Freedom of the press is not just important to democracy; it is democracy. Trump no. 94.

[TheClaws]

Quote from Walter Cronkite.

Previous thread here:

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/am_i_being_unreasonable/3345873-Trump-has-a-Pecker-problem-and-there-is-a-blue-pill-to-make-it-grow-bigger-midterms-Trump-threads-contd

So basically, the HQ of the political party in power, wishing to confirm a highly controversial judge, has rustled up some randoms who cannot possibly have been at school with him to say they were at school with him and he was a lovely fellow. Then they publish the statements as though (a) they were true and (b) endorsement from some women who claimed to know him proved that he couldn't have been unpleasant to any of the, er, however many other women he wasn't at school with... what?

After the Jimmy Savile disclosures began to come out there was a woman interviewed on the radio - a supervisor at one of the hospitals he preyed on iirc - saying he was always a perfect gentleman to her and she never heard any of the allegations. You can always find at least one if you look hard enough. But it sounds as though the GOP hasn't even bothered to look for real apologists, just hired some of the usual suspects. Depressingly, only a few people in positions of influence even seem to have noticed, and they aren't being listened to, as usual.

Re my Trumpty tweeting comments, I should be less obtuse. I thought the avalanche of Florence related tweeting was a reaction to the PR debacle, as, irrc, in previous emergencies one or two tweets were the norm, and those were often delayed. I see he moved his focus back to quoting Poxy on PR last night,

He's brickin' it as far as hurricanes. As you say mimi his twitter feed is absolutely flooded with technical details about the hurricane, interspersed with a news story about one death at the hands of a MS13 gang member and now this...

Donald J. Trump
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Verified account

@realDonaldTrump
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“When Trump visited the island territory last October, OFFICIALS told him in a briefing 16 PEOPLE had died from Maria.” The Washington Post. This was long AFTER the hurricane took place. Over many months it went to 64 PEOPLE. Then, like magic, “3000 PEOPLE KILLED.” They hired....

....GWU Research to tell them how many people had died in Puerto Rico (how would they not know this?). This method was never done with previous hurricanes because other jurisdictions know how many people were killed. FIFTY TIMES LAST ORIGINAL NUMBER - NO WAY!

When President Obama said that he has been to “57 States,” very little mention in Fake News Media. Can you imagine if I said that...story of the year!

I think what he is trying to say is... Obama made a mistake saying 57 states and no one picked up on it. Yet everything he does is picked up on . As he has told 4,400 lies to date, it's hardly surprising! Obama didn't spend his presidency lying so obviously the press are going to pick up on every little thing Trump does, makes sense to me!

The Puerto Rico tweets are appalling

'Michael Avenatti Is Winning the 2020 Democratic Primary.
He won’t be the nominee. But he’s setting the terms of the debate—and that could damage the rest of the field, and the country.'

If the progressive credentials of the 2020 field become judged based on the extent of their disregard for norms, the progressive movement, the Democratic Party and American democracy will all suffer. If Democrats and progressives are perceived as driven by the accumulation of personal power, not the betterment of America as a whole, they will find it challenging to claim the moral high ground when making the case for their preferred policies. And if both parties continually rewrite the rules to consolidate their power whenever given the opportunity, faith in democratic institutions will erode and sow the seeds of authoritarianism.
www.politico.com/magazine/story/2018/09/14/michael-avenatti-2020-democratic-primary-219910

'Manafort's surrender shows Mueller probe's overwhelming force.
A surprise guilty plea from Trump's former campaign chairman shows that Mueller's high-powered probe has been nearly impossible to resist.'
www.politico.com/story/2018/09/14/manafort-plea-mueller-probe-825753

Manafort's deal reins in a pardon's impact
Several aspects of the Mueller Russia probe's latest bombshell plea deal could stymie any pardon granted by the president. But Trump may not care.
www.politico.com/story/2018/09/14/manafort-probe-russia-trump-pardon-825751
.... However, if Trump wants to pardon out of mercy or spite, he will still have the power to do so. Such a move could immediately trigger Manafort’s release from jail and relieve him of the duty to turn over tens of millions of dollars in property and bank accounts to the government. State authorities may catch up with Manafort, but precisely how that will play out is uncertain.

