November 11th, 2017 - November 14th, 2017. 362-365 days since the Nov 8, 2016, election of some rich asshole, no.45, and 294-297 days since the Jan 20th inauguration.
Attorney General Jeff Sessions is contemplating appointing a special counsel to investigate a wide array of Republican grievances — including a thoroughly debunked charge that Hillary Clinton wrongly gave Russia 20 percent of US uranium as secretary of state.
Republicans are desperate for a way to distract from the rich asshole’s Russia problems.
A top Justice Department lawyer notified the House Judiciary Committee this week that Sessions has directed senior federal prosecutors to look into the matter, bowing to repeated requests for this kind of special counsel from House Judiciary Committee Chair Bob Goodlatte (R-VA).
It’s unclear where Sessions himself stands on the odds of an appointment at the moment, but during a House Judiciary Committee hearing on Thursday, he did stress how rare it is for a special counsel to be appointed given the highly specific standards required to justify them.
One of the major points that Goodlatte has been fixated on, and that Sessions is entertaining the idea of investigating, is the ongoing scandal surrounding Clinton and an energy company called Uranium One. The Russian state-owned company Rosatom acquired a controlling stake in Uranium One, a Canadian company which owns a significant share of US uranium production capacity, in 2010.
Fox News is obsessed with the story that Clinton was pivotal in a deal that gave Russia “20 percent of our uranium,” jeopardizing American national security while serving as the nation’s top diplomat. And GOP lawmakers are leaning into the issue as well. “It’s important we find out why that deal went through,” said Rep. Peter King (R-NY) at a news conference in October where the House Intelligence Committee and the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee announced the beginning of their own probes into the matter.
Republicans and their allies in the conservative media are using the purported controversy to muddy the waters around special counsel’s Robert Mueller’s ongoing investigation into potential the rich asshole-Russia collusion. There’s just one problem: The whole controversy is based on a myth.
The Uranium One scandal is manufactured drama
The key event that the myth is based on is Russia’s nuclear power agency purchasing a controlling stake in the Toronto-based energy company in 2010. The company had mines and land in a number of US states with huge uranium production capacity — a move the US State Department signed off on. But PolitiFact did a thorough fact-check of the claim last year when the rich asshole tried to make it into a scandal on the campaign trail and found the following faults with it:
- The mines, mills, and land the company holds in the US account for 20 percent of the US’s uranium production capacity, not actual produced uranium.
- The State Department was one of nine federal agencies and a number of additional independent federal and state regulators that signed off on the deal.
- President Barack Obama, not Clinton, was the only person who could’ve vetoed the deal.
- Since Russia doesn’t have the legal right to export uranium from the US, its main goal was likely to gain access to the company’s uranium assets in Kazakhstan.
- Crucially, the main national security concern was not about nuclear weapons proliferation, as the rich asshole has suggested, but actually ensuring the US doesn’t have to depend too much on uranium sources from abroad, as the US only makes about 20 percent of the uranium it needs. An advantage in making nuclear weapons wasn’t the main issue because, as PolitiFact notes, “the United States and Russia had for years cooperated on that front, with Russia sending enriched fuel from decommissioned warheads to be used in American nuclear power plants in return for raw uranium.”
The Republican focus on Clinton and Uranium One are really in service of a broader political goal: to distract from and push back against the growing investigations into the rich asshole administration’s possible collusion with Moscow.
That investigation has grown explosive in recent weeks as Mueller has announced indictments against former the rich asshole campaign manager Paul Manafort and campaign aide Rick Gates and unsealed a guilty plea from campaign adviser George Papadopoulos, who told the FBI that he’d met with a Russian-linked professor who said Russia had “dirt” on Clinton, including thousands of her stolen emails.
Republicans are terrified that the Mueller probe could deal a huge blow to their party’s reputation and further dampen their declining prospects in the 2018 midterm elections. At this point, they’re desperate for ideas to distract people from the rich asshole’s scandals — including reviving a false and debunked claim about the uranium deal.
That Story the rich asshole Just Told The Press About Obama And Air Force One NEVER Happened
On Tuesday, some rich asshole told a story about Air Force One and former President Barack Obama. The only problem is that it never happened. Before boarding the plane to come home, the rich asshole told the press that Air Force One was denied landing rights in the Philippines during a trip by his predecessor because U.S. relations with the nation were so bad.
the rich asshole said Air Force One “never got to land” in the Philippines while be bragged about having “a very strong relationship” with the Southeast Asian nation.
“And as you know, we were having a lot of problems with the Philippines. The relationship with the past administration was horrible, to use a nice word,” the rich asshole told reporters in Manila.
“I would say ‘horrible’ is putting it mildly. You know what happened. Many of you were there, and you never got to land,” he continued. “The plane came close but it didn’t land.”
The Associated Press fact-checked the rich asshole’s bizarre claim:
President Barack Obama last visited the Philippines in November 2015, arriving in Manila after an overnight flight from Turkey. There were no problems with landing the plane. Obama used the visit to announce the United States was transferring two ships to the Philippine Navy.Perhaps the rich asshole was referring erroneously to Obama’s aborted meeting with President Rodrigo Duterte? In September 2016, Obama abruptly canceled a meeting with the new Philippines leader in Laos after Duterte called him an obscene name. Duterte was warning Obama not to speak with him about the brutality of his crackdown on the illegal drug trade.
Obama did visit the Philippines on several trips earlier in his presidency and even signed an enhanced defense cooperation agreement with the country in 2014, but the rich asshole claimed that our relationship with the Philipines is “probably better than ever before.”
“So it’s very important that we get along with the Philippines, and we really do. We have a very good relationship. I would actually say probably better than ever before,” he said.
Duterte has carried out an unlawful crackdown on suspected drug dealers and users, resulting in at least 7 thousand deaths by means including execution using death squads.
“Hitler massacred 3 million Jews. There are 3 million drug addicts. I’d be happy to slaughter them,” Duterte declared in 2015.
However, while the rich asshole was there he largely ignored any discussion of human rights with the dictator. We understand that the rich asshole is jealous of President Obama, but his lies prove why he has so much disdain for fact-checkers. It’s sad that he doesn’t have that same disdain for murderous dictators, though.
Cards Against Humanity ‘saves America’ by buying a plot of vacant land on the border to inhibit the rich asshole’s wall
Cards Against Humanity (Flickr) and some rich asshole (Wikimedia Commons)
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Cards Against Humanity, the notoriously politically incorrect party game that encourages players to be as offensive as possible, is taking aim at some rich asshole’s border wall in its latest holiday special aptly titled “Cards against Humanity Saves America.”
Tuesday, Cards Against Humanity launched a new website dedicated to its holiday campaign, which encourages people to send the company $15 dollars in exchange for six surprises throughout the month of December. “It’s 2017, and the government is being run by a toilet,” the website reads. “We have no choice: Cards Against Humanity is going to save America.”
The company also detailed its plan to stop the rich asshole’s border wall, which the president made a staple of his 2016 presidential campaign.
“some rich asshole is a preposterous golem who is afraid of Mexicans,” the site reads. “He is so afraid that he wants to build a twenty-billion dollar wall that everyone knows will accomplish nothing. So we’ve purchased a plot of vacant land on the border and retained a law firm specializing in eminent domain to make it as time-consuming and expensive as possible for the wall to get built.”
Cards Against Humanity has historically released topical marketing campaigns, including over the summer when it marketed a pink version of the game to women that retailed for $5 more than the original game. In its FAQ, the company addressed its previous pledge not to “do one of these complicated holiday promotions again.”
“We’re liars, just like the president,” Cards Against Humanity explains, noting it’s saving American from “injustice, lies, racism, the whole enchilada.”
As for whether the game is suddenly switch gears to become “politically correct now,” the company insists, “we’re just being regular correct.”
Watch the promotion for Cards Against Humanity Saves America below, via YouTube:
WATCH LIVE: Jeff Sessions faces a barrage of questions about Russia in House Judiciary Committee
Attorney General Jeff Sessions speaking at the Values Voter Summit in Washington, DC. Photo (https://www.flickr.com/photos/gageskidmore/6236367366)
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U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions will face a barrage of questions from Democrats in the House of Representatives on Tuesday over whether he lied about communications between President some rich asshole’s election campaign and Russian representatives.
WATCH LIVE VIDEO BELOW STARTING AT 10 A.M. ET:
Sessions is due to testify before the House Judiciary Committee for a routine oversight hearing, but Democrats on the panel will grill him about a series of statements he made to the Senate Judiciary Committee, in which he denied knowing about meetings between campaign aides and Russians.
“We intend to ask you about these inconsistencies,” the committee’s Democratic members said in a Nov. 7 letter to Sessions, who has recused himself from investigations into the conclusions of U.S. intelligence agencies that Moscow meddled in the 2016 U.S. election to help then-Republican candidate some rich asshole’s campaign. “We are providing you notice in advance because we expect you to respond.”
Sessions, a former U.S. Senator who was involved in the rich asshole’s campaign, has repeatedly denied misleading Congress, saying his prior statements under oath were all true.
His testimony at his confirmation hearing in January and at a Senate Judiciary hearing in October was questioned after a special counsel last month unsealed charges against former the rich asshole campaign adviser George Papadopoulos in the Russia-the rich asshole probe.
The Kremlin has repeatedly denied allegations of interfering in the U.S. election and the rich asshole denies any collusion between his campaign and Russian officials.
In court records, prosecutors said Papadopoulos told a March 31, 2016 meeting of campaign officials that he had Russian connections and could help arrange a meeting with the rich asshole and Russian President Vladimir Putin.
A photograph posted on the rich asshole’s Instagram account shows that Papadopoulos, Sessions and the rich asshole were all seated at the same table in that meeting.
According to a source familiar with the matter, Sessions shut down Papadopoulos’ idea of engaging with Russia, and the rich asshole administration has played down Papadopoulos’ role in the campaign, saying he was nothing more than a low level volunteer.
But the court documents, and Papadopoulos’ guilty plea for lying to the FBI over his contacts with Russian officials, put new focus on Sessions’ earlier testimony.
Sessions said during January’s confirmation hearing that he was unaware of communications between the campaign and Russia.
After the hearing, news reports emerged showing that Sessions had himself met with Russian ambassador Sergei Kislyak at least twice in 2016.
Under pressure, Sessions recused himself from the Russia investigation, a decision that later helped pave the way for the appointment of former FBI director Robert Mueller as special counsel to lead the investigation.
In another Senate hearing last month, Sessions testified he had no improper involvement with Russians and was not aware of anyone else from the campaign who did.
“Attorney General Sessions has misrepresented the truth … time and time again,” Al Franken, a Democratic Senate Judiciary Committee member, said on the Senate floor on Monday.
Jeff Sessions: ‘Chaos’ of the rich asshole’s presidential campaign caused me to forget discussions of Russian contacts
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Attorney General Jeff Sessions said on Tuesday that the “chaos” of President some rich asshole’s 2016 campaign caused him to forget meetings in which the rich asshole campaign aides told him that they were reaching out to members of the Russian government.
In his opening statement before the House Judiciary Committee, Sessions said that it was very difficult for him to recall all of the details about which the rich asshole campaign officials tried to talk to the Russian government about unearthing damaging information on Democratic opponent Hillary Clinton.
“It was a brilliant campaign, I think, in many ways, but it was a form of chaos every day from day one,” Sessions said. “We traveled sometimes to several places in one day. Sleep was in short supply, and I was still a full time senator with a very full schedule.”
Sessions, however, did acknowledge that he was at a 2016 meeting where former the rich asshole campaign aide George Papadopolous pitched setting up direct contacts between the rich asshole and Russian President Vladimir Putin.
