the rich asshole biographer says ‘matador’ Mueller is expertly baiting ‘the rich asshole the bull’ with his questions
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Michael D’Antonio, the the rich asshole biographer who authored “Never Enough: some rich asshole and the Pursuit of Success,” has written a piece for CNN in which he claims that special counsel Robert Mueller has the rich asshole right where he wants him, as evidenced by the leaked questions that he allegedly wants to ask the president.
“Like a matador waving a red cape, someone is torturing President some rich asshole by leaking the questions that could be posed to him by special counsel Robert Mueller,” D’Antonio begins.
D’Antonio goes on to speculate that someone on the rich asshole’s team leaked the questions as a way to get the rich asshole’s attention and show him just how serious the Mueller probe into Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election is for the president.
But if that was the strategy, writes D’Antonio, then it will likely backfire spectacularly.
“The trouble with this shock-and-awe tactic is that President the rich asshole is not a sober-minded man,” he explains. “He is so impetuous, grandiose, and most importantly convinced of his own superiority that he is unlikely to be scared straight.”
In fact, D’Antonio believes that the leaking of the questions will only make it more likely that the rich asshole will put himself in further legal jeopardy by more brazenly attacking the probe.
“If one of the President’s lawyers or aides released the questions hoping something good will come of it, disappointment is sure to follow,” he concludes. “The questions are the red cape. the rich asshole is the bull.”
Attorney Michael Avenatti just nailed the rich asshole on the truth behind the man that threatened Stormy Daniels
Stormy Daniels attorney Michael Avenatti (Photo: Screen capture)
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In a Tuesday interview with CNN’s Alisyn Camerota, Stormy Daniels’ attorney Michael Avenatti walked through the logic that President some rich asshole’s defense is profoundly flawed.
On April 18, the president tweeted a response to a composite sketch of the man that Daniels said threatened her in a gym parking lot.
“A sketch years later about a nonexistent man,” the rich asshole tweeted. “A total con job, playing the Fake News Media for Fools (but they know it)!”
A sketch years later about a nonexistent man. A total con job, playing the Fake News Media for Fools (but they know it)! twitter.com/shennafoxmusic…
That tweet might be the source of a defamation suit, but it also proves something sketchy is going on, according to Avenatti.
“What’s interesting, Alisyn, is, if he didn’t have anything to do with Stormy Daniels and he didn’t know about anything that happened in 2011 or anything about the agreement, which is the nonsense they’re trying to sell the American public, then how would he know whether there was a nonexistent man or not?” Avenatti asked.
He also noted that the rich asshole doesn’t have to say Daniels’ name for it to be considered defamation.
“He doesn’t have to mention her by name in order for it to constitute defamation under the law,” Avenatti also said of their suit against the rich asshole. “It’s clear as who he was referring to. It was clear he was referring to the lease of the sketch and his claim that this was a nonexistent man.”
Watch the full interview below:
Robert Mueller’s former assistant explains how grammar errors prove ‘leaked questions’ came from the rich asshole
Michael Zeldin, CNN legal analyst and former assistant to Robert Mueller (Photo: Screen capture)
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A former special assistant to Robert Mueller doesn’t believe for a second that the “leaked questions” came from the special counsel or that those are the questions he’ll ask.
It was revealed Monday that there are 40 questions that Mueller will allegedly ask President some rich asshole about the ongoing investigations. The New York Times reported that someone outside of the rich asshole’s legal team leaked the questions. However, Michael Zeldin, who now works as a legal analyst for CNN, told “New Day” that he doesn’t believe these questions came actually from Mueller.
“We have, this morning, been calling these questions that Mueller propounded, but I don’t believe that that’s actually what these are,” he began. “I think these are notes taken by the recipients of a conversation with Mueller’s office where he outlined broad topics and these guys wrote down questions that they thought these topics may raise.”
He explained that the way the questions are written make it pretty obvious.
“Because of the way these questions are written,” Zeldin explained his methodology. “Lawyers wouldn’t write questions this way, in my estimation. Some of the grammar is not even proper. So, I don’t see this as a list of written questions that Mueller’s office gave to the president. I think these are more notes that the White House has taken and then they have expanded upon the conversation to write out these as questions.”
He agreed with fellow legal analyst Jeffrey Toobin that the questions seemed introductory in nature and that they indicate the investigation won’t end any time soon.
Watch the full analysis below:
MSNBC’s Rachel Maddow slams White House for typo that brought the US to the ‘brink of war’
MSNBC anchor Rachel Maddow.
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The White House created an uproar Monday night with an official statement from press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders, but it tried to tamp down the backlash later in the evening when it said the entire controversy was the result of a typo.
The issue began when the White House released a statement concerning Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s Monday presentation, which claimed that Iran had conducted and preserved more extensive research on nuclear weapons before it signed the so-called “Iran Deal” with the United States.
Citing the evidence Israel obtained, the White House said in a written statement, “Iran has a robust, clandestine nuclear weapons program that it has tried and failed to hide from the world and from its own people.”
As MSNBC’s Rachel Maddow noted, that statement went far beyond the evidence Netanyahu presented, and it echoed President George W. Bush’s false claims that Saddam Hussein had weapons of mass destruction before the Iraq War. She noted that such a bold declaration of Iran’s nuclear capabilities would be very close to a declaration of war on Iran.
But later the evening, the White House changed the statement as it appears on the White House website, replacing the word “has” with “had,” reflecting the fact that Iran does not now appear to have a nuclear weapons program. The White House did not, however, send out an official correction to the journalists who receive the statements by email or formally acknowledge that a mistake had been made.
Maddow noted that a White House official called the mistake a “clerical error.”
“Boy howdy, is that one ‘robust’ clerical error!” Maddow said.
Watch the clip below:
the rich asshole is privately fuming over Georgia Republican who screwed up his VA nomination process
President some rich asshole speaking to cabinet about FBI raid (Photo: some rich asshole/Twitter)
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Despite a very public feud against Sen. Jon Tester (D-MT), President some rich asshole is privately fuming over Republican Sen. Johnny Isakson (R-GA) and his involvement in the downfall of the president’s nomination to the Veterans Administration, The Daily Beast reported Tuesday.
The Senate Veterans Affairs Committee as a whole obtained the information that led to the downfall of White House physician Dr. Ronny Jackson, who the rich asshole nominated to replace his fired predecessor David Shulkin.
Tester went on CNN to talk about Jackson handing out so many drugs to staff he became known as “The Candy Man,” which is problematic in light of addiction rate for veterans, and Tester is the only lawmaker who has drawn the ire of the president.
At a speech in Michigan on Saturday, the rich asshole fired a warning shot of vague innuendo by claiming he had information on Tester that would prevent his re-election. He railed against Tester for destroying the career of the physician that gave him a clean bill of health and touted his excellent genes. The problem, however, is that Tester has the full support and agreement of the Republicans on the committee, who also recognize the concerns stacking up against Jackson.
Privately, however, the rich asshole is angry that Isakson didn’t give the White House a heads up. In wake of Tester’s interviews, White House staff took to the phones demanding answers from GOP officials.
Both congressional staff and Veterans Affairs sources told The Daily Beast that Tester was in close communication with his Republican colleagues during media appearances. There was also an “implicit understanding” that Tester would be the leader to address the allegations and the committee’s investigation into Jackson. Isakson and other Republican leaders didn’t want to start and inter-party conflict.
“They were trying to train the rich asshole but they didn’t have the balls to stand up to him,” said one top-ranking Democrat privately.
Meanwhile, White House staff assume that Isakson didn’t warn them because he was miffed the rich asshole didn’t nominate his recommendations and picked Jackson instead. The Georgia senator has a good relationship with acting secretary Tom Bowman, who served as Shulkin’s deputy prior to the march fallout.
One senior White House official, however, conceeds that none of this would have happened if the West Wing had done their job to begin with.
“None, none, of this would have happened if the president and others hadn’t foregone an actual vetting process,” the official sadi. “[Jackson] would still have his reputation.”
the rich asshole attorney Michael Cohen acknowledges message sent by National Enquirer hit piece
Michael Cohen, photo by IowaPolitics.com (the rich asshole executive Michael Cohen 013) [CC BY-SA 2.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons
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some rich asshole’s longtime personal attorney Michael Cohen on Monday acknowledged a National Enquirer story was likely a signal from the president, CNN reports.
The Enquirer on Saturday published a front page story about Cohen, called “the rich asshole’s Fixer’s Secrets & Lies,” that sources say publisher (and longtime the rich asshole pal) David Pecker would never have printed without the rich asshole’s backing
CNN’s Jim Acosta reports that Cohen, when asked whether the rich asshole is trying to send a signal with the cover, replied: “What do you think.”
Cohen is under criminal investigation. Earlier this month, Cohen’s home and residence was raided by the FBI following a referral from deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein to the U.S. attorney in the Southern District of New York. The the rich asshole campaign has paid some of Cohen’s legal fees.
List reveals questions Mueller wants to ask the rich asshole: report
BY BRETT SAMUELS - 04/30/18 09:01 PM EDT
Special counsel Robert Mueller has reportedly assembled a list of close to 50 questions he wants to ask President the rich asshole as part of his investigation into Russian meddling in the 2016 election.
The New York Times reported Monday that it obtained a list of the questions, which include inquiries related to the rich asshole’s business dealings, his relationship with Russia, and his communications with ex-staffers who have since been caught up in the probe.
The questions provide a window into what Mueller is interested in learning from the rich asshole as the special counsel's probe nears the one-year mark.
A handful of the questions focus on communications between the rich asshole or his campaign staffers and Russia.
Mueller prepared to ask the rich asshole about the well-known meeting at the rich asshole Tower that involved his son and a Russian lawyer, as well as whether the president himself discussed sanctions on Russia or meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin during the campaign, the Times reported.
In addition, Mueller reportedly planned to ask "What knowledge did you have of any outreach by your campaign, including by Paul Manafort, to Russia about potential assistance to the campaign?”
Manafort, who is set to go on trial in the Mueller probe in the coming months, has not yet been linked publicly to any campaign outreach to Russia.
Another question focuses on what the rich asshole knew, if anything, about Russian hacking during the election. the rich asshole during the 2016 campaign praised WikiLeaks for disseminating hacked emails from Hillary Clinton's campaign, and called on Russia to find her deleted emails from her time as secretary of State.
Several of Mueller's reported questions also hone in on the rich asshole's decisions to fire his former national security adviser, Michael Flynn, and former FBI Director James Comey.
In both cases, Mueller appeared poised to ask when and why the rich asshole decided to fire Comey and Flynn, and about who was involved in each decision.
the rich asshole's explanation for why he fired each individual has appeared to change at times, stoking speculation that the president may have obstructed justice.
In a similar vein, Mueller planned to inquire about the rich asshole's reported efforts to fire the special counsel.
