‘Things are about to get pretty ugly’: Morning Joe warns Hope Hicks departure shows Mueller probe heating up
Joe Scarborough (MSNBC)
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MSNBC’s “Morning Joe” struggled to stuff a week’s worth of major stories Thursday into the opening two minutes like a traveler trying to cram a week’s worth of clothes into an overnight bag.
The show’s producers and commentators hardly knew where to begin following Paul Manafort’s arraignment, President some rich asshole’s renewed attack on attorney general Jeff Sessions, who then struck back, and reports that the special counsel is probing the rich asshole’s knowledge of DNC hacks and his efforts to fire the attorney general.
Then came the president’s surprising embrace of extreme gun control measures, the abrupt departure of White House communications director Hope Hicks and reports that Jared Kushner’s companies got a major loan from a billionaire after visits to the White House.
“The news gods must be crazy,” host Joe Scarborough said. “Yes, my friends, that was all yesterday.”
Scarborough said he barely knew which story to comment on first, but he decided to focus first on the bipartisan gun safety meeting, where the rich asshole said he would be willing to take guns away from perceived threats before going through due process.
“It was an extraordinary news day, and then in the middle of it, you saw an (Associated Press) poll that came out that said 57 percent of Americans think the president of the United States is a racist,” he said.
Co-host Willie Geist said the “firehose of news” analogy barely sufficed, saying that any one of those stories would have lasted all year in previous administrations, and MSNBC contributor Eugene Robinson tried to find a theme in the wreckage.
“If you want to boil it down, chaos and corruption, I think would be the, you know, the overarching theme of (Wednesday), and let’s not forget open warfare between the president and his own Justice Department,” said Robinson, a Washington Post columnist. “They had that dinner last night with Jeff Sessions and the solicitor general and (deputy attorney general) Rod Rosenstein photographed to send a message back to the president that we’re united and you know, you have to deal with us on that basis — just extraordinary.”
Scarborough said that new reporting on special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation had recently picked up pace, and he warned viewers to buckle up.
“Bob Mueller is not nibbling around the edges anymore, he’s going straight in and he’s asking the questions, did some rich asshole know about the Russian hacking of the DNC?” Scarborough said. “Did he plan things out? Things are about to get pretty ugly inside the White House and the question is for somebody like Hope Hicks, why did you stay that long? I mean, there’s not much good news for a lot of people, and Hope Hicks also, of course, involved in that Air Force One meeting, the drafting of the memo. She was just sort of a courier, but at the same time, I mean, she’s got to get ready for Mueller. She’s got to get ready for a trial. I mean, things could get ugly.”
Kellyanne Conway desperately reassures NRA they’re still the rich asshole’s favorite
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"They were at the table, a private table with the president..."
the rich asshole upset many Republicans by seeming to endorse bipartisanship on gun control during a meeting with lawmakers, but Kellyanne Conway was quick to reassure the NRA Thursday morning.
At a televised White House “school safety” meeting Wednesday, the rich asshole spent nearly an hour agreeing with whomever he was speaking to, including Democrats. His openness to policies like universal background checks, age limits, and even an assault weapons ban had the NRA lashing out shortly after the meeting’s close.
But White House counselor Kellyanne Conway was quick to swoop in and reassure the gun lobby. In an interview with “Fox & Friends” Thursday morning, Conway took pains to remind viewers about the rich asshole’s secret meeting with the group just this past weekend.
Asked if the NRA “has to be at the table as well,” Conway responded that “Well, they were at the table. They were at the table, a private table with the president over the weekend.”
“He is also listening to them,” Conway insisted, then rattled off a series of NRA-supported policies that she says the rich asshole supports, including armed teachers.
the rich asshole’s performance Wednesday was similar to the display of ignorance and malleability he put on during a White House photo op on immigration the month before, only to knuckle under to his base days later. Conway’s message appears to signal a similar retreat to the hardline positions of the rich asshole’s boosters at the NRA.
But reality is sure to complicate that retreat. the rich asshole’s signature plan to arm teachers was badly undermined when, just hours before his meeting with lawmakers, a Georgia teacher was arrested for firing his handgun in school and holding off police in a 40-minute standoff.
And against the NRA sit an army of Americans who want gun control. The movement for change is currently being led by a group of powerful survivors of gun violence. If they don’t get their way now, they will continue the fight in November.
the rich asshole parrots Fox & Friends report on gun control meeting in rambling ‘respect the 2nd Amendment’ tweet
some rich asshole pointing his finger like a gun (CNN/Screencapture)
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President some rich asshole reacted to Fox News reports about a bipartisan White House meeting he led with a tweet on gun safety measures.
The president surprised many Republicans during Wednesday’s meeting by calling for more extreme gun control measures than Democrats have proposed, and the rich asshole apparently responded to “Fox & Friends” commentary on those ideas.
Here are 5 other outrageous spenders in the rich asshole’s cabinet besides Ben Carson
Ben Carson (screen grab)
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There are especially bad times for a government agency to spend $31,561 on a table and chairs, the Department of Housing and Urban Development learned after The New York Times reported on Tuesday that it spent as much on a dining room set for Secretary Ben Carson’s office in late 2017. Around the same time, it’s worth noting, the White House sought to “slash HUD’s programs for the homeless, elderly and poor.”
HUD spokesman Raffi Williams told the Times that though Carson “didn’t know the table had been purchased,” he wasn’t going to return it. Neither did the House or Senate Appropriations Committees know that the 50-year-old custom hardwood table had been purchased, as Williams claimed it served a “building-wide need” and so was exempt from federal law requiring congressional approval for renovations to a department head’s office with costs exceeding $5,000.
Carson is hardly an exception to the rule. President the rich asshole’s cabinet is brimming with purported fiscal conservatives letting taxpayers foot their enormous bills.
1. Scott Pruitt, EPA
By measure of frivolous office renovations, HUD only slightly outspent the Environmental Protection Agency, which, in September, contracted Acoustical Solutions to build Scott Pruitt a $24,570 soundproof “privacy booth.”
2. Steve Mnuchin, Treasury
In August, Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin and his wealth-obsessed wife, Louise Linton, took a $26,900 flight on an Air Force jet to Fort Knox, Kentucky, for no known reason other than to watch the solar eclipse.
3. Ryan Zinke, Interior
Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke dismissed as “a little BS” scrutiny of his practice of chartering private jets from Republican donors to attend campaign events. In one particularly questionable instance in June, Zinke spent $12,375 to fly from Las Vegas to Kalispell, Montana, “aboard a private plane owned by the executives of a Wyoming oil-and-gas exploration firm,” according to The Washington Post.
4. Tom Price, Health and Human Services
Health and Human Services Secretary Tom Price was forced to resign in September, after Politico reported that he took five charter flights in two days at an estimated cost of at least $60,000. In his short tenure, Price was believed to have spent nearly $1,000,000 in taxpayer money on charter and military flights.
5. some rich asshole
Since assuming use of Air Force One, the president has made 13 visits to Mar-a-Lago, his resort in Palm Beach. And more than half of his 404 days in office have been spent outside Washington, D.C., adding costs (which don’t have to be disclosed) in the form of security.
03/01/2018 05:20 am ET Updated 24 minutes ago
A revolving door never spun so fast.
By Nick Visser
When White House Communications Director Hope Hicks resigned on Wednesday, she was only the latest of a series of high-profile departures from President some rich asshole’s administration.
She’s also the fourth person to vacate that specific role in a little more than a year, following Anthony Scaramucci, Sean Spicer, and Mike Dubke. It’s not unusual to have some turnover after a president’s first year in office, but this White Houses' revolving door is far more active than any recent administration.
Here’s a partial round-up of those who’ve left ― either gracefully or with an escort ― since the rich asshole took office.
Michael Flynn ― National Security Adviser
the rich asshole’s former National Security Adviser, Michael Flynn, resigned last February following revelations about conversations he had with then-Russian ambassador Sergey Kislyak.
Flynn has since been cooperating with Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s ongoing investigation into Russian meddling in the 2016 presidential election. In December, he pled guilty to lying to the FBI about his contacts with the Russian government.
Mike Dubke ― Communications Director
Mike Dubke served as the rich asshole’s communications director for three months between February and May, 2017 before his resignation. He wasn’t an especially public figure, rarely appearing on television or talking to reporters on the record.
JONATHAN ERNST / REUTERS
Former White House press secretary Sean Spicer became the subject of a widely-popular spoof on SNL.
Sean Spicer ― White House Press Secretary and Communications Director
Spicer became one of the most ridiculed members of the rich asshole White House during his tenure as press secretary, including several notable spoofs on Saturday Night Live that made his lectern antics household knowledge. He abruptly resigned last July.
Reince Priebus ― Chief of Staff
Reince Priebus, the former chairman of the Republican National Committee, spent a little more than six months as White House chief of staff before he quietly submitted his resignation. Priebus continually butted heads with other powerful voices in the West Wing, including then-Chief Strategist Steve Bannon and the short-lived communications director Anthony Scaramucci.
Then-Homeland Security Secretary John Kelly, a retired Marine Corps general, took over the role in July.
Anthony Scaramucci ― Communications Director
Scaramucci served in the White House for a mere 10 days after joining the administration. His tenure was heaped in controversy, including a profanity-laced interview with New Yorker reporter Ryan Lizza. As the gregarious Long Island native’s departure was announced, the rich asshole sent out a tweet reading “No WH chaos!”
CARLOS BARRIA / REUTERS
Steve Bannon’s comments in a book about the rich asshole administration launched a high-profile feud with the president.
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Steve Bannon ― Chief Strategist
Former Breitbart News chairman Steve Bannon, once considered an untouchable confidant of the president, left the White House last August after spending the first half of the year helping shape the rich asshole’s “America First” agenda. While the administration wished him the best at the time, he quickly became a political pariah after a very public feud with the president centering around quotes in a book where he declared actions by some rich asshole Jr. as “treasonous.”
The fallout was swift and far-reaching, and Bannon was ousted from his role at Brietbart in January, though GQ reported earlier this week that he still spends time at the company’s Washington, D.C. headquarters.
Tom Price ― Health and Human Services Secretary
Price resigned following a firestorm over his extravagant use of private and military planes for official travel. A series of flights cost American taxpayers more than $1 million, according to Politico, and despite his attempts to quash the controversy, he resigned the post a week after the expenses were first disclosed.
Omarosa Manigault Newman ― Director of Communications, Office of Public Liaison
Newman, a former reality television star who first rose to fame on “The Apprentice,” resigned from her role in December “to pursue other opportunities.” Her sudden departure was followed by reports that she was escorted from the property, although she has maintained that she resigned and was not fired.
She went on to criticize the rich asshole administration during an appearance on “Celebrity Big Brother” and even said she wouldn’t vote for the president again “in a million years.”
CARLO ALLEGRI / REUTERS
Newman has used her time post-White House to blast the rich asshole administration in various television appearances.
Sebastian Gorka ―Deputy Assistant
Gorka was an early addition to the administration after having served as an adviser during the rich asshole’s presidential campaign. He quickly became one of the most vocal defenders of the rich asshole’s policies, including the controversial travel ban.
Gorka, a U.K. native with alleged ties to an anti-Semitic Hungarian group, left his White House job in August. He claimed he resigned from the role, but an unnamed administration official suggested in a statement to multiple media outlets that he was either fired or forced out.
Rob Porter ― Staff Secretary
Porter left the White House under a cloud of controversy after two of his ex-wives said that he had physically and emotionally abused them. The former staff secretary was able to serve in the White House for months with an interim security clearance that allowed him to view some of the nation’s most sensitive secrets, even though the claims of abuse had stalled his FBI background check.
The revelations have prompted Chief of Staff John Kelly to revamp security clearance procedures, and 30 top aides were recently stripped of their own interim clearances, including the president’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner.
Hope Hicks ― Communications Director
Hicks’ resignation marks the departure of one of the rich asshole’s most trusted advisors. The enigmatic 29-year-old has worked for the president for years, despite having no previous political experience.
She recently spoke with Mueller as part of his ongoing probe, and reportedly said she sometimes tells “white lies” for the president. CNN reported on Wednesday that comments made by Hicks in 2016, just days after the rich asshole was elected, have been the subject of questions by the special counsel.
CORRECTION: A previous version of this story indicated Mueller is looking into comments Hicks made after the rich asshole’s inauguration. In fact, the comments were made shortly after Election Day.
