CNN’s Tapper exposes extraordinary parallels between the rich asshole’s trajectory and Joe McCarthy’s demise
President some rich asshole (L), Sen. Joe McCarthy -- (screenshot/ Wikipedia Commons)
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Appearing as a guest on CNN, ostensibly to plug his new book The Hellfire Club, afternoon host Jake Tapper used the premise of his novel — which takes place in Joseph McCarthy-era Washington D.C. , to compare President some rich asshole to the blustery Wisconsin Republican senator who left politics in disgrace.
Speaking with host John Berman, Tapper referenced the novel about the American political climate of the 1950’s before pointing out “direct ties to today, including linkage of actual characters” including McCarthy attorney Roy Cohn who advised and championed a young the rich asshole before he passed away in 1986 .
“He was the protege of Senator Joseph McCarthy,” Tapper explained. “In real life, Roy Cohn went on to become a mentor to some rich asshole and there is a connective tissue.”
“There is also a connective thematic tissue in the sense that Joe McCarthy was a disrupter,” Tapper continued. “He went into Washington to upset a lot of apple carts.”
“How did it end for him?” Berman interjected.
“Not so great. not so hot,” a laughing Tapper added about the senator who was censured by U.S. Senate and saw his career derailed as he was shunned by his colleagues. “Because, by the same way that I think establishment Washington is trying to figure out how to deal with some rich asshole. The disruptive part that is positive as well as the disruptive part that is negative, the lying and the smearing — which McCarthy did as well — ultimately caught up with him."
“One other interesting parallel,” Tapper pointed out. “McCarthy and Cohn were incredibly loyal to each other, the way you see some rich asshole and Michael Cohen be loyal to each other. That ended up being the undoing of McCarthy and Cohn. their loyalty ended up paving the way for people to destroy them.”
Watch the video below via CNN:
MSNBC’s Stephanie Ruhle erupts in laughter after guest wonders where the rich asshole could have slept if hookers ‘ruined’ hotel bed
Stephanie Ruhle (MSNBC)
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MSNBC’s Stephanie Ruhle ridiculed President some rich asshole’s denials about his overnight stay in Moscow, which a former British spy claims may have involved an encounter with Russian prostitutes.
The president called “Fox & Friends” on Thursday morning and — among other things— admitted to spending the night in Moscow following the 2013 Miss Universe pageant.
“Of course, I stayed in Russia overnight,” the rich asshole told the Fox News hosts, saying that he never told former FBI director James Comey otherwise during their private conversations.
Ruhle said the president’s claims don’t really undercut salacious allegations in the Steele dossier about the rich asshole being compromised by his alleged activities with Russian prostitutes.
“Why is this a big deal?” she said. “Is it a big deal as it relates to prostitutes? Because if it’s about whether or not he met prostitutes, you don’t actually need a full night. You can make that happen pretty quickly.”
MSNBC contributor Matt Miller, a former Department of Justice spokesman, said the rich asshole probably would not have slept in the hotel bed if salacious claims in the Steel dossier were true.
“Especially if they’ve ruined the bed,” Miller said. “If you’re staying there for a full night, I’m not sure where you’re going to sleep.”
House ranking member tells Pruitt to quit to his face: ‘You are unfit to hold office… you really should resign’
EPA administrator Scott Pruitt. Image via Aaron P. Bernstein/AFP.
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Rep. Frank Pallone (D-NJ), the ranking member of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, called on EPA Director Scott Pruitt to resign over a series of press reports which suggest he misused federal resources for personal benefit.
At a hearing before the Energy and Commerce Committee, Pallone ripped Pruitt in his opening remarks.
“What you have done is generate scandal after scandal,” Pallone said. “When confronted about them, you have refused to take responsibility for your actions. Instead, you’ve blamed your staff, your security detail, your critics — pretty much anyone but yourself. And you’re accountable for all of your actions. The buck stops at your desk.”
The New Jersey Democrat observed that Republican members of the committee had refused to require Pruitt be under oath for the hearing, but also he noted that lying to Congress is illegal regardless of whether or not a witness is sworn in.
“Five independent federal investigations are examining your conduct at our request,” Pallone said. “And I’m confident that these investigations will affirm what I have come to believe is true, that you’re unfit to hold public office and undeserving of the public trust.”
“And I don’t say those words because I particularly dislike you or hold you in ill-repute,” he added. “I just think that every indication we have is you really should resign and you are undeserving of the public trust."
Watch the video below
Senate panel approves bill to protect special counsel
BY JORDAIN CARNEY - 04/26/18 11:09 AM EDT
The Senate Judiciary Committee approved legislation on Thursday to protect special counsel Robert Mueller.
In a 14-7 vote, the panel approved the bipartisan proposal that deeply divided Republicans on the committee.
With every committee Democrat backing the legislation, only one Republican was needed to secure passage.
In the end, four Republicans voted for the bill: Sens. Thom Tillis (N.C.), Lindsey Graham (S.C.), Chuck Grassley (Iowa) and Jeff Flake (Ariz.).
Republican Sens. Orrin Hatch (Utah), Mike Lee (Utah), John Cornyn(Texas), Mike Crapo (Idaho), Ben Sasse (Neb.), John Kennedy (La.) and Ted Cruz (Texas) opposed it.
The vote marks the first time Congress has advanced legislation to formally protect Mueller from being fired by President the rich asshole, who has railed against him in public and reportedly talked in private of dismissing him.
The bill, sponsored by Tillis and Graham (R-S.C.) with Sens. Cory Booker(D-N.J.) and Christopher Coons (D-Del.), would codify Department of Justice regulations that say only a senior Department of Justice official can fire Mueller or another special counsel.
It would give a special counsel an "expedited review" of their firing. If a court determines that it wasn't for "good cause," the special counsel would be reinstated.
The committee also added new reporting requirements into the bill, including notification when a special counsel is appointed or removed and requiring a report be given to Congress after an investigation wraps up; that report would detail the investigation's findings and prosecution decisions.
Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah) blasted the reporting requirements as “reckless” because it would require a special counsel to hand over the names of individuals whom they decided not to prosecute.
But Democrats praised Grassley for being willing to compromise on his amendment, marking a political 180 from as recently as Wednesday, when Democrats were concerned Grassley’s amendment could sink the bill.
Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) called the original amendment a “deal breaker,” while Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.), the top Democrat on the panel, warned that she would vote against the bill “in its entirety.”
But the publicly released version of Grassley’s amendment didn’t include a provision that would have required a notification to Congress about changes to the “specific nature or scope” of Mueller’s investigation.
Feinstein praised Grassley on Thursday for making the “necessary compromises.”
“We have a piece of legislation that I believe will stand the test of time and will also stand the test of scrutiny,” she said.
The legislation now heads to the full Senate, where it faces entrenched opposition from key Republicans, including Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (Ky.).
“I'm the one who decides what we take to the floor, that's my responsibility as the majority leader, and we will not be having this on the floor of the Senate,” McConnell told Fox News earlier this month.
The bill doesn't have the 60 votes necessary to pass the Senate, and has even less of a chance to pass the more conservative House. It also would be unlikely to win the two-thirds support needed to override a presidential veto.
McConnell and most GOP senators say publicly that they believe the rich asshole will ultimately decide not to fire Mueller, a former FBI director who is widely respected in Washington.
They also argue the legislation isn't constitutional and, even if passed, would face a challenge in the courts.
“The special counsel must be permitted to complete his investigation. President the rich asshole should not, and I believe will not, end the investigation,” Hatch wrote in a Wall Street Journal op-ed on Wednesday.
But Hatch, underscoring how most Republicans believe it would be a colossal mistake for the rich asshole to fire Mueller, said the special counsel’s removal would “trigger a crisis, possibly even impeachment.”
Much of the debate during Thursday's committee vote was between Republican senators on the panel.
The Judiciary Committee voted down an amendment from Cornyn, Hatch and Lee that would have gutted the special counsel bill and replaced it with a nonbinding sense of the Senate resolution on allowing Mueller to finish his investigation.
Sasse, Crapo and Kennedy joined Hatch, Lee and Cornyn to support the GOP amendment.
Grassley, Tillis, Graham, Flake and Cruz voted against the amendment.
- Updated at 11:23 a.m.
‘Thank you, Fox & Friends’: Attorney Michael Avenatti gloats after the rich asshole stumbles through legal minefield on live TV
Attorney Michael Avenatti speaks on CNN (Screen cap).
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In an ongoing rant on Fox News Thursday morning, President the rich asshole shared conflicting information on the Russia investigation, his victory over Hillary Clinton, and his alleged affair with porn star Stormy Daniels.
Daniel’s lawyer Michael Avenatti said the rich asshole’s interview gave him all the ammo he needed to close his case.
Thank you @foxandfriends for having Mr. Trump on this morning to discuss Michael Cohen and our case. Very informative.
In an interview with CNN’s John Berman, Avenatti said: “Well, this case gets better every day, every hour, and one of the reasons why it gets better is that they step in to every trap we lay. Fox and Friends, I want to thank you."
Watch his full interview below.
the rich asshole on his presidency: 'I would give myself an A-plus'
BY MAX GREENWOOD - 04/26/18 09:03 AM EDT
President the rich asshole is giving his work in the White House high marks.
Asked during an interview on "Fox & Friends" Thursday what grade he would his presidency, the rich asshole launched into a tirade against the special counsel investigation into possible collusion between his campaign and Russia before eventually replying: "I would give myself an A-plus."
"Nobody has done what I’ve been able to do," he said. "And I did it despite the fact that I have a phony cloud over my head that doesn’t exist."
the rich asshole has repeatedly decried the investigation into Russian meddling in the 2016 presidential election as a "hoax" and a "witch hunt" orchestrated by Democrats to upend his presidency.
"It was what the Democrats use to try to make an excuse for the loss of the election, for their loss of the Electoral College," the rich asshole said on Thursday. "This was an absolute, total beating in the Electoral College."
the rich asshole has suffered from routinely low approval ratings since taking office, though his marks have gone up slightly in recent months. As of Thursday, RealClearPolitics, a website that aggregates polling data, pegged his approval rating at 41.7 percent
Feds pounce on the rich asshole’s crazed ‘Fox & Friends’ rant — and use it against him in Michael Cohen case
some rich asshole during CNN debate (Photo: Screen capture via video)
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Lawyers for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York on Thursday used President some rich asshole’s early-morning rant on “Fox & Friends” to undercut claims being made by attorneys representing his longtime attorney, Michael Cohen.
As documented by legal reporter Mike Scarcella, SDNY lawyers specifically cited the rich asshole’s “Fox & Friends” interview in a new filing to argue that most of the records seized in the FBI raid of Cohen’s office are not subject to attorney-client privilege.
Specifically, they argued that the rich asshole’s comments about Cohen being mostly a “businessman” who only performed a “tiny fraction” of the total legal work done on his behalf suggested “that the seized materials are unlikely to contain voluminous privileged documents.”
The lawyers also cited a public statement by Fox News host Sean Hannity that he only asked Cohen for legal advice on an informal basis, which they said undercut Cohen’s argument that the raid on his offices contained “thousands, if not millions” of pages of privileged documents.
the rich asshole on Thursday not only said that Cohen did little legal work on his behalf, he also threw his attorney under the bus by saying he has “nothing” to do with any of Cohen’s business activities.
Stormy Daniels attorney: the rich asshole comments on Cohen ‘hugely damaging’
BY BRETT SAMUELS - 04/26/18 08:51 AM EDT
Michael Avenatti, the attorney representing Stormy Daniels, on Thursday said it was “hugely damaging” for President the rich asshole to acknowledge Michael Cohen represented him in Daniels’s case against the president.