"What discussions did you have regarding terminating the special counsel, and what did you do when that consideration was reported in January 2018?" the question states, according to The Times.
the rich asshole reportedly sought to fire Mueller on two occasions, but was talked out of it in both instances.
The special counsel also showed interest in a variety of other associates and administration officials, including Jeff Sessions, Michael Cohen, Jared Kushner, Reince Priebus and others, according to the Times report.
the rich asshole has repeatedly denied he or his campaign colluded with Russia in the 2016 election. He has often called Mueller's investigation a “witch hunt” and a “hoax.”
The president has said on multiple occasions he’d be willing to speak with Mueller as part of the probe. However, he has reportedly cooled on the idea after FBI agents raided the home and office of his longtime attorney, Michael Cohen.
Rudy Giuliani, who the rich asshole recently hired for his legal team, reportedly met with Mueller last week to discuss details of a possible interview with the president.
Giuliani, who previously served as mayor of New York City, told The Washington Post that he joined the rich asshole's legal team "because I hope we can negotiate an end to this for the good of the country and because I have high regard for the president and for Bob Mueller."
Mueller’s investigation has thus far led to guilty pleas or indictments against four former the rich asshole associates, including Flynn and Manafort.
The special counsel also fired charges against 13 Russian nationals for their alleged attempts to interfere in the 2016 election.
The special counsel also fired charges against 13 Russian nationals for their alleged attempts to interfere in the 2016 election.
Updated: 9:50 p.m.
POLITICS
House Conservatives Draft Articles Of Impeachment Against Rod Rosenstein
It’s a “last resort option,” said one of the draft’s authors.
A group of conservative House members has drafted articles of impeachment against Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein, who is overseeing special counsel Robert Mueller’s Russia probe, multiple news organizations reported Monday.
The reported draft is the latest in an ongoing feud between Congress members allied with President some rich asshole and the Justice Department over its investigation into Russian meddling in the 2016 election.
Members of the House Freedom Caucus, a group of conservatives led by Rep. Mark Meadows (R-N.C.), recently finalized the draft, The Washington Post reported.
Meadows called it “a last-resort option if the Department of Justice fails to respond” to congressional requests for documents pertaining to the Russia investigation and another federal inquiry into former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s use of a private email server.
A representative of Meadows did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The impeachment articles accuse Rosenstein of several transgressions, The Hill reported, including that he violated federal law by not immediately complying with a congressional subpoena to release documents regarding FBI surveillance during the 2016 presidential election.
The documents also accuse Rosenstein of “knowingly provided misleading statements related to his supervision of the initial Department of Justice investigation into the rich asshole campaign’s alleged contacts with Russia,” according to The Hill.
Rep. Devin Nunes (R-Calif.), who oversees the House Intelligence Committee, threatened to impeach Rosenstein, along with FBI Director Christopher Wray, earlier this month. “I can tell you that we’re not going to just hold in contempt. We will have a plan to hold in contempt and impeach,” Nunes said in an appearance on Fox.
the rich asshole and a handful of vocal conservatives in Congress have long mistrusted Rosenstein over his role in the Russia investigation. The president reportedly considered firing Rosenstein last summer.
But an impeachment proceeding is unlikely to progress far. Paul Ryan (R-Wis.), the Speaker of the House, and other GOP leaders in the House have largely remained silent amid calls for Rosenstein’s impeachment or firing.
USA Today also noted that the last time a member of the executive branch other than a president was impeached by the House was in 1876, when Ulysses S. Grant’s secretary of war, William Belknap, was accused of taking kickbacks. He was acquitted in the Senate.
‘She nailed it’: Dave Chappelle commends Michelle Wolf for ‘speaking truth to power’ at WHCA dinner
Dave Chappelle
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Dave Chappelle on Monday joined the chorus of comedians defending Michelle Wolf’s White House Correspondents’ Dinner speech, telling PBS NewsHour “she nailed it.”
“I don’t know who those people think they are that she can’t say that to them, cause they offend people all the time. And I think that for many people … it’s cathartic to watch that woman speak truth to power like that,” Chappelle said.
Chappelle added he “really respected” Wolf’s routine, which critics say was too “mean” to members of some rich asshole’s administration, including White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders.
“I know how hard it is to do what she did, I think she nailed it,” Chappelle said.
“Whether I agree with it or not, I gotta respect the artistry,” he added.
Watch below:
NEWS
Michelle Wolf Speaks Out On White House Correspondents Dinner Controversy
“I wouldn’t change a single word that I said,” the comedian told NPR.
Michelle Wolf discussed the outraged response to her brutally honest set at the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner this weekend, saying she wouldn’t change a thing about her remarks.
In Wolf’s first major interview since her polarizing roast of President some rich asshole, his administration, Congress and members of the media who cover them, Wolf told Terry Gross of NPR’s “Fresh Air” that she is proud she stayed true to herself and her brand of comedy and didn’t cater to the room.
“I wouldn’t change a single word that I said. I’m very happy with what I said, and I’m glad I stuck to my guns,” Wolf said in an interview set to air Tuesday.
“I don’t know, maybe I’m projecting this, but I think sometimes they look at a woman and they think ‘Oh, she’ll be nice,’ and if you’ve seen any of my comedy you know that I don’t – I’m not,” Wolf added.
I’m very happy with what I said, and I’m glad I stuck to my guns.Michelle Wolf
Wolf’s fans applauded her on-point takedown of Washington’s most powerful players. She called out members of the administration for repeatedly lying and blamed journalists in the room for contributing to the rich asshole’s rise to prominence.
The comic’s set prompted several conservatives and some high-profile members of the press to condemn her, in some cases calling on Wolf to publicly apologize. The president of the White House Correspondents’ Association released a statement amid the uproar, saying Wolf’s set was “not in the spirit” of the event’s mission. the rich asshole fired off an inevitable incensed tweet about the event he didn’t attend, calling Wolf “filthy.”
Fellow comedians and several journalists rushed to Wolf’s defense. Wolf also defended jokes she made about White House press secretary Sarah Sanders. Critics said she attacked Sanders’ physical appearance, but Wolf said the jokes focused on her behavior.
“I mean, if there is two people that I actually made fun of their looks on Saturday, it was Mitch McConnell and Chris Christie,” Wolf told Gross. “I made fun of Mitch McConnell’s neck and I did a small jab at Chris Christie’s weight, and no one is jumping to their defense.”
The comedian also said she thought Sanders seemed to be protesting the press throughout the night when the event was not televised.
“They were giving out awards, and everyone was standing to congratulate the people who were getting awards, and Sarah was sitting,” Wolf said. “I would say if this is about celebrating the media, she wasn’t there to celebrate the media.”
Wolf’s interview with Gross will air in full on Tuesday on WHYY’s “Fresh Air.” To read more excerpts from the discussion, head to NPR’s website.
the rich asshole melts down after reports that John Kelly called him ‘an idiot’
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Tell us how you really feel, the rich asshole.
When faced with embarrassing news circulating about them, most people would try not to draw even more attention to it. But the rich asshole is not most people.
He didn’t try to ignore the reports that his chief of staff John Kelly called him an “idiot.” Instead, he decided to shine the glaring neon light of his Twitter account right at them.
NBC reported Monday afternoon that Kelly has made such comments on multiple occasions, according to eight current and former White House staffers.
Kelly of course quickly denied the report, calling it “total BS.” He insisted that he is “committed to the President, his agenda, and our country.”
the rich asshole could have let Kelly have the last and at least somewhat dignified word on the matter. But that wouldn’t have been very Trumpian of him.
Instead, he let loose on Twitter with two bizarre and barely understandable posts:
the rich asshole calling anyone else “unhinged,” especially while ranting on Twitter with random capitalizations and unnecessary quotation marks, is amusing. And his renewed whining about “witch hunts” and strange obsession with “stamina” is worthy of an eye-roll.
But the whole debacle points to something more serious: The people closest to the rich asshole, and the ones generally thought to be the “adults in the room” reining in his worst impulses, apparently all think he isn’t intelligent enough to run a bake sale, let alone the United States of America.
Former Secretary of State Rex Tillerson surely helped along his own firing by reportedly calling the rich asshole a “fucking moron” and then refusing to outright deny it. And H.R. McMaster, the rich asshole’s former national security adviser, reportedly called him an “idiot” and a “dope” with the intelligence of a “kindergartener.”
the rich asshole’s inability to exercise even a modicum of self-discipline when it comes to responding to news he doesn’t like only makes him look worse. In fact, one could say it’s something only an idiot would do.
And that all of these incredibly damning assessments of his capabilities — or lack thereof — are coming from his top advisers only makes the 917 days until the next election seem a whole lot longer.
White House Considers Restricting Chinese Researchers Over Espionage Fears
WASHINGTON — It sounds like something out of a science fiction movie: In April, China is said to have tested an invisibility cloak that would allow ordinary fighter jets to suddenly vanish from radar screens.
This advancement, which could prove to be a critical intelligence breakthrough, is one that American officials fear China may have gained in part from a Chinese researcher who roused suspicions while working on a similar technology at a Duke University laboratory in 2008. The researcher, who was investigated by the F.B.I. but never charged with a crime, ultimately returned to China, became a billionaire and opened a thriving research institute that worked on some projects related to those he studied at Duke.
The rich asshole administration, concerned about China’s growing technological prowess, is considering strict measures to block Chinese citizens from performing sensitive research at American universities and research institutes over fears they may be acquiring intellectual secrets, according to people familiar with the deliberations.
The White House is discussing whether to limit the access of Chinese citizens to the United States, including restricting certain types of visas available to them and greatly expanding rules pertaining to Chinese researchers who work on projects with military or intelligence value at American companies and universities. The exact types of projects that would be subject to restrictions are unclear, but the measures could clamp down on collaboration in advanced materials, software and other technologies at the heart of Beijing’s plan to dominate cutting-edge technologies like advanced microchips, artificial intelligence and electric cars, known as Made in China 2025.
The potential curbs are part of a broad set of measures the administration says are necessary to combat a growing national security threat from China, which it has accused of pressuring or coercing American companies into handing over valuable trade secrets. But blocking Chinese citizens’ access to American laboratories over fears of spying would be a significant escalation in an emerging Cold War with the Chinese over which nation will claim technological dominance.
The details are still under discussion and it is not known how many people could be affected, but restrictions would probably fall most heavily on graduate students, postdoctoral researchers and employees of technology companies in the United States on temporary visas. More than one million foreign students study in the United States each year, with roughly one-third coming from China.
The restrictions would cover Chinese nationals, but with two exceptions: those with green cards, which give them the right to permanent residency in the United States, and those who have been granted asylum because of persecution in their home country. Also exempt would be former Chinese nationals who renounce their citizenship and become naturalized Americans.
An attempt to crack down on Chinese citizens could further chill relations between the two nations, whose closely integrated markets support the most prominent companies around the globe. Technology companies like Apple, Qualcomm, IBM and General Electric have hitched their future growth to access to the Chinese market, which the rich asshole administration is now threatening to curtail.
