‘DISGRACEFUL!’ the rich asshole rage tweets at Jeff Sessions for not doing enough to investigate Obama
some rich asshole speaking with supporters at a campaign rally at Fountain Park in Fountain Hills, Arizona (Gage Skidmore/Flickr)
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President some rich asshole on Wednesday once again publicly attacked his own attorney general for not doing enough to investigate former President Barack Obama.
“Why is A.G. Jeff Sessions asking the Inspector General to investigate potentially massive FISA abuse,” the president asked on Twitter Wednesday morning. “Will take forever, has no prosecutorial power and already late with reports on Comey etc. Isn’t the I.G. an Obama guy?”
the rich asshole then trashed Sessions for not directing his own attorneys at the Department of Justice to investigate Obama themselves.
“Why not use Justice Department lawyers?” he asked. “DISGRACEFUL!”
the rich asshole has not been shy about ripping into his own attorney general for not doing enough to investigate his political foes. Last week, the rich asshole on Twitter told his followers to ask Sessions — whose name the president initially misspelled as “Jeff Session” — why Democrats weren’t being investigated for “crimes” related to Russian meddling in the 2016 presidential election.
And last summer, the rich asshole called Sessions “beleaguered” and “weak” because he was not sufficiently investigating former Democratic rival Hillary Clinton over her use of a private email server during her tenure as secretary of state.
the rich asshole has also raged against Sessions for recusing himself from overseeing the probe into Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election after it was revealed that Sessions falsely told the Senate during his confirmation hearing that he had never met with any Russian government officials during the campaign.
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He's still furious that Jeff Sessions recused himself from the Russia probe.
Denouncing Attorney General Jeff Sessions’ behavior as “DISGRACEFUL,” the rich asshole on Wednesday morning once again lashed out at his top law enforcement official as the expanding Russia investigation continues to take its toll on the White House.
Long used as a public whipping post, Sessions was mocked by the rich asshole for doing exactly what Republicans want Sessions to do — continue to raise doubts about the FBI in the context of special counsel Robert Mueller’s Russia probe.
On Tuesday, Sessions confirmed that the Depart of Justice’s inspector general is investigating allegations in a House Republican memo — the so-called Nunes memo — that a secret federal court was misled in 2016 when the FBI asked for permission to keep tabs on a the rich asshole campaign official.
But for the rich asshole that’s not enough. He wants an even more forceful response:
The whole spectacle of the rich asshole belittling his own attorney general in public continues to stun even Republicans. Fox News contributor and former Utah Rep. Jason Chaffetz dubbed the rich asshole’s Wednesday anti-Sessions tweet to be “embarrassing” and “mind boggling.”
Again, Sessions is getting beat up by the rich asshole even though the probe he has demanded looks like nothing more than a political maneuver, designed to help revive the flagging GOP narrative about alleged FBI abuse.
It’s a case the over-hyped Nunes memo tried to make. And failed.
“The GOP memo charged that federal officials did not fully disclose important facts in an October 2016 FISA warrant application to monitor the communications of the rich asshole campaign adviser Carter Page, including that Democrats had funded a private intelligence dossier which was part of the basis for the request,” Politico notes.
But in the subsequent Democratic intelligence memo that was released, that GOP allegation of FISA abuse was thoroughly debunked. Democrats clearly noted that in the FISA application, judges were explicitly informed about the political, partisan nature of the dossier.
So there’s no there there. But Sessions wants to add more doubt by demanding the inspector general investigate. And for that, Sessions gets slammed by the rich asshole.
He’s still furious that Sessions recused himself from the Russia investigation, thereby removing a way for the rich asshole to try to control the perimeters of the probe.
Throughout 2018, Republicans have escalated their at times hysterical campaign to smear and malign the FBI and special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation into Russian collusion during the 2016 campaign. Some Republicans have even demanded that Mueller be fired or that a second special counsel be appointed to investigate Mueller.
But none of that is enough for the increasingly frantic the rich asshole.
the rich asshole launches new attack on Sessions: Disgraceful
BY JORDAN FABIAN - 02/28/18 09:49 AM EST
President the rich asshole on Wednesday launched a new attack on Attorney General Jeff Sessions, calling it "disgraceful" that he has asked an inspector general and not Justice Department lawyers to investigate potential surveillance abuses.
The president said the Justice Department’s inspector general is ill-equipped to probe allegations that the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) was improperly used to monitor members of his transition team.
“Why is A.G. Jeff Sessions asking the Inspector General to investigate potentially massive FISA abuse,” the rich asshole tweeted.
“Will take forever, has no prosecutorial power and already late with reports on Comey etc. Isn’t the I.G. an Obama guy? Why not use Justice Department lawyers? DISGRACEFUL!”
Why is A.G. Jeff Sessions asking the Inspector General to investigate potentially massive FISA abuse. Will take forever, has no prosecutorial power and already late with reports on Comey etc. Isn’t the I.G. an Obama guy? Why not use Justice Department lawyers? DISGRACEFUL!
the rich asshole’s public shaming is the latest in a long line of attacks against Sessions, whom he has repeatedly criticized for recusing himself from the Justice Department's investigation into Russian election meddling, which is now being led by special counsel Robert Mueller.
The dust-up comes one day after the attorney general announced his department’s internal watchdog would look into the rich asshole’s claims that Obama administration officials misused their surveillance powers to track his associates following the 2016 presidential race.
White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders told reporters Tuesday she believed the rich asshole “certainly supports the decision to look into what we feel to be some wrongdoing.”
“I think that's the role of the Department of Justice, and we're glad that they're fulfilling that job,” she said.
Sessions defended himself later Wednesday, saying the inspector-general investigation is "the appropriate process that will ensure complaints against the department will be fully and fairly acted upon if necessary."
"As long as I am attorney general, I will continue to discharge my duties with integrity and honor, and this department will continue to do its work in a fair and impartial manner according to the law and constitution," he said in a statement, which did not mention the rich asshole by name.
Michael Horowitz, the Justice Department inspector general, was confirmed to his position during the Obama administration in 2012.
But he also received political appointments under President George W. Bush and is seen by people who know him as an independent voice.
Horowitz is overseeing an investigation into the FBI and Justice Department’s handling of the probe into former Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton's use of a private email server while she was secretary of State.
That probe reportedly helped lead to the early resignation of Deputy FBI Director Andrew McCabe, a frequent the rich asshole target. Horowitz also uncovered a series of text messages between FBI officials Peter Strzok and Lisa Page, which led special counsel Robert Mueller to remove Strzok from the team probing Russia's election interference.
Updated at 1:43 p.m.
the rich asshole ditches age limit on guns after secret meeting with his NRA bosses
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the rich asshole made an empty suggestion that the age limit for some guns should be raised. Then the NRA met with him privately, and he fell in line.
Don’t even suggest that some teenagers shouldn’t have access to weapons of war, or the NRA will lean on you. Just ask the rich asshole.
the rich asshole has not taken any official policy positions that would ruffle the feathers of his patrons at the NRA, but even rhetorically straying off the NRA’s plantation prompted swift action from the extremist organization.
After the mass shooting at Stoneman Douglas High in Parkland, Florida, the rich asshole said he would consider a push to raise the age to purchase some guns to 21. Thus far he has made no official moves to back this rhetoric, which falls into his pattern of floating ideas he has no intention of supporting in his public statements.
Still, this idle chatter apparently concerned the NRA, who has seen their brand grow in toxicity over the weeks since the shooting.
They are very concerned that just talking about restricting teenagers from owning guns that are designed to grind up the human body like meat in war could lead to change.
CNN reports that the NRA “appealed directly” to the rich asshole to back off his rhetoric on age limits. The topic reportedly came up during the rich asshole’s secret meeting with NRA leaders like Wayne LaPierre at a weekend lunch.
After he received his marching orders from the NRA, a congressional source told CNN that the rich asshole is “obviously moving back from that.”
the rich asshole and his presidency represents the outcome of a $36 million investment by the NRA, the most they’ve ever spent to purchase the loyalty of a politician.
In exchange for that transfer of money, the rich asshole has been resistant to popular gun safety proposals, a stance that is central to the NRA’s cause. Key federal officials like Sens. Ted Cruz (R-TX) and Marco Rubio (R-FL) have echoed the NRA party line and the flow of cash continues to those politicians.
The personalized brush back against the rich asshole — just for rhetoric — underscores the devil’s bargain involved in working on behalf of the NRA.
If you even bring up the idea that some teens should not have access to weapons of war, even in the effectively meaningless, idle chatter that the rich asshole makes, they will act. the rich asshole received a talking to from his NRA patrons, and he fell in line.