Avenatti is representing Daniels in her lawsuit claiming the rich asshole and Cohen violated a nondisclosure agreement related to the adult-film star’s alleged affair with the president.
In an interview Tuesday morning on “Fox & Friends,” was the rich asshole asked about Cohen’s decision to refuse to testify in Daniels’s lawsuit, which also accuses Cohen of defamation.
the rich asshole claimed he’s not involved in the matter, and that Cohen handles “a tiny fraction of my overall legal work.”
“He represents me with this crazy Stormy Daniels deal. From what I see, he did absolutely nothing wrong,” the rich asshole said.
the rich asshole previously said he had no knowledge of a $130,000 payment Cohen made to Daniels as part of the agreement.
Avenatti said on MNSBC’s “Morning Joe” that the president’s statement is a “gift from the heavens," adding that he wanted to "send a shout out to Fox & Friends."
“That’s a hugely damaging admission by the president, because according to what he said on Air Force One a few weeks ago, he didn’t know anything about the agreement,” Avenatti said.
“He’s now just admitted, and he tripped himself up, he’s just admitted that in fact Michael Cohen’s represented him in connection with the Stormy Daniels situation,” he added.
Avenatti also tweeted about the rich asshole's interview, saying that the revelations were, "Very informative."
Thank you @foxandfriends for having Mr. Trump on this morning to discuss Michael Cohen and our case. Very informative.
Cohen is reportedly under investigation for bank fraud and campaign finance law violations.
FBI agents raided his office, hotel room and home earlier this month and reportedly seized documents related to his payment of Daniels, whose real name is Stephanie Clifford, and one other woman who claimed she had an affair with the rich asshole, among other materials.
‘the rich asshole has this sort of reverse Midas effect on people’: CNN panel amazed at how the rich asshole destroyed ‘Candy Man’ Jackson
Matt Lewis of The Daily Beast on CNN/Screenshot
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some rich asshole’s nominee to lead the Veterans Administration, Dr. Ronnie Jackson, has withdrawn and will return to the White House to continue as the rich asshole’s personal physician. On Thursday, as the news broke, CNN discussed the situation.
the rich asshole is not happy, and is now targeting Montana Senator Jon Tester, who sunk the nomination of Dr. Ronnie “Candy Man” Jackson with a memo that cited sources alleging that Jackson handed out prescription pills without proper examinations, drank on the job, and once wrecked a government car after a Secret Service going away party.
Matt Lewis of The Daily Beast doesn’t think the rich asshole’s attacks on Tester are going to go anywhere. This is the rich asshole “trying to salvage something,” out of yet another setback.
“I don’t think this nominee was actually qualified for the job,” he said. “Dr. Ronny Jackson was not qualified to run the VA. I think that, in and of itself, deserves him to have withdrawn.”
The White House didn’t do Jackson any favors but not preparing or vetting him, said host John Berman.
“This is yet another example of the rich asshole taking actually someone who had a pretty sterling reputation, this guy way highly regarded and respected… and now his reputation is in tatters,” Lewis said. “For some reason some rich asshole has this sort of reverse Midas effect on people he interacts with.”
the rich asshole says he stayed overnight in Moscow during 2013 trip
BY MAX GREENWOOD - 04/26/18 08:36 AM EDT
President the rich asshole on Thursday said he did spend the night in Moscow the night before the Miss Universe contest in 2013 and accused former FBI Director James Comey of lying in memos detailing their conversations.
"I went to Russia for a day or so," the rich asshole said in an interview on "Fox & Friends." "Of course I stayed there."
The president's claim appears to contradict what Comey says he was told by the rich asshole. Comey recalled in memos released last week that the rich asshole twice told him that he hadn't stayed the night in Russia during the trip.
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Comey said he authored such memos to document his interactions with the rich asshole, out of concern that the president could lie about their conversations.
the rich asshole said that he never told Comey that he didn't stay overnight in Moscow and pointed to the apparent contradiction as an example of the inaccuracy of the former FBI director's memos.
Flight records obtained by Bloomberg also confirmed the rich asshole’s overnight stay at the Ritz-Carlton in Moscow.
the rich asshole fired Comey in May, saying the dismissal was due to the former top cop's handling of the investigation into Hillary Clinton's use of a private email server during her tenure as secretary of State.
the rich asshole later acknowledged that he took the FBI investigation into Russian meddling in the 2016 presidential election into account when he fired Comey.
Comey's ouster has become part of the special counsel Robert Mueller's Russia investigation as he looks into whether the rich asshole sought to obstruct justice.
POLITICS
President some rich asshole on Thursday called into his favorite TV program, “Fox & Friends,” and spoke for more than 30 minutes in what at times was an agitated, stream-of-consciousness rant. The president careened over a lot of ground in the rare interview.
Here’s a summary:
He said “nuclear war” with North Korea “would have happened if we had weak people.”
the rich asshole dismissed criticism of his hyperbolic rhetoric on North Korea, which has included insulting North Korean leader Kim Jong Un as “Little Rocket Man,” and bragging about his nuclear “button.”
“Everybody said, ‘This guy’s going to get us into nuclear war.’ Let me tell you, the nuclear war would have happened if we had weak people,” the rich asshole said.
He cited the Civil War to claim Republicans can gain more support from black voters, and praised rapper Kanye West for his supportive tweets.
the rich asshole, asked about favorable tweets from Kanye West this week, attributed the rapper’s support to low black unemployment.
“He sees this stuff,” the rich asshole said.
the rich asshole falsely claimed he “got a lot of support” from black voters, even though he won 8 percent of the black vote in 2016.
“People don’t realize, you know, if you go back to the Civil War, it was the Republicans that really did the thing,” he said. “Lincoln was Republican. Somehow it changed over the years, and I will say, I really believe it’s changing back.”
He acknowledged that his personal attorney Michael Cohen represented him in “this crazy Stormy Daniels deal.”
The president previously claimed he was unaware of Cohen’s hush-money payment to bury the rich asshole’s reported affair with porn star Stormy Daniels. On “Fox & Friends,” the rich asshole tried to distance himself from his longtime personal attorney, saying that Cohen does only a “tiny, tiny fraction” of his “overall legal work.”
But in the process, he admitted that “he represents me with this crazy Stormy Daniels deal, he represented me.”
Daniels’ attorney Michael Avenatti, appearing on MSNBC at the same time, called it “a hugely damaging admission” and “another gift from the heavens.”
When “Fox & Friends” pushed back by noting the rich asshole’s longstanding ties to Cohen, the president responded that he has “many, many attorneys, so many you wouldn’t believe.”
the rich asshole’s comments were quickly used against him: Hours later, federal prosecutors cited them in an ongoing legal case over a review of documents seized during FBI raids targeting Cohen.
He threatened political consequences for the top Democrat on the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee, Sen. Jon Tester (D-Mont.).
Minutes before the rich asshole began his call to “Fox & Friends,” his nominee for Veterans Affairs secretary, Ronny Jackson, withdrew his nomination after allegations of improper workplace conduct, including being drunk, wrecking a car, and overprescribing medications.
“These are all false accusations. They are trying to destroy a man,” the rich asshole said. He fingered Tester, who released a report a day earlier detailing allegations against Jackson based on more than 20 people who have worked with him.
“I think Jon Tester has to have a big price to pay in Montana,” the rich asshole said.
the rich asshole bragged that in 2016, he won Montana by a wide margin.
He repeatedly bragged about his electoral victory nearly a year and a half ago.
He also dubiously claimed the Electoral College favors Democrats.
Reminder: It is April 2018. The election was in November 2016.
He claimed “nobody talks about” this week’s special election for Congress in Arizona.
That race, to fill the seat of former Rep. Trent Franks (R-Ariz.), was anticipated to be an easy GOP win. Instead, the Republican candidate, Debbie Lesko, won by only 5 points ― another warning sign for Republicans in this year’s midterms.
He repeated his claim that former FBI Director James Comey is “guilty of crimes.”
An agitated the rich asshole attacked Comey as “a liar and a leaker,” and said he’s “guilty” for leaking classified information in memos he wrote after meetings with the president.
He acknowledged that he stayed overnight during the infamous 2013 Moscow trip.
“Of course I stayed there. I stayed there a very short period of time, but of course I stayed,” he said.
The trip matches the unconfirmed “dossier” of salacious, unconfirmed allegations about the rich asshole, including the claim he hired prostitutes and asked them to urinate on a hotel bed while in Moscow for the 2013 Miss Universe pageant. Russians allegedly recorded the episode, now known as “the pee tape” and the “golden showers” incident, to use as blackmail.
the rich asshole on Thursday went on to claim that Comey “lied” when the then-FBI director wrote in a memo that the rich asshole told him that he didn’t stay on the trip overnight.
He resumed his attacks on the FBI and Department of Justice.
the rich asshole sounded enraged, at times yelling, when talking about special counsel Robert Mueller’s probe into his campaign’s ties to Russia. He said he’s staying out of Mueller’s investigation, but might intervene “at some point.”
“I have decided that I won’t be involved. I may change my mind at some point, because what’s going on is a disgrace,” he said.
He also took swipes at his FBI and Justice Department. “You look at the corruption at the top of the FBI, it’s a disgrace,” he said. “And our Justice Department ― which I try and stay away from, but at some point I won’t ― our Justice Department should be looking at that kind of stuff, not the nonsense of collusion with Russia. There is no collusion with me, and everyone knows it.”
You’ll never guess what grade he gives his presidency.
“I would give myself an A+,” the rich asshole said, claiming that he has defied many obstacles, chiefly the “phony cloud” and “witch hunt” of Mueller’s Russia investigation.
Hayley Miller contributed reporting.
This article has been updated to note that the rich asshole’s interview became a factor in a court hearing involving Cohen later Thursday.
the rich asshole on Cohen: 'Nothing to do with me'
BY JORDAN FABIAN - 04/26/18 08:28 AM EDT
President the rich asshole on Thursday distanced himself from his longtime personal attorney, Michael Cohen, saying a federal criminal investigation is focused on Cohen’s business dealings and not his work for the president.
“This has nothing to do with me,” the rich asshole said during a telephone interview on “Fox & Friends,” a show he frequently watches. “I’m not involved and I’ve been told I’m not involved.”
the rich asshole, however, admitted Cohen worked on his behalf to reach a nondisclosure agreement with adult film actress Stormy Daniels, who says she had sex with the rich asshole in 2006. The White House has repeatedly denied the president slept with Daniels.
Cohen paid Daniels $130,000 just before the 2016 presidential election as part of the agreement, a payment of which the rich asshole previously said he had no knowledge.
“Like with this crazy Stormy Daniels deal, he represented me and you know, from what I see, he did absolutely nothing wrong. There were no campaign funds going into this,” the rich asshole said.
Daniels’ attorney, Michael Avenatti, said on MSNBC that the rich asshole’s comments are “hugely damaging” because they appear to reveal that the president had some knowledge of the payment.
“No,” the rich asshole told reporters earlier this month when asked if he knew about the payment, adding that “I don’t know” the source of the money.
The Daniels payment is said to be under investigation by federal prosecutors in New York, who are looking at a wide range of Cohen’s business activities.
The FBI raided Cohen’s office, hotel room, house and safe deposit box on April 9 and agents reportedly seized reams of documents related to Cohen’s work for the rich asshole.
But the rich asshole insisted that his legal exposure is not large as many people believe.
“Michael is a businessman, he’s got a business, he also practices law,” the rich asshole said. “They're looking at something having to do with his business. I have nothing to do with his business.”
The president said he has many lawyers and that Cohen handled just a “tiny, tiny little fraction” of his legal work.
Cohen has argued in federal court that documents seized in the FBI raid related to his work for the president should be protected by attorney-client privilege, a claim that could be undercut by the rich asshole’s comments.
