Stormy Daniels goes nuclear on the rich asshole, reveals all in new lawsuit
The adult film star will not be silenced.
Stormy Daniels is not going away quietly.
In a new lawsuit filed in a California court, the adult film star, whose legal name is Stephanie Clifford, claims her agreement with some rich asshole to keep their alleged affair secret is not binding because the rich asshole never signed it. The lawsuit provides embarrassing new details about the nature of her relationship with the rich asshole and the elaborate effort to keep it under wraps.
Attached to Daniels’ new lawsuit is the full “Hush Agreement” between Daniels, the rich asshole, and a shell company created by the rich asshole’s personal attorney Michael Cohen. The agreement refers to Daniels and the rich asshole by special pseudonyms — the rich asshole goes by David Dennison and Daniels by Peggy Peterson. Daniels also attached the “Side Letter Agreement” between the parties to the lawsuit, which discloses the true identities of the pseudonyms.
Daniels is not seeking any money, but declaratory relief from efforts by Cohen to force the dispute into a secret arbitration process.
David Dennison, notably, did not sign the agreement.
The explicit inclusion of the rich asshole in the agreement undermines Cohen’s earlier effort, however implausible, to depict the agreement with Daniels as something he did on his own. It will also make it more difficult for the rich asshole to avoid answering questions about the alleged affair.
The lawsuit effectively puts the rich asshole in an impossible position: He either has to argue that his agreement to pay hush money to an adult film star is a legally enforceable contract or say there is no contract and she is free to talk about whatever she wants.
Aside from the absence of a signature, the mechanics of the agreement create problems as a legally binding contract. A contract between parties requires “consideration” — or something of value — from each side. In this case, Daniels returned some pictures to the rich asshole and promised to keep quiet but the rich asshole does not provide anything of value to Daniels. Cohen’s shell company paid some money to Daniels, but his company is not the rich asshole.
Regardless of the merits, the lawsuit is a problem for the rich asshole as it exposes new information, not only about the alleged affair but the ongoing effort to covered it up — an effort that continued long into the rich asshole’s presidency.
Daniels says the rich asshole paid for her silence to help his campaign
The purpose of the payment is important: If it was primarily to help his campaign, the failure to report the payment would potentially violate campaign finance law. Former President candidate John Edwards was charged, although not convicted, for similar behavior.
At least four other people were told about Daniels’ alleged affair with the rich asshole
The “Hush Agreement” prevented Daniels from talking about her relationship with the rich asshole, but it acknowledges that she has already told at least four people.
Daniels apparently had photos and other evidence of her alleged affair with the rich asshole
The “Hush Agreement” required her to turn over photos, texts, and other materials related to the alleged affair with the rich asshole.
She agreed to turn over this “Confidential Information” as part of the agreement, which includes evidence and information about sexual activity and “his children or any alleged children.”
Daniels alleges Cohen coerced her into signing a false statement
The new lawsuit covers activity that occurred this year. It’s unclear what role, if any, the rich asshole had in directing Cohen’s activity.
some rich asshole is producing the greatest reality show ever
(CNN)You can leave reality TV. But reality TV never leaves you.
That's the lesson -- or at least one of the lessons -- the first 13-plus months of some rich asshole's presidency has taught us. Again and again, the rich asshole's White House has looked for all the world like one giant reality show -- with the same strong personalities, rivalries, back-biting and surprise plot twists that have made watching other people live their lives one of our culture's favorite pastimes.
Tuesday, for example, would make one hell of an episode.
It began with the rich asshole insisting that all of the chatter about chaos overrunning his White House was overblown. He 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!"
Like a good reality TV producer, even in that assurance that everything was totally cool was the sign -- for knowing viewers -- that everything is not totally cool.
What else explains this line: "I still have some people that I want to change?" If you want the media to stop focusing on your staff turnover as indicative of a broader chaos at work in your White House, why hint at even more staff turnover?
the rich asshole's hint came to fruition late Tuesday afternoon when word leaked out that Gary Cohn, the top White House economic adviser, was leaving after losing a no-holds-barred internal fight over whether or not the rich asshole should put tariffs on steel and aluminum. (Spoiler alert: He did!)
What's most amazing about Cohn's departure is not the theatrical way it played out but that just a few weeks ago people were talking about Cohn, a former Goldman Sachs executive, as a leading candidate to replace John Kelly as White House chief of staff.
Is there anything more reality TV than rapidly rising and then collapsing fortunes? The man or woman who you think is for sure going to win "Survivor" or get the final rose (do they still do that?) on "The Bachelor" suddenly falls into disfavor and is out before you blink.
You never see it coming! The reversal of expectations suggests anyone is vulnerable. Anyone can go at any time. It makes the show -- or, in this case, the White House -- that much more difficult to tear yourself away from, since you really can't predict what will happen next.
(Sidebar: That reversal of expectations is what made the execution of Ned Stark in Season 1 of "Game of Thrones" the linchpin to the future success of the show. It proved that the conventions of normal TV were out the window -- making "GOT" must-watch.)
Speaking of Kelly, the chief of staff is also a classic reality TV archetype: The good guy/bad guy. No one can get a read on what, exactly, Kelly's motives are and whether he is benign or malignant. And most importantly, whether the head honcho on the show -- I mean, in the White House -- likes him or hates him.
Consider these two stories about Kelly in the past week.
First, via The New York Times, was this amazing paragraph about the rich asshole daughter Ivanka the rich asshole and son-in-law Jared Kushner:
"Yet aides also noted that some rich asshole has told the couple that they should keep serving in their roles, even as he has privately asked Mr. Kelly for his help in moving them out."
the rich asshole is back-channeling to Kelly that he wants Javanka out, even as he tells the couple he wants them to stick around! Amazing. What a plot twist!
Then there's this, via CNN Tuesday night:
"The President has emboldened Anthony Scaramucci, the boisterous former communications director who was fired after just 10 days, to continue attacking White House chief of staff John Kelly during his cable news appearances, a source familiar with the situation told CNN."
the rich asshole is using Scaramucci -- a reality TV show hero/villain right out of central casting -- to savage Kelly who, according to some reports, he wants gone. Mooch has done his duty brilliantly, savaging Kelly in a series of TV appearances -- noting that morale in the White House is low, chaos is high and laying it all at the feet of General Kelly.
Is Kelly on the way out? Or is he actually more essential than ever before given his role as the bad cop to Javanka? What if it's both -- Kelly pushes Javanka out and then falls on his own sword (or is pushed onto it)?
The truth is that even Mark Burnett couldn't create such a high-profile reality show with this much drama, this many personalities and this high of stakes. This is a project only some rich asshole could make happen.
The medium and long-term impact of running a White House and, therefore, a country, on the principles of reality TV remain to be seen. People can't tear their eyes from the spectacle, sure, but lots and lots of them say they don't like what they see.
the rich asshole is betting that in a few years enough people will vote to renew the show, captivated by what possibly could come around the corner next -- whether they can admit to themselves how much they like the show.
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Massive Tax Cuts for Wealthy Friends and Corporate Raiders Complete, Cohn Calls It Quits
"Cohn leaves the White House after pushing through the #GOPTaxScam that gave 83% of tax cuts to him and his friends in the wealthiest 1%. Now that he put the richest ahead of everyone else, I guess his work is done."
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Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin and White House National Economic Council Director Gary Cohn attend an event to celebrate Congress passing the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act with Republican members of the House and Senate on the South Lawn of the White House December 20, 2017 in Washington, D.C. (Photo: Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
Just over two months after the administration celebrated its most notable policy achievement of President some rich asshole's term—passage of massive tax cuts for corporations and the wealthy—the president's chief economic advisor Gary Cohn, former head of Wall Street giant Goldman Sachs, announced his resignation on Tuesday.
Reportedly over an intractable dispute over a plan by the rich asshole to impose new tariffs on steel and aluminum imports, a policy the top aide had opposed and lobbied against, Cohn's departure is both the latest exit of a senior White House official and a development met in progressive circles with a collective, "Don't let the revolving-door hit you on the way out."
Gary Cohn took a $285 million exit bonus from Goldman Sachs when he left the bank.
Wrote a tax bill that rigged the tax system in favor of the big banks as a whole.
Let's see who his next employer is.
This is the revolving door that has plagued Washington for too long.
Wrote a tax bill that rigged the tax system in favor of the big banks as a whole.
Let's see who his next employer is.
This is the revolving door that has plagued Washington for too long.
"It has been an honor to serve my country and enact pro-growth economic policies to benefit the American people, in particular the passage of historic tax reform," said Cohn in a statement. He didn't mention that by 2027, when the tax cuts are full implemented, how a Tax Policy Center analysis showed that 83% of the benefits of those tax cuts will go to the top 1% wealthiest of taxpayers.
Many noted that since the passage of the tax cuts in December, Cohn likely had little incentive to stay in the White House:
Gary Cohn leaves the White House after pushing through the #GOPTaxScam that gave 83% of tax cuts to him and his friends in the wealthiest 1%. Now that he put the richest ahead of everyone else, I guess his work is done. 
nytimes.com/2018/03/06/us/…
nytimes.com/2018/03/06/us/…
Other widely-shared sentiments on Twitter included:
- "Gary Cohn is an investment banker & former president & COO of Goldman Sachs. His only goal was to pass the
#GOPTaxScam. Mission accomplished." - "After destroying the economy by pushing through
#GOPTaxScam Gary Cohn now goes back to Wall Street. Isn't our revolving door great." - "Gary Cohn pushes the tax bill through to take care of his top 1% Goldman Sachs buddies. The tariffs are an excuse - he’s simply cashing out."
