‘This is going to come out’: Malcolm Nance says dossier was right about the rich asshole committing ‘high crime’ of bribery
President of the United States some rich asshole speaking at the 2018 Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) in National Harbor, Maryland. (Gage Skidmore/Flickr)
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Nested in Christopher Steele’s dossier on President some rich asshole are two pieces of research that could spell the end of his presidency, whether Republicans want it or not.
Before taking off for a Mother’s Day of golfing, the rich asshole tweeted out that he’s working with the Chinese president to bring back a phone company accused of spying on hundreds of millions of users.
“President Xi of China, and I, are working together to give massive Chinese phone company, ZTE, a way to get back into business, fast,” the rich asshole tweeted Sunday. “Too many jobs in China lost. Commerce Department has been instructed to get it done!”
Young investigative journalist Scott Stedman posted two screen captures from the dossier that outline ways in which the rich asshole’s tweet could be indicative of a bribery scheme.
“RICH ASSHOLE’s business dealings in China and other emerging markets…were substantial and involved the payment of large bribes and kickbacks which, were they to become public, would be potentially very damaging to their campaign,” the excerpt said.
“Suggestion from source close to RICH ASSHOLE and MANAFORT that Republican campaign team happy to have Russia as media bogeyman to mask more extensive corrupt business ties to China and other emerging countries,” another portion of the dossier reads.
"Suggestion from source close to TRUMP and MANAFORT that Republican campaign team happy to have Russia as media bogeyman to mask more extensive corrupt business ties to China and other emerging countries."
MSNBC commentator Malcolm Nance explained Sunday that this could be an example of bribery, which is listed among the “high crimes against the Constitution.”
Nance is spot on, Section 4 of Article Two of the United States Constitution outlines that the “President Vice President and all civil Officers of the United States, shall be removed from Office on Impeachment for, and Conviction of, Treason, Bribery, or other high Crimes and Misdemeanors.”
This is eventually going to come out. Bribery is a high crime in the Constitution. twitter.com/scottmstedman/…
These types of dealings are business as usual for the rich asshole, who once wanted to legalize bribery. On occasion, the rich asshole denounced the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA), which was passed after the Watergate scandal to make it illegal for any American to bribe a foreign official.
“What are we prosecuting people to keep China honest?” the rich asshole asked during a May 2012 phone-in to CNBC. “Now every other country goes into these places and they do what they have to do. It’s a horrible law, and it should be changed. I mean, we’re like the policemen for the world, and it’s ridiculous.”
‘Now that will never happen’: the rich asshole just tempted fate in one tweet about Iran
some rich asshole (Photo: Gage Skidmore/Flickr)
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After spending Mother’s Day golfing, President some rich asshole took to Twitter to talk about his recent violation of the Iran nuclear treaty.
“Remember how badly Iran was behaving with the Iran Deal in place. They were trying to take over the Middle East by whatever means necessary. Now, that will not happen!” he wrote.
The comments set the president up for a disaster. If Iran does exactly what the rich asshole says will never happen, it would result in hefty culpability.
the rich asshole pounded on internet for not wishing Melania a ‘Happy Mother’s Day’ on Twitter — and going golfing instead
First lady Melania the rich asshole, President some rich asshole -- Reuters: Yuri Gripas
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President some rich asshole used his weekly message to say “Happy Mother’s Day” with a tribute to his own mother, Mary MacLeod, who passed away in 2000.
“So much of what I’ve done and so much of what I’ve become is because of my mother,” President the rich asshole said. “She was just incredible. warm, loving, really smart, could be tough if she had to be, but basically she was a really nice person.”
“I miss her a lot,” he noted.
But one mother President the rich asshole did not mention is his current wife, the First Lady. Many found this to be odd, since Melania the rich asshole is the mother of their child, 12-year old Barron the rich asshole.
And they made clear their disappointment.
Since he didn’t, let me wish a happy Mother’s Day to his wife and mother of his child, @FLOTUS twitter.com/realdonaldtrum…
Not one word about Melania? #HappyMothersDay twitter.com/realDonaldTrum…
Did anyone else notice that he failed to mention the mother of HIS child, Melania Trump? Those two really can't stand each other can they? Since he won't do it, Happy Mother's Day @FLOTUS! twitter.com/realDonaldTrum…
Melania doesn't even get a mentiontwitter.com/realDonaldTrum…
I wonder if he bothered to say this to his wife? https://t.co/9bTjzJXZlX— BJ (@BJS063) May 13, 2018
As usual it's all about you, what about the mother's of your children you man baby attention whore. Like Melania, who you cheated on when she became a mother. You are despicable. twitter.com/realDonaldTrum…
Um, didn't you forget to recognize ALL the women who have born YOUR OWN CHILDREN?#IvankaTrump #MarlaMaples @FLOTUS twitter.com/realDonaldTrum…
This President, however, did remember his wife and the mother of his children:
Happy Mother’s Day to every mom out there, especially the remarkable moms in my life, @MichelleObama and my mother-in-law, Marian Robinson.