Federal prosecutors in New York filed paperwork shortly after the rich asshole’s interview citing his statements as evidence “the seized materials are unlikely to contain voluminous privileged documents.”
While the rich asshole tried to distance himself from Cohen, some of his allies believe the probe poses great legal risks for the rich asshole.
He has employed Cohen as a lawyer and fixer for more than a decade, making him privy to many details about the president’s past.
Cohen also worked as an executive at the the rich asshole Organization on business deals, some of which have come under scrutiny in the Russia investigation.
the rich asshole spoke after Cohen said he would invoke his Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination in a lawsuit involving Daniels, something the president once said only the “mob” does.
Asked why Cohen would plead the Fifth, the rich asshole said he was likely trying to protect his businesses interests and acting on the advice of his attorneys.
the rich asshole snapped at a reporter earlier this week who asked whether he would consider pardoning Cohen, calling it a “stupid question.”
‘Everything you just said was wrong’: Morning Joe torches the rich asshole’s ‘unhinged’ Fox & Friends rant
Morning Joe hosts Mika Brzezinski,, Joe Scarborough -- screenshot
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The panel on MSNBC’s “Morning Joe” broke into their regularly scheduled discussion on the chaos of the White House to watch clips from President some rich asshole’s call into “Fox & Friends” on Thursday morning, with host Joe Scarborough declaring the rich asshole is now officially “unhinged.”
the rich asshole’s rant — which leaped from subject to subject where he attacked his own Justice Department, his personal attorney Michael Cohen, Democrats and basically everyone outside the White House — contained more than a few questionable assertions which caused Scarborough to bluntly tell the president, “Everything you just said was wrong.”
Specifically, Scarborough pushed back at the rich asshole for attacking former FBI director James Comey’s assertion in a memo about the president’s sleepover in Russia.
“Those memos were about me and they are phony,” the rich asshole excitedly exclaimed. “He didn’t write them accurately. For instance, I went to Russia for a day or so, a day or two, because I own the Miss Universe pageant. I went there to watch it because it was near Moscow, so I go to Russia — everybody knows the planes are there. He said I didn’t stay there, of course I stayed there. I stayed there a very short period of time but of course I stayed — the memo says I left immediately.”
“Everything you just said was wrong,” a stunned Scarborough stated. “Everything some rich asshole just said there was wrong. He claimed he didn’t spend the night. It wasn’t Comey claiming he didn’t spend the night.”
“Comey said he seemed guilty because he kept saying over and over again, he didn’t spend the night,” Scarborough continued before passing sentence on the rich asshole.
“The president is unhinged. You can hear it, he’s unhinged. He keeps contradicting himself,” Scarborough said. “He’s talking about documents being classified that nobody said were classified at the time that Comey let them out — nobody.”
“It’s wonderful, but can you imagine nobody is there grabbing the phone from him?” co-host Mika Brzezinski quipped.
“I don’t want anyone grabbing the phone from him,” Michael Avenatti, the attorney for adult star Stormy Daniels interjected. “I want him to appear every morning on Fox & Friends. Please, mister president, keep going on.”
Watch the video below via MSNBC:
It took two hours for the rich asshole’s Fox & Friends interview to be used against him in federal court
That was fast.
Just hours after President the rich asshole completed a disastrous, rambling interview on Fox & Friends, his words are already being used against him in a legal filing submitted to the court by the federal government.
The United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York submitted a letterto the federal judge which quotes the rich asshole’s Fox & Friends interview, noting that it supports their position. The government specifically cited the rich asshole’s assertion that Cohen handled a “tiny, tiny little fraction” of his overall legal work.
The process could help determine what documents are ultimately available to investigators, as well as the pace of the investigation. The court will consider the issue at a high stakes conference at noon on Thursday. the rich asshole’s lawyers are scheduled to appear in federal court to resolve matters pertaining to the procedures that will be employed to review documents and other materials seized on April 9 from Michael Cohen, the rich asshole’s longtime personal attorney and “fixer.” the rich asshole’s lawyers argue that the president should be given extraordinary and extensive access to the materials to screen for those protected by attorney-client privilege.
The government, in turn, has argued that Cohen does little to no work as a lawyer, so any attorney-client privilege issues are de minimus. They are asking for as efficient as process as possible so they can continue with their investigation. On Thursday morning, the government suggested the appointment of a Special Master (an independent third party with experience identifying attorney-client materials) who could sort through the documents with the help of special software.
US attorney pounces on the rich asshole’s incriminating Fox interview confession
By Oliver Willis April 26, 2018
A U.S. attorney immediately cited the rich asshole's unhinged rambling from this morning's Fox News interview in a legal filing.
the rich asshole’s unhinged Fox News interview immediately blew up in his face, putting him in further legal jeopardy.
Almost as soon as the rich asshole’s interview with Fox News was over, U.S. Attorney Robert Khuzami addressed the rich asshole’s ramblings in a letter to the federal judge overseeing the fallout from the FBI raid on the rich asshole fixer Michael Cohen’s offices.
Khuzami noted that the rich asshole damaged his claim that the documents recently seized are protected by attorney-client privilege, and he used the rich asshole’s own words to do it.
Khuzami wrote, “[Cohen client], President the rich asshole, reportedly said on cable television this morning that Cohen performs ‘a tiny, tiny little fraction’ of his overall legal work.” Khuzami explained this suggests “that the seized materials are unlikely to contain voluminous privileged documents.”
the rich asshole’s ally and cheerleader, Fox News host Sean Hannity, also appears in the letter. Like the rich asshole, Hannity hired Cohen as an attorney, and the U.S. Attorney cites Hannity’s public statement that Cohen “has never represented me in any matter” as a reason why the seized documents are not privileged.
The fast-acting U.S. attorney clearly understands that in many ways, the rich asshole’s incompetence is his worst enemy.
While lawyers defending the rich asshole and Cohen have argued that the documents seized in the Cohen raids should be off limits due because of attorney-client privilege between the rich asshole and Cohen, his early morning Fox News tirade is now being cited as evidence that contradicts that claim.
As we all know now, Cohen arranged the hush-money payments to porn star Stormy Daniels that buried the story of her affair with the rich asshole before the election. the rich asshole is clearly concerned that Cohen is primed to flip on him and could reveal his secrets to investigators.
the rich asshole has made overtly public offering of pardons to his inner circle currently under legal pressure, but seems to believe that these men may nonetheless crack. After all, many of them have first-hand experience with the rich asshole’s long history of reneging on promises.
There was a long and involved relationship between Cohen and the rich asshole. So it makes sense that the rich asshole is worried the world will discover some of his most intimate secrets from the documents seized in the raid, and he’s hoping they’ll stay hidden.
But his public ranting is making the case against his tenuous claim of privilege, and the U.S. attorney’s office smells blood in the water.
Attorney Michael Avenatti hints $1.6 million abortion payout was for the rich asshole — not GOP donor
Michael Avenatti (MSNBC)
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The lawyer for porn actress Stormy Daniels suggested that a $1.6 million hush money payoff to a Playboy model was actually made on behalf of President some rich asshole — and not a Republican donor.
Attorney Michael Avenatti appeared Thursday on MSNBC’s “Morning Joe,” where he gave a wide-ranging interview on the lawsuit against the president and a related criminal investigation of the rich asshole’s personal lawyer Michael Cohen — and he said reporting on the case had missed an important detail.
“So, Mika, you are familiar with the fact that a week ago, Judge (Kimba) Wood ordered Michael Cohen’s attorneys to disclose all of his clients for the last three years,” Avenatti said, “and there were three clients listed — three clients listed. Do you recall which three?”
Brzezinski listed the rich asshole, Fox News host Sean Hannity and Republican donor Elliott Broidy — but Avenatti said she was making the same mistake everyone else had.
“No, no, no,” he said. “some rich asshole, the the rich asshole organization and Sean Hannity. Mr. Broidy was not disclosed in open court as one of Michael Cohen’s clients.”
Co-host Joe Scarborough asked the attorney what that meant
“I think at some point we are going to find out, if in fact, the client in connection with the ($1.6 million) settlement was, in fact, Mr. Broidy. I’m going to leave it at that.”
Avenatti wouldn’t say it, but the implication seems clear.
Cohen negotiated a $1.6 million hush money payment to a Playboy model who became pregnant during an affair and then had an abortion.
News reports had identified Broidy as the client who agreed to pay the woman in installments over two years if she agreed to remain silent about the relationship — but Avenatti said Cohen’s lawyers ruled him out in open court.
That would leave the rich asshole, or possibly Hannity, as the likely clients who arranged the payment.
Broidy resigned earlier this month as deputy finance chairman of the Republican National Committee after the payments were reported.
the rich asshole admits Mike Pompeo ‘wasn’t supposed to meet with Kim Jong Un’
President the rich asshole might not have a handle on how his future Secretary of State will operate.
In a Thursday morning tirade on Fox & Friends, President some rich asshole revealed that his future Secretary of State (pending Senate confirmation) met with North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un when he wasn’t supposed to.
Here’s what the rich asshole has to say about the visit that raised eyebrows, given that at the time, Pompeo was not yet even confirmed by the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, and is still director of the CIA:
“Mike Pompeo did go there. He wasn’t supposed to meet with Kim Jong-Un, but he did. He, you know, they arranged actually while he was there to say hello. We have incredible pictures of the two talking and meeting which I would love to release if we can, actually. It’s not a bad idea.”
Possibly with the exception of National Security Advisor John Bolton — who is dead-set against diplomatic talks with North Korea over the country’s nuclear and ballistic missiles program — no one thinks that meeting with Kim is a bad idea.
But a secret meeting by a man who is not yet a diplomat could have gone horribly wrong. Pompeo has repeatedly said that North Korea is a “handful of months” away from being able to strike the United States with a nuclear bomb, despite warnings from experts that overstating the threat could prompt the U.S. and North Korea to “stumble into a nuclear war.”
the rich asshole defended his strategy with North Korea on Thursday thusly: “Look it was very, very nasty, with little ‘Rocket man’ and with the buttons and with the button — my button’s bigger– ” he said, quoting his own insults to Kim.
“Everybody said ‘this guy is going to get us into let me tell you the nuclear war’ — let me tell you, nuclear war would have happened if you had weak people. We had weak people,” added the president, failing to note that nuclear war with North Korea had, in fact, thus far been avoided by all preceding administrations.
Despite saying that Pompeo and Kim had “a great meeting” the rich asshole then re-upped his attack on Chuck Todd, host of NBC’s Meet The Press, for saying that the rich asshole was “giving up so much” to North Korea (Todd said that the U.S. had not set many preconditions to a potential meeting and the North Koreans “have gotten a lot” so far, and that he saw some “red flags” in the process thus far.).
“I watched sleepy-eyes chuck Todd the other day, why is the president giving up so much and North Korea is giving up nothing?” said President the rich asshole, repeating a nickname for Todd some see as anti-Semitic.
“I said, wait a minute, just the opposite. I haven’t given up anything. I haven’t talked about it. I haven’t given up anything. They give up denuclearization, testing research. They will close different sites. I’m saying to myself, wait a minute, all these things he is given up, we haven’t really that much asked him but we would have asked him but they gave it up before I ask,” said the rich asshole.
Of course, the United States has repeatedly asked North Korea to give up its nuclear weapons program, which has lead to decades of sanctions and acrimony.
The president also doesn’t seem to want to admit that negotiation works by each party giving something up to get something in return. In other words, he would have to give something up.
the rich asshole admits Cohen represented him in ‘crazy Stormy Daniels deal’
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the rich asshole just shot himself in the other foot.
the rich asshole’s efforts to deny any knowledge or involvement in paying off porn star Stormy Daniels blew up Thursday morning when he blurted out an admission that his lawyer “represented” him in the matter.