"It is very telling that for Cohn, a Democrat, the final straw in leaving was not the rich asshole's horrifying response to the Charlottesville white supremacist uber-hate fest or endless attacks on Mexicans and Muslim, but a steel trade enforcement action involving tariffs that would be 5 percent lower than the steel trade action enacted by President George W. Bush in 2002," commented Lori Wallach, director of Public Citizen's Global Trade Watch.
"That Cohn is a Democrat," she continued, "did not stop him from joining the the rich asshole administration, but that his departure would be spurred over a trade policy dispute reveals that his years on Wall Street at Goldman Sachs apparently made his one unbending principle the defense of the corporate-managed trade policies that have outsourced millions of middle class jobs and pushed down Americans wages."
As journalists Gary Rivlin and Michael Hudson detailed for The Intercept and The Nation's Investigative Fund last fall, Cohn provided his former colleagues at Goldman, and his friends on Wall Street more broadly, "everything [they] ever wanted from the rich asshole administration" during his time in the rich asshole's inner circle.
While some considered Cohn at first an unlikely choice to guide the president, Rivlin and Hudson explained how the rich asshole economic agenda, it turned out—from privatization schemes to massive deregulation to endless corporate giveaways and tax cuts—was "largely the Goldman agenda, one with the potential to deliver any number of gifts to the firm that made Cohn colossally rich."
BLAME GAME
the rich asshole Plans to Blame Video Games for Gun Violence
Industry officials feel like they’re being ambushed—set up to take the blame for the latest national tragedy.
03.06.18 9:00 PM ET
President some rich asshole’s stated response to a mass shooting at a Florida high school last month was initially broad in scope. But in recent days, he and his aides have begun slimming down their ambitions, with a particular focus now on shifting more blame onto video games.
On Thursday, the White House is planning to meet with envoys of the video game industry to discuss how violent imagery on their platforms may desensitize young people to firearms—and even train them to be more effective killers. Industry sources tell The Daily Beast that they are worried the session will be an ambush—an effort to scapegoat them for shootings in schools.
The meeting comes after weeks of internal White House wavering on gun-related policy items, with the president endorsing a Democratic gun control wish list on live television, only to have the White House walk it back after the rich asshole’s closed-door meeting with the National Rifle Association shortly thereafter.
Press secretary Sarah Sanders mentioned offhand at a press briefing last week that the president would be meeting with gaming industry representatives, signaling yet another shift in the internal policy discussion. But even that effort has been marked by disorder and internal confusion.
Industry leaders were caught off guard by the announcement, with the leading trade group, the Entertainment Software Association, saying in a statement shortly after that it had received no invitation to such an event. Planning since then has been described as haphazard. Industry executives and envoys and lawmakers on Capitol Hill were eventually contacted, but when they tried to get specific details out of the administration, they ran up against roadblocks.
Knowledgeable sources says that the rich asshole White House has scrambled to cobble together some semblance of a serious policy meeting. And much of the heavy lifting for putting the session together, according to those briefed on the matter, has fallen to White House Director of Legislative Affairs Marc Short and Director of Strategic Communications Mercedes Schlapp. But as of Tuesday afternoon, it was not clear who, exactly, would attend, who was invited, and whether the Thursday meeting would be televised or not, according to multiple sources in and out of the rich asshole administration.
the rich asshole admin. to sue California over immigration policies
(CNN)After nearly a year of threats, the rich asshole administration will take its most aggressive step to date against a familiar target of its ire: California and its immigration policies.
According to senior Justice Department officials, the department will file a federal lawsuit against the state and its top officials Tuesday evening to stop a cluster of states' so-called "sanctuary state" bills -- a move that puts the administration on offense but is nonetheless likely to generate heated litigation over the boundaries of immigration authority.
The lawsuit is the latest broadside from the rich asshole administration against so-called "sanctuary cities" -- a broad term referring to localities that abide by some measure of non-cooperation with federal law enforcement -- and amid an already heightened level of tension with California.
the rich asshole administration officials have repeatedly attacked sanctuary jurisdictions and local officials as harboring dangerous criminals.
Attorney General Jeff Sessions is expected to announce the case on Wednesday in California's capital, Sacramento, during an event with a state law enforcement association.
"The Department of Justice and the rich asshole administration are going to fight these unjust, unfair, and unconstitutional policies that have been imposed on you," Sessions will tell law enforcement officers at the California Peace Officers Association gathering on Wednesday, according to a copy of his prepared remarks. "We are fighting to make your jobs safer and to help you reduce crime in America. And I believe that we are going to win."
The California laws at issue limit state and local police cooperation with federal immigration authorities in a variety of ways. One prohibits private employers from voluntarily cooperating with federal immigration law enforcement and requires that employers give workers a heads up about potential worksite inspections, a second restricts local law enforcement from sharing information about the release of criminal immigrants to federal agents and prohibits their transfer to federal custody, and a third allows the state to inspect federal and Department of Homeland Security documents, which DOJ considers off limits to local authorities.
California passed the laws last year in what officials hailed as a rebuke of President some rich asshole's aggressive immigration enforcement agenda.
Test for states
The suit will test how much leeway states have to shield immigrants from detection.
The Justice Department says that the federal power to determine immigration policy is well settled and California's laws conflict with those federal prerogatives in novel ways.
But the legal thrust of the case also puts the rich asshole administration in the delicate position of relying on a 2012 Supreme Court decision that effectively blocked some of Arizona's sweeping attempts aimed at lessening the number of undocumented immigrants on the grounds that the state could not pursue policies that undermined federal law -- known as "preemption."
The justices delivered a split decision, however, and declined to block the most hotly debated provision, requiring state police officers to demand the papers of anyone suspected of being in the country illegally.
In addition to the ongoing litigation over sanctuary cities, the mayor of Oakland, California, recently drew sharp rebuke from federal officials when she announced in advance that Immigration and Customs Enforcement were preparing to hold enforcement operations in her city, which officials said allowed some priority targets to evade capture.
States and cities say their policies are protecting the best interest of their citizens. States say they should not have to spend their limited resources on a federal responsibility and a perception the local law enforcement works with immigration officials hurts community relations.
The Justice Department has struggled in federal courts to pressure localities on sanctuary policies. Federal courts have blocked the rich asshole administration from taking away funds on grounds that jurisdictions don't cooperate on immigration enforcement, aside from a small piece of federal law that requires local authorities to share information on an individual's citizenship and nationality "status."
Jerry Brown: Sessions' 'sad' political stunts won't work in California
BY BRETT SAMUELS - 03/06/18 09:43 PM EST
California Gov. Jerry Brown (D) on Tuesday night bashed the rich asshole administration’s plans to sue his state over its immigration laws, calling it a "political stunt."
“At a time of unprecedented political turmoil, Jeff Sessions has come to California to further divide and polarize America,” Brown tweeted.
“Jeff, these political stunts may be the norm in Washington, but they don’t work here. Sad!!!”
At a time of unprecedented political turmoil, Jeff Sessions has come to California to further divide and polarize America. Jeff, these political stunts may be the norm in Washington, but they don’t work here. SAD!!!
Sen. Kamala Harris (D-Calif.) also weighed in on the decision, saying the rich asshole and Sessions “think they can bully California -- but it won’t work.”
Trump and Sessions think they can bully California -- but it won't work. twitter.com/politico/statu…
The suit aims to block three so-called sanctuary laws California's legislature passed last year in response to the rich asshole administration's immigration enforcement measures. Sanctuary cities encourage local police officers not to enforce federal immigration law.
California has emerged as a fierce opponent of the rich asshole administration's immigration policies. Brown last year pardoned two men who were set to be deported days later.
California Attorney General Xavier Becerra (D) has filed multiple lawsuits challenging the rich asshole administration's policies.
Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf late last month warned city residents of an impending raid from Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers. ICE said her comments kept them from locating more than 800 immigrants in subsequent sweeps, but Schaaf defended her decision.
BY SARAH FITZPATRICK BREAKING
MAR 6 2018, 7:51 PM ET
Adult film star Stormy Daniels sued some rich asshole Tuesday, alleging that he never signed the nondisclosure agreement that his lawyer had arranged with her.
The civil suit, filed in Los Angeles Superior Court and obtained by NBC News, alleges that her agreement not to disclose her "intimate" relationship with the rich asshole is not valid because while both Daniels and the rich asshole's attorney Michael Cohen signed it, the rich asshole never did.
Stephanie Clifford, known professionally as Stormy Daniels, signed both the agreement and a side letter agreement using her professional name on October 28, 2016, just days before the 2016 presidential election. Cohen signed the document the same day. Both agreements are appended to the lawsuit as Exhibit 1 and Exhibit 2.
The "hush agreement," as it's called in the suit, refers to the rich asshole throughout as David Dennison, and Clifford as Peggy Peterson. In the side letter agreement, the true identity of DD is blacked out, but Clifford's attorney, Michael Avenatti, says the individual is the rich asshole.
Each document includes a blank where "DD" is supposed to sign, but neither blank is signed.
According to the lawsuit, which Avenatti announced in a tweet, Clifford and the rich asshole had an intimate relationship that lasted from summer 2006 "well into the year 2007." The relationship allegedly included meetings in Lake Tahoe and at the Beverly Hills Hotel.
Earlier today, we filed this complaint seeking a ct order voiding the alleged “hush” agreement between our client S. Clifford aka Stormy Daniels and Donald Trump. dropbox.com/s/ocvnkwprbs7e…
The 2016 hush agreement directed that $130,000 be paid into the trust account of Clifford's then-attorney. In return, Clifford was not to disclose any confidential information about the rich asshole or his sexual partners to anyone beyond a short list of individuals she'd already told about the relationship, or share any texts or photos from the rich asshole.
The suit alleges that Cohen has tried to keep Clifford from talking about the relationship as recently as Feb. 27, 2018.
