Donald Trump on Sessions' Russia Recusal

By Jeralyn, Section Trump Administration
Posted on Fri Jul 21, 2017 at 08:42:00 AM EST
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[Note: I wrote this Wednesday and it got stuck in draft mode]

Donald Trump's recent interview with the New York Times reads like a self-pity party. He berated Attorney General Jeff Sessions for his recusal on the Russia Probe and said he wouldn't have hired him had he known he would recuse himself. He said the recusal was unfair to him [More...]

....Trump said on Wednesday that he never would have appointed Attorney General Jeff Sessions had he known Mr. Sessions would recuse himself from overseeing the Russia investigation that has dogged his presidency, calling the decision “very unfair to the president.”
....“Sessions should have never recused himself, and if he was going to recuse himself, he should have told me before he took the job and I would have picked somebody else,” Mr. Trump said.

Trump also played the victim card with respect to James Comey and Bob Mueller. Excerpts of the interview are here.

Even Rod Rosenstein is insulted:

TRUMP: So Jeff Sessions takes the job, gets into the job, recuses himself. I then have — which, frankly, I think is very unfair to the president. How do you take a job and then recuse yourself? If he would have recused himself before the job, I would have said, “Thanks, Jeff, but I can’t, you know, I’m not going to take you.” It’s extremely unfair, and that’s a mild word, to the president. So he recuses himself. I then end up with a second man, who’s a deputy.
HABERMAN: Rosenstein.

TRUMP: Who is he? And Jeff hardly knew. He’s from Baltimore.

Trump then repeats himself:

TRUMP: Yeah, what Jeff Sessions did was he recused himself right after, right after he became attorney general. And I said, “Why didn’t you tell me this before?” I would have — then I said, “Who’s your deputy?” So his deputy he hardly knew, and that’s Rosenstein, Rod Rosenstein, who is from Baltimore. There are very few Republicans in Baltimore, if any. So, he’s from Baltimore. Now, he, we went through a lot of things. We were interviewing replacements at the F.B.I. Did you know Mueller was one of the people that was being interviewed?

Then he claims Mueller wanted Comey's job:

TRUMP: Did you know Mueller was one of the people that was being interviewed?
HABERMAN: I did, actually.

TRUMP: He was sitting in that chair. We had a wonderful meeting.

HABERMAN: Day before, right?

SCHMIDT: Did he want the job?

TRUMP: The day before! Of course, he was up here, and he wanted the job.

Then he calls James Comey a liar:

Look, you look at his testimony. His testimony is loaded up with lies.

Ivanka's daughter comes into the room and he insists she recite Chinese for the reporters. She says 5 words and he brags,

TRUMP: She’s unbelievable, huh?...Good, smart genes.

What a laugh this interview is. Trump can't stick to a message, a topic, or even hold a thought for three seconds. He has no filter. Whatever comes into his bizarre head comes out his mouth. His inconsistent versions of events will sink him at some point. His lawyers must be cringing.

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Donald Trump on Sessions' Russia Recusal | 83 comments (83 topical)

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He doesn't understand the concept of recusal (5.00 / 5) (#2)
by Chuck0 on Fri Jul 21, 2017 at 08:22:01 AM EST

because he doesn't understand conflict of interest. To him, there is no such thing. There is only his interests, period. This guy has no class, no dignity, no respect for his own office. I am disgusted with the American people who voted for this reject from humanity.

: I once worked for someone like that. (none / 0) (#18)
by Donald from Hawaii on Fri Jul 21, 2017 at 12:55:09 PM EST

It was in the private sector at a Connecticut-based firm and he was back east, which thankfully limited my personal interactions with him to mostly emails and phone calls. I couldn't imagine having to physically share an office with him.
After spending the better part of a year working with this guy, it became pretty apparent to me that he had no moral compass guiding him, and felt that everything was fair game if he could get away with it. I resigned when he first asked me to do something that I considered unethical, and then berated me in a series of emails after I had refused to do so. And so I got together with a former co-worker and we started our own firm.
People like that, who respect no personal boundaries and possess no sense of ethical propriety, make miserable bosses. I heard that three years ago, he ran seriously afoul of the SEC, and tried to blame somebody else. I'm not at all surprised.
Aloha.

I've never heard of anyone so self-centered, (5.00 / 1) (#52)
by ruffian on Fri Jul 21, 2017 at 08:24:25 PM EST

even in fiction. Closest I can come is the main character in Martin Amis' 'London Fields' a low rate sociopath thug. No concept of any interests other than his own.

: Don Corleone (none / 0) (#54)
by Ga6thDem on Fri Jul 21, 2017 at 08:25:14 PM EST

it's all about him and his family. Everyone else is disposable.

Bizarre (none / 0) (#1)
by Ga6thDem on Fri Jul 21, 2017 at 08:12:48 AM EST

is definitely the word to describe the interview. Not only does he act like a victim he also acts like a mafia don expecting everybody to do his personal bidding.