During an unhinged marathon interview with “Fox & Friends,” the rich asshole tried to distance himself from embattled attorney Michael Cohen, whose own attorney has just announced he will plead the fifth in a civil suit.
“How much of your legal work was handled by Michael Cohen?” co-host Steve Doocy asked the rich asshole.
“Well, as a percentage of my overall legal work, a tiny, tiny little fraction,” the rich asshole said. “But Michael would represent me, and represent me on some things. He represents me like with this crazy Story Daniels deal, he represented me.”
Cohen has admitted to paying porn star Stormy Daniels $130,000 as part of a non-disclosure agreement, which Daniels says is not binding because the rich asshole didn’t sign it. The actress detailed her sexual affair with the rich asshole in a widely seen “60 Minutes” interview last month.
Several weeks ago, the rich asshole denied knowing about the payoff when questioned aboard Air Force One. Cohen has previously insisted that he acted on his own.
“Neither the the rich asshole Organization nor the the rich asshole campaign was a party to the transaction,” he said in February. He has said he used his own money to “facilitate” the payment to Daniels, and Cohen’s own attorney suggested he acted to protect the rich asshole, as his longtime “fixer,” without the rich asshole’s knowledge.
“Because he’s that close to him, he had great latitude to handle these matters,” Cohen’s attorney, David Schwartz, said in a CNN interview in March.
But given the rich asshole’s casual statement on Thursday, that might not be true. the rich asshole’s stunning admission may be of interest to special counsel Robert Mueller, who is reportedly investigating the rich asshole’s history of such payments to women.
The lie will certainly be of interest to Daniels’ attorney Michael Avenatti, who has been threatening a defamation suit against the rich asshole.
Ever since Cohen’s office was raided by the FBI, people have been wondering if Cohen would “flip” on the rich asshole. But it looks like a few minutes of friendly questioning on “Fox & Friends” was all it took to get the rich asshole to flip on himself.
the rich asshole just gave a batsh*t crazy Fox News interview — here are the 6 most bonkers moments
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President some rich asshole on Thursday called in to “Fox & Friends” for an interview — and things went completely off the rails right from the beginning.
During the interview, the rich asshole spent most of the time angrily ranting about people who have treated him unfairly while also making potentially damning admissions that could harm his own attorney, Michael Cohen.
Below are the six most bonkers moments of the rich asshole’s interview with “Fox & Friends.”
1.) the rich asshole said he decided to call into Fox News as a gift to first lady Melania the rich asshole for her birthday. When asked by Fox hosts if he gave Melania anything else besides doing a Fox interview to celebrate her birthday, the rich asshole replied that he “didn’t get her so much… I got her a beautiful card.”
2.) the rich asshole ranted about Senate Democrats obstructing his nominees after Ronny Jackson, his pick to be secretary of Veterans Affairs, withdrew his name. the rich asshole said that Jackson, who has been accused by multiple people of drinking on the job and fostering a toxic work environment, had an “unblemished record.” He also said that “top of the line people” were “leaving their jobs” to come work for his administration, but fumed that Democrats were throwing up roadblocks to their confirmations.
3.) the rich asshole admits he stayed overnight in Moscow during the 2013 Miss Universe pageant. Former FBI Director James Comey alleged in his contemporaneous memos that the rich asshole told him allegations involving him and Russian prostitutes couldn’t possibly be true because he didn’t stay overnight in Moscow during his trip there in 2013. the rich asshole fumed that “of course I stayed in Russia overnight” — although he again denied that there was any collusion between his campaign and the Russian government
4.) the rich asshole throws his own lawyer, Michael Cohen, under the bus. In the most stunning part of the interview, the rich asshole said that most of Cohen’s work isn’t as an attorney, but as a private businessman. the rich asshole also said he had “nothing” to do with Cohen’s private business interests and claimed that Cohen only performs a “tiny little fraction” of the legal work done on his behalf. These statements could potentially undermine Cohen’s claims that all documents seized in an FBI raid on his office should not be admissible evidence because they fall under attorney-client privilege.
5.) Even Fox News host Brian Kilmeade tells the rich asshole to not watch so much cable news. During a long rant about the “unfair” treatment he receives in the mainstream press, Kilmeade interjected and said, “I’m not your doctor, Mr. President, but I would recommend you watch less of them.” “I don’t watch them at all!” the rich asshole replied, before going into detail about a CNN show that he watched on Wednesday night.
6.) the rich asshole went on a nonsensical rant about the Department of Justice being against him. the rich asshole fumed that the DOJ was not investigating the alleged crimes of his political enemies, which prompted host Steve Doocy to tell him that “It’s your Justice Department!” the rich asshole said that he does not want to get involved with the DOJ because of the Mueller “witch hunt” that’s being conducted against him. He then complained about the Mueller probe.
“I have a phony cloud over my head that doesn’t exist!” the president complained.
Watch the full interview below:
Journalist Sarah Kendzior goes on Morning Joe and calls out Joe and Mika for helping to fuel the rich asshole’s rise
Sarah Kendzior (MSNBC)
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Sarah Kendzior explained to MSNBC’s “Morning Joe” why President some rich asshole had exploited institutional weaknesses to set up a corrupt authoritarian government.
The journalist appeared Thursday morning to promote her new book of essays, “The View From Flyover Country,” which collects her observations on how the recession ravaged communities and undermined civic institutions.
“I think those structural conditions set the template for the rich asshole,” Kendzior said. “I also have a PhD in anthropology, where I study authoritarian regimes, especially kleptocracies like Uzbekistan, where the president uses his position to enhance personal wealth.”
She then made what could be seen as a subtle jab at co-hosts Joe Scarborough and Mika Brzezinski, who frequently allowed the rich asshole to call in phone interviews during the early days of his presidential campaign.
“Kind of combine all of that in an infotainment complex where the media was boosting the rich asshole for ratings, trying to use that to enhance their own wealth, you end up with a situation that’s both bad but predictable,” Kendzior said.
Brzezinski agreed, saying that Kendzior had “nailed it,” and Scarborough asked her to describe how economic inequality and access to education had contributed to the rich asshole’s victory
“That’s been going on for a long time,” Kendzior said. “You’ve seen opportunity hoarding by elites, you see a pay to play system where people are expected to do unpaid labor, get expensive degrees and they’re locked out of the most powerful industries. You see industries like politics or media, with people who aren’t particularly talented or qualified, but have the connections and the network and the wealth in order to get their way in, and that leads to a really damaged discourse for the American public.”
Scarborough agreed that institutional breakdowns contributed to the rich asshole’s election win, and Kendzior said the media should be held accountable.
“That doesn’t completely explain or certainly excuse his rise,” Kendzior said. “I think when somebody like the rich asshole launches his campaign on hatred, when he launches it on targeting Mexicans on day one and going on to denigrate these groups, going on to lie, going on to embrace explicitly corrupt policies, people have an obligation to speak out. The media does, the GOP does. We still have that obligation today.”
Brzezinski said she and her co-host had a special insight into the rich asshole’s rise, although she didn’t seem to accept any blame for giving the long-shot candidate a platform.
“When you look at — especially with your expertise, but also this book, we understand — Joe and I, we understand on this set how he was elected, why he was elected, even thought he could be elected, which people didn’t understand,” Brzezinski said.
Kendzior, however, hadn’t forgotten the free airtime the MSNBC hosts gave the rich asshole before turning on him.
“Sure you do,” Kendzior said.
POLITICS
the rich asshole Says He Did Stay Overnight In Moscow, Claims James Comey Lied In Memo
Flight records uncovered this week show the rich asshole’s plane was in Moscow for more than 24 hours the weekend of a Miss Universe pageant.
President some rich asshole acknowledged to Fox News on Thursday that he did stay overnight in Moscow during a 2013 trip tied to the Miss Universe pageant.
“I went to Russia for a day or so, a day or two,” the rich asshole said.
“Of course I stayed there. I stayed there a very short period of time, but of course I stayed,” he added.
the rich asshole claimed former FBI Director James Comey lied in a memo noting that the president had told him he never stayed overnight in Moscow.
Flight records uncovered by Bloomberg this week show the rich asshole’s plane was in Moscow for more than 24 hours during the weekend of the pageant. Thomas Roberts, the host of the pageant that year, told The Daily Beast he could confirm the rich asshole was in Moscow overnight, having seen him both the day before and the day of the Miss Universe broadcast.
The trip was mentioned in a dossier, parts of which remain unconfirmed, compiled by former British intelligence agent Christopher Steele.
Steele’s dossier cites claims the rich asshole hired prostitutes while staying at the Moscow Ritz-Carlton in 2013, asking them to urinate on the bed in the hotel’s presidential suite. The document also suggests the Russians may have proof of this encounter they could potentially use as blackmail.
the rich asshole denies the encounter ever occurred. Comey has said the rich asshole discussed the claims with him at length, on multiple occasions, while he was FBI director.
the rich asshole fired Comey in May 2017.
This article has been updated.
CORRECTION: A previous version of this story misattributed a quote from James Comey to President some rich asshole.
Fox News smacks the rich asshole’s DOJ attacks: ‘It’s your Justice Department!’
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Even 'Fox & Friends' hosts don't buy the rich asshole's spin.
Phoning into his favorite Fox News show, “Fox & Friends,” on Thursday morning for a long, rambling interview where he played his greatest hits (“No collusion!” “Witch hunt!”), the rich asshole actually got called out — briefly — by co-host Steve Doocy while complaining about the state of his Justice Department.
Whining again about former FBI Director James Comeny and how dark forces were supposedly aligned against him and working to bring him down, the rich asshole lashed out, “If we had a Justice Department that was doing its job…..”
But even Doocy had to point out that it made little sense for the rich asshole to complain about the DOJ since, y’know, the rich asshole currently runs the DOJ.
“It’s your Department of Justice!” Doocy stressed. “Mr President, you’re the Republican in charge — you’ve got a Republican running it!”
the rich asshole then comically claimed that while the Justice Department answers to him, he’s remained completely hands-off while his presidency remains under investigation.
Instead, of course, the rich asshole constantly rails on Twitter about his attorney general, Jeff Sessions, and makes obvious threats against officials.
The Thursday morning exchange was telling in terms of highlighting how removed from reality the rich asshole has become and how heavily he leans on conspiracy theories. It’s to the point where he’s condemning his own administration for allegedly plotting against him.
Even for Fox News hosts, that makes no sense.
Note that the rich asshole hasn’t sat down with an actual journalist for a one-on-one interview since May 2017, when the rich asshole blurted out to NBC’s Lester Holt that he fired Comey because of the ongoing Russia investigation. (the rich asshole’s phone-in to Fox News still doesn’t count as a legitimate interview.)
Comey’s firing then prompted the naming of special counsel Robert Mueller.
Ever since then, the rich asshole has both hid from the press and conflated wild claims about rogue forces within law enforcement trying to take him down.
As the Fox interviewed dragged on Thursday, the rich asshole was still lamenting, “I’m very disappointed in my Justice Department.”
President the rich asshole made two significant legal errors during a Fox & Friends phone interview on Thursday morning, during which he became audibly agitated about Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation — at one point yelling about FBI raids on his former campaign chairman, Paul Manafort, and his personal attorney, Michael Cohen.
First, the rich asshole claimed that Cohen — his longtime personal lawyer and fixer — only represented him in “a tiny, tiny little fraction” of his overall legal work.
“Michael is in business — he’s really a businessman, a fairly big business as I understand it, I don’t know his business but this doesn’t have to do with me,” the rich asshole said, attempting to distance himself from Cohen. “Michael is a businessman. He’s got a business, he also practices law. I would say probably the big thing is his business, and they’re looking at something to do with his business. This doesn’t have to do with me. I have many attorneys — sadly, I have so many attorneys you wouldn’t even believe it.”
the rich asshole’s comments come a day after a lawyer representing him told a federal judge that the rich asshole himself “is ready to help recommend what materials seized from his personal attorney that relate to him should be withheld from federal investigators because of attorney-client privilege,” according to the Associated Press.