Frustrated Dems demand contempt action against Bannon
BY OLIVIA BEAVERS AND KATIE BO WILLIAMS - 03/01/18 06:00 AM EST
Democrats say Republicans on the House Intelligence Committee are failing to follow up on threats to hold former White House strategist Stephen Bannon in contempt of Congress.
After Bannon refused to answer some committee questions in an interview in early February, infuriated lawmakers issued a bipartisan subpoena and Republicans threatened to hold the former presidential adviser accountable.
Then, in a second appearance two weeks ago, Bannon provided responses to 25 questions scripted by the White House — angering Democrats who say that those constrained answers do not satisfy the subpoena, which technically remains on the table.
“They’ve said they would insist on Bannon, and yet they have not done so. They were very quick to pursue contempt proceedings regarding Fusion bank, but have not moved with anywhere near the same alacrity with Steve Bannon,” Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.), the committee’s top Democrat, told reporters Tuesday night.
Although Republicans appeared frustrated by Bannon’s testimony — Rep. Mike Conaway (R-Texas), who is leading the committee's Russia probe, told reporters that “we have further steps to take, and we’ll be taking them”— they appear in little hurry to initiate proceedings.
Conaway told reporters Tuesday that there was "no change" in the status of internal negotiations over a possible contempt charge and that he did not know when he would speak to Speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wis.), who will make the final decision.
It’s a far cry from the reaction after Bannon’s first appearances, when Republicans floated the contempt resolution and warned that failing to act against him would risk eroding the subpoena power of every committee in Congress.
“If you don’t, what kind of precedent is that sending? For not just our committee, but every committee,” Rep. Tom Rooney (R-Fla.), a senior member of the House Intelligence panel, said the day before the second Bannon meeting. “They don’t mean anything, just a hollow threat. We can’t do that.”
But the move to enforce a subpoena is ultimately a discretionary one.
Typically, the full House first approves a contempt of Congress citation. The Speaker then certifies the citation to the U.S. attorney for the District of Columbia for prosecution.
The Senate certified a criminal contempt charge against Attorney GeneralEric Holder during President Obama’s second term, but the U.S. attorney refused to bring it before the grand jury. Most recently, Justice declined to act after the House approved a criminal contempt resolution against IRS official Lois Lerner in 2014.
At issue is whether Bannon can claim some subjects are off the table at the request of the White House, in order to vouchsafe the president’s ability to assert executive privilege in the future.
The doctrinal power exists to allow an administration to keep private some internal discussions so that there can be candid deliberation about policy.
Bannon, the former chairman of Breitbart News, served on the presidential transition team and was a White House adviser before resigning in August.
Lawmakers say Bannon’s claim is an effective assertion of power that he, as a private citizen, does not have the right to invoke — particularly for the period of time before the rich asshole took office.
But the White House ahead of Bannon’s second interview sent a letter arguing that the transition period falls under the president’s authority to claim privilege.
Schiff said such a privilege has never been held to apply to a presidential transition before.
Since Bannon’s appearance, other former and current the rich asshole campaign officials have tried to claim a similar form of privilege without formally invoking it, aggravating Democrats who say that the majority is playing by one set of rules for Bannon and another for other officials.
Communications director Hope Hicks, who appeared for over nine hours on Tuesday, also declined to answer some questions related to the transition period and after Inauguration. Democrats quickly called for her to be subpoenaed.
“This double standard is inexplicable,” Schiff said in a statement on Wednesday.
Republicans say Hicks presents a completely different case from Bannon, because she ultimately answered some questions about the transition — specifically, those that mirrored testimony she had already given to the Senate Intelligence Committee.
“I think she’s been very forthright and open to all the questions that we’ve had,” Rooney said after the interview with Hicks concluded.
“Mr. Bannon was claiming a privilege based on the transition that we were asking what the privilege was and we weren’t comfortable that there was such a privilege. Ever since she has decided to answer questions based on that transition, she can’t be compared to Bannon.”
Kushner’s future is uncertain — but few think he’s leaving White House
BY JONATHAN EASLEY - 03/01/18 06:00 AM EST
President the rich asshole’s son-in-law and senior adviser Jared Kushner is facing an uncertain future at the White House.
Kushner has endured a brutal stretch, punctuated by a reduction in his national security clearance.
That controversy has renewed scrutiny on his business dealings: A bombshell Washington Post story on Tuesday raised questions about whether he is susceptible to blackmail or manipulation by foreign governments.
Kushner has also watched as some of his own allies have hit the exits.
Spokesman Josh Raffel — known for his aggressive dealings with the media in shaping stories about Kushner and wife, Ivanka the rich asshole— has announced his departure. Reed Cordish, a longtime family friend working with Kushner on a government IT overhaul, is also leaving soon.
And on Wednesday, the White House was shaken by the resignation of communications director Hope Hicks, who has been with President the rich asshole since the beginning of his campaign. She has also been seen as an ally of Kushner and Ivanka the rich asshole.
The Russia investigation also continues to hang over the White House and Kushner.
Those developments have sparked discussion among Republicans close to the White House about whether Kushner might be looking for an opportunity to make a graceful exit.
Several of the administration’s allies say that the rich asshole’s 2020 campaign — which switched into action this week under the leadership of digital guru Brad Parscale, who is close with Kushner — might be the ideal landing spot.
They say it would give him room to operate outside the harsh White House spotlight.
“The White House needs to be asking itself, why is he really here?” said one outside adviser to the administration. “If his function is to negotiate Middle East peace, then not having security clearance will make that difficult to achieve. It’s probably best for him to look for a chance to go out on a high note. He’s become a distraction and joining the campaign would allow him to operate more freely.”
The campaign is already shaping up to be a family affair, with Lara the rich asshole, the wife of the rich asshole’s son Eric the rich asshole, assuming a senior adviser role.
The rich asshole campaign and a half-dozen administration officials did not respond to requests for comment, although some White House allies privately said they don’t believe Kushner is going anywhere.
The White House has circled the wagons around Kushner in recent days, describing him as an invaluable contributor and insisting that he’s on board for the long haul.
Chief of staff John Kelly, who made the call on the security clearance reduction, said in a statement that Kushner’s expansive portfolio of foreign policy work would not be affected, although some legal experts disagree.
“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. “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.”
Some of the rich asshole’s allies, including a few who have long been critical of Kushner, argue the president’s son-in-law has been treated unfairly by the media and his political enemies.
Several fumed over the Washington Post story, which cited anonymous current and former government officials alleging that foreign leaders were looking for ways to use Kushner’s business deals to manipulate U.S. policy.
“That’s nonsense,” said one GOP operative with close ties to the White House who is generally critical of Kushner. “The governments for 100 other countries have tried to figure out how to manipulate every staffer from every previous administration and we do the same thing to them. Hey look — the sun is rising in the East. Jared isn’t susceptible to this, give me a break.”
Still, even the rich asshole allies are generally baffled by Kushner’s continued presence at the White House, saying the controversies swirling around him are not serving him, the president or the administration.
Several said the flap over security clearances show that Kushner is in over his head, suggesting he only got his job because of his family connections.
Several pinned some of the rich asshole’s worst decisions on Kushner, including the decisions to hire former campaign chairman Paul Manafort and fire former FBI Director James Comey — both of which have created political and legal headaches for the president.
They wonder whether Kushner’s ego or the rich asshole’s blind loyalty explain his continued presence.
“Look, he’s in the White House because he’s the president’s son-in-law,” said one GOP operative. “Nepotism is never a good thing. It’s time for him to go because he’s just complicating the dynamics in the West Wing and creating a massive distraction.”
Kelly made the call on Kushner’s security clearance, leading to a fresh round of leaks and bitter backbiting within an administration that had seen less palace intrigue since the exit of chief strategist Stephen Bannon — a Kushner foe.
Kelly’s own status had been in question after his handling of a controversy over a senior aide whose ex-wives accused him of domestic abuse.
But Republicans say Kelly handled the Kushner security clearance matter expertly and may have shielded himself in the process.
One Republican noted that if Kelly is fired now, it will look like it’s because he crossed the president’s son-in-law. And even if Kelly were fired, the White House would still have to reverse what Kelly had done to reinstate Kushner’s standing.
“It was political genius by Kelly,” said one Republican.
Still, the decision over whether Kushner stays or goes is ultimately up to him and the rich asshole, even if his power has been diminished and his West Wing allies have dwindled.
So far, there is no indication that Kushner is preparing to leave — even as pressure among the rich asshole’s allies ramps up.
“There are clearly high costs to keeping him around the White House at this point, and the negative publicity seems to outweigh the benefits of keeping him around,” the outside adviser said.
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March 1, 2018
Pence eagerly steps in to salvage the rich asshole's unqualified nominees.
On Wednesday evening, for the third time since taking office, Mike Pence had to step in and cast the tie-breaking vote to save the rich asshole’s extremist nominee.
Russell Vought, who will serve as deputy director of the Office of Management and Budget, drew fire for a theological essay arguing Muslims “do not know God” and “stand condemned.”
Pence has cast a record number of tie-breaking Senate votes for a vice president. And every time he has overridden a deadlock in the Senate, he has done tremendous damage.
He stepped in to save the nomination of Education Secretary Betsy DeVos, who had no qualifications to run the department. She has since spent her tenure dismantling legal protections to scammed college debtors, campus rape survivors, and disabled K-12 students.
And he broke another tie on the nomination of “ambassador at large for religious freedom” Sam Brownback, despite his appalling track record of attacking LGBT rights, reproductive rights, and non-Christian religions.
In addition to these three tie-breaking votes on nominations, Pence has cast six tie-breaking Senate votes on legislation — none of them good. Among these were a vote to attack Planned Parenthood, a vote to fund religious homeschooling with taxpayer money, and a vote to strip people defrauded by financial institutions of the right to sue.
Because Senate Republicans have a razor-thin majority and a penchant for trying to force through toxic policies with no input from Democrats, Pence frequently has to bail out the rich asshole’s agenda for being too divisive for unanimous GOP consent.
the rich asshole’s agenda wins out over any serious and independent legislative consideration. And when push comes to shove, Pence steps in to ensure it stays that way.
Senate GOP rejects the rich asshole’s call to go big on gun legislation
BY ALEXANDER BOLTON - 03/01/18 06:00 AM EST
Senate Republicans say President the rich asshole’s comments Wednesday calling for more ambitious gun control proposals won’t change the political calculations in their conference, which supports a limited response to the mass shooting at a Florida high school in February.
Senate Republican Whip John Cornyn (Texas), who is leading the GOP response to gun violence in the upper chamber, told reporters after the meeting with the rich asshole at the White House that he still favors a limited approach.
He wants to put a narrow bill on the floor that would give state and local officials more incentive to report relevant information to the National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS).
Cornyn warned that the Senate risked a repeat of this month’s failed immigration debate if it tries to draft an expansive piece of legislation.
"I think the best way to start is to start with Fix NICSand then we can see what sort of amendments people offer that can get 60 votes,” he said.
The narrow approach favored by Cornyn is the strategy that Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) effectively endorsed the day before.
the rich asshole surprised lawmakers at a White House meeting Wednesday afternoon when he voiced support for a five-year-old proposal sponsored by Sens. Pat Toomey (R-Pa.) and Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) to expand background checks for firearms bought at gun shows and over the internet.
Hours before, Senate Republicans said it had no chance of passing and wasn’t really on the table.
the rich asshole also reiterated his support for raising the age requirement for purchasing assault-style rifles from 18 to 21, dispelling uncertainty on Capitol Hill about where he stood on the question.
GOP leaders at lunchtime Wednesday said that raising the age threshold wouldn’t have enough votes to pass.
“There aren’t the votes there for that,” Senate Republican Conference Chairman John Thune (S.D.) told The Hill.
Sen. Pat Roberts (R-Kan.), who over the weekend indicated support for raising the age for buying rifles, on Tuesday walked back his earlier statement.
And the rich asshole urged lawmakers to fit a variety of ideas into one bill, dramatically expanding the scope of the legislative response that GOP leaders had tried to keep as narrow as possible.
“It would be nice if we could add everything on to it,” he told lawmakers who met with him in the Cabinet Room, even suggesting a name for the measure: the U.S. Background Check Bill.
But Cornyn poured cold water on the idea of moving a comprehensive bill, cautioning that it’s “easier said than done.”
