US Politics, March 2018: Why do people leave the White House for good?

I'm amazed that Mueller's phalanx of attorneys can track of this. I imagine Mueller like James Mason in The Verdict, directing the teams.
"Okay, well, cancel all vacations, Smith. We're going to concentrate on obstruction of justice, hmm?"

https://youtu.be/S_o54V6y2bA?t=26m36s

Well I think for him and his team it's the fact that new material -- criminal or not -- keeps *happening,* as evidenced by Trump's muddling the other month mentioned above. And at such a high amount and with a wide profile.

Busy Wednesday here:

https://www.washingtonpost.com/b6a5fb8c-224b-11e8-94da-ebf9d112159c_story.html?utm_term=.229ad2d5e183

This builds on the story the other day re the Seychelles, thus:

Special counsel Robert S. Mueller III has gathered evidence that a secret meeting in the Seychelles just before the inauguration of Donald Trump was an effort to establish a back-channel between the incoming administration and the Kremlin — apparently contradicting statements made to lawmakers by one of its participants, according to people familiar with the matter....

While Mueller is probing the circumstances of the Seychelles meeting, he is also more broadly examining apparent efforts by the Trump transition team to create a back-channel for secret talks between the new administration and the Kremlin. Mueller was appointed special counsel to investigate how Russia interfered in the 2016 election, whether any Americans assisted in such efforts, and any other related matters that arise in the course of his probe.

Investigators now suspect the Seychelles meeting may have been one of the first efforts to establish such a line of communications between the two governments, these people said. Nader’s account is considered key evidence — but not the only evidence — about what transpired in the Seychelles, according to people familiar with the matter.

Something new every day. Every. Single. Day. Almost damning, never exculpatory.

YOU'RE THE PUPPET!

i am ready for the part of the nightmare to be over

https://i.imgflip.com/iiwdr.jpg

He stormy Daniels thing is important because it’s a criminal violation of campaign finance laws on its face.

Also, for all his lies there are still people who believe him, or think his accusers are the liars. In this case, if he denies the contract she is free to tell her story (or whatever she intends to do), which will prove his involvement, and if he fights to enforce it he therefore validates it, which also admits culpability. Then there is the campaign finance stuff. Then there is also the test case effect that if she sues and wins, or evinces either of the aforementioned results, that allows/emboldens all of his other accusers to follow the same legal path and call his bluff.

Or as someone purporting to be a lawyer observed online:

This agreement is not invalid simply because Trump didn't sign it. The terms are clear, and she was paid the money as contemplated by the agreement. The fact that Trump didn't sign it is irrelevant because it was signed by his agent.

However, and this is the good part, all Trump needs to do to soundly beat this lawsuit is adopt the contract. If his lawyer had Trump's authority to execute the agreement, then all Trump has to do is acknowledge and adopt the contract, and it is 100% binding.

Stormy Daniels' lawyer knows this. But they also know that politically Trump cannot acknowledge or adopt this contract. This is win-win-win for them. Either (1) Trump refuses to adopt the contract, in which case she gets out of it and gets to sell her story to the networks, (2) Trump adopts the contract, and that in itself is a news story, or (3) she gets more money from Trump to drop the suit.

Edit: A few people are correctly pointing out that another issue for Trump is that asserting the contract was for his benefit may also have implications for an FEC violation.

trump's crimes only seem to be crimes insofar as congress feels that they are, so it seems odd that paying off stormy is a bigger deal than kellyanne c. violating the hatch act or jared endlessly forgetting to list all of his creditors or various emolumental actions

besides, we all know that money is free speech

The thing is, the Stormy stuff - that is state law, right? It has nothing to do with congress.

Some Republicans on the panel are dismissing the concerns that Prince may have lied to the committee about meeting with Nader.
"It's all bulls***," said Rep. Peter King, a New York Republican.

Well of course they're saying that, they're going to look like idiots if it turns out they glossed over something major. (Which is more likely than not, obv.)

Donald Trump, master negotiator. https://t.co/LqmPz22tno pic.twitter.com/KYtxMh2wBk

— Daniel W. Drezner (@dandrezner) March 8, 2018

I just wanted to point out what a garbage person Peter King is

u otm tho

More from the madhouse

https://www.nytimes.com/2018/03/07/us/politics/trump-white-house-advisers.html

Separate fun:

https://www.politico.com/story/2018/03/07/republicans-pennsylvania-special-election-445221

The thing is, the Stormy stuff - that is state law, right? It has nothing to do with congress.

― Josh in Chicago, Thursday, March 8, 2018 1:54 AM (one hour ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

As caek has already suggested, no. The potential election law liability isn't the end of the story, either. It's evidence of a pattern of behavior involving extramarital sexual relations, legal arrangements to cover up same, and the potential for blackmail, all of which may relate to matters relevant to the special counsel investigation.

(as Maura said as well, I see)

The Master Negotiator digs are fun, but as already revealed in other areas, the real silver lining with this administration is that their cluelessness about or disinterest in following the rules makes it easier to stop or reverse many of their efforts.

xpost Yeah, but if there are settlements, or defamation damages or any stuff like that, that is going through the state. I'm not talking about Trump getting impeached for paying off a porn star. I'm talking about his humiliation, or Cohen getting disbarred, or fun stuff like that.

It's evidence of a pattern of behavior involving extramarital sexual relations, legal arrangements to cover up same, and the potential for blackmail, all of which may relate to matters relevant to the special counsel investigation.