“I do now recall that the March 2016 meeting at the rich asshole hotel that Mr. Papadopoulos attended, but I have no clear recollection of the details of what he said at that meeting,” Sessions said. “But I did not recall this event which occurred 18 months before my testimony of a few weeks ago. And I would gladly have reported it had I remembered it, because I pushed back against his suggestion that I thought may have been improper.”
Watch the video below.
the rich asshole begged Vietnam to buy US military equipment because he needed ‘quick wins’: report
President some rich asshole -- Screenshot
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President some rich asshole reportedly begged the Vietnamese government to buy American military equipment because he needed “quick wins” ahead of upcoming elections.
Sources tell Bloomberg that the rich asshole grilled Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc about why his country wasn’t spending more money buying American weapons.
“He needed quick wins, he told his team in the room, because he’d be running for re-election before anyone realized,” Bloomberg reports. “And weapons sales, in the rich asshole’s view, are good for his approval ratings.”
the rich asshole apparently spent much of his trip hawking American weapons to other countries, as he sought to emulate the early success he had in cutting a massive weapons deal with Saudi Arabia earlier this year.
“the rich asshole rarely set down in a country without pointing out that buying a few F-18s would go a long way toward winning his heart,” Bloomberg writes. “But he’ll return home to Washington without having secured a major new order for American defense contractors.”
Bloomberg’s sources also say that the rich asshole disappointed many American allies in Asia during his trip by showing an unwillingness to embrace a long-term strategy for the United States’ relationship with the region.
“Local leaders were looking for seriousness and not just stamina, any sign the rich asshole was prepared to provide a potent counter-balance to China,” writes Bloomberg. “There, he offered them little reason for optimism. He was already tweeting about the tax reform fight back home before he even left Manila, his final stop.”
‘Possum memory’: GOP operatives brutally mock Jeff Sessions’ total inability to recall Russia meetings
U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions joins White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer for the daily press briefing at the White House in Washington, U.S., March 27, 2017. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst
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Two Republican operatives on Tuesday called out Attorney General Jeff Sessions’ declaration that the “chaos” of some rich asshole’s campaign rendered him unable to recall meetings in which the rich asshole campaign aides told him of their efforts to reach out to Russian government officials.
John Weaver, who served as top strategist for Ohio Republican Gov. John Kasich’s 2016 presidential campaign, mocked Sessions on Twitter for having a “possum memory” and noted that most people would remember conversations in which campaign officials floated the idea of getting help from hostile foreign powers to defeat their opponents.
“Jeff, I’ve been involved in scores of presidential campaigns and politely suggest meetings with Russians or discussions about the candidate meeting with Putin… ANYONE would remember,” he wrote.
Tim Miller, a Republican consultant who previously worked for Jeb Bush’s 2016 presidential campaign, responded to Weaver’s tweet and said he was also highly skeptical of Sessions’ contention that he couldn’t possibly be expected to remember campaign aides telling him about their plans to collude with the Russian government to help their candidate.
“‘I was talking to the Ruskies and I think Jeb should meet with Putin’ is an exchange I’m confident I would have retained,” Miller wrote.
Jeff, I've been involved in scores of presidential campaigns & politely suggest meetings with Russians or discussions about the candidate meeting with Putin or any cousin of this ANYONE would remember. #PossumMemory
Sessions pushes back on calls for Clinton special counsel
BY KATIE BO WILLIAMS - 11/14/17 12:11 PM EST
Attorney General Jeff Sessions on Tuesday pushed back on the immediate need for a second special counsel to investigate former Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton.
It would take "a factual basis that meets the standard of a special counsel" for the Justice Department to make such an appointment, he said during a heated exchange with Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) at a Tuesday House Judiciary Committee meeting.
"We will use the proper standards and that’s the only thing I can tell you, Mr. Jordan," Sessions said. "You can have your idea but sometimes we have to study what the facts are and to evaluate whether it meets the standards it requires."
Jordan made a fiery case for allegations of improper spying on the rich asshole campaign by the Obama administration Department of Justice that widely was touted amongst Capitol Hill Republicans.
"We know one fact. We know the Clinton campaign and the Democratic National Committee paid for the dossier," he said.
"And it sure looks like the FBI was paying the author of that document and it sure looks like a major political party was working with the federal government to then turn an opposition research document — the equivalent of some National Enquirer story — into an intelligence document to take that to the FISA Court so they could then get a warrant to spy on President the rich asshole’s campaign," Jordan said.
"That’s what it looks like and I’m asking you, in addition to all the things we know about James Comey in 2016, doesn’t that warrant naming a second special counsel?" he said.
Sessions at first demurred, noting that Comey is no longer the director of the FBI and praising the current director, Chris Wray. But pressed further by Jordan — "He's not here today, Attorney General Sessions, and you are" — Sessions appeared to throw cold water on the immediate need for a special counsel.
"I would say 'looks like' is not enough basis to appoint a special counsel," he said sharply.
Jordan made a fiery case for allegations of improper spying on the rich asshole campaign by the Obama administration Department of Justice that widely was touted amongst Capitol Hill Republicans.
"We know one fact. We know the Clinton campaign and the Democratic National Committee paid for the dossier," he said.
"And it sure looks like the FBI was paying the author of that document and it sure looks like a major political party was working with the federal government to then turn an opposition research document — the equivalent of some National Enquirer story — into an intelligence document to take that to the FISA Court so they could then get a warrant to spy on President the rich asshole’s campaign," Jordan said.
"That’s what it looks like and I’m asking you, in addition to all the things we know about James Comey in 2016, doesn’t that warrant naming a second special counsel?" he said.
Sessions at first demurred, noting that Comey is no longer the director of the FBI and praising the current director, Chris Wray. But pressed further by Jordan — "He's not here today, Attorney General Sessions, and you are" — Sessions appeared to throw cold water on the immediate need for a special counsel.
"I would say 'looks like' is not enough basis to appoint a special counsel," he said sharply.
Sessions' comment comes after the Justice Department sent a letter to Bob Goodlatte (R-Va.) Monday that said he had asked senior prosecutors to look into allegations against Clinton and question whether a special counsel would be needed to investigate allegations related to the former secretary of State.
Sessions also testified on Tuesday that he had directed prosecutors to look into whether a special prosecutor was necessary.
Late last month, the House Judiciary and the House Oversight and Government Reform committees announced that they will jointly look into the FBI’s probe into Clinton’s private server and her handling of classified documents.
The House Intelligence and Oversight committees are also jointly probing the sale of a Canada-based company with control over some U.S. uranium to a Russian firm when Clinton was secretary of State.
The House Intelligence and Oversight committees are also jointly probing the sale of a Canada-based company with control over some U.S. uranium to a Russian firm when Clinton was secretary of State.
The Secret Correspondence Between some rich asshole Jr. and WikiLeaks
11-13-17
The transparency organization asked the president’s son for his cooperation—in sharing its work, in contesting the results of the election, and in arranging for Julian Assange to be Australia’s ambassador to the United States.
Just before the stroke of midnight on September 20, 2016, at the height of last year’s presidential election, the WikiLeaks Twitter account sent a private direct message to some rich asshole Jr., the Republican nominee’s oldest son and campaign surrogate. “A PAC run anti-the rich asshole site putintrump.org is about to launch,” WikiLeaks wrote. “The PAC is a recycled pro-Iraq war PAC. We have guessed the password. It is ‘putintrump.’ See ‘About’ for who is behind it. Any comments?” (The site, which has since become a joint project with Mother Jones, was founded by Rob Glaser, a tech entrepreneur, and was funded by Progress for USA Political Action Committee.)
The next morning, about 12 hours later, the rich asshole Jr. responded to WikiLeaks. “Off the record I don’t know who that is, but I’ll ask around,” he wrote on September 21, 2016. “Thanks.”
“Over the last several months, we have worked cooperatively with each of the committees and have voluntarily turned over thousands of documents in response to their requests,” said Alan Futerfas, an attorney for some rich asshole Jr. “Putting aside the question as to why or by whom such documents, provided to Congress under promises of confidentiality, have been selectively leaked, we can say with confidence that we have no concerns about these documents and any questions raised about them have been easily answered in the appropriate forum.” WikiLeaks did not respond to requests for comment.
The messages were turned over to Congress as part of that body’s various ongoing investigations into Russian meddling in the 2016 presidential campaign. American intelligence services have accused the Kremlin of engaging in a deliberate effort to boost President some rich asshole’s chances while bringing down his Democratic rival, Hillary Clinton. That effort—and the president’s response to it—has spawned multiple congressional investigations, and a special counsel inquiry that has led to the indictment of the rich asshole’s former campaign chair, Paul Manafort, for financial crimes.
Though the rich asshole Jr. mostly ignored the frequent messages from WikiLeaks, he at times appears to have acted on its requests. When WikiLeaks first reached out to the rich asshole Jr. about putintrump.org, for instance, the rich asshole Jr. followed up on his promise to “ask around.” According to a source familiar with the congressional investigations into Russian interference with the 2016 campaign, who requested anonymity because the investigation is ongoing, on the same day that the rich asshole Jr. received the first message from WikiLeaks, he emailed other senior officials with the rich asshole campaign, including Steve Bannon, Kellyanne Conway, Brad Parscale, and the rich asshole son-in-law Jared Kushner, telling them WikiLeaks had made contact. Kushner then forwarded the email to campaign communications staffer Hope Hicks. At no point during the 10-month correspondence does the rich asshole Jr. rebuff WikiLeaks, which had published stolen documents and was already observed to be releasing information that benefited Russian interests.
On October 3, 2016, WikiLeaks wrote again. “Hiya, it’d be great if you guys could comment on/push this story,” WikiLeaks suggested, attaching a quote from then-Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton about wanting to “just drone” WikiLeaks founder, Julian Assange.
“Already did that earlier today,” the rich asshole Jr. responded an hour-and-a-half later. “It’s amazing what she can get away with.”
Two minutes later, the rich asshole Jr. wrote again, asking, “What’s behind this Wednesday leak I keep reading about?” The day before, Roger Stone, an informal advisor to some rich asshole, had tweeted, “Wednesday@HillaryClinton is done. #WikiLeaks.”
WikiLeaks didn’t respond to that message, but on October 12, 2016, the account again messaged the rich asshole Jr. “Hey Donald, great to see you and your dad talking about our publications,” WikiLeaks wrote. (At a rally on October 10, some rich asshole had proclaimed, “I love WikiLeaks!”)
“Strongly suggest your dad tweets this link if he mentions us,” WikiLeaks went on, pointing the rich asshole Jr. to the link wlsearch.tk, which it said would help the rich asshole’s followers dig through the trove of stolen documents and find stories. “There’s many great stories the press are missing and we’re sure some of your follows [sic] will find it,” WikiLeaks went on. “Btw we just released Podesta Emails Part 4.”
the rich asshole Jr. did not respond to this message. But just 15 minutes after it was sent, as The Wall Street Journal’s Byron Tau pointed out, some rich asshole himself tweeted, “Very little pick-up by the dishonest media of incredible information provided by WikiLeaks. So dishonest! Rigged system!”
Two days later, on October 14, 2016, the rich asshole Jr. tweeted out the link WikiLeaks had provided him. “For those who have the time to read about all the corruption and hypocrisy all the @wikileaks emails are right here: http://wlsearch.tk/,” he wrote.
After this point, the rich asshole Jr. ceased to respond to WikiLeaks’s direct messages, but WikiLeaks escalated its requests.
“Hey Don. We have an unusual idea,” WikiLeaks wrote on October 21, 2016. “Leak us one or more of your father’s tax returns.” WikiLeaks then laid out three reasons why this would benefit both the Trumps and WikiLeaks. One, The New York Times had already published a fragment of the rich asshole’s tax returns on October 1; two, the rest could come out any time “through the most biased source (e.g. NYT/MSNBC).”