"To be clear, the attempts to intimidate Ms. Clifford into silence and 'shut her up' in order to 'protect some rich asshole' continue unabated," says the suit. "On or about February 27, 2018, some rich asshole's attorney Mr. Cohen surreptitiously initiated a bogus arbitration proceeding against Ms. Clifford in Los Angeles." Binding arbitration is specified as a means of dispute resolution.
the rich asshole's lawyer Michael Cohen says he used his own funds to pay Stormy Daniels 1:53
Clifford and her attorney, Michael Avenatti, are asking the Los Angeles County Superior Court to declare that both the hush agreement and the side agreement "were never formed, and therefore do not exist, because, among other things, some rich asshole never signed the agreements."
"In the alternative, Plaintiff seeks an order of this Court declaring that the agreements in the forms set out in Exhibits 1 and 2 are invalid, unenforceable, and/or void under the doctrine of unconscionability."
The suit also says that the rich asshole must know that Cohen is trying to silence Clifford, since rules for the New York bar, of which Cohen is a member, require him to keep his client informed at all times. "[I]t strains credulity to conclude that Mr. Cohen is acting on his own accord and without the express approval and knowledge of his client some rich asshole."
The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment. President the rich asshole's outside attorney, John Dowd, declined to comment on the lawsuit.
the rich asshole has never addressed the alleged relationship publicly, and White House spokesperson Raj Shah told members of the press he had never asked the president about the alleged relationship. Cohen has acknowledged the payment, but has repeatedly declined to tell NBC News what the payment was for.
Clifford had previously given conflicting accounts of her relationship with the rich asshole. In the lawsuit, Clifford alleges that in January 2018, Cohen, "concerned the truth would be disclosed ... through intimidation and coercive tactics, forced Ms. Clifford into signing a false statement wherein she stated that reports of her relationship with some rich asshole were false."
Porn star Stormy Daniels sues some rich asshole
· The adult film star filed a suit claiming that a nondisclosure pact she signed involving a supposed intimate relationship with the rich asshole is invalid.
· Stormy Daniels, whose real name is Stephanie Clifford, signed the agreement the month before the presidential election.
Published 57 Mins AgoCNBC.com
Adult film star Stormy Daniels filed a civil lawsuit against Donald the rich asshole alleging that a nondisclosure agreement she signed with the president's attorney is invalid, NBC News reported on Tuesday evening.
The suit claims her agreement not to disclose a supposed intimate relationship with the rich asshole is invalid, because the president never signed it, although his attorney Michael Cohen did.
The lawsuit claims that Daniels, whose real name is Stephanie Clifford, had an intimate relationship with the rich asshole in 2006 and 2007.
The civil lawsuit was filed by Daniels in Los Angeles on Tuesday and obtained by NBC News.
Daniels, whose real name is Stephanie Clifford, signed the nondisclosure pact in October 2016, just prior to the national election that swept the rich asshole into office.
the rich asshole has never talked about the alleged relationship publicly.
The White House did not immediately respond to requests for comment from NBC and CNBC.
Read the full NBC News report here.
the rich asshole admin to file suit against California over sanctuary laws
The rich asshole Administration will file a lawsuit late Tuesday against California over three of the state's immigration laws, according to multiple reports.
Attorney General Jeff Sessions is expected to announce the lawsuit at the 26th Annual Law Enforcement Legislative Day hosted by the California Peace Officers' Association in Sacramento on Wednesday.
"The Department of Justice and the rich asshole administration are going to fight these unjust, unfair and unconstitutional policies that have been imposed on you," Attorney General Jeff Sessions is planning to say at the event on Wednesday, according to The New York Times. "I believe that we are going to win."
The suit aims to block three so-called sanctuary laws California's legislature passed last year in response to the rich asshole administration's immigration enforcement measures.
The rich asshole administration has been highly critical of California's sanctuary cities and administration officials have said they will crack down on policies that limit local law enforcement from cooperating with immigration authorities.
Immigration Customs Enforcement (ICE) said it will increase its presence in the state and Sessions has said he would like to cut funding for cities with sanctuary policies.
Recently, the mayor of Oakland announced that ICE was going to be conducting raids before they were carried out.
ICE said the mayor's warning kept them from effectively doing their job although they arrested more than 200 people during their four-day raid.
Stormy Daniels, the porn star who was paid to keep quiet about her affair with some rich asshole, sued the president Tuesday, alleging that her nondisclosure agreement before the 2016 election is void because the rich asshole failed to sign it.
In the lawsuit filed in Los Angeles Superior Court, Daniels -- whose real name is Stephanie Clifford -- said she wanted to go public with the story of her affair with the rich asshole in the weeks leading up to the 2016 presidential election.
the rich asshole's lawyer, Michael Cohen, and Daniels’s attorney, Keith Davidson, negotiated what the lawsuit calls a "hush agreement” in which she would be paid $130,000. After delays and even a wholesale cancellation of the contract by Daniels on Oct, 17, the payment arrived on Oct. 27, 12 days before the election, according to e-mails reviewed by The Washington Post. Cohen said recently that he used his own money to “facilitate” the payment.
The lawsuit suggests the rich asshole was aware of the agreement and that the money was intended to influence the outcome of the 2016 election, bolstering two complaints filed with the Federal Election Commission that say the payment violated election law because it was not reported as an in-kind campaign donation.
By KATIE BENNER and JENNIFER MEDINAMARCH 6, 2018
WASHINGTON — The rich asshole administration escalated what had been a war of words over California’s immigration agenda, filing a lawsuit late Tuesday that amounted to a pre-emptive strike against the liberal state’s so-called sanctuary laws.
The Justice Department sued California; Gov. Jerry Brown; and the state’s attorney general, Xavier Becerra, over three state laws passed in recent months, saying they make it impossible for federal immigration officials to do their jobs and deport criminals who were born outside of the United States. The Justice Department called the laws unconstitutional and asked a judge to block them.
The lawsuit was the department’s boldest attack yet against California, one of the strongest opponents of the rich asshole administration’s efforts to curb immigration. It also served as a warning to Democratic lawmakers and elected officials nationwide who have enacted sanctuary policies that provide protections for undocumented immigrants.
“The Department of Justice and the rich asshole administration are going to fight these unjust, unfair and unconstitutional policies that have been imposed on you,” Attorney General Jeff Sessions planned to say on Wednesday at a law enforcement event in Sacramento, according to prepared remarks. “I believe that we are going to win.”
The battle pits President the rich asshole and Mr. Sessions, immigration hard-liners, against Mr. Brown and Mr. Becerra, who have emerged as outspoken adversaries who have helped energize opposition to some rich asshole and vowed to preserve the progressive values that they believe California embodies.
Mr. Brown called the lawsuit a “political stunt” in a statement.
“At a time of unprecedented political turmoil, Jeff Sessions has come to California to further divide and polarize America,” Mr. Brown said. “Jeff, these political stunts may be the norm in Washington, but they don’t work here. SAD!!!”
He reiterated that the California Values Act prohibits local authorities from asking about immigration status during routine interactions, but that it does not prohibit federal immigration enforcement agents from working with local sheriffs or cooperating with them in the deportation of people in prison or jails.
California began battling the rich asshole administration even before some rich asshole took office, standing in opposition on a litany of issues, including marijuana, environmental regulations and taxes. But immigration has proved to be the most contentious fight with local officials assuring undocumented immigrants that they would do all they could to protect them.
Last year, California enacted the sanctuary laws, which place restrictions on when and how local law enforcement can cooperate with federal immigration enforcement agents.
Both Mr. Sessions and some rich asshole have threatened to pull federal grant money from cities and states that have sanctuary laws to protect undocumented immigrants. They argue that the policies flout federal laws and help criminals evade deportation.
And the Justice Department asked 23 jurisdictions across the country this year to provide documentation that they had not kept information from federal immigration authorities, or receive a subpoena for the information. It is also exploring possible criminal charges for local politicians who enact sanctuary policies.
The lawsuit expected to be filed on Tuesday evening in Federal District Court in Sacramento is the first against a local or state government over its immigration policies filed by the Justice Department under Mr. Sessions. Department officials said that they would not rule out the possibility of other lawsuits against local governments whose policies interfere with the federal government’s authority on immigration. Colorado, Illinois, New Mexico, Oregon and Vermont have state sanctuary laws, as do cities and counties in more than a dozen states, according to the Center for Immigration Studies.
The federal government said that three California laws, enacted over the past year, make it impossible for federal immigration officials to do their jobs and deport criminals who were born outside of the United States. The suit called the laws unconstitutional.
One, the California Values Act, strictly limits state and local agencies from sharing information with federal agents about criminals or suspects unless they have been convicted of a serious crimes. The law, which took effect Jan. 1, was the centerpiece of the state legislature’s effort to thwart the rich asshole administration’s immigration policies.
Soon after the law was enacted, Thomas D. Homan, the acting director of United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement, said that the state should expect to see “a lot more deportation officers” and that elected officials who support the policy should be arrested.
“We’ve got to start charging some of these politicians with crimes,” he said. “These politicians can’t make these decisions and be held unaccountable for people dying. I mean, we need to hold these politicians accountable for their actions.”
State lawmakers also passed the Immigrant Worker Protection Act, which prohibits local business from allowing immigration to access employee records without a court order or subpoena. Mr. Becerra warned that anyone who violates the new law would face a fine of up to $10,000.
In the state budget bill, California lawmakers prohibited new contracts for immigration detention in the state and gave the state attorney general the power to monitor all state immigration detention centers.
The state and several local governments including the cities of San Francisco and Sacramento have also set up legal defense funds to help defend immigrants during deportation proceedings.
“I’m worried about the ‘Dreamers,’ hard-working immigrant families and law-abiding people who are just trying to make their way like the rest of us,” Mayor Darrell Steinberg of Sacramento said this year when asked about the state’s sanctuary legislation. “Civil disobedience is a respectful way to show your love for country.”