And I don't think he has a clue that (5.00 / 3) (#3)
by Anne on Fri Jul 21, 2017 at 08:39:15 AM EST

the things he says in these interviews are fair game and can be used against him and potentially against others.

The latest developments have me convinced that he is running scared now; I don't think he's scaring or intimidating Mueller in the least, and may, in fact, be hardening a case for obstruction, and his efforts to make all of this go away are just more rhetorical rope with which he is going to end up hanging himself - apparently, the lawyer has not been found who can control Trump's mouth.

Here's the thing, though: Republicans may think this crisis isn't going to affect them, but when people realize their gutless Republican members of Congress were only willing to bring marshmallows, chocolate and graham crackers to toast over the flames of the Constitution, they are going to pay a price for their utter lack of principle and their disregard for their oath of office. The political ads are already writing themselves.


The Republican (none / 0) (#4)
by Ga6thDem on Fri Jul 21, 2017 at 08:51:31 AM EST

consultant Rick Wilson has been warning them of the same thing: if they don't think this is going to sink them they need to get a clue. He's been telling them to vote against Trump's initiatives. The more you vote and align yourself with Trump the bigger trouble you are going to be in during the next election.


You make the mistake (none / 0) (#5)
by Chuck0 on Fri Jul 21, 2017 at 09:47:59 AM EST

of assuming that the people who voted for this reprobate have any principles. They do not. These people who wave the flag the hardest, spew about god and guns and freedom are the least principled people on this planet. These people don't really believe in anything. They don't know what their bible actually says, they don't have a clue as to the actual text of the Declaration of Independence or US Constitution. The have formed opinions based on self preservation, half truths and lies from right wing radio. They believe if someone else is gaining, then they are losing, someone is taking something from them, and they can't have that. They view someone else's (read immigrants, brown or black peoples) success as their failure. These believe in nothing. They have no ideals. They spout banal and vapid platitudes about god and country without really believing in it. So if you think these people are going to take anything out on the soulless and gutless Republicans that they consistently vote for, over and over, you are sadly mistaken. They send these same turds back to Congress again.


Chuck, I feel that way some days (5.00 / 1) (#10)
by MKS on Fri Jul 21, 2017 at 11:56:35 AM EST

But I also know enough Republicans who voted reluctantly for Trump to know not all Trump voters are as you say.....

And, liberals, of all people, need to see the good in others and give them the benefit of the doubt.

But, I will confess, your rant was satisfying on some level.


I'm sorry, MKS, but I must respectfully disagree. (5.00 / 1) (#32)
by Donald from Hawaii on Fri Jul 21, 2017 at 05:29:54 PM EST

MKS: "But I also know enough Republicans who voted reluctantly for Trump to know not all Trump voters are as you say[.]"

Those Republicans knew exactly who Trump was and what he was all about. For starters, there was that infamous "Access Hollywood" video. Then there were the gazillion lies he told over and again. And there were those three debates with Hillary Clinton, where he played the arrogant and ignorant buffoon.

Finally, there is the fact that practically every single major newspaper in the entire country endorsed Mrs. Clinton, on the grounds that her opponent is morally and ethically bankrupt, emotionally immature and wholly unqualified for the presidency.

So, no, they didn't "reluctantly" vote for Trump. Rather, they did it with their eyes wide fckn open. For most every single one of them, especially when given everything that's since transpired over the previous six months, it's proved to be the single most irresponsible ballot they ever personally cast in their entire miserable and sorry-a$$ed lives.

And quite frankly, at this particular point in time, I'm completely out of fcks to give about these poor little conservative pusscakes from hell. Nobody held a gun to their heads and compelled them to blacken that box next to Trump's name. They did that willingly, and all on their own.

So, these Republicans need to grow up and be adults. And that means owning up to what they did and admitting their mistake, without any qualifying "Yeah, but Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama, the Democratic National Committee, hippies, the Mexicans, the Jews, Muslim extremists, &etc." as some sort of cockeyed rationale for their own personal choice. They now need to decide -- once and for all -- who's side they're really on here, the United States or Russia, and act accordingly.

I'm not going to kiss anyone's a$$ and beg them to do the right thing. But once this national nightmare finally passes, I am going to remember who stood up for their country when it counted, and who bent over and dutifully assumed the role of white-wing Kremlin concubine or buttboy. And then, I will also act accordingly.

Aloha.


And what (none / 0) (#33)
by CaptHowdy on Fri Jul 21, 2017 at 05:35:17 PM EST

Will that "act" be Donald.


How (none / 0) (#38)
by FlJoe on Fri Jul 21, 2017 at 05:50:36 PM EST

about never forgetting the ignorance of the rubes and never forgiving the craven powerlust of the Republican leaders.


You can rest assured that they won't like it. (none / 0) (#40)
by Donald from Hawaii on Fri Jul 21, 2017 at 05:57:54 PM EST

It would likely involve their personal and professional marginalization for some unknown duration of time. People who willfully betray their country deserve no less.