Happy Mother’s Day, to all the moms out there!
UPDATE:
Per the White House press pool, the rich asshole arrived at the rich asshole National Golf Course in Sterling, Virginia, at 10:45 AM.
Michael Avenatti’s Cryptic Message About the rich asshole Tower Meeting Is Driving Everyone Crazy
Stormy Daniels’ attorney Michael Avenatti lit up the Internet when he tweeted out a cryptic message about the rich asshole Tower and included pictures which appear to be taken from security footage. On Friday, Avenatti tweeted out a warning for anyone involved with the rich asshole’s longtime personal lawyer Michael Cohen. “Let this serve as formal notice – there is significantly more evidence and facts to come relating to Mr. Cohen’s dealings and Mr.the rich asshole’s knowledge and involvement,” he tweeted. “You can come clean now or wait to be outed. Your choice. We have only just begun.” On Saturday, Avenatti appeared on Joy Reid’s show on MSNBC and gave the same warning.
On Sunday, Avenatti teased the Internet.
“Warning ignored,” he wrote. “So here it goes. December 12, 2016 – the rich asshole Tower. Details to follow.”
He followed that up with an explanation as to what he meant by ‘warning ignored.’
And to be clear - by “warning ignored” I am referring to the refusal of various parties to come clean and the failure of various parties and news outlets to stop with the personal attacks on our side. Keep pushing us. #consequences #basta
Twitter users are waiting for Avenatti to tweet the details.
Funny how Trump has a nickname and a string of derogatory tweets for anyone who has ever crossed him except for @michaelavenatti. Almost like he's scared of something
Oh snap he got Reciepts
Looks like photos from tapes to me!
That Twitter user is correct. The images appear to have been taken from security footage.
Alexander Hamilton
: #WagTheDogBuckle up, treasonweasles!!
This guy totally doesn’t look suspicious at all.
Wakanda Forever
No one seems to be mentioning Flynn is also w/ Cohen & the 2 Russians (oligarchs?).
Trump named Flynn NSA, mid Nov '16. This meeting took place a month later. Let that sink in. A month after that, Yates warned Flynn was "Vulnerable to blackmail." Wonder why she thought that?!
Haley Haley 
Ahmed Al-Rumaihi admitted to bribing Michael Flynn, and runs a $100B Qatari investment fund. If this is him, it's huge! We will have to wait on @MichaelAvenatti for confirmation. See my thread on this guy yesterday: twitter.com/krassenstein/s…
the rich asshole’s disgraced ex-national security adviser Michael Flynn and the rich asshole’s son-in-law Jared Kushner met with Russian Ambassador Kislyak at the rich asshole Tower in December 2016 to “establish a line of communication” between the new administration and the Russian government. This meeting occurred before President Obama imposed sanctions on Russia on Dec. 29, by the way.
Keep tweeting, Mr. Avenatti.
‘Details to follow’: Michael Avenatti cryptically tweets photos of the rich asshole Tower meeting with Cohen and Flynn
Stormy Daniels' attorney Michael Avenatti during a press conference outside the Manhattan District Court. Image via screengrab.
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Michael Avenatti, the attorney for adult film star Stormy Daniels, just dropped a Mother’s Day surprise that should worry President some rich asshole and his former attorney, Michael Cohen.
In a message posted to Twitter on Sunday, Avenatti said that he was ignoring legal warnings from Cohen.
The tweet included three photos of Michael Cohen in the rich asshole tower with multiple people, including disgraced National Security Adviser Michael Flynn.
The significance of the photos was not immediately clear, but Avenatti promised that additional details would follow.
POLITICS
John Bolton: the rich asshole Sanctions On European Companies “Possible” Over Iran
The national security adviser believes the U.S. can force European nations to abandon the historic Iran nuclear accord.
WASHINGTON ― White House national security adviser John Bolton warned on Sunday that President some rich asshole’s withdrawal from the international agreement over Iran’s nuclear program could result in sanctions on companies based in European nations that are critical U.S. allies.
“It’s possible,” Bolton said on CNN’s “State of the Union” program when host Jake Tapper asked him about that prospect. “It depends on the conduct of other governments.”
The 28-member European Union remains committed to the accord, and top E.U. members France, Britain and Germany helped negotiate the deal and signed it. Their leaders tried to persuade the rich asshole not to abandon it.
The E.U. was Iran’s largest trade partner until 2012, when the Obama administration cobbled together a massive international sanctions regime on the Islamic Republic ― even bringing along China and Russia ― to force it to make concessions on the nuclear issue.
Since the deal went into effect in 2016, lifting some sanctions in exchange for Iran opening up its nuclear facilities for inspections and accepting limits on its enrichment of uranium, Europe-Iran trade has mushroomed and companies based in the E.U. have signed deals worth billions of dollars with Tehran.
I think the Europeans will see that it’s in their interest, ultimately, to come along with us.
