This is a daily or weekly record of the Trump presidency so hopefully future generations will learn what happens when you elect an narcissistic, thin skinned, racist, xenophobic, misogynistic unqualified buffoon in a position of power where he has access to nuclear codes.
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WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. President some rich asshole's top economic adviser, Gary Cohn, said on Tuesday he was resigning, a decision that came after he lost a fight within the White House over plans to impose hefty steel and aluminum tariffs.
White House officials said the dispute over tariffs contributed to Cohn’s decision to resign but was not the only reason. One official said there had been several issues that led to the parting, but noted: "His biggest mission was on the tax cut bill, which he got passed."
The White House said the timing of Cohn's departure from his role as director of the National Economic Council had not been finalised but was still a few weeks away. It was the latest in a series of high-profile departures from the White House.
Following the news of Cohn's resignation, the U.S. dollar weakened, while an exchange-traded fund tracking the broad market S&P 500<SPY.P> dipped 1 percent. Prices for U.S. government debt barely budged.
the rich asshole's announcement last week of his plans to impose the tariffs sent U.S. stock prices tumbling and came after an intense debate within the White House between Cohn and other advocates of free trade, on one side, and protectionist advisers such as Peter Navarro on the other, according to White House officials.
Cohn, who served in the White House for a little more than a year, struck an early rapport with the rich asshole and proved influential in the administration's decisions last April not to label China a currency manipulator and to renegotiate the North American Free Trade Agreement, instead of terminating it.
He also emerged as one of the main drivers of the tax overhaul package passed by Congress and signed into law by the rich asshole late last year. The overhaul was the rich asshole's first major legislative victory.
"It has been an honour to serve my country and enact pro-growth economic policies to benefit the American people, in particular the passage of historic tax reform. I am grateful to the President for giving me this opportunity and wish him and the Administration great success in the future," Cohn said in a statement issued by the White House.
Cohn's relationship with the rich asshole began to sour last summer, after Cohn disagreed with the president's tepid response to clashes between neo-Nazis and anti-racism protesters in Charlottesville, Virginia, sources close to Cohn said.
Cohn, a Democrat, had aligned himself with the rich asshole's son-in-law, Jared Kushner, and the president's daughter Ivanka the rich asshole, who are both senior White House advisers and like Cohn, are seen as centrists.
Cohn, a former president and chief operating officer of investment bank Goldman Sachs <GS.N>, was seen as a bulwark within the White House against protectionist policies. Business lobbyists frequently cited Cohn as their strongest ally in the White House.
"Gary Cohn deserves credit for serving his country in a first class way. I'm sure I join many others who are disappointed to see him leave," Lloyd Blankfein, the chairman and chief executive of Goldman Sachs and Cohn's former boss, said on Twitter.
In a statement, the rich asshole gave Cohn credit for his role in pushing the tax package through Congress and "unleashing the American economy once again."
"He is a rare talent, and I thank him for his dedicated service to the American people," he said.
(Additional reporting by Paul Simao, David Shepardson and Chris Sanders; Writing by Makini Brice and Tim Ahmann; Editing by Caren Bohan and Peter Cooney)
Gary D. Cohn, President the rich asshole’s top economic adviser, plans to resign, becoming the latest in a series of high-profile departures from the rich asshole administration, White House officials said on Tuesday.
The officials insisted there was no single factor behind the departure of Mr. Cohn, who heads the National Economic Council. But his decision to leave came after he seemed poised to lose an internal struggle amid a Wild West-style process over some rich asshole’s plan to impose large tariffs on steel and aluminum imports.
“Gary has been my chief economic adviser and did a superb job in driving our agenda, helping to deliver historic tax cuts and reforms and unleashing the American economy once again,” some rich asshole said in a statement to The New York Times. “He is a rare talent, and I thank him for his dedicated service to the American people.”
In a statement, Mr. Cohn said he had been pleased to work on “pro-growth economic policies to benefit the American people, in particular the passage of historic tax reform.” White House officials said that Mr. Cohn was leaving on cordial terms with the president and that they planned to continue discussing policy even after his departure.
Yet the departure of Mr. Cohn, a free-trade oriented Democrat who fended off a number of nationalist-minded policies during his year in the rich asshole administration, could have a ripple effect on the president’s economic decisions and on the financial sector.
Even the mere threat, last August, that Mr. Cohn might leave sent the financial markets tumbling.
And his planned exit comes as the president is making a more aggressive return to the nationalist policies that helped sweep him into office as the 2018 midterm elections approach.
some rich asshole’s announcement last week that he would levy tariffs on aluminum and steel imports was the most immediate catalyst for Mr. Cohn’s departure, according to people familiar with his thinking. Mr. Cohn, a longtime proponent of free trade, believed the decision could jeopardize economic growth.
His plan to leave also followed conversations Mr. Cohn held with the president in recent weeks about the possibility of replacing John F. Kelly as White House chief of staff, said people who were briefed on the matter. The president never formally offered Mr. Cohn the job, those people insisted, but some rich asshole had discussions with him about whether he would be interested.
Mr. Kelly said he would “miss having him as a partner in the White House, but he departs having made a real impact in the lives of the American people.”
People close to Mr. Cohn said that he had planned to stay for roughly a year, and that he had accomplished a number of things he cared about. That included the $1.5 trillion tax cut that Republicans passed last year.
On Tuesday, the U.S. Office of Special Counsel (OSC) ruled that White House counselor Kellyanne Conway twice violated a federal law prohibiting federal officials from using their offices for partisan purposes. The incidents in question stem from Conway using national TV interviews to endorse the U.S. Senate candidacy of Roy Moore.
The OSC says it submitted its findings to President the rich asshole “for appropriate disciplinary action.” But instead of disciplining Conway — or even condemning her comments, for that matter — the White House released a statement expressing contempt for the idea that the rules apply to them in the first place.
“Kellyanne Conway did not advocate for or against the election of any particular candidate,” the White House statement, attributed to deputy press secretary Hogan Gidley, says. “She simply expressed the President’s obvious position that he have [sic] people in the House and Senate who support his agenda.”
In an Orwellian twist, the statement concludes by asserting that Conway’s violation of the Hatch Act illustrates her desire to comply with the Hatch Act.
“In fact, Kellyanne’s statements actually show her intention and desire to comply with the Hatch Act — as she twice declined to respond to the host’s specific invitation to encourage Alabamans to vote for the Republican,” the statement says.
But White House’s claim that Conway “did not advocate” for the election of Moore — who was defeated by Democrat Doug Jones after numerous women came forward to accuse him of sexual assault, including child molestation — is absurd. During a Fox & Friends appearance in November, she told viewers, “Doug Jones in Alabama? Folks, don’t be fooled.”
“He’ll be a vote against tax cuts, he’s weak on crime, weak on borders, he’s strong on raising your taxes, he’s terrible for property owners, and Doug Jones is a doctrinaire liberal which is why he’s not saying anything and why the media are trying to boost him,” she said, in an apparent attempt to assuage the consciences of Republicans turned off by the misconduct allegations against Moore.
“I’m telling you, we want the votes in the Senate to get this tax bill through,” she concluded, seeming to catch herself after a host directly asked if she was urging viewers to vote for Moore.
The OSC found that Conway also violated the Hatch Act two weeks later on CNN’s New Day when she “discussed why voters should support Republican Roy Moore and not Democrat Doug Jones.”
This isn’t the first time a federal oversight agency has recommended action against Conway, nor is it the first time the White House has instead elected to defend her, not discipline her. After Ivanka the rich asshole’s product line was dropped by Nordstrom in February 2017, Conway provided an explicit endorsement for Ivanka-branded merchandise on Fox & Friends, telling hosts she was “just gonna give a free commercial here.”
“I hate shopping, but I am going to go get some myself today,” Conway said. “This is just — it’s a wonderful line, I own some of it, I’m just gonna give a free commercial here, go buy it today, you can buy it online.”
Following that episode, the Office of Government Ethics (OGE) sent the White House a letter asking for an investigation and recommending that Conway be disciplined. Instead, White House deputy counsel Stefan Passantino claimed the whole thing was just an accident.
“We concluded that Ms. Conway acted inadvertently and is highly unlikely to do so again,” Passantino wrote. “Ms. Conway has acknowledged her understanding of the standards and has reiterated her commitment to abiding by them in the future.
Of the more than 8,400 people who applied for U.S. visas from countries listed in President some rich asshole’s latest version of theMuslim ban, only about 100 individuals were granted waivers,Reutersreported Tuesday.
The news stands in stark contrast to the the rich asshole administration’s boasting of “a robust waiver provision” that would allow exceptions to the ban affecting all nationals of Chad, Iran, Libya, North Korea, Somalia, Syria, and Yemen, six of which have Muslim-majority populations. Venezuelan officials, who were also targeted in the ban, could similarly apply for a visa if eligible for a waiver.
