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

Yup, I think we've got the unprecedented point now.

WATCH: @BeschlossDC: "I've never seen anything like this in modern presidential history" #MTPDaily https://twitter.com/MeetThePress/status/1037455749889380355/video/1

alardi, turns out the thing about ghosts in the Oval Office is another a hoax: www.snopes.com/fact-check/trump-oval-office-ghosts/

Seem to be a lot of people having fun with satire around the Woodward book.

Or perhaps some are deliberately muddying the waters, using the fave Russian technique of putting out so much junk that people can't pick out the real.

Also Trump’s response:

Donald J. Trump @realDonaldTrump
1h1 hour ago
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TREASON?

(Sorry, that’s his response to the NYT op-ed.)

SHS issues a WH statement saying the “coward” who penned the NYT op-ed should resign.

thehill.com/homenews/administration/405255-white-house-says-anonymous-coward-should-resign

Trump goes further and calls the writer “gutless”. I disagree. I think you’d have to be quite gutsy to risk your career in this way. Anonymity is never a guarantee.

Donald J. Trump @realDonaldTrump
14m14 minutes ago
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Does the so-called “Senior Administration Official” really exist, or is it just the Failing New York Times with another phony source? If the GUTLESS anonymous person does indeed exist, the Times must, for National Security purposes, turn him/her over to government at once!

Just read a funny little twitter thread that suggested the Op Ed was the work of Pence based on the use of one word that is often repeated in his speeches, 'lodestar.'

Not at all comforting.

VEEPTHROAT has now been coined.

No. It's not at all comforting, is it?

I'm almost as inclined to believe the possibility that Sessions the author of the piece was keen to throw up little smokescreens with the use of language.

Unless you think the tipping point has been reached because he has decided the time is right to make his move. Small comfort.

www.vox.com/2018/9/5/17823824/trump-claims-he-has-100-photos-of-comey-and-mueller-kissing-we-tried-to-find-some

Cage rattled.

Donald J. Trump
‏Verified account
@realDonaldTrump
3h3 hours ago

'TREASON?'

Donald J. Trump
Verified account
@realDonaldTrump
1h1 hour ago

'Does the so-called “Senior Administration Official” really exist, or is it just the Failing New York Times with another phony source? If the GUTLESS anonymous person does indeed exist, the Times must, for National Security purposes, turn him/her over to government at once!'

I find it hard to believe that 45 already had 100 photos and never used them before!

Who is the NYT editor?

www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2018/09/this-is-a-constitutional-crisis/569443/

If it is Pence his strategy has not been welcomed.

www.bloomberg.com/view/articles/2018-09-05/new-york-times-op-ed-writer-can-t-avert-a-trump-crisis

Oh Dear.

Twitter bug

lionheart I just saw an article about the Pence/lodestar theory. It is an uncommon word that he appears to like to use relatively frequently in his speech and writing, so for it to appear in the op-ed is the word equivalent of a fingerprint. However, if someone else in the administration was attempting to sound like Pence, and knew him well enough to be aware of his word eccentricities, they could have thrown it in for that reason.

www.huffingtonpost.com.au/entry/lodestar-mike-pence-anonymous-new-york-times_us_5b905dd5e4b0511db3dec1e1

That is a very good idea. Devious.

What would be the point? To help Trump in some way or clear the way for someone other than Pence?

If it was Pence his signature means that the Op Ed is a kind of weather balloon.

I've never seen a Veep take their oath with quite as much fervour as Pence. Make of that what you will. I don't think the Op Ed was down to him. I don't think he's bright enough to have a plan for starters.

eu.usatoday.com/story/opinion/2018/09/05/donald-trump-justice-tweet-threatens-democracy-rule-law-column/1193780002/

Kamala Harris is giving BK a jolly good shake.

It's an enjoyable squirm to watch, isn't it?

Casting for the Trump movie:

Trump: Tom Hanks
Pence: Patrick Stewart
Melania: Kim Kardashian
Ivanka: Jennifer Lawrence
Jeff Sessions: Kevin Spacey
Mueller: Liam Neeson
Rober Stone: Danny Devito
M. Cohen: Ben Stiller
S. Pruitt: Leo DiCarprio
Steve Mnuchen: Steve Buscemi
Manafort: Johnny Galecki
HRC: Jessica Lange

It's enjoyable to watch Trump in pain and confusion.

But it's also deeply scary and ominous. People could die because of the lashing-out fallout from these revelations.

Fox News @FoxNews
2h2 hours ago
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.@PressSec: “It’s hard to argue with the fact that this president has had the most successful two first years of any president in modern history.”

https://www.msnbc.com/brian-williams/watch/jon-meacham-this-is-trump-s-real-time-final-days-playing-out-1313925187540

Is there a danger the Woodward connection is making people draw optimistic conclusions?

I don't think Trump will accept he's lost like Nixon. He's too deluded for that.