"If you're not outraged, you're not paying attention." Trump threads continued [title edited by MNHQ]

[lionheart]

I'm paying attention.

Trump set to implement transgender military ban, allow removal of current transgender troops
thehill.com/policy/defense/347738-wh-to-issue-guidance-on-transgender-military-ban-in-coming-days-report?amp

I hoped they'd forgotten that plan, the same way they'd forgotten to defeat Isis in 30 days, healthcare reform, mexico paying for the wall....
I suppose its easier for the government to go against their own employees than actual enemies.

roussette I wonder if he's pulling that face because he's chucked her favourite toy into the crowd after
Signing it

Rex Huppke @RexHuppke
I issue a sincere apology to President Trump, on behalf of all media.

We never meant to make you say crazy things.

www.chicagotribune.com/news/opinion/huppke/ct-trump-rally-media-huppke-20170823-story,amp.html

From the article-
I have clearly failed you and, along with all media members, am responsible for your divisive rhetoric and mind-boggling unwillingness to step outside yourself for even one fraction of a moment and notice that you sound like an infantile madman.
I promise, from here on, to pamper you, to coddle your ego, to deflect all blame on others and to never accurately report on you, because that causes you to call me fake news.
Please accept this apology. I am not at all proud of the things I've made you do.

Unfortunately, I doubt DT will see beyond the apology headline.

sleip I don't know how successful
They'll be. The law does seem to be acting as checks and balances in some cases so hopefully it'll be found unconstitutional. This happened yesterday:

Kyle Griffin @kylegriffin1
Big deal: Federal judge blocks Texas' voter ID law, after finding it intentionally discriminatory for a second time.

www.texastribune.org/2017/08/23/federal-judge-tosses-new-texas-voter-id-law/amp/

The rest of the abramson thread:

Seth Abramson @SethAbramson
BREAKING (MSNBC): Grassley agrees to vote for release of Simpson transcript, all but ensuring we'll learn EVERYTHING about Steele's dossier!
(2) Glenn Simpson—co-founder of Fusion GPS—paid Chris Steele of MI6/Orbis to compile the dossier, and testified about it for 10 hours today.
(3) Apparently, his testimony included a listing of dossier sources, his reasons for standing by the accuracy of the dossier, and much more.
(4) The chances Trump calls Grassley in the next 24 hours to try to—again—
criminally obstruct justice are high. But Simpson green-lit this.
(5) Grassley made the promise—on camera—to an Iowa voter at a town hall, so presumably this'll be a very tough promise to publicly break.

[The maddow segment that discusses this is here and is worth a watch. This really could be the start of the end www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow/watch/trump-dossier-testimony-from-senate-judiciary-could-be-published-1031124035652 ]

I find it interesting that the Steele dossier was reported so early on, caused a furore and then died down. It will be great if this sinks Trump, because there was plenty there (collusion, Russian ties, kompromat) and everything he's done since shows lack of judgement or a man whose decisions are guided by fear of exposure. Either way, he should not be allowed to continue.

Next up: 2018 mid-terms & we need a Democratic majority to temper Pence's tendencies/room for manoeuver.

Although Trump has been a gift for media suscriptions, the civil rights movement and energising the general population's engagement with politics (for good & ill, sadly).

It has made me take an interest in US politics which should serve me well, long after all this is over.

If you want to stop Trump tweeting perhaps you'll care to contribute to this GoFundMe campaign to buy Twitter.
Over 30k raised of about 1 billion necessary.

www.gofundme.com/buytwitter

Lweji actually I quite like Trump's tweeting. Useful, if alarming, to have a direct line into what passes for his mind.

See, I don't think Trump is driven by fear of exposure of kompromat. After all, pussy-gate didn't stop him getting elected, so why would he care?

I think he's afraid of wounds to his ego ("They won't love me," "Someone won higher ratings than me"), and he can be made afraid of actual punishments like having assets frozen or going to jail - but only when these are right in front of him.

Anything less immediate is unlikely to have an impact: he's The Donald, a genetically superior being to whom ordinary consequences don't happen, so what does he have to be afraid of?

The problem with his unfiltered tweeting is that it causes all sorts of international and national incidents.