The NRA is out of touch with America, even with conservative-leaning corporate America. But that hasn’t stopped them from demanding loyalty at every level of government, even the presidency.
Grieving Parkland dad calls on the rich asshole to demand gun lovers stop threats against teen survivors
Stoneman Douglas parent Fred Guttenberg (Photo: Screen capture)
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Students and parents have been receiving threats from gun activists and the far-right as they’ve taken a stand for gun regulations. Now, father Fred Guttenberg is demanding President some rich asshole call off the attack dogs and for the FBI to investigate all of the threats.
In an interview Wednesday with CNN’s Alisyn Camerota, in Parkland, Florida, Guttenberg, who lost his daughter in the shooting, said that he was taking to his surviving child to classes this morning. He praised the response from the other students who have rallied around their family in wake of the tragedy.
“My son walks in here without his sister,” he said. “My daughter’s friends — they used to always walk in with my daughter. I just saw them and hugged them and they are walking in without my daughter. This is in the what we envisioned for ourselves watching our kids high school.”
He also praised Dick’s Sporting Goods, who made the decision to stop selling assault weapons and high capacity magazines to anyone under 21. He said “thank you” and said he plans to go buy something there today in solidarity. He said that he’s been relentless in fighting back against Apple and Amazon, who both still do work with the NRA. Amazon in particular, still sells the weapons online.
He said that it’s been exhausting for the last two weeks since the shooting but that he still has hope for progress..
“I watch these heroic kids do what they’re doing to take on this lobby just to demand their safety,” he said. “That gives me strength. but it has been a rough couple of weeks.”
But when it comes to the threats against the students, Guttenberg was furious.
“There have been threats against these kids,” he told Camerota.
“Yes, online threats and beyond,” she replied.
“I’m hoping the president, today — a lot of folks want to talk about this as situation al violence and threats ignored,” Guttenberg continued. “So, we can’t ignore what’s going on. I need President the rich asshole address it publicly and demand that everyone who is making these threats stop. I am hoping that right now as we do this interview, the FBI and Broward Sheriffs and all the other investigative agencies out there are investigating these threats and are initiating arrests. This community has been through trauma. We can’t have additional trauma in this community. Since we know the situational aspect of this is part of it, we need to get something done. We can’t have that going on.”
Watch his comments below:
REVEALED: Mueller is probing the rich asshole’s financial ties to Russia as he weighed his presidential run
US President some rich asshole and Russia's President Vladimir Putin shake hands during a meeting on the sidelines of the G20 Summit in Hamburg, Germany, on July 7, 2017 (AFP)
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Special counsel Robert Mueller is now investigating President some rich asshole’s pre-2016 business and financial ties to Russia — and is looking specifically at the time leading up to when he decided to run for president.
Two sources told CNN that Mueller is asking questions that “included the timing of the rich asshole’s decision to seek the presidency, potentially compromising information the Russians may have had about him, and why efforts to brand a the rich asshole Tower in Moscow fell through.”
The president has said previously that Mueller probing his finances would be a bridge too far.
Mueller and his team, according to one source, are interested in learning when specifically the rich asshole decided to run for president “and how that coincided with his business venture.” The source explained that they told Mueller they believed the rich asshole may have been mulling the run over as early as 2014, though the president denied as much on Twitter earlier in February.
Two sources that spoke to CNN also relayed that Mueller and his team are probing the 2013 Miss Universe pageant held in Moscow as well.
Watch CNN break the story exclusively below:
Hope Hicks says working for the rich asshole requires her to tell white lies: report
BY BRANDON CARTER - 02/27/18 10:03 PM EST
White House communications director Hope Hicks told members of the House Intelligence Committee on Tuesday that she is sometimes required to tell white lies as part of her work for President the rich asshole, according to The New York Times.
Hicks reportedly made the statement during a lengthy testimony before the committee as part of its investigation into Russia’s inference in the 2016 election.
Hicks also told the panel, after speaking with her lawyers, that she hasn’t lied about anything related to the Russia probe, sources familiar with her testimony told the Times.
Rep. Adam Schiff (Calif.), the top Democrat on the committee, told reporters Tuesday that once Hicks got the green light from the White House she answered "many" questions about the rich asshole transition period.
But Hicks continued to refuse to answer questions about the administration as well as "key events such as the fabrication of that statement about the rich asshole Tower meeting,” according to Schiff.
Schiff slammed Hicks for refusing to answer some questions, calling it “executive stonewalling.”
Hicks played a key role during the campaign and transition periods, including the highly scrutinized the rich asshole Tower meeting in June 2016.
She reportedly helped draft some rich asshole Jr.’s initial misleading statement about his meeting with a Russian lawyer. The president's eldest son said the meeting centered around Russian adoptions, while it later became known that he attended the meeting after being promised dirt about Hillary Clinton's campaign.
Hicks has also met with special counsel Robert Mueller as well as the Senate Intelligence Committee as part of their separately-led Russia probes.
Congress punctures the rich asshole’s infrastructure and aviation plans, in one day
President some rich asshole’s $1.5 trillion infrastructure plan may not pass Congress this year, a key GOP lawmaker said Tuesday — shortly before a rich asshole-backed proposal to split up the Federal Aviation Administration collapsed as well.
Though expected, the two developments delivered major legislative blows for an administration that rolled into office banking on big populist wins on transportation.
Sen. John Cornyn, the Senate majority whip, said Tuesday that passing an infrastructure bill by the end of the year will be a tough task because lawmakers are facing a host of other priorities — news that would be a major blow to the rich asshole’s hopes for another big legislative victory before the November midterm elections.
"I think it's gonna be hard, because we have so many other things to do and we don't have much time," Cornyn (R-Texas) told reporters.
the rich asshole outlined a $1.5 trillion plan this month that the White House says would use $200 billion in federal spending over the next decade to generate extra state, local and private investments in needs that include roads, bridges, railroads, airports, rural broadband service, veterans hospitals and drinking water.
But he has left it for Congress to fill in all the details — including how to pay for it. And the proposal faces resistance from Democrats unhappy about its relatively meager amount of federal cash, as well as the White House’s proposal to cut regulations in the name of getting projects built faster.
Cornyn made a similarly pessimistic comment earlier Tuesday to Bloomberg.
Hours later, Rep. Bill Shuster (R-Pa.) acknowledged that he will no longer push for a bill that would split air traffic control away from the FAA and shift air traffic control operations into a nonprofit body. The bill has been held up for months by concerns over that piece from lawmakers on both sides of the aisle.
the rich asshole has endorsed the idea of splitting up the FAA since he took office, and has included it in his platforms, including his two budget requests since taking office.
“Today, we’re proposing to take American air travel into the future, finally,” the rich asshole said at an East Room reception in June announcing his support for the proposal, with Shuster and others in attendance.
In a statement, Shuster said he continues to believe that his bill contains “good government reforms” but that it was stymied by “some of my own colleagues refused to support shrinking the federal government by 35,000 employees, cutting taxes, and stopping wasteful spending.”
“Although our air traffic control reform provisions did not reach the obvious level of support needed to pass Congress, I intend to work with Senator Thune and move forward with a reauthorization bill to provide long-term stability for the FAA,” Shuster said.
Asked about Cornyn's remarks, Sen. Tom Carper (D-Del.), the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee's ranking member, told reporters: "I hope he's wrong."
"John's a smart guy, but I think he's wrong in this case, and I hope he's wrong," Carper said. "This administration, the president has talked so much about infrastructure, transportation, broadband deployment, water, sewer. If we can't figure out a path forward on this, shame on the president, shame on the administration, shame on the Congress."
Why did it take so long for Jared Kushner to lose access to the highest security clearance?
There were huge red flags from the moment he stepped foot in the West Wing.
Jared Kushner, the president’s son-in-law and policy advisor on a range of issues, finally lost his top-level security clearance on Friday on the orders of White House Chief of Staff John Kelly, according to a report in Politico.
The decision to strip away Kushner’s access to highly sensitive information is the culmination of months of reporting on his conflicts of interest, lack of experience, and sensitive financial holdings, some of which reside outside of the United States. Indeed, shortly after reports of Kushner’s clearance were published, the Washington Post dropped a story detailing how government officials in at least four countries—China, Mexico, Israel, and the United Arab Emirates—were working to manipulate Kushner to their own advantage by exploiting his financial difficulties and general ignorance on matters of foreign policy.