: How you achieve this (none / 0) (#41)
by CaptHowdy on Fri Jul 21, 2017 at 06:00:49 PM EST

Not on "some level" (none / 0) (#12)
by MKS on Fri Jul 21, 2017 at 11:59:27 AM EST

Not exactly what I meant.

It was more of a guilty pleasure.


In case you couldn't tell (5.00 / 1) (#15)
by Chuck0 on Fri Jul 21, 2017 at 12:12:31 PM EST

I am no longer sad or disheartened over the last election. I'm just plain ol' pi$$ed off. I cringe everyday when reading the news. You think it can't get any worse, then a new day and GD, it does. Unbelievable. If Americans really had any principles or ideals they (us) would be on the White House lawn TODAY with torches and pitchforks. Americans should have stormed the gates of the White House weeks ago and dragged that red faced baboon out by his fake hair and been done with it already.


Either Trump goes, (none / 0) (#23)
by KeysDan on Fri Jul 21, 2017 at 02:11:19 PM EST

or our democracy does. Lavrov now says that Trump and Putin had more meetings than the two at the G20. And, Trump is the only American who knows what commitments, if any, were made. Trump may or may not remember what he said.

Trump is exploring his presidential pardon capabilities,for his family, associates and himself. And, I presume will continue on as president after he pardons himself. The only solution would be the Constitutional one. Trump is a Republican responsibility, they nominated him and helped get him elected, and continue to support him. They own him. They are not yet ready to trade him in on a different model and it is difficult to know just what more would move them to do so.


: This could very well (none / 0) (#24)
by Zorba on Fri Jul 21, 2017 at 02:28:17 PM EST

Become a huge Constitutional crisis.
When do the majority Republicans in both Houses of Congress finally begin to start putting the good of the country over the good of their party?
And if they don't impeach Trump, even if Trump pardons everyone and fires Mueller and his team of lawyers?
What will the Republicans do about it?
What will the American citizenry do about this?
And if Americans finally get fed up and take to the streets in massive numbers (I'm not holding my breath about this), what will the police, and especially, the military, do? Will they lay down their arms and refuse to follow unlawful orders?
Or will they kill us and round us up, if ordered?
I'm old enough to remember Kent State. And that was the National Gurad, not the police. I was active in the anti-war demonstrations back then, and I remember thinking "That could have been any of us."
We still kept on, but we knew what we could be getting into.
Oy! Is it too early for a drink? I'm getting depressed.

We're not courageous (none / 0) (#65)
by Militarytracy on Sat Jul 22, 2017 at 10:47:52 AM EST

At this time

Perhaps we'll figure it out after bringing this on ourselves.


key words: (none / 0) (#27)
by vicndabx on Fri Jul 21, 2017 at 03:50:32 PM EST

voted reluctantly.

Benefit of the doubt....? You gotta be kidding me.


part of me agrees with you (none / 0) (#28)
by CaptHowdy on Fri Jul 21, 2017 at 04:03:24 PM EST

on the other hand MKS has a point. these people are here. we cant kill them. we cant take away their right to vote. the only real choice we have is to try to find a way to reach them.

and as i have said before it was not just right wingers who voted for Trump. i personally know Trump voters who voted for Obama twice.

heres the thing, i understand the desire to pour sand in the machine. the machine is broken. there is absolutely no way to deny that. it is not working for regular people. and those people are getting desperate. desperate enough to vote for a certifiable crazy person just so he can blow up the system.

and that is exactly why some of the liberals i know voted for him. they what the system broken. and who can blame them. the representatives of this country have not even been able to pass a budget, the most basic act of governing, in years.

im not justifying what they did. but i understand why they did it.

and i have no solution. i just think we have to start rowing instead of bashing each other with the oars or we are going to die at sea.


It's broken because of Congress (none / 0) (#29)
by Chuck0 on Fri Jul 21, 2017 at 04:42:11 PM EST

Not the White House. Surveys show everyone hates Congress except THEIR guy. He or she is OK. And then they keep sending the same ones back. It's also because of state legislatures. They are the ones who draw the districts and are responsible for the gerrymandering.


: Of course (none / 0) (#30)
by CaptHowdy on Fri Jul 21, 2017 at 04:49:18 PM EST

Try to keep the attention if a Trump voter long enough to explain that.
I have. It's sort of fun to see how long it takes for the eyes to glaze

You can't reach them (none / 0) (#31)
by Ga6thDem on Fri Jul 21, 2017 at 05:07:29 PM EST

though. They are just going to have to suffer the consequences of their choices. At some point a number of them are going to say WTF have I done?

There are a few good things that are going on. First of all the GOP controls everything. They are going to have to face the fact that the GOP is dysfunctional and basically a failing political party. Secondly Trump is doing us a massive favor by basically destroying the GOP message machine that has been going on for 25 years now. I know people who spout nonsense and when you ask them where they get their news from they won't say. You know it's talk radio but the fact that they don't tell you even they know talk radio is nonsense.