This week, a delegation of administration officials, including the Treasury secretary, Steven Mnuchin, will head to China for discussions to help avoid a brewing trade war. But additional curbs on Chinese citizens could make those tough discussions even harder.
President the rich asshole has threatened tariffs on roughly $150 billion of Chinese goods in retaliation for unfair trade practices — a proposal that sparked tariff threats of China’s own. The administration is expected to detail new plans for restrictions on Chinese investment in the United States by the end of May. Congress is also considering giving the United States broader authority to restrict Chinese investments.
These measures could prompt more damaging retaliation from China, which has already promised to place tariffs on at least $50 billion of American products. They also appear to be fueling anti-American sentiment within Chinese borders. China has tightened measures against possible spying, even posting public service announcements in subway trains warning citizens to watch foreigners for signs of espionage.
In America, research institutes look particularly vulnerable to espionage. According to Defense Department statistics, nearly a quarter of all foreign efforts to obtain sensitive or classified information in 2014 were routed through academic institutions. At a congressional hearing in April, Michelle Van Cleave, a former national counterintelligence executive, said the freedom and openness of the United States made the country a “spy’s paradise.” Chinese and Russian agents both come to the United States with “detailed shopping lists,” she added.
Yet throwing up barriers to protect American technology could come at a high cost. Restricting the free flow of people and information could disrupt innovation at American laboratories, a key destination for talented researchers from around the globe. It could threaten the substantial profits that American universities earn from foreign students, who often pay full tuition.
And it could lead to discrimination. Some fear that the rich asshole administration’s comprehensive challenge to China — always an easy political target in the United States — is cultivating a xenophobic, Cold War mentality in Washington that casts all Chinese people as enemies.
The Committee of 100, a group of prominent Chinese-Americans, has denounced government assertions that Chinese professors, scientists and students in the United States may be gathering intelligence for the Chinese government as “disturbing and prejudicial” and warned that it has overtones of anti-Japanese sentiment that was rampant during World War II.
“To target a whole group of people as being subject to greater suspicion, based purely on race and national origin, and in advance of any facts or evidence, goes against the fundamental American ideals of the presumption of innocence, due process and equal protection for all. It also fans the flames of hysteria,” the group said in a statement.
Administration officials have been debating restricting visas offered to Chinese nationals for months as part of the broad package of measures targeting China economically. But the new plan under discussion by the White House would be a much more targeted measure, and one with potentially big consequences for American industry. While the Obama administration also proposed barring foreign students from company-sponsored research at American universities with national security implications, the rich asshole administration’s measures could apply more broadly to private research facilities as well as new products and technologies.
The United States already restricts who can work on sensitive technology. Researchers on projects deemed classified are carefully vetted and must obtain security clearances. The next level down are research projects that are subject to so-called export controls — including many with potential military applications, such as computer programs and hardware that might be used to model nuclear explosions. Universities and companies working on this material need to obtain a special license from the government to employ foreign researchers.
These products do not need to leave the United States to fall under export rules. All it takes to trigger export controls is for citizens from certain countries — including China, Russia and many former Soviet republics — to be involved in almost any way. That ranges from physical possession of the product to written descriptions and even verbal discussions of it. The administration is considering broadening the range of goods and services traded with China that would be subject to these so-called deemed export rules.
If the proposal is approved by the Commerce Department, and ultimately by some rich asshole, American companies and universities would be required to obtain special licenses for Chinese nationals who have any contact whatsoever with a much wider range of goods — making it harder for Chinese citizens to work on a range of scientific research and product development programs.
Fueling the push are instances like the one involving Ruopeng Liu, a Chinese citizen and a promising student at Duke who was helping to develop a cloak that shields objects from a broad spectrum of wave frequencies. The professor leading the Pentagon-funded lab, David R. Smith, became suspicious of Mr. Liu, who seemed intent on collaborating with old colleagues in China, and even invited them to tour the lab and photograph Duke’s equipment.
It became clear to Mr. Smith that Mr. Liu was trying to share the cutting-edge technology he was studying in the United States with colleagues in China. The institute he founded on his return to China eventually received millions of dollars of investment, registered thousands of patents and even played host to President Xi Jinping of China.
Mr. Liu did not respond to interview requests, but in past interviews, he has maintained that he did nothing wrong, beyond taking advantage of an open and collaborative university atmosphere. Like many projects in the United States, most of Mr. Smith’s work at Duke was early-stage research that was not classified or categorized as a deemed export.
Daniel Golden, who tells Mr. Liu’s story in his book, “Spy Schools,” said Mr. Liu exploited a gray area that allows a large amount of sensitive, taxpayer-funded technology to flow to foreign governments. “Globalization has transformed American universities into a front line for espionage,” Mr. Golden said.
Yet the academic community is likely to push back on the administration’s efforts over concerns that tighter controls on Chinese nationals could hurt American universities’ ability to collaborate on cutting-edge research and wind up benefiting China even more.
Many students at graduate programs in the United States in computer science, physics, chemistry and other sciences are from China. If the United States makes it harder for aerospace manufacturers, defense contractors and others to employ Chinese nationals, more of these recently trained Chinese graduate students may return to China, taking their skills with them.
Stephen A. Orlins, the president of the National Committee on U.S.-China Relations, said that restricting Chinese researchers would be “tragic” for American universities. “It’s important that we don’t let the security fears overwhelm what has made America great,” he said.
Even Mr. Smith said he did not support tougher restrictions on Chinese researchers. Instead, he said, universities should better educate researchers about existing rules and what to do in case of intellectual property theft.
“With reasonable safeguards I think we can manage it,” he said. “If we were to overreact, I think it could be very damaging to our universities.”
the rich asshole targets Sen. Jon Tester on immigration
President some rich asshole continued his attacks against Sen. Jon Tester on Monday, accusing the Montana Democrat of being soft on immigration as news reports indicate that a group of immigrants has been stalled from entering the U.S. along the border with Mexico.
“The migrant ‘caravan’ that is openly defying our border shows how weak & ineffective U.S. immigration laws are,” the president wrote on Twitter on Monday evening. “Yet Democrats like Jon Tester continue to support the open borders agenda — Tester even voted to protect Sanctuary Cities.”
the rich asshole has slammed reports throughout April about a group of Central American immigrants seeking asylum in the U.S. The Washington Post reported on Monday that 220 migrants were stuck waiting outside a U.S. border crossing as officials told them there was not enough available space to process them.
As for Tester, the president has fumed over the senator’s role in derailing White House physician Ronny Jackson from becoming Veterans Affairs secretary. Some Republicans were hesitant about Jackson’s nomination because of his lack of experience, but Tester and Senate Democrats brought to light new allegations about Jackson’s conduct, including whether he was too liberal with prescribing medicine to White House staff and whether or not he crashed a government vehicle while intoxicated.
Montana’s U.S. Senate race is viewed a key opportunity for Republicans this fall. the rich asshole has called on Tester, the ranking Democrat on the Veterans’ Affairs Committee, to resign and has vowed that Montanans would not look kindly on their senior senator’s actions in publicizing questions about Jackson. A spokeswoman for Tester did not immediately respond to a request for comment about the president’s Monday tweet.
After running for president on a strict platform against illegal immigration, the rich asshole has sought to portray Democrats as weak on the issue. He and many in the GOP have tried to restrict state and local governments from passing so-called sanctuary laws. During a broader immigration debate in February, Tester and 44 other senators in the Democratic Caucus voted against a proposal to punish states that pass such laws.
“We need lawmakers who will put America First,” the rich asshole concluded in his Monday tweet.
the rich asshole’s trade war is working ‘to screw his own supporters’
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The self-inflicted wound of the rich asshole's trade war is only getting worse for the GOP.
Fear and anger continue to mount among Midwestern Republican leaders over the rich asshole’s unfolding trade war with China. Because it is red state farmers who stand to pay a massive price for his reckless agenda.
“It’s like he’s microtargeting policy to screw his own supporters,” one frustrated GOP strategist tells Bloomberg.
“We knew this was hanging over our heads,” one Kansas farmer said. “When we heard the news, it was still just devastating to us. It’s really going to put the hammer to our price prospects.”
In fact, 12 of the 15 states that will likely take the biggest tariff hits are red states, according to new analysis from the Brookings Institute.
On March 1, the rich asshole announced new tariffs on foreign steel and aluminum. China responded by promising to impose a 25 percent tariff on more than 180 American products, including pork and potentially soybeans. Many of those goods are closely associated with states that backed the rich asshole in 2016.
Now, frustrated red state Republicans are getting an up-close look at what it’s like dealing with an erratic, illogical president. the rich asshole has insisted that trade wars are easy to win. Incredibly, he also suggested it’s farmers’ patriotic duty to take this economic hit for America.
The party’s reasonable fear is that anger over trade will suppress turnout among these traditionally loyal voters.
When Iowa Sen. Joni Ernst lamented that the White House doesn’t understand today’s global economy, that may have been one of the year’s biggest understatements. After a group of farm-state Republicans met with the rich asshole earlier this month to spell out their concerns, none of them seemed to think anything had changed for the better.
Yet some Midwestern Republicans actually remained aligned with the rich asshole and his trade war. In Indiana, soybean farmers will be among those who pay the highest price for the rich asshole’s rash policies as China, one of the world’s largest soybean importers, turns off the spigot to Hoosier harvests.
Yet when asked last week if he would “side with the president or the farmers,” Rep. Todd Rokita, who is running for Senate, was clear where his loyalties lie. “Right now it’s with the president,” he openly declared.
the rich asshole may have a friend in politicians like Rokita, who put party over country. But it’s unlikely American farmers will remain that loyal as the rich asshole’s policies take aim at their livelihoods.
POLITICS
John Kelly Has Repeatedly Referred To the rich asshole As An ‘Idiot,’ NBC Reports
The White House chief of staff has denied the allegations, calling them “total BS.”
White House chief of staff John Kelly has often called President some rich asshole an “idiot” in front of aides and has portrayed himself as a “savior” who has singlehandedly rescued the country from disaster, according to an NBC News report published Monday that cited comments from eight current and former White House officials.
Four of the officials said they’d personally witnessed Kelly using the disparaging term to describe the rich asshole.
“He doesn’t even understand what DACA is. He’s an idiot,” Kelly allegedly said during a meeting about the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program and overall immigration policy. “We’ve got to save him from himself.”
In a statement Monday, Kelly dismissed the NBC story as “total BS.”
“I spend more time with the President than anyone else and we have an incredibly candid and strong relationship,” he said in a statement. “He always knows where I stand and he and I both know this story is total BS. I am committed to the President, his agenda, and our country. This is another pathetic attempt to smear people close to President the rich asshole and distract from the administration’s many successes.”
NBC’s unnamed sources told the network that Kelly was known to “make fun” more generally at what the chief of staff saw as the president’s “lack of knowledge about policy and government.”