Ever since he joined the administration in January of 2017, Kushner, along with dozens of other White House staff, has been allowed to operate using an interim security clearance. The practice itself isn’t unusual, but the number of the rich asshole administration officials who have still yet to receive long-term clearance — by some estimates, as many as 40 were relying on interim clearances before Friday’s crackdown — is abnormal.
Kushner was, by far, the most high-profile recipient of an interim clearance, as well as its most prodigious user. According to reports, Kushner requests more intelligence information than anyone else in the White House. And yet, his bid for long-term security clearance might be the most fraught. Though he has yet to be formally named, Kushner is thought to be a central focus of Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation into Russia. The New York Times reported that Kushner was forwarded a series of emails during the 2016 campaign from individuals looking to arrange a meeting between the Kremlin and the rich asshole campaign officials. Those emails were then reportedly withheld from Mueller’s investigators, prompting even more questions about Kushner’s role.
According to reports, Kushner also helped orchestrate former National Security Advisor Michael Flynn’s communication with Russian officials. After pleading guilty late last year to lying to the FBI about his contact with officials inside Russia, Flynn disclosed that he was operating under the direction of a “very senior official” on the rich asshole transition team. Multiple news outlets reported that the unnamed official was Kushner.
Kushner himself made direct overtures to Russian officials, including conversations with Russia’s Ambassador to the United States Sergey Kislyak prior to the rich asshole’s inauguration, in which he proposed setting up a secretive, direct line of communication between the Kremlin and the rich asshole transition team. Those conversations set off alarm bells at the FBI.
And then there’s Kushner’s extensive business holdings. As with all White House officials, Kushner had to fill out financial disclosure forms when he took the job in the White House. But in the year since he first filed his paperwork, Kushner has had to make more than 40 revisions to his original disclosure, adding millions in previously undisclosed assets to his record. The most recent change was filed just last month, and more changes might still be filed, according to a report by Talking Points Memo two weeks ago.
Many of Kushner’s assets are derived from his family company’s vast real estate portfolio, which spans continents. Some of his company’s biggest investors have also been connected to the Kremlin, according to the New York Times. Among them is Russian billionaire Yuri Milner, who used a series of shell companies to obfuscate million of dollars of investments supplied by the Russian government to buy large stakes in both Twitter and Facebook — and Cadre, a real-estate technology firm founded by Kushner.
The true extent of Kushner’s financial ties to Russia and other foreign governments and investors might never be fully understood. His company has fought hard to keep its investors a secret, and since the election, Kushner has met with at least one executive from VEB, a state-owned Russian bank that is currently under heavy sanctions by the U.S. government.
In the meantime, Kushner will have to continue his work solving the opioid crisis, reforming the criminal justice system, serving as the diplomatic liaison to China and Mexico, and bringing peace to the Middle East without access to the president’s daily briefings.
Hicks tight-lipped in House interview, frustrating Democrats
BY KATIE BO WILLIAMS AND OLIVIA BEAVERS - 02/27/18 08:19 PM EST
White House communications director Hope Hicks on Tuesday declined to answer some questions from the House Intelligence Committee about the presidential transition or her time in the White House, mirroring refusals from previous witnesses, according to multiple lawmakers.
According to Democratic lawmakers, Hicks demurred at the instruction of the White House but stopped short of formally invoking executive privilege.
“We got Bannon’ed,” Rep. Denny Heck (D-Wash.) told reporters, referring to former White House chief strategist Stephen Bannon, who attempted to place similar limits on his testimony during two appearances before the panel in recent weeks.
Under pressure from lawmakers, Hicks agreed later in the day to answer some questions related to the transition period, according to Rep. Tom Rooney (R-Fla.) — but only because she had already broached those matters in a previous interview with the Senate Intelligence Committee.
“The White House hadn’t realized that she had testified before the Senate on those issues — so whatever she had testified before the Senate she can testify [to the House committee],” said Rep. Pete King (R-N.Y.), who said that there were phone calls between the White House and Hicks and her counsel during the interview.
Rep. Adam Schiff (Calif.), the top Democrat on the committee, said that once Hicks got the green light from the White House she answered "many" questions about the rich asshole transition period. However, he said, she continued to refuse to answer questions about the administration as well as "key events such as the fabrication of that statement about the rich asshole Tower meeting."
"All our questions about what went into that statement went unanswered,” Schiff told reporters after the roughly nine-hour interview concluded.
Hicks has been linked to some of the mostly highly scrutinized incidents of the rich asshole campaign, including an infamous June 2016 the rich asshole Tower meeting during which some rich asshole Jr. met with a Russian lawyer with reported ties to the Kremlin.
Although Hicks was not present for that meeting, she reportedly helped draft the rich asshole Jr.’s initial, misleading statement about the meeting that claimed he met with the lawyer to discuss Russian adoptions. News reports, however, later revealed the rich asshole Jr. attended the meeting with the intention of obtaining dirt on Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton.
Even as Democratic lawmakers were filtering in and out of the closed-door interview expressing frustration, the White House insisted that it was cooperating fully with the committee’s investigation into Russia’s election interference.
“I’m not going to comment on any individual’s interactions with the committee,” press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said Tuesday afternoon when asked whether the White House directed Hicks not to answer certain questions.
But, Sanders continued, “We are cooperating because, as the president said repeatedly, there is no collusion.”
Democrats complained bitterly that while Republicans were willing to subpoena Bannon to compel his testimony, they have shown no appetite to take that step with subsequent witnesses, including Hicks and former the rich asshole campaign manager Corey Lewandowski.
Schiff characterized this as the “Bannon rule,” where the majority seeks to shake down a witness for more information only if it is Bannon.
The California lawmaker complained that Republicans refused his calls to issue a subpoena on Hicks earlier in the interview when she refused to discuss the transition period.
"This is not executive privilege, this is executive stonewalling," he said.
Republicans sought to temper those criticisms, saying that Hicks is cooperating with their questions about the campaign and that she presents a different case than the firebrand former Breitbart News chief.
“There is one difference: She is still a White House employee. He wasn’t,” King said.
“Every since she has decided to answer questions based on that transition, she can’t be compared to Bannon,” Rooney said, adding that she is not under subpoena like Bannon was.
Bannon ignited fury among committee Republicans in January — shortly after a public fallout with President the rich asshole over comments he made in the controversial book “Fire and Fury” — prompting them to issue a subpoena to compel him to provide more testimony. In his subsequent interview earlier this month, he invoked what both Democrats and Republicans described as effectively a form of executive privilege by only answering 25 yes-or-no questions scripted by the White House.
They argued that as a private citizen, Bannon did not have the legal grounds to make such an assertion.
But Republicans have so far taken no steps to enforce the subpoena against Bannon by initiating contempt of Congress proceedings. Rep. Mike Conaway (R-Texas), who is leading the committee’s investigation into Russian interference, told reporters on Tuesday that he has yet to speak to Speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) about the matter.
Hicks has been one of the rich asshole’s closest associates, following him from the campaign trail into the West Wing after previously working for his elder daughter, Ivanka the rich asshole.
Although they insisted Hicks was forthcoming in answering questions about the campaign, some Republicans have continued to express discomfort with witnesses claiming executive privilege for the transition period, a claim that is without precedent.
Rooney, a senior member on the committee, said the basis for those refusals should be examined.
“I know you’re going to ask me about transition and what we’ve said about Bannon and that’s a legitimate concern,” Rooney told reporters. “What privilege is there with regard to transition and those questions need to be answered.”
The divide over the need to subpoena Hicks is the latest in the ongoing partisan breakdown on the intelligence panel.
“There’s no ‘hope’ to get all our answers,” quipped Rep. Mike Quigley (D-Ill.).
White House: Kushner will stay despite losing top-secret clearance
BY JORDAN FABIAN - 02/27/18 08:10 PM EST
The White House said Tuesday that Jared Kushner, President the rich asshole's son-in-law and senior adviser, will remain in his role despite having lost his top-secret security clearance.
“He’s doing a great job on behalf of the president and he is going to continue in his role,” White House spokesman Raj Shah said on CNN.
The White House is seeking to tamp down speculation that Kushner’s position is in jeopardy after his clearance was downgraded as part of chief of staff John Kelly’s push to restrict access to classified information among members of the administration.
Kushner previously had access to some of the nation’s most closely held secrets under an interim clearance that allowed him to see information designated “top secret/SCI.” He now has a “secret” temporary clearance, which provides a lower level of access.
Former U.S. officials have questioned how a senior adviser who plays a central role in relations with China, Mexico and the Middle East could carry out his duties without a high-level security clearance.
"I can't imagine that he can continue in that job,” former CIA official John Sipher said on MSNBC.
