We Need To Talk About Donald

[Tero]

" Everyone knew he was in contact with Russian officials from time to time, just like Democrat Congresspeople did. They all do. "
The democrats do not have billions invested in shady deals with Russians, with pretty much anyone that would lend him money or let him buy a hotel
https://www.pri.org/stories/2017-03-08/ ... azerbaijan

[JimC]

"Means, motive and opportunity"

[Brian Peacock]

It's OK though, because there's nothing wrong with meeting a Russian Ambassador it's OK to lie about it. End of, apparently.

[Tero]

NYT
This was the summation provided to me by a senior European diplomat briefed on the meeting. Trump’s preparedness was roughly that of a fourth grader. He began the conversation by telling Merkel that Germany owes the United States hundreds of billions of dollars for defending it through NATO, and concluded by saying, “You are terrific” but still owe all that dough. Little else concerned him.

794COMMENTS
https://mobile.nytimes.com/2017/03/28/o ... world.html

[Forty Two]

Well, no, it's not at all o.k. to lie about it. However, it's not solidly clear that it was a lie.

“Let me be clear, I never had meetings with Russian operatives or Russian intermediaries about the Trump campaign,” Sessions said. “And the idea that I was part of a quote, ‘continuing exchange of information’ during the campaign between Trump surrogates and intermediaries for the Russian government is totally false.
“That is the question that Senator Franken asked me at the hearing, and that’s what got my attention,” Sessions said. “As he noted, it was the first — just breaking news. And it got my attention. And that is the question I responded to. I did not respond by referring to the two meetings, one very brief after a speech, and one with two of my senior staffers, professional staffers, with the Russian ambassador in Washington, where no such things were discussed.”
At the meeting in his office in September, Sessions said he and the Russian ambassador discussed terrorism and Ukraine, at which point the conversation got a little “testy.” And while ambassadors tend to be “pretty gossipy,” Sessions said, “I don’t recall any specific political discussions.”
At the press conference — in which Sessions announced that he would recuse himself from any FBI investigation related to the Trump campaign — he allowed that with regard to Franken’s question, “In retrospect, I should have slowed down and said, ‘But I did meet one Russian official a couple of times, and that would be the ambassador.'”

Chuck Schumer said - “There’s nothing inappropriate with a senator meeting with the Russian ambassador,” - so, if there is nothing wrong with it, then doesn't it stand to reason that there is no reason to "lie" about it. What possible advantage would Sessions have? Was there any conceivable way that Sessions, not a stupid person, would think that nobody would find out that he, a Senator on the foreign relations committee, hadn't met a couple times briefly with the Russian Ambassador?

Sessions said this to Congress on march 17:

Leahy: Several of the President-Elect’s nominees or senior advisers have Russian ties. Have you been in contact with anyone connected to any part of the Russian government about the 2016 election, either before or after election day?

Sessions: No.

He said this to Al Franken, which is the original, terrible, no good "lie:"

Franken: CNN has just published a story and I’m telling you this about a news story that’s just been published, so I’m not expecting you to know whether or not it’s true or not. But CNN just published a story alleging that the intelligence community provided documents to the president-elect last week that included information that quote, “Russian operatives claimed to have compromising personal and financial information about Mr. Trump.” These documents also allegedly say quote, “There was a continuing exchange of information during the campaign between Trump’s surrogates and intermediaries for the Russian government.”

Now, again, I’m telling you this as it’s coming out, so you know. But if it’s true, it’s obviously extremely serious and if there is any evidence that anyone affiliated with the Trump campaign communicated with the Russian government in the course of this campaign, what will you do?

Sessions: Senator Franken, I’m not aware of any of those activities. I have been called a surrogate at a time or two in that campaign and I didn’t have — did not have communications with the Russians, and I’m unable to comment on it.

Franken: Very well. Without divulging sensitive information, do you know about this or know what compromising personal and financial information the Russians claim to have?

Sessions: Senator Franken, allegations get made about candidates all the time and they’ve been made about President-elect Trump a lot sometimes. Most of them, virtually all of them have been proven to be exaggerated and untrue. I would just say to you that I have no information about this matter. I have not been in on the classified briefings and I’m not a member of the intelligence committee, and I’m just not able to give you any comment on it at this time.