You can reach some of them (none / 0) (#35)
by CaptHowdy on Fri Jul 21, 2017 at 05:39:51 PM EST

I've done it. Or you can throw up your hands. Or you can preach a lot of pointless pompous krap.

We all have our ways of dealing.


I know this (none / 0) (#39)
by CaptHowdy on Fri Jul 21, 2017 at 05:55:25 PM EST

This Medcaid thing has reached a LOT of people. Trumps voters would have been hit the hardest. And a surprising number understood it. More than I would have expected.

The polls on republican health care showed that again and again.

They can be reached. The most reliable way to reach anyone is through their own self interest.

Republicans have made getting people to vote against their own interest an art form. But I really think the age of social media makes that a bit harder. This "health care" thing got to people. That's why it's dead. Or comatose or whatever the heck it is.


That pretty (none / 0) (#51)
by Ga6thDem on Fri Jul 21, 2017 at 08:19:43 PM EST

much gets to my point of them figuring it out themselves. You could have told them this was going to happen but they would not have listened. They have to actually see this for themselves.

There is a minister here who voted for Trump and his sister in law is getting ready to get sent back to Venezuela where she will be killed. Asked if he regretted his vote for Trump he said no. He even ridiculously said we need immigration reform but voted for the person that would never ever deliver it. I guess his sister in law is going to have to die for him to get the point. My theory is step back and let them suffer the consequences of their foolish decisions.


Some of them (none / 0) (#57)
by CaptHowdy on Sat Jul 22, 2017 at 05:54:01 AM EST

Would not have known it was happening unless they were told. Calmly and without condescension


It's (none / 0) (#58)
by FlJoe on Sat Jul 22, 2017 at 07:45:06 AM EST

hard to remain calm when they deny undeniable truths(basically calling you a liar), maybe you are a better man than me, but I have never been able to talk to the willfully ignorant without a certain level of condescension.

Even if I gain a bit of traction, the best I can get out of them, is "well Hillary would be worse" or "give tRump a chance"and I am quite sure any shred of enlightenment I might instill in them is soon washed away when they turn on Fox News or their favorite radio talker.

We have come to a place where, politically speaking, there are two different realities separated by a gulf so wide that reasoned discourse can not span it.

Of course YMMV and I do have a tendency to go on the attack at the drop of a hat, but essentially us "libtards" have been under constant, brutal attack for decades, and losing. Calmness and pandering to sheer ignorance (lest the poor snowflakes feel they are being talked down to) has been proven over and over to be a weak defense.


I believe you are (none / 0) (#59)
by CaptHowdy on Sat Jul 22, 2017 at 08:49:50 AM EST

assuming this willful ignorance is the case with every single person who voted for Trump. it simply is not.

there are those, yes, and there are others. we dont have to reach all of them.


True (5.00 / 1) (#60)
by FlJoe on Sat Jul 22, 2017 at 10:03:39 AM EST

some are not ignorant, they are merely craven, bigoted tribalists, who IMO are even harder to reach.

I am sure I am over generalizing, but I am not going to waste my time searching for the handful that are not intellectually or ethically challenged.


: you are over generalizing (none / 0) (#61)
by CaptHowdy on Sat Jul 22, 2017 at 10:05:31 AM EST

Armando has begun the "healing" process (none / 0) (#66)
by Militarytracy on Sat Jul 22, 2017 at 10:51:05 AM EST

On Twitter. Fine, the WWC screwed up. Their Trump trust was misplaced. Let's get our chit together now.

It is by far a mental process for me. It will be years before emotionally I can catch up.


Reluctantly, like (none / 0) (#44)
by jondee on Fri Jul 21, 2017 at 06:50:31 PM EST

"Well, at Least he's Republican."

Trump was more likely, their eyes, to A. Stop the "baby killers" or B. Protect "our 2nd Amendment rights" or C. Lower my taxes, promote deregulation, and thwart Big Government.

There are many more driven, obsessively focused, tunnel-visioned, single-issue types on the Right who are catered to by the Republicans and who would vote for Attila the Hun as long as he gave lip service to that One overriding cause of theirs.


We need more (none / 0) (#45)
by CaptHowdy on Fri Jul 21, 2017 at 06:55:52 PM EST

"driven, obsessively focused, tunnel-visioned, single-issue types" on the left.

I'm not kidding.


Not crazily one-issue focused (none / 0) (#47)
by jondee on Fri Jul 21, 2017 at 07:38:38 PM EST

like the Operation Rescue and NRA loons, but at least motivated enough to show up at the polls and vote.