Sen. Roy Blunt (R-Mo.), another member of the GOP leadership, said, “If you actually tried to put a comprehensive bill together and take a bill to the floor that was comprehensive, you’d probably wind up with no result.”
He said the Fix NICS bill “has the biggest chance to get 60 votes.”
the rich asshole suggested using the Toomey–Manchin proposal as a base bill and building on top of it, but his words of encouragement failed to move the needle much in the Senate.
Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), who attended the White House meeting, said he would still vote against it.
"I haven't voted for it in the past, I'm not inclined to vote for it now,” Rubio told reporters after the meeting. He also noted that the shooters in recent mass killings did not buy their weapons at gun shows or from unlicensed dealers and wouldn’t have been stopped if the Toomey–Manchin bill had been law.
Rubio said “we’re better off” prosecuting straw purchasers who attempt to evade gun laws already on the books or tightening the current background check system with the Fix NICS bill.
One Republican senator who requested anonymity expressed doubt that the rich asshole fully understands the Toomey–Manchin proposal and predicted he would change his mind on comprehensive background checks.
“Do you think he has any idea what’s in Manchin–Toomey?” the lawmaker asked. “As he gets more information he may not hold to that. What makes you think Manchin–Toomey will get more votes than it did before?”
Democratic leaders pushed the bill, which would close what they call the “gun show loophole," in 2013 but it garnered only 54 votes — six votes short of the number needed to overcome a filibuster.
Six Democrats who voted for that bill five years ago have since been replaced by Republicans who would be more skeptical of the legislation: former Sens. Kay Hagan (N.C.), Tim Johnson (S.D.), Tom Harkin (Iowa), Mary Landrieu (La.), Jay Rockefeller (W.Va.) and Mark Udall (D-Colo.).
Toomey, however, argued that the rich asshole’s words had given his joint proposal with Manchin new life.
“It does feel as though the atmosphere has changed. It does feel to me as though there are members who were not willing to do something in the past that might be willing now,” he said. “I know for a fact that there are individual senators who have voted against Manchin–Toomey who have told me they are reconsidering.”
But even Democrats were skeptical that the rich asshole would follow up his bold talk on Wednesday with action.
Murphy, a champion of universal background checks, said he is “not highly confident.”
“The White House can now launch a lobbying campaign to get universal background checks passed as the president promised in this meeting or they can sit and do nothing. We’ll see,” he said.
Hope Hicks is leaving the White House
Though she kept a low profile, she was often in the background as scandal unfolded.
White House Communications Director Hope Hicks will be leaving her post in the coming weeks, according to a New York Times report Wednesday afternoon.
Her resignation comes just one day after she testified in front of the House Intelligence Committee for eight hours on Tuesday. During the hearing, she reportedly acknowledged to the panel that she has at times lied for President the rich asshole, though added she has never lied about anything related to the investigation into Russian intervention in the 2016 election.
Like many other staffers, Hicks joined the rich asshole campaign with no political experience. She kept a low profile during her time advising the rich asshole as both a candidate and as president, refusing requests for interviews and television appearances. But she has nevertheless found herself entwined in a number of major scandals.
Last month, The New York Times reported on a previously undisclosed conference call, about which Mark Corallo, a former spokesman for the rich asshole’s legal team, intended to tell Special Counsel Robert Mueller.
According to The New York Times, “Ms. Hicks said during the call that emails written by some rich asshole Jr. before the rich asshole Tower meeting — in which the younger some rich asshole said he was eager to receive political dirt about Mrs. Clinton from the Russians — ‘will never get out.’ That left Mr. Corallo with concerns that Ms. Hicks could be contemplating obstructing justice, the people said.”
Hicks’ lawyer strongly denied the accusation to the Times, saying in a statement, “As most reporters know, it’s not my practice to comment in response to questions from the media. But this warrants a response,” said the lawyer, Robert P. Trout. “She never said that. And the idea that Hope Hicks ever suggested that emails or other documents would be concealed or destroyed is completely false.”
Of course, the rich asshole Jr. himself ended up tweeting out the emails.
During her time working for the rich asshole, Hicks reportedly began dating former White House Staff Secretary Rob Porter, who ultimately left the White House after facing domestic abuse allegations.
When the accusations about Porter first came to light, White House Chief of Staff John Kelly released a statement expressing strong support for Porter.
“Rob Porter is a man of true integrity and honor and I can’t say enough good things about him,” the statement said. “He is a friend, a confidante and a trusted professional. I am proud to serve alongside him.”
The next day, CNN reported that Hicks was involved in crafting the very supportive statement, regarding the serious accusations of abuse leveled against the man she was reportedly dating.
According to the New York Times, the rich asshole sang Hicks’ praises when she announced her departure from the White House.
“Hope is outstanding and has done great work for the last three years,” the rich asshole reportedly said. “She is as smart and thoughtful as they come, a truly great person. I will miss having her by my side, but when she approached me about pursuing other opportunities, I totally understood. I am sure we will work together again in the future.”
Hicks joins a long list of the rich asshole staffers who have left their jobs or been fired, including another communications director, Anthony Scaramucci, who lasted just 10 days; Press Secretary Sean Spicer; former White House chief strategist Steve Bannon; and alleged Nazi sympathizer Seb Gorka. The position of Communications Director has been particularly fraught: in the 14 months since being sworn in, five different people have held the title, the same number as during the eight years of the Obama administration.
the rich asshole claims the NRA has ‘less power’ over him than over lawmakers
The NRA spent more than $11 million to support him during the 2016 election cycle.
President the rich asshole on Wednesday claimed that the National Rifle Association, the most powerful gun lobby group in the country, has “less power” over him than they have over members of Congress. His comments came during a bipartisan meeting with legislators to address school safety in the wake of this month’s mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida.
“They do have great power, I agree with that,” the rich asshole said, responding to Sen. Chris Murphy (D-CT), who argued that passing any legislation to prevent gun violence was difficult due to the NRA’s outsized influence on Capitol Hill. “They have great power over you people. They have less power over me. What do I need?”
Many legislators have indeed accepted large donations from the NRA over the years, including Florida Sen. Marco Rubio (R), who told Parkland shooting survivors last week that he would continue to do so, despite the tragedy in his home state. But while the gun lobbying organization has not made direct contributions to the rich asshole himself, it did spend more than $11 million on independent expenditures to support him, and nearly $20 million more to attack Hillary Clinton, during the 2016 presidential election.
Additionally, the rich asshole has signaled a willingness to remain close with the NRA and repeat, sometimes verbatim, its talking points. Just this past Sunday, the president held a lunch meeting with three senior NRA officials, including NRA chief Wayne LaPierre and chief lobbyist and principal political strategist Chris Cox. According to the rich asshole, their discussion centered on mental health.
“I tell you what, the reason I had lunch with the NRA Sunday — I called them. I said you’ve got to come over. I said ‘fellas, we’ve got to do something,'” the president recounted for lawmakers on Wednesday. “… I tell you, they are well-meaning. I said to them very nice, I said, ‘Fellas, we’ve got to do something. We can’t keep restricting–we can’t keep… we have to do what is right.’ When it comes to mental health and other issues, I said, we have to do what is right. And I’m telling you, I think they’re there. I think they’re there.”
He added, “Some of you people are petrified of the NRA. You can’t be petrified. They want to do what is right, and they’re going to do what’s right. I really believe that.”
According to a Politico report on Monday, the president’s language on gun policy has closely mirrored — if not been identical to — the NRA’s official talking points in the days following the Parkland school shooting. The one issue on which the two sides have diverged is bump stocks: the NRA’s official position on the matter is to wait for the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) to issue new regulations banning them, which ATF officials have repeatedly said they cannot do without legislation from Congress. the rich asshole, by contrast, has said he would “write out” an order banning them himself, if it came to it.
“I’m going to write the bump stock, essentially write it out,” he said Wednesday. “That will be gone shortly. We can focus on other things.”
the rich asshole had Democrats cheering in his bipartisan gun control meeting.
“You’re scared of the NRA,” President some rich asshole declared in a room of lawmakers Wednesday during a meeting on guns that pushed Republican priorities to the sidelines and had Democrats in the room cheering.
A bipartisan group of legislators met in the White House to try to make headway on gun law reforms in the wake of the deadly shooting at a Parkland, Florida, high school that left 17 dead and injured more than a dozen others.
Throughout the hour, the rich asshole often veered into uncomfortable territory for Republicans and at times broke with his party altogether, reiterating support for policies many in his conservative base have taken issue with.
At one point, he said some in the group were “petrified” of the national gun lobby and sided with Democratic Sens. Dianne Feinstein (CA) and Amy Klobuchar’s (MN) proposals over those of Majority Whip Steve Scalise (R-LA) and Rep. John Rutherford (R-FL).
In the televised meeting, which felt a lot like the freewheeling discussion the rich asshole held on immigration last month, the president called for a bill that was “powerful” on background checks and that would address mental illness and possibly raise the age limit for buying assault rifles from 18 years old to 21. He also repeatedly stated support for beefing up armed security at schools and getting rid of “gun-free zones.”
In all, it was an undeniable call for comprehensive gun control — something Republicans have been wary of touching.
“I like that word, comprehensive,” the rich asshole said. “They say it is a bad word. I like the word. I would rather have a comprehensive bill. ... It would be really nice to create something that’s beautiful.”
Whether this discussion will actually yield legislation — and whether the rich asshole sticks to the positions he supported in the meeting — remains to be seen.
Only last month, many of these same lawmakers listened to the rich asshole publicly support compromise immigration legislation, only to have his administration derail every bipartisan proposal put forward. the rich asshole said he wants to be the president that gets gun reform passed through Congress. It’s not yet clear if that will translate into helping Congress pass a bill.
What the rich asshole said he supports on gun control (for now)
After the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting in 2012, Congress tried and failed to pass a bipartisan gun control bill — most of which were extremely narrow proposals. This time, Congress is under mounting pressure to act, and the rich asshole has jumped on the bandwagon of a national movement to address gun laws.
In the meeting, the rich asshole articulated three main priorities for gun control, many of which were in stark contrast with his base:
1) He wants a “powerful” expansion of background checks
the rich asshole supported both the Fix NICS Act, a proposal sponsored by Sens. John Cornyn (R-TX) and Chris Murphy (D-CT) that would reinforce current laws requiring state and federal agencies to report criminal records to the National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS). The bill would increase enforcement, step up requirements for federal and state agencies to update records, give states financial incentives to report to NICS, and penalize agencies that don’t upload their records.
He also supported a proposal from Republican Sen. Pat Toomey (PA) and moderate Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin (WV) that would expand the current background check system for gun sales at gun shows and online, where transactions between family members, friends, and neighbors go unchecked.
the rich asshole repeatedly referred to Manchin and Toomey’s proposal as a possible “base” to a more comprehensive gun control legislation. This proposal has failed twice in the Senate.
2) the rich asshole called for more robust checks for mental illness — even if it means confiscating guns
“You have to fix mental illness,” the rich asshole said. “If someone is mentally ill, you can’t take it away. They can buy. It is ridiculous. ... I’m sure you’re going to fix it.”
The call was met with some pushback from Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-IA), who warned that not all people with mental illness are a danger to others. Republicans actually made it easier for people with mental illnesses to purchase guns last year, rolling back an Obama-era regulation that required the Social Security Administration to report mental illness records to NICS.
Conservatives have raised concerns that some agencies can formally declare “mental illness” without due process. But the rich asshole doesn’t appear to have those same due process concerns.
“Take the firearms first and then go to court,” he said. “A lot of times by the time you go to court, it takes so long to go to court, to get the due process procedures. I like taking the guns early.”
3) He expressed openness to raising age limits for purchasing certain assault rifles
the rich asshole reiterated his interest in raising the minimum age for purchasing assault rifles — which is a break from the National Rifle Association’s position and an idea House conservatives say is a nonstarter.
Currently, federal law prohibits anyone under the age of 21 from purchasing a handgun from a licensed dealer but allows adults 18 or older to buy rifles.
“People aren’t bringing it up because they’re afraid to bring it up,” the rich asshole said of the policy. “You can’t buy a handgun at 18, 19, or 20. You have to wait until you’re 21. You could buy the weapon used in this horrible shooting at 18. You are going to decide — the people in this room pretty much are going to decide.”
It resulted in this exchange with Toomey:
At one point, the rich asshole even seemed to express support for Feinstein’s assault weapons ban, telling Manchin and Toomey to add her proposal to the base bill.