The day after the raid on his longtime personal attorney, the rich asshole suggested that it shouldn’t even have happened because of attorney-client privilege.
But the rich asshole’s claim that Cohen only deals with “a tiny, tiny little fraction” of his legal work will likely complicate his lawyers’ efforts to shield seized documents from federal investigators in prosecutors.
Separately, Cohen told the judge he will invoke his Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination in response to a civil lawsuit brought by Stormy Daniels, an adult film actress who says she had an affair with the rich asshole and is trying to nullify a $130,000 payment she received for for her silence just days before the 2016 election.
the rich asshole acknowledged during the Fox & Friends interview that Cohen did represent him during his dealings with Daniels. the rich asshole recently claimed he had no knowledge of the payment at the time.
“Michael would represent me and represent me on some things,” the rich asshole said. “He represented me like with this crazy Stormy Daniels deal, he represented me. He represented me and you know, from what I see he did absolutely nothing wrong.”
But Cohen’s story about the secret Daniels hush payment — which may have been illegal if it was meant to help the rich asshole’s campaign — is that he made it from his personal funds, without the rich asshole being looped in at all. the rich asshole’s acknowledgement that Cohen “represented me” in the “crazy Stormy Daniels deal” undermines the repeated public claims of his own lawyer.
At another point, the rich asshole accused former FBI director James Comey of lying in memos he wrote about his interactions of the rich asshole before he was fired. In them, Comey claims that the rich asshole repeatedly told him he didn’t spend a single night in Moscow during his November 2013 trip there — a claim that if true, would represent an alibi for a salacious claim in an intelligence dossier about Russia having evidence that the rich asshole engaged in sex acts with Russian sex workers during that trip.
“Those memos were about me and they’re phony memos, the rich asshole said on Fox & Friends. “He didn’t write those memos accurately, he put a lot of phony stuff — for instance, I went to Russia for a day or so, a day or two, because I own the Miss Universe pageant. So, I went there to watch it because it was near Moscow. So I go to Russia. Now, everybody knows — the logs are there, the planes are there — he said, I didn’t stay there a night. Of course I stayed there. I stayed there a very short period of time, but of course I stayed. Well his memo said I left immediately — I never said that. I never said I left immediately.”
the rich asshole was clearly agitated throughout the interview. After his ill-considered comments about Cohen, Fox & Friends hosts quickly steered him to talking about his bromance with Kanye West. But by the end of the interview, the conversation drifted back to Mueller and the rich asshole’s frustrations with the ongoing investigation into himself and his campaign became clear once again.
“You look at the corruption at the top of the FBI — it’s a disgrace,” the rich asshole said. “And our Justice Department, which I try and stay away from, but at some point, I won’t — our Justice Department should be looking at that kind of stuff, not the nonsense of collusion with Russia. There is no collusion with me and Russia, and everybody knows it.”
the rich asshole appeared to want to continue talking but the Fox News hosts, seemingly sensing he was doing himself no favors, cut him off and ended the interview.
the rich asshole goes on epic whine on ‘Fox & Friends’ after his VA secretary pick goes down in flames
President some rich asshole addresses violence in Charlottesville -- screengrab
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President some rich asshole on Thursday went on a long, whiny rant on “Fox & Friends” after being asked about the withdrawal of his nominee for the secretary of Veterans Affairs.
When asked about VA secretary pick Ronny Jackson withdrawing his name from consideration, the rich asshole angrily lashed out at Senate Democrats for allegedly obstructing all his nominees.
Among other things, the rich asshole complained that “top of the line people” in the United States were “giving up their jobs” to come work for him, only to run into roadblocks by Senate Democrats.
Later in the interview, the rich asshole seemed to throw his own lawyer Michael Cohen under the bus by distancing himself from his private business practices. the rich asshole acknowledged that Cohen served as his attorney on some occasions but said his primary means of making money was through his own businesses.
“I have nothing to do with his business,” the rich asshole said, although he insisted that he didn’t believe Cohen didn’t do anything wrong. the rich asshole also said that he had multiple lawyers working for him and that Cohen only performed a “tiny fraction” of the legal work done on his behalf.
When asked by Fox hosts why Cohen pleaded the fifth if he wasn’t guilty of any crimes, the rich asshole blamed Cohen’s lawyers
“He’s got other things, he’s got businesses,” he said. “His lawyers probably told him to do that. I’ve been told I’m not involved.”
Additionally, the rich asshole also attacked former FBI Director James Comey once again and accused him of breaking the law.
“He is guilty of crimes!” the rich asshole fumed.
the rich asshole also claimed that Comey lied in his memos when he said the rich asshole told him that he never stayed overnight in Russia during his trip to Moscow in the 2013 Miss Universe pageant.
“Of course I stayed in Russia overnight!” the rich asshole said.
Watch the rich asshole talk about Cohen’s situation on “Fox & Friends” below.
the rich asshole VA pick withdraws nomination
BY JORDAN FABIAN AND NATHANIEL WEIXEL - 04/26/18 07:55 AM EDT
Navy Adm. Ronny Jackson on Thursday withdrew as President the rich asshole's nominee to lead the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) amid mounting accusations of misconduct that raised new questions about the president’s personnel decisions.
In a lengthy statement, Jackson called the allegations "false and fabricated," but said he pulled out to allow the rich asshole to move forward with a new nominee.
"Unfortunately, because of how Washington works, these false allegations have become a distraction for this president and the important issue we must be addressing — how we give the best care to our nation’s heroes," he said.
Jackson, the head White House physician, said he “did not expect to have to dignify baseless and anonymous attacks on my character and integrity.”
The decision caps off more than three days of controversy surrounding Jackson that virtually ended any chance he would be confirmed by the Senate as VA secretary.
The Navy doctor’s nomination was already in trouble when Senate Democrats on Wednesday released a new batch of allegations, including that he provided a “large supply” of opioid painkillers to a White House military staffer and wrecked a government vehicle after getting drunk at a Secret Service going-away party.
Republican and Democratic lawmakers had previously expressed concern over Jackson’s lack of experience leading a large organization and his views on whether to privatize veterans health-care services.
The VA is the second-largest Cabinet agency, employing roughly 360,000 people. Jackson manages a staff of 70 at the White House Medical Unit.
the rich asshole called into the “Fox & Friends” morning show shortly after Jackson dropped out to praise him as a "highly respected" doctor who “runs a fantastic operation” at the White House.
The president blamed Democrats for sinking his nomination, even though many Republicans also wanted Jackson to withdraw.
“These are false accusations," the rich asshole said. "They’re trying to destroy a man. I did say, ‘Welcome to Washington. Welcome to the swamp.’"
The president also threatened political retaliation against the top Democrat on the Senate Veterans' Affairs Committee, Jon Tester (D-Mont.), for releasing the accusations against Jackson. Tester faces reelection in November.
"Jon Tester, I think this is going to cause him a lot of problems in his state," he said. "I think Jon Tester has to have a big price to pay in Montana.”
the rich asshole said he has a replacement in mind for Jackson, but declined to say who it is. He said his next nominee has more political experience than the former combat physician.
The White House said Jackson will continue to work at the White House Medical Unit, but it's not clear whether he will still serve as the president's lead physician.
"Admiral Jackson is a doctor in the United States Navy assigned to the White House and is here at work today," press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said.
Jackson is just the latest the rich asshole nominee whose confirmation was derailed by problems with their background.
The president’s original pick to lead the Labor Department withdrew amid allegations of spousal abuse and that he employed an undocumented immigrant as a housekeeper.
the rich asshole’s first nominee for drug czar pulled out last fall after it was revealed he helped author a bill that made it harder for federal law enforcement to go after opioid manufacturers.
Critics say such issues would have been uncovered earlier with a more stringent vetting process.
“It is really frustrating to me that this administration continues to not vet or sloppily send over a nominee that leaves us to really vet them and look at serious questions,” said Sen. Patty Murray (D-Wash.).
the rich asshole last month announced on Twitter he had selected Jackson before his own communications staff was informed, according to news reports. Many lawmakers complained they knew little about Jackson's views on veterans issues, including privatizing health care.
Jackson heaped praise on the rich asshole's health during a January news conference, declaring the president has "incredible genes" and joking that he could live to be 200 years old if he improved his diet. The remarks are said to have endeared Jackson to the rich asshole and played a role in his selection to lead the VA.
Jackson’s nomination became imperiled earlier this week when the Senate Veterans Affairs' Committee indefinitely postponed his confirmation hearing.
Tester and the committee's chairman, Johnny Isakson (R-Ga.), jointly announced the postponement and sent a letter to the administration asking for “any and all communications” between the White House and Defense Department related to “allegations” about Jackson from 2006 to the present.
Isakson in a statement thanked Jackson for his service and said he will "work with the administration to see to it that we get a VA secretary for our veterans and their families."
Staffers on the committee were looking into charges that Jackson created a "hostile work environment" and that he engaged in "excessive drinking on the job [and] improperly dispensing meds.”
The White House had defended Jackson against the allegations, which were detailed in a report released by Tester on Wednesday. Tester said the accusations came from 23 different current and former colleagues of Jackson, many of whom are still in the military.
Jackson has served as the White House physician to the president, a position he also held for both President Obama and President George W. Bush. The White House pointed to praise from Obama in defending Jackson.
Jackson allegedly wrote himself prescriptions, handed out drugs without prescriptions and kept a “private stock” of medication.
In addition to allegedly wrecking the car, the report said Jackson on another occasion "could not be reached when needed because he was passed out drunk in his hotel room."
Following the release of the memo, Jackson denied that he ever wrecked a car and insisted his nomination would proceed as planned.
the rich asshole on Tuesday had questioned why Jackson would want to go forward with the nomination and take “abuse” from politicians, comments that opened the door for the 50-year-old doctor to withdraw.
“It’s totally his decision, he’ll be making a decision,” the rich asshole said this week.
Updated at 9:41 a.m.
Homeland chief warns immigrant caravan: ‘We will enforce the immigration laws’
BY MAX GREENWOOD - 04/26/18 07:45 AM EDT
Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen on Wednesday warned that the federal government is prepared to prosecute Central American migrants from a caravan planning to cross the U.S. border this weekend.
Nielsen said in a statement that the Homeland Security Department is monitoring the caravan's movements, and "is doing everything within our authorities to secure our borders and enforce the law."
"Let me be clear: We will enforce the immigration laws as set forth by Congress," she said.
"If you enter our country illegally, you have broken the law and will be referred for prosecution. If you make a false immigration claim, you have broken the law and will be referred for prosecution. If you assist or coach an individual in making a false immigration claim, you have broken the law and will be referred for prosecution."
Nielsen urged the migrants not to carry on into the U.S., saying that they should seek protection in the first country they entered since leaving their homes, including in Mexico.
Nielsen's comments came as the caravan of migrants arrived at the U.S.-Mexico border.
The first batch of asylum seekers are expected to try to enter the U.S. at a border crossing near San Diego on Sunday, The Associated Press reported. The group is mostly women and children.
President the rich asshole has railed against the caravan in recent weeks. He tweeted on Monday that he had instructed the Homeland Security Department to repel migrants attempting to cross the border.