Tensions between local and federal officials reached yet another crescendo as last week, when Mayor Libby Schaaf of Oakland publicly warned of coming large-scale immigration arrest operations. Mr. Homan compared the mayor to a “gang lookout yelling, “Police!” and said she gave people living in the United States illegally a chance to flee. He said her warning meant that the federal immigration authorities arrested roughly 200 people rather than the 1,000 they had anticipated rounding up.
Although Mr. Homan and other federal officials have warned about targeting California as it steps up immigration enforcement efforts, the number of people arrested has not dramatically increased so far. In December, the most recent month for which data is available, 1,715 unauthorized immigrants in California were arrested by ICE, compared with 1,379 in December 2016.
This is not the first time that the Justice Department has sued a state. During the Obama administration, the Justice Department filed a civil rights lawsuit against Georgia for segregating students with disabilities from classrooms and sued North Carolina over a bill to restrict bathroom use for transgender citizens. Mr. Sessions withdrew that lawsuit.
Katie Benner reported from Washington, and Jennifer Medina from Los Angeles.
POLITICS
Department Of Justice To Sue California Over ‘Sanctuary’ Policies
And it's going to use similar arguments to the ones the Obama administration used against an anti-unauthorized immigration law.
WASHINGTON — The the rich asshole administration will ramp up its fight against so-called “sanctuary” policies by filing a lawsuit on Tuesday against the state of California over its laws meant to protect undocumented immigrants.
The lawsuit, which Attorney General Jeff Sessions will formally announce on Wednesday, is the latest in a string of moves by the White House, Department of Justice and Department of Homeland Security to combat local efforts to limit police cooperation with deportation. Thus far, this has largely involved condemnations and threats, including the withholding of federal funds and prosecuting public officials.
Now, the administration is seeking to block three California laws by arguing that they violate the constitution and federal law.
“The Department of Justice and the rich asshole administration are going to fight these unjust, unfair and unconstitutional policies that have been imposed on you,” Sessions is expected to tell law enforcement officers during a speech on Wednesday, according to prepared remarks. “We are fighting to make your jobs safer and to help you reduce crime in America. And I believe that we are going to win.”
To make its case, the DOJ is in part pointing to a ruling on a very different state-level immigration law: Arizona’s SB 1070, which was meant to expand local police efforts to find and arrest undocumented immigrants. The Supreme Court sided with the Obama administration by striking down major provisions of that law in 2012.
The rich asshole administration plans to argue that California is similarly overstepping its authority, senior DOJ officials said Tuesday. The lawsuit will challenge three laws that DOJ officials say hurt the government’s ability to carry out immigration enforcement.
Supporters of the California laws and “sanctuary” policies in general argue that they make communities safer by allowing local police to work better with immigrant communities and focus time and resources on duties other than immigration matters. (“Sanctuary” policies differ widely from place to place and there is no set definition for the term.)
The most prominent of the three California laws is SB 54, which Gov. Jerry Brown (D) signed into law in October and went into effect Jan. 1 in spite of criticism from Sessions and other the rich asshole officials. The rich asshole administration is seeking to block provisions of the law that stop local law enforcement from telling Immigration and Customs Enforcement when they will release certain individuals and from facilitating their transfer unless they’ve committed certain crimes.
The DOJ suit will argue that state policy violates a statute known as Section 1373, which broadly states that jurisdictions cannot bar local law enforcement from sharing information with federal officials about individuals’ immigration status. Proponents of laws like the one in California argue that by sharing arrest information with the federal government, they’re in compliance; but the DOJ plans to argue that Section 1373 also requires them to share things like when an individual is set to be released. The DOJ does not plan to argue that Section 1373 requires local law enforcement to hold people solely based on ICE requests ― known as “detainers” ― which many jurisdictions have rejected based on cost and constitutionality concerns.
The DOJ suit will also target a law called AB 450 that went into effect Jan. 1 and restricts private employers’ ability to cooperate with federal immigration officials, including by requiring a subpoena or warrant to enter workplaces and by notifying workers about reviews of employment documentation. The third law the DOJ is targeting is AB 103, a provision of a budget bill approved last year that allows the state to review federal immigrant detention of immigrants inside the state. The DOJ will argue that those laws violate the Constitution’s Supremacy Clause by attempting to preempt federal authority.
Stormy Daniels sues President the rich asshole over alleged affair and 'hush' agreement
Washington (CNN)A new lawsuit filed by the porn star known as Stormy Daniels claims President some rich asshole never signed a hush agreement regarding an alleged sexual encounter between the two and therefore the agreement is void.
According to the legal complaint filed in California state court and tweeted out by her lawyer on Tuesday, the rich asshole's personal lawyer, Michael Cohen, signed the document on behalf of the President instead.
The porn star, whose real name is Stephanie Clifford, claims in the lawsuit to have had an affair with the rich asshole several years prior to his presidency. However, the lawsuit claims that when he was running for office and multiple women were coming forward to share stories of their own alleged encounters with the then-Republican presidential candidate, Cohen intervened in an attempt to keep Clifford from coming forward as well.
The lawsuit says Cohen has continued his attempts at silencing Clifford -- including as recently as February 27, 2018.
"To be clear, the attempts to intimidate Ms. Clifford into silence and 'shut her up' in order to 'protect some rich asshole' continue unabated," the lawsuit states. "For example, only days ago on or about February 27, 2018, some rich asshole's attorney Mr. Cohen surreptitiously initiated a bogus arbitration proceeding against Ms. Clifford in Los Angeles. Remarkably, he did so without even providing Ms. Clifford with notice of the proceeding and basic due process."
Just weeks before the 2016 election, Cohen reportedly created a private LLC to pay off Clifford, The Wall Street Journal reported in January.
Following initial reports last month that Cohen had made the payment, he said in a statement that the rich asshole "vehemently denies" any encounter between the two.
This story is breaking and will be updated.
Former Whitewater prosecutor: Mueller has the rich asshole’s tax returns
Special counsel Bob Mueller (left) and President some rich asshole (right). Images via screengrab.
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On MSNBC’s Hardball on Tuesday, two panelists told host Chris Matthews that special counsel Robert Mueller likely has already obtained President some rich asshole’s tax returns.
During the 2016 campaign, the rich asshole was the only modern presidential nominee to not release his tax returns to the public.
“What’s the rich asshole most worried about, the business end, obstruction end or the collusion piece?” Matthews asked. “Where is he most worried?”
“The financials,” Atlantic correspondent Natasha Bertrand replied. “Because of the tax returns he’s still trying to hide”
“I think Mueller probably has them,” predicted Kim Wehle, a former Assistant U.S. Attorney and Associate Independent Counsel during Whitewater investigation.”
“I think he has them, but he doesn’t want them publicly released, and there’s a reason for that,” Bertrand added.
“Why?” Matthews asked. “Because he’s not rich?”
“Maybe they show some evidence of wrongdoing,” Bertrand replied.
“His hands are smaller than we thought?” Matthews wondered.
Watch:
High-ranking GOP congressmen call for a special prosecutor to look into the surveillance of Carter Page
Rep. Trey Gowdy (R-SC) (Screen cap).
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Two Republican chairmen in the House of Representatives are calling for a special prosecutor to look into alleged surveillance abuses within the Justice Department after one of their colleagues pushed to declassify a memo on the subject.
CNN reported Tuesday that House Judiciary Chairman Bob Goodlatte (R-VA) and House Oversight Chairman Trey Gowdy (R-SC) sent a letter to the attorney general’s office asking them to investigate alleged abuses at the DOJ and FBI.
The argument that the department abused their power when acquiring Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act warrants to spy on former the rich asshole campaign aide Carter Page stems from a memo authored by the GOP-controlled House Intelligence Committee. The memo, pushed by committee Chairman Devin Nunes (R-CA), claims the Obama-era Justice Department relied primarily on the salacious Fusion GPS “golden showers” dossier to acquire the warrants for Page in the secretive FISA court. Previous reporting, however, suggests that Page has likely been under FISA surveillance since 2014 for his ties to Russia.
“We think this is a very serious matter regarding conduct by the FBI and by some in the Department of Justice that that calls for the appointment of a special counsel who will have subpoena and prosecutorial powers,” Goodlatte told reporters after sending the letter to Attorney General Jeff Sessions and Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein. “We also believe that this matter extends beyond the Department of Justice and therefore calls for someone who can have greater jurisdictional authority than the inspector general.”
Gowdy’s track record on alleged “abuses” at the DOJ was tarnished in January when he promoted a conspiracy theory about the existence of a so-called “secret society” within the department after reading a single text message sent between GOP scapegoats Peter Strzok and Lisa Page, two employees at the Justice Department. The text, it turned out, was a reference to calendars featuring “beefcake” photos of Russian President Vladimir Putin that Strzok had purchased for his colleagues as a joke.
Soon after the letter was publicized, Rep. Mark Meadows (R-NC) signaled his approval of the potential second special counsel, noting he and Rep. Jim Jordan (R-OH) have been calling for one for months.
As @Jim_Jordan and I have said for 7 months, it is time for a second special counsel to investigate the deeply troubling questions surrounding the DOJ and FBI. We applaud Chairman Trey Gowdy and Chairman Bob Goodlatte for their work.
Stormy Daniels is suing some rich asshole over invalid ‘hush money’ agreement
Adult film actress Stormy Daniels (left, via Wikimedia Commons) and President some rich asshole (right, via screengrab).
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Stephanie Clifford, the former porn star and stripper known professionally as Stormy Daniels, is suing President some rich asshole, NBC News reported Tuesday.