Even wording a pardon to relieve Manafort of not just any federal prison sentence but also his agreed forfeitures of property and cash could be complicated.

"A full and unconditional pardon ought by rights cover any court-imposed penalty, but it would be advisable if it specifically addressed the financial penalties that have been levied. It may not be necessary but it would certainly be prudent," said Margaret Love, who served as the Justice Department's top pardon attorney under President George H.W. Bush and President Bill Clinton. "If this were my client, I would want this all nailed down right in the pardon document."

Some observers believe Trump's lawyers may consider a Manafort pardon such a bad idea that they would be unwilling to go to those lengths to craft one, particularly because Mueller and Democrats in Congress could see the move as obstruction of justice.

"I don't think Trump has the legal skill to do it himself," said Shugerman. "And if you're [White House lawyers] Don McGahn or Emmett Flood, there's a certain line you don't want to cross."

(Golfing this weekend while the Carolinas suffer and people die? If he is stuck in the WH he will be crawling up the walls.)

'There never is a strategy': Trump confronts twin Manafort and Kavanaugh crises
After canceling rallies ahead of Hurricane Florence, the president hunkered down in the White House amid a fresh wave of setbacks.'
www.politico.com/story/2018/09/14/donald-trump-hurricane-florence-brett-kavanaugh-manafort-825300

Paul Manafort 2016. Remember this?
twitter.com/kylegriffin1/status/1040782337343148034/video/1

'Paul Manafort's Plea Deal Could Be Bad News For A Bunch Of Washington Operatives.
Trump's former campaign chair had a lot of help with his Ukraine lobbying work — and he has agreed to testify anywhere.'
www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/entry/paul-manafort-plea-deal-skadden-podesta-weber_us_5b9c2e61e4b046313fbb2867

'Watergate's John Dean On Paul Manafort's Flip: 'BOOM!'
"Broomsticks breaking," quips the former Nixon White House lawyer, slamming Trump's claims that the Robert Mueller investigation is a witch hunt.'
www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/entry/john-dean-paul-manafor-robert-mueller-investigation-plea-boom_us_5b9c3280e4b046313fbb2b00

Dear God, say it ain't so.

If You’re Hoping Trump Will Be Impeached, Be Careful What You Wish For
We could be looking at a decade of President Mike Pence
www.rollingstone.com/politics/politics-news/trump-impeachment-constitution-pence-723644/

'How Little Has Changed Since Anita Hill Spoke Out Against Clarence Thomas.
A Supreme Court justice is once again on track to be confirmed despite facing sexual misconduct allegations.'
www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/entry/dianne-feinstein-brett-kavanaugh-anita-hill_us_5b9ab86ae4b010e18e379649

other jurisdictions know how many people were killed

Yes, orange oaf, and remember this was pointed out at the time? That PR wasn't recording cause of death as hurricane-related?

Eg, this is from Oct 2017, less than a month after Hurricane Maria, when food stocks hadn't quite yet run out and the consequences of contaminated water hadn't fully kicked in.

Everything that's been reported about deaths in Puerto Rico is at odds with the official count
www.vox.com/science-and-health/2017/10/11/16424356/puerto-rico-official-hurricane-maria-death-toll

At a Sunday news conference, Karixia Ortiz, press officer for the Department of Public Safety, said that “every death must be confirmed by the Institute of Forensic Science, which means either the bodies have to be brought to San Juan to do an autopsy or a medical examiner must be dispatched to the local municipality to verify the death,” according to an audio recording obtained by Huffington Post.

John Mutter, a disaster researcher at Columbia University who studied the death toll in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, says he’s skeptical of this methodology. “This is the way to go about it if you want to come up with smallest number possible,” he said, adding he suspects the death toll in Puerto Rico from Maria should already be in the hundreds based on what’s known about the conditions on the ground.

