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

.@MaddowBlog: Trump keeps telling the Republican base, "There will not be a Blue Wave." The problem for the GOP is that these voters believe him. https://on.msnbc.com/2Owc1LD

https://twitter.com/MSNBC/status/1041778894750318596

America First Action, a political committee aligned with Mr. Trump, conducted a series of focus groups over the summer and concluded the party had a severe voter-turnout problem, brought on in part by contentment about the economy and a refusal by Republicans to believe that Democrats could actually win the midterm elections.
Conservative-leaning voters in the study routinely dismissed the possibility of a Democratic wave election, with some describing the prospect as “fake news,” said an official familiar with the research….

A little like he always employs 'only the finest people' criminals

https://twitter.com/NBCNews/status/1041771794552770560

President Trump says Judge Kavanaugh is “one of the finest people that I’ve ever known… never even had even a little blemish on his record” before sexual assault allegation surfaced. https://nbcnews.to/2D46qLl https://twitter.com/NBCNews/status/1041771794552770560/video/1

Kyle Griffin
@kylegriffin1
Seth Klarman was once the biggest donor to the Republican Party in New England. This year he's giving some $20,000,000 to Democrats.
Seth Klarman
Opinion | Money Talks. Will the G.O.P. Listen?
mobile.twitter.com/kylegriffin1/status/1041741143099224064

Sounds as if it's going to come down to $$$$$.

Ah, doesn’t it always (placemarking)

one of the finest people I've ever known, not sure that is much of a compliment coming from Trumpty

Now they're not so sure how 'fine' he is:
'Senate Scrambles for Next Move With Kavanaugh Nomination in the Balance.
Growing number of senators say accuser, judge should be able to have say.'
www.rollcall.com/news/politics/republicans-call-kavanaugh-accuser-talk

Maybe they don't want to know how 'fine' he is:
'White House Hasn’t Asked FBI to Vet Kavanaugh Allegations, Sources Say.
FBI needs request from White House to probe alleged assault.'
www.bloomberg.com/amp/news/articles/2018-09-17/white-house-is-said-not-to-ask-fbi-to-vet-kavanaugh-allegations?__twitter_impression=true

So the FBI are back in the frame as far as 45 is concerned - as the good guys?

Not for long cozie I'm sure this will thrill the Orange one. Mueller has finished with Flynn

https://twitter.com/NatashaBertrand/status/1041786139630350337

JUST IN: Mueller says FLYNN is ready for sentencing. https://twitter.com/NatashaBertrand/status/1041786139630350337/photo/1

Hope his pips squeaked long and loud, now lock him up:
Kyle Griffin
@kylegriffin1
WASHINGTON (AP) -- Special counsel asks judge to set sentencing date for ex-National Security Adviser Michael Flynn in Russia probe.
mobile.twitter.com/kylegriffin1/status/1041788047443075073

This afternoon in chronological order:

• President stands by Supreme Court nominee accused of crime
• Special counsel announces former national security adviser to be sentenced for crime
• Investigation of FEMA chief referred to prosecutors to assess possible crimes

https://twitter.com/ddale8/status/1041789786682478592

They are all fine people

🐂💩
John Harwood
@JohnJHarwood
McConnell complains that Democrats aren’t following “standard bi-partisan process” and “regular order” on Kavanaugh’s nomination to the Supreme Court
mobile.twitter.com/JohnJHarwood/status/1041775273203642369

More 🐃💩
Lauren Gambino
@laurenegambino
Hatch, if hearings found her allegations to be credible: "If that was true, I think it would be hard for senators to not consider who the judge is today. That’s the issue. Is this judge a really good man? And he is. And by any measure he is."

Hatch: "The judge, who I know very, very well, is an honest man, said this didn’t happen." (link: twitter.com/laurenegambino/status/1041755446070177799) twitter.com/laurenegambino…
mobile.twitter.com/laurenegambino/status/1041759000910614528

edition.cnn.com/2018/09/16/politics/blasey-ford-kavanaugh-letter-feinstein/index.html

Interesting comments on the Flynn news

twitter.com/rgoodlaw/status/1041796407798231040

Mueller requests Flynn sentencing for AFTER the election

1 It’s consistent with theory Mueller is guided by unwritten norm not to take certain overt actions before an election

1. It’s then consistent with idea Flynn sentencing may reveal info significant enuf to affect election twitter.com/natashabertrand/status/1041786139630350337

www.newyorker.com/magazine/2018/09/24/sarah-huckabee-sanders-trumps-battering-ram/amp?__twitter_impression=true

www.axios.com/2018-midterm-elections-internal-republican-polling-529a22f5-e333-4241-bff3-db39ca47cda4.html

abcnews.go.com/Politics/wireStory/latest-senator-15-years-sex-trafficking-case-57881776

'A former Republican state senator in Oklahoma has been sentenced to 15 years in prison on a child sex trafficking charge.

Ralph Shortey was sentenced Monday in federal court in Oklahoma City. He had faced a sentence of up to life in prison and a fine of up to $250,000.'

Sen. Scott Newman (Minnesota Senate).
‏
Verified account

@SenatorNewmanMN

'Even if true, teenagers! Frankly, I don't believe her. Almost 40yrs and now she self righteously comes forward to save us from a dangerous sex offender. This type of allegation seriously jeopardizes women with a legitimate claim, for who will believe them.'

Sometimes it is possible to run out of words ...

Jim Acosta
‏
Verified account

@Acosta

'WH: Trump has “directed the Department of Justice (including the FBI) to publicly release all text messages relating to the Russia investigation, without redaction, of James Comey, Andrew McCabe, Peter Strzok, Lisa Page, and Bruce Ohr.”'

Desperate and apparently reckless with respect to the FISA.

I wish I understood US politics better, and wish I had time to read all these links. It's quite clear that it's all a very dirty business and my thanks to the tireless possters on here - p.38 again!!

Public hearing Monday.

That poor woman.

Gosh. Just read about the FISA emails. Unbelievable.