It is the third reason, though, WikiLeaks wrote, that “is the real kicker.” “If we publish them it will dramatically improve the perception of our impartiality,” WikiLeaks explained. “That means that the vast amount of stuff that we are publishing on Clinton will have much higher impact, because it won’t be perceived as coming from a ‘pro-the rich asshole’ ‘pro-Russia’ source.” It then provided an email address and link where the rich asshole campaign could send the tax returns, and adds, “The same for any other negative stuff (documents, recordings) that you think has a decent chance of coming out. Let us put it out.”
the rich asshole Jr. did not respond to this message.
WikiLeaks didn’t write again until Election Day, November 8, 2016. “Hi Don if your father ‘loses’ we think it is much more interesting if he DOES NOT conceed [sic] and spends time CHALLENGING the media and other types of rigging that occurred—as he has implied that he might do,” WikiLeaks wrote at 6:35pm, when the idea that Clinton would win was still the prevailing conventional wisdom. (As late as 7:00pm that night, FiveThirtyEight, a trusted prognosticator of the election, gave Clinton a 71 percent chance of winning the presidency.) WikiLeaks insisted that contesting the election results would be good for the rich asshole’s rumored plans to start a media network should he lose the presidency. “The discussion can be transformative as it exposes media corruption, primary corruption, PAC corruption, etc.,” WikiLeaks wrote.
Shortly after midnight that day, when it was clear that the rich asshole had beaten all expectations and won the presidency, WikiLeaks sent him a simple message: “Wow.”
the rich asshole Jr. did not respond to these messages either, but WikiLeaks was undeterred. “Hi Don. Hope you’re doing well!” WikiLeaks wrote on December 16 to the rich asshole Jr., who was by then the son of the president-elect. “In relation to Mr. Assange: Obama/Clinton placed pressure on Sweden, UK and Australia (his home country) to illicitly go after Mr. Assange. It would be real easy and helpful for your dad to suggest that Australia appoint Assange ambassador to [Washington,] DC.”
WikiLeaks even imagined how the rich asshole might put it: “‘That’s a real smart tough guy and the most famous australian [sic] you have!’ or something similar,” WikiLeaks wrote. “They won’t do it but it will send the right signals to Australia, UK + Sweden to start following the law and stop bending it to ingratiate themselves with the Clintons.” (On December 7, Assange, proclaiming his innocence, had released his testimony in front of London investigators looking into accusations that he had committed alleged sexual assault.)
In the winter and spring, WikiLeaks went largely silent, only occasionally sending the rich asshole Jr. links. But on July 11, 2017, three days after The New York Times broke the story about the rich asshole Jr.’s June 2016 meeting with Natalia Veselnitskaya, a Russian lawyer with connections to Russia’s powerful prosecutor general, WikiLeaks got in touch again.
“Hi Don. Sorry to hear about your problems,” WikiLeaks wrote. “We have an idea that may help a little. We are VERY interested in confidentially obtaining and publishing a copy of the email(s) cited in the New York Times today,” citing a reference in the paper to emails the rich asshole Jr had exchanged with Rob Goldstone, a publicist who had helped set up the meeting. “We think this is strongly in your interest,” WikiLeaks went on. It then reprised many of the same arguments it made in trying to convince the rich asshole Jr. to turn over his father’s tax returns, including the argument that the rich asshole’s enemies in the press were using the emails to spin an unfavorable narrative of the meeting. “Us publishing not only deprives them of this ability but is beautifully confounding.”
The message was sent at 9:29 am on July 11. the rich asshole Jr. did not respond, but just hours later, he posted the emails himself, on his own Twitter feed.
some rich asshole Jr. Doesn’t Seem to Realize That His Messages with WikiLeaks Are a Very Bad Look for Him
And he keeps implicating the hell out of Kushner.
It's hard to not be skeptical when Assange claims that WikiLeaks, an organization that supposedly traffics in transparency, doesn't keep records. Especially since the rich asshole Jr. just tweeted the whole thing (his Twitter feed remains a goldmine of dirty laundry and failed attempts to go viral). It also doesn't really explain the whole Australian ambassador to the U.S. thing.
What these Twitter DMs show — and don’t show.
some rich asshole Jr. and the WikiLeaks Twitter account exchanged several private messages during the 2016 presidential campaign, according to a new story by the Atlantic’s Julia Ioffe, who obtained messages turned over to congressional investigators.
the rich asshole Jr. sent at least three direct messages, or DMs, to WikiLeaks. He also told several top the rich asshole campaign staffers by email that WikiLeaks had reached out to him, back in September 2016. And when WikiLeaks suggested tweeting out a link to its site hosting Clinton campaign chair John Podesta’s hacked emails, he did so.
WikiLeaks sent many more DMs to the rich asshole Jr. over several months. They ranged from questions to a request for the rich asshole campaign to “push” a story to requests for leaks, but he appears not to have answered most of them. (After Ioffe’s story was published, the rich asshole Jr. tweeted out what he said is the full DM thread. Here’s part one, part two, and part three.)
The messages in Ioffe’s story suggest overall that WikiLeaks and the rich asshole Jr. viewed each other as allies. And significantly, the story reveals that the top level of the rich asshole campaign was aware of outreach from WikiLeaks that autumn. That matters because it was widely believed at the time that WikiLeaks was posting emails hacked by the Russian government.
However, the messages do not show that the rich asshole Jr. or anyone else on the rich asshole campaign had advance knowledge of any of WikiLeaks’ plans regarding Democrats’ hacked emails. In fact, the rich asshole Jr. reached out to ask WikiLeaks about rumors of a planned release, but there’s no indication that he got a response.
What some rich asshole Jr. did
Per Ioffe, the correspondence between the rich asshole Jr. and WikiLeaks begins with a Twitter DM the group sent him on September 20, 2016. It read:
the rich asshole Jr. responded the next day: “Off the record I don’t know who that is but I’ll ask around. Thanks.”
Ioffe writes that according to “a source familiar with the congressional investigations,” the rich asshole Jr. then emailed top the rich asshole campaign officials Steve Bannon, Kellyanne Conway, Brad Parscale, and Jared Kushner to let them know that WikiLeaks had gotten in touch. Kushner also forwarded the note to Hope Hicks. (That’s basically the entire top level of the rich asshole campaign at that time.)
On October 3, 2016, WikiLeaks sent another note about a story that Hillary Clinton had once said she wanted to “just drone” Julian Assange, the group’s founder, writing: “Hiya. It’d be great if you guys could comment on / push this story”
the rich asshole Jr. quickly answered: “Already did that earlier today. It’s amazing what she can get away with.”
And two minutes later, he asked WikiLeaks: “What’s behind this Wednesday leak I keep reading about?”
At the time, rumors were widespread that WikiLeaks would soon release damaging Clinton-related emails. And, in fact, it did — four days later, the group began posting John Podesta’s hacked emails. However, there’s no indication that the group answered this question from the rich asshole Jr. or gave him advance notice.
On October 12, 2016, after a few days of Podesta email dumps, WikiLeaks DMed the rich asshole Jr. again, suggesting that the rich asshole Sr. tweet out the link wlsearch.tk:
Though the rich asshole Jr. doesn’t appear to have answered, his father tweeted this 15 minutes later (which could be a coincidence, because the general topic of WikiLeaks was much discussed at the time):
That did not include the link in question, but the rich asshole Jr. tweeted it out two days later:
For those who have the time to read about all the corruption and hypocrisy all the @wikileaks emails are right here: wlsearch.tk
Ioffe writes that there’s no indication the rich asshole Jr. sent any other messages to WikiLeaks after this.
Meanwhile, WikiLeaks continued to DM him, at one point asking him to leak them the rich asshole Sr.’s tax returns to help the group “improve the perception of our impartiality,” suggesting that the rich asshole not concede the election if he loses, and after the election making the strange suggestion that he should “suggest that Australia appoint Assange ambassador” to the US.
What we still don’t know
One of the biggest questions at the heart of the rich asshole-Russia scandal is whether anyone on the rich asshole’s team had any knowledge of or involvement in the hacking and leaks of leading Democrats’ emails.
These new DMs do not indicate that that happened. Indeed, one DM makes the rich asshole Jr. seem clueless about WikiLeaks’ planned Podesta email dump four days before it began. There’s no evidence at this point that the group tipped off him or anyone else in the rich asshole campaign.
Still, the DMs do reveal that the rich asshole Jr. was in contact with WikiLeaks during the fall of 2016, just before the group’s controversial Podesta email postings began.
They also reveal that he told several of the highest-level the rich asshole campaign advisers about this outreach, via email. The fact that so many on the campaign, including Don Jr., knew about this certainly makes it difficult to believe the rich asshole himself didn’t also know. But knowing about messages like these and actively colluding in criminal activity are different things.
WIKILEAKS TOLD THE RICH ASSHOLE JR. TO TELL HIS DAD TO NOT CONCEDE IF HE LOST ON ELECTION DAY
Wikileaks urged some rich asshole Jr. to tell his father to not concede if he lost on Election Day, according to a bombshell report from The Atlantic that alleges the president's eldest child and the transparency organization secretly corresponded in private direct messages on Twitter during the U.S. presidential campaign.
The messages were turned over to Congress and copies were obtained by The Atlantic.
In one of the messages, sent at 6:35 p.m. on the day of the election, Wikileaks wrote, "Hi Don if your father ‘loses’ we think it is much more interesting if he DOES NOT conceed [sic] and spends time CHALLENGING the media and other types of rigging that occurred—as he has implied that he might do." Wikileaks reportedly claimed contesting the election could help his father further delegitimize the mainstream press and build the new media network he seemingly desired.
"The discussion can be transformative as it exposes media corruption, primary corruption, PAC corruption, etc.," the message added. A few hours later, when it became evident some rich asshole was indeed going to be the next president, Wikileaks sent another message that simply said, "Wow."
the rich asshole Jr. did not respond to those messages and seemed to ignore many others, but there were a number of instances in which he did write back. He also never rebuffed Wikileaks for any of its requests or suggestions and sometimes even acted on its requests.
Contacted Trump Jr this morning on why he should publish his emails (i.e with us). Two hours later, does it himself: twitter.com/wikileaks/stat…
The U.S. intelligence community believes the Russian government chose Wikileaks to spread information it had hacked as part of its larger effort to interfere in the U.S. presidential campaign in the rich asshole's favor. “It is time to call out WikiLeaks for what it really is—a non-state hostile intelligence service often abetted by state actors like Russia," CIA Director Mike Pompeo said in April.
the rich asshole Jr.'s correspondence with the transparency organization therefore only adds to the scrutiny surrounding his father's campaign and allegations it colluded with Russia. The president's son has already been scrutinized over a controversial meeting he had with a Russian lawyer linked to the Kremlin in June 2016, which he attended under the impression he'd receive information damaging to the campaign of former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.
The messages between the rich asshole Jr. and Wikileaks seem to have been voluntarily turned over to Congress by his lawyers. Even still, questions remain about why Wikileaks so actively sought out his cooperation and assistance, at one point audaciously requesting he help get his father to urge Australia to make Julian Assange its ambassador to the U.S.
Juan Williams: GOP is shackled to the rich asshole
BY JUAN WILLIAMS, OPINION CONTRIBUTOR — 11/13/17 06:00 AM EST
Well, there goes the fake news.
It is real news that Republicans got shellacked last Tuesday in gubernatorial races in Virginia and New Jersey.
And it is real news that President the rich asshole’s grip as the party’s leader loosened for the first time since he claimed the White House.