Needless to say, Feinstein reacted with glee.
Outside of these main points, the rich asshole also repeatedly spoke against “gun-free zones,” calling them the “most dangerous” places in the country, and supported “offensive firepower on the inside” of schools — two issues that are nonstarters for most Democrats.
the rich asshole pushed Republican priorities to the sidelines
What the rich asshole didn’t support in the meeting was possibly more notable.
On multiple occasions, he rejected proposals to include legislation that would allow permits for carrying concealed weapons to cross state lines in this gun control package — something that has been a priority for House Republicans and was part of a version of the Fix NICS bill that already passed in the lower chamber.
“I think that maybe that bill will someday pass, but it should pass as a separate,” the rich asshole said in response to Scalise, instead siding with Democrats. “If you’re going to put concealed carry between states into this bill, we’re talking about a whole new ballgame. You’ll never get this passed if you add concealed carry to this, you’ll never get it passed. ... We want to get something done.”
the rich asshole’s call for comprehensive gun control legislation is a major break from what congressional Republicans have been discussing. After shootings, Republican talking points typically steer away from any actual gun control-related measures, or focus on the narrowest possible provisions.
Already the rich asshole’s position has concerned his conservative supporters in the House Freedom Caucus, many of whom spent the week strategizing alternatives for him. Going down the list, Freedom Caucus members have found issue with many of the rich asshole’s gun control positions, from the Fix NICS Act to the increased minimum purchasing age.
the rich asshole seems confused on why gun control hasn’t passed before
the rich asshole repeated a simple question during the bipartisan meeting on gun legislation: Why didn’t Congress pass gun control after the last shooting?
The president would have to look to many in his own party for those answers. Following Sandy Hook, momentum behind an assault weapons ban fell short of 60 votes in the Senate after losing the support of all but one Republican and 15 Democrats.
the rich asshole had his own explanations for why: He said members were scared of the gun lobby and the news cycle was distracting, and he repeatedly tried to blame Obama, saying his predecessor wasn’t “proactive” on the issue.
“I think it’s time that a president stepped up,” the rich asshole said. “I’m talking Democrat and Republican presidents, they’ve not stepped up.”
Obama repeatedly called for commonsense gun control reforms, including expanding background checks and addressing mental illness. When gun control failed in the Senate after Sandy Hook, he called it a “pretty shameful day in Washington.”
Even Republicans in the room had to correct the rich asshole on Obama’s role in gun control. Here’s an exchange between the rich asshole and Toomey on why his background check expansion didn’t pass before:
Feinstein also chimed in to say Congress had “tried” to pass gun control in the past.
Until now, congressional Republicans have been reluctant to act on guns, candidly saying the urgency will die down and the policy issue will be pushed to the background. the rich asshole, however, doesn’t seem to care where his party has stood on the issue. He wants to “take the responsibility” of passing gun control — and, in his view, prove he can do what earlier presidents couldn’t.
the rich asshole tweet about CNN ‘fake news’ is itself fake news, and still uncorrected
Even Fox News attempted to correct the false claim.
Last week’s CNN town hall on gun violence featured strong calls for action from survivors of the Parkland shooting, a combative NRA spokesperson, and a nervous Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL). It did not feature Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School student, Colton Haab, who had been set to attend the town hall.
The reason why Haab wasn’t there, according to what Haab told media in the days after the town hall, was because CNN tried to tell him what to say. But this argument fell apart on Tuesday after Haab’s father Glenn admitted he had doctored an email exchange with CNN which made it look as though CNN was directing what Colton could say at the town hall. This caused even Fox News to admit, grudgingly, that the Haabs’ initial claims were suspect and there was no evidence CNN tried to give him a scripted question.
But President the rich asshole, who tweeted about Carlson’s initial segment must have missed the correction, because he still had yet to delete or correct an earlier tweet attacking CNN for this false infraction as of Wednesday afternoon.
Colton Haab was reportedly one of several JROTC students who helped protect dozens of classmates by hiding them in a JROTC classroom. He spoke about this to outlets such as Fox & Friends, and advocated arming trained teachers in schools.
CNN reached out to Haab about participating in the town hall, but he told the local ABC affiliate the day of the event that he refused to attend because “CNN had originally asked me to write a speech and questions and it ended up being all scripted.” He showed two pieces of paper with the speech he had initially emailed to CNN, along with several questions.
Haab went on Tucker Carlson’s Fox News program the following evening, and said first someone from CNN asked for a speech, and then asked for “more questions” which Haab said he was fine with. Then he told Carlson, the day of the event, CNN “had taken what I had wrote, and what I had briefed on and talked about, and they actually wrote the question for me.” He said he believed that CNN had supplied other students who participated in the event with questions, and that he found the whole thing “shocking” and “upsetting.”
some rich asshole quoted Carlson in a tweet last week that attacked CNN for being “fake news” and having bad ratings.
“School shooting survivor says he quit @CNN Town Hall after refusing scripted question.” @TuckerCarlson. Just like so much of CNN, Fake News. That’s why their ratings are so bad! MSNBC may be worse.
CNN replied directly to the president’s tweet, saying “There is absolutely no truth to this story — and we can prove that. CNN did not provide or script questions for anyone in last night’s town hall, nor have we ever. Those are the facts. #FactsFirst.”
On Tuesday, Haab’s father, who had helped facilitate his son’s communications with CNN, admitted that he had doctored an email sent to media to push the claim that CNN had told Colton what to say. He said he omitted some words, but did not do it on purpose, according to the AP. Both versions of the exchange have CNN asking Glenn Haab to make Colton’s questions shorter “so that we can get to as many people as possible.” Then the key sentence: “This is what Colton and I discussed on the phone that he submitted.” The version of the exchange Glenn Colton circulated to media after the event omitted the words “that he submitted.”
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
Though Glenn Colton said he did not omit the words on purpose and “there was nothing malicious behind it,” the omission changed the basis of the conservative media’s freakout enough that even Fox’s Tucker Carlson, who had Colton Haab on his show the day after the town hall to make these claims, issued a brief correction on his Tuesday show.
Carlson reviewed the story, said that CNN and the Haabs had shared the differing emails with Fox the day after the Haab interview, and that the Haabs “said they were being slandered by CNN and that is where it stood, two sides telling contradictory stories…”
He then got to the news of the doctored email exchange:
The Haab family concedes that they did remove a line from out of their emails in a way that might make some think it its meaning had changed. Colton’s father said it was accidental. We don’t know, we can’t prove or disprove that. For the sake of honesty and full disclosure, to which we are committed, we have to tell your there is no evidence as of right now that CNN tried to give Colton Hobb a scripted question. And we wanted to do that.
Though the president seems to catch many shows on Fox, he either missed this one, or decided not to correct his tweet pushing the theory that CNN is fake news.
WATCH: Steve Mnuchin begged UCLA not to share this video of college students telling him he’s ‘full of sh*t’
Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin during his Senate confirmation hearing. Image via screengrab.
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During a talk on sanctions at the University of California, Los Angeles, Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin was heckled by protesters — and reportedly doesn’t want people to see what happened.
The Wall Street Journal reported Wednesday that Mnuchin asked the school not to publish video of the altercation in which at least two student protesters shouted at him.
“It wasn’t black people and brown people in the inner cities who did this, and yet you are punishing them,” one of the protesters said before being forcibly lifted by campus police and taken from the room. Another accused him of being a fascist, and the Journal notes that one of them told Mnuchin he is “a piece of shit.”
You can watch the Treasury secretary get yelled at from multiple angles below:
‘Buckle up’: Stunned Don Lemon laughs while recounting a single day in the rich asshole’s ‘chaotic White House’
CNN's Don Lemon (Photo: Screen capture)
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CNN’s Don Lemon on Wednesday perfectly summed up a stunning day of major headlines coming from the White House, imploring viewers to “buckle up” as he went down the remarkable list of stories from a single day of some rich asshole’s presidency.
“We’re following multiple huge stories tonight, and we’re going to catch you up on everything, and it’s a lot,” Lemon said. “So buckle up.”
“First, there’s Hope Hicks,” Lemon explained. “The fifth White House communications director in a little over a year. announcing she’s resigning, joining the parade of people from the rich asshole administration fleeing for the exits. Hicks announcing her departure just one day after admitting she told lies, what she characterized as ‘white lies,’ but lies nonetheless, in the service of President the rich asshole.”
Lemon explained his colleague, CNN’s Erin Burnett, reported that the rich asshole“berated” Hicks for acknowledging she lied while speaking before Congressional investigators–an exchange described as Hicks’ “final straw.”
Moving on, Lemon mentioned a series of reports about the rich asshole’s son-in-law Jared Kushner, whose family business received massive loans from at least two companies after the top the rich asshole aide attended meetings with those companies’ executives.
“Kushner also described as acting paranoid, he feels everyone is out to get him after losing his top secret security clearance and in the middle of his battle with White House Chief of Staff John Kelly,” Lemon explained.
“And there’s also the latest crisis of the president’s own making,” Lemon continued. “The public shaming of his own handpicked attorney general.”
“And now tonight, we have learned [special counsel Robert] Mueller is looking into exactly why the rich asshole wanted to oust Sessions last summer,” Lemon said.
“And here we go again,” Lemon added, turning to the rich asshole’s stunning meeting on guns Wednesday during which the president “[ended] up sounding an awful lot like a Democrat.”
“Remember when gun advocates loved to say, Obama wants to take away your guns?” Lemon asked. “Now the rich asshole actually does.”
“So a recap just on the open of this show: bombshell resignations, White House infighting, guns, all of that—and it’s only Wednesday.”
Watch Lemon summarize the day’s news below, via CNN:
CNN: the rich asshole 'berated' Hicks after House Intel testimony
BY BRANDON CARTER - 02/28/18 08:40 PM EST
President the rich asshole reportedly berated former White House communications director Hope Hicks the day before her resignation, according to a new report.
CNN’s Erin Burnett reported Wednesday that the rich asshole was angry with Hicks following her closed-door testimony to the House Intelligence Committee, in which she reportedly revealed she was sometimes required to tell “white lies” as part of her work in the White House.
Burnett reported one of the rich asshole’s “close allies” told CNN that the rich asshole asked Hicks after her testimony “how she could be so stupid.”
“Apparently, that was the final straw for Hope Hicks,” Burnett said.
"There are no words to adequately express my gratitude to President the rich asshole. I wish the president and his administration the very best as he continues to lead our country,” Hicks said in a statement announcing her departure.
The 29-year-old has served as a top adviser to the rich asshole since he launched his presidential campaign in 2015.
Hicks has set no departure date but is expected to leave the White House in the next few weeks, White House officials said.
Her departure comes one day after her lengthy interview with the House Intelligence panel as part of its investigation into Russian meddling in the 2016 election.
During her testimony, Hicks refused to answer questions about events that happened during the presidential transition and after the rich asshole took office.
She also reportedly admitted that her job in the rich asshole administration required her to tell "white lies," although she denied that she lied about anything relevant to the investigation into Russian election interference.
Five takeaways from the rich asshole’s meeting on guns
BY NIALL STANAGE AND JORDAIN CARNEY - 02/28/18 07:23 PM EST
President the rich asshole shook up the gun control debate — and many members of his own party — with a televised White House meeting with lawmakers that lasted more than an hour on Wednesday afternoon.
the rich asshole expressed support for a number of gun control measures, including strengthened background checks and stricter age limits, even as he held fast to his insistence that schools should be made “harder” targets by permitting teachers and other personnel to be armed.
The reverberations from the meeting will continue for days, but what were the main takeaways?
the rich asshole really does want action
There had been considerable skepticism over whether the rich asshole was really intent upon taking action on gun violence, long a vexing issue in American politics, in the days immediately after the Feb. 14 Parkland, Fla., shooting.
But his demand to get something done appeared both genuine and urgent during Wednesday’s meeting. He repeatedly made the point that other presidents had failed to make progress on the issue but that he intended to do so.
the rich asshole’s desire for action included some moves that will cause serious unease to the National Rifle Association (NRA) and other gun rights groups.
the rich asshole was dismissive of the idea of including so-called concealed carry reciprocity measures alongside broader legislation, arguing it would delay the effort to get something done. “You’ll never get it passed,” he told House Majority Whip Steve Scalise (R-La.).
the rich asshole at times suggested that his predecessor, President Obama, had not asserted himself strongly enough in the push for gun control — a claim that overlooks the efforts Obama made, in vain, to pass stricter gun laws after the mass shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn., in 2012.