The problem (5.00 / 1) (#50)
by FlJoe on Fri Jul 21, 2017 at 08:17:30 PM EST

being for every one single-issue on the right, there is many more on the left, Republicans only have to check 4 boxes, anti-choice, pro gun, anti-regulation, pro-tax cuts, Easy peasy, standard Repug dogma. Check those four(or a least 3 and a waffle) and everything else is forgiven

Dems on the other hand have too many to list, Criminal Justice reform, environmental issues, wealth inequality, health care, FP Hawks and Doves(they exist in the GOP but it's not a wedge issue), labor issues, civil rights......

It's almost impossible for any Democrat to check off all the boxes and not lose some environmental types to the Greens, or some stoner to the Libertarians. Others will sit at home in a snit because their box did not get checked to their satisfaction, chanting to themselves that both sides are equally bad.


: Unfortunately (none / 0) (#55)
by Chuck0 on Fri Jul 21, 2017 at 08:44:57 PM EST

I believe you are 100% correct. I agree with your analysis.

Chuck, I think you are overlooking (none / 0) (#6)
by Anne on Fri Jul 21, 2017 at 10:18:28 AM EST

the Republicans who aren't part of Trump's base - people who don't fit the description you provided.

It's actually possible for someone to be a Republican and not be a wild-eyed zealot - I know many of them and work with more than a few.

These are the people who are going to punish the current crop of Republicans who are being led around by the nose by the types you have described.


Most of the moderate "nice, polite" (5.00 / 1) (#49)
by jondee on Fri Jul 21, 2017 at 07:50:01 PM EST

Republicans I know took a good long look at Trump and Still voted for him when push came to shove.

God only knows why. Force of habit?

Maybe after this, they'll invent a third conservative party; the way the Tea Party was created for embarrased Bush voters.


That particular (none / 0) (#8)
by Ga6thDem on Fri Jul 21, 2017 at 10:36:47 AM EST

group of Republicans probably needs to concern themselves with taking the party away from the Trumpers.

Yes, I know a few of those. They voted for Ossoff against Handel because they are not happy about the current state of the GOP. Ultimately that message did not get sent because Handel won but there are going to be cases where it will be sent.


I'm sorry. But those Republicans (none / 0) (#14)
by Chuck0 on Fri Jul 21, 2017 at 12:05:39 PM EST

are few and far between. Those Republicans do not elect the likes of Louie Gohmert, Steve King, Ted Poe and Scott Perry. The people I described put those people in Congress and keep them there.


Don't forget Dana Rohrabacher. (none / 0) (#21)
by Donald from Hawaii on Fri Jul 21, 2017 at 01:19:37 PM EST

That alcohol-besotted doofus represents Southern California's 48th Congressional District, which comprises Orange County beach communities from Seal Beach to Laguna Niguel. It's is a wealthy area, and its voters tend to be very self-absorbed. They simply don't care.

Rohrabacher, who currently serves on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, has long cultivated his own ties with the Putin regime in Moscow. In fact, his top aide was recently ousted from that committee after his ties to the Kremlin came to light.

Well, hold on a minute (none / 0) (#48)
by MKS on Fri Jul 21, 2017 at 07:43:34 PM EST

That is where I live.....

And, btw, Orange County voted for Hillary by 9 points.

Not everyone fits the stereotype.


Do you live in the beach communities? (none / 0) (#69)
by Donald from Hawaii on Sat Jul 22, 2017 at 12:23:07 PM EST

If so, then you are an exception to the rule. Otherwise, well, these are people who generally care only about themselves and their creature comforts.

I mean, the residents of Newport Beach have carried on a vendetta against John Wayne Orange County Airport for years, and that facility has predated their presence by a generation at least. Their hostility has resulted in one of the more interesting takeoff protocols and ascending flight patterns for departing airliners of any major commercial airport in the United States -- and yet, they still complain.

The county's demographics are certainly changing, and most of inland Orange County is much more diverse, which has led to an increasingly Democratic electoral representation in the area since the late 1990s. That was about the time that they bid "Adios" to Congressman Robert "B-1 Bob" Dornan.

But the beach communities themselves have generally tended to remain a stubborn bastion of white privilege, and a political reflection of an earlier era when SoCal itself was still a relatively reliable Republican region.

: The Mason Dixon line (none / 0) (#72)
by MKS on Sat Jul 22, 2017 at 12:38:17 PM EST

in Orange County explains much. North Orange County has the largest Vietnamese population outside of Vietnam, and Anaheim/Santa Ana (Disneyland) is heavily Latino.
South Orange County is what you are thinking of....But even Irvine is diverse. Many Koreans. Grocery store signs written in Korean.
And, not so much the beach outside of Newport Beach....Laguna Beach is home to many liberals. Mission Viejo, Laguna Niguel, etc. Sure. But even so, they are more Libertarian than Religious Right.
The County, as a whole, screwed Newport Beach over the airport. When El Toro Air Station closed, the powers that be including Ahnold, wanted to build a new airport there. Newport Beach was all for it because it would route take offs over other areas of Orange County. All the standard business and GOP groups were for it. And truth be told, those take offs are a bone jarring experience for most of Newport Beach.
But the anti-new airport forces placed an initiative on the ballot than prevented an airport from being built at the El Toro Air Station. And it won.....Screw you, Newport Beach.
And, Newport Beach is passe my friend. Newport Coast is where the money, or at least the new money, is.