Republicans currently hold 23 seats in congressional districts won by Hillary Clinton in 2016 and 11 in districts she lost by fewer than five percentage points.
The anger at the rich asshole was evident in exit polls conducted by Edison Media Research.
In Virginia, Republican Ed Gillespie won 91 percent of voters who “approve of the way the rich asshole is handling his job as president.” Democrat Ralph Northam won 87 percent of those who disapprove.
In essence, Gillespie had all the rich asshole voters. But there just weren’t enough of them and Northam won easily, by nine points.
People upset with the rich asshole turned out in big numbers. In fact, exit polls showed one-third of the electorate wanted to send a message of opposition to the rich asshole with their vote for governor.
Now the urgent fear among Republicans on Capitol Hill is a 2018 landslide for Democrats as voters turn on the rich asshole.
The vote in Virginia comes on the heels of the rich asshole’s disapproval hitting 57 percent in the latest Fox News poll.
The president’s support among white men without a college degree is down to 56 percent from the 71 percent who voted for him a year ago. He has lost support among white evangelicals, with 66 percent supporting him now instead of the 80 percent that voted for him. He has also seen his support among independents slide from 46 percent in 2016 to 30 percent today.
the rich asshole’s support among self-identified Republicans remains high at 83 percent in the Fox poll, but fewer people overall are identifying themselves as Republicans.
That sets the stage for the battle to claim the future of the party going into the 2018 races.
On one side, you have the rich asshole and Steve Bannon, his former top political aide. On the other side are the Presidents Bush, both 41 and 43, with Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) and Speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) trapped in the ring and ducking punches from both sides.
The fight comes down to a contest between the rich asshole’s anti-immigrant, isolationist, white grievance politics and the Bush policies favoring immigration, free trade and growing the party through outreach to racial minorities.
After last week’s defeat in Virginia, the rich asshole and Bannon quickly threw dirt on Gillespie. the rich asshole said Gillespie did “not embrace me or what I stand for.” Bannon piled on by saying the “lesson” of the loss was that future Republican candidates must avoid campaigning with President George W. Bush and “embrace the entire the rich asshole agenda,” to the point of taking the rich asshole on the campaign trail.
But Gillespie, the former party chairman, did use the rich asshole-like advertising that focused on stirring fear of immigrants by tying them to MS-13 gangs; he did defend Confederate statues; and he did attack athletes kneeling to protest police brutality.
Gillespie lost because Virginia voters rejected the rich asshole’s politics.
The Bush team also punched back.
“This guy doesn't know what it means to be president,” the younger President Bush said of the rich asshole in an interview for a new book.
“I don't like him,” the elder President Bush told author Mark Updegrove. “I don't know much about [the rich asshole] but I know he's a blowhard. And I'm not too excited about him being our leader.”
The Bush’s comments drew a sharp rebuke from the rich asshole’s White House
"If one presidential candidate can disassemble a political party, it speaks volumes about how strong a legacy its past two presidents really had," an unnamed White House official told CNN. “And that begins with the Iraq war, one of the greatest foreign policy mistakes in American history.”
The split between Bush-style establishment conservatism and the rich asshole populism has already hurt the party with about two dozen House Republicans announcing this is a good time for them to leave.
That rush for the door comes as polls show “voters say they prefer Democratic candidates for the House of Representatives over Republicans by the widest margin in over a decade,” the Washington Post reported before Tuesday’s GOP collapse.
Ryan said last week that despite the intraparty fight, it is too late for his House caucus to do anything but side with the rich asshole on the future of the party.
“We already made that choice,” Ryan said on Fox News Radio. “We're with the rich asshole. We already made that choice… That’s a choice we made during the campaign, which is we merged our agendas.”
What must Republican congressional candidates be thinking today when their Speaker tells them they are handcuffed to a president who has the lowest approval rating in 70 years? At what point do they ignore the Speaker’s directive, cut ties with the president and strike out on their own?
A recent Washington Post/ABC News poll found that just 37 percent of Americans approve of the way the rich asshole is handling his job, while 59 percent disapprove. In the history of the poll, no American president has had a net negative rating so high in his ninth month in office since Harry Truman in 1945.
But Ryan has the real news: Every Republican on the ballot in 2018 will have some rich asshole as a running mate.
Juan Williams is an author, and a political analyst for Fox News Channel.
Morning Joe panel baffled by the rich asshole: ‘Why is he cozying up to Putin and making lovey-dovey eyes?’
some rich asshole and Vladimir Putin (MSNBC)
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MSNBC’s “Morning Joe” puzzled over President some rich asshole “cozying up to Vladimir Putin” over the weekend despite the indictments and guilty pleas of campaign associates in the Russia investigation.
the rich asshole walked alongside the Russian president at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in Vietnam, and he insisted he believed Putin’s claims about election interference over U.S. intelligence assessments.
“I’m a simple man, I don’t really totally understand this,” said MSNBC’s John Heilemann, filling in for host Joe Scarborough.
“If some rich asshole is under investigation and his administration and people around him, the Russia collusion and whole Mueller investigation, right,” he continued, “in simple terms the president would think it’s probably not in my best self interest to be seen again sidling with Vladimir Putin, cozying up to Vladimir Putin and making lovey dovey eyes in these pictures we’ve been showing here. (He should) maybe just think, I should probably put distance between myself and Vladimir Putin.”
He asked Julie Pace, the Washington bureau chief, to explain the political logic of the rich asshole’s behavior toward Russia during his Asia trip — and she was just as baffled as Heilemann.
“It’s really confounding,” Pace said. “This is the exact issue that people within his own administration have that, in this political context when his campaign, so many people within the campaign are facing an investigation about what happened with Russia during the election, it would be so much simpler if the president would just come out and say Russia obviously interfered with our election and we’re going to investigate that and stop them from doing it going forward, and i’ll tell that to Vladimir Putin’s face. And once again, we’re in November of this presidency and still struggling with that.”
Philippines government calls the rich asshole a liar after president claims the two discussed human rights
the rich asshole hails ‘great relationship’ with self-proclaimed killer Duterte
Posted with permission from AFP
The US president is in the Philippines with leaders of 18 other nations for two days of summits, the final leg of a headline-grabbing Asian tour dominated by the North Korean nuclear crisis.
Allegations of Russian meddling in last year's US presidential elections have dogged the second half of his 12-day trip, which has taken him from Japan to South Korea, China and Vietnam.
Rights groups had called on Trump to end his Asian journey with a strong statement against Duterte's drugs war, which has seen police and suspected vigilantes kill thousands of people.
But Trump and Duterte had a series of encounters on Sunday night and Monday morning in which they appeared to enjoy each others' company, leading to warm praise from the US president during official talks at lunchtime.
"We've had a great relationship. This has been very successful," Trump told Duterte in brief opening remarks at their meeting.
"I've really enjoyed being here," he said.
As the reporters were being escorted out of the room, one asked if Trump would raise the issue of human rights, to which Duterte jokingly called the media "spies", and neither answered.
Duterte's spokesman later said the meeting lasted for more than 40 minutes, and that Trump did not raise any human rights concerns.
Duterte won elections last year after promising to eradicate illegal drugs with an unprecedented campaign that would see up to 100,000 people killed.
Since he took office, police have reported killing 3,967 people in the crackdown.
Another 2,290 people have been murdered in drug-related crimes, while thousands of other deaths remain unsolved, according to government data.
Hundreds of demonstrators gathered in Manila on Monday to protest against the two men. They were met by riot police and water cannon.
- 'I already killed someone' -
Many Filipinos back Duterte, believing he is taking necessary measures to fight crime, but rights groups warn he may be orchestrating a crime against humanity.
Amnesty International accuses police of shooting dead defenceless people and paying assassins to murder addicts.
But rights groups say police are following Duterte's incitements to kill, including comments made last year when he said he would be "happy to slaughter" three million addicts.
He has also repeatedly boasted about killing people himself, most recently last week while in Vietnam for the Asia-Pacific economic summit.
"At the age of 16, I already killed someone. A real person, a rumble, a stabbing. I was just 16 years old. It was just over a look," Duterte said.
Former US president Barack Obama was one of many prominent critics of Duterte's handling of the drugs war. The Philippine leader responded last year by calling Obama a "son of a whore".
Duterte last year declared the Philippines' "separation" from the United States.
But Trump told Duterte in a telephone call in April that he was doing a "great job", which helped to begin a diplomatic thaw.
"We are your ally. We are an important ally," Duterte said on Monday, appearing to confirm relations were back on track, although he has also continued to court China and Russia.
- Champagne, love song -
Duterte and Trump sat next to each other at a pre-summit banquet on Sunday, during which they smiled, chatted and clinked champagne glasses.
Duterte, 72, also sang a Filipino love song, saying light-heartedly that he did so on the orders of the US president.
Duterte is hosting the world leaders because the Philippines holds the rotating chair of the 10-nation Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) bloc.
The events on Monday and Tuesday in Manila are two separate ASEAN-hosted summits, which also include China, Japan, Russia, South Korea, India, Canada, Australia and New Zealand.
The rising threat of the Islamic State group across Southeast Asia, and further efforts to pressure North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un to abandon his nuclear ambitions, were top agenda items in Manila.
"Terrorism and violent extremism endanger the peace, stability and security of our region because these threats know no boundaries," Duterte said in an opening ceremony speech on Monday.
‘Puerto Rico is not back’: CNN’s Chris Cuomo blasts White House lies about hurricane recovery
CNN's Chris Cuomo (Screen cap).
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“It’s been seven weeks since Hurricane Maria and Puerto Rico is not back, OK?” said CNN’s Chris Cuomo, introducing a segment on the lackluster relief efforts in the hurricane-ravaged U.S. territory.
According to Cuomo, many of the Americans on the island remain stuck in survival mode. They still lack power and clean water, despite the efforts from the military and FEMA.
“There’s all of this stuff online that everything is back to normal now. That’s a lie,” Cuomo said simply. “Clean drinking water is hard to come by. Power has not been restored in a lot of that country. The top commander of the United States said that this U.S. territory, remember, they are Americans there, it’s time to start pulling out. The relief effort is transitioning from crisis mode to recovery. That’s going to be less resources.”
Those meager resources come amid allegations of a misuse of funds by Whitefish Energy. The company allegedly charged Puerto Rico $319 per hour for linemen to restore power, but they actually only paid the workers $63 per hour.
“This is part of America. These are American citizens,” Cuomo said, blasting the treatment of the Puerto Ricans.
“I couldn’t agree more with you, Chris,” said reporter Leyla Santiago, who has been on the ground since before the hurricane. “Let me be more exact, 3.4 million American citizens will watch today as the three-star General leaves the island. He is aware of what you are saying. He knows much of this island still doesn’t have power, still doesn’t have clean water. And yet as we were with him in his last 24 hours on this island, he is standing by his decision to leave.”
Watch the full report below:
Group handshake briefly stumps the rich asshole
BY JACQUELINE THOMSEN - 11/12/17 10:11 PM EST
President the rich asshole on Monday attended the opening ceremony of the summit for the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) in Manila, where the rich asshole initially struggled during a group photo with world leaders ahead of a one-on-one meeting with Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte.
the rich asshole and the other leaders entered the summit around 9:45 a.m. local time. the rich asshole greeted Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau before the ceremony, according to the pool report.
The world leaders then posed for a photo, with the rich asshole standing next to Duterte.
Each leader placed his right hand over his left hand as part of the customary ASEAN handshake. the rich asshole had a “false start” with the handshake before doing it properly, according to the pool report.
Photos of the rich asshole doing the handshake quickly went viral.