They said Kelly has also painted himself as being the person responsible for shielding the country from the rich asshole’s more erratic impulses.
“The strong implication being, ‘If I weren’t here we would’ve entered WWIII or the president would have been impeached,’” NBC reported that one senior White House official said of Kelly’s attitude.
The chief of staff’s alleged criticisms of the president have been demoralizing to aides, the NBC sources said. They also accused Kelly of belittling women and of making troubling comments about the domestic violence accusations leveled against former staff secretary Rob Porter by that aide’s two ex-wives. Porter was forced to quit his job when the accusations were publicized.
Officials told NBC that Kelly questioned aloud why Porter’s alleged victims “wouldn’t just move on.”
John Kelly has told aides multiple times that women are more emotional than men, including at least once in front of Trump, four current and former officials tell NBC News. nbcnews.com/politics/white…
In Feb., John Kelly wondered aloud how much more Rob Porter would have to endure before his honor could be restored, sources tell NBC News.
Kelly questioned why Porter's ex-wives wouldn't just move on based on the info he said he had about his marriages. nbcnews.com/politics/white…
Some of the officials quoted in the NBC story suggested that Kelly may resign this summer as tensions mount between him and the rich asshole.
But several White House spokespeople pushed back against the suggestion that the president and Kelly had anything less than a good working relationship and refuted the suggestion that Kelly had referred to the rich asshole as an “idiot.”
These officials told NBC that Kelly is in the Oval Office “more than anyone else.” They conceded, however, that the rich asshole does get “frustrated” with the chief of staff at times.
Stephanie Ruhle, one of the reporters behind the NBC article, defended the veracity of the story’s contents on Monday, telling Kelly in a tweet that it was people “on your team” who recounted stories of “you (not us) undermining [the president’s] credibility.”
Dear John Kelly-
As one of the people who worked on the story, I can tell you, it is WELL sourced.
As for “smearing” the President, those on your team recount stories of you (not us) undermining his credibility. twitter.com/jenniferjjacob…
Do you have information you want to share with HuffPost? Here’s how.
POLITICS
Conservative House lawmakers draft articles of impeachment against Rosenstein
BY OLIVIA BEAVERS - 04/30/18 09:01 PM EDT
A group of conservative House lawmakers have begun drafting a resolution that calls for the impeachment of Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein, the top Department of Justice (DOJ) official overseeing special counsel Robert Mueller’s Russia investigation.
The impeachment document makes a series of charges against Rosenstein, the latest sign of escalating efforts among conservatives to oust the DOJ’s No. 2 official, according to a copy of the draft obtained by The Hill.
There has been no indication, however, that Speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) and other House GOP leaders will act on the measure, having largely remained silent amid calls for his removal by hard-line conservatives.
Conservative members led by Rep. Mark Meadows (R-N.C.), chairman of the House Freedom Caucus and close ally of President the rich asshole, drafted the eight articles of impeachment against Rosenstein.
The articles include allegations that Rosenstein violated federal law by refusing to comply with a congressional subpoena over Congress’s efforts to obtain documents about FBI surveillance during the election, intentionally stalling document production for congressional investigations into possible government misconduct, and failing to enforce key laws and protocols.
"[Rosenstein] failed to act on the behalf of the Attorney General by properly supervising the administration of FISA by failing to demonstrate probable cause to believe that targets of surveillance were a foreign power or agents of a foreign power, that a significant purpose of the surveillance was to obtain foreign intelligence information, and that appropriate minimization procedures were in place," according to the third charge.
Count five charges Rosenstein of "knowingly provided misleading statements related to his supervision of the initial Department of Justice investigation into the rich asshole campaign’s alleged contacts with Russia when he testified under oath before Congress on December 13, 2017 that any involvement FBI attorney Bruce Ohr had in the Russian investigation was without his knowledge."
Meadows, a member of the House Oversight Committee, first hinted that Rosenstein’s future at the DOJ may be on shaky ground during an appearance on CNN last week.
Rosenstein has increasingly become a popular target among hardline conservatives over the last year.
Attorney General Jeff Sessions recused himself from overseeing the federal probe last year, handing the key to Rosenstein, who has served as the gatekeeper of the special counsel. Mueller is investigating whether there are ties between the rich asshole campaign and Russia.
the rich asshole has blasted the investigation as a "witch hunt," denying any collusion or coordination between his campaign and Russia.
The president has also blasted Sessions for recusing himself from overseeing the investigation.
While the DOJ has been providing documents to the committees, GOP lawmakers also criticize Rosenstein for slowly turning over documents that Republicans say are key to carrying out congressional investigations into FBI and DOJ decision-making during the 2016 presidential election.
House Judiciary Chairman Bob Goodlatte (R-Va.) and House Oversight Chairman Trey Gowdy (R-S.C.), however, announced last week that they had reached a deal with the DOJ about producing records, although they would not provide any additional details about the deal despite repeated requests for comment on the matter.
When asked earlier this month if he is seeing a general improvement in cooperation with the DOJ, Gowdy replied, “definitely.”
Democrats have repeatedly warned that the president may seek to replace the top two Justice Department officials with lackeys, who can then either seek to fire Mueller or curb his ability to run the high-profile investigation.
Firing Rosenstein and putting in a rich asshole loyalist would be like putting Mueller in a “straightjacket,” Rep. Jamie Raskin (Md.), a senior Democrat on the Judiciary committee, said during a press conference last month.
While the GOP base could strongly support efforts to impeach Rosenstein, such a move also risks alienating moderate and independent voters during the upcoming 2018 midterm elections.
The Washington Post first reported the draft, which it says will not likely receive enough support in Congress.
A DOJ spokesperson declined to comment on the charges in the draft.
A spokesperson from Ryan's office did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the matter.
POLITICS
What Robert Mueller Reportedly Wants To Ask some rich asshole
The New York Times obtained a list of possible questions for the president.
Special counsel Robert Mueller hopes to ask President some rich asshole dozens of open-ended questions as part of his inquiry into Russian meddling in the 2016 election.
Many of those questions, which were published by The New York Times on Monday, focus on determining if the rich asshole obstructed justice through his firings of FBI Director James Comey and national security adviser Michael Flynn, or his attempts to fire Mueller himself, among other events.
“What efforts were made to reach out to Mr. Flynn about seeking immunity or possible pardon?” reads one of the queries supplied to the Times by an unnamed official separate from the president’s legal team. “What consideration and discussions did you have regarding terminating the special counsel in June of 2017?” another asks.
Read the full list here.
The questions shed light on what’s been a tight-lipped investigation and show Mueller is homing in on the president’s behavior in office. Some of the inquiries hope to shed light on the rich asshole’s interactions, if there are any, with Russian officials or those connected to the Kremlin during the campaign.
the rich asshole himself has publicly said he’d be willing to talk with Mueller and has vehemently denied there was any collusion with the Russians during the campaign. He said in January he was “looking forward” to speaking with the special counsel.
But the president’s lawyers have cautioned against the interview and have sought to strictly limit the terms of any sit-down, worried that the rich asshole could go off-script and end up making false statements. The Times noted that four people in the president’s orbit have already pleaded guilty to lying to federal investigators.
The questions obtained by the Times are said to be the result of months of negotiations between the special counsel and the rich asshole’s squadron of lawyers. The Times noted that the back and forth led to Mueller providing his ideal list to the rich asshole’s former lead lawyer in the Russia inquiry, John Dowd, in March.
Dowd, who had urged the rich asshole to reject any request for an interview in the investigation, was reportedly even more wary about a meeting after seeing the list. But the lawyer resigned later in March amid reports that his relationship with the president had frayed and that the rich asshole planned to ignore his advice.
Dowd was replaced last week by former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani.
the rich asshole has ramped up his criticism of the special counsel’s office in recent weeks following FBI raids at the home and offices of his longtime personal attorney Michael Cohen. “It’s a total witch-hunt. I’ve been saying it for a long time,” the rich asshole said at the time.
The president, however, has since moved to distance himself from Cohen, saying on “Fox & Friends” last week that the lawyer handled only a “tiny, tiny little fraction” of his overall legal work.
Mueller’s list of questions also includes some involving Cohen’s business deals in Moscow, according to the Times.
This article has been updated with more details on the questions and the rich asshole’s changing legal team.
THE RICH ASSHOLE LAMENTS PEOPLE IN MIGRANT CARAVAN: IMMIGRANTS ALL 'VOTE FOR DEMOCRATS'
President some rich asshole skipped the White House Correspondents Dinner on Saturday and instead held a rally in Michigan, during which he skewered the media, his political opponents and immigration supporters.
Much like his presidential campaign rallies, the president brought up his prized border wall and fury over illegal immigration. At one point, the president said he would "close down the country" if "we don't get border security" and riffed that a "vote for a Democrat in November is a vote for open borders."
His comments came shortly before a migrant caravan carrying asylum seekers arrived at the Mexico-California border from Central America. The group of migrants, including women, men and children, has become a flashpoint for the immigration debate, with the rich asshole tweeting that he wouldn't let them through.
Approximately 1,500 people left the Mexico southern border city of Tapachula on March 25, although that number has dwindled to an estimated several hundred. Many told media and immigration rights activists that they were fleeing gang violence and drug wars.
"Are you watching that mess that's going on right now with the caravan coming up? Are you watching this and our laws are so weak, they're so pathetic. Given to us by Democrats," the rich asshole told the raucous crowd on Saturday. the rich asshole eventually suggested that Democrats only rallied behind immigrants as a political power play meant to expand the left's voter base.
“One of the reasons [Democrats support immigrants and sanctuary cities] is because the Democrats actually feel—and they are probably right—that all of these people pouring across are going to vote for Democrats," the rich asshole said. "Not for Republicans."
On April 3, the rich asshole tweeted that the caravan should be stopped from moving any further toward the U.S. border.
"The big Caravan of People from Honduras, now coming to Mexico and heading to our ‘Weak Laws’ Border, had better be stopped before it gets there,” the rich asshole tweeted. "Cash cow NAFTA is in play, as is foreign aid to Honduras and the countries that allow this to happen. Congress MUST ACT NOW!”
On April 23, he reiterated the statement, shining a spotlight on the caravan aided by Pueblo Sin Fronteras, a nonprofit group.
"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," the rich asshole wrote. "It is a disgrace. We are the only Country in the World so naive! WALL!"
Elected on a wave of fiery rhetoric about immigration, the rich asshole has continued to make closing the southern border a priority in his administration's plans. Much to his ire, Congress has yet to approve funding needed for the "big, beautiful" wall he touted during stump speeches in 2016.
Nevertheless, his allies have also attempted to use the caravan to drum up support for the rich asshole's re-election campaign in 2020. Mirroring the president's tweets, a fundraising email sent out in April touted the rich asshole's orders to “STOP the caravan of illegal immigrants trying to cross our WIDE-OPEN BORDER."