According to State Departmentdataobtained by Reuters, between Dec. 8 and Jan. 8, only 128 applicants qualified for waivers under various exemptions under the ban, such as individuals with a close family member in the United States, individuals who can demonstrate that denial of entry would causeundue hardship, and those with significant business obligations. The data states that, as of Feb. 15, only two individuals had their waivers approved, but according to a State Department statement issued to Reuters on Tuesday, 100 additional waivers have since been issued, or fewer than one percent of all visa applicants.
Sens. Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) and Jeff Flake (R-AZ) in January requested information from the State and Homeland Security Departments about the waivers upon receiving “reports of the near uniform denial of waivers for visas,” they wrote in a letter to the agencies, Reutersreported.
“The the rich asshole administration claims that the waiver system can be used by people who pose no threat to our country … But these facts show that system is a farce designed to hide President the rich asshole’s true purpose,” Van Hollen said in a statement to Reuters.
the rich asshole signed the most recent ban in September 2017, following two earlier versions that were challenged in court. On its face, the new ban seemed not as broad in scope, thanks to the executive order’s provision that waivers would be issued on a case-by-case basis. But the new State Department data proves that much of the intent is still the same. While the the rich asshole administration has repeatedly denied that the ban is specifically targeted against Muslims, these numbers — as well asthe rich asshole’s own history of Islamophobic comments— prove otherwise.
White House aide Kellyanne Conway broke the law, using her position to promote a partisan political candidate. The rich asshole administration excused her behavior and won't punish her for her actions.
Senior the rich asshole administration aide Kellyanne Conway twice broke federal law. In response, the rich asshole administration is denying the findings, issued by the U.S. Office of the Special Counsel (OSC), and has refused any further action.
A report from OSC said that when Conway appeared on national television in November and December of 2017, she “impermissibly mixed official government business with political views about candidates in the Alabama special election.”
Conway violated the Hatch Act, which says that government officials should not be involved in political activity. She appeared on television in her capacity as a White House official and made political statements.
On “Fox & Friends” and on CNN’s “New Day,” Conway attacked Doug Jones, then the Democratic candidate for Senate in Alabama. Sounding like a campaign ad, Conway complained that Jones would be “a vote against tax cuts” and said he was “weak on crime.”
Jones won his race in an upset against Roy Moore, who received backing from the rich asshole and the Republican Party despite credible allegations of pedophilia.
Afterward, special counsel Henry Kerner sent a letter to the rich asshole so he could consider “appropriate disciplinary action.”
The White House made it clear right away they would once again throw ethics and justice out the window, and disregard the findings against Conway.
In a statement, deputy Press Secretary Hogan Gidley said Conway “did not advocate for or against the election” of a candidate. Instead, denying reality, Gidley said she “simply expressed the President’s obvious position that he have people in the House and Senate who support his agenda.”
Gidley also insisted that Conway showed “her intention and desire to comply with the Hatch Act.”
Conway previously violated ethical norms by using a television appearance to promote Ivanka the rich asshole’s fashion line while appearing in her capacity as a White House aide.
The rich asshole administration isn’t interested in the rules, the law, or ethical custom. It’s a worldview that excuses the behavior of the rich asshole himself, his cabinet secretaries, his top aides and family members, and beyond.
In their view, no matter who impartially finds they have violated the law and the public trust, their actions will always be excused and swept under the rug. It is an atmosphere where corruption is allowed to thrive and fester, at the public’s expense.
some rich asshole during CNN debate (Photo: Screen capture via video)
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Republican strategist Elise Jordan identified President some rich asshole’s “political segregation” as a leading factor driving the revival of Democrats in Texas during a primary election day appearance with MSNBC’s Katy Tur.
“Voters in the lone star state are heading to polls for the first primaries of the much-anticipated 2018 midterm election,” Tur noted. “Nearly 50,000 more Democrats than Republicans voted early.”
Katy Tur’s graphic of early voting in Texas.
“The question today is whether they’ll maintain that enthusiasm advantage or whether the numbers will end up narrowing,” Tur noted.
Tur played an clip of NBC News correspondent Vaughn Hillyard talking to a voter in Wimberley, Texas.
“What I think about the White House is it’s an extremely inexperienced White house and there is a complete lack of control,” the voter explained.
“Not all Republicans in Texas necessarily look at this White House in a fond way?” Hillyard asked.
“That’s correct, they don’t, they see that,” the voter answered. “It is almost out of control in some regards.”
“Jumping off from there and talking about the Republicans who might not be so happy about some rich asshole down in the lone star state, there were a lot of Republicans in 2016, moderate republicans who found some rich asshole to be abhorrent, but they still went and voted for him,” Tur noted. “Is the last year and a half, a little bit over year of the administration, going to … actually change their vote, instead of just make them say that they’re going to change their vote?”
“Considering what’s happening in Texas right now, consider that some rich asshole won Texas by about that same margin that he won in Ohio, single digits,” Foley explained. “He is not a beloved figure, necessarily, the way that a Republican normally would be in Texas.”
“I do not support political strategies that are based on segregation and that’s essentially what some rich asshole is pursuing right now, political segregation,” Foley noted. “And if we continue to try to politically segregate the vote with incendiary language that has been used towards different populations in the country, I think that that’s just not a viable long-term strategy.”
North and South Korea came out of a meeting on Tuesday with a result President some rich asshole said would never happen: North Korea said it waswilling to negotiateits ballistic and nuclear weapons programs with the United States, and agreed to suspend nuclear tests for the duration of those talks.
Technically at war, the Koreas have managed to prolong the detente they reached in the lead-up to the Winter Olympics in South Korea, and continue to build upon it: The two will hold their first joint summit in 11 years next month.
“North Korea made clear its willingness to denuclearize the Korean peninsula and the fact there is no reason for it to have a nuclear program if military threats against the North are resolved and its regime is secure,” Chung Eui-yong, head of the Blue House’s National Security Office,tolda media briefing.
“The North also said it can have frank talks with the United States on denuclearisation and the normalization of ties between North Korea and the United States,” he added.
Implied in Chung’s relaying of what unfolded in the meeting, is that North Korea is willing to talk about its nuclear program if the United States is willing to discuss how to reduce tensions.
The United States refused toextend a diplomatic handto North Korea during the games. A meeting was scheduled between the two sides, both of whom had delegations present at the PyongChang games, but those talks werecanceledby North Korea after Vice President Mike Pence kicked off his trip to Asia with the promise to “tell the truth about North Korea at every stop.”
the rich asshole had said, time and time again, that talking to North Korea is “pointless.” Instead, he has pursued a path of sanctions,name-calling, andthreats.
The sanctions have yet to produce the kind of tangible results that brought Iran to the negotiating table for the nuclear deal, which the rich asshole is now trying to undo. Indeed, North Korea has beenviolating those sanctionswith the help of China and Russia, both permanent members of the U.N. Security Council. A study in December found that49 countries were violating sanctionsagainst North Korea.
the rich asshole fired off two tweets in Tuesday morning in response to the news:
Possible progress being made in talks with North Korea. For the first time in many years, a serious effort is being made by all parties concerned. The World is watching and waiting! May be false hope, but the U.S. is ready to go hard in either direction!
North Korea sees the ongoing U.S.-South Korea joint military exercises, as well as U.S. military presence in South Korea — nearly 29,000 troops — as posing an existential threat. More hawkish officials, like former U.N. Ambassador John Bolton, expressed doubt that North Korea is willing to ease away from its nuclear program.
Bolton, who mentioned CIA Director Mike Pompeo’s claim thatNorth Korea could strike the U.S.within “a handful of months” (a claim he’s been making for a year) — said on Fox News that North Korea is only “buying time.”
But the United States could also use this period to buy some time, because as Daryl Kimball, Executive Director of the Arms Control Association told ThinkProgress, Pyongyang is three or four more long-range ballistic missile flight tests away from having the operational capability to hit the United States.
“So it should be an overriding priority to stop those tests,” said Kimball, adding that we should be “optimistic but cautious” about Tuesday’s news.
“This is a significant diplomatic breakthrough in a couple of regards. North Korea says it will suspend nuclear testing and just as importantly, ballistic testing, if they can engage in talks with the United States. The North and South are opening up a hotline between the two leaders to improve communications and reduce the risk of miscalculation,” said Kimball.
Ideally, President the rich asshole would indicate that he’s willing to “discuss issues with common concern” with North Korea, and maybe reconsider the U.S. – South Korea military exercise planned for April.
North Korea seesthese exercisesas threatening, and Kimball said they could be modified so they don’t look like a “prelude to an invasion.”
But unless Bolton isnamed national security adviser in the next couple of weeks, what he has to say is not of much import to the North Koreans, Kimball added. “They care about what some rich asshole says, Secretary of Defense [James] Mattis says, what Secretary of State [Rex] Tillerson says and what they do,” he said.
If this opportunity is not seized upon by this administration, Kimball said the international community and North Korea will ask, “Why can’t some rich asshole take ‘yes’ for an answer?”