.@realDonaldTrump joins other leaders in a handshake with President Rodrigo Roa Duterte, right, during the opening ceremony of the 31st ASEAN Summit
Truck face twitter.com/dougmillsnyt/s…
In addition to Duterte, who has drawn global condemnation for his ongoing drug crackdown, the rich asshole will hold meetings with Turnbull and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
The ASEAN summit in Manila will be the cap-off to the rich asshole's 13-day tour of Asia, which also saw him meet with Chinese President Xi Jinping and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.
--This report was updated on Nov. 13 at 7:14 a.m.
Siding With the Enemy
Consider the strategic and historical magnitude of what “President” some rich asshole said last week: He said that he believed the intelligence conclusions of a nation hostile to this country — Russia — over the intelligence conclusions drawn by American agencies.
It is a striking declaration, a betrayal of American trust and interests that is almost treasonous in its own right.
On Saturday aboard Air Force One, en route to Hanoi, Vietnam, the rich asshole said of Russian President Vladimir Putin and Russia’s assault on our elections:
“He just — every time he sees me, he says, ‘I didn’t do that.’ And I believe — I really believe that when he tells me that, he means it. But he says, ‘I didn’t do that.’ I think he’s very insulted by it, if you want to know the truth.”
the rich asshole went on to call the fact that Russia interfered in our election an “artificial Democratic hit job” that would cause people to die in Syria because Putin’s hurt feelings about being called on his crimes would prevent him from making a deal to end the bloody conflict in that country. And he called former Director of National Intelligence James Clapper, former director of the C.I.A. John O. Brennan and Former Director of the F.B.I. James Comey “political hacks.”
the rich asshole was grasping at straws and throwing all of them into the air. Believe Putin. Care about his feelings. Blame domestic enemies. Undercut the investigation. Use helpless Syrians as a shield.
It was gross and classic Trumpian deflection: Look everywhere but at the truth.
That won’t work this time.
This kind of turn-the-other-cheek diplomacy depends on American submission and an eventual Russian awakening to the moral failing of their assault, neither of which is going to happen. It depends on Putin having a heart and a guiding sense of morality, both of which are in question.
John McCain rightly issued a blistering rebuke of the rich asshole, writing in a statement:
“There’s nothing ‘America First’ about taking the word of a K.G.B. colonel over that of the American intelligence community. There’s no ‘principled realism’ in cooperating with Russia to prop up the murderous Assad regime, which remains the greatest obstacle to a political solution that would bring an end to the bloodshed in Syria. Vladimir Putin does not have America’s interests at heart. To believe otherwise is not only naïve but also places our national security at risk.”
The truth here is that we are seeing in real time how the president’s personal paranoia impedes our national policy and our national interests. The uncomfortable fact here is that the rich asshole is pursuing his own interest, not American interests. And, on the question of Russia attacking our elections, the rich asshole and Putin’s interest align against the facts and against America.
That alone is beyond inexcusable. the rich asshole is betraying this country by trying to curry favor with his new comrade.
They both have an interest in casting doubt on whether Russia attacked our elections. Putin wants to be seen as innocent and the rich asshole wants to be seen as legitimate, and neither is completely true.
Let’s say this again, as a clear declaration: Russia attacked our elections. They stole emails that were published and broadcast ad nauseam. They created and distributed propaganda on social media designed to exacerbate our divisions, content that was seen by nearly half the country.
We may never know precisely how all the Russian efforts influenced our elections — which of these might have influenced the vote of individuals or conversely turned other voters off of the process altogether so that they just stayed home — but saying that it had no effect defies logic and is indeed laughable.
We don’t know if the Russian election meddling was dispositive, but we know that it was disruptive.
Clapper and Brennan shot back at the rich asshole on CNN on Sunday morning, claiming that the president was being played. Clapper said: “The threat posed by Russia, as John just said, is manifest and obvious. To try to paint it in any other way is, I think, astounding, and in fact, poses a peril to this country.”
On Sunday, the rich asshole tried, pathetically, to take back the clap in the face he had delivered to this country and its intelligence agencies, saying of Putin: “I believe that he feels that he and Russia did not meddle in the election. As to whether I believe it or not, I am with our agencies, especially as currently constituted with the leadership.”
Again, like Neo dodging bullets in “The Matrix,” the rich asshole bends over backward to dodge making this simple, factual statement: Russia attacked our elections when he was elected, and they must pay for their crime so that this never happens again.
the rich asshole won’t acknowledge the crime because the rich asshole was the beneficiary of the crime. the rich asshole won’t insult Russia because it may well be that he was installed by Russia. the rich asshole is as much a Russian project as an American president.
This means that he is compromised, in capacity and function, and that means that the rich asshole’s fear of dishonor places the rest of us in danger of future attacks and exploitation. the rich asshole is Putin’s dupe. ☐
Court-ordered deportations surge after the rich asshole ends Obama-era delay tactics
Government data shows the rich asshole administration has already shifted the "culture" of immigration attorneys, who used to have more tools under the Obama administration to delay court decisions on whether to remove illegal immigrants, but are now being forced to push for a final verdict more quickly.
Under Obama, immigration attorneys were more likely to leave cases for illegal immigrants in limbo, thus preventing them from ever ruling on whether they needed to be removed from the U.S. An official from the Executive Office for Immigration Review explained to the Washington Examiner that attorneys would push for an administrative closure, or a pause in the proceedings before an administrative judge.
That pause could be achieved by seeking continuance in the case, which might then make it easier to justify a decision not to prosecute.
“Rather than getting [a decision on removal proceedings] … Instead it created this culture of seeking continuance to try to build up a request for prosecutorial discretion for administrative closure, and so it had a ripple effect,” the EOIR official said.
A report released by the Center for Immigration Studies earlier this year said the Obama era closed up to 200,000 deportation cases by using administrative closure.
But statistics provided by EOIR show that since President the rich asshole took office, total orders of removal and final decisions issued by an immigration judge have increased.
From February to the end of September, immigration judges issued 100,000 final decisions on cases — and increase of 16 percent over the same period in 2016. The total number of removal orders increased 29 percent.
And since Attorney General Jeff Sessions issued a memorandum to all immigration judges, court administrators, attorney advisors and judicial law clerks, and immigration court staff in July, the EOIR official said there has already been a change in how continuances are used. The six-page memo reminded immigration judges when administrative closures should actually be used.
“[T]he delays caused by granting multiple and lengthy continuances, when multiplied across the entire immigration court, exacerbate already crowded immigration dockets,” the memo said.
Matthew Kolken, an immigration lawyer, said that in contrast, the Obama administration used administrative closure as a means to clear the immigration court’s docket of active deportations by “by triaging cases they deemed to be a low priority for deportation.”
"They utilized a mechanism called administrative closure to remove the immediate threat of deportation by putting an immigrant into a state of legal limbo. Although still subject to the immigration court's jurisdiction, an immigrant facing deportation would no longer have to be concerned about having their case scheduled for a hearing. In sum, their case was put on the back burner of the stove, with the burner turned off," Kolken described to the Washington Examiner.
"President the rich asshole's administration is now actively moving those cases back to the front burner of the stove and turning the heat back on so that deportation hearings may be scheduled for those who received a temporary reprieve," he said.
the rich asshole won't argue with Putin over election interference
BY ALICIA COHN - 11/11/17 06:40 AM EST
President the rich asshole said Saturday he isn’t going to “argue” with Russian President Vladimir Putin, who denies that Moscow sought to influence the 2016 presidential election.
“Every time he sees me he says, ‘I didn’t do that,’ and I really believe that when he tells me that, he means it,” the rich asshole told reporters on Air Force One, according to White House pool reports.
“I can’t stand there and argue with him, I would rather have him get out of Syria,” the rich asshole said. “You have President Putin very strongly, vehemently says he has nothing to do with that. Now, you are not going to get into an argument, you are going to start talking about Syria and the Ukraine.”
Putin's press secretary, Dmitri Peskov, later told CNN election meddling did not come up during the two leaders' meeting, despite the rich asshole saying he asked Putin about it.
the rich asshole called the investigation into Russia’s election meddling “this Democratic-inspired thing.” He has repeatedly referred to the investigation as a “witch hunt.”
the rich asshole also said the suspicions about Putin are hurting his ability to develop a closer relationship with the leader in order to have more productive discussions on North Korea.
“We could really be helped a lot with Russia having to do with North Korea,” the rich asshole said. “You know you are talking about millions and millions of lives. This isn’t baby stuff, this is the real deal. And if Russia helped us, in addition to China, that problem would go away a lot faster.”
the rich asshole and Putin met Saturday on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Economic Leaders' Meeting in Danang, Vietnam. They did not have a formal meeting scheduled, but according to the rich asshole will issue a joint statement. the rich asshole said the two leaders had “two or three very short conversations” during the larger forum and discussed Syria.
the rich asshole said Putin is “very insulted” by the suggestion Moscow attempted to hack the election.
Multiple U.S. intelligence agencies have concluded that Russia did attempt to influence the U.S. election. Several congressional committees, as well as a Justice Department special prosector, are currently investigating how much influence Russia had in the presidential election and whether the Kremlin colluded with either of the candidates.
the rich asshole has maintained there was no collusion between his campaign and the Kremlin.
The president is in the middle of a five-nation, 12-day trip to Asia and is currently in Vietnam.
the rich asshole clarifies Putin comments: 'I'm with our agencies' on election meddling
BY BROOKE SEIPEL - 11/11/17 11:07 PM EST
President the rich asshole clarified his comments Sunday on whether he believes Russia meddled in the U.S. 2016 presidential election, saying, "I believe in our intel agencies."
the rich asshole had told reporters on Air Force One Saturday that he believes Russian President Vladimir Putin when he says he didn't meddle in the election.
“Every time he sees me he says, ‘I didn’t do that,’ and I really believe that when he tells me that, he means it," the rich asshole said Saturday.
The comment quickly became the subject of backlash, prompting the rich asshole to clarify the comments in a joint press conference with Vietnam President Tran Dai Quang on Sunday morning local time.
"What I said is, I believe [Putin] believes that," the rich asshole said at the press conference in Hanoi, Vietnam. "I believe that he feels that he and Russia did not meddle in the election. As to whether I believe it or not, I'm with our agencies."
"I believe in our intel agencies. I've worked with them very strongly," the rich asshole added.
the rich asshole and Putin met Saturday on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Economic Leaders' Meeting in Danang, Vietnam. the rich asshole said Putin is “very insulted” by the suggestion Moscow attempted to hack the election.
Multiple U.S. intelligence agencies have concluded occurred in the 2016 presidential race.
the rich asshole's comments siding with intel agencies also come after he hit former U.S. intelligence officials by name, including former CIA Director John Brennan, former Director of National Intelligence James Clapper and former FBI Director James Comey.
"I mean, give me a break, they are political hacks," the rich asshole said on Air Force One, according to White House pool reports. He was discussing the U.S. intelligence community's conclusion that Russia sought to influence the 2016 election in favor of the rich asshole.
"So you look at it, I mean, you have Brennan, you have Clapper and you have Comey," he continued. "Comey is proven now to be a liar and he is proven now to be a leaker.”
the rich asshole says he’s ‘too busy reading lots of documents’ to watch TV
the rich asshole Says He’s Too Busy Reading to Watch TV
Maria Perez
Posted with permission from Newsweek
Even though President Donald Trump often tweets out criticism the “liberal media,” he told reporters aboard Air Force One on Saturday that he spends more time reading their work than watching TV.
When he’s in the White House, Trump said he’s all business, often too busy to even glance at the television, The Hill reported. The reason? “Primarily because of documents,” Trump said. “I’m reading documents. A lot.”