Seth Meyers launches a passionate defense of Michelle Wolf: She made ‘fun of people in power who lie to us on a daily basis’
"Late Night" host Seth Meyers (left) and comedian Michelle Wolf (right). Image via Twitter.
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After Michelle Wolf’s headline-making monologue at the White House Correspondents Association’s annual dinner, President some rich asshole called her out without naming her — and as Seth Meyers, who he did name, noted, his characterization is not far off base.
“The White House Correspondents’ Dinner was a failure last year, but this year was an embarrassment to everyone associated with it,” the rich asshole tweeted Sunday night. “The filthy ‘comedian’ totally bombed (couldn’t even deliver her lines-much like the Seth Meyers weak performance). Put Dinner to rest, or start over!”
“It’s always nice when the eye of Sauron is upon you,” the Late Night host joked.
“Michelle Wolf doesn’t need anybody to defend her,” Meyers said of his former employee, “but she is our friend. So just know when you call her filthy: you are right. She is filthy and she is mean!”
To explain his consequential agreement with the president, Meyers played a clip in which Wolf, dressed as a grown-up version of little orphan Annie, said she intends to get a sex change operation — by having sex while facing people.
“That’s not a sex change,” Meyers tells “Annie,” who responds, “it is for me.”
In her new show, premiering on Netflix at the end of May, Meyers said that much like in her now-controversial WHCA monologue, Wolf “is not gonna waste any time trying to decide when it is and isn’t proper to make fun of people in power who lie to us on a daily basis” — a jab at media reactions to the comedian’s jokes about White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders.
“I can’t stress this enough,” the host said. “Michelle is so mean. I was her boss and she made the meanest jokes about me all the time. She’s been gone for two years, but I still jump when I see a redhead on the street.”
Watch Meyers’ hilarious defense of his former colleague below:
the rich asshole delays steel tariffs for EU, other US allies
BY VICKI NEEDHAM AND NIV ELIS - 04/30/18 08:20 PM EDT
President the rich asshole is delaying a decision on implementing steel and aluminum tariffs for several close U.S. trading partners, avoiding a major trade skirmish for now.
the rich asshole is pushing the decisions to June 1 for the European Union, Canada and Mexico while reaching preliminary agreements with several other U.S. allies ahead of a looming midnight deadline, the White House announced on Monday evening.
Negotiations will continue for the next 30 days with the 28-member bloc, as well as Canada and Mexico. The White House said this would be the final period to reach a deal with the key trading partners.
The administration has also reached agreements in principle on tariffs with Australia, Argentina and Brazil, which are expected to be completed in the next month.
The countries, which represent major metals importers into the United States, have been in negotiations for weeks with the rich asshole administration to avoid steep tariffs of 25 percent on steel and 10 percent on aluminum.
The delay will give the rich asshole administration officials more time to work out deals with the EU and Mexico and Canada to address the U.S. national security concerns the administration cited for imposing the tariffs.
“In all of these negotiations, the administration is focused on quotas that will restrain imports, prevent transshipment and protect the national security,” the White House said in a brief statement.
The White House announced a final deal to exempt South Korea from the tariffs, as part of a previously announced reworking of the 2012 U.S.-South Korea trade agreement.
Certain countries were granted a temporary exemption when the tariffs went into place March 23: Canada, Mexico, Australia, Brazil and Argentina, as well as the EU.
Only a few hours before the deadline, Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchintold Fox Business on Monday that the rich asshole had still not finalized his decision.
the rich asshole’s trade team is heading to Beijing this week to try to work out an agreement with China's leaders over another round of proposed tariffs.
Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross said on Saturday that the nations seeking waivers have been asked to agree to impose quotas on steel and aluminum in exchange for getting a permanent break from tariffs.
Canada and Mexico, which have repeatedly said they expect a permanent exemption from the tariffs, were not given any guarantees despite weeks of recent negotiations on the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA).
Talks on NAFTA, which have been ongoing for the past month in Washington, will resume on May 7.
Trade leaders in Mexico and Canada have rejected the rich asshole’s attempts to tie their tariff treatment to the outcome of the massive trade agreement.
The EU, which has been a vocal critic of the tariffs, has threatened $3.5 billion in retaliatory tariffs on jeans, motorcycles and orange juice if the rich asshole follows through with metals tariffs.
Two European leaders — French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Angela Merkel — lobbied the rich asshole to reconsider the tariffs during trips to Washington last week but received no public guarantee.
Macron blasted the rich asshole’s trade policy during a speech before a joint session of Congress.
“A commercial war is not consistent with our mission, with our history, with our current commitments for global security,” the French president declared.
European Commission spokesman Margaritis Schinas said ahead of the announcement that “the only thing that I can tell you today is that we are patient but we are also prepared.”
British Prime Minister Theresa May spoke with both Merkel and Macron over the weekend about the "vital importance of our steel and aluminum industries and their concern about the impact of U.S. tariffs."
Updated: 9:00 p.m.
It’s time to end the White House Correspondents’ Dinner charade — for good
Michelle Wolf at the the WHCD/Screenshot
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The annual “nerd prom,” otherwise known as the White House Correspondents’ Dinner (WHCD), was Saturday night. If we are lucky, it will be the last one. The entire event is inappropriate, and it has nothing to do with comedians being rude to the people in the audience or on the dais. After all, they are hired to do that. The whole tired ritual is based on the old tradition of the comedy “roast,” where people get up and insult the guest of honor, which in the case of the correspondents’ dinner, is the president and the D.C. establishment, including the press.
No, the event is inappropriate because it’s an obnoxious suck-up to power, no matter who the president is or how edgy the comedian. The press and the politicians lining up on red carpets with Hollywood celebrities and yukking it up together, as if politics and government were just one big performance and this was their awards show, has always been an excellent illustration of everything that’s wrong with our civic life. But in the age of the rich asshole it’s become downright decadent and disturbing.
This year’s dinner seems to have hit quite a nerve. Comedian Michelle Wolf’s comedy stylings were not appreciated by the press corps or the administration. She called the president and the White House staff liars, which is true, and pointed out that the media benefits from this surreal circus, which is also true. This bound both together in a way that clearly made everyone extremely uncomfortable, as it was meant to.
So now we have much clutching of pearls and rending of garments among members of the press, demanding apologies from Wolf for allegedly insulting Sarah Huckabee Sanders’ looks (which Wolf did not do) and for comparing her to Aunt Lydia in “The Handmaid’s Tale,” which is as spot-on as you can get. (As New Yorker TV critic Emily Nussbaum pointed out on Twitter, “her job is *exactly* like Aunt Lydia: she is the frowning female enforcer for a fascist patriarchal society, punishing those who resist her lies.”)
Anyway, Sanders has no right to be upset by any rude insults when she serves as an apologist for this man.
olf’s jokes were sharp, to be sure, but they were nothing like that. I’m sure no one needs to be reminded of the president’s daily assaults on the press and his political rivals, or anyone else who angers him. So the the rich asshole administration calling for smelling salts over this routine is the biggest laugh line of the night.
Here’s a typical example of the Beltway handwringing on Sunday morning.
Apology is owed to @PressSec and others grossly insulted ny Michelle Wolf at White House Correspondents Assoc dinner which started with uplifting heartfelt speech by @margarettalev - comedian was worst since Imus insulted Clinton’s
This is also part of the tiresome ritual, which seems to work itself into a full blown hissy-fit every few years. Mitchell is referring to the Radio and Television Correspondents’ Dinner in 1996 where the comedian for the night was radio personality Don Imus, who rudely referenced the president’s infidelities in front of Hillary Clinton and said that the Clinton administration’s diverse cabinet looked like “the scene out of Star Wars.” Hillary glared and Bill covered his face and everyone was very upset. The correspondents’ association even sent the president and first lady an apology.
But here’s the thing. Clinton regularly appeared with Imus during his campaigns, and the longtime shock jock was even credited with putting Clinton on the map back in 1992. Imus’ show featured a regular parody song about Hillary Clinton with lyrics about how she “fornicates,” “menstruates” and “urinates,” with the refrain: “That’s why the First Lady is a tramp.” He called the president a “fat pantload” and a “lying weasel.” It didn’t stop Bill from calling in and kibitzing with the guy.
Don Imus was a reprehensible racist and misogynist. Yet politicians of both parties lined up to be on his show. And it wasn’t just them. For years after his allegedly despicable performance at that dinner, members of the political press corps kept on appearing with him. It wasn’t until 2007, when Imus described the Rutgers women’s basketball team as “nappy-headed hoes,” that he was finally forced off the air, if only temporarily. (Which made many of his media pals very sad.)
The last time the D.C. establishment had a full WHCD meltdown, it was over the appearance of Stephen Colbert in 2006, who performed as his Bill O’Reilly-esque character from Comedy Central and skewered the attendees to the bone over the sycophantic relationship between the media and the George W. Bush administration. That performance is legendary today, but at the time, everyone in Washington was appalled. Again.
As Wikipedia reminds me, Washington Post columnist Richard Cohen called Colbert “rude” and a “bully.” Rep. Steny Hoyer, D-Md., House Democratic whip at the time, told the Hill that Bush was “the President of the United States, and he deserves some respect.” Right-wing operative Mary Matalin called Colbert’s performance a “predictable, Bush-bashing kind of humor” and columnist Ana Marie Cox said that Colbert was no hero and sagely observed that “comedy can have a political point but it is not political action.”
Colbert’s routine was savage toward the press, but in subsequent years they all couldn’t wait to get booked for interviews on his show.
Now we have the press corps calling for the fainting couch over Michelle Wolf’s comedy act in what appears to be a once-a-decade bonding exercise between the media and the administration. Journalists are defending the White House against the rude depredations of Big Comedy, while the the rich asshole administration pretends that it and the Washington press corps are victims of the coarsening of our patriotic institutions.
Needless to say, this has never been more fatuous than it is right now. While journalists, celebrities and politicians all preened on the red carpet, President the rich asshole was in Michigan calling the press fake, dishonest and despicable, as usual. His worked-up followers stood in front of the media and also preened for the cameras, calling them “degenerate filth.”
POLITICS
White House: John Kelly Is Great To Women Because He Hates Cursing Around Them
The White House said that’s evidence the chief of staff actually treats women really well.
WASHINGTON ― The White House is pushing back on the idea that President some rich asshole’s chief of staff doesn’t treat women well.
John Kelly has upset some female staffers, according to an NBC News story on Monday, because he has said, among other things, that women are more emotional than men.
But anonymous White House officials responded that actually, Kelly is great to women. To prove their point, they told NBC News that Kelly doesn’t let men swear when “a lady is present”:
The White House spokespeople said they haven’t seen Kelly have a negative effect on the morale of women staffers. If anything, they said during meetings Kelly is the “bigger gentleman” who steps in when aides use foul language to note “a lady is present” and similarly says he shouldn’t use foul language in front of a lady if he’s used an expletive. The spokespeople, who would not speak for the record, said it’s possible Kelly may have said women are more emotional than men, with one of them agreeing that “generally speaking, women are more emotional than men.”