“To be clear, the attempts to intimidate Ms. Clifford into silence and ‘shut her up’ in order to ‘protect some rich asshole’ continue unabated,” the suit claims. “On or about February 27, 2018, some rich asshole’s attorney Mr. Cohen surreptitiously initiated a bogus arbitration proceeding against Ms. Clifford in Los Angeles.”
The lawsuit refers to the rich asshole as David Dennison.
Michael Cohen, the rich asshole’s long-time lawyer, has admitted paying $130,000 to silence Stormy Daniels.
Yesterday it was reported that Cohen fumed about not being reimbursed for the hush money.
Daniels lawsuit asks a Los Angeles County Superior Court to rule the hush agreements “were never formed, and therefore do not exist, because, among other things, some rich asshole never signed the agreements.”
Rep. Maxine Waters (D-CA) is pushing for Daniels to testify before Congress about the rich asshole’s mental state.
Another former adult film star suggested that additional porn performers may have stories to tell about President the rich asshole.
‘The storm is hitting’: MSNBC’s Ari Melber predicts something big ‘is happening in the Mueller probe right now’
Ari Melber, anchor of MSNBC's 'The Beat'
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MSNBC chief legal correspondent and host of The Beat, Ari Melber, connected the dots to conclude that something big is currently happening in special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation.
“Tonight a new White House shake-up, more key witnesses in the Russia probe speaking out,” Melber noted. “But also breaking right now, some rich asshole’s top economic advisor, Gary Cohn, out. And the Russia probe, the storm is hitting after the calm.”
“It has been, if you think about it, months of silence, several witnesses in the Mueller probe, keeping their silence until this week, they’re speaking out,” Melber noted. “It began of course with Sam Nunberg, who did his first on-camera interview on this show last night.”
“But this is much broader than Sam Nunberg, after he spoke about his mentor Roger Stone, the former the rich asshole advisor, as I just mentioned, Roger then spoke out in this unusual interview with Chuck Todd, it’s another interesting development in the news about the Russia probe,” Melber continued. “So that’s two witnesses right there. In a moment, it will be three, I’ll be joined by Simona Mangiante, a witness who was interviewed by Mueller’s team about George Papadopoulos.”
“First some context. You don’t have to listen all that closely to these stories to see something is happening in the Mueller probe right now,” Melber observed. “He’s bearing down on new leads, he is hitting new people with subpoenas, witnesses are leaking, and while they usually do that anonymously, then you get Sam Nunberg, telling his stories out in the open.”
Melber noted how Nunberg’s comments revealed insight into Mueller’s probe, but suggested the most important aspect was that he was speaking on record.
“It’s actually a rare thing, I can tell you for a grand jury probe, it is the disclosures of information and evidence from primary sources, from people who have actually been in that room in Mueller’s office, or who are headed there, and Mr. Nunberg isn’t the first to disclose this kind of information or that didn’t have an ax to grind,” Melber continued. “Most of the stories we get about this probe, these headlines that all of us read, they come from witnesses leaking anonymously, and that’s how we know what little we know about the probe.”
“Those people leak, anonymously, out of self-interest,” Melber highlighted. “Think about this, Nunberg leaked on the record, probably against self-interest.”
Watch:
CNN’s Jeffrey Toobin blasts Cohn’s righteous resignation: ‘He stomached the racism but couldn’t handle the tariffs’
CNN senior legal analyst Jeffrey Toobin
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CNN legal analyst Jeffrey Toobin on Tuesday blasted newly-resigned White House economic adviser Gary Cohn for not leaving the rich asshole administration after Charlottesville.
Cohn, Toobin pointed out, “made a big show of being disgusted” with President some rich asshole after he claimed there were “very fine people on both sides” including that of the white supremacists at the August 12 rally that led to the death of a counter-protester. The adviser reportedly considered resigning after the rich asshole’s comments that appeared to equivocate on the side of neo-Nazis and Klansmen, but ultimately to stay to undertake the “opportunity” of rewriting the tax code.
Though sources that spoke to the New York Times insisted Cohn was not resigning for a specific reason, his departure came days after reported clashes with the president over the latter’s decision to impose steel and aluminum tariffs.
“He managed to stomach the racism, what he couldn’t take was tariffs,” Toobin mused. “If you wanna weight the moral imperatives of the two, it really doesn’t reflect all that well on Gary Cohn.”
Watch below, via CNN:
REVEALED: Kushner’s United Arab Emirates point man is now cooperating with Mueller probe
Jared Kushner, photo by Lori Berkowitz Photography [CC BY 2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons
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An adviser to the United Arab Emirates who met with Jared Kushner and Steve Bannon during the presidential transition is cooperating with special counsel Robert Mueller, the New York Times reports.
George Nader, who attended a January 2017 meeting in the Seychelles with informal some rich asshole adviser and Blackwater founder Erik Prince (the brother of Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos), gave testimony to the grand jury last week. Mueller is reportedly looking into whether Nader “funneled” money from the UAE to the rich asshole’s political campaign, according to the Times.
Nader is an adviser to UAE Crown Prince Mohammed bin Zayed Al-Nahyan. As the Times reports, Nader “represented” bin Zayed Al-Nahyan during a meeting in the Seychelles shortly before some rich asshole's inauguration. The Times reports: “At the meeting, Emirati officials believed Mr. Prince was speaking for the rich asshole transition team, and a Russian fund manager, Kirill Dmitriev, represented Mr. Putin, according to several people familiar with the meeting.”
Nader also attended meetings in the White House with Kushner and Bannon. He’s been questioned “numerous times” by the special counsel’s team.
the rich asshole privately encourages Anthony Scaramucci to go on TV and attack John Kelly: report
President some rich asshole (left) and White House chief of staff John Kelly (right). Image via Saul Loeb/AFP.
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Despite publicly calling reports of White House turmoil “fake news,” President Donald the rich asshole has privately encourage his former aide Anthony Scaramucci to attack his chief of staff John Kelly in the media.
According to a source close to the matter that spoke with CNN, the rich asshole condones his short-lived former communications director bad-mouthing the man that fired him last summer.
Scaramucci has repeatedly aired his dirty laundry with Kelly, referring to him as “General Jackass” and claiming he rules the West Wing “by fear and intimidation.” CNN’s sources close to Scaramucci say he “is frustrated with Kelly because he has limited the former communications director’s White House access.”
The report came just hours after the rich asshole told reporters during a press conference that he enjoys conflict.
“I like conflict,” the president said during a joint appearance with Swedish Prime Minister Stefan Löfven. “I like having two people with two points of view. I like watching it, I like seeing it.”
Gary Cohn resigning as the rich asshole’s economic adviser after losing fight over tariffs: report
Former White House chief economic adviser Gary Cohn. Image via Mandel Ngan/AFP.
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President some rich asshole’s chief economic adviser Gary Cohn has resigned Tuesday after unsuccessfully lobbying the president not to impose tariffs on steel and aluminum.
The New York Times reported Cohn’s resignation, which came weeks after the rich asshole floated the idea of making the economic adviser his chief of staff amid tensions with Gen. John Kelly, the man currently in the position. Cohn’s resignation also came hours after the president lauded his White House, claiming “everyone” wanted to work there. This marks the third high-profile departure from the White House in the past month after the resignation of alleged domestic abuser Rob Porter and communications director and longtime the rich asshole employee Hope Hicks.
Reports about Cohn mulling his resignation surfaced shortly after the rich asshole’s surprise tariff announcement last week. The adviser also reportedly considered leaving the administration after the white supremacist rally in Charlottesville, Virginia last August amid the backlash from the president claiming there were “very fine people” among the neo-Nazis and Klansmen gathered to defend a Confederate statue.
White House officials who alerted the Times to Cohn’s resignation insisted “there was no single factor” leading him to make the decision, but the report noted that it came on the heels of news that the economic adviser was dissatisfied with the president’s tariffs and the potential trade war they will catalyze. Earlier on Tuesday, CNBC reported that the rich asshole suspected Cohn would resign over the tariffs.
In a statement, the rich asshole called Cohn a “rare talent” and thanked him for his “dedicated service,” while Kelly said he would miss the former chief economic adviser.
“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 the joint statement with the president and chief of staff.
the rich asshole says he believes North Korea is ‘sincere’
U.S. President some rich asshole speaks during an interview with Reuters at the White House in Washington, U.S., January 17, 2018. REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque
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US President some rich asshole said Tuesday that he believes that North Korea’s offer to hold denuclearization talks is “sincere.”
“I believe they are sincere,” the rich asshole told reporters after Pyongyang floated the idea of giving up its nuclear weapons in return for US security guarantees.
“I hope they’re sincere,” the president said at a joint news conference with Swedish Prime Minister Stefan Lofven. “We’ll soon find out.”
the rich asshole credited “very, very strong” sanctions and the “big help” of China for North Korea’s offer to enter into talks.
“I think they’re sincere also because of the sanctions and what we’re doing with respect to North Korea,” the rich asshole said.
“(China) can do more but I think they’ve done more than they’ve ever done for our country before,” he said.
Veteran journalist Tom Brokaw nails Roger Stone: He ‘sees himself as a James Bond evil factor’
Veteran NBC News journalist Tom Brokaw.
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Legendary television journalist Tom Brokaw joined MSNBC’s Meet the Press Daily to provide analysis following host Chuck Todd’s interview with long-time some rich asshole political advisor Roger Stone.
“Tom, I’ll give you first crack, Roger didn’t crack,” Todd acknowledged.
“No, Roger has been at this a long time and I must say, he relishes his role, which has always been on the perimeter, it’s almost never been right next to the seat of power,” Brokaw explained. “You can tell by his style that he’s very well read in on what he wants to say and how he wants to say it, but he is for the most part an agent for Roger and not for anyone else, but he loves all the attention.