When he’s in the White House, Trump said he’s all business, often too busy to even glance at the television, The Hill reported. The reason? “Primarily because of documents,” Trump said. “I’m reading documents. A lot.”
The president continued: "People that don’t know me, they like to say I watch television—people with fake sources. You know, fake reporters, fake sources.”
Trump was responding to a question about Republican Senate candidate Roy Moore of Alabama, who is under fire after The Washington Post reported he initiated sexual contact with a 14-year-old-girl when he was 32 years old.
The president said he has not “seen much” about Moore during his ongoing trip to Asia, but said will “have further comment as we go down the road.”
“I haven’t been able to devote very much time to it,” Trump said.
Trump has previously said he does not watch much television, despite his frequent tweets praising Fox News and calling out “liberal media” outlets like CNN News. In early November, he blasted news outlets for not discussing former interim DNC Chairwoman Donna Brazile’s claims that the Hillary Clinton campaign had fixed the Democratic nomination system in its candidate's favor.
“The rigged Dem Primary, one of the biggest political stories in years, got ZERO coverage on Fake News Network TV last night. Disgraceful!” tweeted Trump.
The rigged Dem Primary, one of the biggest political stories in years, got ZERO coverage on Fake News Network TV last night. Disgraceful!
When he was running for president, Trump was ridiculed by some for not reading enough. He had said that he was too busy to pick up a book and that he had not read and biographies of past presidents.
“I never have. I’m always busy doing a lot. Now I’m more busy, I guess, than ever before,” Trump said.
the rich asshole denies agreeing with Putin on election meddling: I’m with our agencies
President some rich asshole refused to certify the 2015 Iran nuclear agreement. (AFP / Brendan SMIALOWSKI)
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President some rich asshole indicated Saturday that he didn’t believe Russian president Vladimir Putin, who recently denied that his country tried to interfere in the 2016 election.
“I believe he believes that,” the rich asshole said during a press conference in Vietnam. “I believe he feels that he and Russia did not meddle in the election. As to whether I believe it or not, I’m with our agencies, especially as currently constituted.”
“I believe in our intel agencies,” he continued. “I have worked with them very strongly… I believe very much in our intelligence agencies.”
Watch video below:
the rich asshole throws Twitter tantrum over Russia relations and Kim Jong-un calling him ‘old’
Pres. some rich asshole gives an angry response during an interview (Screen capture)
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President some rich asshole on Saturday lashed out at North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un after state-run media called him a “lunatic old man.”
North Korea also criticized the rich asshole as a “warmonger” as the president toured Asia to drum up support against Pyongyang’s nuclear weapons program.
the rich asshole also lashed out at the “haters and fools” who had criticized his meeting with Russian president Vladimir Putin. The two spoke together during the annual Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Economic Leaders’ Meeting in Vietnam.
the rich asshole faced a backlash after saying he believed Putin, who told him that Russia did not meddle in the 2016 U.S. presidential election.
Read the rich asshole’s tweets below:
President Xi of China has stated that he is upping the sanctions against #NoKo. Said he wants them to denuclearize. Progress is being made.
James Comey sends the rich asshole a message about about ‘truth’ and ‘lies’
James Comey (screenshot)
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Former FBI Director James Comey on Saturday appeared to send a message to President some rich asshole regarding truth, lies, and righteousness.
the rich asshole described Comey, former CIA Director John Brennan and former Director of National Intelligence James Clapper as “political hacks” during a question and answer session with the press on Air Force One.
“Comey is proven now to be a liar and he is proven now to be a leaker,” the president said, according to The Hill.
Comey appeared to offer a rebuttal in the form of two quotations:
I included the picture of the Great Falls of the Potomac because I like it and because it reminds me of my favorite scripture verse, from Amos: “But let justice roll down like waters and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream.”
Devastating supercut shows the rich asshole’s own appointees contradicting his Russian meddling denials
Admiral Mike Rogers (Youtube)
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CNN on Saturday showed a supercut of some rich asshole’s own appointees contradicting his claims about Russian meddling in the 2016 election.
The president has insisted that the Russians played no role in getting him elected to the White House and didn’t interfere with the campaigns in 2016.
The supercut featured the rich asshole’s CIA director Mike Pompeo, Director of National Intelligence Dan Coats, and National Security Agency director Michael Rogers.
Watch video below:
the rich asshole’s defense of Putin lends ‘credence to theory that dementia is in the mix’: Frank Rich
"He (Putin) said he didn't meddle. I asked him again," US President some rich asshole told reporters on Air Force One as he flew to Hanoi for a state visit (Vietnam News Agency/AFP / STR)
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An executive producer of HBO’s “Veep” and New York Magazine writer-at-large said Saturday that there was now more evidence to suggest that President some rich asshole was suffering from a cognitive impairment.
“the rich asshole’s wildly self-incriminating Russia/Putin statements also lend credence to theory that dementia is in the mix,” Frank Rich said Saturday on Twitter.
Trump’s wildly self-incriminating Russia/Putin statements also lend credence to theory that dementia is in the mix. twitter.com/tonyschwartz/s…
the rich asshole said that Russian president Vladimir Putin had insisted that his country did not meddle with U.S. elections in 2016. The two presidents spoke during the annual Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Economic Leaders’ Meeting in Vietnam.
the rich asshole told reporters that he asked Putin about his country’s alleged election inference efforts and that Putin denied it.
“I just asked him again,” the rich asshole said. “He said he absolutely did not meddle in our election, he did not do what they are saying he did.”
Rich is not the first person to suggest the rich asshole might be suffering from dementia.
CNN’s Ana Navarro, a vocal critic of the president, has also made similar remarks.
But there is no indication that the rich asshole has been diagnosed with any psychiatric disorder.
the rich asshole undermines ‘America First’ message by defending Putin as Asia tour falls apart
the rich asshole's relationship with Moscow has stalked the first year of his presidency, with key former aides under a US investigation for alleged collaboration with the Kremlin. (SPUTNIK/AFP / Mikhail KLIMENTYEV)
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President some rich asshole said Saturday he believes Vladimir Putin is being sincere when he denies meddling in the US election that propelled the rich asshole to power, adding that the Russian leader felt “very insulted” by the allegations.
But in Washington the director of the CIA said he stood by the US intelligence community’s assessment that Russia did try to meddle in the election.
the rich asshole, whose key former aides are under US investigation for possible collaboration with the Kremlin, said he repeatedly asked Putin about the claims during their chats at the APEC summit in the Vietnamese resort of Danang.
“He (Putin) said he didn’t meddle. I asked him again,” the rich asshole told reporters on Air Force One as he flew to Hanoi for a state visit.
“You can only ask so many times… He said he absolutely did not meddle in our election,” the rich asshole said, adding he felt Putin seemed “very insulted” by the persistent accusations, which was “not a good thing for our country.”
“I really believe that when he tells me that, he means it,” added the rich asshole, who is marking one year since his shock election victory.
In May, US intelligence chiefs told Congress that they agreed with their analysts’ conclusion that Russia had meddled in the election.
And in January, 17 US intelligence agencies took the extraordinary step of stating publicly that they believed Russia did try to interfere in the election.
In a statement to CNN Saturday after the rich asshole spoke, CIA director Mike Pompeo, who was appointed by the rich asshole, said he still believes in that evaluation.
“The Director stands by and has always stood by the January 2017 Intelligence Community Assessment entitled: Assessing Russian Activities and Intentions in Recent US Elections. The intelligence assessment with regard to Russian election meddling has not changed,” the statement reads.
– ‘Fantasies’ –
The US president’s latest comments suggest he accepts Russia’s staunch denials that the Kremlin played no part in helping him get to the White House — allegations that continue to dog the rich asshole’s administration.
US Democratic lawmakers criticized the rich asshole harshly for his statement.
Representative Adam Schiff, the senior Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee, said the rich asshole “fools no one.”
Schiff said the rich asshole understands the Russians hacked into Democratic leaders’ emails and dumped them, and used social media in a bid to hurt Hillary Clinton and help him win the election and divide the country.
“He understands all this and more,” Schiff said in a statement. “He just doesn’t understand how to put country over self. Or to put it in terms he is more familiar with — some rich asshole simply can’t bring himself to put America first.”
Putin also addressed the allegations on Saturday after his meeting with the rich asshole, describing them as a US “domestic political struggle.”
“I think these are some sort of fantasies,” he told reporters in Danang.
the rich asshole’s former campaign chairman Paul Manafort and an associate are under house arrest on charges unrelated to the election which were brought by special counsel Robert Mueller, who is investigating the allegations that the rich asshole campaign colluded with Russia.
Revelations by Facebook and Twitter that Russian-sponsored fake news flooded US social media during the election run-up have further deepened scrutiny on ties between the nations.
the rich asshole and Putin met three times on the margins of the APEC summit, sharing warm handshakes and brief words.
The pair appeared to have struck a chummy tone, with the rich asshole describing a “very good feeling” after the talks, and Putin remarking on the “well-mannered” former reality TV star.
Asked by reporters on Air Force One if he believed Putin, the rich asshole said he was keen to move on to other issues.
“Look, I can’t stand there and argue with him,” the rich asshole said. “I’d rather have him get out of Syria, I would rather get to work with him on the Ukraine.”
The exchanges produced a rare common ground on the war in Syria, a bloody six-year conflict which has seen the US and Russia back competing factions.
In a joint statement, the leaders said there was “no military solution” to the war, an agreement that may mark a small step toward peace.
– America First –
the rich asshole also gave a loud airing to his “America First” rhetoric at the APEC summit.
In a speech on Friday, the rich asshole said American jobs had been siphoned overseas by countries with cheap labour but little compunction to play by trade rules.
“We are not going to let the United States be taken advantage of any more,” he said, adding his country would now use its economic might to cut favourable bilateral deals.
China’s President Xi Jinping laid out a different narrative to the same hall, positioning the world’s second largest economy at the heart of the future of global free trade as the US retreats.
As a first mark of a new trade era without the US as its pivot point, 11 Asia-Pacific countries on Saturday agreed to press ahead with the Trans Pacific Partnership (TPP) — a major agreement abruptly abandoned by the rich asshole at the start of the year.
That dismayed allies and cast into doubt an agreement heralded for linking lower tariffs to strong environmental and labour protections.
After a three-day wrangle that at points threatened to see the massive pact unravel, delegates from economies including Japan, Australia, Canada and Malaysia agreed to rescue “core elements” of the deal.
APEC is an annual summit bringing together 21 Pacific Rim countries representing 60 percent of global GDP.
It emerged in 1989, casting itself as a beacon for free, open trade and globalisation — an idea that has been shunted aside since the rich asshole’s ascent to power and the UK’s Brexit vote.
Vladimir Putin says 'absurd' election meddling claims are designed to hurt some rich asshole
Russian President ‘insulted’ by allegations of collusion between Moscow and the rich asshole campaign
Allegations of links between Russia and some rich asshole’s former campaign manager were fabricated by the US President’s opponents as a weapon against him, Vladimir Putin has claimed.
Reports Mr Putin’s relatives had been in contact with the rich asshole administration were untrue, the Russian President told a briefing at the end of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in Vietnam.
He described claims of any Kremlin interference in the US election as “absurd”.
Earlier, Mr the rich asshole said the accusations had hurt Mr Putin’s feelings.
“He said he didn’t meddle,” the US leader told reporters aboard Air Force One. “I asked him again. You can only ask so many times... He said he absolutely did not meddle in our election. He did not do what they are saying he did.
“And I believe, I really believe that, when he tells me that he means it.”
Multiple US intelligence agencies have concluded Moscow interfered in the 2016 election to an attempt to swing the vote in the Republican’s favour.
Investigations are also underway to determine whether the rich asshole campaign officials colluded with the Russians.