Ricardo Rossello
@ricardorossello
Mr. President— I’d very much be willing to walk you through the scientific process of the study and how @Gwtweets arrived at the excess mortality number estimate. There is no reason to underscore the tragedy we have suffered in the aftermath of Hurricane Maria. 1/2
@realDonaldTrump
“When Trump visited the island territory last October, OFFICIALS told him in a briefing 16 PEOPLE had died from Maria.” The Washington Post. This was long AFTER the hurricane took place. Over many months it went to 64 PEOPLE. Then, like magic, “3000 PEOPLE KILLED.” They hired....

In the meantime, I hope you consider sending a message of support to show you stand with all of the US Citizens in Puerto Rico that lost loved ones. It would certainly be an act of respect and empathy. 2/2

Aha, Roussette, I didn't pick up on the 57 states + dunce hat emoji

'The Watergate ‘Road Map’ and the Coming Mueller Report.'
The Road Map was very different from the Starr Report. Where Starr wrote a lengthy narrative, the Road Map was reportedly spare. Where Starr evaluated the legal relevance of the evidence he referred, the Road Map apparently contained no analysis and drew no conclusions. And where the Starr Report was in bookstores worldwide and today is just a Google search away, the Road Map is largely forgotten.
There’s a reason for that: The Road Map remains under seal at the National Archives. Kenneth Starr couldn’t read it. You can’t read it. And, remarkably for a document that may be the best model available for his current project, Mueller can’t read it either.
www.lawfareblog.com/watergate-road-map-and-coming-mueller-report

We could be looking at a decade of President Mike Pence
Does he have the character to be elected, though? He doesn't strike me as a leader.
In which case, the best option would be to impeach asap well before 2020.

www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/midterms-2018-elections-trump-republicans-blue-wave-midwest-michigan-wisconsin-minnesota-a8535501.html

'Christian Fundamentalists Aid Russian Group In Promoting Alt-Right Values In America'
More than twenty years in, the influence of the network, which has created international connections, including giving Russian operatives access to American political activists and religious leaders, continues to forge an influence. In the era of President Donald Trump, these connections are of particular concern. Over the last few years, America has watched Russia reach out to influence the 2016 Presidential election, and subsequently witnessed the new president frantically work to cover up those influences
hillreporter.com/christian-fundamentalists-aid-russian-group-in-promoting-alt-right-values-in-america-7227/amp?__twitter_impression=true

So unfair, Matt! You diligent POTUS was very busy - on twitter.
Matthew Miller
@matthewamiller
This is what he was doing today as a hurricane hit the east coast?
Peter Nicholas
@PeterWSJ
In interview with Wall Street Journal, President Trump says a former legal adviser, Jay Goldberg, is criticizing him because he wasn’t tapped for a White House job, and voices concerns that forthcoming book is a violation of lawyer-client privilege (link: www.wsj.com/articles/former-trump-lawyer-says-presidents-legal-team-erred-in-cohen-reversal-1536954209) wsj.com/articles/forme…

Written in 2017 but interesting.

The Brooklyn Bloggers Who Brought Down Paul Manafort
www.thedailybeast.com/the-brooklyn-bloggers-who-brought-down-paul-manafort

That's brilliant NorthWest.

I love that article NorthWest. It reminds of our local small place magazine where I live (I call it a magazine, in fact it's just a couple of A4 sheets folded and stapled) and it has a great name (think.. something like... 'Nutsville News'). Nothing escapes anyone where I live and I could just imagine the stalwarts of the place doing investigative work if something is amiss.

It just goes to show that sometimes you can run but you can't hide

This is good...

politicaldig.com/wealthiest-gop-donor-in-ohio-quits-party-i-wont-support-this-nonsense-anymore/

www.underthegeorgiasun.com/2018/09/15/jimmy-carter-to-join-stacey-abrams-on-campaign-trail/