I'm with you Chuck (none / 0) (#67)
by Militarytracy on Sat Jul 22, 2017 at 10:59:26 AM EST

We are in DC now. I'm around all sorts of lovely people. My husband though working with military Republicans here, they are doubling and tripling down in their Trump support. We're a little surprised. But the military is trained to respond positively to sometimes insane toxic authority. Not many soldiers dying right now, if they were getting killed like during the Iraq War their staunch support of crazy wouldn't exist.

Our family was surprised though on Thursday when parts of the Pentagon where blocked as Trump visited the Sec Def. We have a general in our family who pointed out that this was strange behavior. The Sec Def goes to the White House, the President doesn't just drive to the Pentagon to visit the Sec Def. Just weird.


Is the doubling and tripling down, (5.00 / 1) (#70)
by KeysDan on Sat Jul 22, 2017 at 12:25:08 PM EST

in Trump support related to Trump's, essentially, hands off military policy? It has long been an old saw that the US would see victories if the Politicians did not tie the general's hands behind their backs.

All those limitations, like not risking
WWIII have been a burr in the saddle for some of the military since Douglas McArthur, and other examples are probably legion in military history. And, too, the Secretary of Defense is a General (ret) so that may account for some of the fervor.

Otherwise, it seems odd that the military would support someone who is as ignorant of military matters as he is for all other aspects of government.


: I think that's part of it yes (none / 0) (#71)
by Militarytracy on Sat Jul 22, 2017 at 12:30:57 PM EST

And the gushy military phot ops. He's really running wild with that. The military liked that about W too until they started dying, losing limbs, and losing their minds. Then they resented the photo ops.

: Haha! I asked my husband what he believed (none / 0) (#75)
by Militarytracy on Sat Jul 22, 2017 at 04:44:27 PM EST

Was fueling this Trump loyalty in the military. He said Trump keeps saying he's giving them more money. They're whores :)

Haha haha, I just checked the Trump (none / 0) (#68)
by Militarytracy on Sat Jul 22, 2017 at 11:50:59 AM EST

Twitter feed and now know why he was at the Pentagon on Thursday, making propaganda clips for his Twitter feed ;)


Welcome to the mid-Atlantic (none / 0) (#78)
by Chuck0 on Sat Jul 22, 2017 at 08:25:46 PM EST

MT. Hope you are enjoying Montgomery County. I'm a Marylander by birth but just over the border in PA.


: Thank you Chuck (5.00 / 1) (#79)
by Militarytracy on Sat Jul 22, 2017 at 10:04:46 PM EST

I love it here, but must really lay off all the food experiences we think we must have daily :) We haven't had this kind of access to various ethnic inspired dishes in years. Thank goodness there's so much to do and lots of walking and hiking if you want to. This is the first day in a few weeks that I just vegged. It's really beautiful here and friendly.

It's really not (none / 0) (#7)
by Ga6thDem on Fri Jul 21, 2017 at 10:33:15 AM EST

about those people or even Republicans in general. When you have a president with a 36% approval rating this is going to be a huge problem for the GOP. The larger problem is the people you are talking about have taken over the GOP.


Yes, the NYTimes interview (none / 0) (#9)
by KeysDan on Fri Jul 21, 2017 at 11:44:14 AM EST

was bizarre; his comments and responses on every question were outre. Of course, his acknowledgement that there are only conflicts of Trump's interests and his frightening demonstration that he feels corned --once you were able to untangle his word jumble punctuated with the odd emphasis on Macron's desire to hold his little hands-- other worrisome indicators were present.

For example, his apparent understanding that health insurance costs $1 a month. "Because you are basically saying from the moment the insurance, you're paying $12 per year for insurance, and by the time you're 70 you get a nice plan."

Wrong in so many ways, and scarier in even more.


: Indeed, (5.00 / 1) (#19)
by Zorba on Fri Jul 21, 2017 at 01:05:05 PM EST

Scary that he understands so little. He lives in his own little bubble, where everything revolves around him, his wants, his life, his company, his crowds adoring him. Him,him, him.
The scariest thing is that he obviously has not read the Constitution. Or, if he's been told about it, he didn't understand it, or just didn't feel that it applied to him.
He appears to believe that the Attorney General of the United States of America is equivalent to his own personal lawyer, there to do his bidding.

He actually (none / 0) (#11)
by Sherpa on Fri Jul 21, 2017 at 11:57:51 AM EST

thinks health insurance works like life insurance or 401K. You put some in every month and save up for later use. Unbelievable.

Anyone care to comment on Trump and potential pardons. Legality? Congress' reaction?