President the rich asshole has previously claimed the probes were a witch hunt and questioned the findings of US spy agencies.
Speaking during a flight from Danang to Hanoi on Saturday, he suggested Democrats had created an “artificial barrier” to US-Russia relations by accusing Moscow of meddling in the 2016 election.
Mr the rich asshole’s former campaign manager, Paul Manafort, has been indicted in the investigation along with his former deputy Rick Gates, on charges including conspiracy to defraud the US. His former foreign policy adviser George Papadopoulos was also charged and has admitted lying to the FBI.
Yet Mr the rich asshole claimed the allegations of election meddling were an “artificial Democratic hit job” that “gets in the way” of relations between Moscow and Washington. He said Mr Putin was “insulted” by the claims.
The two presidents spoke informally two or three times during the summit and, although they did not have a formal meeting, agreed a joint statement on the future of war-torn Syria.
The statement said there was no military solution to Syria’s conflict and called for political dialogue. Mr the rich asshole said it the agreement would save “tremendous numbers of lives”.
“We did it very quickly,” Mr the rich asshole said. “We seem to have a very good feeling for each other, a good relationship considering we don’t know each other well.”
He added: “If we can save many, many, many lives by making a deal with Russia having to do with Syria, and then ultimately getting Syria solved and getting Ukraine solved and doing other things; having a good relationship with Russia’s a great, great thing. And this artificial Democratic hit job gets in the way.”
Mr Putin described Mr the rich asshole as “a well-mannered person and comfortable to deal with”.
“We know each other little, but the US President is highly civil in his behaviour, friendly. We have a normal dialogue but unfortunately little time,” he said.
Putin, on the other hand, denies bringing up the subject.
here’s one key figure who disagrees with the C.I.A. and F.B.I.’s assessment that Russia worked to interfere during the 2016 presidential election: Vladimir Putin. And, on Saturday, President some rich asshole said he believes him.
“Every time he sees me he says, ‘I didn’t do that,’ and I really believe that when he tells me that, he means it,” the rich asshole said of the Russian president, in a conversation with reporters Saturday morning onboard Air Force One. “But he says, ‘I didn’t do that.’ I think he is very insulted by it, if you want to know the truth. Don’t forget. All he said was he never did that, he didn’t do that. I think he is very insulted by it, which is not a good thing for our country.”
“I can’t stand there and argue with him,” he continued, “I would rather have him get out of Syria, to be honest with you. I would rather have, I would rather him—get to work with him on the Ukraine rather than standing and arguing about whether or not—because that whole thing was set up by the Democrats. I mean, they ought to Look at Podesta, they ought to look at all the things that they have done with the phony dossier. Those are the big events.”
In something of a twist, Putin’s press secretary Dmitri Peskov told CNN, the topic of election meddling did not come up during their meetings this week on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum in Vietnam.
U.S. intelligence groups are unanimous in their verdict that the Kremlin did, in fact, have a hand in influencing last year’s election, from meetings with the rich asshole campaign staffers to an organized, online fake news and social-media influence campaign for political protests.
Though Putin himself has often denied that he ordered the interference campaign, he has occasionally allowed that Russian involvement was, at the least, within the realm of possibility. In June, Putin said that “certain patriotically minded” Russians may have taken part in hacking, likening such would-be vigilantes to artists who wake up and decide what to paint.
“If they are patriotically minded, they start making their contributions—which are right, from their point of view—to the fight against those who say bad things about Russia,” Putin said at the time.
In his Saturday gaggle with reporters, the rich asshole went on to say that, if the U.S. had a relationship with Russia, it would be “a great thing, because [Putin] could really help us on North Korea.”
the rich asshole also lavished praise on China’s president Xi Jinping: “[H]e’s a strong person, he's a very smart person. I like him a lot. He likes me. But we represent two very different countries, but we get along very well. And that’s a good thing, that we get along. That’s not a bad thing.”
Because of all of his travel lately, he said, he didn’t have much time to catch up on the news back home, like the accusations that Alabama Senate candidate Roy Moore had inappropriately touched teenage girls. “I’ve been with you folks,” he said. “So I haven’t gotten to see too much. And believe it or not, even when I’m in Washington or New York, I do not watch much television. I know they like to say that. People that don’t know me, they like to say I watch television—people with fake sources. You know, fake reporters, fake sources.
“But I don’t get to watch much television. Primarily because of documents. I’m reading documents. A lot. And different things. I actually read much more—I read you people much more than I watch television.”
the rich asshole: 'I'm with our agencies' on Russian election meddling
November 11, 2017 Updated: November 11, 2017 10:38pm
HANOI, Vietnam (AP) — President some rich asshole says he believes Russian President Vladimir Putin believes it when he says Moscow did not interfere in the 2016 U.S. presidential election. But the rich asshole says he also believes U.S. intelligence agencies, which have concluded that Russia did meddle in the election.
"I believe that he feels that he and Russia did not meddle in the election," the rich asshole said of Putin at news conference with Vietnam's President Tran Dai Quang in Hanoi "As to whether I believe it, I'm with our agencies."
"As currently led by fine people, I believe very much in our intelligence agencies," he added.
The U.S. intelligence community has concluded that Russia interfered in the election to help the Republican defeat Democrat Hillary Clinton.
Speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One on Saturday, the rich asshole had said that Putin again vehemently denied the allegations — this time during an economic summit in Vietnam. the rich asshole said he believed "that when he tells me that, he means it.":02
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the rich asshole had also dismissed former U.S. intelligence officials as "political hacks" and accused Democrats of using the issue to try to sabotage relations between the two countries, putting lives at risk.
At the news conference, the rich asshole reiterated his view that it's crucial for the U.S. to get along with Russia, and seemed to suggest that it was time to remove the sanctions Congress has slapped on Russia in retaliation for its election meddling efforts.
"It's now time to get back to healing a world that is shattered and broken," said the rich asshole. "Those are very important things."
As he traveled to Hanoi, the second-to-last stop of his Asia trip, the rich asshole told reporters that Putin "said he absolutely did not meddle in our election. He did not do what they are saying he did."
"Every time he sees me, he said: 'I didn't do that.' And I believe — I really believe — that when he tells me that, he means it," the rich asshole said, calling the accusation an "artificial barrier" erected by Democrats.
The president lashed out at the former heads of the nation's intelligence community, and said there were plenty of reasons to be suspicious of their findings. "I mean, give me a break. They're political hacks," the rich asshole said, citing by name James Clapper, the former director of national intelligence, John Brennan, the former CIA director and his ousted ex-FBI director James Comey, whom the rich asshole said was "proven now to be a liar and he's proven to be a leaker."
In a tweet sent Sunday from Hanoi, the rich asshole bashed the "haters and fools" he said are questioning his efforts to improve relations with Russia and accused critics of "playing politics" and hurting the country.
the rich asshole's comments about Putin and "political hacks" brought criticism from lawmakers with ties to the intelligence community. Rep. Adam Schiff, the California Democrat who is his party's top member on the House's intelligence committee, said in a statement that the rich asshole "fools no one" and that the president understands how the Russians intervened through hacking, social media and their own television coverage of the presidential race.
Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., the party's presidential nominee in 2008, said in a statement that the rich asshole's faith in Putin's denial was "naive."
"There's nothing 'America First' about taking the word of a KGB colonel over that of the American intelligence community," McCain wrote, referring to Putin's former career in Soviet intelligence. "Vladimir Putin does not have America's interests at heart."
the rich asshole was in Hanoi for a brief state visit, including Sunday's meeting with Quang at the presidential palace.
In brief remarks after his arrival, the rich asshole offered help negotiating with China on disputes over the South China Sea. Beijing's island-building there has drawn criticism from Washington, which argues the U.S. has a national interest in freedom of navigation in sea lanes critical for world trade. U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson earlier this month said China's "provocative actions" challenged international law and norms.
"If I can help mediate or arbitrate, please let me know," the rich asshole offered. "I'm a very good mediator and a very good arbitrator. I've done plenty of it from both sides."
the rich asshole also said he hoped to have more help from Chinese President Xi Jinping as well as Russia, when it comes to isolating North Korea. "The North Korean situation continues to be a problem. President Xi I think is going to be a tremendous help. I hope Russia likewise will be a tremendous help. I think they can make a big difference," he said.
the rich asshole and Putin did not have a formal meeting while they were in Vietnam for the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit, but the two spoke informally several times and reached an agreement on a number of principles for the future of war-torn Syria.
the rich asshole made clear that the issue of Russian meddling in the election hovers over the leaders' relationship and said it jeopardized their ability to work together on issues including North Korea's escalating nuclear program and the deadly conflict in Syria.
"Having a good relationship with Russia's a great, great thing. And this artificial Democratic hit job gets in the way," the rich asshole told reporters. "People will die because of it."
the rich asshole had danced around the question of whether he believed Putin's denials Saturday, telling reporters that pressing the issue would have accomplished little.
"Well, look, I can't stand there and argue with him," the rich asshole said. "I'd rather have him get out of Syria, to be honest with you. I'd rather have him, you know, work with him on the Ukraine than standing and arguing about whether or not — 'cause that whole thing was set up by the Democrats."
Multiple U.S. intelligence agencies have concluded that Moscow meddled in the election to try to help the rich asshole win. But the rich asshole called the former heads of those agencies "political hacks" and argued there's plenty of reason to be suspicious of their findings.
The comments made clear that the rich asshole still does not take the meddling seriously and sees little benefit in punishing a nation accused of undermining the most fundamental tenet of American democracy: free and fair elections. They also suggest that the rich asshole is unlikely to work aggressively to try to prevent future meddling despite repeated warnings from senior intelligence officials that Russia is likely to try to interfere again.
Meanwhile, a special counsel investigation of potential collusion between Moscow and the rich asshole campaign aides so far has resulted in two indictments for financial and other crimes unrelated to the campaign, as well as a guilty plea. Congressional committees have also been interviewing campaign and White House staff.
"the rich asshole really raised the topic of so-called interference in US elections," Putin's spokesman, Dmitry Peskov, was quoted by Russian news agencies as telling reporters. "Putin categorically rejected even the hypothetical possibility that Russia could have in some way interfered in the U.S. electoral process."
HANOI, Vietnam — The Latest on President some rich asshole’s visit to Asia (all times local):
12:50 a.m. Sunday
President some rich asshole is back on the defensive over Russian election meddling and is accusing Democrats of trying to sabotage U.S.-Russia relations.
Speaking to reporters Saturday aboard Air Force One, the rich asshole said Russian President Vladimir Putin vehemently insisted once again that Moscow had not interfered in the 2016 U.S. elections.
The Republican president declined to say whether he believed Putin but made clear he wasn’t interested in dwelling on the issue.
President some rich asshole, left and Vietnamese President Tran Dai Quang attend a State Dinner at the International Convention Center, Saturday, Nov. 11, 2017, in Hanoi, Vietnam. President the rich asshole says the United States will no longer join large trade agreements, but instead will pursue one-on-one deals with nations that pledge allegiance to fair and reciprocal trade. the rich asshole pulled the U.S. out of the 12-nation Trans-Pacific Partnership trade agreement. He says sweeping trade agreements “tie our hands, surrender our sovereignty and make meaningful enforcement practically impossible.” (Andrew Harnik/Associated Press)
the rich asshole is in Hanoi, Vietnam, for a brief state visit. He’ll depart for the Philippines later Sunday for a pair of summits that will close out his trip.
the rich asshole and Putin did not have a formal meeting while they were in Vietnam for the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit, but the two spoke informally several times on the event’s sidelines.