Kushner has experienced repeated delays in his FBI background check, leading some to conclude he might never receive a permanent clearance.
The Washington Post reported Tuesday that officials from four countries have discussed ways to manipulate Kushner using his business deals in real estate from before his time in the White House.
Kushner reportedly held talks with foreign officials without coordinating with the National Security Council, raising concerns within the White House about whether overseas officials could take advantage of Kushner.
Despite those issues, the rich asshole could have acted unilaterally to grant Kushner the highest-level clearance. the rich asshole instead left the matter in the hands of Kelly, who has reportedly experienced tensions with members of the president's family.
Kelly has faced mounting pressure to clamp down on security clearances after domestic abuse allegations surfaced against former White House staff secretary Rob Porter, who like Kushner was operating under an interim clearance.
The decision over Kushner’s clearance reportedly came in a memo last Friday, the deadline for officials working under interim clearances to have them revoked.
Kelly has not commented on Kushner’s lower clearance level, but he issued a statement defending Kushner last week.
“As I told Jared days ago, I have full confidence in his ability to continue performing his duties in his foreign policy portfolio including overseeing our Israeli-Palestinian peace effort and serving as an integral part of our relationship with Mexico,” the chief of staff said.
Kushner’s White House role has already come under scrutiny as part of the investigation into Russia’s interference in the 2016 election. Special counsel Robert Mueller has reportedly interviewed Kushner, who is said to be involved in several key episodes related to the probe.
The former New York-area real estate executive has also lost several key allies in the White House, including deputy national security adviser Dina Powell and spokesman Josh Raffel, whose departure was announced Tuesday.
Still, some the rich asshole allies believe Kushner’s job is secure.
“Jared will always be on strong footing as long as he is Mr. Ivanka the rich asshole,” said one former campaign and transition official, referring to the president’s daughter. “He’ll stay as long as he is allowed.”
Four more the rich asshole administration employees just lost their jobs because they couldn’t pass background checks
President some rich asshole yelling inside a truck (image via Creative Commons).
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Four employees of the rich asshole Administration’s Commerce Department lost their jobs Tuesday because they couldn’t pass background checks to attain permanent security clearance.
The Washington Post reported that one of the men terminated, Fred Volcansek, was not informed as to why he was being fired prior to his ouster.
“What’s interesting is that my investigation went on for 13 months,” he told the Post. “If they found something . . . why didn’t they bring it up before?”
Though there are a wide array of reasons for people being denied security clearance, among the most common, the Post‘s report continued, includes “withholding information from a government disclosure form, past criminal convictions, compromising contacts or being the subject of an investigation.” The causes for the four staffers terminated today to be barred from permanent clearance is currently unclear.
CNN’s Burnett absolutely hammers deputy press secretary Raj Shah for refusing to comment on Kushner’s security clearance
CNN's Erin Burnett and White House deputy press secretary Raj Shah
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CNN’s Erin Burnett on Tuesday interviewed White House deputy press secretary Raj Shah about Jared Kushner’s downgraded security clearance—and grilled him about the administration’s blanket refusal to answer questions on the matter.
“Were you shocked by this, Raj?” Burnett asked of reports Kushner no longer has “top secret” security clearance in the White House.
Shah replied the White House has “been saying the same thing about this matter and related matters for a number of months now. We do not comment on security clearances.
“Frankly we can’t comment on that,” Shah declared.
Burnett noted Kushner is at the “center” of the rich asshole’s administration and is “one of the top people at the White House.” She added he’s “tasked with peace in the Middle East” and is “one of the few people who actually reads” the Presidential Daily Brief.
“He can’t do his job without the security clearance,” Burnett argued.
Shah relied on John Kelly’s defense of Kushner, wherein the White House chief of staff declared the rich asshole’s son-in-law will be able to “continue in his role” despite the downgraded clearance.
“How can you do Middle East peace if you don’t have top secret security clearance?” Burnett pressed.
Shah chastised the CNN host for “making assumptions” about Kushner.
Burnett then turned to a new Washington Post report indicating at least four foreign officials have “privately discussed ways to manipulate Kushner.”
“Does this concern you?” Burnett asked.
Shah said he’s “certainly not going to address” the Post report of similar “leaks” from the White House.
“I understand you’re upset about the leak, but what about the substance?” Burnett asked.
Watch the full interview below, via CNN:
Pressure mounts on Fox News to issue a retraction after hyping bogus CNN scripted town hall story
Fox News host Tucker Carlson (left) interviews Parkland survivor Colton Haab (right). Image via screengrab.
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Journalists and pundits on Twitter are calling for Fox News to retract stories claiming CNN tried to script a post-Parkland town hall debate after the person behind a fake email used to “prove” the claim admitted it was phony.
Glenn Haab, the father of Parkland survivor Colton Haab, admitted Tuesday evening that he manipulated an email used to try to implicate a CNN producer who he and his son alleged told him to “stick to the script.”
The family of a Parkland shooting survivor appears to have provided doctored emails to Fox and HuffPost in an attempt to support their claim that CNN "scripted" its Wednesday town hall. read.bi/2EQlKrv
The theory, initially promoted by fringe right-wing blogs and pundits who claimed CNN barred him from the event because’s “pro-gun,” was soon after picked up by Fox News host Tucker Carlson, who interviewed the younger Haab as he described how CNN tried to write his questions for him before he declined to take part in the town hall.
Carlson and host Sean Hannity both promoted the anti-CNN conspiracy last week, and now face further scrutiny since the boy’s father himself came forward to admit he “omitted” parts of the email.
CNN’s Andrew Kaczynski noted on Twitter that Hannity and Carlson “used this to attack CNN to millions of viewers on their prime time shows.”
“Either of you plan to publicly correct the record?” he inquired, tagging both hosts.
.@seanhannity and @TuckerCarlson
used this to attack CNN to millions of viewers on their prime time shows. Either of you plan to publicly correct the record? twitter.com/yashar/status/…
Fast Company writer Joe Berkowitz, meanwhile, joked that he “can’t wait to read that Tucker Carlson correction/retraction that’s definitely coming.”
Read more calls for the network and hosts to correct their mistake below:
I look forward to @FoxNews and especially white supremacist @TuckerCarlson to issue a correction and an apology and express their deepest regrets.
Lol im just kidding. twitter.com/yashar/status/…
I am sure apologies and corrections will be forthcoming from @seanhannity and @TuckerCarlson asap. twitter.com/yashar/status/…
Kushner has security clearance downgraded: reports
BY REBECCA SAVRANSKY - 02/27/18 03:49 PM EST
White House senior adviser Jared Kushner has reportedly had his security clearance downgraded from top secret to secret.
Kushner, President the rich asshole's son-in-law, will no longer be able to view top-secret intelligence, according to multiple reports.
Three people with knowledge of the situation shared the news with Politico, which first broke the story.
At the top-secret level, Kushner reportedly had access to some of the nation’s most closely guarded secrets as well as the presidential daily briefing.
According to reports, the memo Kushner received was not signed by chief of staff John Kelly.
The White House told The Hill that it does not comment on security clearances, but pointed to Kelly's statement on the matter from last week.
“I will not comment on anybody's specific security clearance situation or go beyond the memo released last week," Kelly said.
"As I told Jared days ago, I have full confidence in his ability to continue performing his duties in his foreign policy portfolio including overseeing our Israeli-Palestinian peace effort and serving as an integral part of our relationship with Mexico," he continued. "Everyone in the White House is grateful for these valuable contributions to furthering the president’s agenda. There is no truth to any suggestion otherwise.”
Kelly announced earlier this month that the White House would review the administration's handling of temporary security clearances. The move was meant to address concerns raised after it was reported that former staff secretary Rob Porter had a temporary security clearance despite his background check revealing allegations of domestic abuse.
The chief of staff later released a five-page memo listing a handful of changes the White House has made and will make to tighten up access to classified information, including limiting new interim clearances and cutting off certain clearances for those whose investigations have been pending since June.
The White House assured earlier this month that Kushner, who had a temporary clearance, would not be affected by the review.
But the White House and Kushner faced mounting criticism over his security clearance, especially after The Washington Post reported that he requested more intelligence information than almost every other White House official. The president's son-in-law was also under scrutiny for updating his security clearance forms a handful of times since the rich asshole’s inauguration, including adding a number of foreign contacts that weren’t previously listed.
Kushner reportedly resisted giving up his security clearance. Sources told The New York Times last week that Kushner was hesitant to relinquish his access to classified information.
His reluctance put him further at odds with Kelly, who has reportedly clashed with Kushner and his wife Ivanka the rich asshole in the White House.