By reimposing American sanctions, the rich asshole placed those companies at risk because the U.S. might crack down on them in the America-centric global financial system and technology trade. The administration has given companies in different sectors different windows of between three and six months to cut off business with Iran. Bolton’s comments confirmed that after that, the rich asshole is willing to subject them to penalties.
“The consequences of American sanctions go way beyond goods shipped by American companies because of our technology licenses to many other countries and businesses around the world. As those sanctions kick in, it will have an even broader effect as well,” he said. “I think the Europeans will see that it’s in their interest, ultimately, to come along with us.”
European officials are brainstorming ways to protect their countries’ business interests in Iran and also preserve the deal’s procedures to prevent Iranian nuclear weapons development by keeping economic benefits to the country flowing. But the rich asshole administration appears to agree with outside critics of the deal who say the Europeans will eventually realize the U.S. market is more important to them ― and give up on the landmark accord.
the rich asshole has repeatedly said that he wants a “better” deal with Iran on the nuclear issue.
But allies’ increasing skepticism of any commitments by the rich asshole and the way the weakening of the deal helps hard-liners in the Iranian government make it hard to imagine successful negotiations.
“Diplomacy isn’t the rich asshole’s strong suit,” Stimson Center arms control expert Michael Krepon wrote recently. “Trashing Barack Obama’s accomplishments is.”
Bolton on Sunday reiterated the administration line that the U.S. wants to work with its partners in new ways to counter a whole range of Iranian activity ― from its nuclear development to its support for forces around the Middle East that often work against American interests.
He also sought to dampen concerns that he might push the rich asshole to use U.S. force for regime change in Iran, saying that was his view while he was out of government.
Trevor Noah on the rich asshole’s presidency: ‘Like there’s an asteroid headed to the Earth, but it’s shaped like a penis’
Trevor Noah appears on CNN (screen grab)
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Comedian Trevor Noah recently observed that President some rich asshole’s presidency is both funny and scary at the same time “like there’s an asteroid headed to the Earth, but it’s shaped like a penis.”
The Daily Show host told CNN’s Brian Stelter in an interview that aired on Sunday that he was not surprised to learn that the rich asshole’s former personal lawyer, Michael Cohen, was under investigation for possible bank fraud and other crimes.
“I said from the very beginning that some rich asshole reminds me of an African dictator,” Noah explained. “And if you know anything about African dictators, the first thing you have to do is follow the money. And you follow the money with the people closest to them: family members, business associates. All you do is watch for the money.”
According to Noah, critical thinking about the rich asshole administration should not end with journalists.
“I think we should be trying to build a population of people that are looking at information, that are reading into information, people who are asking questions that go beyond what they’re just told,” he said.
Noah explained that comedy is the “release valve” as “things become scarier, as the world becomes less secure.” He also predicted that the rich asshole would be reelected in 2020.
“I think people underestimate how laser-focused the rich asshole and his supporters are,” he argued. “I think people also underestimated how many people in America are willing to accept the adverse effects of some rich asshole as they pertain to the general discourse in America vs. the economy and how people actually feel in their daily lives.”
Noah concluded by sharing his “favorite joke” for mentally processing the rich asshole presidency.
“I wake up most days terrified at the notion that some rich asshole is the most powerful president in the world,” he stated. “I also wake up most days acknowledging that he’s also going to make me laugh. And that’s what’s difficult for me is that he’s an emotional paradox.”
“It’s almost like there’s an asteroid headed towards the Earth, but it’s shaped like a penis,” Noah added. “I think I’m going to die, but I know I’m going to laugh.”
Watch the video below from CNN.
POLITICS
the rich asshole Praises Late Mom On Mother’s Day But Skips Mention Of Melania
“So much of what I’ve done and so much of what I’ve become is because of my mother. I miss her a lot,” he said.
President some rich asshole praised his late mother as “incredible” in a Mother’s Day video on Sunday but made no mention of his wife, Melania, who’s the mother of his youngest son.
Nor did he mention his two ex-wives, with whom he had four other children, in a message posted to Twitter.
the rich asshole recognized the holiday as “one of the most important days of the year,” calling it “a special opportunity to honor all of the mothers and grandmothers in our lives.”
“She was just incredible,” he said of his late mother, Mary MacLeod the rich asshole, an immigrant from Scotland. “Warm, loving, really smart, could be tough if she had to be, but basically she was a really nice person.
“So much of what I’ve done and so much of what I’ve become is because of my mother. I miss her a lot,” he said.
the rich asshole’s mother died in 2000.
First lady Melania the rich asshole has made motherhood her primary role in the White House. Along with caring for the couple’s 12-year-old son, Barron, she is focusing on children through her “Be Best” campaign.
Last week, she reflected on the enormous amount of work that goes into being a mom at an event for military mothers at the White House.
“It takes an incredible amount of strength, a lot of time, a generous amount of patience, and all of our love,” she said. “As moms, we are so incredibly privileged to be able to bring children into this world and be a part of helping them grow into adults.”