Thx

Trump probably never (none / 0) (#13)
by MKS on Fri Jul 21, 2017 at 12:02:37 PM EST

had or used health insurance. For him or his family.

When you are that wealthy you can go out of pocket for everything. And he probably got a lot of freebies along the way.


The Trumps did have health (5.00 / 1) (#16)
by caseyOR on Fri Jul 21, 2017 at 12:50:34 PM EST

insurance through The Trump Organization. Insured the entire family including some siblings and nieces and nephews.

I know this because I remember the story that broke about the time his late brother, Freddie's, son had a baby born with cerebral palsy. After initially promising to cover all the baby's medical expenses, Trump became angry with his nephew over a dispute about the senior Fred Trump's will, and refused to cover the baby any longer.


Heh, I wonder (none / 0) (#22)
by Lora on Fri Jul 21, 2017 at 01:40:52 PM EST

How is the child insured now?


: Probably through Obamacare, ... (none / 0) (#34)
by Donald from Hawaii on Fri Jul 21, 2017 at 05:36:12 PM EST

... if only because the ACA expressly prohibits a carrier's denial of coverage for "pre-existing conditions" such as cerebral palsy.

Oh, he probably (none / 0) (#17)
by Ga6thDem on Fri Jul 21, 2017 at 12:51:48 PM EST

has had gold plated health insurance his entire life. He just never had to pay the premiums obviously by what he said. And if it had any co pays he certainly did not pay them directly. I would guess that if he had co pays the doctors had to bill the company to recover any money.


: Assuming, if that's the case, (none / 0) (#20)
by Zorba on Fri Jul 21, 2017 at 01:08:10 PM EST

That the company even paid those doctors. His companies didn't pay a whole lot of people that worked for Trump, after all. Workers, contractors, didn't matter.

i think maybe the singe weirdest part (none / 0) (#25)
by CaptHowdy on Fri Jul 21, 2017 at 02:55:50 PM EST

of that whole thing is when he talks about how the French president likes to hold his hand.

well (none / 0) (#26)
by CaptHowdy on Fri Jul 21, 2017 at 03:38:07 PM EST

that and the total butchery of the history of Napoleon


Best thing Napoleon ever (purportedly) said: (none / 0) (#36)
by Donald from Hawaii on Fri Jul 21, 2017 at 05:44:08 PM EST

"Restez immobile, et ne jamais interférer pendant que votre adversaire fait une erreur." (Stand still, and never interfere while your opponent is making a mistake.)


Was that (none / 0) (#37)
by CaptHowdy on Fri Jul 21, 2017 at 05:47:57 PM EST

While he was designing the layout of Paris?


: LOL! Touché. (none / 0) (#56)
by Donald from Hawaii on Fri Jul 21, 2017 at 10:36:00 PM EST

Actually, those remarks were reportedly made when one of Napoleon's generals asked if he should attack an Austrian column that was redeploying eastward during the Battle of Marengo (June 14, 1800) in present-day northern Italy, a movement which was inexplicably creating a huge gap in the Austrian lines.
Napoleon said no, not wanting to call the Austrians' attention to that gap in their lines until it was too late for them to correct the error.
The Battle of Marengo resulted in an overwhelming French victory, thanks in no small part to the Austrians' tactical ineptitude. The defeat compelled Austria to withdraw completely from the Po River Valley and the Italian peninsula. It also further cemented Napoleon's political position in Paris as First Counsel of France, which he had first gained by coup d'état in November 1799.
Aloha.

Maybe (none / 0) (#42)
by FlJoe on Fri Jul 21, 2017 at 06:00:54 PM EST

tRump heard this coming

Russia's ambassador to Washington told his superiors in Moscow that he discussed campaign-related matters, including policy issues important to Moscow, with Jeff Sessions during the 2016 presidential race, contrary to public assertions by the embattled attorney general, according to current and former U.S. officials.
Ambassador Sergey Kislyak's accounts of two conversations with Sessions -- then a top foreign policy adviser to Republican candidate Donald Trump -- were intercepted by U.S. spy agencies, which monitor the communications of senior Russian officials both in the United States and in Russia. Sessions initially failed to disclose his contacts with Kislyak and then said that the meetings were not about the Trump campaign.
One U.S. official said that Sessions -- who testified that he has no recollection of the April encounter -- has provided "misleading" statements that are "contradicted by other evidence." A former official said that the intelligence indicates that Sessions and Kislyak had "substantive" discussions on matters including Trump's positions on Russia-related issues and prospects for U.S.-Russia relations in a Trump administration.

Well it couldn't happen (none / 0) (#43)
by CaptHowdy on Fri Jul 21, 2017 at 06:49:44 PM EST

To a more deserving person but I'm not sure getting him out would be great for Trumpworld.

There would be another three ring confirmation hearing. It would put all things Russia front and center because he would never get anyone through the confirmation process who did not swear to protect and defend the Mueller investigation.