"Despite the Democrat inspired laws on Sanctuary Cities and the Border being so bad and one sided, I have instructed the Secretary of Homeland Security not to let these large Caravans of people into our Country. It is a disgrace," he tweeted. "We are the only Country in the World so naive
the rich asshole VA pick Jackson withdraws from consideration after drinking and personal conduct accusations
FILE PHOTO: U.S. President some rich asshole's nominee to be U.S. Secretary of Veterans Affairs, Navy Rear Adm. Ronny Jackson, meets with Senator Jon Tester (D-MT) at his office on Capitol Hill in Washington, U.S., April 17, 2018. REUTERS/Joshua Roberts
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President some rich asshole’s pick to head up the Veterans Administration has withdrawn his name for consideration after he was deluged with accusations of drinking, abusive conduct towards subordinates and over-prescribing medications, reports CNN.
According to sources — and a detailed list of accusations released by Democrats — Jackson provided such “a large supply” of Percocet to a White House Military Office staff member that it threw his own medical staff “into a panic” when he couldn’t account for the drug, and reportedly “wrecked a government vehicle” while driving drunk after a Secret Service going away party.
Jackson had been scheduled to testify before the Senate panel on Wednesday, but that the session was postponed after allegations were levied against Jackson early in the week.
The White House had been buffeted with accusations that Jackson had not been properly vetted before the rich asshole proposed his personal doctor to take over the embattled agency.
POLITICS
Ronny Jackson Withdraws Name From VA Secretary Consideration
The Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee has been investigating allegations about the physician’s work performance and conduct.
Ronny Jackson, President some rich asshole’s physician and nominee for Veterans Affairs secretary, has withdrawn his name from consideration.
Jackson’s withdrawal comes amid a Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee investigation into allegations that the White House doctor created “a hostile work environment,” including “excessive drinking on the job” and “improperly dispensing meds.”
In a statement released Thursday, Jackson called the media coverage surrounding the allegations “a distraction.”
BREAKING: President Trump's pick to lead the VA, Dr. Ronny Jackson, withdraws his nomination. nbcnews.to/2I2wPrJ
Senators on the committee announced Tuesday that they were postponing Jackson’s confirmation hearings in light of the concerns over his qualifications and conduct. The president stood by his nominee but hinted Jackson should possibly consider withdrawing his name.
In light of Jackson’s withdrawal Thursday, the rich asshole claimed on “Fox & Friends” that Democrats are obstructing his nominees.
the rich asshole, bragging that he won Montana by a large margin, directly attacked Montana Sen. Jon Tester, the top Democrat on the committee, threatening electoral consequences. “I think Jon Tester has to have a big price to pay in Montana.”
the rich asshole again praised Jackson, claiming that Tester was trying to demean Jackson. “These are all false accusations,” the rich asshole said. “They are trying to destroy a man.”
Asked about the issue during a joint news conference with French President Emmanuel Macron Tuesday, the rich asshole said he hadn’t “heard of the particular allegations” against his nominee. He also praised Jackson as “one of the finest people that I have met” and “a great doctor.”
the rich asshole, however, appeared to suggest that Jackson might drop out, noting that it was ultimately the doctor’s decision.
“He has to listen to the abuse,” the president said. “I wouldn’t do it. What does he need it for? To be abused by a bunch of politicians.”
the rich asshole nominated Jackson to lead the Department of Veterans Affairs in March after the White House announced that David Shulkin would no longer be in the post.
Jackson, a rear admiral in the Navy, has served under three different presidents, as a White House physician since 2006 and physician to the president since 2013. He found himself in the spotlight in January when he delivered a media briefing on the rich asshole’s medical checkup, saying he found the president to be “in excellent health.”
the rich asshole touted Jackson as “highly trained and qualified” in announcing the doctor’s nomination for VA secretary. But critics worried Jackson lacked the managerial experience necessary to lead the sprawling department ― a place known for bureaucratic mismanagement.
VoteVets, a progressive organization representing veterans, said at the time of Jackson’s nomination that it was troubled by the lack of information about his ability to lead.
“Other than a total lack of awareness of where he stands on any issue, we are also concerned that he has never managed an agency like the VA,” Will Fischer, VoteVets’ director of government relations, said in a statement. “Now is not the time for people who need training wheels.”
‘Somebody’s on drugs’: Ex-ethics attorney blasts White House’s dismal failure to vet VA pick Jackson
Bush-era chief White House ethics lawyer Richard Painter (Photo: Screen capture)
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With the possibility that White House doctor Ronny Jackson may withdraw his name for consideration to head up the embattled Veterans Administration, ex-White House ethics attorney Richard Painter lambasted the administration for its apparent failure to vet the doctor who has been battered with questions about his drinking and drug dispensing practices.
Speaking with CNN ‘s Don Lemon, Painter was unsparing in his criticism of the White House and whomever is responsible helping the president pick a suitable candidate.
“As an ethics person, how can the White House honestly say Dr. Jackson has undergone all his vetting?” Lemon suggested in reference to reports that Jackson crashed a car while driving drunk, abused female staffers and over prescribed drugs.
“I thought the White House hadn’t done a good vetting job at all, ” Painter replied. “They hadn’t bother to find out what is going on in his personal background. If the White House had the slightest idea what they were doing, they would have known all of this before the nomination was made.”
“Well it’s the same person who probably vetted Rob Porter, the guy who was accused of beating his wives,” Painter continued. “This White House doesn’t know what’s going when it comes to vetting any more than they do financial conflicts of interest. I don’t know whether somebody’s on drugs or whether somebody just doesn’t care.”
You can watch the video below:
the rich asshole’s VA pick withdraws amid allegations of misconduct
some rich asshole's White House may have missed a lot in its vetting process.
Ronny Jackson, some rich asshole’s personal White House physician and his nominee to be the next Secretary of Veterans Affairs, withdrew his name from consideration on Thursday morning.
According to documents from the Democratic members of the Senate Veterans’ Affairs, active and retired service members had accused Jackon of drinking on the job, created a toxic work environment, and inappropriately issuing prescriptions.
In a statement announcing his withdrawal, Jackson denied the claims against him. “I did not expect to have to dignify baseless and anonymous attacks,” he wrote.
some rich asshole, who had sent conflicting signals about whether Jackson should proceed, called into Fox & Friends soon after the announcement and complained that “an incredible man, respected by President Obama [and] President Bush” had been mistreated by the Senate confirmation process with “false accusations,” as there is “no proof of this.” In a meandering statement, the rich asshole also praised Jackson’s son, who he said is a “wonderful boy” who is a cadet at the U.S. Naval Academy.
the rich asshole also threatened a “big price to pay” for Sen. Jon Tester (D-MT), the top Democrat on the committee.
Asked about Ronny Jackson, Trump doesn't address allegations against him, but characterizes fact that cabinet appointees are vetted by the Senate as "a disgrace."
"The Democrats are obstructionists. It is horrible what they're doing." pic.twitter.com/DHqRuvWCiK
Trump says that all of the misconduct allegations against Ronny Jackson are false.
"These are all false accusations. These are false. They are trying to destroy a man.... there's no proof of this. His son is a wonderful boy." pic.twitter.com/sgbte3UCov
Senators on both sides of the aisle have expressed frustration with the White House’s insufficient vetting prior to the rich asshole’s announcement of Jackson.
the rich asshole, who fired his first Secretary of Veterans Affairs last month, has struggled to keep his promises to reform the troubled Department of Veterans Affairs.
POLITICS
New Documents Show Pompeo Failed To Disclose Additional Business Ties To China
The secretary of state nominee continued to deny his foreign entanglements in response to a question submitted by a senator.
CIA Director Mike Pompeo, President some rich asshole’s pick for secretary of state, came under fire earlier this month for failing to disclose business ties to two companies controlled by the Chinese government.
Now new documents reviewed by HuffPost show that Pompeo’s links to foreign-owned oil and gas companies are even more extensive than was previously reported. But, despite the evidence, Pompeo continues to deny his foreign entanglements, according to a Senate source who asked to remain anonymous to talk to HuffPost about proceedings that haven’t been made public yet.
Republicans expect to bring Pompeo’s nomination up for a vote before the full Senate this week. Several Democrats have signaled they intend to support him, making it likely he will be confirmed.
But his failure to be forthright about his business ties to a foreign-owned company has raised questions about how he will perform as the nation’s top diplomat, especially in the midst of an escalating trade conflict between the US and China.
“Director Pompeo either was somehow unaware he was doing business with a Chinese government-controlled company, or he knew and decided to hide that fact from Congress,” Sen. Ron Wyden, a Democrat on the intelligence committee, said after the initial reports that Pompeo had failed to disclose foreign ties. “Neither option is acceptable for a man who would be responsible for our nation’s most sensitive diplomatic matters.”
Pompeo omitted any mention of the Chinese companies on a mandatory questionnaire he filled out last year before his Senate confirmation to head the CIA. Asked if he had “received any compensation from, or been involved in any business transaction with a foreign government or any entity controlled by a foreign government” in the past 10 years, Pompeo wrote, “No.”
But earlier this month, McClatchy reported his Kansas company’s ties to Sinopec – an oil and gas giant that is majority-owned by the China Petrochemical Corporation. Documents seen by HuffPost Wednesday show that Sentry International, a Kansas company where Pompeo served as president, imported products from two subsidiaries of the state-owned oil company China National Petroleum Corporation. The transactions – for a total of 12 shipments of oil and gas equipment – occurred as late as 2007 and 2009, when Pompeo was still serving as Sentry’s president. That brings Pompeo’s total undisclosed relationships with foreign firms to four.
After McClatchy’s initial news report, Sen. Bob Menendez, a member of the Senate foreign relations committee, vowed to ask Pompeo about the omission. On Wednesday, HuffPost learned that Pompeo stood by his answers to the questionnaire in response to a written question Menendez sent Pompeo after the committee hearing.
“Do you stand by the statement you made in your [questionnaire] that for the previous 10 years you had not been involved in any financial or business transactions with any entity controlled by a foreign government?” Menendez asked.
“Yes,” Pompeo wrote.
The CIA did not immediately respond to HuffPost’s inquiry. In response to the report by McClatchy, a CIA spokesman said: “Mr. Pompeo was president of an American company in Kansas that sold products made in many different countries, Canada and China to name just two. In fact, the paper clips the company used were from Taiwan. He would have no reason to know details on the layers of companies that may or may not have had ownership interests in each overseas company that supplied products to his Kansas company.”
Pompeo submitted a new questionnaire to the Senate as part of his nomination to be secretary of state; the Senate Foreign Relations Committee has not made his answers public.
Senators at Pompeo’s Foreign Relations Committee hearings were split over the significance of his omission.
Sen. Richard Burr (R-N.C.), chair of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, thought the omissions were inconsequential. He “didn’t disclose that he had purchased a pump that resold from a Chinese company,” Burr told McClatchy. “That’s like when you buy a pair of shoes at K-Mart.”
On Tuesday, the committee narrowly recommended Pompeo be confirmed after Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) reversed his earlier opposition.
Pompeo served as the president of Sentry International from 2006 to 2010. The Kansas-based company and its subsidiaries sold and purchased oil and gas equipment around the world, including some equipment manufactured in China.
Among its manufacturers, was DQE International, which sent nine shipments, including pumping units, to Sentry as recently as 2009. A Securities and Exchange Commission filing disclosed that as of 2010 DQE International was owned by CNPC Daqing Petroleum, a subsidiary of the state-owned China National Petroleum Corp.
Another Sentry supplier was the China Petroleum Technology & Development Corp. The company, which sent Sentry three shipments of pumping units as late as 2007, discloses on its website that it is also a China National Petroleum Corp. subsidiary.
Records of Sentry’s suppliers were obtained from Panjiva, a global supply-chain monitoring firm.
In his testimony before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Pompeo signaled his willingness to be confrontational with China.