But the Obama comparison also shows the extent to which the rich asshole is making it a matter of personal pride to notch up some kind of achievement on gun laws.
That, in itself, seems to increase the chances of success.
Heartburn for the NRA
the rich asshole took aim at the NRA during the hourlong meeting, positioning himself as unafraid of the powerful gun lobby that has dominated politics for decades.
When GOP Sen. Pat Toomey (Pa.) told the rich asshole that his 2013 background check bill didn’t raise the minimum age for buying a rifle, the rich asshole fired back: “You know why? Because you're afraid of the NRA, right?”
The NRA has come out strongly against increasing the minimum age from 18 to 21. But the rich asshole, describing himself as a “fan” of the organization, urged lawmakers to consider including such a provision in their bill.
the rich asshole also told them he wanted to be “very powerful” on background checks and warned that including concealed carry reciprocity would sink the overall legislation.
The NRA released a statement late Wednesday afternoon, which did not mention the rich asshole. The group called the White House event “great TV” and warned that legislation should not “punish law-abiding Americans.”
Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas) downplayed the idea that the rich asshole’s comments would result in a shift on Capitol Hill on guns.
“I wouldn’t confuse what he said with what can actually pass. So I think I don’t expect to see any great divergence in terms of people’s views on the Second Amendment, for example,” Cornyn said.
the rich asshole believes these meetings work for him
This is the second lengthy meeting where the rich asshole has allowed lawmakers to put forth divergent ideas on a contentious issue. The first came on immigration last month
Additionally, the rich asshole’s White House meeting with Parkland survivors last week also struck an unusual tone. Instead of the tightly scripted, buttoned-down events of the past, the rich asshole spent most of his time listening, while people affected by gun violence delivered raw, emotional speeches.
The degree to which the White House is willing to jettison the script in favor of looser, more improvisational gatherings is fascinating — not least because of what it says politically.
the rich asshole aides clearly feel the approach helps him, and it’s not hard to see why. the rich asshole in listening mode seems a less combative and polarizing figure than at his campaign rallies.
Meetings with lawmakers also allow the rich asshole to cast himself in his favorite role of dealmaker, willing to go against his own party's orthodoxy.
That happened at the immigration meeting, where he seemed to signal agreement with Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) on the need for a clean bill to replace the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program, to the evident unease of House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.).
On Wednesday, the rich asshole expressed support for bipartisan legislation and requested that such legislation incorporate ideas from two Democratic senators, Feinstein and Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.).
One caveat, however: The expansive tone of these meetings does not necessarily last for long.
Just two days after the immigration encounter, the rich asshole caused an uproar by reportedly referring to “shithole countries” at a subsequent, closed White House meeting.
His spontaneous style complicates legislation
the rich asshole’s freewheeling style sparked immediate confusion on Capitol Hill about the path forward.
Cornyn and Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) pointed to the Fix NICS (National Instant Background Check System) Act as the bill the Senate should take up, while Democrats and Toomey thought the rich asshole added new life to the 2013 Manchin-Toomey background check bill.
“He knows something has to be done. It’s the most reasonable approach. It was good in 2013. It’s good now. So we’ll use it as our base and work off of it,” Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) said.
The Manchin-Toomey proposal failed to get 60 votes in 2013, with five red state Democrats siding with Republicans to help sink the bill.
Cornyn, however, argued that “for me the most obvious place to start is the Fix NICS bill that has 46 co-sponsors.”
the rich asshole repeatedly urged Cornyn to expand his legislation to include expanded background checks and even suggested renaming it as the “U.S. background check bill or whatever.”
If the rich asshole sticks by his comments, GOP lawmakers and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) could be forced to pick between bucking the rich asshole and sticking with the narrower Fix NICS bill or crossing gun groups influential among the party’s base.
The meeting was reminiscent of the January talks on immigration. the rich asshole said at the time that he would sign whatever bill Congress sent him only to shoot down a bipartisan proposal two days later.
“Today he said he supported everything … we’ll see where he comes down next week,” said Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.).
Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.) acknowledged he didn’t know if the president would stick with his positions but “presidents are people, too. They can change their minds.”
Lawmakers believe they can flatter the rich asshole
Lawmakers appeared to be appealing to the rich asshole’s ego as they tried to win over his support for their gun control ideas.
Members stressed that the rich asshole, who has touted his ability to make deals, could help get a gun control bill across the finish line after past presidents had tried and failed.
“Well, and in all fairness, this is a bill that basically, with your support, it would pass,” Manchin told the rich asshole as he described the 2013 background checks bill. Meanwhile, Feinstein, when the rich asshole asked if she could add in some of her proposals, responded: “If you help.”
the rich asshole appeared to lap up the attention. He repeatedly pushed lawmakers to say what had foiled previous gun bills was a lack of support from the White House — namely the Obama administration.
“I like that responsibility, Chris, I really do,” he said to Democratic Sen. Chris Murphy (Conn.). “It's time that a president stepped up.”
It’s hardly the first time officials have resorted to flattery. During a televised June meeting, cabinet officials went one-by-one around the table praising the rich asshole.
Lawmakers have previously mocked the rich asshole over his ego. Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) parodied the Cabinet meeting by releasing a video of three staffers sitting around a table praising him.
“GREAT meeting today with the best staff in the history of the world!!!” Schumer said in a tweet accompanying the video.
Five ways the rich asshole broke with the GOP on guns
BY MIKE LILLIS AND SCOTT WONG - 02/28/18 07:04 PM EST
Challenging the leaders of his own party, President the rich asshole on Wednesday urged Congress to adopt a host of gun restrictions that have long been anathema to Republicans on Capitol Hill.
In an extraordinary televised meeting with lawmakers of both parties at the White House, the rich asshole called for quick action on expanding background checks, increasing the gun-buying age and empowering law enforcement to confiscate firearms from potentially unstable people — even without a court’s approval.
All of those proposals are fervently opposed by the National Rifle Association (NRA) and most Republicans in Congress — and the rich asshole suggested the relationship between those two groups is much of the problem.
“Some of you people are petrified of the NRA,” he said. “You can’t be petrified.”
The ultimate significance of the rich asshole’s remarks remains to be seen. Last month, the president hosted a similar bipartisan meeting on immigration, where he vowed quick action to protect “Dreamers” and appeared similarly sympathetic to the Democrats’ arguments. He later adopted a much harder line, and the “Dreamer” legislation he promised to champion has gone nowhere in Congress.
Here are five places where the rich asshole broke with his own party on guns.
the rich asshole wants to go big on the issue
Comprehensive bills rarely succeed in Washington, but the rich asshole says he wants to go big when it comes to gun reforms.
“Some people don’t like the word comprehensive. I like the word comprehensive,” the rich asshole told lawmakers on Wednesday.
The president praised legislation authored by Sens. Pat Toomey (R-Pa.) and Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) that would expand background checks for gun purchases, but then pressed the bipartisan duo to add to it.
Specifically, the rich asshole suggested merging the Toomey-Manchin bill with the legislation known as the Fix NICS Act, which would penalize states for failing to submit criminal records to the federal background check system for firearms.
He also said Toomey and Manchin should add a provision raising to 21 the age restriction for those purchasing rifles. And he said he was “all for” a proposal by Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) that would expand firearm background checks to include domestic violence cases.
“Fix NICS has some really good things in it,” the rich asshole said, “but it would be nice if we could add everything on to it.”
Most House Republicans, however, believe that more gun laws aren’t the answer.
“We shouldn’t be banning guns from law-abiding citizens,” Speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) said this week.
He says concealed carry should be divorced from Fix NICS
Majority Whip Steve Scalise (R-La.) pointed to the House-passed background checks package to show that Republicans have already acted to curb gun violence.
But that bill pairs Fix NICS background checks legislation with the Concealed Carry Reciprocity Act, an NRA-backed provision that expands rights for the holders of concealed carry permits.
And on Wednesday, the rich asshole made it very clear he didn’t like that approach.
“You know I'm your biggest fan in the whole world, right?” the rich asshole told Scalise, who over the summer was critically injured in a mass shooting at a congressional baseball practice. “If you're going to put concealed carry between states into this bill, we're talking about a whole new ballgame. … I'm with you, but let it be a separate bill."
“You'll never get this passed. If you add concealed carry to this, you'll never get it passed,” the rich asshole added. “Let it be a separate bill.”
Scalise pleaded with the rich asshole not to dismiss the GOP bill, which would allow concealed carry permit holders to legally bring their firearms across state lines.
“Clearly, the Senate may have some issues with parts of the bill, but let's not just discard that. Let's at least have a broader conversation,” Scalise said.
But later in the conversation, the rich asshole again slapped down the idea: “Steve, it's very hard to add the one thing that you want.”
He wants aggressive action on universal background checks
Republicans for years have resisted expanding background checks to include guns sold by unlicensed dealers, who are not required to screen potential buyers through the FBI’s database of prohibited people. the rich asshole on Wednesday took a decidedly different tack, calling for an aggressive approach to strengthening the background check system.
“You have to be very powerful on background checks,” he said. “Don’t be shy.”
The president expressed amazement that Congress failed to bolster background checks in the wake of the 2012 Sandy Hook massacre, asking “why didn’t they do something about it?”
The answer, in part, was seated in front of him.
In 2013, responding to the Sandy Hook shooting, Senate Democratic leaders brought the Manchin-Toomey bill to the floor, where a Republican filibuster blocked it. Among the opponents at the time were three of the senators at Wednesday’s meeting: Sens. John Cornyn (R-Texas), Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) and Marco Rubio (R-Fla.).
Toomey defended his Republican colleagues, saying their opposition was rooted in a widespread distrust in President Obama to implement the changes fairly.
“President Obama did support it, but there was a worry that he wanted to go further, frankly, and that was a concern for some of our guys,” Toomey said.
The Republicans also touted their Fix NICS bill, sponsored by Cornyn, which would encourage more reporting to the FBI database without expanding it to include more sales. The Democrats support the measure, but maintain it falls well short of the universal screenings they’re advocating.
the rich asshole seemed to favor their position.
“I'd rather have you come down on the strong side, instead of the weak side,” the rich asshole said. “The weak side would be much easier. I'd rather have you come up with a strong, strong bill, and really strong on background checks.”
He says due process is secondary to public safety
Democrats pushing legislation empowering the authorities to confiscate guns from potentially violent people have run into some opposition from conservatives — and even liberal civil liberties advocates — warning against the erosion of constitutional due process rights.
the rich asshole said Wednesday that public safety should take precedence over those civil liberties.
Interrupting Vice President Pence — who was making the case that due process must be protected before law enforcers intervene to take guns — the rich asshole championed the opposite approach.
“Or, Mike, take the firearms first, and then go to court,” the rich asshole said. “Because a lot of times … it takes so long to go to court, to get the due process procedures — I like taking the guns early.
“So you could do exactly what you're saying, but take the guns first, go through due process second.”
the rich asshole argued that the suspect in the recent Parkland, Fla., high school shooting — a former student with a long history of disciplinary problems — clearly exhibited behavior that should have guided local law enforcment to take his guns.
“You can take the guns away immediately from people that you can adjudge easily are mentally ill, like this guy,” he said.
the rich asshole allowed that such a move might be illegal, but dismissed the lack of authority as a technicality.
“The police saw that he was a problem, they didn't take any guns away,” he said. “Now that could have been policing, [but] I think they should have taken them away anyway, whether they had the right or not.”
He’s open to hiking age limits for gun purchases
The 19-year-old suspect in the Parkland shooting — who is said to have purchased a military-style rifle lawfully — has prompted new scrutiny of the legal age to purchase an assault weapon.
the rich asshole on Wednesday led that charge.
“A lot of people don't even want to bring it up because they're afraid to bring it up, but you can't buy a handgun at 18, 19 or 20 — you have to wait till your 21 — but you can buy the gun, the weapon used in this horrible shooting at 18,” he said.
“It doesn't make sense that I have to wait until I'm 21 to get a handgun, but I can get this weapon at 18,” he said.
Most Republicans, backed by the NRA, oppose that change. Toomey on Wednesday explained the reason to the president.