“He’s the man who has a tattoo of Richard Nixon on his back and people have to keep that in mind as well,” Brokaw reminded. “He did that, I always believed, just so he’d get more attention for himself.”
Brokaw hosted Meet the Press following the untimely death of Tim Russert.
“The essential truth about him is, that he has to be involved in everything and it’s always in the dark arts, it’s always on the dark side of whatever it is that he’s doing,” Brokaw noted. “And the manner in which he dresses, in which he conducts himself,
he sees himself as some kind of a James Bond evil factor in all of this.”
he sees himself as some kind of a James Bond evil factor in all of this.”
Watch:
Gary Cohn tolerated the rich asshole’s racism, but tariffs are too much for him
Cohn almost resigned last year, but wanted to pass tax cuts for the wealthy first.
Gary Cohn, President some rich asshole’s chief economic adviser and director of the National Economic Council, plans to resign, The New York Times reported Tuesday evening.
Cohn’s resignation comes a few days after the rich asshole announced his plan to impose tariffs of 25 percent on steel imports and 10 percent on aluminum — a plan Cohn vehemently opposed. Politico reported last week that Cohn, who had been rumored to be on the edge of resigning since last summer, stayed in his position specifically to prevent the rich asshole from implementing tariffs.
White House reporters today noticed Cohn’s absence from the president’s news conference with the prime minister of Sweden, a news conference that was heavily focused on the impending tariffs.
That Cohn would resign over the proposed tariffs is somewhat surprising, particularly considering all that he has endured during his 410 days in the White House.
Cohn, a Democrat and former Goldman Sachs executive, had been on shaky footing with the rich asshole White House since August of 2017, when the president defended the neo-Nazis and white supremacists who rallied in Charlottesville, Virginia, saying there were “very fine people on both sides.” According to The New York Times, Cohn had drafted a letter of resignation, but ultimately changed his mind, much to the dismay of his friends and family who Cohn said put “enormous pressure” on him to leave his post.
In an interview with the Financial Times, Cohn condemned the rich asshole’s statements.
“As a patriotic American, I am reluctant to leave my post… because I feel a duty to fulfill my commitment to work on behalf of the American people. But I also feel compelled to voice my distress over the events of the last two weeks,” he said. “Citizens standing up for equality and freedom can never be equated with white supremacists, neo-Nazis, and the KKK.”
At the time, Cohn was in the middle of helping the White House overhaul the tax code for the first time in nearly three decades and thought it best if he stayed in his job to see the legislation passed.
As a result, Republicans were able to pass a tax bill that overwhelmingly benefits the wealthiest Americans, like Cohn himself. He was one of the president’s loudest cheerleaders for the tax plan, making the rounds on numerous cable news shows and making guest appearances at White House press briefings to tout the benefits of the tax plan for middle class Americans. Cohn even suggested that middle class families will be able to use their $1,000 from tax savings to “renovate their kitchen” or “buy a new car” — two things that cost far more than $1,000.
Once non-partisan organizations like the Tax Policy Center released analyses showing the meager middle class tax cut will disappear over time, eventually turning into a tax hike, Cohn backtracked on his promise that the wealthy would not be getting a tax cut and struggled to defend the president in the media. At one point, Cohn even faked a bad signal on the phone so he could avoid speaking with the rich asshole about tax policy.
Cohn’s departure is already shaking up the White House — he was considered by many to be a “moderate” figure in an inner circle full of nationalists who viewed Cohn as a “globalist.”
”
Axios White House reporter Jonathan Swan tweeted that a few of his White House sources sent him messages about Cohn with the globe emoji, used by members of white supremacy and nationalists to signify “globalists.”
Ex-GOP congressman goes on epic rant detailing White House scandals: ‘the rich asshole’s most authentic moments are when he’s lying’
Former Congressman David Jolly (R-FL)
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Former Congressman David Jolly (R-FL) broke down the chaos inside the White House on MSNBC’s Deadline: White House Tuesday.
The segment began with host Nicolle Wallace revealing her personal frustration with covering President some rich asshole.
“I think it’s when we take him on the air in our hour and I stare at it and I know we have to come out and say something, but I wish that what we could come out and do is just call B.S. on him,” Wallace admitted.
“Listen, the president’s most authentic moments are when he’s lying,” Rep. Jolly suggested. “He misled the American people on Russia, on North Korea, and White House personnel.”
“Bob Mueller is at his doorstep and he doesn’t know what to do about it when it comes to Russia,” Jolly noted. “When it come to personnel, this is somebody who hired somebody off of The Apprentice, Hope Jicks was an unqualified communications director from the fashion industry, you have a chief of staff who made a deal with the devil … and a son-in-law and a daughter who are completely unqualified to do their work.”
“Other than that…” Wallace interjected, with a laugh.
“There are no systems, there’s just a president on Twitter. It’s not a real White House,” concluded Wallace, who served as communications director for President George W. Bush.
“As a result of a lot of factors, I would say we’ve never seen a Republican majority on Capitol Hill less prepared to govern in the shadow of some rich asshole either,” the former GOP congressman concluded.
Watch:
the rich asshole says ‘I love conflict’ after Conway gets popped for lawbreaking: ‘I like watching it, I like seeing it’
some rich asshole (CNN/screen grab)
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President some rich asshole on Tuesday said that he loved the conflicts in the White House after staffer Kellyanne Conway was found to have violated the Hatch Act by using federal resources to support Republican candidates.
At a press conference with Sweden Prime Minister Stefan Löfven, the rich asshole called on a reporter from the Daily Caller, who asked whether the president expected other people to leave the White House.
the rich asshole, however, refused to say whether he expected other staffers to quit or be fired.
“The White House has tremendous energy, tremendous spirit, it is a great place to be working,” he insisted. “Many, many people want every single job. [People say], oh gee, maybe people don’t want to work for the rich asshole. Believe me, everybody wants to work in the White House. They all want a piece of that Oval Office. They all want a piece of the West Wing.”
“I like conflict,” the president added. “And I certainly have that and then I make a decision. But I like watching it, I like seeing it.”
Watch the video below from CNN.
The Internet gives a resounding ‘nope’ to the rich asshole’s claim that ‘everybody wants to work in the White House’
President some rich asshole during a press conference with Swedish Prime Minister Stefan Löfven. Image via screengrab.
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During a joint press conference with Swedish Prime Minister Stefan Löfven, President some rich asshole claimed that “everybody wants to work in the White House” — and Twitter didn’t attempt to stifle their guffaws.
When asked about scandals and reported turmoil in the White House following the resignations of alleged domestic abuser Rob Porter and White House communications director Hope Hicks, the rich asshole responded defensively, saying “they all want a piece of the Oval Office.”
“‘Everybody wants to be there, and they love this White House,’ @POTUS says, disputing known challenges administration has in recruiting new personnel for West Wing as exodus publicly chronicled,” The Hill’s Alexis Simendinger tweeted.
"The WH has tremendous energy...so many people want to come in...everybody wants to be there, and they love this White House," @POTUS says, disputing known challenges administration has in recruiting new personnel for West Wing as exodus publicly chronicled.
“That hit a nerve for him,” another user tweeted, noting that the rich asshole preceded his statement with the phrase “believe me,” a surefire sign that he was telling “a big fat lie.”
You have a problem with immigration in Sweden and I was the first one to say it. oh my God
“Believe me everybody wants to work in the White House.” That hit a nerve for him!
Ha ha, we all know any sentence preceded by “believe me” is a big fat lie
Check out more responses to the rich asshole’s latest misplaced braggadocio below:
Did they all want to work at the White House: Hope Hicks, Josh Raffel, Rob Porter, Omarosa, Dina Powell, Tom Price, Sebastian Gorka, Steve Bannon, Mooch, Reince Priebus, Michael Short, Sean Spicer, Walter Shaub, Mike Dubke, James Comey, Angela Reid, Michael Flynn & Sally Yates twitter.com/Acosta/status/…
Swedish prime minister criticizes the rich asshole’s tariff proposal right in front of him
the rich asshole responded by saying tariffs would be imposed in a "loving, loving way."
During a joint news conference with President the rich asshole on Tuesday, Swedish Prime Minister Stefan Lofven criticized the U.S. president’s recent proposal to slap a 25 percent tariff on imported steel and a 10 percent tariff on imported aluminum, saying that they would hurt everyone “in the long run.”
“Sweden and the United States are two of the most innovative economies in the world and we see great opportunities ahead,” Lofven said. “Swedish prosperity is built on cooperation, competitiveness, and free trade. And I’m convinced that increased tariffs will hurt us all in the long run.”
Referring to threats from the European Union, which has promised to impose a punitive 25 percent tariff on U.S.-made goods like bourbon whiskey, blue jeans, and Harley Davidson motorcycles, Lofven added, “As a Swede, I of course support the efforts of the European Union to achieve trade with fewer obstacles, as few as possible.”
After the rich asshole defended his tariff proposal as necessary, Lofven doubled down.
“As a member of the European Union, I think it’s important for us to try to find a way to cooperate between the European Union and the United States,” he said. “I fully understand and respect the president’s view that they have to look after his own country…. That’s my primary task as well. But for me, leading a small country, depending on open trade, the best way for us is to do that with others. Because our [exports are] 50 percent of our GDP. So for us, it is crucially important that we have this open and free trade.”
the rich asshole’s decision to impose tariffs on imported steel and aluminum have been met with heavy criticism from all sides of the political spectrum. Last week, Sen. Roy Blunt (R-MO) blasted the move and expressed fears that the aluminum tariff in particular would hurt his home state.
“I continue to be concerned about what other countries do in response to that,” he stated. “In our state, we make steel and aluminum, but we continue to buy a lot more than we make. Things like sheet aluminum that you use to make boats with, we make a lot of boats, it’s not available in the United States.”