So, as you can see, Franken never asked Sessions flat out whether SESSIONS had contact with the Russians. Franken was asking "what would you do?" if it turned out that CNN's reporting was true (about a continuing communication between Trump "surrogates" (whoever they are) and "intermediaries for the Russian government" (whoever they are). It was an article that just came out that day, which Sessions had not read and wasn't familiar with. The question, ultimatelly was not answered because he never said what he would do. He just said he could not comment on it, and he added, not necessary to answer the question, that he had been designated a surrogate a time or two, even though he wasn't one, and that he did not have communications with the Russians.

Now, in all fairness - let's say it was a very nice, kind, altruistic liberal-left social democrat that you loved answering the question. Would you think that he was trying to tell Al Franken that he had never once spoken to a Russian ambassador? Franken didn't even ask Sessions if he had met the ambassador. So, why he would even say "i did not meet with the Russians" is weird, when a complete answer could easily be "Senator Franken, I am unfamiliar with the article or its allegations and so I can't tell you what I would do." That would have ended it - no scandal.

Now here is Nancy Pelosi, who was asked flat out if SHE had met with the very same ambassador, and she said "not with that ambassador" no. Then she said there was nothing wrong with Senators meeting with the ambassador. Senator Claire McCaskill denied EVER meeting with the Russian ambassador, and she said no she never met with the ambassador, but she had previously twice tweeted that she had met with the Russian ambassador. These are not under oath, but they are not true statements, right? Lies?

\

Doesn't this sound like a tempest in a teapot?

[Forty Two]

NYT
This was the summation provided to me by a senior European diplomat briefed on the meeting. Trump’s preparedness was roughly that of a fourth grader. He began the conversation by telling Merkel that Germany owes the United States hundreds of billions of dollars for defending it through NATO, and concluded by saying, “You are terrific” but still owe all that dough. Little else concerned him.

794COMMENTS
https://mobile.nytimes.com/2017/03/28/o ... world.html

A summation provided to the NYT writer.... by a European diplomat who had been briefed on the meeting. If one is briefed on the meeting, one is not at the meeting. If one is at the meeting, one hears it first hand. So, someone (we don't know who) "briefed" an unnamed "European diplomat" on what went on at the meeting, this European diplomat provided the NYT writer with a summation. LOL. Case closed, I guess...as we know, in politics, there is no reason to believe that the NYT writer, hearing something from an unnamed source who relayed information that he or she received from another person, might not be in a position to say what went on in the meeting.... nobody in that chain of Chinese whispers could possibly have any reason to publish highly negative comments about Donald Trump. Someone told me that they heard from someone else that so and so was a big moron in that meeting none of us attended.

[Brian Peacock]

Still seems like it's OK for the future Attorney General Jeff Sessions to lie to Congress if it later turns out that some people don't think the lie was about anything significant.

Just look at his reaction after he tells his whopping porky.

[Tero]

Trump is a joke. The impression he gives aroundcthe world is as an idiot. What impression he gives in events where international press is present matters. He comes across like a used car dealer.

now 35% approval
https://twitter.com/Impeach_D_Trump/sta ... 3588348929

[Forty Two]

" Everyone knew he was in contact with Russian officials from time to time, just like Democrat Congresspeople did. They all do. "
The democrats do not have billions invested in shady deals with Russians, with pretty much anyone that would lend him money or let him buy a hotel
https://www.pri.org/stories/2017-03-08/ ... azerbaijan

Uh, there has been zero allegations made about "shady" deals and it's not unlawful to do business in Russia.

Suddenly, all these Obama/Hillary folks are so all-fired hard-line against Russia. We aren't at war with Russia, last time I checked.

And, this notion that Democrats less "shady" than Republicans is ridiculous. Grow up, people. It's politics. The Democrats play to win, and it's not about right and wrong, and we saw that when Podesta and company's emails came to light. They will do whatever they can get away with. So will the Republicans. They're politicians. Stop pretending you root for the "good guys."