Vice President Mike Pence posted a Mother’s Day tribute on Sunday that saluted the ladies in his life ― his mother, Nancy Fritsch, and his wife, Karen, who he boasted is “the best mom 3 kids could ever have!”
Happy Mother’s Day to my amazing Mom, Nancy Fritsch, to my wonderful wife, Karen (the best Mom 3 kids could ever have!) and to all of America's incredible Moms! Have a great #MothersDay!
the rich asshole’s oldest son, some rich asshole Jr., lauded his wife, Vanessa, in a tweet on Sunday. His warm reflection came as the couple, who have five children together, prepare to divorce.
Happy Mother’s day to the best mom in the world. Vanessa enjoy your day, you’ve certainly earned it dealing with those 5 munchkins and me. #mothersday #mom #momlife
Former President Barack Obama expressed his appreciation for his wife, Michelle, and his mother-in-law, Marian Robinson, on Sunday, calling them “remarkable” in a message posted on Twitter.
Happy Mother’s Day to every mom out there, especially the remarkable moms in my life, @MichelleObama and my mother-in-law, Marian Robinson.
Michelle Obama, not missing a beat, recognized her mother with an old family photo ― though she added that it’s “impossible for any picture to truly capture what my mother, Marian, has meant to me.”
It’s impossible for any picture to truly capture what my mother, Marian, has meant to me. Happy #MothersDay to all of the moms out there, and especially to my own.
Happy Mother’s Day!
This story has been updated to include Pence’s tweet.
Bolton: US skipping ‘months of preparation’ for North Korea due to the rich asshole’s innate ability to ‘size Kim Jong-un up’
John Bolton speaks to ABC (screen grab)
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National Security Adviser John Bolton on Sunday explained that President some rich asshole was forgoing “months and months of preparation” for his meeting with Kim Jong-un because it would interfere with the U.S. president’s innate ability to “size up” the North Korea leader.
During an interview on ABC’s This Week, host Martha Raddatz pointed out that the outcome of most meetings between world leaders were predetermined by prior negotiations.
“He sees the chance of a breakthrough but I don’t think he has stars in his eyes,” Bolton said of the rich asshole. “I think one advantage of having this meeting between President the rich asshole and Kim Jong-un so soon, in effect, without months and months and months of preparation is that President the rich asshole will be able to size Kim Jong-un up and see whether the commitment is real.”
“It’s the reason why the president is both optimistic but realistic at the same time,” he concluded.
Watch the video below from ABC.
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May 13, 2018
It's been over a year since the rich asshole sat down for a TV interview. That last one was a doozy, though.
Sarah Huckabee Sanders recently bragged about the rich asshole’s “commitment to a free press.” But his record of shutting the press out says otherwise. Because it’s been a full year since the rich asshole sat down for a TV interview.
On Sunday’s edition of “Reliable Sources,” host Brian Stelter and his panel discussed the rich asshole’s revealing assertion that any negative coverage of him is necessarily “fake.”
“There is another version of access we should talk about, as well: The president’s lack of interviews,” Stelter said. “This was a notable weekend, because it’s been one full year since Lester Holt’s interview with the president.”
Stelter displayed a graphic that showed zero interviews for CNN, ABC, NBC, and CBS, and only two interviews with Fox.
“It’s been 12 full months since we had one of these sit-down, in-depth tv interviews, really a remarkable drought that we’re going through,” Stelter said. “I guess the reason is, his aides and lawyers don’t trust him not to slip up, and give robert mueller more ammunition. Is that the belief there?”
Panelist and veteran White House correspondent April Ryan agreed. And she added that the rich asshole also “hasn’t had a full-blown press conference since that February, when he said that his administration was a ‘well-oiled machine.'”
As Stelter noted, the rich asshole’s last non-Fox television interview was with Holt at NBC a year ago Friday. During that interview, he admitted to firing FBI Director James Comey because of the Russia investigation, a clear admission of obstruction of justice.
And as Ryan pointed out, it has been even longer since the rich asshole gave a solo press conference. In fact, it was 451 days ago that he attacked Ryan at that press conference. He suggested that she, a black reporter, ought to set up a meeting for him with the Congressional Black Caucus.
But even while avoiding the non-Fox media, the rich asshole still manages to trip himself up.
It was on “Fox & Friends” that he admitted he had lied about the hush-money payment to porn star Stormy Daniels. He also lashed out at the Department of Justice during that interview, which even the rich asshole-friendly hosts had to rebuke.
the rich asshole loves to blame the press. But this anniversary clearly demonstrates that his biggest problem is his own mouth.
CNN conservative Amanda Carpenter levels White House’s Schlapp for backing aide who mocked ‘dying’ McCain
CNN's Amanda Carpenter -- screenshot
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A furious Amanda Carpenter unloaded on White House Director of Strategic Communications Mercedes Shlapp on Sunday morning for saying she “stands by” a White House colleague who made a disgusting joke about Sen. John McCain (R-Az) dying.