Given that Scott is a Christian pastor, however, many of his followers were not happy to see him acting so cavalierly about federal employees violating ethics rules that bar them from making political endorsements while in office.
What a fucking disgusting joke you all are. Fucking pathetic, thumbing your nose at ethics and morals in a fucking hourly basis. Pathetic. Can’t wait to clean you all out of The People’s House.
Kellyanne Conway (left), some rich asshole, Jr. (middle) and Mike Flynn (right). Images via screengrab.
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Former Special Counsel for Ethics and Government Reform Norm Eisen on Tuesday reacted to the news that White House staffer Kellyanne Conway had violated federal law.
A Tuesday announcement from the US Office of Special Counsel said that Conway had twice violated the Hatch Act by using her office to campaign for Republican candidates.
In a series of tweets on Tuesday, Eisen went off on Conway and other members of the rich asshole administration, who he predicted would do jail time for violating ethics laws and other statutes.
This is insane. In the Obama White House, I even made people quit uncompensated non-profit outside positions because of conflicts risks. This is FOR profit work that could conflict with official duties. Prediction: by end of Trump admin, prisons will be full of his associates https://twitter.com/AP/status/970803835458457605 …
this is a test of Trump and his administration. is he going to turn a blind eye to THREE violations by Kellyanne? if so, it will send a signal that anything goes. another signal i should say. https://twitter.com/RWPUSA/status/971070863314444288 …
TRUMP PARDON WATCH: he let Arpaio off the hook. If he forgives Kellyanne, that will be more evidence of contempt for law. The Trump ethics crisis is widening--when will the majority in Congress do some oversight? https://twitter.com/OversightDems/status/971076869884964869 …
Make no mistake about it, if Trump does not fire Kellyanne Conway after THREE Hatch Act violations another redline will be crossed. He will be saying breaking the law does not matter--I will pardon away any sins. Well, it does matter, & the American people will not tolerate it.
no because in any other administration people would have been fired after the first strike, and (a) would not have made it to their second and third and (b) everyone else would have gotten the message and stopped the violations. here it is a free-for-all. https://twitter.com/donmoyn/status/971089442365673473 …
the 2 big ethics stories of the day are related. EPA turned a blind eye to appointee conflict risk, and now we are waiting to see if Trump with do the same w/ Kellyanne. If he does not fire her, his message will be law does not matter. He will find out how wrong he is come Nov. https://twitter.com/NormEisen/status/970999798542331904 …
President some rich asshole’s leadership has been erratic since he entered the Oval Office, but his recent behavior has turned especially alarming. Aides speak of dysfunction and chaos at the White House. Politicians, pundits and psychiatrists have long warned that the rich asshole might lash out in destructive ways if he comes under intense pressure and senses that his leadership is threatened. Some worry that the president might try to distract attention from his troubles by provoking an international crisis or war. Washington insiders hope that top generals close to the president, such as John Kelly, H. R. McMaster and James Mattis, can protect the nation and the world if the Chief Executive goes off the rails.
There is an eerie resemblance between the current situation in Washington and conditions late in President Richard Nixon’s Administration. When the Watergate scandal endangered Nixon, the President seemed to break down. During Nixon’s final days, officials tried to prevent him from risking war, including a nuclear attack.
There are striking differences in the political situations faced by Richard Nixon and some rich asshole. the rich asshole has much more support from members of his party than Nixon received during the last weeks of his presidency. But if special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation of Russian intervention in the 2016 election brings charges against the president and his administration for obstruction of justice, some rich asshole might react in extreme ways.
Richard Nixon did not handle adversity well. When investigations of the Watergate scandal threatened to bring down his presidency, Nixon expressed anger toward journalists and politicians in late-night telephone calls, and he drank scotch heavily. Top officials in Washington worried that the disturbed president might attempt to show strength in a time of weakness. There was reason for concern. Nixon reportedly told a group of congressmen, “I can go to my office and pick up a telephone, and in 25 minutes, millions of people will be dead.” Senator Alan Cranston warned Defense Secretary James Schlesinger about “the need for keeping a berserk president from plunging us into a holocaust.” Schlesinger ordered military commanders to check first with him or Secretary of State Henry Kissinger if the president tried to launch missiles.
Politicians and pundits have expressed worries about President some rich asshole’s authority to launch nuclear strikes, as well. They criticized the rich asshole for asserting that his “nuclear button” was “much bigger” than the North Korean leader’s button. President the rich asshole warned the North Koreans that if they continued to threaten, “They will be met with fire and fury like the world has never seen.”
Current apprehensions about the rich asshole’s behavior apply to a much wider range of dangers than the kind that alarmed James Schlesinger prior to Nixon’s resignation. President the rich asshole commands much more influence over national and international affairs than Richard Nixon did when his presidency collapsed in the summer of 1974.
some rich asshole now appears isolated in the White House, according to aides, because he no longer receives assistance from people who provided valuable emotional and practical support. Last fall, his longtime bodyguard, Keith Schiller, departed. Shiller was often at the president’s side, serving as a valued confidant. Hope Hicks, another loyal aide, announced her decision to leave recently. In many respects Hicks had replaced Schiller as the President’s trusted friend. Rob Porter, the rich asshole’s staff secretary, played an important role as an astute adviser, as well, but he, too, exited recently. Ivanka, the president’s daughter and her husband, Jared Kushner, have also served him as important confidants. They are now under a cloud of accusations and may need to distance themselves from the Oval Office.
the rich asshole has burned bridges with so many top figures in his administration that he cannot easily acquire a new group of trusted allies. He has often directed wrath at principal members of his leadership team. the rich asshole allows rumors to fly suggesting that current leaders such as Attorney General Jeff Sessions and Generals H. R. McMaster and John Kelly will have to go. In this tense working environment, there has been a huge turnover of principal aides. “Morale is the worse its ever been,” a Republican strategist told the Washington Post recently. “Nobody knows what to expect.”
Journalists now report that the president has become deeply frustrated, is seething with anger, and frequently lashes out against supposed enemies. That erratic and aggressive behavior could soon turn more severe. If threats against the rich asshole’s leadership intensify, top officials in Washington may feel like Defense Secretary James Schlesinger, who worried about President Nixon’s capacity to govern in a time of severe personal stress. If a related emergency develops, leaders in Washington will need to step forward courageously and prevent a calamity.
Robert Brent Toplin, Professor Emeritus at the University of North Carolina, Wilmington, was previously a professor of history at Denison University. He has published several books about history, politics, and film and recently has taught occasional courses at the University of Virginia. Contact: rt2b@virginia.edu.
The Daily Beast reported Tuesday that Cohen, the lawyer at the heart of the rich asshole-Stormy Daniels debacle who was named in the Fusion GPS dossier, had attained information that had only been revealed in closed-door testimony.
David Kramer, a former staffer for Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) involved in the dossier’s initial release to the FBI, testified before the committee in late December about the salacious document. Days later, his lawyer received a call from a man named Stephen Ryan, Cohen’s representative attorney.
Ryan informed Kramer’s lawyer, Larry Robbins, that he’d heard the dossier contained information that could help Cohen — and asked if he’d be willing to share that information with him. Robbins chose not to, prompting Cohen’s lawyer to ask him not to tell the committee about the call.
“Robbins told the committee anyway,” the Beast reported, noting that soon after, “CNN reported in February that Robbins wrote a letter to the committee complaining about leaks to another client’s lawyer.”
That lawyer, their report confirms, was one that represented Cohen.
The dossier is a cornerstone of an argument by GOP members of the House Intelligence Committee claiming there were abuses that took place in the process of obtaining warrants to surveil former the rich asshole campaign adviser Carter Page, who had been under FBI watch since at least 2014 for his ties to Russia. Republicans on the committee, which is led by White House ally Devin Nunes (R-CA), wrote and pushed the release of a partisan memo last month claiming the FBI primarily used the dossier to obtain Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act warrants for Page while he worked for the the rich asshole campaign.
Written by former British spy Christopher Steele, the dossier alleges, among other claims, that Cohen was instrumental in ultimately unsuccessful plans to build a rich asshole Tower in Moscow that coincided with the president’s campaign in 2015 and 2016. The dossier also reportedly details collusion between the rich asshole campaign and the Kremlin.
Despite his longstanding ties to Russia, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson has largely flown under the radar when it comes to the ongoing investigation into possible collusion between some rich asshole’s campaign and Russia — until this week.
But on Monday, the New Yorker reported that “the Kremlin had intervened to block the rich asshole’s initial choice for Secretary of State, Mitt Romney.” Romney was a Russia hawk, and Russia reportedly wanted a more accommodating secretary of state.