“Even while America has reestablished a position of strength in our diplomatic relationship, China continues its concerted and coordinated effort to compete with the United States in diplomatic, military and economic terms,” he said. “For years, through IP theft and coercive technology transfer, China has exploited weak U.S. trade policy and leeched wealth and secrets from our economy. Militarily, it continues its provocation in the South and East China Seas, in cyberspace and even in outer space. This administration is determined to work diplomatically with the Chinese government in an effort to develop a more productive bilateral partnership.”
the rich asshole lawyer Rudy Giuliani: Comey is ‘an absolute embarrassment to the FBI’
Rudy Giuliani
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some rich asshole’s newest lawyer—former New York mayor Rudy Giuliani—on Wednesday called James Comey “an absolute embarrassment to the FBI” in an interview with New Hampshire’s WMUR Political Director Adam Sexton.
Giuliani was discussing Comey’s appearance at a CNN town hall with Anderson Cooper.
“I think it will be liar’s poker tonight. It’ll be a guy who has forgotten how to tell the truth,” Giuliani said. “He is an absolute embarrassment to the FBI.”
Giuliani, a former top Justice Department official, also defended the president against special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation.
“First of all, (the rich asshole is) innocent. There isn’t a person in the world who thinks he’s guilty of collusion with the Russians,” Guiliani said.
“I can guarantee you this: When Mueller is finished, no matter whatever he does, he’s not going to have a stitch of evidence that he colluded with the Russians,” he added. “Now, that’s a disgrace. The case should be over.”
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April 25, 2018
Attorney General Jeff Sessions refused to say whether he'd resign — or do anything at all — if the rich asshole fires special counsel Robert Mueller or Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein.
Attorney General Jeff Sessions refused to say on Wednesday what he would do if the rich asshole fires Deputy AG Rod Rosenstein or attempts to remove special counsel Robert Mueller.
Sessions’ remarks, which came during a hearing of the Senate Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies, indicate that he is backing down from an ultimatum he reportedly issued the White House recently, when he threatened to resign in protest if the rich asshole fires Rosenstein.
Rosenstein is overseeing Mueller’s investigation since Sessions recused himself from the Russia probe, meaning that he is the only person in the Justice Department with the power to directly fire Mueller and disband the special counsel’s investigation.
Despite reaffirming his support for Rosenstein on Wednesday and telling the Senate subcommittee that he has “confidence” in his deputy AG, Sessions refused to answer when asked whether he would resign if the rich asshole “improperly fired” either Rosenstein or Mueller.
“That calls for a speculative answer,” he told ranking committee member Patrick Leahy (D-VT). “I just am not able to do that.”
Sessions’ unwillingness to uphold the ultimatum he reportedly issued the White House calls into question whether his resignation threat may have actually been a self-serving PR stunt aimed at bolstering public perceptions of his integrity, rather than a genuine warning motivated by his convictions.
After all, someone leaked the story about his reported ultimatum to the press, leading some to believe that Sessions was standing up to the rich asshole’s lawlessness. Yet, when asked to publicly commit to it, he refused.
As Leahy pointed out, Sessions’ refusal to say what — if anything — he would do if faced with the firing of Rosenstein or Mueller is particularly troubling in light of the rich asshole’s ongoing attempts to undermine the Russia investigation and discredit those in charge of it, including Rosenstein.
“You’re at the helm of a Justice Department under siege,” Leahy said. “We’re in total agreement and care deeply about the integrity of the Justice Department. I worry that the walls intended to protect the integrity of the department … are at the risk of crumbling.”
Still, Sessions would not commit to standing up to the rich asshole and defending the integrity of the Justice Department.
During the same hearing on Wednesday, Sessions also refused to say whether the rich asshole or anyone else in the White House has mentioned the possibility of issuing a pardon to the rich asshole’s personal attorney and fixer, Michael Cohen.
However, in response to questions about the rich asshole’s pardons of former Dick Cheney aide Scooter Libby and former Maricopa County sheriff Joe Arpaio, Sessions defended the rich asshole’s right to pardon anyone he chooses — even if he does so without consulting the Office of the Pardon Attorney at the Justice Department.
When asked if it would be an abuse of power for the rich asshole to pardon someone without approval from the pardon attorney, Sessions said, “It’s clearly not.”
That, too, seems like an answer that requires speculation — but this time, Sessions didn’t hesitate to jump in with his response.
POLITICS
Michael Cohen To Plead The Fifth Amendment In Stormy Daniels Suit
“If you’re innocent, why are you taking the Fifth Amendment?” the president said two years ago of his political opponents.
President some rich asshole’s personal lawyer Michael Cohen filed court papers Wednesday indicating his plan to exercise his Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination should he be called to testify in the lawsuit Stephanie Clifford, known as porn star Stormy Daniels, filed against the president.
Clifford is suing the president over the validity of a nondisclosure agreement she signed just before the 2016 presidential election that barred her from discussing a consensual affair she said she had with the rich asshole in 2006. Cohen, long known as the president’s “fixer,” also issued a payment of $130,000 to Clifford that she called “hush money.”
Cohen’s declaration states that in light of the FBI’s raid on his home, office and hotel room earlier this month, his counsel has advised him to invoke his Fifth Amendment rights should he be called to testify in Clifford’s lawsuit.
The FBI reportedly seized records relating to Cohen’s payment to Daniels.
JUST IN: Michael Cohen formally states that he will assert his 5th Amendment rights against self-incrimination in Stormy Daniels' civil case in California due to the ongoing criminal investigation against him in New York. documentcloud.org/documents/4447…
Clifford’s lawyer, Michael Avenatti, called Cohen’s decision “stunning” in a statement posted to Twitter.
“Never before in our nation’s history has the attorney for the sitting President invoked the 5th Amend in connection with issues surrounding the President,” Avenatti tweeted. He also shared a Washington Post article from last year quoting the rich asshole’s previous statements on invoking the Fifth Amendment.
“The mob takes the Fifth,” the rich asshole said at an Iowa campaign rally in September 2016. “If you’re innocent, why are you taking the Fifth Amendment?”
This is a stunning development. Never before in our nation’s history has the attorney for the sitting President invoked the 5th Amend in connection with issues surrounding the President. It is esp. stunning seeing as MC served as the “fixer” for Mr. Trump for over 10 yrs. #basta
At this moment, I think it is critically important that we remember this: washingtonpost.com/news/the-fix/w…
BY ALEXANDER BOLTON - 04/25/18 08:50 PM EDT
Ronny Jackson, President the rich asshole’s controversial pick to head the Department of Veterans Affairs, met with a key Republican senator Wednesday evening to save his sinking nomination.
Jackson met with Sen. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.), a member of the Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee, which has jurisdiction over his nomination, hours after Democrats released an explosive memo detailing allegations against Jackson ranging from drunkenness to improper handling of prescription drugs.
Tillis, one of the rich asshole’s stronger allies in the Senate GOP conference, met with Jackson after regular business hours in one of the Capitol’s upstairs hideaways to sort through the allegations.
“He’s giving me more information so I can get down to the facts,” Tillis said as he emerged from the meeting. “The problem that we have is we’ve got allegations. We’ve got to pin every one of them down and that’s the purpose of the meeting.”
Jackson, who was swarmed by reporters and television cameramen as he made his way to a vehicle waiting outside the Capitol, declined to respond to questions about whether he thought the allegations were unfair.
Hours earlier, Senate Democrats released a list of 20 specific allegations that have been leveled against Jackson by current and former colleagues of Jackson, who serves as chief physician to President the rich asshole and held the same position to President Obama.
These sources allege that Jackson received the nickname of “Candyman” from White House staff because he would freely dole out prescription drugs without the proper paperwork.
They claim he wrote out prescriptions to himself and would prescribe drugs when other doctors wouldn’t.
The document also alleges that Jackson once gave such a large supply of Percocet — an addictive painkiller — to a White House Military Office staffer that it caused a brief panic within the White House Medical Unit over missing pills.
It claims he had a private stock of controlled substances.
These anonymous sources who have been in touch with the Veterans’ Affairs panel also say that Jackson was involved in “multiple incidents of drunkenness on duty” and got drunk at a Secret Service going away party and wrecked a government vehicle.
Several Republican senators on Wednesday told The Hill on condition of anonymity that it might be best for Jackson to withdraw his same.
“He’s totally unqualified,” said one Republican senator who expressed disbelief that the rich asshole picked his personal physician, who now oversees a staff of 70, to head the federal government’s second-largest agency.
GOP strategy of going all-in on racism is no longer winning elections
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If Republicans think they'll win in November by using racist rhetoric to attack Democrats, three recent elections suggest quite the opposite.
The GOP’s tax scam bill was supposed to buoy their midterm election cycle. But that hasn’t happened. And panicked Republicans are shifting their emphasis toward racist, inflammatory rhetoric about immigrants to try to motivate their base.
But that strategy isn’t working, either.
It didn’t work in the governor’s race in Virginia last November. It didn’t work in the March special election in Pennsylvania’s 18th Congressional District. And it didn’t work in a New York State Assembly race on Tuesday on Long Island.
In all three cases, Republicans lost winnable races after touting ugly claims about immigrants and gang violence.
The New York defeat was especially stunning because that seat had been in Republican hands for 40 years. But on Tuesday, Democrat Steve Stern won, and he won easily.
What did Stern have to overcome during the closing weeks of the campaign? Ugly attacks from the local Republican Party, which sent out mailers saying that, because of his policies, “illegal immigration and MS-13 gangs exploded.”
“Our schools have become unsafe. Our communities are in danger,” the mailer read.
That seemed to follow the rich asshole’s lead. He’s previously, and erroneously, claimed that Long Island had become some sort of MS-13 breeding ground. And he insisted that his administration had helped free the community from violence.
“We’ve gone into towns in Long Island where we’ve taken MS-13 and we’ve actually liberated towns,” the rich asshole claimed earlier this month.
In truth, crime on Long Island has been falling for years, which might have explained the voter disconnect on Tuesday.
Again and again, Republicans are failing with this immigrant-bashing strategy.
“In Virginia and more recently in Pennsylvania, state-level GOP officials and the National Republican Congressional Committee stopped running on tax cuts — an issue Republicans believed they could bet on to deliver them wins in the midterm elections later this year — and started back on hammering on cultural issues,” Vox recently noted.
During last November’s gubernatorial race in Virginia, Republican Ed Gillespie’s campaign was rife with appeals to bigotry and anti-immigrant sentiment.
His campaign was not “just a dog whistle to the intolerant, racially resentful parts of the Republican base” but “a mating call,” noted the Washington Post. Gillespie flooded the airwaves with fear-mongering ads “embracing President the rich asshole’s inflammatory political tone and tenor with an advertising campaign that equated illegal immigrants with gang violence.”
Like Stern on Long Island, Gillespie lost badly in a race that was supposed to be extremely close. And so did Republican Rick Saccone in the Pennsylvania special election, where the GOP was forced to ditch its tax scam pitch and where the rich asshole’s endorsement hurt rather than helped the ticket. In that race, Republicans also attacked Democrat Conor Lamb as being soft on crime, but that scheme felt flat, too.
If the tax bill doesn’t work, and immigrant bashing does work, what’s the GOP’s Plan C for November? Not even Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell knows the answer to that one.
BY ALEXANDER BOLTON - 04/25/18 08:22 PM EDT
Senate Republicans are hoping that President the rich asshole’s pick to head the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) withdraws his name and spares them a messy confirmation fight.
While some GOP lawmakers are characterizing the allegations of improper conduct against Navy Rear Adm. Ronny Jackson as “cheap shots,” they have serious concerns about his lack of management experience.
“He’s totally unqualified,” said one Republican senator who expressed disbelief that the rich asshole picked his personal physician, who now oversees a staff of 70, to head the federal government’s second-largest agency.