“My reservation about it, frankly, is that the vast majority of 18-, 19-, and 20-year-olds in Pennsylvania who have a rifle or a shotgun, they're not a threat to anyone. They're law-abiding citizens,” Toomey said. “They have that because they want to use it for hunting or target shooting, and to deny them their Second Amendment right is not going to make anyone safer.”
That didn’t appear to dissuade the rich asshole, however, who later in the meeting pressed the lawmakers to consider the change as part of a larger reform package.
“You have to look at the age of 21 for certain types of weapons,” he said. “I mean, some people aren't going to like that, but you're going to have to look at that very seriously.”
Mueller investigating whether the rich asshole tried to oust Sessions: report
BY BRANDON CARTER - 02/28/18 07:25 PM EST
Special counsel Robert Mueller is now investigating whether President the rich asshole attempted to oust Attorney General Jeff Sessions from his role last summer, according to a new report.
The Washington Post reports that Mueller’s team is now focusing on the rich asshole’s private remarks and state of mind over the summer, when the rich asshole was publicly slamming Sessions as “beleaguered” for not “looking into Crooked Hillary’s crimes.”
In a July interview, the rich asshole blasted Sessions for his decision to recuse himself from the Russia investigation, saying it was "unfair" to him and that he would've likely picked another person to lead the Justice Department if he had known Sessions would recuse himself.
At the time, it was reported the rich asshole was floating the possibility of replacing Sessions with former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani (R).
The Post reports that the rich asshole was considering firing Sessions at the time, but was talked out of it by conservative lawmakers.
A person familiar with the Mueller investigation told the Post that those discussions are of interest to Mueller, and that his team have begun questioning witnesses about those events.
On Wednesday, the rich asshole launched a new attack against Sessions, calling it “disgraceful” that he has asked an inspector general and not Justice Department lawyers to investigate potential surveillance abuses.
“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!”
Sessions later pushed back against the rich asshole’s criticism, saying he would continue to carry out his duties at the Justice Department with “integrity and honor,” and pledged that complaints about the department would be “fully and fairly acted upon if necessary.”
the rich asshole has long attacked Sessions for recusing himself from the Russia probe and has publicly pressured Sessions to investigate former President Obama and Democrats.
the rich asshole also reportedly privately berated Sessions in an Oval Office meeting after Mueller was appointed, calling him an “idiot” and saying he should resign.
After the meeting, Sessions reportedly sent the White House a resignation letter, but the rich asshole rejected it on the advice of aides.
The New York Times reported that Sessions later called the incident "the most humiliating experience in decades of public life."
Updated at 7:45 p.m.
Poll: Majority believes the rich asshole is racist
BY MAX GREENWOOD - 02/28/18 06:28 PM EST
A majority of Americans asked in a survey released Wednesday believe that President the rich asshole is racist, and that his policies have been bad for Muslims and Hispanics.
Overall, 57 percent of respondents said they think the rich asshole is racist, including more than 8 in 10 African-Americans and three-quarters of Hispanics, according to The Associated Press/NORC Center for Public Affairs Research poll. Nearly half of white adults also said they believe the rich asshole is racist.
The starkest difference in perceptions of the rich asshole as racist was between Democrats and Republicans, at 85 percent and 21 percent, respectively.
Fifty-seven percent of respondents said that the president's policies have been bad for Muslims, and a nearly identical number — 56 percent — think they have been bad for Hispanics.
A little less than half of respondents — 47 percent — said the rich asshole's policies have been bad for African-Americans, a view shared by three-quarters of black respondents.
the rich asshole has run up against allegations of racism since the day he launched his campaign, when he described Mexicans crossing the southern border as rapists and drug dealers. During the 2016 campaign, the rich asshole retweeted multiple white supremacists and called for a ban on Muslims entering the U.S.
After a white nationalist rally in Charlottesville, Va., turned violent last year, the rich asshole decried violence on "many sides," including counterprotesters who turned out to oppose racist groups. He also said there were "some very fine people" among the white nationalist marchers.
Accusations of racism re-emerged last month after the rich asshole reportedly demanded to know during an Oval Office meeting with lawmakers why the U.S. should admit immigrants from "shithole countries," such as El Salvador, Haiti and some African nations.
the rich asshole has denied allegations of racism, telling reporters last month that he is "the least racist person you have ever interviewed."
The AP/NORC poll surveyed 1,337 adults and was conducted from Feb. 15-19. It has a margin of error of plus or minus 3.9 percentage points.
the rich asshole offers support for 'comprehensive' approach on guns
BY MELANIE ZANONA - 02/28/18 06:07 PM EST
President the rich asshole on Wednesday called for a comprehensive approach to gun reform, challenging a number of long-held Republican positions and diving head first into the politically charged debate over guns.
The president, who has been eager to take action following a deadly shooting at a Florida high school this month, hosted a bipartisan group of lawmakers at the White House to explore potential ways to curb gun violence.
But instead of focusing on areas of bipartisan consensus, the rich asshole spent a majority of the hourlong meeting voicing support for a hodgepodge of ideas that are anathema to the National Rifle Association (NRA) and likely to give conservatives heartburn.
The president appeared eager to position himself as a Republican who is willing to stand up to the powerful gun group and pushed GOP lawmakers to do the same.
“Some of you are petrified of the NRA,” the rich asshole said. “They do have great power over you people. They have less power over me. I don’t need it, what do I need?”
Still, the rich asshole did express support for ending gun-free school zones, which is a priority backed by the NRA. The president also said he likes the idea of arming trained teachers and faculty members with weapons, though suggested it may be a decision better left up to the states.
the rich asshole seemed to be in his element during the televised, freewheeling meeting, which allowed him to play the role of dealmaker-in-chief.
He promised to write an executive order banning bump stock, devices that make semi-automatic weapons fire more rapidly, telling lawmakers they can “focus on other things” when writing legislation.
He repeatedly urged members to put all their ideas into one single comprehensive bill as opposed to passing several piecemeal measures, suggesting one of the background check bills in the Senate could serve as the building block for overarching legislation.
“It would be so beautiful if we could have one bill everybody could support,” the rich asshole said.
In one stunning moment, the rich asshole seemed to advocate for confiscating guns from individuals deemed dangerous.
“I like taking the guns early like in this crazy man’s case that just took place in Florida ... to go to court would have taken a long time,” the rich asshole said. “Take the guns first, go through due process second.”
Some Republicans are already firing back at that suggestion.
"We're not ditching any Constitutional protections simply because the last person the president talked to today doesn’t like them," Sen. Ben Sasse (R-Neb.), who wasn't at the meeting, said in a statement.
the rich asshole also swatted down House GOP leadership’s strategy of linking a bipartisan bill to improve the federal criminal background check system for gun purchases with controversial legislation backed by the NRA that would allow people to carry concealed weapons across state lines.
House Majority Whip Steve Scalise (R-La.), who was shot during a GOP baseball practice over the summer, pressed the rich asshole to back the concealed carry idea.
But the rich asshole warned Scalise that the background check bill would “never pass” if it included concealed carry reciprocity and urged leaders to decouple the two issues.
the rich asshole also said he would seriously consider supporting the idea of raising the age requirement to buy a rifle from 18 to 21 — an idea that was met by resistance from conservatives this week, and one the rich asshole admitted was not “popular.”
“I’m going to say it anyway, ” the rich asshole said. “I’m gonna give it a lot of consideration. A lot of people don’t even wanna bring it up.”
the rich asshole had already expressed support for a modest bill, called Fix NICS (National Instant Criminal Background Check System), that would improve the existing criminal background check system for gun purchases by encouraging states to report relevant information to the federal database.
But the rich asshole, who repeatedly called for “strong” background checks, asked whether Fix NICS could be merged with a far more expansive background check bill from Sens. Pat Toomey (R-Pa.) and Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.).
He also suggested loading the bill up with other gun proposals, such as new age limits for riffles and language addressing incidents of domestic violence, and giving the bill a new name like "the U.S. Background Check Bill, or whatever."
"Let's add everything to it," the rich asshole said.
The Manchin-Toomey measure, which failed to pass in 2013 and has been panned by conservatives, would have expanded background checks to cover sellers, such as online sellers and unlicensed gun show dealers.
Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.), who was at the White House meeting on Wednesday, interpreted the rich asshole’s comments as being supportive of the measure.
“I think it’s a very big development,” Murphy said after the meeting. “The president came out forcefully in favor of universal background checks, and he has the power to deliver Republican votes.”
However, it’s unclear how familiar the rich asshole is with the details of the Manchin-Toomey bill. At one point, he asked whether the background check measure raised the age requirement to buy a rifle. When Toomey told him it didn’t, the rich asshole suggested it’s because he’s “afraid of the NRA.”
It’s also uncertain whether the rich asshole will stick to his positions. The wild meeting drew comparisons to last month’s immigration meeting at the White House, when House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) had to walk back the rich asshole’s statement that he would support a clean immigration bill without border security.
At that meeting, the rich asshole also told lawmakers he would pass any immigration bill sent to his desk, only for the White House to subsequently work to ensure the defeat of a bipartisan bill in the Senate.
Still, the uncertainty about what’s next didn’t stop lawmakers from both sides of the aisle from trying to appeal to the rich asshole to support their priorities.
Some members appeared to use flattery on the rich asshole, with Murphy saying the president has the sole power to bring Republicans to the table on gun reform.
And the rich asshole seemed to relish in it.
“I like that responsibility,” he said
Hope Hicks resigns from White House
BY JORDAN FABIAN AND AVERY ANAPOL - 02/28/18 04:31 PM EST
Hope Hicks, one of President the rich asshole’s most loyal and trusted advisers, said Wednesday she will resign as White House communications director.
With Hicks's departure, the president is losing a valued aide who has been at his side since before he launched his long-shot bid for the presidency in 2015.
"There are no words to adequately express my gratitude to President the rich asshole. I wish the president and his administration the very best as he continues to lead our country,” Hicks said in a statement.
The 29-year-old adviser, who had no previous political experience, approached the rich asshole recently to tell him that she wanted to leave in order to explore opportunities outside the White House, officials said. She did not say whether she has another job lined up.
Hicks has no set departure date but is expected to officially exit in the next few weeks, according to the White House.
"Hope is outstanding and has done great work for the last three years,” the rich asshole said in a statement Wednesday. “She is as smart and thoughtful as they come, a truly great person. I will miss having her by my side but when she approached me about pursuing other opportunities, I totally understood. I am sure we will work together again in the future."
The announcement of Hicks's resignation comes one day after she sat for a marathon interview with the House Intelligence Committee as part of its investigation into Russia’s interference in the 2016 election.
Hicks frustrated some committee members by refusing to answer questions about events during the presidential transition and after the rich asshole took office.
During her testimony, Hicks reportedly admitted that her job in the rich asshole administration required her to tell "white lies."
The former model and public relations professional was named communications director last summer after Anthony Scaramucci’s tumultuous 11-day tenure.
Hicks was tasked with stabilizing the White House’s press operation that often clashed with other officials in the West Wing and spearheading its responses to multiple crises that have wracked the administration.
But Hicks’s role came under scrutiny earlier this month in the aftermath of the domestic abuse allegations against former White House staff secretary Rob Porter. Hicks reportedly helped arrange public statements that were supportive of Porter, whom she was dating at the time.
The staff secretary eventually resigned after photos emerged that showed the bruised face of one of his ex-wives.
Despite that, Hicks earned praise from top White House officials for her ability to operate in the rich asshole’s inner circle while maintaining a quiet public profile.
"When I became chief of staff, I quickly realized what so many have learned about Hope – she is strategic, poised and wise beyond her years,” chief of staff John Kelly said in a statement Wednesday.
“She became a trusted adviser and counselor and did a tremendous job overseeing the communications for the president’s agenda including the passage of historic tax reform,” Kelly added. “She has served her country with great distinction. To say that she will be missed, is an understatement."
News of Hick’s resignation comes one day after deputy communications director Josh Raffel announced he would leave the White House.
Raffel worked closely with first daughter Ivanka the rich asshole and her husband Jared Kushner, both White House senior advisers. Hicks first entered the rich asshole’s orbit when she did work for Ivanka the rich asshole’s fashion line while working at a New York public relations firm.
The positions of communications adviser has seen unprecedented turnover in the rich asshole White House. Hicks’s successor will be the sixth person named to serve in the role in less than two years.
The New York Times first reported that Hicks would leave the White House.