We also learned on Monday that Tillerson’s State Department has spent none of the $120 million it was allocated in late 2016 to combat Russian election meddling — even though the midterm elections are fast approaching. As the New York Times reporter who broke the story told MSNBC’s Rachel Maddow, “The remarkable thing is that the State Department and the rich asshole administration writ large… have really done almost nothing to counter Russian meddling in the 2018 midterm elections,”
The question is whether these two stories are connected. In other words, was Tillerson Russia’s preferred secretary of state? And if so, are the Russians in fact getting just what they wanted? And, therefore, should Special Counsel Robert Muller be looking into how Tillerson came to be nominated?
Significantly, few of the recent stories have pointed out that Tillerson has a two decade-long relationship with Russia and Putin. Indeed, at the time the rich asshole nominated Tillerson, former CEO of ExxonMobil, he had been the director of the U.S.-Russian oil firm Neftgas since 1998.
Let’s review the key points. First, according to the New Yorker’s Jane Mayer in an as-yet unconfirmed story, former British spy Christopher Steele has reportedly discussed “a memo that he wrote in late November, 2016″ with Mueller’s team. (This brief memo is not the infamous Steele dossier that helped trigger the FBI investigation into the rich asshole’s possible connections with the Russians.)
This memo, Mayer reports, was based on “a senior Russian official” who was “relaying talk circulating in the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs” — including the bombshell allegation that after helping to block Romney, “the Kremlin, through unspecified channels, had asked the rich asshole to appoint someone who would be prepared to lift Ukraine-related sanctions, and who would cooperate on security issues of interest to Russia, such as the conflict in Syria.”
Second, Tillerson’s actions at the State Department show a pattern of placating Russia. The agency played a key role in the administration’s refusal to enforce the sanctions on Russia that Congress enacted last August almost unanimously. Instead, State put out a statement saying “sanctions on specific entities or individuals will not need to be imposed because the legislation is, in fact, serving as a deterrent.”
And the New York Times reported that thanks to Tillerson’s actions and inaction at the State Department, none of the 23 analysts working in its Global Engagement Center, “which has been tasked with countering Moscow’s disinformation campaign, speaks Russian, and a department hiring freeze has hindered efforts to recruit the computer experts needed to track the Russian efforts.”
Tillerson himself told Fox News last month he thinks fighting Russia interference is futile. “If it’s their intention to interfere, they’re going to find ways to do that,” he said. “And we can take steps we can take, but this is something that once they decide they are going to do it, it’s very difficult to preempt it.”
Third, Tillerson has had very cozy relationship with Russia and Putin for a very long time. Way back in January 1998, Tillerson “became vice president of Exxon Ventures (CIS) Inc. and president of Exxon Neftegas Limited,” Exxon’s website explained. “In those roles, he was responsible for Exxon’s holdings in Russia,” both on land and offshore. Coincidentally, Tillerson’s position change occurred around the same time that former KGB agent Vladimir Putin began assuming more and more power, becoming Russian prime minister in 1999.
For the next two decades, Tillerson was director of Neftgas, which just happened to be based in a tax haven (the Bahamas). More recently, in 2013, Putin gave Tillerson the highest award a foreigner can receive— the Order of Friendship — for negotiating a $500 billion deal with Rosneft, Russia’s state-owned (i.e. Putin-controlled) oil company.
In other words, while Tillerson’s qualifications to be secretary of state were minimal at best, he is just the kind of guy the Kremlin would want to see in the job. So how did he get picked?
Two former secretaries of state — James Baker and Condoleezza Rice — along with former secretary of defense Robert Gates, led the way in bringing Tillerson to the rich asshole’s attention as a potential secretary of state nominee . Rice’s and Gates’ firm consults for Exxon (though they aren’t Russophiles). Baker’s firm has not only represented Exxon, but as CNN reported in 2016, it “has also represented Russian state-owned oil company Rosneft on a deal with Exxon” related to “difficult-to-extract resources of hydrocarbons in Russia.”
Smoke doesn’t always mean a fire. But big plumes of smoke deserve an investigation. And as Mueller’s investigation into possible collusion between the rich asshole officials and Russia moves forward, Tillerson’s nomination is begging for a closer look.
Remember Kellyanne Conway? If you’ve been missing her wacky antics on TV, you can sit back and enjoy the show as she deals with being found guilty of violating the Hatch Act. Twice.
The Hill reports that the Office of Special Counsel informed the rich asshole administration Tuesday that Conway’s repeated attacks on the rich asshole’s enemies in an official capacity were, in fact, violations of the Hatch Act and suggested “appropriate disciplinary action.”
The violations occurred during appearances on Fox and Friends and CNN in 2017.
“While the Hatch Act allows federal employees to express their views about candidates and political issues as private citizens, it restricts employees from using their official government positions for partisan political purposes, including by trying to influence partisan elections,” the OSC says in its report.
Conway had attacked pedophile Roy Moore’s opponent Doug Jones “during the ‘Fox & Friends’ and ‘New Day’ interviews” and “impermissibly mixed official government business with political views about candidates in the Alabama special election for U.S. Senate” according to the report.
The OSC notes that Conway received “significant training” on Hatch Act violations and that she shirked the opportunity to respond as part of the report.
“The only endorsement that matters in this race is President the rich asshole’s,” Conway a week before the Alabama special election for Senate. “And he came out questioning the ideology and the vote of Doug Jones. He’ll be a reliable vote for tax hikes. He’ll be a reliable vote against border security. He’ll be a reliable vote against national security and keeping ISIS in retreat. He’ll be the reliable vote against the Second Amendment and against life.”
At the time, former Office of Government Ethics Director Walter Shaub, who filed two complaints against the rich asshole’s dumbest mouthpiece, called Conway’s ridiculous attacks a “slam dunk violation” of the Hatch Act. Conservatives at the time disagreed, but as Newton Third Law of ‘Conservatives are Idiots’ (not a real thing) states, “If an idea passes through the lips of someone too stupid to operate a spoon without adult supervision, other stupid people will believe it and will use any facts to the contrary as evidence of a conspiracy against them.”
“The willfulness of Conway’s violation and her openly expressed disdain for efforts to hold her accountable for complying with ethics requirements make clear that anything less than removal from the federal service or a lengthy unpaid suspension will not deter future misconduct on her part,” Shaub said following Conway’s remarks.
“Ms. Conway did not advocate for or against the election of a candidate, and specifically declined to encourage Alabamans to vote a certain way,” White House deputy press secretary Raj Shah said by way of defending Conway at the time. “In fact, Kellyanne’s statements actually show her intention and desire to comply with the Hatch Act – as she twice declined to respond to the host’s specific invitation to encourage Alabamans to vote for the Republican.”
Looks like he was wrong. The White House, of course, stepped up to defend Conway yet again:
Previously, Conway was found guilty of violating ethics rules when she told “Fox and Friends” viewers to buy Ivanka the rich asshole’s shitty clothing line. the rich asshole refused to take action and allowed her to go on to violate the Hatch Act.
With the recent wife-beating scandal, the numerous guilty pleas and indictments coming out of his administration in the Russia probe, and all of the rich asshole’s other obvious issues, the last thing The rich asshole needs is yet another of his people getting busted — but Conway will, of course, just offer some “alternative facts” to protect herself.
North Korea has promised to stop testing nuclear missiles if the United States holds talks with Pyongyang, South Korea said Tuesday.
The Associated Press reported that an official in South Korea’s presidential office said that North Korean officials are ready for “heart-to-heart” discussions with the U.S.
North Korea is reportedly ready to discuss denuclearization and normalizing relations with Washington.
The South Korean official said that North Korea is prepared to give up its nuclear weapons if threats of military action stop, and if its security is guaranteed.
North Korea also vowed not to use any weapons against South Korea.
South Korean envoys this week traveled to North Korea, where they met with leader Kim Jong Un.
Kim said during a dinner with the envoys that he has a “firm will to vigorously advance the north-south relations and write a new history of national reunification by the concerted efforts of our nation to be proud of in the world.”
President the rich asshole responded to a report of the meeting between Kim and the South Korean envoys with a five-word tweet: "We will see what happens!"
Relations between the two Korean nations improved after North Korea sent athletes to compete in the Winter Olympics in South Korea last month.
the rich asshole has long railed against North Korea over its nuclear missile tests, promising last year that the country would be "met with fire and fury” if it threatened the U.S.
North Korea has continued to test missiles since then.
The South Korean envoys are set to travel to the U.S. and brief American officials about the talks with North Korea.
President some rich asshole and adult actress Stephanie Clifford, whose stage name was Stormy Daniels, in a 2006 Myspace photo.
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Responding to his Republican colleagues pleasure that President some rich asshole is moving to shrink two national parks, a Utah lawmaker is threatening to attach an amendment to a bill that would rename a frontage road near the parks “Stormy Daniels Rampway” in honor of the president’s supposed adult film paramour.
According to the Washington Post, one GOP lawmaker from the state wants to thank the president for making the national parks move by renaming a 631 stretch of highway that goes by Zion National Park, Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument, Glen Canyon National Recreation Area and Canyonlands National Park after the rich asshole.