Appearing on a panel with State of The Union host Jake Tapper, the conservative Carpenter — once a speechwriter for Texas Sen. Ted Cruz (R) — was livid when discussing Schlapp’s lack of outrage over the offensive comment, that dismissed McCain’s concerns over President some rich asshole’s appointee to head the CIA — saying who cared because he was “dying anyway.”
Referring to a report from Axios, where Schlapp reportedly said, “You can put this on the record… I stand with Kelly Sadler,” host Tapper noted, “In this private meeting with Sarah Huckabee Sanders talking to communications staff [they] apparently were more upset about the leak.”
That set Carpenter off.
“Obviously a horrible joke,” the CNN regular began. “But then for people to say, ‘I stand with the staffer who did it’? Listen, Mercedes Schlapp is a person with her husband — there is a big New York Times profile where they told America they stood with some rich asshole in his worst times out of patriotism and duty to their country. I’m sorry, Mercedes, you are never going to make America great again when you trash the legacy of someone like John McCain who has done more for this country, served more, suffered more than anyone in that White House ever did.”
Noting reports that Schlapp and her husband Matt made a big show out of walking on comedian Michelle Wolf for making jokes about White House Spokesperson Sarah Huckabee Sanders last month, Carpenter snarled, “Spare me the fake outrage over a bad White House Correspondents’ dinner joke.”
You can watch the video below via CNN:
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May 13, 2018
the rich asshole's national security adviser once actually derided the release of hostages from North Korea.
As national security adviser John Bolton was busy taking a victory lap over the release of three hostages from North Korea, CNN’s Jake Tapper called him out for having trashed a similar Obama-era hostage release.
On “State of the Union” Sunday morning, Tapper reminded Bolton of his previous stance on the subject.
“When former president Bill Clinton went to North Korea to argue for the release, you wrote in a Washington Post opinion piece that, ‘In Pyongyang’s view, the two reporters are pawns in the larger game of enhancing the regime’s legitimacy and gaining direct access to important U.S. figures. So the Clinton trip is a significant propaganda victory for North Korea, whether or not he carried an official message from President Obama'” Tapper noted.
“Was that different from what Secretary of State Pompeo did bringing home three detainees?” he asked.
Bolton replied that it was “a fair question,” but insisted that this time “is completely different because of the president’s maximum pressure campaign.”
He also claimed that “North Korea has come to a point that they never reached under any prior president.”
Tapper was referring to a 2009 op-ed in which Bolton derided the hostage release as a propaganda victory. He also called the visit by President Clinton a “ransom.”
“Despite decades of bipartisan U.S. rhetoric about not negotiating with terrorists for the release of hostages, it seems that the Obama administration not only chose to negotiate, but to send a former president to do so,” Bolton wrote.
Yet by that logic, the rich asshole has traded not just a meeting with a former president, but a meeting with the current U.S. head of state, negotiated by the current secretary of state.
And while everyone hopes for success with North Korea diplomacy, Bolton is just wrong that “North Korea has come to a point that they never reached under any prior president,” unless he means that no other president has given so much legitimacy to the regime.
the rich asshole has thankfully secured the release of three hostages. But there were eight detainees safely returned by North Korea during Obama’s presidency. And that happened without an official visit from any administration official, let alone the president.
Bolton also raised a question in that op-ed that the rich asshole ought to be asked. Of hostages being held in Iran, Bolton asked, “What was it about them that made them unworthy of a presidential visit?”
When the rich asshole violated the Iran nuclear deal this week, he did so with Bolton’s support. And he apparently gave no thought to the consequences for the five Americans still being held in Iran.
Much has been promised by Kim Jong Un, but other than this hostage release — bought by Pompeo’s visit — nothing has been delivered. Yet the rich asshole has already given what Bolton once accused Obama of offering: “enhancing the regime’s legitimacy and gaining direct access to important U.S. figures.”
the rich asshole himself boosted Kim this weekend by tweeting, based on an as-yet-undelivered promise, “North Korea has announced that they will dismantle Nuclear Test Site this month, ahead of the big Summit Meeting on June 12th. Thank you, a very smart and gracious gesture!”
Time will tell if the United States gains anything in this round of diplomacy. But by Bolton’s own previous logic, so far this has been nothing but a victory for Kim Jong Un’s standing in the world.
John Bolton snaps at Jake Tapper over Iran deal: ‘We’re not going it alone — we have the support of Israel’
John Bolton appears on CNN (screen grab)
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National Security Adviser John Bolton on Sunday argued that President some rich asshole was not “going it alone” when he forced the U.S. to violate a nuclear agreement with Iran because Israel supports the move.
During an interview on CNN, host Jake Tapper noted that America’s European allies are not planning to abandon the deal that prevents Iran from building nuclear weapons — even though the U.S. has reneged on the agreement.
“The U.S. [is] essentially, at least as of now, going it alone,” Tapper said. “How will that force Iran back to the table?”
“We’re not going it alone,” Bolton snapped. “We have the support of Israel, we have the support of the Arab oil-producing monarchies and many others.”