In Wisconsin, Republican Gov. Scott Walker, whose state manufacturers Harley Davidson motorcycles and who has been critical of the president’s decision since the start, stated this week that a steel tariff would hurt American workers and the local economy.
“If you want to stand up and protect American jobs, reconsider this policy,” Walker said Tuesday, during a tour of the Bemis Industrial Products factory, which uses aluminum to manufacture ultra-thin food packaging. He added that the tariffs would likely raise prices for consumers.
Across the border, the rich asshole’s tariff threat is already having real-life ramifications, as Mexican officials look to Brazil for steel imports in the wake of the rich asshole’s simultaneous NAFTA crackdown.
“México shouldn’t be included in steel & aluminum tariffs. It’s the wrong way to incentivize the creation of a new & modern #NAFTA,” Mexico’s Economy Minister Ildefonso Guajardo tweeted on Monday.
The idea of a trade war has many legislators worried, including House Speaker Paul Ryan (R-WI), who stated on Monday that the tariffs threatened to counteract any hypothetical gains made under GOP tax bill.
“We are extremely worried about the consequences of a trade war and are urging the White House to not advance with this plan,” the speaker said through a spokesperson. “The new tax reform law has boosted the economy and we certainly don’t want to jeopardize those gains.”
For his part, the rich asshole argued on Tuesday that a trade war wouldn’t be “so bad,” adding that he would ensure the tariffs were implemented “in a very loving way.”
“We’re going to straighten it out,” he said. “And we’ll do it in a very loving way — a loving, loving way. [Other countries will] like us better and they will respect us much more.”
CNN panel laughs in Rick Santorum’s face after he says Devin Nunes ‘thoroughly’ investigated Russiagate
Keith Boykin laughs at Rick Santorum on CNN (Screen cap).
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Rick Santorum was openly mocked by a fellow CNN panelist on Tuesday after he tried to claim that Rep. Devin Nunes (R-CA) and his House Intelligence Committee have “thoroughly” investigated ties between the Russian government and President some rich asshole’s campaign.
During a panel discussion hosted by CNN’s Brooke Baldwin, the former Pennsylvania Republican senator tried to brush aside any notion that the rich asshole campaign may have conspired with Russian agents by saying the president’s congressional allies have already cleared him of any wrongdoing.
“The House of Representatives has examined this thoroughly,” Santorum said.
At this point, panelist Keith Boykin burst out laughing while Baldwin tried to suppress laughter.
“Oh come on!” Boykin shouted. “They did not!”
Santorum continued to insist that no evidence of collusion between the rich asshole and Russia had yet been leaked out, which led him to believe that the investigation was “a dry hole.”
“The House investigation was a joke,” Boykin retorted.
Watch the video below.
Gary Cohn: Key the rich asshole economic policy adviser resigns
03-06-2018
US President some rich asshole's top economic adviser Gary Cohn is resigning, the White House has said.
It is the latest in a series of high-profile departures from President the rich asshole's team.
There has been speculation that Mr Cohn, a supporter of free trade, was angered by Mr the rich asshole's plans to impose tariffs on aluminum and steel imports.
In a statement released by the White House, Mr Cohn said it had been "an honour to serve my country".
The 57-year-old former president of the Goldman Sachs bank helped Mr the rich asshole push through his sweeping tax reforms late last year.
However, the two were not believed to be close.
- The White House revolving door: Who's gone?
- The people around some rich asshole
- the rich asshole: EU makes business 'impossible'
In August 2017, Mr Cohn criticised Mr the rich asshole over his reaction to a far-right rally in Charlottesville, Virginia, saying the administration "can and must do better". He was reported to have drafted a resignation letter after the event.
"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," Mr Cohn said in his statement.
"I am grateful to the president for giving me this opportunity and wish him and the administration great success in the future."
Does this herald a new direction?
Analysis by Anthony Zurcher, BBC News, Washington
Gary Cohn was a bit of a stranger in a strange land. He was a Democrat in a Republican White House; an economic globalist working for a president who campaigned on economic nationalism. Now, it seems, some rich asshole's protectionist bent has pushed the top administration economic adviser to the exit.
This was not an unexpected development. By many accounts, there had been a contentious White House fight over whether to impose sweeping sanctions on US steel and aluminium imports - a tug-of-war that was settled, precipitously, by the president himself last week.
There were the rumours that Mr Cohn was only sticking around to see last year's tax bill over the finish line, after his extreme discomfort following the president's warm words about some of the white nationalist marchers involved in violent clashes in Charlottesville last August.
Mr Cohn was reportedly viewed by many the rich asshole loyalists in the White House as an unwelcome interloper. Some on the outside, particularly in the financial world, welcomed him as a moderating influence - along with son-in-law Jared Kushner and daughter Ivanka.
Now the former is leaving and the latter two seem greatly weakened. All this could mark sharp new direction in White House policy.
The White House said Mr Cohn's exact departure date had yet to be determined.
"For several weeks Gary had been discussing with the president that it was nearing time for him to transition out," an official said.
In a statement, Mr the rich asshole described his outgoing economics adviser as "a rare talent".
"Gary... did a superb job in driving our agenda, helping to deliver historic tax cuts and reforms and unleashing the American economy once again," he said .
"He is a rare talent and I thank him for his dedicated service to the American people."
Mr the rich asshole later tweeted that he would pick Mr Cohn's replacement "soon".
"Many people wanting the job - will choose wisely!" he added.
Possible candidates mooted by US media include White House adviser Peter Navarro and Larry Kudlow, a conservative commentator and 2016 campaign adviser.
Earlier on Tuesday, President the rich asshole tweeted that there was no chaos at the White House but there were "still... some people that I want to change".
End ofTwitterpost by @realDonaldTrump
The White House has seen a string of senior figures leave since Mr the rich asshole took office.
Last week, one of his closest aides, Hope Hicks, resigned. She was the fourth person to have served as the president's communications chief.
It came a day after she had testified in front of the House Intelligence Committee investigating possible the rich asshole campaign ties to Russia, but White House sources said this was not the reason.
Ryan shows Netanyahu view of the rich asshole hotel from his office
BY JULIA MANCHESTER - 03/06/18 05:03 PM EST
Speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) on Tuesday showed Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu the view of the rich asshole hotel from his office on Capitol Hill.
From @SpeakerRyan chambers : Ryan shows @netanyahu the Trump Hotel seen from window in Speaker’s room
"See that tall building over there? That's the rich asshole Hotel," Ryan said to Netanyahu in video exclusively obtained by Globes News diplomatic correspondent Tal Schneider.
"Has that become now a landmark?" Netanyahu said, laughing.
"Yeah, so I walked him out to the balcony once, and he said, 'That's my hotel,'" Ryan said, referring to an office visit by President the rich asshole.
Netanyahu was on Capitol Hill on Tuesday during his visit to Washington for the 2018 American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC).
The prime minister praised the president in his AIPAC address on Tuesday.
"It is always great to be here, but as I told President the rich asshole yesterday, it's especially great to be in America's capital now that he has recognized Jerusalem as Israel's capital," the prime minister said. "Thank you, President the rich asshole, for that historic decision."
the rich asshole met with Netanyahu on Monday and revealed that he was considering traveling to Israel for the opening of the new U.S. Embassy in May.
Netanyahu's visit to Washington comes as he grapples with a corruption probe back in Israel.
The prime minister is accused of accepting bribes and of attempting to persuade Israel’s second largest newspaper to give him positive coverage in exchange for damaging a rival paper.
the rich asshole tariffs: President says EU makes business 'impossible'
2 hours ago 03-06-2018
US President some rich asshole has said European Union trade rules make it "impossible" for American firms to do business with the bloc.
Defending his tariff plans as he hosted the Swedish PM at the White House, Mr the rich asshole said other countries had "taken advantage of" the US for decades.
Shortly afterwards it was announced that White House economic adviser Gary Cohn, who opposes tariffs, would quit.
The EU has drawn up a $3.5bn (£2.5bn) hit list of retaliatory tariffs.
Motorbikes, whiskey and T-shirts are on the bloc's list of 100 American products, the BBC understands.
The US president's proposed global duties on steel and aluminum have raised the prospect of a tit-for-tat trade war.
"The European Union has been particularly tough on the United States," Mr the rich asshole said at Tuesday's joint press conference with the Swedish prime minister.
"They make it almost impossible for us to do business with them," Mr the rich asshole complained.
Mr the rich asshole said if the EU retaliated, the US would impose a 25% tax on European cars.
But the US president also said America would levy tariffs in a "loving, loving way".
"They'll like us better and they'll respect us more," he said about US trade partners who object to the plan.
Mr the rich asshole repeated his belief that the US would win any trade war, since it was running such a large trade deficit.
"When we're behind on every single country, trade wars aren't so bad," he told reporters at the White House.
Mr the rich asshole's decision to raise import taxes on steel to 25% and aluminum to 10% prompted strong reactions around the world last week.
Swedish PM Stefan Lofven said: "I am convinced that increased tariffs will hurt us all in the long run."
Mr Lofven is the first European leader to visit the White House since the tariffs were announced last week.
Members of Mr the rich asshole's Republican party have voicing disquiet at his proposal.
Just before Mr the rich asshole spoke, Senate leader Mitch McConnell said: "There is a lot of concern among Republican senators that this could sort of metastasise into sort of a larger trade war."
Earlier on Tuesday, Speaker of the House Paul Ryan said the tariffs were too broad.
He urged Mr the rich asshole "to be more surgical" when selecting which countries to target "so we do not have unintended consequences".
Congressman Mark Meadows, who chairs the ultraconservative Freedom Caucus, said most lawmakers had told him they did not support the president's decision.
Mexican Economy Minister Ildefonso Guajardo said his country was planning its own tariffs on US goods.