Kelly put out a statement Monday saying the NBC News article was wrong, although he didn’t specifically talk about his treatment of women. The piece also said that Kelly has called the rich asshole an “idiot” behind his back.
“I spend more time with the President than anyone else and we have an incredibly candid and strong relationship,” Kelly said in his statement. “He always knows where I stand and he and I both know this story is total BS. I am committed to the President, his agenda, and our country. This is another pathetic attempt to smear people close to President the rich asshole and distract from the administration’s many successes.”
The no-swearing-in-front-of-ladies rule fits with what Kelly has said publicly. In October, he told reporters in a briefing that he missed the good ol’ days when women were “sacred.”
“When I was a kid growing up, a lot of things were sacred in our country,” he said. “Women were sacred and looked upon with great honor. That’s obviously not the case anymore, as we see from recent cases.”
Kelly was born in 1950. When he was growing up, women couldn’t open credit card accounts in their own names and there were far fewer women in the workforce.
As a retired general, Kelly was supposed to bring order and discipline to the chaotic White House. But he found himself in the middle of a scandal a few months ago when he protected a then-White House aide, Rob Porter, against domestic violence accusations made by Porter’s ex-wives ― accusations that came with photographic evidence.
The chief of staff tried to spin his own involvement, claiming that he took immediate action when he found out about the allegations. But other White House aides disputed his characterization, saying that Kelly looked the other way on Porter.
Kelly, according to NBC News, didn’t understand why Porter’s former wives “wouldn’t just move on based on the information he said he had about his marriages” and wondered aloud “how much more Porter would have to endure before his honor could be restored.”
Ex-White House counsel John Dean explains why it ‘could be an act of obstruction’ if the rich asshole team leaked Mueller’s questions
John Dean, Former White House Counsel for United States President Richard Nixon (Photo: Screen capture)
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Attorney Robert S. Mueller III, who is overseeing the Russians investigation into the 2016 presidential election released a list of four dozen questions his team wants to ask President the rich asshole.
Former White House Counsel, John Dean, said the very act of releasing the questions is an obstruction of justice.
In an interview with CNN’s Anderson Cooper, Dean said: “the very fact that the questions are out there, my first reaction suggesting that it could be an act of obstruction justice.”
He said is was an obstruction justice because it disrupts the proper flow of information.
“Well, to try to somehow disrupt the flow of information, the tipping off of witness in advance to what the question was going to be, and listening to — you are reading the questions, and I’m scanning them, it appears to me more that these are questions somebody wrote down after listening to someone else than necessarily the questions that were designed by the prosecutors.”
Watch his full interview with Cooper below.
the rich asshole: White House running smoothly despite 'witch hunts, etc.'
BY BRETT SAMUELS - 04/30/18 07:32 PM EDT
President the rich asshole on Monday attacked the media and touted his administration hours after NBC News reported chief of staff John Kelly has called the president an "idiot" and caused sagging morale in the White House.
"The White House is running very smoothly despite phony Witch Hunts etc. There is great Energy and unending Stamina, both necessary to get things done," the rich asshole tweeted.
"We are accomplishing the unthinkable and setting positive records while doing so! Fake News is going “bonkers!” he added.
The White House is running very smoothly despite phony Witch Hunts etc. There is great Energy and unending Stamina, both necessary to get things done. We are accomplishing the unthinkable and setting positive records while doing so! Fake News is going “bonkers!”
In a separate tweet, the rich asshole called the media "totally unhinged" and "truly bad people."
The Fake News is going crazy making up false stories and using only unnamed sources (who don’t exist). They are totally unhinged, and the great success of this Administration is making them do and say things that even they can’t believe they are saying. Truly bad people!
the rich asshole frequently lashes out at reports that are critical of his administration, deeming them "fake news."
The NBC story cited eight current and former officials who spoke about Kelly's interactions with other White House staffers. The officials said Kelly has criticized the rich asshole's lack of policy knowledge, and has rattled female staffers with some of his rhetoric.
Kelly denied the report, calling it "BS" in a statement issued by the White House.
"I spend more time with the president than anyone else and we have an incredibly candid and strong relationship," Kelly said.
"I am committed to the president, his agenda, and our country," he added. "This is another pathetic attempt to smear people close to President the rich asshole and distract from the administration’s many successes.”
‘Basically a lie about US intelligence’: MSNBC’s Andrea Mitchell is stunned by the newest White House statement
Andrea Mitchell (MSNBC)
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MSNBC’s Andrea Mitchell looked absolutely flabbergasted Monday night as she read the latest statement from the White House on Iran’s nuclear capabilities, a statement she told viewers was essentially a flat-out lie that contradicts previously acknowledged American intelligence findings.
After Israeli Priminister Benjamin Netanyahu gave a presentation Monday revealing documents suggesting that Iran has concealed an archive of its research into developing nuclear weapons, the White House released the following statement:
The United States is aware of the information just released by Israel and continues to examine it carefully. This information provides new and compelling details about Iran’s efforts to develop missile-deliverable nuclear weapons. These facts are consistent with what the United States has long known: Iran has a robust, clandestine nuclear weapons program that it has tried and failed to hide from the world and from its own people. The Iranian regime has shown it will use destructive weapons against its neighbors and others. Iran must never have nuclear weapons.
Mitchell read the statement on air and noted that it contradicts what former CIA Director Mike Pompeo testified to before Congress earlier this month. On April 12, Pompeo said of Iran’s commitment to the deal, “I have seen no evidence they are not in compliance today.”
Though Netanyahu’s presentation suggests the Iranians have been less than candid, it did not include any evidence that the country has violated the deal, and it does not suggest that the country has a “robust, clandestine nuclear weapons program.”
“This is basically a lie about US intelligence,” Mitchell said of the White House statement. “It’s stunning.”
Watch the clip below:
Kim Jong Un agrees to meet some rich asshole at DMZ, source says
Seoul, South Korea (CNN)South Korean President Moon Jae-In has convinced North Korean leader Kim Jong Un to hold his upcoming meeting with US President some rich asshole at the demilitarized zone separating the two Koreas, a source tells CNN.
Moon and Kim met at the same location in Panmunjom last Friday, a historically significant event that was televised worldwide and led to an agreement to denuclearize the Korean Peninsula and formally end the Korean War.
There is a "strong possibility" the summit will be held at the site, with some events possibly scheduled on the northern side of the military demarcation line separating the two countries, according to an official with deep knowledge of North Korea's thinking on the matter.
The venue makes the most sense logistically for Kim, the source said, because media facilities and equipment are already in place, which could the allow the summit to take place "in late May."
Traveling to the northern side of the DMZ would also provide a historic opportunity for the rich asshole, the source said, adding that Moon may be involved in the summit in some capacity.
The idea of meeting at the DMZ wasn't a complete surprise to aides since the rich asshole has been talking about it all weekend and raised it in his Sunday phone call with Moon, a senior US official and a person familiar with the conversations told CNN.
the rich asshole loved the images from the inter-Korean summit and the fact the entire meeting was televised, those sources said.
Watch Kim Jong Un cross the line at DMZ 02:22
Speaking to reporters Monday, the rich asshole said he was enthusiastic about the idea of holding the summit in the DMZ. "There's something I like about it, because you're there, if things work out, there's a great celebration to be had on the site, not in a third party country," he said.
Millions watched Moon's meeting with Kim last Friday, the first meeting between two leaders of North and South Korea in a decade.
Cameras followed the leaders' movements throughout the day, from Moon's departure from Seoul to the moment Kim crossed the demarcation line into the south -- and encouraged Moon to cross to the North.
The US President wants to be involved in similar scenes when he becomes the first sitting US President to meet a North Korean leader. He's keen to take part in a cross-border handshake, but also wants photos to document the moment if he decides to stand up and walk out of talks, they said.
US officials are still arguing for Singapore as a possible location for the talks, telling the rich asshole it presents a more neutral option, the sources said.
But one senior official conceded the symbolism wouldn't be there, and noted there are still logistical considerations to worry about with Singapore, a city-state south of Malaysia.
Concerns remain inside the administration that the rich asshole may be too eager for a deal. Those same skeptics worry holding the meeting at the DMZ will appear conciliatory toward Kim.
As he has said in public, the rich asshole remains insistent he will not be played as the two seek to end the standoff over North Korea's nuclear weapons program.
MSNBC legal analysts blast ‘President Snowflake’ the rich asshole: He’s ‘triggered’ by Stormy Daniels and her lawyer
President some rich asshole and adult actress Stephanie Clifford, whose stage name was Stormy Daniels, in a 2006 Myspace photo.
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According to one leading legal review editor, some rich asshole is so easily “triggered,” he may be forced to face his former mistress Stormy Daniels in court.
When discussing Daniels’ new defamation lawsuit that she brought after the president accused his former mistress on Twitter of lying about being intimidated by a man she believes works for him, Above the Law’s Elie Mystal told MSNBC’s Chris Hayes his legal advice for the president is simple: stop tweeting.
“Just stop, man,” Mystal said. “There is nothing good that happens to him legally on Twitter.”
“Donald the rich asshole going to learn today if he so much as thinks about Stormy Daniels, [her attorney] Michael Avenatti is prepared to sue his brain stem,” the website’s top editor told Hayes. “Trump thinks that he can kind of say anything about anybody to anybody. And Michael Avenatti is doggedly pursuing him at every opportunity.”
Mystal later noted that given the rich asshole’s history of ignoring legal advice, it’s no surprise he’s played into Avenatti’s attempts to force him into a deposition.
“We’re talking about president snowflake here,” the legal analyst said. “He is easily triggered.”
Watch below via MSNBC:
Gallup: the rich asshole approval rating reaches 11-month high
BY JULIA MANCHESTER - 04/30/18 05:54 PM EDT
President the rich asshole's weekly approval rating has hit an 11-month high, according to polling data released by Gallup on Monday.
The data found that 42 percent of respondents said they approved of the job the rich asshole was doing at the end of the week of April 29, up from 38 percent the week before.
The rating is the highest weekly rating for the president since May 7, when his approval rating also hit 42 percent.
The data also indicated that the gap between those who said they approved of the rich asshole and those who said they disapproved had narrowed over the past year.
The poll came on the heels of an eventful week for the president, who met with French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Angela Merkel and discussed the future of the Iran nuclear deal.
the rich asshole hinted last week he could end up pulling the U.S. out of the deal.
Last week also saw further developments in the ongoing negotiations between the two Koreas, with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un meeting with South Korean President Moon Jae-in.
However, the White House grappled with allegations surrounding the rich asshole's pick to lead the Department of Veterans Affairs, Navy Rear Adm. Ronny Jackson, who later withdrew his nomination.