Meanwhile, when you're feeling rather frustrated, you could play at throwing Donald off a cliff.

www.pushtrumpoffacliffagain.com/

I think he is afraid of having his presidency taken away.
Although an electoral defeat would be worse than impeachment.
Having said that, he'd just blame someone else.

Surely publication of the Simpson transcript will put sources in danger? Even if names are redacted, surely context will be revealing in some cases?

(Maybe Maddow explains - I'm having difficulty watching some video.)

perking do you mean that he wouldn't be blackmailable over kompromat in the form of pee pee tapes because he wouldn't care? I think that's probably true.

It's whether the kompromat includes financial ties to Russia, money laundering etc that it then becomes a problem for him because then it is a case of facing frozen assets/jail (and that's leaving aside that his reaction to these things have been to obstruct justice etc).

Yes, having his presidency taken away definitely counts as an actual punishment. It will have to be immediately in front of him, though.

Because he hasn't been bothered by "If you don't separate your businesses from your office, you'll have your presidency taken away."

And he hasn't been bothered by "If you invite Russians into the Oval Office and sack the head of the FBI who's investigating your Russian collusion, you'll have your presidency taken away." Etc.

Ah, I see what you mean.

No, he won't see it as a threat, because he thinks he'll survive all the storms.

I think he assumed as president he could run it as an autocracy and expected to get away with it all. By appointing sessions, I think he thought he'd be safe, hence the massive panic and sense of betrayal when sessions recused himself.

But you're right - he hasn't shown much capacity to think ahead more than getting the next jab in at whichever windmill he's tilting at.

Yes, Pain, I agree with all of that.

I think he can be made afraid of financial kompromat - but only at the point that he understands there's likely to be an actual punishment.

His lifetime experience is of being rescued and getting away with things. So that understanding may not come at an early stage.

I was agreeing with your post at 09:36 - but yes, the subsequent one, too.

"No, he won't see it as a threat, because he thinks he'll survive all the storms."

This.

He has also got away with so much before that he must believe he can continue to evade the norms and the law.

He must be concerned about the dossier, though, because he raised it with Comey.

I hope the pee-pee aspect doesn't come to dominate over the more substantial points, although I have my doubts.

I suspect his energies will be focussed on how he's going to get away with each thing that pops up, with the assumption that he will.

Rather than as normal people would, think "Fuck, if that comes out I'm toast. I'll do everything the Russians ask, to stop it coming out."

Yes, caught between the Devil and the deep blue sea.

10 hours + 40,000 documents = roadmap to the investigation.

More from Abramson on Sessions.

Seth Abramson‏Verified account

At first I thought Sessions only tangentially involved in Trump's collusion. I've since seen evidence to make me think he was at the center.

Seth Abramson‏Verified account @SethAbramson 5h
More
Replying to @SethAbramson

(1) I know for certain the House/Senate Intel Committees have hard evidence Sessions was deeply engaged by the Russia question in June 2016.

(2) This matters because some believed Sessions was Trump's Foreign Policy Chief because of military matters. No: he was put on Russia duty.

(3) Sessions' lies on Kislyak meetings weren't coincidental. He was central to Trump's Russia policy and campaign negotiations with Russia.

(4) I can say for certain neither House nor Senate investigators were surprised to learn it was Sessions' deputy working on Russia meetings.

(5) Sessions knew what Gordon was doing at the RNC; what Page planned to do in Moscow; what Manafort was doing at the Mayflower Hotel event.

(6) Sessions was point, with Kushner and Manafort acting in support. Sessions' team (including Page and Gordon) did much of the dirty work.

(7) Sessions' involvement in getting rid of Comey was no accident. He recused himself—clearly—when he finally realized he was in too deep.

(8) Based on Mueller's history, he'll avoid leaning on Sessions until the end to protect the DOJ. But before the end, Sessions will roll.

(9) My point: the Trump-McConnell relationship breakdown is interesting. The Trump-Sessions break will be critical to American history.

(10) Mueller, as a matter of law, has Sessions on 2-3 perjuries. And he will come to collect—he will roll the AG—at a time of his choosing.

(11) Trump is angry at Sessions because he thought him a co-conspirator. But Sessions' recusal foreshadows a future roll—and Trump knows it.

(12) Sessions—all by himself—can tell Mueller the tale of Trump's illicit sanctions negotiations from start to finish. Trump knows it. {end}