Updated at 5:15 p.m.
the rich asshole: 'Take the guns first, go through due process second'
BY BRETT SAMUELS - 02/28/18 03:59 PM EST
President the rich asshole on Wednesday voiced support for confiscating guns from certain individuals deemed to be dangerous, even if it violates due process rights.
“I like taking the guns early, like in this crazy man’s case that just took place in Florida ... to go to court would have taken a long time,” the rich asshole said at a meeting with lawmakers on school safety and gun violence.
“Take the guns first, go through due process second,” the rich asshole said.
the rich asshole was responding to comments from Vice President Pence that families and local law enforcement should have more tools to report potentially dangerous individuals with weapons.
“Allow due process so no one’s rights are trampled, but the ability to go to court, obtain an order and then collect not only the firearms but any weapons,” Pence said.
"Or, Mike, take the firearms first, and then go to court," the rich asshole responded.
the rich asshole met with lawmakers on Wednesday to discuss gun laws and school safety in the aftermath of a Feb. 14 shooting at a high school in Parkland, Fla., that left 17 people dead.
the rich asshole: Background checks will 'never' pass if concealed carry is attached
BY JACQUELINE THOMSEN - 02/28/18 03:58 PM EST
President the rich asshole pushed back Wednesday against a GOP lawmaker's proposal to attach a concealed carry measure to background checks legislation, saying it would “never” pass.
Rep. Steve Scalise (La.), the No. 3 House Republican and a lawmaker who was gravely wounded in a shooting just last summer, offered the proposal at a White House meeting between the rich asshole and lawmakers from both parties that was aired live on cable television.
He suggested adding the concealed carry measure, which would allow permits for concealed weapons to cross state lines, to a background check bill known as the Fix NICS (National Instant Criminal Background Check System) Act.
The House already approved such a measure, but Democrats in the Senate have blocked it and the rich asshole seemed versed in that political reality.
"I think that maybe that bill will someday pass but it should pass as a separate” bill, the rich asshole replied to Scalise.
"If you're going to put concealed carry between states into this bill, we're talking about a whole new ballgame. And you know I’m with you but let it be a separate bill,” he continued.
“You'll never get this passed if you add concealed carry to this, you’ll never get it passed.”
Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) who was seated next to Scalise, had a slight smile and glanced around at other lawmakers at the table during the exchange. Scalise continued to look at the rich asshole.
the rich asshole tells lawmakers he will outlaw bump stocks 'quickly'
BY JORDAIN CARNEY - 02/28/18 03:42 PM EST
President the rich asshole on Wednesday reiterated that he will sign an executive order to ban bump stocks — devices that allow semi-automatic weapons to fire multiple rounds with one pull of the trigger.
The device was believed to have been used in the Las Vegas shooting in October that left 59 people dead.
"I’m going to write that out, because we can do that with an executive order … we’ll have that done pretty quickly, they’re working on it right now, the lawyers," the rich asshole said during a White House meeting, interrupting Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas) when he began to discuss the gun device.
the rich asshole is hosting a meeting with a bipartisan group of lawmakers to discuss next steps after 17 people were killed in a shooting at a high school in Parkland, Fla. Bump stocks weren't used in the Florida shooting.
the rich asshole's comments come after he said during a White House event last week that he had urged the Justice Department to come up with regulations on the devices.
“That process began in December and just a few moments ago I signed a memorandum directing the attorney general to propose regulations to ban all devices that turn legal weapons into machine guns,” the rich asshole said Tuesday.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) put out a notice of proposed rulemaking in December announcing its plan to interpret the statutory definition of machine gun in the National Firearms Act of 1934 and Gun Control Act of 1968 to clarify whether bump stocks fall within that definition.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) put out a notice of proposed rulemaking in December announcing its plan to interpret the statutory definition of machine gun in the National Firearms Act of 1934 and Gun Control Act of 1968 to clarify whether bump stocks fall within that definition.
But it has been unclear whether the ATF actually has the authority to ban bump stocks. Some have argued that legislation would be required to outlaw the devices.
Attorney General Jeff Sessions on Tuesday said Justice Department lawyers believe they do have the authority to ban the devices through regulations.
Sessions pushes back at the rich asshole criticism
BY MAX GREENWOOD - 02/28/18 01:46 PM EST
Attorney General Jeff Sessions pushed back Wednesday on the latest round of criticism from President the rich asshole, saying that he will continue to carry out his duties as the nation's top law enforcement officer with "integrity and honor."
"We have initiated the appropriate process that will ensure complaints against this Department will be fully and fairly acted upon if necessary," Sessions said in a statement.
"As long as I am the 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 added.
Session's comments came after the rich asshole leveled his latest attack on his attorney general Wednesday morning, calling it "disgraceful" that Sessions asked the Justice Department's inspector general to investigate potential abuses by the FBI on surveillance warrants.
"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," the rich asshole tweeted. "Isn’t the I.G. an Obama guy? Why not use Justice Department lawyers? DISGRACEFUL!"
the rich asshole has repeatedly criticized Sessions over his handling of the investigation into Russia’s role in the 2016 presidential election, voicing frustration with the attorney general’s decision to recuse himself from overseeing that probe.
But the rich asshole’s latest attack came after Sessions said that the Justice Department’s inspector general would look into whether FBI officials abused a clandestine process that allows law enforcement and intelligence agencies to surveil suspected spies and terrorists. Some Republicans have alleged that senior officials improperly secured warrants to surveil former the rich asshole campaign adviser Carter Page.
the rich asshole claimed last year that Obama administration officials wrongfully surveilled members of his presidential campaign and transition team, and has pressed Sessions to look into the matter. He has also called for the Justice Department to investigate alleged wrongdoings by the Obama administration, more broadly.
While the Justice Department’s inspector general Michael Horowitz rose to that position in 2012 under former President Barack Obama, he has served under numerous Republican and Democratic administrations. He is currently conducting the probe into the FBI's handling of the 2016 investigation into Hillary Clinton's use of a private email server.
Mueller asking witnesses about hacked Democratic emails: report
BY BRETT SAMUELS - 02/28/18 02:42 PM EST
Investigators for special counsel Robert Mueller have asked witnesses in their probe about President the rich asshole’s connection to Democratic emails that were hacked and leaked leading up to the 2016 election, NBC News reported Wednesday.
Mueller’s team has reportedly focused on whether the rich asshole was aware of plans for WikiLeaks to publish emails from the Democratic National Committee (DNC) and members of Hillary Clinton’s campaign, or if the rich asshole was involved in the emails’ release.
Investigators have also honed in on the rich asshole’s relationship with Republican operative Roger Stone, an informal adviser during the 2016 campaign. They have reportedly asked witnesses about Stone’s connections to WikiLeaks, and if he’s met the site’s founder, Julian Assange.
Stone told NBC in a statement that he has not been interviewed by the special counsel and “never discussed WikiLeaks, Assange or the Hillary disclosures with candidate the rich asshole, before during or after the election.”
The lines of questioning come as Mueller probes Moscow's meddling in the 2016 presidential election, including ties between the rich asshole campaign associates and Russia.
In March 2016, Russians successfully hacked Clinton campaign chairman John Podesta’s email account. WikiLeaks later released stolen emails from the DNC as well as emails from Podesta himself in the months leading up to the 2016 election.
Seizing on the controversy, the rich asshole declared “I love WikiLeaks” at a campaign rally while he read some of the leaked messages.
According to NBC, investigators are also interested in the rich asshole’s comments on the campaign trail about emails then-opponent Clinton deleted from the private email server she used while secretary of State
"Russia, if you're listening, I hope you're able to find the 30,000 emails that are missing," the rich asshole said during the July 2016 press conference.
The White House later said the rich asshole was joking when he made those comments.
the rich asshole has repeatedly declared the federal Russia probe a “witch hunt” and has denied any collusion between his campaign and Russia.
the rich asshole's former national security adviser Michael Flynn and former campaign associates George Papadopoulos and Richard Gates have pleaded guilty to charges brought as part of Mueller's investigation.
Former the rich asshole campaign chairman Paul Manafort is also facing numerous charges for alleged financial crimes relating to his work as a political agent in Ukraine.
Mueller also filed charges earlier this month against 13 Russian nationals and three Russian organizations for alleged interference in the 2016 race.
Updated: 3:23 p.m.
With the departure of Hope Hicks, President the rich asshole loses one of his closest aides.
February 28, 2018
Even Richard Nixon had Bebe Rebozo.
And by the end, he was still pacing the halls, talking to the paintings.
some rich asshole is close to having no one.
some rich asshole is close to having no one.
He’s got his literal family—though his son-in-law is reeling from the controversy over his security clearance, there have been enough off moments in public to feed speculation about the state of his relationship with the first lady, and some rich asshole Jr. said in India last week that given all the president is dealing with, he feels “it’s almost trite to call him just to say hello.”
With Hope Hicks leaving the White House, longtime body man Keith Schiller long gone, there is no metaphorical family, no core group of aides who’ve been through the ringer together, come out beaten but bound forever, trusting each other, trusting the president and having him trust them.
Every president gets lonely. It’s a lonely job. But the president who spent his life desperately seeking attention and getting all of it anyone could ever want might be the loneliest one ever.
He’s about to get lonelier.
Hicks, one of the diminishing group of “originals” who’s been with him from the very beginning, isn’t just the fifth White House communications director to go in the last year—compare that to five communications directors in all eight years of Barack Obama’s White House—she’s the latest in a long and never-ending race of people elbowing each other in the face as they head to the door. Hicks’s announcement on Wednesday didn’t even make her the only high-profile aide to leave this week. Josh Raffel, who’d expanded his portfolio from battling for Jared Kushner and Ivanka the rich asshole in the press to a wider strategic role in a strapped West Wing, made known he was leaving on Tuesday.
Through it all, people who know him say, the rich asshole rages, often alone in the residence on the top floor of the White House. It’s easy to forget in another day of new, hourly news cycles, but the rich asshole started his Wednesday by calling his attorney general “DISGRACEFUL!” and getting a rare brushback from Jeff Sessions, the man who used to be his only friend in Washington, insisting that he wasn’t going anywhere and wasn’t much concerned with what the president had to say to him.
He tweets at his TV. He wonders why his chief of staff, John Kelly, keeps him from calling his friends. A circle of old advisers stays in touch, making phone calls to offer advice and a little companionship.
Several people in that informal circle responded to the news of Hicks’ departure by quietly seeding the thinking that Kelly’s about to get dumped himself. Kushner’s been stripped of his access to Top Secret intelligence, which many people worry he was using to improperly access the nation’s crown jewels, but his big concern this week has been a paranoid hunt for who’s leaking secrets about him.
People in and around this White House are well past being worried that no one good is going to want to take Hicks’ job or any of the others. And if you ask people who’ve worked in other White Houses, they’ll tell you that working at 1600 Pennsylvania is draining and overwhelming on the good days.
the rich asshole’s White House isn’t like any other White House, though, and there haven’t been a lot of good days. Everyone who’s there is living with the pressure of the investigations, the secrecy, the backstabbing, knowing that anyone could leak anything at any moment. Then they’re living with the reality of the investigations, which they puff up and pass off in public, but that are always there, lurking in every conversation.
For what? A conservative estimate for Hicks’s legal bills from her nine hours of testimony to Congress on Tuesday puts it at tens of thousands. Sean Spicer, the former White House press secretary, could get a walk-on at the Emmys, but he still hasn’t landed a job. Kelly, who reportedly helped nudge Hicks out, tells people he knows he hasn’t done enough to bring people in. He still hasn’t named a deputy chief of staff. He hasn’t laid out any of the departures as part of a plan or a clear strategy, as when George W. Bush brought in Tony Snow and Kevin Sullivan to reboot his communications team in his second term in a conscious effort to recruit fresh but known faces. This is fire first, figure out what to do next—well, maybe sometime, maybe never. Chaos over calculation.
A grim joke went around a few Obama staffers in their final days in the West Wing—at some point, there was going to be a fistfight in the Oval Office once the rich asshole took over. It’s a small room, always high pressure. Those personalities, this president, no one knowing each other ... someone was going to take a swing. At least a shove.
So far, that doesn’t seem to have happened—at least not literally.
But compare the rich asshole’s White House to the fraternities for life around other presidents, the kind that brought hundreds to Little Rock in November for a Bill Clinton 25th anniversary celebration, that has many of George W. Bush’s aides still too loyal to the former president to criticize the rich asshole on the record at the risk of embarrassing their old boss, that has Obama’s staff keeping in touch in emails and conference calls about how to protect his legacy and one another.