The lawmaker expressed hope that Jackson would pull out, or that a few GOP colleagues would publicly announce their opposition, making it clear the nominee can’t win a confirmation vote.
Republican senators say they aren’t eager to spill blood defending a nominee against a barrage of allegations of unprofessional conduct when they already have serious questions about his ability to manage a vast and complicated federal bureaucracy.
The Department of Veterans Affairs has 360,000 employees and a $186 billion budget.
Poor treatment of military veterans has been a potent issue in past campaigns, and one that the rich asshole talked about extensively during his run for the presidency in 2016.
GOP lawmakers are concerned that brushing aside complaints from nearly two dozen current and former colleagues of Jackson’s could come back to bite them, especially if performance at Veterans Affairs fails to improve.
So far, most Republican lawmakers are waiting to see what their colleagues on the Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee conclude about Jackson’s fitness before passing their own judgment on the nominee.
But the early signals that Republicans on the panel are sending to the rest of the GOP conference are not positive.
“A few members of the committee have shown great reluctance,” said a second Republican senator, who requested anonymity to discuss Jackson’s prospects frankly.
A third Republican senator raised doubts about Jackson’s credentials.
“He’s really going to have to demonstrate that he has the managerial experience to take this on,” said the lawmaker.
“I don’t know what’s going to happen,” the lawmaker added, expressing hope that colleagues “figure it out quickly.”
“VA is huge and it has been troubled for years. They need a real manager,” the lawmaker added.
Sen. Jon Tester (D-Mont.), the ranking member of the Veterans’ Affairs Committee, released a detailed memo on Wednesday of allegations against Jackson that his panel has heard from 23 of the nominee’s current and former colleagues.
The complaints allege Jackson, who has served as physician to the president under the rich asshole and former Presidents Obama and George W. Bush, routinely handed out prescription medication without the proper paperwork, earning the name “Candyman” from White House staff.
They also accuse him of seeming drunk while on duty, wrecking a government vehicle while drunk and exhibiting an “explosive” temper in the workplace.
Jackson is also alleged to have kept a personal stash of controlled substances.
He is said to have once provided a large supply of Percocet — an addictive painkiller — to a White House staffer, prompting a panic over missing pills within the White House Medical Unit.
Jackson on Wednesday denied that he crashed a car and said his nomination is “moving ahead as planned.”
“I never wrecked a car," Jackson told reporters at the White House, adding that he has "no idea where that is coming from."
the rich asshole on Tuesday indicated that he was ready to drop support from Jackson, telling reporters at a press conference that he didn’t want to put “one of the finest people I have met” through the wrenching process of having to defend his reputation during a hostile Senate confirmation process.
“What does he need it for?” the rich asshole asked.
But then the rich asshole shifted course after meeting with Jackson later in the day, and White House officials started mounting a vigorous defense of his nomination.
White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders defended Jackson’s record on Wednesday as “impeccable” and declared he “has received more vetting than most nominees.”
Sanders said four separate background checks did not raise any problems.
Faced with intensifying attacks on the nominee from Democrats, some Republicans are stepping up their defense of Jackson.
Senate Majority Whip John Cornyn (R-Texas) argued that Jackson’s alleged practice of handing out the sleep aid Ambien and the stimulant Provigil to help White House staff regulate their sleep cycles during overseas trips isn’t a big deal.
“On overseas travel, people take Ambien to help them transition through time zones,” Cornyn told reporters. “It’s pretty common, I’m led to believe.”
Even so, Cornyn warned that GOP leaders might not have enough votes to confirm Jackson, admitting there is “some uncertainty” about his prospects.
GOP Conference Chairman Sen. John Thune (R-S.D.) told reporters on Tuesday that Jackson’s nomination didn’t appear to be ready for Senate scrutiny.
Sen. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.), a member of the Veterans’ Affairs panel, has warned that Jackson’s nomination would be a “vetting mess” if the allegations are true.
Jackson met with Tillis on Wednesday.
He met with another key member of the committee, Sen. Jerry Moran (R-Kan.), on Tuesday to deny the allegations against him.
Right now the nomination is in limbo.
Sen. Johnny Isakson (R-Ga.), the chairman of the Veterans’ Affairs panel and the head of the inquiry into the Jackson allegations, has indefinitely postponed his confirmation hearing, which was supposed to take place Wednesday.
Isakson said he has not yet decided on when to reschedule it.
Most Republican members of the committee met with Jackson last week before the allegations of improper behavior became public.
Sen. Dean Heller (Nev.), the chamber’s most vulnerable incumbent Republican and a member of the committee, said in a statement Tuesday morning he would have “significant concerns” about Jackson’s ability to lead the VA if the allegations turned out to be true.
the rich asshole thanks Kanye for praising him, still silent on Waffle House hero
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the rich asshole hasn't offered a word of praise for James Shaw Jr., a hero who put his life on the line to protect others. But he did find time to tweet at Kanye West — twice.
the rich asshole has thus far adamantly refused to acknowledge the heroism of James Shaw Jr., the man who saved lives in a mass shooting. But he managed to find the time to reach out to Kanye West multiple times on Twitter.
Shaw saved the lives of multiple people Sunday morning when he wrestled an AR-15 away from a gunman at a Tennessee Waffle House. Four people died, but countless more could have had Shaw not literally grabbed the weapon from the gunman’s hands.
Shaw, who is black, has been widely and rightly praised as a hero. But none of that praise has come from the rich asshole.
But the rich asshole did find the time to praise West, an entertainer, who recently said nice things about the rich asshole. Kanye tweeted that he and the rich asshole are both “dragon energy,” adding, “He is my brother. I love everyone.”
Even though West made it clear he does not agree with everything the rich asshole does, the rich asshole nonetheless responded on Twitter with, “Thank you Kanye, very cool!”
Shaw has raised more than $148,000 for the families of the victims of the shooting at the Waffle House, as well as funding for medical bills of those who were injured.
“Please take the time to donate as all of the proceeds will be given to the families,” Shaw wrote. “Thank you again for your generosity and blessings!”
the rich asshole did not praise this action as “very cool,” or even acknowledge the gesture. But once again, he did take time to acknowledge West on Twitter. West posted a photo of a red “Make America Great Again” hat signed by the rich asshole, which the rich asshole retweeted saying, “MAGA.”
Other elected leaders decided that ignoring a hero is not a classy way to act.
On Tuesday, lawmakers in the Tennessee state capitol gave Shaw a standing ovation for his bravery. “You were confronted with the most unspeakable evil imaginable and you acted with the utmost honor, heroism, imaginable,” state Rep. Jason Powell told Shaw. “And I want to say, James Shaw Jr., you are my hero and you are Tennessee’s hero.”
the rich asshole had plenty of opportunities to praise Shaw. He had press availabilities with visiting French president Emmanuel Macron. Or he could have used Twitter, the same way he communicated with West.
In his 26 tweets since the shooting, the rich asshole found time to attack the Mueller investigation (twice), attack Democrats (three times), and reach out to Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau about the horrific terrorist attack in Toronto. Plus the aforementioned two tweets to West.
But he did not find time to thank a heroic black man who saved the lives of fellow Americans. His shameful silence is heard loud and clear.
Allegations against Dr. Ronny Jackson are mounting, despite White House assurances of a thorough vet
All signs point to another vetting failure by this administration
During Wednesday’s White House press briefing, Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders assured the media that Dr. Ronny Jackson, the White House physician and President the rich asshole’s pick to lead the Department of Veterans Affairs, was properly vetted by the administration before he was chosen.
Jackson has come under intense scrutiny over the past few days after it was revealed he had been accused of drinking on the job and creating a toxic work environment for his employees.
The White House claims they found no evidence of these accusations during Jackson’s background check.
“I’m telling you that none of those things have come up in the four separate background investigations that have taken place,” Sanders told reporters. “There’s been no area of concern that was raised for Dr. Jackson specifically.”
.@Acosta and Sanders spar over whether the Trump administration has championed the free press. (spoiler alert: they haven't) pic.twitter.com/KEVN53MCMX
Sanders is unable to say what the White House did to vet Ronny Jackson beyond a background check. (There is an inspector general report detailing his alleged misconduct that the administration apparently did not see.) pic.twitter.com/mOT5D77rB8
The New York Times, however, detailed just how damning the accusations against Jackson are.
The Times obtained a two-page summary of Jackson’s missteps, compiled by the Democratic staff of the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee.
In it, Jackson was described by former staff as being “the most unethical person I have ever worked with,” and as having “screaming tantrums” and “screaming fits.”
Multiple individuals on Jackson’s staff nicknamed him the “Candyman,” according to the report, because of his willingness to provide White House staff with whatever medication they wanted without a prescription.
The summary also addresses Jackson’s relationship with alcohol.
“Multiple instances of drunkenness on duty were described to Committee staff,” the report states. “Several of these incidents involve overseas travel.”
“At a going away party, Jackson got drunk and wrecked a government vehicle.”
Jackson has since denied the allegation he crashed a government vehicle, and has expressed his intention to move forward with his nomination.
This is not the first time the White House has improperly “vetted” an administration appointee. The rich asshole team reportedly conducted a full background check on former national security adviser Michael Flynn, yet somehow failed to uncover the fact he may have broken federal law by receiving money from Russia and Turkey without disclosing it. Matthew Petersen, one of the rich asshole’s recent nominees to the federal judiciary, openly struggled with simple questions about basic legal procedure during his confirmation hearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee. Another candidate, Brett Talley, did not disclose the fact that he is married to a White House lawyer, and received a rare “not qualified” rating from the American Bar Association, which handles vets for judicial nominees. some rich asshole nominated him anyway.
Cohen to plead the Fifth in Stormy Daniels lawsuit
BY JACQUELINE THOMSEN - 04/25/18 06:27 PM EDT
President the rich asshole’s personal lawyer, Michael Cohen, plans to assert his Fifth Amendment rights in the lawsuit filed against him by adult-film star Stormy Daniels.
“Based on the advice of counsel, I will assert my 5th amendment rights in connection with all proceeding in this case due to the ongoing criminal investigation by the FBI and U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York,” Cohen said in a court filing Wednesday.
Cohen said the FBI raids earlier this month on his residence, office and hotel room — and the ongoing criminal probe they represent — are behind the decision not to offer testimony in the California lawsuit.
Daniels, whose real name is Stephanie Clifford, is suing Cohen for defamation for suggesting that she lied about an alleged affair with the rich asshole.
Cohen paid Daniels $130,000 as part of a nondisclosure agreement made just weeks before the 2016 presidential election. Cohen says the money was his own and he was never reimbursed.
Daniels has sued the rich asshole over the agreement, claiming it is void because the rich asshole never signed it. She later amended the lawsuit to include the defamation charges against Cohen, and has threatened through her representation to sue the rich asshole for defamation as well.
In a Wednesday tweet, Michael Avenatti, Daniels's attorney, called Cohen's latest court filing "a stunning development."
This is a stunning development. Never before in our nation’s history has the attorney for the sitting President invoked the 5th Amend in connection with issues surrounding the President. It is esp. stunning seeing as MC served as the “fixer” for Mr. Trump for over 10 yrs. #basta
Meanwhile, Cohen and the rich asshole’s lawyers are currently locked in a legal battle with the Justice Department over the items seized during the FBI raid.
Attorneys for both men are urging the judge in the case to appoint a so-called special master, or a neutral third party, to examine the materials and determine what is covered by attorney-client privilege and can’t be viewed by prosecutors.
The Justice Department has pushed back against the request, saying they have a "taint team" in place that could conduct the same review.
The Justice Department has pushed back against the request, saying they have a "taint team" in place that could conduct the same review.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York is investigating Cohen in part based on a referral from special counsel Robert Mueller, who is leading the investigation into Russia's election interference.
— Updated at 7:03 p.m.
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