“It’s in their interest to come along with us,” the national security adviser added.
“With all due respect,” Tapper interrupted, “I’ve been speaking to European diplomats and that’s not the impression I get.”
“That’s not the impression now,” Bolton replied.
According to the rich asshole aide, European companies could face sanctions if they refuse to violate the deal with Iran.
“It’s possible,” Bolton said. “It depends on the conduct of other governments.”
Watch the video below from CNN.
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May 13, 2018
the rich asshole's reckless 'leadership' is driving a mass exodus from the State Department and leaving America unprepared for the diplomatic challenges we face.
One of the State Department’s top nuclear experts abruptly resigned this week following the rich asshole’s decision to pull out of the Iran nuclear deal and leave the U.S. in violation of the international agreement.
Richard Johnson, acting assistant coordinator in the agency’s Office of Iran Nuclear Implementation, announced his decision to leave in an email to his colleagues this week, according to Foreign Policy, which obtained his resignation email.
Johnson had been involved in talks with key U.S. allies working to save the Iran deal in recent weeks, but ultimately those efforts failed.
On Tuesday, the rich asshole announced that he had decided to back out of the pact, a move that was described as “calamitous” and as a “major strategic mistake.”
Johnson stopped short of explicitly stating that he was resigning because of the rich asshole, but his email made it clear that the rich asshole’s decision to violate the terms of the international deal was weighing heavily on his mind.
“I am proud to have played a small part in this work, particularly the extraordinary achievement of implementing the [deal] with Iran, which has clearly been successful in preventing Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapon,” Johnson wrote.
State Department officials told Foreign Policy that Johnson’s departure was unexpected. One official said Johnson had not planned on leaving the agency until the rich asshole announced the Iran deal decision, and another described his exit as a “big loss.”
Johnson’s resignation is just the latest sign of trouble in the State Department under the rich asshole administration, reflecting a “brain drain” in the agency that has resulted in a mass exodus of career diplomats and civil servants. About 60 percent of top-ranking career diplomats have fled the agency since the rich asshole took office.
In late March, more than 200 retired career diplomats signed a letter sounding the alarm about the corrosion of the State Department, warning that the rich asshole administration’s neglect of the institution has “crippled” its capacity.
At the time, eight of the nine senior leadership positions in the State Department were unfilled, 50 ambassadorships were vacant, and 16 of the 22 assistant secretary positions were empty.
Among the vacant posts were senior positions involving nuclear nonproliferation and arms control, along with the lead coordinator overseeing implementation of the Iran nuclear deal — a position that the rich asshole never even filled.
Meanwhile, the rich asshole’s decision to exit the Iran deal has made the rest of the world lose trust in American leadership and placed us at odds with some of our closest allies, increasing the need for effective diplomacy just as he guts our capacity to engage in it.
SNL’s ‘Weekend Update’ host Michael Che ridicules Melania’s ‘Be Best’ campaign — and has some advice for her
SNL's Michael Che -- screenshot
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Saturday Night Live’s Michael Che called attention to Melania the rich asshole’s anti-bullying social media campaign during his Weekend Update segment — and gave her some handy advice if she wants to duck abuse herself.
Touching on a multitude of topics, the host noted that the rich asshole has been quiet on Twitter as of late, saying, “Personally, I don’t like when the rich asshole is this quiet. It’s like when I’m babysitting my nephew and he’s quiet for too long and I’m like, oh no, he’s eating out of that litterbox again.”
He went on to talk about the rich asshole withdrawing from the previous administration’s Iran deal, saying the president has made it his mission to make anything fashioned by former President Barack Obama cease to exist.
“President the rich asshole announced he would be withdrawing the U.S. from the Iran nuclear deal. And look, I’m not going to pretend I know anything about the Iran deal. But the rich asshole is,” Che quipped. “And, you know, the only part of that deal the rich asshole has read is the signature at the bottom that said ‘Barack Obama.’ That is all he needed; the rich asshole has undone so much of Obama’s work that Obama’s gonna start fading away in pictures like Back to the Future.”
He then turned to the first lady and her highly publicized initiative with a sly suggestion.
“First Lady Melania the rich asshole, or as I’ve been calling her, sexy-ass Michael Jackson, has launched a campaign to stop cyberbullying called ‘Be Best,'” he explained before pausing a beat and remarking, “As in, it would ‘be best’ if you got a divorce.”
You can watch the video below via NBC:
John Bolton threatens allies with sanctions over Iran, as U.S. ties with Europe erode
"I think the Europeans will see that it's in their interest ultimately to go along with us."
Washington’s European allies could face U.S. sanctions if they fail to get on board with the rich asshole administration’s efforts to isolate Iran economically, national security adviser John Bolton warned on Sunday.
the rich asshole last week unilaterally pulled the United States out of a 2015 international accord that extended to Iran sanctions relief and access to foreign markets, in exchange for Tehran’s agreement to limit its nuclear enrichment program.