In a bill authored by Republican Rep. Mike Noel — and passed out of the House Natural Resources, Agriculture and Environment Standing Committee on Monday — that highway would be renamed “some rich asshole Utah National Parks Highway.”
With the president ordering the shrinking of Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante national monuments, in order to open them up for oil, gas and coal mining, Noel heaped praise on the rich asshole for the move.
“I think he’s done a tremendous amount [since taking office], and I think with seven more years we can turn this country around,” Noel said during the hearing. “I think it’s a small price to pay to name a highway after him when he does in fact protect public lands.”
Democratic State Sen. Jim Dabakis disagrees, and said when the bill comes to the floor he will add an amendment of his own.
According to Dabakis, he will propose renaming a frontage road by the rich asshole highway, “Stormy Daniels rampway,” to remind the public of the former porn star who was reportedly paid $130,000 to stay mum about her alleged relationship with the rich asshole before he became president.
According to the report, it is not clear whether Utah lawmakers will approve the renaming of the highway after the rich asshole when the bill reaches both floors for a vote.
On at least two occasions last year, Kellyanne Conway, a close White House aide to President some rich asshole, violated a law that prohibits government employees from engaging in political campaigns, according to a report published Tuesday by the U.S. Office of Special Counsel.
In a letter to the rich asshole, OSC special counsel Henry Kerner said Conway violated the Hatch Act in two television interviews granted in her “official capacity” in November and December. Kerner wrote that Conway “impermissibly mixed official government business with political views about candidates in the Alabama special election.”
The OSC, which is unrelated to an ongoing investigation by special counsel Robert Mueller, recommended that the president take “disciplinary action” against Conway for ethics violations.
The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
In a statement to NBC News, however, the White House denied that Conway had broken any laws and claimed that her on-air comments “actually show her intention and desire to comply with the Hatch Act ― as she twice declined to respond to the host’s specific invitation to encourage Alabamans to vote for the Republican.”
The OSC’s report concerns interviews Conway gave to Fox News’ “Fox & Friends” and CNN’s “New Day” in November and December, respectively. Conway delivered both interviews from the grounds of the White House and was introduced as “counselor to President the rich asshole.”
During the interviews, Conway discussed Alabama’s special election for U.S. Senate and expressed support for then-candidate Republican Roy Moore.
Moore, a former judge, ran against Democrat Doug Jones, who ultimately won the election as Moore faced allegations of child molestation.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates.
The White House said on Tuesday that counselor Kellyanne Conway did not violate the Hatch Act after the Office of Special Counsel (OSC) told the rich asshole administration she was found in violation.
"Kellyanne Conway did not advocate for or against the election of any particular candidate. She simply expressed the president's obvious position that he have people in the House and Senate, who support his agenda," deputy White House press secretary Hogan Gidley said in a statement.
"In fact, Kellyanne's statements actually show her intention and desire to comply with the Hatch Act — as she twice declined to respond to the host's specific invitation to encourage Alabamans to vote for the Republican," he continued referencing an interview Conway did on Fox News.
The Hatch Act prohibits those working in the executive branch from using their official capacities to advocate for or against political candidates.
The OSC said the violations took place during two 2017 television appearances on the Fox News Channel's "Fox & Friends" and on CNN's "New Day" in which she was discussing the Alabama Senate race.
Conway on "Fox and Friends" ripped then-Democratic nominee Doug Jones as "weak on crime" and "weak on borders," before declining to specifically endorse Republican candidate Roy Moore when asked.
“So, vote Roy Moore?” Fox host Brian Kilmeade interjected.
“I’m telling you that we want the votes in the Senate to get this tax bill through,” Conway responded referring to the tax-reform bill that ended up being passed and signed into law.
Conway went even further on CNN, saying President the rich asshole "doesn't want a liberal Democrat representing Alabama" in the Senate.
Democrats seized on the news on Tuesday.
House Oversight Committee ranking member Rep. Elijah Cummings (D-Md.) said the administration should punish Conway.
“The President must take swift and serious disciplinary action against Ms. Conway. Anything else sets a terrible example," Cummings said.
President some rich asshole should take “surgical” action against countries that dump steel and aluminum in US markets rather than follow through on a risky threat of global tariffs, Congress’s top Republican said Tuesday.
Speaker of the House Paul Ryan, leading a sharp break with the president, said that while there was “clearly abuse occurring,” particularly by China, protectionist measures could have the “unintended consequences” of a trade war.
“I think the smarter way to go is to make it more surgical and more targeted” than broad tariffs, Ryan told reporters.
the rich asshole triggered global alarm last week when he announced he would sign off on measures designed to protect US producers, and defiantly swatted back at critics by saying trade wars are “good, and easy to win.”
Ryan said such action would make the United States “more prone to retaliation.”
“And so what we’re encouraging the administration to do is to focus on what is clearly a legitimate problem, and to be more surgical in its approach, so that we can go after the true abusers without creating any kind of unintended consequences or collateral damage.”
Ryan said he has had multiple conversations with the rich asshole about the issue, and that while he would not characterize the discussions, he said the president “knows our view.”
Ryan’s comments come a day after he publicly split with the president on the tariffs.
“We are extremely worried about the consequences of a trade war and are urging the White House to not advance with this plan,” AshLee Strong, a Ryan spokeswoman, said in a statement Monday.
Several other congressional Republicans were urging the rich asshole to abandon his plan to slap a new import tax of 25 percent on steel and 10 percent on aluminum.
“We have concerns,” Senate Foreign Relations Committee chairman Bob Corker said of the effects the tariffs could have on allies like Canada and Mexico.
White House counselor Kellyanne Conway violated the Hatch Act on two occasions, the Office of Special Counsel (OSC) informed the rich asshole administration Tuesday.
Appearing in her official capacity, Conway endorsed and advocated against political candidates, the watchdog said, referring its findings to President the rich asshole "for appropriate disciplinary action."
The violations occurred during two television appearances in 2017, one on Fox News's "Fox and Friends," and one on CNN's "New Day."
“While the Hatch Act allows federal employees to express their views about candidates and political issues as private citizens, it restricts employees from using their official government positions for partisan political purposes, including by trying to influence partisan elections,” OSC says in its report.
“Ms. Conway’s statements during the "Fox & Friends" and "New Day" interviews impermissibly mixed official government business with political views about candidates in the Alabama special election for U.S. Senate."
OSC says it gave Conway, a former GOP pollster who served as the rich asshole's campaign manager, the opportunity to respond as part of its report, but she did not.
Steven Mnuchin testifies before a Senate Finance Committee confirmation hearing on his nomination to be Treasury secretary in Washington, U.S., January 19, 2017. REUTERS/Joshua Roberts
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Despite President some rich asshole’s public statements appearing to oppose sanctions against Russia, the steps ordered by Congress will be imposed in coming weeks, Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said Tuesday.
In testimony before a House subcommittee, Mnuchin pushed back against the idea that the rich asshole is trying to block the sanctions in response to Russia’s meddling in the 2016 US presidential election, saying the rich asshole is “fully supportive.”
“We will implement them,” Mnuchin said. “I expect in next several weeks we’ll be going forward with sanctions on Russia.”
the rich asshole’s vocal opposition to the package — which entered into law earlier this year — and his regular praise of Vladimir Putin has raised questions about whether the administration is dragging its feet, which has angered some lawmakers.
Several members of the rich asshole’s campaign have been charged or admitted to lying to the FBI about their contacts with Kremlin-linked officials accused of trying to sway the 2016 vote in the rich asshole’s favor.
Mnuchin assured the legislators that “in recent conversations with the president he is fully supportive of the work we are doing,” and that the sanctions will be enforced.
At a separate hearing, Dan Coats, director of National Intelligence, said he expects Treasury to announce the Russia sanctions “within a week.”
Democratic representative Mike Quigley said the only step taken so far has been a “laughable report on Russian oligarchs,” but Mnuchin said the classified report given to Congress detailed the efforts to design the package of penalties.
In its report, Treasury publicly identified more than 100 Russian officials and business leaders eligible for sanctions, a list derived from Forbes magazine, among other sources.
A senior administration official last month said the White House has warned governments around the world that they could face sanctions for “significant transactions” with the Russian military.
That includes NATO ally Turkey, which has publicly announced the purchase of a Russian S-400 air defense missile system, which is regarded as a challenge to US air superiority.
Former the rich asshole campaign aide Sam Nunberg said that he would cooperate with a subpoena from special counsel Robert Mueller after insisting that he would not comply with the order.
Nunberg's apparent capitulation came after he spent most of Monday declaring in a series of media interviews that he would defy the subpoena from Mueller, who is investigating Russian election interference and possible collusion between the rich asshole campaign and Moscow.
Nunberg questioned repeatedly in interviews why he should have to comply with the subpoena and made a number of unverified claims, including that former the rich asshole campaign adviser Carter Page conspired with the Russians during the 2016 presidential race.
He also suggested in an interview with MSNBC that President the rich asshole himself "may have done something during the election," but acknowledged that he wasn't certain.