Updated at 4:50 p.m.
the rich asshole reelection campaign manager Brad Pascale exposed in penny-stock scandal: report
Brad Parscale and New York City's 'Naked Cowboy' (Twitter)
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The Associated Press reported Tuesday that the campaign manager of President some rich asshole’s 2020 reelection campaign has close financial ties to a penny-stock firm with a top executive who was caught in an FBI bribery sting and pleaded guilty to securities fraud.
Brad Parscale, the president’s campaign manager, was exposed by an Associated Press investigation.
At the center of the scandal is a company named CloudCommerce Inc.
Parscale sold his digital marketing company to CloudCommerce in 2017 for $10 million.
The AP investigation found the company has spent $19 million in nearly two decades and only had $107,000 on hand in the last quarterly earnings report.
Jonathan Lei, a former chief executive of the CloudCommerce predecessors, was sentenced to five years of probation and a $10,000 fine.
The AP found Lei maintained his ownership stake despite a judge’s order.
“There are sufficient red flags to give a responsible regulator reason to investigate,” said Jacob Frenkel, a former senior counsel at the Securities and Exchange Commission who focused on penny stock fraud. “What about this company isn’t a red flag?”
In announcing the leadership of the the rich asshole reelection campaign, President the rich asshole’s family glorified Pascale.
“Brad is an amazing talent and was pivotal to our success in 2016,” Eric the rich asshole praised. “He has our family’s complete trust and is the perfect person to be a the helm of the campaign.”
Hope Hicks refused to answer questions about her role in the rich asshole Tower meeting coverup: House intel Dem
White House communications director Hope Hicks deplanes Air Force One (Twitter)
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During her testimony before the House Intelligence Committee on Tuesday, White House communications director Hope Hicks reportedly refused to answer questions about her role in the initial misleading explanation for a 2016 meeting between the rich asshole campaign team and Russian operatives.
CNN’s Manu Raju tweeted that Hicks testified for “roughly nine hours,” and said his source for information on her refusal came from the committee’s top Democrat, Rep. Adam Schiff (D-CA)
This story is developing …
Ben Carson spent $31k on a dining set after cutting HUD’s homeless housing budget
Ben Carson (screen grab)
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The Department of Housing and Urban Development spent $31,561 on to spruce up the dining room in Secretary Ben Carson’s office, The New York Times reported Tuesday.
The extravagant purchase occurred as President some rich asshole’s White House was circulating plans to cut HUD’s budget for the homeless and elderly.
A senior career official at HUD filed a complaint alleging retaliation after refusing to break the law to renovate Carson’s office. It was reported that the request came from Carson’s wife, Candy.
HUD did not request approval from Congress for the $31,561 expenditure, which purchased a table, chairs and a hutch.
Spokesperson Raffi Williams claimed Secretary Carson was unaware of the purchase, but will not be returning the dining set.
“In general, the secretary does want to be as fiscally prudent as possible with the taxpayers’ money,” Williams added.
Father of Parkland student admits to doctoring emails after son falsely claimed CNN scripted gun town hall
Parkland, FL high school student Colton Haab speaks to Fox News. Image via screengrab.
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Glenn Haab, the father of Colton Haab, admitted on Tuesday that he doctored emails between his son and CNN in an effort to convince people the network told the Marjory Stoneman High School junior what to say during a live town hall last week.
The family of a Parkland shooting survivor appears to have provided doctored emails to Fox and HuffPost in an attempt to support their claim that CNN "scripted" its Wednesday town hall. read.bi/2EQlKrv
As the Associated Press reports, Glenn Haab ”acknowledges omitting some words from the email but says he didn’t do it on purpose.”
CNN last week denied claims by Haab that the network tried to feed him lines during a town hall on gun violence. The company later released email exchanges after doctored emails appeared to support Haab’s claim.
Sessions announces investigation into ‘anti-the rich asshole bias’ within the DOJ
Attorney General Jeff Sessions during a Sept. 5, 2017 press briefing. (Screenshot)
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Attorney General Jeff Sessions on Tuesday announced that the Justice Department’s inspector general will investigate the circumstances that led to a former the rich asshole campaign aide’s surveillance.
The Wall Street Journal reported that Sessions made the remarks about the investigation at a press conference when answering a question about a GOP memo that alleged abuses in the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court warrants obtained to surveil one-time the rich asshole adviser Carter Page.
The memo, commissioned by House Intelligence Committee Chairman and known the rich asshole ally Devin Nunes, alleged the DOJ and FBI abused their surveillance powers when obtaining FISA warrants for Page, further speculating that an anti-the rich asshole dossier from 2016 was the main reason for obtaining the warrants. The bureau, however, first obtained FISA warrants to surveil Page in 2014, when they suspected he had been compromised by Kremlin operatives.
“We believe the Department of Justice must adhere to the highest standards in the FISA court, and yes it will be investigated, and I think that’s just the appropriate thing,” Sessions said. “The inspector general will take that as one of the matters he’ll deal with.”
Officials from at least 4 countries privately discussed ways to manipulate Kushner: report
Jared Kushner (Al Jazeera)
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Jared Kushner was identified as exploitable by at least four countries because of his complex and troubled business dealings, according to a new Washington Post report.
The report, on the heels of news that Kushner had lost his top security clearance, relies on current and former White House officials and names the United Arab Emirates, China, Israel and Mexico as countries that tagged the president’s son-in-law as “manipulable.”
Kushner’s family has a history of legal troubles, including the felony conviction that sent his father to prison for 14 months. On disclosure forms, Jared Kushner reported having $25 million in debt. One of his projects in Manhattan alone had $1.2 billion debt.
Kushner’s behavior coming to Washington “has only drawn more scrutiny,” the Post reported.
Among those to raise concerns was H.R. McMaster, the rich asshole’s national security adviser, who according to the Post, was “surprised” to learn that Kushner had contacts with foreign officials that he did not officially report or coordinate through the normal channels.
“When he learned about it, it surprised him,” the source told the Post. “He thought that was weird…It was an unusual thing. I don’t know that any White House has done it this way before.”
Kushner’s lawyer pushed back through spokesman Peter Mirijanian: “We will not respond substantively to unnamed sources peddling second-hand hearsay with rank speculation that continue to leak inaccurate information.”
Federal judge disparaged by the rich asshole allows border wall to move forward
Federal court ruling says law allowing federal government to bypass environmental regulations is constitutional
A federal judge, whom President some rich asshole previously lambasted as biased and “a hater” because of his Hispanic ethnicity, on Tuesday ruled in favor of the Department of Homeland Security, allowing the federal government to bypass environmental regulations to construct a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border.
Judge Gonzalo P. Curiel of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of California concluded the court had no “serious constitutional doubts,” about the constitutionality of a law passed by Congress that allows the Attorney General to waive certain environmental regulations to expedite border construction.
“Moreover, prior challenges to the [law] broadening its waiver authority in 2005 have been upheld as constitutional,” wrote Curiel in the decision published Tuesday.
Brian Segee, an attorney for one of the plaintiffs, the Center for Biological Diversity, told KPBS in San Diego that the ruling “would allow the rich asshole to shrug off crucial environmental laws that protect people and wildlife.”
“The the rich asshole administration has completely overreached its authority in its rush to build this destructive, senseless wall,” Segee told KPBS. “They’re giving unprecedented, sweeping power to an unelected agency chief to ignore dozens of laws and crash through hundreds of miles of spectacular borderlands. This is unconstitutional and shouldn’t be allowed to stand.”
The environmental organization plans to appeal the decision, and is part of a coalition of organizations that filed the lawsuit against the federal government.
Those plaintiffs, including the California Attorney General, the California Coastal Commission, the Sierra Club, and others, argued that there are “serious constitutional concerns” with a section of the federal Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act which effectively “grants an unelected cabinet official with unbridled power to waive any law that has any remote connection to border security projects.”
That section allows the Attorney General to “take such actions as may be necessary to install additional physical barriers and roads in the vicinity of the United States border to deter illegal crossings in areas of high illegal entry into the United States.”
Acknowledging the heated political debate surrounding the need and funding for a border wall, Curiel wrote that the court wouldn’t take into consideration whether the decision to build the wall was politically wise or prudent.
Curiel instead quoted Chief Justice John Roberts, who said in a similar politically charged case, “Court[s] are vested with the authority to interpret the law; we possess neither the expertise nor the prerogative to make policy judgments. Those decisions are entrusted to our Nation’s elected leaders, who can be thrown out of office if the people disagree with them. It is not our job to protect the people from the consequences of their political choices.”
