads of Trump clips where the idiot is making some declaration and making a fool of himself and all seem to be in close-up. Are there any where the camera has been panned back to view the whole audience and the extent of the people behind him? I'm thinking about the more recent episodes over the last few months.

[Scot Dutchy]

They seemed to be the same rent-a-crowd every time and all bunched behind him.