If Nunberg were to refuse to comply with the subpoena, he could be held in contempt, a charge that carries a range of possible repercussions, such as a fine or possibly jail time.
Even the possibility of jail time did not seem to phase Nunberg, who said on MSNBC on Monday that he thought it would be "funny" if he was arrested for his refusal to comply with the subpoena.
The White House brushed off Nunberg's suggestions of collusion between the rich asshole campaign and Russia on Monday, underscoring the fact that he has never worked in the White House and has no inside knowledge of the matter.
"He hasn’t worked at the White House, so I certainly can’t speak to him or the lack of knowledge that he clearly has," White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said at a press briefing.
In a statement given to ABC News reporter Meredith McGaw, the White House insisted that Conway “did not advocate for or against the election of any particular candidate.”
However, an interview that Conway did in late November on Fox News shows that she directly urged Alabama voters to “not be fooled” into voting for Democratic Senate candidate Doug Jones, who went on to defeat Republican rival Roy Moore in the December special election.
“Doug Jones in Alabama, folks, don’t be fooled,” Conway said. “He will be a vote against tax cuts. He is weak on crime, Weak on borders. He is strong on raising your taxes. He is terrible for property owners.”
Although Conway ignored calls from Fox hosts to directly endorse Roy Moore, she did say the White House wanted “the votes in the Senate to get this tax bill through.” She then pivoted back to trashing Doug Jones.
“I just want everybody to know Doug Jones, nobody ever says his name and pretends he is some kind of conservative Democrat in Alabama,” she said. “He is not.”
President the rich asshole on Tuesday claimed there is “no chaos” in the White House, even as he warned of future staff changes that have fueled the notion the West Wing is spiraling out of control.
“The new Fake News narrative is that there is CHAOS in the White House. Wrong!” the rich asshole tweeted just before 8 a.m.
“People will always come & go, and I want strong dialogue before making a final decision. I still have some people that I want to change (always seeking perfection). There is no Chaos, only great Energy!”
The new Fake News narrative is that there is CHAOS in the White House. Wrong! People will always come & go, and I want strong dialogue before making a final decision. I still have some people that I want to change (always seeking perfection). There is no Chaos, only great Energy!
The message came amid an early morning torrent of tweets from the president touching on topics ranging from oil production, immigration, North Korea, cable news and the Academy Awards.
“Lowest rated Oscars in HISTORY. Problem is, we don’t have Stars anymore — except your President (just kidding, of course)!” the president tweeted.
Oscars viewership fell to 26.5 million people, a nearly 20 percent drop from the 2017 show. Many of the actors and directors, as well as host Jimmy Kimmel, spoke out against the rich asshole, something his supporters credit for the lower ratings.
the rich asshole was responding to media that have painted a picture of an enraged president who is sowing chaos among his staff and upending the policy process at the White House.
That atmosphere helped lead to his announcement last week of steep tariffs on imported steel and aluminum, which sent shockwaves throughout Washington and Wall Street.
The president ignored the advice of many of his own aides in making the decision and did not have any paperwork to sign because the tariffs had not yet been properly vetted.
NBC News, citing an unnamed source, said the rich asshole had become “unglued” by the time he made the announcement.
Speculation has grown that National Economic Council Director Gary Cohn, a vocal opponent of the tariffs, could leave the White House if the rich asshole follows through on his decision.
Several events had reportedly set off the president, including the departure of White House communications director Hope Hicks and a deluge of negative stories about his son-in-law and senior adviser Jared Kushner.
Kushner had his security clearance downgraded, limiting his access to the nation’s most closely held secrets, as he faced renewed scrutiny over whether he used his position to help secure loans for his family business. Kushner’s attorneys have denied he acted inappropriately.
The president is also reportedly angry over developments in the Russia investigation, which were highlighted Monday by a series of bizarre television interviews by former campaign aide Sam Nunberg.
Nunberg caused a headache for the rich asshole and sent tremors across D.C. by claiming the president knew about a 2016 meeting at the rich asshole Tower between a Russian lawyer and some rich asshole Jr. and publicly threatening to tear up a subpoena request from special counsel Robert Mueller, which he later recanted.
Just days before, the rich asshole lashed out at Attorney General Jeff Sessions, a longtime target of the president for his decision to recuse himself from the Justice Department's probe into Russian election meddling. And several reports suggested that the president is also searching for a replacement for national security adviser H.R. McMaster.
the rich asshole joked about the constant turnover at the White House on Saturday during the Gridiron Dinner, saying, “I like turnover, I like chaos, it really is good.”
“Now the question everyone keeps asking is, ‘Who’s going to be the next to leave? Steve Miller or Melania,'” the president joked, referring to his senior policy adviser and the first lady, respectively.
“That is terrible honey, but you love me, right?” the rich asshole told his wife. “I wont tell you what she said. ... She said, ‘Behave.’ ... Is that terrible?”
President the rich asshole on Tuesday lashed out at media coverage of his administration, a day after former the rich asshole campaign aide Sam Nunberg gave a series of interviews that shocked the White House and gripped Washington.
In a morning tweet, the rich asshole attacked the "fake news narrative" that describes his White House as chaotic and prone to resignations.
"The new Fake News narrative is that there is CHAOS in the White House. Wrong! People will always come & go, and I want strong dialogue before making a final decision. I still have some people that I want to change (always seeking perfection). There is no Chaos, only great Energy!" the rich asshole tweeted.
The new Fake News narrative is that there is CHAOS in the White House. Wrong! People will always come & go, and I want strong dialogue before making a final decision. I still have some people that I want to change (always seeking perfection). There is no Chaos, only great Energy!
Nunberg shook up Washington on Monday, appearing in a series of network interviews, causing headaches for the White House by claiming the president knew about a 2016 meeting in the rich asshole Tower between a Russian lawyer and some rich asshole Jr. and publicly battling special counsel Robert Mueller over a subpoena to testify in the ongoing Russia probe.
White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders dismissed the former aide's claims on Monday, calling them evidence of a "lack of knowledge."
“I definitely think he doesn't know that for sure because he's incorrect,” Sanders said. “As we said many times before, there was no collusion with the the rich asshole campaign. Anything further on what his actions are — he hasn't worked at the White House. I can't speak to him or the lack of knowledge that he clearly has.”
Despite on Monday saying he would not comply with a subpoena to testify, Nunberg seemed to change his tune as of Tuesday, telling theAssociated Press, "I'm going to end up cooperating with them."
The Office of Special Counsel found that senior White House advisor Kellyanne Conway violated the Hatch Act twice when she appeared in two separate interviews.
JUST IN: Office of Special Counsel finds Kellyanne Conway twice violated the Hatch Act and "submitted the report to the President for appropriate disciplinary action."
During an appearance on “The View,” former first daughter Chelsea Clinton addressed some of her concerns about President some rich asshole and his leadership of the country.
“Please, do your job,” Clinton told the panel of women. “Please, don’t worry about the Oscar ratings or how my mom is doing. Although, thank you, she’s doing great. Please, worry about what’s happening on the Korean Peninsula. Please, worry about what the Parkland students are saying, ‘never again,’ truly is never again. So we never have another school shooting in our country. Please, worry about what you can do from the federal government’s perspective to make sure teachers in West Virginia and everywhere are paid appropriately.”
She went on to say that whatever issue it is, she would prefer the rich asshole lead the nation on that.
Co-host Meghan McCain asked Clinton why she thought Republicans still supported the rich asshole, to the tune of 80 percent.
Clinton explained she’s not a Republican and can’t speak for what they might think, but she hopes that regardless of where people sit on the political spectrum “we can agree on what our common challenges are and hopefully we can spend time and energy about how we best solve those.”
While McCain kept citing GOP support, Clinton explained that it’s obvious looking broadly across the U.S. that the overwhelming majority of Americans want a different style of leadership. “Both in terms of the problems being solved but also the approach of how they’re being solved and the language that historically we’ve heard from the men who held that office.”
Amber Tamblyn, whose mother is a teacher, asked what Clinton thinks about the idea that teachers be expected to carry guns to keep schools secure.
Clinton noted that the public expects teachers to not only teach but be social workers, nurses, disciplinarians and now public safety officers too.
“While not being adequately compensated or respected for the profound work they do for our children and our shared future,” she said.
About the teens in Parkland, Florida, Clinton said they’re already changing things.
When asked about Ivanka the rich asshole being asked about her father’s personal life, Clinton said that any employee of the White House doing interviews should expect any and all questions about the president.
“So, yes, I do think it was a fair question,” she said.
An outgoing Republican lawmaker tore into some rich asshole’s proposed tariffs on aluminum and steel on Tuesday morning, accusing the president of making the decision based on “crony capitalism” designed to enrich his friends.
Appearing on CNN with Alisyn Camerota, Rep. Charlie Dent (R-PA), first addressed the host’s questions about former the rich asshole aide Sam Nunberg’s wild Monday night multiple televised meltdowns.