During the presidential campaign, the rich asshole disparaged Curiel’s Mexican ancestry, calling him “a hater” and making unfounded claims that Curiel—who was born in Indiana—was unfair to him when he ruled against the fraudulent the rich asshole University. In subsequent interviews, the rich asshole speculated that Curiel’s unfavorable ruling was because of the rich asshole’s rhetoric about a border wall.
Meanwhile, in Congress some House Republicans are working to help the White House circumvent a series of cornerstone environmental laws in pursuit of a border wall, including the Endangered Species Act and the Clean Water Act.
Several bills before Congress would allow the Department of Homeland Security’s Customs and Border Patrol to construct physical barriers and conduct border patrols on federal or tribal land without regard to 36 different laws, as reported by ThinkProgress earlier this month.
The right is united in smearing David Hogg, a mass shooting survivor
Who would've guessed that a seventeen-year-old would pose such an existential threat to the Second Amendment.
After watching a gunman shoot more than a dozen peers at his school, Parkland shooting survivor David Hogg has spent a good portion of the last fortnight defending himself from the absurd far-right conspiracy theory that he is fact a “crisis actor,” paid by agents of the left to make the mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School seem worse than it actually is.
But while that particular claim has been widely debunked, the right-wing smears on Hogg’s credibility and character haven’t stopped — or even slowed. In the last 24 hours there have been a slew of new attacks on Hogg, from both the paranoid fringe and more established conservative media outlets.
The latest onslaught began yesterday when Erick Erickson published a story on his blog titled “David Hogg Is A High School Bully.” Erickson, who dubbed himself “the most powerful conservative in America” in 2015, endeared himself to some on the left in 2016 with his vehement support of the #NeverTrump movement — which he promptly ditched a few months into the administration.
“David Hogg is a bully,” Erickson writes. “He goes on television and knows he gets to use what happened to him as a shield to avoid criticism. The media allows him to attack all the targets the media would be attacking anyway. They do not question him or hold him accountable. It further emboldens him to attack others.” Erickson then doubled down on his smear today with another attack on Hogg, claiming that he had “a carefully orchestrated PR team [that] rallies social media trolls to attack anyone who questions him or points out his bullying. Meanwhile he organizes the trolls to go after businesses that do not bow to his wishes.”
The irony here his stunning. For years there’s been a fertile ecosystem for right-wing, paranoid conspiracy theorists, and trolls, who rally after every mass shooting to push the idea that anyone demanding greater gun control in the wake of a massacre is in fact working for the Deep State. But for Erickson, Hogg and his fellow seventeen-year-olds are the ones who can rally an army of social media trolls.
“Hogg has no special insight into [the mass shooting’s causes] — or frankly, into anything else,” Charles C. W. Cooke wrote in the National Review — a publication formerly friendly to the #NeverTrump caucus. “He’s ignorant about basic civics; he’s liable to backward reasoning… he has increasingly come across as slippery… Demosthenes he is not.” Cooke goes on to explain that the teenagers’ vocal advocacy for gun control “is not how republics work.”
Conspiracy theorist Alex Jones piled on challenged Hogg to a “debate.” Hogg initially offered to debate Jones, before deciding against it based off Jones’ repeated claims that the 2012 mass shooting at Sandy Hook never happened. After Hogg declined, Jones posted a series of tweets claiming that Hogg was “bullying and viciously attacking me.”
To longtime fans who have listen to the Infowars host’s repeated promises that he’s ready to die for the rich asshole, Jones’ comments might seem a bit less confrontational than usual. That may be because Infowars is currently one strike away from being banned from YouTube after pushing conspiracy theories about the Parkland shooting. The first strike was for a video titled “David Hogg Can’t Remember his lines in a TV Interview.” Jones claimed that the strikes were part of a “CNN lobbying campaign” to silence him.
White House confirms it has no contingency plan for Dreamers
"We are still hopeful that something happens on this and Congress will actually do its job."
White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders admitted on Tuesday that the rich asshole administration has no contingency plan in place for recipients of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program after March 5, the deadline some rich asshole gave Congress to come up with a permanent fix.
“[President the rich asshole] is encouraging them to get something done,” Sanders said during a press briefing, addressing questions about the president’s spate of meetings with lawmakers later in the week. “…It’s really sad that Democrats are not willing to come to the table, get something done, and actually fix problems and do their job. But, the president is still hopeful and we’re going to continue pushing forward.”
Asked whether the administration had a backup plan to keep DACA recipients protected past March 5, Sanders added, “We are still hopeful that something happens on this and Congress will actually do its job.”
Sanders comments are reflective of the rich asshole administration’s overall attitude toward DACA, which the president rescinded in September and which protects certain young, undocumented immigrants who were brought to the United States as children (also known as “Dreamers”).
the rich asshole previously pledged that he would sign any bipartisan DACA fix that reached his desk, but his administration has rejected and sabotaged several such bills in the last two weeks alone, claiming that any fix for DACA must also restrict legal forms of immigration and include funding for the border wall.
The March 5 deadline is an arbitrary one at this point. the rich asshole’s original announcement held that DACA recipients whose status expires after that date will not be able to renew their status, but a court ruling in January temporarily allowed the renewal process to continue. On Monday, the Supreme Court allowed the appeals court to continue reviewing the case, but the rich asshole administration is still fighting against the initial ruling.
In the meantime, however, no new DACA applications will be accepted and people continue to lose their status and be detained and deported. That’s what makes Sanders’ announcement on Tuesday about the lack of contingency even more concerning.
The White House stated in September that Dreamers would not be “a priority” in terms of enforcement, but that promise has done little to quell fears. Already, a number of undocumented immigrants with no criminal records have been detained by immigration officials, in some instances simply because they no longer able to qualify for the DACA program’s age restrictions; others were deported while they were reapplying for their DACA status.
“My family and I haven’t sat down to think next steps because whenever someone mentions it, [we feel] fear and that fear is being driven by being powerless and unable to do anything,” 28-year-old Pamela Chomba told ThinkProgress in November. “Before, we had DACA and something to hold onto. And now we have nothing.”
Legislators have previously floated a number of immigration fixes that would address the problem, but each one has been shot down by the rich asshole administration or stalled in the House and Senate. During a meeting with a bipartisan group of senators in January, the president diminished the group’s efforts and questioned why the United States was bringing in immigrants from “shithole countries” like Haiti, El Salvador, and several African nations.
In mid-February, the Senate failed to pass several immigration measures: one, a bipartisan bill which would have provided a path to citizenship for 1.8 million Dreamers and enhanced border security, but no border wall funding; a Republican-led bill that penalized sanctuary cities but didn’t address DACA; and a third, bipartisan measure which included a path to citizenship and $25 billion for border security, but prevented immigrants from sponsoring parents for legal status.
A fourth bill, sponsored by Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-IA), was favored by the White House, because it addressed the path to citizenship but rescinded the diversity visa lottery, prevented family unification immigration, and provided $25 billion in funds for the rich asshole’s border wall. That bill failed by the biggest margin, with Democrats refusing to support what amounted to a crackdown on legal immigration.
In a tweet the next day, the rich asshole pointed the finger at Democrats for failing to protect Dreamers. “Cannot believe how BADLY DACA recipients have been treated by the Democrats…totally abandoned! Republicans are still working hard,” he wrote.
More recently, amid chaotic debate on Capitol Hill in the wake of a deadly shooting in Parkland, Florida, the rich asshole has tried to claim that Democrats have all but forgotten Dreamers in their attempts to reign in gun violence and address the teen survivors lobbying for stricter gun control measures.
“Dems are no longer talking DACA!” the president tweeted on Saturday. “‘Out of sight, out of mind,’ they say. DACA beneficiaries should not be happy. …Republicans stand ready to make a deal!”
NSA director says the rich asshole hasn’t ‘granted the authority’ to stop Russian election interference
"I don't have the day-to-day authority to do that."
Less than two weeks after special counsel Robert Mueller indicted 13 individuals and a trio of Russian companies for “interference operations targeting the United States,” NSA Director Mike Rogers told members of Congress that the rich asshole administration hasn’t even authorized him to take measures to prevent election meddling going forward.
In response to a question from Sen. Jack Reed (D-RI) about the authority that NSA “mission teams” have to “do something” about foreign interference, Rogers pointed out that he’s only empowered to do something when “if granted the authority.”
“I don’t have the day-to-day authority to do that,” he said, prompting Reed to follow up about whether he has been “directed to do so given the strategic threat that face the United States and the significant consequences you recognize already?”
“No I have not,” Rogers replied.