Much as one might want it to be different, none of this makes a dime's worth of difference. Extramarital affairs don't qualify to undo a national election and 'the will of the people', nor does paying off the 'correspondent' of the affair to be quiet about it. Unless it can be proved that Trump was successfully blackmailed into committing a high crime or misdemeanor, then the potential for blackmail is similarly unavailing.

All this stuff can do is damage his reputation, which, if his reputation was susceptible to damage, would have been a heap of shit after the pussy grabbing video.

I'm talking about his humiliation

I hear that Trump talks a big game, but that he's really a half-termer in the sack.

Something I'd love to see a reporter ask Trump Org about:

1) Cohen formed EC LLC on Oct 17 2016
2) The contract provided for EC LLC to pay Stormy 30K by Oct 27 2016
3) Between Oct 17 & Oct 25, the Trump campaign made payments to Trump Org properties that add up to 29,999.72. pic.twitter.com/CMAxgl3Vn4

— Susan Simpson (@TheViewFromLL2) March 8, 2018

28 cents off, fake news

Aimless, no, it won't persuade the deplorables, but John Edwards was brought down by his own Stormy Daniels.

Sometimes I think its pertinent to remember how few deplorables there actually are, and work on the rest who aren't beyond help

Nah

alternatively, the master negotiator in chief shaved $0.28 off payments to himself and the libs are TRIGGERED xxp

There's hiding in plain sight and then there's...

Erik Prince, under fresh scrutiny in the Russia probe over the Seychelles meeting, is hosting a fundraiser for .... none other than Rep. Dana Rohrabacher, perhaps the most Kremlin-friendly member of Congress. (via @rebeccagberg) https://t.co/tbeaYGJBdm

— Marshall Cohen (@MarshallCohen) March 8, 2018

this is all rather byzantine to me but i'm not sure i understand the implication of susan simpson's post there--that money to daniels was being funneled from the campaign itself to her through trump org properties?

Attorney General Jeff Sessions told Fox News’ Shannon Bream Wednesday that he “will consider” naming a second special counsel to probe the FBI and Justice Department’s investigations into possible collusion between the 2016 Trump campaign and Russia.

“Well, I have great respect for Mr. Gowdy and Chairman Goodlatte, and we are going to consider seriously their recommendations,” Sessions told Bream in an interview that ran late Wednesday night. “I have appointed a person outside of Washington — many years at the Department of Justice — to look at all of the allegations that the House Judiciary Committee members sent to us and we are conducting that investigation.”

http://dailycaller.com/2018/03/07/sessions-considering-second-special-counsel/

what is that, confuse-a-cat?

fine, appoint a second counsel if it will shut them the fuck up. they're not going to find anything

as long as that counsel isn't, like, Nevin Dunes

They'll find HRC's missing emails that's what

Pretty sure you can clearly see them here:

https://media.nbcbayarea.com/images/653*367/bigfootstillpatterson123.jpg

Wait, this clears it up more:

https://i.ytimg.com/vi/4CcUMaoBnCk/maxresdefault.jpg

Thanks for adding that arrow. I was scanning the image and initially couldn't find the big red circle

that's Bill in costume hoping no one sees him burying envelopes.

Abolish ICE.

https://www.clevescene.com/scene-and-heard/archives/2018/03/08/how-john-carrolls-latin-american-student-association-felt-when-border-patrol-agents-boarded-their-amtrak

its pertinent to remember how few deplorables there actually are

The 21% who consider Barack Obama the worst president since WWII is the bedrock of support. Trump could fuck Ivanka in the middle of 5th Avenue and support wouldn't drop further.

Quinnipiac U. poll, March 7, 2018

Donald Trump is the worst of the 13 presidents who have served since the end of World War II, 41 percent of American voters say, followed by 21 percent who list Barack Obama and 10 percent who cite Richard Nixon, in a Quinnipiac University National Poll released today.

Looking at the best president since 1945, 28 percent say Ronald Reagan. Another 24 percent list Barack Obama, with 10 percent each for Bill Clinton and John Kennedy.

President Trump is fifth on the list, with 7 percent, the independent Quinnipiac (KWIN- uh-pe-ack) University Poll finds.

Trailing Trump are Dwight Eisenhower, with 4 percent; Harry Truman and Jimmy Carter with 3 percent each; Lyndon Johnson, with 2 percent, and Richard Nixon, George H. W. Bush and George W. Bush, all with 1 percent each. Gerald Ford scores less than 1 percent.

lol star power (JFK) and recency (poor LBJ and Ike)

Ah, role models.

WaPo: Sr. career DHS official who served jail time for alleged assault that left his wife w/ 2 broken ribs & substantial bruising around her neck & chest, handles “high volume” of classified information in his role as an intelligence briefer. https://t.co/eMChKDUBWR @eliseviebeck

— Evan Rosenfeld (@Evan_Rosenfeld) March 8, 2018

btw as he just rambled about "protecting our country" with tariffs, Yam included McKinley in a list of great presidents.

must have been the last portrait he passed

gotta stop eating those portraits mr president

speaking of "abolish ICE," ICE is detaining an arrested immigrant organizer friend.

they're asking the judge to refuse to allow her to post bond.

sign this letter, which will go to the judge considering whether or not to overrule ICE's request & grant her the bond for release.

https://action.mijente.net/petitions/release-immigrant-rights-activist-alejandra-pablos-from-detention