“That’s just beyond bizarre,” Dent replied. “To see that Erin Burnett [CNN] interview where she had to ask if he was drinking? It seems to me somebody needs to stage an intervention on his behalf because he’s got enormous problems. He acknowledged his own lawyer will probably fire him, he should never stand in front of a camera. I tell my staff, if I’m about to do something destructive, tackle me, and he needs a tackler right now to get him off the camera.”
“It’s clear to me this man has a lot of problems,” he continued. “I don’t know if what he is saying is true or not. He doesn’t want to comply with a subpoena? Who does? Most people comply because they don’t want to go to jail.”
Following a discussion on Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation into the rich asshole White House, host Camerota turned to the rich asshole’s tariff proposal that would have a devastating effect on Dent’s blue-collar industrial district.
“The president is set to impose tariffs on aluminum and steel — what do you think?” Camerota asked.
“I represent the city of Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. Bethlehem Steel was the second largest producer of steel at one point, but that company no longer exists. We don’t make steel in my district anymore,” Dent explained. “I will tell you that we do not need to impose these types of tariffs in this kind of scattershot matter, it’s a mistake.”
“This represents crony capitalism of the worst type,” he continued. “Protecting a few at the cost of many. We’re going after Canada! Canada is not a security threat, they’re our friends. They’re the biggest exporter of steel and aluminum to the United States.”
Dent’s comments about “crony capitalism” comes days after it was revealed that the rich asshole associate Carl Icahn dumped $31 million in steel-related holdings a week before the president made his proposal
“These aluminum tariffs will directly affect my congressional district,” he elaborated. “In Hershey, Pennsylvania, it’s the sweetest place on Earth. Well they use aluminum foil to wrap those Hershey Kisses — 70 million Kisses produced in my district every day. That is a lot of foil, that is a lot of aluminum. The point I’m making is this is going to have a direct impact on my district. If the rich asshole administration were smart about this — by the way, I had a conversation with Secretary [Wilbur] Ross about the aluminum tariffs months ago, about how this would have a negative effect — if we want to deal with China, let’s deal with China and target them. Why go after Africa, Germany, South Korea, and Japan? These countries that are friendly to us and are not national security threats on steel or aluminum.”
Republicans say House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy has a clear path to succeeding Speaker Paul Ryan (Wis.) in November — if Republicans lose the House and he runs for minority leader.
The California Republican would need just a majority vote of the GOP conference and not 218 votes — a threshold he couldn’t meet during his failed bid for Speaker in 2015 — to become minority leader.
And that threshold is within reach for someone considered President the rich asshole’s closest ally on the Hill, who regularly travels the country raising cash for his colleagues, several GOP lawmakers said.
“Hopefully in November, we’re talking about a third term for Speaker Ryan,” said one House GOP lawmaker. “But if that’s not the case, I think Kevin’s the guy, and that comes from a more conservative member.”
Most Republicans on the Hill expect Ryan will retire from Congress if energized Democrats can flip control of the House. That would almost certainly trigger a race for Republican leader between McCarthy and perhaps a more conservative, red-state challenger.
House Freedom Caucus Chairman Mark Meadows and Republican Study Committee Chairman Mark Walker, both North Carolina Republicans, could challenge McCarthy, lawmakers predicted.
A third North Carolina Republican, Chief Deputy Whip Patrick McHenry, also has been floated as a dark horse candidate, though lawmakers close to him said he’s more inclined to run to replace retiring Rep. Jeb Hensarling (Texas) as the top Republican on the House Financial Services Committee.
Then there’s Majority Whip Steve Scalise (R-La.), who is just behind McCarthy in the leadership pecking order. Scalise has seen his stock soar on Capitol Hill ever since last summer, when he survived a mass shooting at a congressional baseball practice in Alexandria, Va.
While he’s not expected to directly challenge McCarthy, Scalise will be waiting in the wings should the Californian stumble like he did three years ago, when he abruptly dropped out of the race for Speaker amid doubts he could cobble together the necessary 218 votes. After John Boehner’s (R-Ohio) resignation, the Speaker’s gavel was passed to Ryan, then chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee, rather than McCarthy, who stayed on as the No. 2 GOP leader.
Ryan has said he and his wife have not yet decided about whether he’ll run for reelection this fall (the filing deadline in Wisconsin is June 1), but it’s possible the Speaker steps down in the event House Republicans lose seats but hang on to a slim majority.
In that scenario, a second GOP lawmaker surmised, Scalise, not McCarthy, is more likely to succeed Ryan as Speaker given McCarthy’s past problems getting to 218 votes on the House floor. In the 2015 Speaker’s race, the Freedom Caucus — a band of roughly 30 conservative hard-liners— threw its support behind Rep. Daniel Webster (R-Fla.), scuttling McCarthy’s chances.
History could repeat itself if McCarthy once again vies for the Speaker’s gavel.
“I’ve always thought if we retain the majority and Paul leaves, it’s more likely to be Scalise than McCarthy,” the lawmaker said.
In the minority, however, the top job would be “McCarthy’s to lose,” several lawmakers agreed.
“I think there will be a play from the right. But will it be the Freedom Caucus 30 or will it be a larger movement? And would Scalise lead it? I don’t know,” said a third GOP lawmaker who is close to leadership. “But if McCarthy shows strength and there’s no opening, then I think McCarthy stays on as leader.”
While his colleagues certainly won’t forget McCarthy’s failed bid for Speaker, many say that episode from three years ago won’t diminish his chances of winning the top job next time.
“I don’t think he did anything wrong last time. I think he just read the mood of the group at that point and made a judgment that was appropriate,” said a fourth GOP lawmaker who knows McCarthy well. “I certainly don’t think he did anything he needs to be a ashamed of. He’s got a great track record.”
McCarthy, 53, has had a quick ascent in Washington. At age 19, he opened Kevin O’s deli in his hometown of Bakersfield, Calif. He went on to serve as district director for then-Ways and Means Chairman Bill Thomas (R-Calif.), won election to the state Assembly in 2002, then succeeded Thomas in the U.S. House in 2006.
After the 2008 election, then-Minority Whip Eric Cantor (R-Va.) tapped McCarthy as his chief deputy whip, a move that brought him into the leadership circle. When Republicans took back the House in 2010, Cantor rose to majority leader and McCarthy claimed the No. 3 job as majority whip, the GOP’s top vote counter.
But four years later, Cantor, the heir apparent to then-Speaker Boehner, stunned the political world by losing his GOP primary to a relatively unknown Tea Party activist named Dave Brat. McCarthy easily won election as the next majority leader, becoming the second most powerful lawmaker in the House just seven years after arriving in Washington.
That wasn’t a coincidence. McCarthy’s ability to connect with strangers and build relationships on the Hill is legendary. And during his time in leadership, he’s traveled around the country, frantically raising money for his GOP colleagues — political gestures that won’t be forgotten the next time he asks for their vote.
On Monday, McCarthy’s political team said that it transferred $1.2 million from his campaign coffers to the National Republican Congressional Committee, the House GOP’s campaign arm. That brought Team McCarthy’s contributions to the NRCC to more than $7 million for the 2018 cycle. McCarthy’s office had no additional comment.
“Since I’ve been here, McCarthy has grown his support more and more,” said the first GOP lawmaker, who like the others requested anonymity so he could discuss future leadership races. “He’s been very helpful to me and been very helpful to others, from mentorship to fundraising.”
The other thing McCarthy has working in his favor: He’s incredibly close with the rich asshole. And GOP sources say the rich asshole, who values loyalty above all else, will play a critical role in helping to choose the next leadership team after the midterm elections.
“I think the president will have an outsized role in all of these discussions. Most members will be asking how can that leadership team interact with the White House and the president,” said one GOP source. “Obviously, McCarthy has a strong relationship with the president.”
For his part, Ryan isn’t showing any signs of slowing down. Last year, he hauled in $44 million, sending $32 million of that to the NRCC. And he recently returned from fundraising trips to Missouri and Florida to raise cash for colleagues.
Speaking to an audience in his home state of Wisconsin recently, Ryan exuded confidence about the GOP’s prospects in 2018. “We are going to win!” he declared.
But many of Ryan’s House colleagues aren’t so sure, pointing to the wave of GOP retirements this cycle and the fact that the president’s party loses 32 seats on average during the midterm election. Democrats only need a net gain of 24 seats to take back the House.
“We all know this cycle is very challenging for House Republicans, and the House is very much in play,” said Rep. Charlie Dent (R-Pa.), one of dozens of senior Republicans who have opted not to run for reelection. “I’m not saying it’s going to flip but it’s very much at risk.”
Former FBI Director Robert Mueller. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)
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Republican strategist Mike Murphy on Monday made his contribution to “Russia speculation night,” telling NBC’s Lawrence O’Donnell an “international businessman” said special counsel Robert Mueller is looking into an agreement some rich asshole had with Russian interests during the 2016 campaign.