Gallup's weekly presidential approval rating polls are conducted among 1,500 adults across the U.S., with a margin of error of plus or minus 3 percentage points.
Conservatives draft impeachment articles against deputy AG Rod Rosenstein as a ‘last resort’
Deputy Attorney General Rod J. Rosenstein taking the oath of office inside the Department of Justice.
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Conservative House members are at a breaking point. According to the Washington Post, the rich asshole allies drafted an impeachment document against Deputy Attorney General Rod J. Rosenstein.
Rosenstein oversaw the special counsel probe during the Russian interference in the 2016 election.
Rep. Mark Meadows (R-N.C.), called the document, “a last resort option, if the Department of Justice fails to respond. Meadows continued: My frustrations about their inability to respond to simple requests could warrant further action.”
President the rich asshole has said that their could be changed coming to the Justice Department. He has referred to the Russia probe as a “witch hunt.”
“They have a witch hunt against the president of the United States going on, I’ve taken the position — and I don’t have to take this position, maybe I’ll change — that I will not be involved with the Justice Department,” President the rich asshole said.
The draft is not expected to do well in Congress, but can serve as a protective protocol measure. A Justice Department spokesman also declined to comment.
Meadows says he wants action.
“The Department of Justice’s willingness to comply with legitimate requests are more lip service than actual actions,” Meadows said Monday.
POLITICS
Stormy Daniels Files Suit Against the rich asshole Over ‘False And Defamatory’ Tweet
The adult film star says one of the rich asshole’s tweets has exposed her to “contempt, ridicule... and physical threats of violence.”
Stormy Daniels has filed a new lawsuit against President some rich asshole over one of his recent tweets, which the adult film star says was “false and defamatory.”
On April 18, the rich asshole tweeted dismissively about a forensic sketch of a man who Daniels says threatened her in 2011. The president called it “a total con job.”
In the defamation suit, filed in a Manhattan federal court on Monday, Daniels, whose real name is Stephanie Clifford, alleged that the rich asshole “used his national and international audience of millions of people to make a false factual statement to denigrate and attack” her.
the rich asshole’s tweet exposed Daniels to “contempt, ridicule... and physical threats of violence,” the complaint says.
A sketch years later about a nonexistent man. A total con job, playing the Fake News Media for Fools (but they know it)! twitter.com/shennafoxmusic…
Daniels, who is also suing the president over a nondisclosure agreement she signed related to their alleged affair, is seeking damages in excess of $75,000.
Michael Avenatti, Daniels’ attorney, accused the president Monday of being complicit in the 2011 incident when a man allegedly threatened Daniels and warned her to keep silent about her alleged affair with the rich asshole.
“We fully intend on bringing it to light,” Avenatti wrote on Twitter.
Moments ago, we filed this lawsuit against Mr. Trump for his recent irresponsible and defamatory statements about my client @stormydaniels. He is well aware of what transpired and his complicity. We fully intend on bringing it to light. #buckleup #bastadropbox.com/s/cghg5fwc42lh…
Earlier this month, Daniels released a forensic sketch of the man she said threatened her. The man allegedly approached her and her infant daughter in a parking lot and told her to “leave the rich asshole alone.” Daniels said she was deeply “rattled” by the encounter.
Last week, a federal judge put Daniels’ earlier suit against the rich asshole on hold for 90 days because the rich asshole’s attorney Michael Cohen is under criminal investigation related to a $130,000 hush payment he made to Daniels.
This story has been updated.
Here are all the questions Robert Mueller wants to ask the rich asshole
Special counsel Robert Mueller and some rich asshole (Wikimedia Commons)
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Special counsel Robert Mueller’s team on Monday provided a list of more than four dozen questions he wants to ask some rich asshole to the president’s lawyers. Soon after, The New York Times acquired the special counsel’s wish list and published it.
“The open-ended queries appear to be an attempt to penetrate the president’s thinking, to get at the motivation behind some of his most combative Twitter posts and to examine his relationships with his family and his closest advisers,” the Times report noted.
The questions are grouped around four categories: the rich asshole’s controversial former national security adviser Mike Flynn; former FBI director James Comey; Attorney General Jeff Sessions and his recusal from the Russia investigation; and alleged collusion with Russia.
You can read all of the questions via the Times.
Impeachment looms large in White House midterm plans
BY ALEXANDER BOLTON AND MELANIE ZANONA - 04/30/18 06:53 PM EDT
President the rich asshole wants to step up efforts to protect Republican control of the House in hopes of avoiding an impeachment debate and congressional investigations if Democrats seize the chamber, according to GOP sources.
“It is super important to the White House and really the whole White House is very focused on it,” said a source familiar with strategy talks about protecting the House majority.
“The president is expected to dial up efforts in this regard during and after the August recess,” the source added.
While Democratic leaders in the House are playing any talk of impeachment very carefully, the idea of impeaching the rich asshole has strong support within the party’s liberal base.
Rep. Beto O’Rourke (D-Texas), who raised $6.7 million in the first quarter for a Senate bid, goosed his fundraising last month by pledging to vote for impeachment. And Rep. Maxine Waters (D-Calif.) said over the weekend that 70 percent of Democrats want to impeach the president.
Those comments have grabbed the rich asshole’s attention, and led him to see protecting the House as vitally important.
the rich asshole told a rally of supporters in Michigan over the weekend that the looming threat of impeachment is a driving reason to protect the House.
“We have to keep the House because if we listen to Maxine Waters, she’s going around saying ‘We will impeach him,’ ” the rich asshole said Saturday.
Democrats would need to gain 23 seats to win back the House majority, a number that seems within range. The Cook Political Report categorizes eight GOP held seats as likely or leaning toward Democrats, and 22 more as toss-ups.
Another party strategist said the order from the president to the Republican National Committee (RNC) has been clear: Protect the House at all costs.
“It’s clear the message has been, ‘We don’t want to want to have to fool with impeachment proceedings with the final two years of his first term, you better do something,” the strategist said, requesting anonymity to discuss party deliberations.
The RNC surprised Senate Republicans recently when it announced that protecting the House would be it’s top priority, putting less emphasis on the Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell’s (R-Ky.) goal of protecting and expanding the Senate GOP majority.
“Our No. 1 priority is keeping the House. We have to win the House,” RNC political director Juston Johnson told the Associated Press.
It’s safe to say some Republicans will question a strategy that puts too much a priority on the House and not enough of one on the Senate.
Republicans have a narrow 51-49 edge in the Senate, but face a playing field that has Democrats defending 26 seats compared to just eight for Republicans. Many of the Democratic seats are also in states that the rich asshole won by double-digits, which gives the Senate GOP real hope of increasing its majority even if the House majority flips.
McConnell warned the rich asshole at a private dinner last month that he should focus more on the battle for control of the Senate, according to The New York Times. McConnell argued that the future of the Senate GOP majority depended largely on the rich asshole.
At the same dinner, Marc Short, the White House legislative affairs director predicted that House GOP majority is essentially doomed, according to The Times.
Other GOP strategists are urging the rich asshole to spend his political capital where it can have the most impact — in states with vulnerable Senate Democratic incumbents.
They see control of the House as a losing battle but acknowledge the president doesn’t agree with that analysis.
“There are a lot of operatives who are concerned that we're chasing the impossible in terms of defending the House. Instead of ensuring you lock down one you may lose both,” said one GOP official who thinks the president’s time and fundraising ability is better used on Senate races.
This strategist argued that historical statistics combined with the wave of House Republican retirements makes keeping control of the lower chamber all but impossible.
Forty-seven House Republicans, including Speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wis.), have announced their retirements since the rich asshole came to office. While some of them have been replaced by GOP successors in special elections, many of the seats will be vulnerable to Democratic takeover in November.
Since 1966, when the president’s approval rating drops below 50 percent, his party hast lost two dozen or more seats in six out of the past seven midterm elections, according to The Cook Political Report. A Gallup weekly poll released Monday found the rich asshole’s approval rating rising to its highest level in 11 months, but it still stood at an anemic 42 percent.
GOP strategist Ford O’Connell said the costs will be high for the rich asshole if Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) or another liberal Democrat becomes the next Speaker.
As a result, it’s understandable that the rich asshole would want to fight hard to keep the House majority.
“They know they have to counteract that because if they lose the House the agenda stalls for two years and they’ll probably be facing impeachment charges every other week from how he looks to how he sneezes,” he added. “That is the White House’s No. 1 fear.”
Some Republicans think the rich asshole could rally the party’s base by raising the specter of impeachment.
Doug Heye, a GOP strategist, said sounding the alarm on impeachment will likely be central to the White House's strategy in some House races this fall — but not all of them.
“That will be part of it, but emphasizing how Pelosi and Co. would over turn his policies might resonate more than a hypothetical that Democratic leadership is trying to tamp down,” said Heye, a former Republican National Committee spokesman.
“How [Democrats] would raise taxes, push government control of healthcare and more regulation may be a better argument to voters who might not be massive the rich asshole fans but like his policies,” he said.
The Pentagon considers launching an internal investigation into claims Ronny Jackson was drunk at work
Dr. Ronny Jackson, White House photo by Pete Souza.
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A Pentagon spokesperson told the Washington Post the department is weighing whether they should investigate accusations leveled against the president’s personal physician Ronny Jackson, including that he was drunk at work and fostered a “hostile” work environment.
According to Defense Department spokesperson Tom Crosson, the Pentagon’s inspector general “is assessing what investigations and reviews have already been conducted related to these issues, any jurisdictional issues that may relate to the allegations, and the scope of the allegations and complaints related to these issues.”
The Pentagon’s announcement came after more than a week of scandal surrounding rear Adm. Jackson after unconfirmed allegations emerged about his reportedly improper work conduct. The accusations eventually led Jackson to withdraw his nomination for the head of the Veteran’s Affairs department, and although one White House spokesperson said Sunday that he was no longer President some rich asshole’s personal physician, deputy press secretary Raj Shah denied the comments soon after.
“Rear Admiral Ronny Jackson is currently on active duty, assigned to the White House as Deputy Assistant to the President,” Shah told the Post. “Despite published reports, there are no personnel announcements at this time.”
White House Delays Tariffs on E.U., Canada and Mexico for 30 Days
WASHINGTON — The rich asshole administration has delayed a decision about whether to impose steel and aluminum tariffs on the European Union, Canada and Mexico for another 30 days, giving key allies a reprieve as the countries carry out further negotiations, a person familiar with the discussions said Monday evening.
The 25 percent tariffs on steel and 10 percent on aluminum were set to go into effect on Tuesday. The administration, which granted temporary exemptions to a handful of countries in March, has also reached initial agreements with Argentina, Australia and Brazil that will allow them to avoid, at least for now, the tariffs. Details of those agreements will be finalized in the next 30 days, the person said.
President the rich asshole’s decision temporarily puts off an announcement that could have imposed stiff tariffs on close American allies and prompted swift retaliation on American products in return.