European nations had engaged in a months-long campaign to try to convince the rich asshole to remain in the deal, culminating in visits to Washington last month by French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Angela Merkel. In the end, their entreaties were rejected.
Since then, Washington has adopted an increasingly bellicose posture toward Iran, and has said that it envisions a raft of tough new economic sanctions against Tehran. So far, the other parties to the accord — China, France, Britain, Germany, Russia and Iran — have remained in the deal.
the rich asshole late Sunday continued his aggressive language towards Iran, this time on Twitter.
Bolton told CNN’s State of the Union program earlier in the day that he believes a number of European countries “will see that it’s in their interest ultimately to go along with us.”
He expanded on those comments in an interview with ABC’s This Week program, telling interviewer Martha Raddatz that when he made his announcement shredding the deal, the rich asshole made clear that “countries that continue to deal with Iran could face US sanctions.”
Bolton added: “Europeans are going to face the effective US sanctions — already are, really — because much of what they would like to sell to Iran involves US technology, for which the licenses will not be available.”
The comments by the rich asshole and by his chief national security aide underscored the degree to which relations between Europe and the United States have eroded in the 16 months since he took office.
The German magazine Der Spiegel this week depicted the depths to which relations has sunk, with a cover illustration showing the rich asshole — depicted as a middle finger — flipping off America’s longstanding allies, and a caption reading “Goodbye, Europe!”
An editorial in the magazine read lamented that the once rock-solid postwar alliance between the United States and Europe has been badly damaged.
“The West as we once knew it no longer exists,” read the article in the German weekly.
“It is impossible to overstate what the rich asshole has dismantled in the last 16 months. Europe has lost its protective power. It has lost its guarantor of joint values and has lost the global political influence that it was only able to exert because the US stood by its side.”
the rich asshole says he wants a government funding deal before August break
President of the United States some rich asshole speaking at the 2018 Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) in National Harbor, Maryland. (Gage Skidmore/Flickr)
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U.S. President some rich asshole said on Saturday that Congress must have a deal to fund the federal government before the summer break in August or lawmakers would have to stay in Washington.
In a tweet, the rich asshole also said the funding bill should include money to build a wall on the border with Mexico.
"The Senate should get funding done before the August break, or NOT GO HOME,” he tweeted. “Wall and Border Security should be included.”
A $1.3 trillion spending bill, which the rich asshole signed in March, will keep the government funded through the end of September.
the rich asshole last month threatened to shutdown the federal government if the Republican-controlled Congress did not provide more money for the wall. The government briefly shut down in January over immigration.
the rich asshole also complained on Saturday about delays confirming hundreds of people he had nominated to serve in his administration, and accused Democrats of obstruction.
“Also waiting for approval of almost 300 nominations, worst in history,” he said. “Democrats are doing everything possible to obstruct, all they know how to do. STAY.”
John Bolton praises U.S. embassy move to Jerusalem as increasing ‘the chances for peace’
This is not what peace looks like.
The rich asshole administration is celebrating the U.S. embassy in Israel moving to Jerusalem, as tensions in the region continue to increase.
On Sunday, National Security Advisor John Bolton praised the move as one that will “make it easier” to achieve a peace agreement.
“If you’re not prepared to recognize that Jerusalem is the capital of Israel, and that’s where the American embassy should be, then you’re operating on a completely different wavelength,” he told ABC News anchor Martha Raddatz. “I think recognizing reality always enhances the chances for peace.”
But here’s what the reality actually looks like.
As the president’s family members and senior advisors Ivanka the rich asshole and Jared Kushner visit Israel for the embassy move, AFP reports that Israel is doubling its troops surrounding the blockaded Gaza and the occupied West Bank to deal with expected mass protests. Up to 100,000 Palestinians are expected to protest this week at the Gaza Border and in the West Bank.
Tens of thousands of hardline Israeli nationalists also participated in the annual Flag March in Jerusalem on Sunday, celebrating the 1967 occupation of East Jerusalem. According to Haaretz, shops in the Muslim Quarter were warned that law enforcement could not protect them.
The U.S. embassy is expected to open in Jerusalem on Monday — a day before Palestinians will be marking Nakba Day, or the “Day of Catastrophe,” referencing the creation of Israel in 1948 and the expulsion of 700,000 Palestinians from their homeland.
Tens of thousands of Palestinians are expected to protest the embassy’s move from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. The “Great March of Return” — in which Palestinians have been marching to the Gaza border to protest the blockade of Gaza and the refusal to allow Palestinian refugees to return home — is also expected to culminate on Tuesday.
Already, Israeli forces have killed at least 49 Palestinians and injured more than 8,500 in the protests since March 30. One Palestinian was killed and more than 150 others were injured during protests along the Gaza border on Friday. Another Palestinian, just 15 years old, died of his wounds on Saturday.
the rich asshole recognized Jerusalem as the capital of Israel in December, sparking mass protests throughout the Middle East and sharp rebuke from the United Nations.
the rich asshole’s decision is controversial because Israel has occupied East Jerusalem since 1967, and the international community agrees that it is occupied territory today. Palestinians want to make East Jerusalem the capital of a future Palestinian state, while the far-right in Israel, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, view an undivided Jerusalem as the capital of Israel.