“I was walking around [Beverly Hills] and an international businessman I know pretty well, swore me to secrecy said ‘You can say this on TV. A friend of mine got pulled in by Mueller asking about a MOU, a memorandum of understanding, that the rich asshole had with Russian interests during the 2016 campaign and Mueller has the documents,’” Murphy told O’Donnell.
Last week, CNN reported Mueller is probing the rich asshole’s business dealings as he considered running for president. As CNN reported, “Investigators for special counsel Robert Mueller have recently been asking witnesses about some rich asshole’s business activities in Russia prior to the 2016 presidential campaign as he considered a run for president.”
The “international businessman” who spoke with Murphy would seem to track with CNN’s reporting about Mueller’s shifting focus in the Russia probe.
President the rich asshole is publicly breaking with congressional Republicans on trade and guns, causing tensions within the party at a time when lawmakers hope to be united ahead of the midterm elections. Republican strategists and nonpartisan political experts say the rich asshole appears to be looking beyond this fall’s elections, when GOP control of Congress is at stake, to his own bid for a second term in 2020.
“Clearly he’s targeting Michigan, Wisconsin, Ohio and Pennsylvania. Those were, all four, key battleground states for him in the last election and the states he would have to win if he’s going to win reelection,” said Saul Anuzis, a political strategist and former chairman of the Michigan Republican Party.
“It’s a very calculated, direct move with regards to the constituency he needs,” Anuzis added. “Campaigns are no longer limited to months before the election but literally start the day after someone gets elected.”
The big breaking point between the rich asshole and the GOP is his decision to impose a 25 percent tariff on steel imports and a 10 percent tariff on aluminum imports.
The announcement on Thursday of the tariffs, which have yet to formally be put in place, came shortly after the rich asshole said that Brad Parscale, his longtime digital marketing strategist, would be his 2020 reelection campaign manager.
While there have been no significant polls on the tariffs so far, the rich asshole’s populist positions on trade were popular in Pennsylvania, Ohio, Michigan and Wisconsin, states that sealed his victory over Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton in 2016.
“He’s fighting for the industrial Midwest, which is essentially the key for him to win reelection, and this is obviously something where he is putting their interests first while everyone else is pooh-poohing the idea of fighting for the American worker,” said Ford O’Connell, a Republican strategist who worked on Sen. John McCain’s (R-Ariz.) 2008 presidential campaign.
On guns, the rich asshole has signaled a shift from his own position, embracing the idea of tougher background checks and even discussing new age limits on gun purchases. Polls suggest growing support for such provisions, and the president’s flexibility on the issue may be a draw in Florida, another swing state he carried in 2016.
While it does not appear that legislation on guns is going anywhere fast, the rich asshole’s public positioning allows him to show independence from his party, and he clearly enjoyed telling GOP lawmakers at a public meeting last week that they were too fearful of the National Rifle Association.
“His reelection has been his sole preoccupation,” said Ross Baker, a political science professor at Rutgers University.
While the European Union has warned of retaliation that could include tariffs on Harley-Davidson motorcycles, which are manufactured just outside Speaker Paul Ryan’s (R-Wis.) district, the rich asshole hasn’t blinked.
“I don’t really think he cares that much about whether the Europeans go after Harley-Davidson in Paul Ryan’s district. I think this is all about him,” said Baker.
the rich asshole’s position on trade helped him pick up the support of so-called Reagan Democrats in Michigan, Pennsylvania and Ohio.
These culturally conservative blue-collar voters in past elections sided with Democrats in large part because their party was more skeptical of free trade.
“My sense is that he’s looking back at his promises he made in the campaign. He said he would do something like this, and one of the reason he won Ohio is some Democrats in places like Youngstown were hoping he would keep those promises,” said Mark Weaver, a Republican strategist based in Ohio.
Youngstown was a pillar of Ohio’s once flourishing steel industry before U.S. Steel demolished its furnaces in the early 1980s, starting a long economic decline.
But Republican lawmakers warn a trade war could blunt the economic stimulus of last year’s tax package and have an impact on the polls in November.
Senate Finance Committee Chairman Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) warned, “It’s just going to be a huge tax on American citizens.”
Farm-state Republicans are especially concerned about retaliatory measures against U.S. agriculture exports.
Senate Agriculture Committee Chairman Pat Roberts (R-Kan.) brought Sen. Cory Gardner (R-Colo.), chairman of the National Republican Senatorial Committee, to a meeting with the rich asshole in January to help make the case that trade policy could have an impact on the midterm elections.
GOP strategists say control of the Senate next year may depend on races in states where farm exports are a big part of the local economies.
Weaver said the moderate gun control proposals that the rich asshole embraced last week, expanding background checks to gun shows and online sales and raising the minimum age for purchasing assault-style weapons to 21 years, may help him with Ohio swing voters in the suburbs.
“Certainly in suburban districts political messaging about background checks would be much more popular than some of the more rural districts,” Weaver said.
“Some groups of voters will be very open to more gun regulation so to the extent that the president was [addressing] some of those areas it could help somewhat.”
Weaver also noted that Republican candidates running in November would likely fare better the higher the president’s popularity is in the state.
Terry Madonna, the director of the Center for Politics and Public Affairs at Franklin and Marshall College in Lancaster, Pa., says the rich asshole’s position on background checks could help him with moderate Republicans in suburban areas.
“It might help him with the suburban Republicans that have moved away from him and from their party over the last couple of decades. The suburbs are the critical battlegrounds that end up deciding [races],” Madonna said.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has quietly begun allowing more trophy hunting of African elephants, despite President some rich asshole’s pledge last year to uphold a ban on importing parts of animals killed by big-game hunters.
The agency issueda formal memo Thursday saying it would consider issuing permits to import elephant trophies from African nations on a “case-by-case” basis, effective immediately. The new guidelines, first reported by E&E News and later by The Hill, end U.S. bans on the import of such trophies from Zimbabwe and Zambia.
“What the agency just did with this memo is completely contrary to everything the rich asshole has been saying,” Tanya Sanerib, a senior attorney with the Center for Biological Diversity, said in an interview.
Big-game trophy decision will be announced next week but will be very hard pressed to change my mind that this horror show in any way helps conservation of Elephants or any other animal.
Environmental advocates say it’s unclear if the new move will result in additional elephant trophy imports, but the guidelines give more leeway to hunters to apply for permits. The Fish and Wildlife Service has already updated its webpages on the import of sport hunted trophies for both elephants and lions.
In November, the agency reversed an Obama-era ban on the importation of elephant trophies from Zimbabwe and Zambia, determining that sport hunting in those countries would “enhance the survival of the species in the wild,” a spokesperson said at the time.
The decision was first revealed publicly by Safari Club International, a trophy hunting advocacy group with close ties to Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke. The group, along with the National Rifle Association, sued to block the 2014 ban on elephant trophies from Zimbabwe. Late last year, a federal appeals court ruled that the Obama administration did not follow proper procedures when it instituted the ban. Among other things, it failed to invite public comment, the court said.
The rich asshole administration based its decision allowing case-by-case permits on the court’s opinion, writing in the memo that so-called enhancement findings are “no longer effective for making individual permit determinations for imports of sport-hunted African elephant trophies.”
KEVIN LAMARQUE / REUTERS
Facing widespread public outrage, the president called elephant trophy hunting a “horror show” last year.
Some wildlife experts said the memo complicates the administration’s stance on conservation at the expense of animals desperately needing protection. The memo also withdrew findings related to the Endangered Species Act for trophies taken from bontebok, a species of antelope, elephants and lions hunted in several other countries.
“Our biggest concern is there’s been too much back and forth by the U.S. government to the point of really confusing the public,” Jimmiel Mandima, the director of program design at theAfrican Wildlife Foundation, said. “Why does the decision keep flopping, are we hunting or are we not hunting?”
Mandima, who noted that his group has long opposed the hunting of threatened, vulnerable or endangered species, said such confusion makes it difficult for the public to voice opinions about the issue, and harder for environmental groups to craft conservation recommendations.
Several environmentalists on Monday pointed out that the new import guidelines haven’t been made public, and Freedom of Information Act requests to determine what “case-by-case” actually means will likely take months. In that time, an unknown number of applications could be approved.
“We saw the public outcry last fall when [the trophy decision] was announced … not just from people who are traditionally Democrats,” Sanerib said. “The agency is really playing hide the ball. It’s incredibly disappointing.”
It’s unclear if the rich asshole supports the new Fish and Wildlife Service guidelines. The White House did not immediately responded to HuffPost’s requests for comment.
A Fish and Wildlife spokesperson said in an emailed statement that the rich asshole “has been very clear in the direction that his administration will go.”
“Unfortunately, since aspects of the import permitting program for trophies are the focus of ongoing litigation, the Department is unable to comment about specific next steps at this time,” the spokesperson added.
This article has been updated to include comment from the Fish and Wildlife Service spokesperson.
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