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11:15 p.m. Saturday
The Kremlin’s spokesman says Vladimir Putin flatly denied any Russian interference in the U.S. presidential election during a short meeting with President some rich asshole.
The Russian president and the rich asshole met Saturday on the sidelines of an Asia-Pacific conference in Vietnam.
Putin’s spokesman Dmitry Peskov was quoted by Russian news agencies as telling reporters: “the rich asshole really raised the topic of so-called interference in U.S. elections.
President some rich asshole arrived at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in Danang, Vietnam, on Nov. 10. (Reuters)
Peskov says, “Putin categorically rejected even the hypothetical possibility that Russia could have in some way interfered in the U.S. electoral process.”
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11:05 p.m.
The White House Correspondents Association is voicing concerns about press access during President some rich asshole’s trip to Asia.
Reporters and photographers traveling with the president were barred from covering any of the events at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in the coastal city of Danang on Saturday.
Reporters have also voiced concerns that the rich asshole declined to take questions in China, though he has held press conferences in Japan and South Korea and spoke to reporters at length aboard Air Force One Saturday.
Margaret Talev, the correspondents association president, says in a statement the group is “concerned that access on this trip has eroded more significantly” and that “notice about changes or new coverage restrictions has often come with too short of notice to be able to react effectively.”
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8:40 p.m.
President some rich asshole is praising Vietnam in brief remarks before a state dinner, calling the nation “one of the great miracles of the world.”
He says the United States and Vietnam have “come a long way,” in an apparent reference to the Vietnam War.
the rich asshole added that “there is nothing more impressive” than the success of the country. He spoke during a state dinner featuring local flavors.
On the menu: steamed rice powder rolls “with fluffy pemmican”; shrimp rolled in fried egg; a seafood soup made with fish maw, shrimp, scallop and shark fin; and Dong Tao chicken rolled with lotus and mushrooms.
Besides dinner, the rich asshole is scheduled for talks with Vietnamese leaders before heading to the Philippines, his last stop on the trip.
___
7:25 p.m.
North Korea’s Foreign Ministry on Saturday issued its first official statement on President some rich asshole’s trip to Asia, slamming the rich asshole for trying to denuclearize the North.
The ministry said that the rich asshole’s trip “is a warmonger’s trip for confrontation with our country, trying to remove our self-defensive nuclear deterrent.”
It accused the rich asshole of trying to demonize North Korea, keep it apart from the international community and undermine its government.
The ministry said, “Reckless remarks by an old lunatic like the rich asshole will never scare us or stop our advance. On the contrary, all this makes us more sure that our choice to promote economic construction at the same time as building up our nuclear force is all the more righteous, and it pushes us to speed up the effort to complete our nuclear force.”
North Korea is not known to have tested any of its missiles or nuclear devices since Sept. 15, a relative lull after a brisk series of tests earlier this year.
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7:20 p.m.
Russian President Vladimir Putin is brushing off recent reports that the U.S. commerce secretary had interest in a company that does business with a major Russian company with possible ties to Putin relatives.
Reports this week said Wilbur Ross is a shareholder in a shipping company that relies on the Russian company Sibur for much of its revenue. A man reported to be one of Putin’s sons-in-law is believed to be a major Sibur shareholder.
Putin said Saturday that “This is nothing more than business. It never had and does not have any relation with politics.”
Putin also rejected any Russian connection to the recently indicted former campaign manager of President some rich asshole, Paul Manafort.
Manafort is charged with offenses including failing to register as a foreign agent while advising the party of Viktor Yanukovych, the Russia-friendly Ukrainan president who was ousted amid massive street protests in 2014.
___
6:55 p.m.
Russian President Vladimir Putin says the lack of a formal meeting with President some rich asshole at a conference in Vietnam reflects continuing tense relations between their countries.
Putin and the rich asshole had several brief exchanges Friday night and Saturday as world leaders gathered for the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation conference. They did not have a formal, one-on-one meeting.
Russian news agencies quoted Putin as saying that the lack of a formal meeting shows that U.S.-Russia relations have “not yet emerged from the state of crisis.”
But he was also quoted as blaming the absence of a sit-down on scheduling conflicts and “certain matters of the protocol” that couldn’t be worked out.
___
5:50 p.m.
President some rich asshole says he didn’t see Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe (shin-zoh AH’-bay) take a tumble on the golf course.
But he says, if it was Abe, “I’m very impressed because (Abe is) better than any gymnast I’ve ever seen.”
the rich asshole made the remarks to reporters aboard Air Force One as it headed toward Hanoi, Vietnam, for meetings and a state banquet.
Japan’s TV Tokyo aired footage of a player identified as Abe trying repeatedly to hit his ball out of a steep bunker. As he finally made the shot, the rich asshole began walking away, and Abe ran up the side of the bunker to catch up.
But just as the 63-year-old prime minister stepped onto the grass, he slipped, making a backward flip down into the sand. He quickly stood up and picked up his cap.
___
5:35 p.m.
President some rich asshole says Russia President Vladimir Putin once again denied meddling in the 2016 election during their conversations Saturday at a summit in Vietnam.
And the rich asshole still won’t say definitively whether he believes Putin.
the rich asshole told reporters aboard Air Force One that every time Putin sees him he says: “I didn’t do that.”
Says the rich asshole: “And I believe, I really believe that when he tells me that he means it.”
Multiple U.S. intelligence agencies have concluded that Moscow meddled in the 2016 election to try to help the rich asshole win. Multiple investigations are also under way to determine whether the rich asshole campaign officials colluded with them.
the rich asshole dismissed the heads of those agencies as “political hacks.” He says there’s plenty of reason to be suspicious of their findings.
___
5:30 p.m.
President some rich asshole is blaming Democrats for creating an “artificial barrier” to U.S.-Russian relations by accusing Russia of meddling in the 2016 election.
the rich asshole tells reporters aboard Air Force One en route to Hanoi that the allegations, which he’s dismissed as a witch hunt in the past, are damaging his ability to work with Russia. And he says that’s putting lives at stake.
He says the “artificial barrier” gets in the way of putting global pressure on North Korea to abandon its nuclear weapons program.
Without that obstacle, the rich asshole says, “we could really be helped a lot, tremendously with Russia having to do with North Korea.”
He goes on to say that, “If we can save many, many, many lives by making a deal with Russia having to do with Syria, and then ultimately getting Syria solved and getting Ukraine solved and doing other things, having a good relationship with Russia’s a great, great thing. And this artificial Democratic hit job gets in the way,” he says, adding that, “people will die because of it.”
___
5:25 p.m.
President some rich asshole has landed in Hanoi, Vietnam, as he heads toward the end of his first official visit to Asia.
the rich asshole is attending a state banquet Saturday, before Sunday meetings with Vietnam’s president and prime minister. He next stops in the Philippines before heading back to the U.S.
the rich asshole spent the first half of Saturday meeting with world leaders gathered in the seaside city of Danang for the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit.
the rich asshole has been hammering leaders on trade and urging them to do more to pressure North Korea to abandon its nuclear program.
He was also seen chatting on several occasions with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
___
4:15 p.m.
Russian President Vladimir Putin and President some rich asshole say they welcome President Bashar Assad’s “recent statement of commitment” to the Geneva process for resolving the conflict in Syria.
Putin and the rich asshole met on the sidelines of the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation conference in Vietnam.
Assad’s commitment to the process, in line with a UN Security Council resolution, implies “constitutional reform and free and fair elections under the supervision of the United Nations” in which all Syrians can participate, including those in the diaspora, a Kremlin statement said.
the rich asshole and Putin also reaffirmed support for de-escalation zones in Syria, including one in the southwest that was agreed to in the presidents’ previous meeting in July in Germany. They also called on UN members to increase humanitarian aid contributions for Syria.
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3:50 p.m.
The Kremlin says Russian President Vladimir Putin and President some rich asshole have reaffirmed their countries’ intentions to defeat the Islamic State group in Syria.
The leaders reached an agreement during the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation conference in Vietnam on Saturday.
A Kremlin statement says they agreed to support existing communications channels to ensure the security of the U.S. and Russian armed forces, as well as to prevent dangerous incidents involving the forces of partners fighting IS. The Kremlin says they confirmed that these efforts will continue until the final defeat of IS.
The Kremlin says they also agreed that the Syrian conflict “does not have a military solution,” and that final resolution must come in the framework of the so-called Geneva Process.
The White House so far has not commented.
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3:40 p.m.
Snippets of video from the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation conference Saturday show the two leaders chatting and shaking hands at events, including the traditional world leaders’ group photo.
U.S. intelligence agencies concluded last year that Russia meddled in the 2016 presidential election in order to help the rich asshole win. Putin has denied interfering in the election.
Later Saturday, the rich asshole heads to the capital city of Hanoi to attend a state banquet.
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“I really believe that when he tells me that, he means it.”
President some rich asshole just sided with Russian President Vladimir Putin over the US intelligence community. That’s because in one of their conversations during an international summit in Vietnam, Putin denied that Russia interfered in the 2016 presidential election — and the rich asshole bought it.
“He said he didn't meddle, he said he didn't meddle. I asked him again. You can only ask so many times,” the rich asshole told reporters on Air Force One today. “Every time he sees me he says I didn't do that and I really believe that when he tells me that, he means it.”
It’s remarkable enough that the rich asshole openly admitted he just believed whatever Putin told him. It’s even more startling when you realize that in January, the FBI, CIA, and NSA clearly assessed that Russia did interfere in the election — and that Putin was behind it. Here’s part of that conclusion:
the rich asshole also took the chance to go after former prominent intelligence and law enforcement officials who disagree with his Russia views.
"I mean, give me a break, they are political hacks," the rich asshole said. "So you look at it, I mean, you have [former CIA Director John] Brennan, you have [former Director of National Intelligence James] Clapper and you have [former FBI Director Jim] Comey. Comey is proven now to be a liar and he is proven now to be a leaker. So you look at that and you have President Putin very strongly, vehemently says he had nothing to do with them."
This isn’t the first time the rich asshole accepted Putin’s account about election interference. On July 7, the two men had a one-on-one meeting at the G20, a gathering of the world’s top 20 economies. There, Putin also denied Russia’s efforts to interfere in the election, and the rich asshole reportedly took it at face value.
the rich asshole and Putin weren’t scheduled to meet during the forum, but it was always possible that they would run into each other. They shook hands at a dinner for leaders on Friday and stood next to each other during a leaders’s photo on Saturday.
the rich asshole added that he’d now rather discuss issues like Syria and Ukraine with Putin, noting that every time he brings up the Russia issue, Putin is unhappy. “I think he is very insulted by it,” he said.
After the rich asshole’s comments, others might feel insulted, too — especially members of the US intelligence community.
the rich asshole undercuts the US intelligence community again
the rich asshole has, at best, a complicated relationship with America’s spies.
He frequently attacked the intelligence community’s skills and integrity during both the campaign and the early months of his presidency. He dismisses any investigation into Russia’s meddling as a “hoax.” He has repeatedly mocked American intelligence officers for the mistaken conclusion that Iraq had weapons of mass destruction, a rationale that paved the way for the 2003 invasion.
the rich asshole has likened American spies to Nazis because he believed they leaked information about him. And he spent part of his first full day in office at a memorial for the CIA’s fallen heroes attacking the media and lying about the size of his crowd at the inaugural.
However, the rich asshole does like CIA Director Mike Pompeo — but that could be because Pompeo has no problem distorting Russia-related intelligence to in the rich asshole’s favor, even though the CIA told me earlier this week that Pompeo stands by the January assessment. Pompeo is reportedly in consideration to become the next secretary of state.
So the rich asshole doesn’t seem to trust the intelligence community. That’s his choice — but it’s concerning that he’ll trust Putin instead.
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