“For decades, the United States has held that this issue is one that must be mutually agreed upon between the parties, so recognizing Israel’s claims here and now ahead of an agreement is a marked shift away from even the pretense of a balanced position on Jerusalem to a full backing of the Israeli position,” Yousef Munayyer, executive director for the U.S. Campaign for Palestinian Rights, told ThinkProgress’ E.A. Crunden in December.
Only 32 countries will be joining Israel’s celebration of the embassy move, according to Haaretz, and nearly every E.U. ambassador in Israel is boycotting the event.
‘Porn lawyer saving the Republic — got it’: Watch angry Fox News host rail against ‘fraud’ Michael Avenatti
Fox host Jesse Watters during the episode where he called Michael Avenatti "a fraud"/Screenshot
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Fox News is starting to take the Michael Avenatti threat seriously.
After spending the last few weeks complaining about how much air time Stormy Daniels gets, host Jesse Watters decided to get more aggressive and take some shots at her very sharp attorney.
Watters found business records which showed Avenatti owed money for several businesses. He decided to take a very bold tact, and accuse the lawyer of being broke and desperate—potentially defamatory statements.
“So the guy’s broke, so I think this may explain this crusade he’s on—he’s trying to get out of this financial hole, looking for publicity and money,” Watters said.
Watters then turned to Mark Penn, a former pollster for Bill Clinton who has turned to “digital marketing” and supporting the rich asshole.
Watters later described Avenatti as “a fraud” citing the fact that the lawyer was involved in lawsuits.
If Watters has defamed Avenatti by calling him a fraud and alleging dirty business dealings it would be bad news for the host, who is facing a divorce after he cheated on his wife with a 25-year-old junior employee.
Penn wisely declined to join Watters in speculating about Avenatti’s financial status. Instead he asked a lot of leading questions.
“How did he get Treasury records?” Penn asked. “Where did he get them? has he committed any illegal acts in getting them?”
Avenatti, who has been prescient in his predictions, has not yet been busted in a falsehood—while the rich asshole has told 3,000 verifiably false lies during his presidency, or 6.4 lies a day.
“Normally you have to state what your real interests are,” Penn said with no hint of irony given that even a Fox News ethics analyst has bashed Sean Hannity for not disclosing his ethical lapses regarding Michael Cohen, while the network’s top-rated host has not faced any publicly disclosed discipline.
Neither man could figure out how Avenatti got the documents he released last week and suggested it could have been illegal.
Legal analysts have explained that these documents could come from the discovery process in the Stormy Daniels lawsuit.
Legal expert believes that @MichaelAvenatti got Cohen's bank info by subpoenaing the banks directly. Cohen’s sloppy lawyers likely did NOT get an agreement w/Avenatti about informing 1 other of subpoenas.
If there was no protective order, then Avenatti can share the info
Watch the segment below.
Taxpayers paid for U.S. officials to stay at the rich asshole resort in Scotland
the rich asshole's upcoming visit to Britain is already putting money in his pocket.
American taxpayers have paid thousands of dollars for the rich asshole administration officials to stay at the president’s high-end resort in Scotland, The Scotsman newspaper wrote, in just the latest example of how he continues to reap in big bucks while in public office.
The Scottish newspaper wrote that the rich asshole Turnberry resort received a payment of $7,585 U.S. dollars for “VIP visits” by members of the president’s administration in preparation for the president’s upcoming visit to the United Kingdom in July. the rich asshole is expected to travel to Scotland during the visit.
the rich asshole’s penchant for staying at his own resorts is well-known. In the early months of his presidency, his frequent visits to the rich asshole-branded properties came at huge cost to taxpayers. And his multiple weekend stays his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida led to the property received the infamous nickname “the winter White House.”
A preliminary visit by administration officials to the rich asshole’s Scottish resort suggests the president may be planning to make yet another stay at a property bearing his name.
A trip by the president to Turnberry would almost certainly be profitable for the president, but blurs ethical lines.
Brendan Fisher of the Campaign Legal Center told The Scotsman that it is “difficult to see how it is in the U.S. public’s interest for President the rich asshole to spend taxpayer funds visiting his golf course on an official trip — although it is certainly in the president’s personal financial interest.”
As president, the rich asshole has refused to heed the advice of ethics experts and divest from his hotels and businesses. Repeated clashes over this refusal led to the resignation of former Office of Government Ethics Director Walter Shaub, who has since become one of the biggest critics of the president’s use of the rich asshole-branded properties.
the rich asshole has also shown his willingness to conduct sensitive international business at his resorts, even in full of view of hotel guests. Considering the rich asshole’s visit will come after a number of controversial moves by his administration, including exiting the Iran nuclear deal, it isn’t far-fetched to see a repeat of this scenario playing out.
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