He said they would issue them in a way that is most politically damaging to Mr the rich asshole.
"We would have to target our response at the things they export that are most politically sensitive and hit exactly those goods," he told Mexican broadcaster Televisa.
the rich asshole shoots down rumors of White House chaos, says everyone wants 'a piece of that Oval Office'
- President some rich asshole on Tuesday refuted widespread rumors of internal White House chaos, saying he likes "conflict" and listening to opposing viewpoints.
- the rich asshole added that he believes "everybody wants to work in the White House" due to its "tremendous energy," even as top aides have recently resigned and staff morale is reportedly low.
- the rich asshole's remarks came just days after one of his top aides, Hope Hicks, resigned and his son-in-law and adviser, Jared Kushner, was stripped of his top-secret security clearance.
President some rich asshole on Tuesday pushed back on reports that the White House is beset with chaos and that top administration officials may soon resign or be forced out, declaring that "everybody wants to work in the White House."
"They all want a piece of that Oval Office, they want a piece of the West Wing," the rich asshole said. "It's tough. I like conflict, I like having two people with different points of view, and I certainly have that. And then I make a decision. But I like watching it, I like seeing it, and I think it's the best way to go."
the rich asshole's remarks came after his top economic adviser, Gary Cohn, was rumored to be eyeing an exit after the rich asshole abruptly announced major steel and aluminum tariffs last week that many fear could launch a trade war and tank the US economy.
Cohn has mainly been battling with two top the rich asshole officials with a protectionist stance on trade — adviser Peter Navarro and Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross — and had reportedly threatened to resign if the rich asshole sided with them on the tariffs.
The White House has also undergone turnover and staffing changes in recent days, after one of his top aides and closest confidants, Hope Hicks, resigned and his son-in-law and adviser, Jared Kushner, was stripped of his top-secret security clearance.
the rich asshole has also been going after Attorney General Jeff Sessions in recent days, tweeting that Sessions' handling of the Justice Department's investigation into alleged FBI surveillance abuses was "disgraceful."
But the rich asshole said Tuesday during a joint press conference with Swedish Prime Minister Stefan Lofven that people love working in the White House because it's got "tremendous energy," though some people "change."
"Yeah, there'll be people — I'm not going to be specific — but there'll be people that change. They always change," he said. "Sometimes they want to go out and do something else, but they all want to be in the White House. So many people want to come and I have a choice of anybody."
Earlier on Tuesday, the rich asshole tweeted that reports of internal chaos were "Fake News."
"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)," he wrote. "There is no Chaos, only great Energy!"
By
Justin Sink
,
Dakin Campbell
, and
Shannon Pettypiece
March 6, 2018, 5:37 PM EST Updated on March 6, 2018, 5:42 PM EST
· Free-trade proponent had been fighting move to impose tariffs
· Departure is latest in series of high-profile departures
Gary Cohn is resigning as President some rich asshole’s top economic adviser, leaving his post as the administration prepares to impose steep tariffs on steel and aluminum that Cohn has opposed.
“It has been an honor to serve my country and enact pro-growth economic policies to benefit the American people, in particular the passage of historic tax reform,” Cohn said in a statement released by the White House to reporters. “I am grateful to the president for giving me this opportunity and wish him and the administration great success in the future.”
The president’s announcement on Thursday that he would press forward with a 25 percent tariff on steel imports and 10 percent on aluminum left markets reeling and served as a public rebuke of Cohn, the director of the National Economic Council, who had furiously lobbied against the penalties.
One person with knowledge of the chaotic West Wing decision-making process said Cohn and Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross, who had recommended the tariffs to the president, privately argued over the issue just hours before it was announced.The tariffs appeared to mark the tipping point for Cohn, 57, a registered Democrat who made clear that he saw his job in the administration to be an advocate for business-friendly economic principles. He helped the rich asshole steer a large package of tax cuts into law last year but proved unpersuasive on trade, where Cohn was a stark counterpoint to nationalists and economic populists in the administration led by former chief strategist Stephen Bannon.
It was expected in the White House and on Capitol Hill that Cohn would be more likely to leave the administration once the tax bill was signed into law.
Still, his departure may cause further turbulence in financial markets, where investors saw him as a steady hand in an otherwise unpredictable administration. His resignation also leaves uncertainty about the president’s economic agenda. With both Cohn and Bannon now gone, economic policy may be steered more by Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin and Ross.
the rich asshole offered his own expression of gratitude in a written statement the White House released.
“Gary has been my chief economic advisor and did a superb job in driving our agenda, helping to deliver historic tax cuts and reforms and unleashing the American economy once again,” the rich asshole said. “He is a rare talent, and I thank him for his dedicated service to the American people.”
POLITICS
Gary Cohn To Step Down From the rich asshole Administration
The former Goldman Sachs executive has served as the rich asshole’s chief economic adviser since the president’s inauguration.
Gary Cohn, who has served as President some rich asshole’s chief economic adviser since last year, will step down from his position, the White House confirmed Tuesday.
He will leave his role as director of the National Economic Council in “the coming weeks,” according to New York Times, which first reported the news.
Financial watchers expected U.S. stocks to drop in the wake of the announcement. Futures for the Dow Jones Industrial Average were down roughly 1.3 percent on Tuesday evening, while S&P 500 futures were down 1.1 percent.
Cohn had been rumored to be considering leaving the White House over concerns with the rich asshole’s recently-announced tariffs on steel and aluminum imports. Cohn, a free-trade advocate, had lobbied the rich asshole against the tariffs, and in recent days had reportedly planned a meeting at the White House with representatives from the aluminum and steel industries in an apparently unsuccessful attempt to change the president’s mind.
“It has been an honor to serve my country and enact pro-growth economic policies to benefit the American people, in particular the passage of historic tax reform,” said Cohn in a statement. “I am grateful to the President for giving me this opportunity and wish him and the Administration great success in the future.”
“Gary has been my chief economic advisor and did a superb job in driving our agenda, helping to deliver historic tax cuts and reforms and unleashing the American economy once again,” the rich asshole said in a statement. “He is a rare talent, and I thank him for his dedicated service to the American people.”
Cohn previously was reported to have considered resigning in August 2017 over the rich asshole’s response to the white supremacist rally in Charlottesville, Virginia. In an interview with the Financial Times at the time, Cohn criticized the rich asshole for blaming “both sides” for the violence, arguing that the White House “can and must do better in consistently and unequivocally condemning these groups.”
There was also speculation that Cohn might leave the White House following the passage of the GOP tax plan late last year. the rich asshole publicly addressed those rumors in January, calling Cohn himself on stage to address them during a media availability.
He is the latest in a series of high-profile departures from the White House. Most recently, communications director Hope Hicks, one of the president’s most trusted advisers, decided to step down from her post.
Prior to joining the White House, Cohn was the chief operating officer of investment bank Goldman Sachs.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates.
the rich asshole dismisses question about Russian meddling, touts ‘surprise’ outcome of 2018 election
Meanwhile, the rich asshole intelligence officials are sounding the alarm, saying they're not authorized to combat Russian interference.
During a joint press conference with Swedish Prime Minster Stefan Löfven on Tuesday, a Swedish journalist asked President the rich asshole “what do you think Sweden should learn from how the Russian influence campaign affected the presidential election in the US?”
The question comes amid strong indications from the NSA and State Department that little is being done to stop Russia from interfering with American elections.
the rich asshole began his response to downplaying Russia interference, which he said “had no impact on our votes whatsoever.” The president then cast doubt upon the U.S. intelligence community’s consensus conclusion — including ones offered publicly by his hand-picked officials — that the Putin regime was behind hacks and influence operations meant to help him win the presidency.
“Probably there was meddling from other countries, maybe other individuals,” he said, echoing the infamous comment he made during one of the presidential debates about how a “guy sitting on his bed who weighs 400 pounds” may have been responsible for Democratic hacks, not Russia.
the rich asshole then said “we’re doing a very, very deep study and coming out with very strong suggestions on the ’18 election.” But just last week, NSA Director Mike Rogers told members of Congress the administration hasn’t even authorized him to take proactive measures to disrupt meddling attempts.
the rich asshole then pivoted, somewhat alarmingly, to a bullish prediction of Republican performance in the midterms.
“I think we will do very well in the ’18 election,” the rich asshole said, referring to the Republican Party. “Historically, those in the White House have a little bit of a dip… I think it will be a tremendous surprise to people.“
the rich asshole then on a long digression about how “the economy is so good” because “jobs are being protected like with the tariffs,” before mentioning Judge Gorsuch and the black unemployment rate.
The president did eventually make one concrete recommendation — using paper ballots to back up electronic records. And while that is an election security best practice, Russia’s meddling efforts involved influence operations, not the changing of votes.
The reporter followed up by asking the rich asshole, “but are you worried about Russia trying to meddle in the midterm election?”
“No, we’ll counteract what they do, and we are having strong backup systems,” the rich asshole replied. “We have been working, we haven’t been given credit for this but we’ve been working very hard on the ’18 election. And the ’20 election coming up. Thank you very much.”
But intelligence officials are more worried about Russian meddling in this year’s election than the rich asshole. In addition to Rogers sounding the alarm, CIA Direct Mike Pompeo recently said he hasn’t “seen a significant decrease in [Russian] activity” ahead of November.
The CIA director made that statement in late January — right around the same time that the State Department announced it would not be imposing new sanctions on Russia that were overwhelmingly approved by Congress last year.
the rich asshole’s dismissive comments about Russian interference came on the same day as director of national intelligence Dan Coats telling Congress that he expects Russia to attempt to interfere again this year.
“It’s highly likely that they will be doing something. We just don’t know how much and when and where,” Coats told the Senate Armed Services Committee.
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