The rich asshole administration had been seeking concessions from these countries in exchange for not allowing the tariffs to go into effect, betting that the threat of tariffs would pressure allies and trading partners to renegotiate trading terms in America’s favor. But while the threat of tariffs had helped finalize a continuing deal with South Korea, there has been little indication that nations like those in the European Union would fold to White House demands.
The decision will come as a relief to major American allies that were bracing for damage to their economy from lower sales of metals into the United States. But it could fuel criticism that some rich asshole is more bark than bite and increase the pressure on the White House to squeeze concessions from other nations that they have so far been unwilling to agree to, such as lowering the amount of metals imported into America.
The extension will also give the rich asshole administration more breathing room to work on a separate trade battle with China, which has threatened tariffs on American products in retaliation for both the metals tariffs and other levies that the United States has threatened to place on Chinese goods. A delegation of top officials is headed to China this week to engage in discussions with the Chinese about the trade dispute.
Foreign allies and companies that source steel and aluminum from abroad were left in suspense about how the tariffs deadline would play out until late Monday. American negotiators had been working for weeks to secure concessions from the countries the president temporarily exempted from his order in exchange for permanent exclusions from tariffs. But foreign leaders were not sure of the outcome, and administration officials insisted the final decision would fall to the president.
In recent weeks, American negotiators have pressed allies to restrain their own metal shipments to the United States voluntarily in exchange for having the tariffs lifted. But officials have also embarked on unrelated trade discussions. Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross, who has been charged with negotiating with the European Union, had been pushing for the bloc to reduce its tariffs on imported cars and lower its trade surplus with the United States.
So far, European officials have held firm to their insistence that the trade measures violate international trading law. The temporary extension is unlikely to satisfy the European Union, whose leaders have said they do not want to negotiate under threat and have demanded a permanent and unconditional exemption from the tariffs.
If the tariffs do go into effect after the 30-day reprieve, Europe has promised swift retaliation. It has drawn up a lengthy list of American products it would penalize in return, including orange juice, cranberries, motorcycles and bluejeans. It has also asked to join a dispute China brought at the World Trade Organization against the American steel and aluminum tariffs.
An extension of the tariff deadline was more widely expected for Canada and Mexico, which are still in negotiations with the United States over the future of the North American Free Trade Agreement. Though differences of opinion remain, officials from the countries insist they are making quick progress toward a goal of concluding their talks by the end of May.
Canada and Mexico have said that putting tariffs in place in the middle of these discussions could upend delicate negotiations. On Monday, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau of Canada said he was “optimistic” that his country would secure an exemption, arguing that the rich asshole administration understood that tariffs on Canada would hurt jobs on both sides of the shared border.
A person familiar with the deliberations said the White House had reached agreements in principle with Argentina, Australia and Brazil, but further details were not immediately forthcoming.
The administration has also been in talks with Japan, the largest American ally to be left off the initial list of countries that were granted a temporary exemption from the American steel and aluminum tariffs — in part because of the country’s trade patterns, including a large surplus with the United States, but also because the rich asshole administration hoped to urge the country into one-on-one trade talks.
But Prime Minister Shinzo Abe of Japan dashed those plans after visiting the president at his Mar-a-Lago resort in mid-April. Mr. Abe insisted that talks take the form of the United States rejoining the Trans-Pacific Partnership, a multicountry trade deal some rich asshole withdrew from. some rich asshole, meanwhile, derided the deal, writing on Twitter that it had “too many contingencies.”
The month-long reprieve prolongs the state of uncertainty hanging over the global economy, making it difficult for businesses to plan and discouraging them from investing in new factories or hiring more workers.
That unpredictability has plagued even steel and aluminum companies which support the measure. Todd Leebow, the president and chief executive of Majestic Steel USA, which buys and sells American-made steel, said the tariffs were already helping to revive the American industry. Still, he noted that his customers did not know where they would be able to purchase metals from, and where prices might head.
“From an industry perspective, the challenge that we have is it creates uncertainty,” Mr. Leebow said.
MSNBC panel rolls damning supercut of John Kelly stirring controversy to prove ‘there is no adult in the room’
White House chief of staff John Kelly gives a press briefing. Image via screengrab.
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Despite being lauded by critics as a “sobering” force in some rich asshole’s White House when he was first hired, an MSNBC panel Monday agreed that chief of staff John Kelly’s past controversies suggest he was never who media expected him to be.
Responding to a report, as described to NBC by eight former and current White House officials, that claimed Kelly has called the president “an idiot” on multiple occasions, MSNBC’s Ayman Mohyeldin, in for regular host Ari Melber, rolled footage of the chief of staff’s more unsavory comments during his nine-month tenure in the West Wing.
“Remember, Kelly was brought on as chief of staff nine months ago, hailed as a beacon of discipline and the adult in the room, believe it or not, and someone who would put an end to the chaos in the West Wing,” Mohyeldin said. “Instead, Kelly has found himself at the center of several controversies, many of them spilling out into the public.”
The anchor then played a clip from Kelly’s October speech at the White House press podium in which he leveled unsubstantiated attacks at Rep. Fredericka Wilson (D-FL) that he never apologized for, followed by an audio clip of the chief of staff calling immigrants lazy and repeatedly defending former White House staffer Rob Porter after he was accused of spousal abuse. The latter, Mohyeldin said, echoes NBC’s reporting today that charges Kelly with claiming women are “more emotional” than men. Kelly denied the comments were ever uttered and called them “BS.”
“Anyone who’s involved with this Titanic has to be aligned with the rich asshole,” Christina Greer, a fellow at New York University’s McSilver Institute for Poverty Policy and Research, told the host. “So there is no adult in the room. If we’re looking for someone who has deep morals or a conscience or some sort of upper level have intellect, if they are still with this administration, that is cause for serious question.”
Former Congresswoman Donna Edwards (D-MD) agreed with Greer’s assertion, saying that especially given Kelly’s comments about women, “he’s a mirror image in this respect of the president that he serves.”
“What disturbs me more about John Kelly is that he hasn’t been able to put a clamp on the president’s sort of most ridiculous instincts,” the Maryland Democrat said.
Watch below, via MSNBC:
Michelle Wolf on correspondents' dinner: 'I wouldn't change a single word that I said'
BY BRETT SAMUELS - 04/30/18 05:49 PM EDT
Comedian Michelle Wolf on Monday stood by her performance at this year's White House Correspondents' Association (WHCA) dinner, despite criticism from conservatives and some journalists that she went too far.
"I wouldn't change a single word that I said. I'm very happy with what I said, and I'm glad I stuck to my guns," Wolf said on NPR's "Fresh Air."
"I don't pull punches," she added. "I'm not afraid to talk about things. And I don't think they expected that from me."
Wolf caused a furor in Washington, D.C., on Saturday after she delivered a searing 19-minute set that took aim at President the rich asshole, Vice President Pence, Ivanka the rich asshole, White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders, the media, several Democratic politicians and others.
Several reporters, ex-the rich asshole administration members and conservative commentators argued Wolf crossed a line, particularly in her comments about Sanders.
"I actually really like Sarah. I think she's very resourceful," Wolf said at the WHCA dinner. "But she burns facts and then she uses that ash to create a perfect smokey eye. Like, maybe she's born with it, maybe it's lies."
She added, “Is it Sarah Sanders? Is it Sarah Huckabee Sanders? Is it Cousin Huckabee? Is it Auntie Huckabee Sanders? Like, what's Uncle Tom but for white women who disappoint other white women?"
the rich asshole, who did not attend for a second straight year, called Wolf's performance "filthy," and declared the annual gala "dead as we know it."
Celebrities, fellow comedians and a number of journalists have defended Wolf, explaining that she did what she was hired to do in roasting the current administration.
Wolf said she wasn't expecting her performance to rise to the level of controversy it has, but added that she isn't disappointed by the response.
"I knew what I was doing going in," she told NPR. "I wanted to do something different. I didn't want to cater to the room. I wanted to cater to the outside audience, and not betray my brand of comedy."
"I actually, a friend of mine who helped me write, he gave me a note before I went on which I kept with me which was, 'Be true to yourself. Never apologize. Burn it to the ground,' " she added.
The WHCA said in a statement that Wolf's routine "was not in the spirit" of the organization's mission. Its incoming president, Olivier Knox, said Monday he's open to suggestions about the future format of the event.
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Pence’s personal physician alerted White House officials to Ronny Jackson’s behavior last year
White House physician and VA nominee Ronny Jackson. Image via screengrab.
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Vice President Mike Pence’s physician alerted White House officials last year that Ronny Jackson, some rich asshole’s doctor, “inappropriately intervened in a medical situation” involving Karen Pence. As CNN reports, Jackson also intimidated Pence’s physician during a confrontation about his overstep.
This story is developing…
John Kelly reportedly thinks women are more emotional than men, won’t curse in front of women
White House spokespeople defended Kelly, saying, "Generally speaking, women are more emotional than men."
White House Chief of Staff John Kelly called President some rich asshole an “idiot,” according to an NBC report Monday.
As NBC put it, citing multiple White House officials, “Kelly portrays himself to the rich asshole administration aides as the lone bulwark against catastrophe, curbing the erratic urges of a president who has a questionable grasp on policy issues and the functions of government. He has referred to the rich asshole as ‘an idiot’ multiple times to underscore his point.”
Kelly’s sense of himself as a savior is obviously ridiculous. The chief of staff has a long history of racist, ruthless politics: He cracked down people in prison who went on a hunger strike while he was running Guantanamo, he believes that waterboarding “absolutely” works, and has said that a “lack of compromise” led to the Civil War.
Adding to that abhorrent list, the NBC report Monday also revealed that Kelly perpetuates a culture of sexism in the West Wing. According to officials, Kelly has told aides multiple times that women are more emotional than men, including once in front of the rich asshole himself.
Kelly also defended former White House staff secretary Rob Porter, who left his position earlier this year after two of his ex-wives said he had abused them. When the story first broke, Kelly spoke highly of Porter in a statement. According to the NBC report, Kelly also “wondered aloud how much more Porter would have to endure before his honor could be restored” and questioned why his ex-wives didn’t just “move on.”
Unnamed White House spokespeople defended Kelly to NBC, reportedly telling the outlet that Kelly might have said women are more emotional than men, but that the comment was fine because it’s true.
“Generally speaking,” they told NBC, “women are more emotional than men.”
They also said Kelly is actually the “bigger gentleman” who steps in when aides use foul language to note “a lady is present” and who apologizes if he curses in front of a woman.
That type of behavior is not unlike Kelly’s comments from last October, lamenting the fact that when he was growing up, “women were sacred.” That notion, as The Washington Post noted at the time, only perpetuates a culture of misogyny, feeding into a belief that women are dainty and weaker than men.
Kelly has denied the whole NBC report, calling it “BS” in a statement.
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