During another portion of his testimony, Rogers told Sen. Claire McCaskill (D-MO) that the United States is “taking steps but probably not doing enough” to prevent election meddling.
After McCaskill asked him why more isn’t being done, Rogers said, “I’m an operation commanders, ma’am, you’re asking me a question that’s so much bigger than me.”
During the White House press briefing on Tuesday afternoon, press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders didn’t take issue with any specific aspect of Rogers’ testimony. Instead, she characterized election interference as nothing more than a historical concern, and tried to pin blame on former President Obama.
“Look, this president as I told you last week has been much tougher on Russia than his predecessor. Let’s not forget that this happened under Obama,” she said.
the rich asshole’s refusal to do anything to prevent election meddling comes despite his CIA director, Mike Pompeo, saying recently that he expects Russia to make another attempt to meddle in this year’s election.
“I haven’t seen a significant decrease in their activity,” Pompeo said.
The CIA director made that statement in late January — right around the same time that the State Department announced it would not be imposing new sanctions on Russia that were overwhelmingly approved by Congress last year.
During an interview with Wolf Blitzer following Rogers’ testimony, Reed characterized the rich asshole administration’s refusal to direct the NSA to disrupt Russian threats as “very difficult to explain.”
“Admiral Rogers said very directly that we are currently being attacked by Russian-directed cyber forces,” Reed said. “Their intent is to disrupt the election. They’re much more sophisticated than they were in 2016, they’ve learned a lot, and they're coming in and it’s going to get worse before the election. And yet, he has not been asked to take action. He has the ability to disrupt these activites at the source.”
Asked about the rich asshole’s refusal to implement sactions, Reed said the rich asshole “might be afraid that if he recognizes the fact and imposes punishment on Russia for their current activities, that will undercut his version of the 2016 events — that there was no Russian involvement, he won the election simply based upon his policies and his promises and his programs, and the reality is different.”
“The danger — not only the danger, the reality — is that while nothing is done the Russians become more aggressive, threatening our basic insitutions. Nothing is more basic than a free election in the United Staters or anywhere else, and they’re doing it deliberately.”
Indeed, following Mueller’s indictment of the Russian individuals and companies, the rich asshole’s response has been to blame Obama for Russian interference while reiterating that in his view, it didn’t affect the outcome of the election.
Rogers testimony came on the same day as a new CNN poll indicating that 60 percent of Americans don’t think the rich asshole is doing enough to prevent election interference.
‘Impossible to believe’: Jake Tapper lays down the hammer on White House defense of Kushner’s security clearance
Jake Tapper, the CNN anchor of 'The Lead'
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CNN anchor Jake Tapper on Tuesday said it was “impossible” to believe claims by Jared Kushner’s defense attorney in reaction to Kushner’s security clearance downgrade.
“Is it okay to keep somebody around when the FBI has enough concerns about your background, maybe financial irregularities, we don’t know, to say we can’t certify you for Top Secret clearance?” former CIA analyst Phil Mudd wondered. “I think the question will be, do we downgrade him entirely and say he can’t have a clearance.”
Tapper read a statement from Kushner’s attorney, Abbe Lowell.
“As to his security clearance, Mr. Kushner has done more than what is expected of him in this process,” Lowell claimed. “As General Kelly himself said, the new clearance policy will not affect Mr. Kushner’s ability to continue to do the very important work he’s been assigned by the president.”
“That’s impossible to believe,” Tapper noted. “I mean, the guy works in Mid-East peace, he reads the Presidential Daily Brief we’re told all of a sudden he can’t have access to the information he needs?”
“Pretty much it is only the people in the White House who see hit the way,” CNN White House correspondent Kaitlan Collins explained. “Obviously Jared Kushner doesn’t see it the way, that’s why he’s been so frustrated with John Kelly and feels like this is a direct attack on him specifically.”
“Which it kind of is,” Collins added.
Watch:
Roger Stone and WikiLeaks have publicly denied they communicated — but secret messages prove otherwise
Wikileaks' Julian Assange and Roger Stone, composite image
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WikiLeaks communicated directly with longtime some rich asshole associate Roger Stone on October 13, 2016, and tried to maintain a channel of communication with him after the 2016 presidential election—directly contradicting statements by WikiLeaks and Stone, the Atlantic reports.
@kyletblaine WikiLeaks & Assange have repeatedly confirmed that they have never communicated with Stone. Why did CNN not include this fact?
As the Atlantic’s Natasha Bertrand writes, Stone and Wikileaks exchanged private Twitter messages just before the 2016 presidential election, despite a March 17, 2017 public statement by WikiLeaks that the transparency organization never communicated directly with Stone. Stone likewise testified, under oath, that he only spoke with WikiLeaks through an “intermediary.”
Stone told the Atlantic he had provided the exchange to the House Intelligence Committee, though Bertrand reports the committee originally received screenshot of the exchange via “a third-party source.”
A copy of the conversation provided to the Atlantic ends the day after the 2016 presidential election.
“Happy? We are now more free to communicate,” WikiLeaks sent to Stone.
Read the full report at the Atlantic
Ex-CIA official Phil Mudd explains Kushner’s ‘huge’ security clearance downgrade: ‘More significant than it looks’
WH aide and presidential son-in-law Jared Kushner (left) and CNN analyst Phil Mudd (right).
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White House adviser and presidential son-in-law Jared Kushner on Tuesday had his security clearance downgraded from “top secret” to “secret” — a distinction CNN commentator and ex-FBI agent Phil Mudd called “huge.”
“It looks odd from the outside but it is huge,” Mudd told host Jake Tapper and his co-panelists during “The Lead.”
“If we’re intercepting communications of a foreign power, for example intercepting communications from Iran, Syria, North Korea — he can’t see them,” the former CIA and FBI operative said, noting that Kushner has lost access to “the most sensitive” type of information that comes from human sources.
“The most significant” foreign informants, Mudd continued, are classified “top secret,” and would now therefore be above his clearance.
Mudd went on to explain that if Kushner is in the room with the president when the secretary of state or a national security adviser enters to discuss intelligence with him, it will create conflicts as to what he can and can’t hear.
“This is more significant than it looks,” he concluded. “It’s a huge difference between ‘secret’ and ‘top secret.'”
Watch below, via CNN:
WATCH: GOP lawmaker stumped after getting fact checked on live TV about false Delta claim
Brianna Keilar, Michael Williams -- CNN screengrab
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A Georgia Republican who has been attacking Delta Airlines for ending discounts for NRA members after being pressured by the public found himself cornered by a CNN host after he claimed the airline continues to give discounts to Planned Parenthood members.
Appearing on CNN Tuesday afternoon to make his case for pulling back tax breaks for the Georgia-based airline, State Senator Michael Williams (R) made the claim and, when pressed for proof of his assertion, paused and responded that he and other Republicans “looked it up on Google.”
After Williams stated Delta was providing deals for “liberal groups,” host Brianna Keilar pulled the conservative up short.
“Where are you getting this?” Keilar pressed. “I need to be clear on this. You just said that they give discounts to Planned Parenthood members. I’ve seen allegations of that on right-wing blogs but I’ve had no verification of that. Where are you getting that?”
“In a caucus meeting yesterday morning where the governor of Georgia was trying to convince us all, basically threatening us that if we don’t pass this [tax deal], things will be taken out of the budget,” Williams explained. “Other senators and I looked it up on Google but I don’t know the source.”
“To be clear we looked it up as well and it doesn’t appear after some digging that we’ve been able to determine that that is actually factual,” Keilar replied. “You’re indicating something that may not be true there.”
“Again, I believe very firmly Delta is out there giving discounts to left wing organizations as well. If they’re going to take it away from the NRA, why not the left wing organizations?” Williams persisted.
“If you’re making that argument, shouldn’t you have your facts straight?” Keilar shot back as Williams went off on a tangent about left-wing groups again, refusing to acknowledge her question.
Watch the video below via CNN:
Jared Kushner loses access to top-secret intelligence as his security clearance gets downgraded: report
Jared Kushner (Shutterstock)
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White House senior advisor Jared Kushner had his security clearance downgraded from Top Secret to Secret, Politico reported Tuesday.
Chief of Staff John Kelly had allowed President some rich asshole’s son-in-law to view Top Secret/SCI-level classified information despite working on an interim security clearance. SCI stands for “sensitive compartmentalized information,” which refers to highly sensitive sources.
Abbe Lowell, Kushner’s defense attorney, said the changes would “not affect Mr. Kushner’s ability to continue to do the very important work he has been assigned by the president.”