I think Donald might be careful what he wishes for.

All that said I would take great joy in seeing Foghorn go down in flames.


: I'm (none / 0) (#46)
by FlJoe on Fri Jul 21, 2017 at 07:06:15 PM EST

pretty sure tRump doesn't see that far, he doesn't "wish" for anything, he acts on impulse, saying or doing anything that he thinks will give him the upper hand at that very instant.

: Washington Post (none / 0) (#53)
by Ga6thDem on Fri Jul 21, 2017 at 08:24:36 PM EST

pretty much made the same point. While this has been bad for Sessions it also is not good for Trump and puts him in a box.
Maybe Trump wants to go down the line and get rid of anyone who won't fire Mueller.
Sessions is such a stupid neo confederate. Of course, if he had a brain he wouldn't be Trump's AG.

Is there any legal barrier to this: (none / 0) (#62)
by smott on Sat Jul 22, 2017 at 10:16:17 AM EST

Trump declares 25th Amendment for a day, on some pretext (minor surgery, whatever).
Pence as acting President, pardons Trump for any/all crimes/misdeeds.

Trump resumes power.

I really think (none / 0) (#63)
by smott on Sat Jul 22, 2017 at 10:19:08 AM EST

DT will have guns blazing as things come to a head.

He will fire or attempt to fire Mueller, Sessions, RR or anyone he has to in order to stop the Russian investigation,

He will pardon anyone and everyone in his family or cabal for anything he needs to.

He will ask for armed insurrection from his supporters.

Guns blazing literally.


And really (5.00 / 1) (#64)
by smott on Sat Jul 22, 2017 at 10:21:17 AM EST

Anyone who thinks, "well the GOP would never stand for THAT"
....I believe has mis-read what is happening in our country.

Be delighted to be proven wrong, but depending on guys like Lindsey Graham to come through in the clutch has not worked out thus far.


: And, now is the time, not after the fact, (5.00 / 2) (#74)
by KeysDan on Sat Jul 22, 2017 at 12:57:30 PM EST

for all good Republican House and Senate members to state, unequivocally and publicly , that firing Mueller, by whatever means, would result in the filing of articles of impeachment. All the lawyerly gymnastics he may be being coached on will boomerang. Trump got away with firing Comey, the guy who was investigating him, and he no doubt feels that he can do it again.

I do not see him going gently into (none / 0) (#73)
by Anne on Sat Jul 22, 2017 at 12:44:25 PM EST

that good night. He's going to act out in dramatic and dangerous fashion, bringing the country to the edge of a constitutional crisis - one he will feel justified in bringing about (although it won't be his fault, because nothing ever is).

It's going to reach a level of irrationality that is going to end with someone he trusts (if there is anyone left - perhaps Ivanka?) telling him he can either resign or the 25th Amendment is going to come into play, and the history books are going to mark him as mentally unfit for office.

August is coming, normally a kind of quiet time, except when it isn't. I think this thing is coming to a head soon, and I honestly don't see him still in the WH on the first anniversary of his inauguration.


: It seems like (none / 0) (#76)
by CaptHowdy on Sat Jul 22, 2017 at 05:05:37 PM EST

Something is coming sooner than later.

: Well, unless (none / 0) (#77)
by Ga6thDem on Sat Jul 22, 2017 at 05:28:37 PM EST

the GOP is going to drag him off the golf course in August I would say September is going to be one hot month and it's not going to be about the weather.

Trump tax returns (none / 0) (#80)
by CaptHowdy on Mon Jul 24, 2017 at 06:02:08 PM EST

just listening to Ari Melber interview Carolyn Ciraolo, former justice department tax chief.

learned a couple of new things. for one Mueller can secretely get the returns without anyone, ever Trump knowing.

two, he almost certainly according to this person already has. she seems to think that would be pretty much the first thing he did.

and she says its really pretty easy for him to get them. he just has to show a crime may have occurred and the taxes are relevant.

I (none / 0) (#81)
by FlJoe on Mon Jul 24, 2017 at 06:37:53 PM EST

have heard that elsewhere as speculation this seems to confirm it. tRump seemed awfully edgy about his finances in the NYT's interview.


there seems to be a lot of (none / 0) (#82)
by CaptHowdy on Mon Jul 24, 2017 at 06:49:02 PM EST

new legal discussion and some old (Ken Starr memo saying yes) on the subject of indicting a sitting president.

Mueller doesnt strike me as someone who will go quietly into the night.

if Trump tries to fire him i think he just might put the speculation to the test.


: I wonder (none / 0) (#83)
by Ga6thDem on Mon Jul 24, 2017 at 06:53:40 PM EST

if just firing Mueller would do a whole lot to stop the investigation. Surely Mueller has a 2nd in command ready to go if something like that should happen. I'm also sure firing Mueller would do nothing to move people like Paul Ryan and Mitch McConnell towards removing him.