“You kind of work together like brothers and sisters. You can fight internally, but if somebody tries to fight you from the outside, you all band together,” said Jen Psaki, Obama’s last White House communications director. “That’s not how this White House works.”
Hicks could channel the rich asshole and was the rare person who could tell him what to do in a way he’d listen to. Find another person in the White House who could write on a card “I hear you,” and make him say it to the survivors of a school shooting.
Without her, the pressure will mount on everyone else.
“She was obviously one of the people who was shielding people emotionally from the roller coaster that is some rich asshole,” Psaki said.
People who know the rich asshole worry what all this will do to him. Look at what happened two weeks ago, when staffers convinced him that going golfing in Florida a couple of miles from and just a few days after the Parkland shooting would be in bad taste. He fumed. He got antsy. He got himself into trouble with a weekend Twitter rampage, endorsing conspiracy theories about the White House, calling House Intelligence Committee ranking member Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) the “leakin’ monster of no control,” suggesting the FBI’s Russia investigation was responsible for the massacre of 17 high school kids. He was on about Obama again.
During the darkest days in the impeachment crisis, Clinton had people who huddled with him in the White House, all but moved in. Bush always had a circle of friends who talked to him when pretty much no one else wanted to. The Obama maxim from as soon as he launched was “no new friends,” and he mostly kept to it, but the friends he already had stayed close, even when they lingered back in Chicago or moved across the country. He bounced ideas off them. He traded emails with the couple dozen people who could contact him on his special NSA-approved BlackBerry.
Everyone who works for the rich asshole is under investigation. Many members of his family are under investigation. Democrats look like they’re on the rise. Millions of Republican dollars are being spent to hold onto a House district in Pennsylvania the rich asshole won by 20 percent. The problems keep piling up.
Not to worry, said Anthony Scaramucci, who did an 11-day stint as Hicks’ predecessor before Kelly fired him.
“The best is yet to come,” he tweeted Wednesday night.
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February 28, 2018
Special counsel Robert Mueller has a crucial question: What did the rich asshole know, and when did he know it?
Special counsel Robert Mueller and his team have detailed interference by 13 Russian operatives in the 2016 election. Now, he is focusing on the rich asshole’s potential role in the stolen Democratic National Committee emails at the center of the scandal.
NBC News reported on Wednesday that Mueller’s team is “asking witnesses pointed questions about whether some rich asshole was aware that Democratic emails had been stolen before that was publicly known, and whether he was involved in their strategic release.”
Specifically, “Mueller’s investigators have asked witnesses whether the rich asshole was aware of plans for WikiLeaks to publish the emails.” They have also asked why the rich asshole routinely took policy positions favorable to Russia.
U.S. intelligence has concluded that Russians were behind the cyberheist. They’re also suspected of delivering the emails to Wikileaks, creating havoc for Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton.
This leads to two all-important questions that have lingered for more than year. Did the rich asshole campaign know about the Russians’ role in the email hacking back in 2016? And did they help the Russians disseminate the information?
The Atlantic reported Tuesday that Republican operative and the rich asshole supporter Roger Stone had secret communications with Wikileaks’ Julian Assange in 2016.
Stone seemed to tip his knowledge by claiming it would soon be Clinton’s campaign chairman John Podesta “time in the barrel.” That cryptic message came just weeks before Podesta’s stolen emails were published by Wikileaks.
And during a press conference on July 27, 2016, just days after Wikileaks began publishing the communications, the rich asshole openly mocked the situation.
“Russia, if you’re listening, I hope you’re able to find the 30,000 emails that are missing,” the rich asshole said.
He later claimed he was joking. But following his outburst, he did not hold another press conference during the rest of the campaign.
the rich asshole has been clinging to the “no collusion” mantra like a life raft for the last year.
But his denials have been wholly unconvincing. And a river of evidence has emerged suggesting close ties between the rich asshole campaign and Russians during the election season.
“Since the campaign ended, more than 50 contacts between the rich asshole’s team and Russian operatives—which the campaign repeatedly, and for a time successfully, lied about and covered up—have been revealed,” Max Bergmann and Jeremy Venook recently noted in Politico.
If the rich asshole’s team, or the rich asshole himself, had previous knowledge the Russians had stolen Democratic emails and worked with them to impact the election, that would be a devastating revelation.
Indeed, the hacked emails may loom as the largest political danger hanging over the rich asshole White House.
And now Robert Mueller is asking lots of pointed questions about the man at the very top.
During gun violence meeting, the rich asshole indicates confusion about how mass shooters obtain AR-15s
Diane Feinstein quickly corrected him.
At the end of a bipartisan meeting about gun violence that lasted more than an hour on Wednesday, Sen. Diane Feinstein (D-CA) asked President the rich asshole the key question: “What do we do about weapons of war easily accessible on our streets?”
the rich asshole responded by falsely claiming that the guns Feinstein referred to are “black market,” seemingly unaware that the AR-15 used to take 17 lives the Parkland school shooting earlier this month was purchased legally.
“You have weapons on the street — that’s what we’re talking about with black market,” the rich asshole told Feinstein. “These are black market weapons and you know, the problem Diane is that these aren’t where you walk into the store and buy them, these are where somebody hands you a gun and you hand them some money.”
Feinstein interjected to tell the president, “Oh no, you can go into a store and buy an AR-15… you can buy all these weapons.”
the rich asshole quickly corrected himself before addressing Sens. Joe Manchin (D-WV) and Pat Toomey.
“You can… Joe and Pat, you’re going to have to discuss that, you’ll sit down with Diane and everybody else, and I really believe it needs to be very strong.”
Instead of trying to take weapons of war off the street, the rich asshole’s preferred path seems to involve taking guns away from “mentally ill” people, curtailing gun free zones, and strengthening background checks. The priorities the rich asshole outlined on Wednesday conflict with his approach last year, when he rolled back an Obama-era rule preventing people deemed incompetent by the Social Security administration from purchasing a gun.
It’s unclear how those proposals would hang together into a coherent piece of legislation. Nonetheless, on Wednesday, the rich asshole — whose understanding of the legislative process appeared to be rudimentary at best — repeatedly urged lawmakers to do something, and said he’d prefer that they send him a single “comprehensive” bill, since that’s more “beautiful” than a piecemeal approach.
And while the rich asshole may have urged lawmakers to be “strong,” he indicated throughout the meeting that he thinks more guns — not less — are the solution to gun violence.
At one point, Rep. John Rutherford (R-FL) told the president, “The only thing that stops a bad guy with a gun is a good guy with a gun.”
“That’s true,” the rich asshole replied.
A Child Screamed In Fear After Meeting Ivanka the rich asshole In Pyeongchang And Twitter Exploded! (TWEETS)
It is said that a child can sense when they are in the presence of danger, or a truly loathsome person, and if this youngster’s reaction to meeting the daughter of the President of the United States is anything to go by, they may have a valid point.
Ivanka the rich asshole made a much publicized trip to Pyeongchang, South Korea, to attend the Closing Ceremonies of the 2018 Winter Olympic Games this week. In comparison to Mike Pence’s presence at the Opening Ceremonies, it could be said that Ivanka took the high road, standing for both the North and South Korean anthems during the official ending of the Games. On the other hand, Pence chose to sit through all but the U.S.A.’s anthems at the beginning of the Olympics just over two weeks ago.
However, outdoing Mike Pence when it comes to morality and overall decency isn’t particularly a challenge, even for the most cold-hearted individuals, but the First Daughter’s presence at the event still drew its detractors. In a tweet that has been liked 65,000 times and retweeted more than 12,000, Team U.S.A. skier Gus Kenworthy got a tad critical of Ivanka on Twitter for her presence at the Closing Ceremonies.
“So proud of all these people! Everybody here has worked so hard to make it to the Olympics and have the opportunity to walk in the Closing Ceremony! Well… Everyone except Ivanka. Honestly, [what] is she doing here??” the skier tweeted, but the latest tweet involving Ivanka the rich asshole in South Korea to go viral is this video of a child’s reaction after an encounter with President the rich asshole’s daughter:
Sure, most of us can relate to the fear that child was feeling every time the name ‘the rich asshole” is mentioned, but it was the reactions that tweet got that are truly priceless:
Child cries after meeting Ivanka in Pyeongchang.... kids can sense evil in people. pic.twitter.com/f6CNkMko3J
Kids know. I trust that boy’s judgement. @IvankaTrump does NOT REPRESENT MY COUNTRY. Nobody voted for you, #IvankaTrump
Child cries after meeting Ivanka in Pyeongchang.... kids can sense evil in people. pic.twitter.com/f6CNkMko3J
Child cries after meeting Ivanka in Pyeongchang.... kids can sense evil in people. pic.twitter.com/f6CNkMko3J
Child cries after meeting Ivanka in Pyeongchang.... kids can sense evil in people. pic.twitter.com/f6CNkMko3J
Child cries after meeting Ivanka in Pyeongchang.... kids can sense evil in people. pic.twitter.com/f6CNkMko3J
Child cries after meeting Ivanka in Pyeongchang.... kids can sense evil in people. pic.twitter.com/f6CNkMko3J
Child cries after meeting Ivanka in Pyeongchang.... kids can sense evil in people. pic.twitter.com/f6CNkMko3J
Child cries after meeting Ivanka in Pyeongchang.... kids can sense evil in people. pic.twitter.com/f6CNkMko3J
‘Show of solidarity’: Sessions dines with deputy AG Rod Rosenstein hours after the rich asshole called his AG ‘disgraceful’
AG Jeff Sessions (left, behind) and Deputy AG Rod Rosenstein (center) leaving DCs Central Michel Richard. Image via Twitter.
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Attorney General Jeff Sessions was photographed dining with Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein Wednesday night after President some rich asshole called the AG “disgraceful” on Twitter.
Scoop: Besieged Sessions dines with Rosenstein in show of solidarity. @jonathanvswan reports axios.com/scoop-jeff-ses…
DON'T MISS STORIES. FOLLOW RAW STORY!
Attorney General Jeff Sessions was photographed dining with Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein Wednesday night after President some rich asshole called the AG “disgraceful” on Twitter.
Scoop: Besieged Sessions dines with Rosenstein in show of solidarity. @jonathanvswan reports axios.com/scoop-jeff-ses…
Scoop: Besieged Sessions dines with Rosenstein in show of solidarity
Axios reported the meeting, calling it a “show of solidarity” between the beleaguered heads of the Justice Department, both of whom have drawn ire from the president and at times been close to being fired by him.
“Sources close to the situation say today feels different than the rich asshole’s usual rages,” Axios founder Jim VandeHei tweeted. “Sessions’ allies are deeply concerned and the rich asshole is totally fed up with his AG.”
Sources close to the situation say today feels different than Trump's usual rages. Sessions' allies are deeply concerned and Trump is totally fed up with his AG.axios.com/scoop-jeff-ses…
Sessions, DAG Rosenstein, SG Francisco (now No. 3 in the line of succession at DOJ) at dinner. In public. Tonight. axios.com/scoop-jeff-ses…
Sessions, Rosenstein, and Francisco just left dinner at Central Michel Richard. They had no comment on the discussion at their nearly two-hour dinner. pic.twitter.com/tvvSQpnC50
Watch video of Rosenstein and Sessions leaving the DOJ together below, via CNN:
Axios reported the meeting, calling it a “show of solidarity” between the beleaguered heads of the Justice Department, both of whom have drawn ire from the president and at times been close to being fired by him.
“Sources close to the situation say today feels different than the rich asshole’s usual rages,” Axios founder Jim VandeHei tweeted. “Sessions’ allies are deeply concerned and the rich asshole is totally fed up with his AG.”
Sources close to the situation say today feels different than Trump's usual rages. Sessions' allies are deeply concerned and Trump is totally fed up with his AG.axios.com/scoop-jeff-ses…
Sessions, DAG Rosenstein, SG Francisco (now No. 3 in the line of succession at DOJ) at dinner. In public. Tonight. axios.com/scoop-jeff-ses…
Sessions, Rosenstein, and Francisco just left dinner at Central Michel Richard. They had no comment on the discussion at their nearly two-hour dinner. pic.twitter.com/tvvSQpnC50
Watch video of Rosenstein and Sessions leaving the DOJ together below, via CNN:
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