Democrat lobbyists and bundlers are alleged to have ties to Russia - http://freebeacon.com/politics/top-demo ... interests/

Democrats lied about "bombshell" reports of Trump-Russia collusion - https://townhall.com/tipsheet/guybenson ... m-n2294788 (it's all media manipulation - it's bullshit -- well, it must be presumed to be bullshit until they prove it).

Harry Reid "retired" to escape his corruption scandals -- http://www.judicialwatch.org/blog/2015/ ... etirement/

[Brian Peacock]

[Forty Two]

Well, no. There are zero allegations of "shady" dealings in Russia. If you think there are, please set forth the dealings and explain what's "shady." A bunch of fucking Democrats scoring political points doesn't mean shit.

Where were all the hard-liners when Hillary was seen smiling with "Russian officials" and "representatives of the Russian government" and handing them "reset buttons" such that our relationship with the then friendly Russia was to be improved and fostered in a new era of friendship? Where were they in 2012, when Romney suggested Russia was a major foreign policy threat and the hard-liners cheered Obama who said Romney was losing his mind, and the 1980s called and wanted their foreign policy back. Russia's not a foreign policy threat! O'Bammy said so! He's a smart guy! He knows!

Fuck off with this shit, folks - either pony up a shred of evidence that some dealing was "shady" or fuck off. It's so patently disingenuous home-teaming.

[Forty Two]

Trump is a joke. The impression he gives aroundcthe world is as an idiot. What impression he gives in events where international press is present matters. He comes across like a used car dealer.

now 35% approval
https://twitter.com/Impeach_D_Trump/sta ... 3588348929

When you kowtow to world leaders and give them what they want, they tend to "favorably approve" you. When you make demands on them and drive a hard bargain, they tend not to say they don't like you. If you run around telling them how bad we've been and how we will do them all better.... they tend to review you nicely... http://www.heritage.org/europe/report/b ... superpower











Trump, on the other hand, is greeting other countries with high demands. Demands to rewrite trade deals. Demands to increase military spending of allies. Demands to pay money owed. Of course those folks don't like him. They prefer an apologetic, giving, obsequious superpower, that pays disproportionately for military defense, takes the lead under intense criticism to address foreign policy crises, and puts its own blood and treasure on the line first, before the "civilized world" has to dirty its hands.....

[Brian Peacock]

Let's not forget that massive liar Jefferson Beauregard Sessions III was once considered too racist to be an Alabama judge.

[Svartalf]

personal allegiance is more important than actual qualification

[Tero]

Slavery Bad! Really bad! Make America Great Again!

Later, touring the new African American history museum in Washington, Trump discovered that slavery was bad. Spying a stone auction block, Trump said, according to Alveda King, a part of his entourage: “Boy, that is just not good. That is not good.” King also told the Atlanta Journal Constitution that upon seeing shackles for children, Trump remarked: “That is really bad. That is really bad.”

Who knew?

Sunday school: “I talk about Sunday school and people don’t even know what I’m talking about anymore. It’s true.”

That Bill Clinton signed NAFTA: “A lot of people don’t know that.”

What a value-added tax is: “A lot of people don’t know what that means.”

That we have a trade deficit with Mexico: “People don’t know that.”

That Iraq has large oil reserves: “People don’t know this about Iraq.”

That war is expensive: “People don’t realize it is a very, very expensive process.”

That the country is divided: “People don’t realize we are an unbelievably divided country.”

Thank you, Captain Obvious.

Remember kids? Or your parents? We had a president named Johnson in the 70s.

While Trump has said “nobody knows everything,” he claims to come pretty close. In his own words:

“Nobody knows health care better than Donald Trump.”

“Nobody knows the tax code better than I do.”

“Nobody knows politics better than I do.”

“Nobody knows the politicians better than me.”

“Nobody knows the system better than me.”

“Nobody knows more about debt. I’m like the king.”

He is, he is really the king. He would not even have a credit card if not for the Russians.

“A lot of people don’t know it, but our country’s in trouble,” he has said.

If we didn’t know it before, we do now.

We are in trouble. So much trouble. Only Trump knows. He will be briefing Congress and Ryan soon. And making a wall.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions ... 7b6459ece8