“As I told Jared days ago, I have full confidence in his ability to continue performing his duties in his foreign policy portfolio including overseeing our Israeli-Palestinian peace effort and serving as an integral part of our relationship with Mexico,” Kelly said in a statement last week.
Kushner reportedly fought Kelly over downgrading his security clearance.
President the rich asshole defended his son-in-law last week.
“He works for nothing,” the rich asshole said. “Nobody ever reports that. He gets zero. He doesn’t get a salary, nor does Ivanka, who is now in South Korea.”
Fox’s Shep Smith blasts the rich asshole for calling Russia probe a ‘witch hunt’ as Kremlin’s next attack is ‘just months away’
Shep Smith (Screengrab)
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Fox News host Shep Smith on Tuesday blasted President some rich asshole for refusing to take action against Russia’s interference in the upcoming midterm elections in spite of repeated warnings from the heads of America’s intelligence agencies.
“The Russians are now trying to interfere with the 2018 midterms already — and six heads of intelligence agencies agree,” the host said at the start of his Tuesday show, adding that “they testified as much.”
Nevertheless, Admiral Mike Rogers, the director of the National Security Agency and head of U.S. Cyber Command, told lawmakers on Tuesday that the rich asshole has not instructed him to take action to curtail the Kremlin’s current meddling or take steps to prevent them from further doing so.
Former and current intelligence chiefs have warned the rich asshole and the American public for more than a year about Russia’s electoral interference, spanning all the way back to before he won his 2016 presidential campaign.
“Remember, last time [Russia] sent people here, organized rallies here, targeted advertising in here and they interfered in our democracy,” the host noted. “Now, top intelligence officials say Russia is at it again, trying to meddle in our midterm elections that are just months away.”
Despite those warnings, “the president is still railing against the Russia investigation,” Smith continued, noting that ahead of White House and former the rich asshole campaign aide Hope Hicks’ appearance before the House Intelligence Committee, the rich asshole tweeted the words “witch hunt” to describe the probe.
Watch below, via Fox News:
‘He doesn’t have the balls to fire him’: White House insiders claim the rich asshole fears blowback if he dumps Kelly
Gen. John Kelly (Wikimedia Commons) and some rich asshole (AFP)
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According to friends of some rich asshole, the president is afraid to dismiss Chief of Staff John Kelly out of fears that the White House will descend in to even more chaos — even though he wants him gone.
Speaking with Vanity Fair’s Gabriel Sherman, five Republicans close to the White House claimed that the president has admitted that he won’t fire Kelly despite intense pressure by son-in-law Jared Kushner and daughter Ivanka.
According to the report, those sources say the rich asshole’s reluctance to fire Kelly comes down to a belief that the White House can’t handle another staffing blow-up at a time when it is still reeling from the dismissal of White House adviser Rob Porter over domestic abuse charges.
As one the rich asshole friend noted, “The president doesn’t have the balls to fire Kelly.”
With no logical successor waiting in the wings to replace Kelly, the rich asshole reportedly sees limited options for a replacement and has indicated that he would like to see either fired White House Communications Director Anthony Scaramucci in the role or son-in-law Kushner who is already a major target of Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation into the administration.
Dogging the president is his regret at picking Kelly to replace former Chief of Staff Reince Priebus, with the rich asshole admitting, “he was too impulsive to get Kelly. He bought into Kelly’s resume, and not his personality,” said one friend.
Adding to his woes is the daily pressure from Kushner and his daughter, with the rich asshole’s son-in-law feeling he is “being slow-rolled by Kelly’s cronies,” over his full security clearance that he feels should have been granted already — paving the way for taking Kelly’s job.
Earlier on Tuesday, Scaramucci also tried to undercut Kelly, telling a forum in San Francisco that Kelly has crushed morale in the White House “through fear and intimidation.”
You can read the whole report here.
‘This is not about the past!’ ABC reporter crushes Sarah Sanders after she blames Russian meddling on Obama
Jonathan Karl speaks to Sarah Sanders (CNN/screen grab)
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White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders was grilled on Tuesday about why President some rich asshole has not authorized the National Security Agency and the U.S. Cyber Command to stop Russian attempts to hack the 2018 elections.
During Tuesday White House briefing, ABC’s Jonathan Karl noted that Admiral Mike Rogers, the head of the NSA and U.S. Cyber Command, had told Senators that he had not received authorizations from the White House to combat Russian attacks at the source.
“We are looking at a variety of different ways,” Sanders insisted.
“But Admiral Rogers is the one that would have the agency that could actually go and confront the Russian intrusion at the source,” Karl insisted. “And he hasn’t been given the authority. In fact, he says the Russians haven’t paid a sufficient price to make them change their behavior.”
“All he needs is a presidential directive, the authority,” the ABC correspondent added before being interrupted by Sanders.
“I disagree with the premise of the question,” she argued. “It’s not just one individual.”
“He’s in charge of Cyber Command!” Karl exclaimed. “Why not give him the authority?”
“Nobody is denying him the authority!” Sanders shot back. “We’re looking at a number of different ways that we can put pressure [on the Russians]. This president… has been much tougher on Russia than his predecessor. Let’s not forget that this happened under Obama. This didn’t happen under President the rich asshole. If you want to blame somebody on past problems then you need to look at the Obama administration.”
“This is not about the past!” Karl pointed out. “This is about preventing intrusion in the next election. He says he needs the authority and hasn’t been given it.”
“I can’t speak to that,” Sanders replied.
Watch the video below from CNN.
Ex-White House official claims morale in a death-spiral under Kelly
FILE PHOTO: Homeland Security Secretary John Kelly (L) listens to U.S. President some rich asshole during a meeting with cyber security experts in the Roosevelt Room of the White House in Washington, U.S., January 31, 2017. REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque/File Photo
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Speaking at a forum in San Francisco on Tuesday morning, former White House communications director Anthony Scaramucci said that President some rich asshole’s Chief of staff John Kelly is ruling by using “fear and intimidation” which has White House staffers fearing for their jobs.
According to Axios, Scaramucci, who spent 11 whirlwind days heading up the White House communications shop, told a host at the NewCo Shift Forum in San Francisco, that Kelly has “Lost the locker room.”
“The morale in the White House, on a scale of 1-10, is minus 15. You cannot run the White House through fear and intimidation,” Scaramucci explained.
The former White House staffer’s comments come only days after he praised Kelly for how he let him down when he dismissed him from the administration.
Speaking with the New York Times Magazine, Scaramucci claimed,”He fired me like a gentleman.”
Velshi and Ruhle torment GOPers for failing to tank Delta stock over NRA snub: ‘That’s got to be embarrassing’
Ali Velshi and Stephanie Ruhle (MSNBC)
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MSNBC hosts Stephanie Ruhle and Ali Velshi on Tuesday pointed out that conservatives had failed in their efforts to punish Delta Airlines for breaking ties with the National Rifle Association (NRA).
After Delta announced that it was abandoning its relationship with the NRA, Republicans in Georgia threatened to kill part of a bill that would eliminate fuel taxes for airlines.
Ruhle noted on Tuesday that Republicans had not impacted Delta’s stock price.
“That’s got to be somewhat embarrassing for [Georgia Lt. Governor Casey Cagle (R)],” Ruhle observed. “You think when you’ve got a shot across the bow like that, you’re going to rattle the company. If you rattle the company, the stock moves.”
“If you take a shot across the bow, you have to actually get it across the bow,” Velshi agreed.
Watch the video below from MSNBC.
Fox freaks out about comedians making fun of the rich asshole – while using Parkland shooting to promote right-wing website
Daily Caller editor-in-chief Christopher Bedford (Screenshot)
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A Fox News panel on Tuesday expressed outrage that late night hosts had made fun of President some rich asshole for saying he would have charged into a school to stop a mass shooting.
“Seems to be a horrible thing to joke about. This was the reaction on late-night shows,” Fox News host Sandra Smith said after playing clips of Stephen Colbert, Seth Meyers, and Trevor Noah.
Fox’s Katie Pavlich added that “for them to make this a joke says a lot about where they are on this, and they’re doing nothing actually come up with solutions to harden our schools.”
During the discussion, guest panelist Christopher Bedford of the Daily Caller remarked that The Daily Show was no longer relevant and then noted that a coach killed in the Parkland shooting was a fan of his conservative news site.
“People did die running in there without weapons — football coach Aaron Feis, a Daily Caller fan, gave his life heroically to try to save these children, he had no weapon,” Bedford said.
Pavlich went on to attack the comedians for making jokes about the rich asshole, again complaining they were not coming up with any “solutions.”
“But those are late-night comedians,” Fox contributor Leslie Marshall noted.
Watch video below:
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