But "When the president does it, that means it is not illegal": Trump thread LXXXVIII

[lionheart]

Rosalind Helderman
Rosalind Helderman
@PostRoz
Exclusive: Mueller last week formally requested Roger Stone’s testimony to House intelligence panel, suggesting special counsel is near end of probe of Trump adviser. From
@CarolLeonnig

@nakashimae

@RoigFranzia
and me

www.washingtonpost.com/politics/mueller-seeks-roger-stones-testimony-to-house-intelligence-panel-suggesting-special-counsel-is-near-end-of-probe-of-trump-adviser/2018/12/19/ac5c3ee6-0226-11e9-b5df-5d3874f1ac36_story.html

apnews.com/a857e04de9bc4871995b65784ed7ccd8

'Until now, public information has been limited about the number of youths held at each facility overseen by the Office of Refugee Resettlement, even for attorneys representing the kids. But the AP obtained data showing the number of children in individual detention centers, shelters and foster care programs for nearly every week over the past 20 months, revealing in detail the expanse of a program at the center of the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown.'

I wonder if he just got up and made the decision, or had a phone call with someone and then thought, “Sounds good. US out of Syria! My base will like that ...”

Josh Dawsey @jdawsey1
Following Following @jdawsey1
More
Sen. Lindsey Graham tells me he was "completely blindsided" by Trump's call to remove troops from Syria -- and that he sees it as a significant mistake. "The big winners of this decision are ISIS, Iran, Russia and Assad," he says.

Russia in USA 🇷🇺 @RusEmbUSA
Follow Follow @RusEmbUSA
More
The #US🇺🇸 decision to pull its troops from #Syria🇸🇾 creates good prospects for a political solution in that Arab country - #Zakharova

👉tass.com/world/1036875

This is odd. I have to admit I don’t quite understand it and I’ll have to read further about it. This was a vote taken at the UN to combat the glorification of Nazism. Many countries abstained from the vote, including the United Kingdom and Australia, but only two voted against - Ukraine and the United States. This is deeply troubling.

Russian Embassy, UK @RussianEmbassy 14h14 hours ago
More
.@UN resolution on combating glorification, in any form, of the Nazi movement, neo-Nazism and former members of the Waffen SS organization received a vast support at #UNGA. Only two states voted against it, UK abstained.

So, just wanted to let you all know that we’ve defeated ISIS. Yep, they’re gone now. No more ISIS. So you can all relax. ‘Murica, Fuck Yeah!!!!!!!

🙄🙄🙄🙄🤬🤬🤬🤬🤬

Yes, I heard that, Across! It’s amazing! It’s especially amazing that no-one appears to support that view except Trump and his Deplorables. Oh, and Russia.

I think that's it Claws. He needed a distraction and it keeps Putin happy.

Abstained?

Thanks for the Buzzfeed link Pain.

www.theguardian.com/us-news/2018/dec/19/judge-blocks-trump-asylum-rules-violence-immigration

'A federal judge on Wednesday blocked Trump administration policies that prevented immigrants who suffered gang violence or domestic abuse in their home countries from seeking asylum.

Emmet Sullivan, a US district court judge, declared that some of the guidance that the then-attorney general, Jeff Sessions, issued this year cannot be used to determine whether an immigrant has a credible fear of persecution or torture in their home countries, the first step to making an asylum claim in the US.'

Check out ted lieu’s twitter. He isn’t claiming that Isis has been defeated but he is supportive of trump’s actions.

I think he may well have a point but my issue is more with the process (or lack thereof) that trump showed in reaching this decision and what the motivations could be that are fuelling it.

Lieu says in response to someone querying this

President Deals
@schroedinger_
It's possible to do the right thing for the wrong reasons.

Ted Lieu
@tedlieu
Replying to
@schroedinger_
, and
@POTUS
Yes. But I still support the right thing.

I’ve felt this about some of the things trump has done - a stopped clock can be right occasionally. (I’m not saying that this is the case here btw, I’m not informed enough to know!)

Kenneth P. Vogel
@kenvogel
AFTER-ACTION REPORT, from secret anti-ROY MOORE campaign in 2017 Alabama special election: "We orchestrated an elaborate ‘false flag’ operation that planted the idea that the Moore campaign was amplified on social media by a Russian botnet.” 1/2

Guess who participated in the secret campaign that used 2016-Russian-style tactics to damage ROY MOORE? The CEO of
@NewKnowledgeAI
, the company that wrote the Senate Intel report on Russia’s 2016 social media meddling. 2/2

www.nytimes.com/2018/12/19/us/alabama-senate-roy-jones-russia.html

Michael McFaul
@McFaul
I still don’t understand why Flynn lied to FBI about his conversations with Kislyak. As former DIA head, Flynn would know how closely Kislyak is monitored. Was he hiding something even bigger than we know? Discussing sanctions doesn’t seem big enough to try to hide at such risk.

Joyce Alene
@JoyceWhiteVance
This seems to be THE question. What secret mattered so much that the almost certain risk of being caught lying mattered less than protecting it? Or did Flynn believe that in the Trump WH, he was protected from little details like following the law?

Maya Wiley
@mayawiley
A few #Flynn facts. Flynn worked very briefly before the election for the VA subsidiary of Cambridge Analytica. That’s the data mining firm that Kushner hires that took FB data and apparently it was “accessed” in St. Petersburg where the Russian election interference was centered

Peter Jukes
@peterjukes
This is where it could all come together with Russian influence and Cambridge Analytica - speculation that a key witness, General Flynn, lied to the FBI over the lesser problem of sanctions to hide a bigger problem.

Natasha Bertrand
@NatashaBertrand
Trump’s AG pick, Bill Barr, sent an unsolicited 20-page memo to the Justice Department this year excoriating Mueller’s obstruction of justice investigation. He apparently told Trump about the memo and said it could come up during his confirmation hearings.

www.wsj.com/articles/trumps-attorney-general-pick-criticized-an-aspect-of-mueller-probe-in-memo-to-justice-department-11545275973

Renato Mariotti
@renato_mariotti
Donald Trump once bragged on
@CNN
that he knows more about campaign finance than anybody. This clip would be an exhibit in a trial for the campaign finance crimes he is implicated in.

mobile.twitter.com/renato_mariotti/status/1075593707825627136

Kyle Griffin
@kylegriffin1
Wilbur Ross twice submitted sworn statements to ethics officials saying he had divested stock that he in fact still owned, a new document obtained by the Center for Public Integrity reveals.

publicintegrity.org/federal-politics/wilbur-ross-stock-holdings-divestment/

Senate passes anti-lynching bill after nearly 200 failed attempts

m.washingtontimes.com/news/2018/dec/19/senate-passes-anti-lynching-bill/

Amanda Carpenter (CNN)
‏
Verified account

@amandacarpenter
14h14 hours ago

'Am I the only one who finds it a little odd that the Trump Admin is lifting sanctions on Oleg Deripaska and announcing an end to the war in Syria so abruptly on the same day? (BTW, what DID Trump talk with Putin about during their talks with no US translators?)'

Pretty certain the Orange Scrooge won't be handing out gifts to the children he's locked up this year.

Thank you @BarackObama for making our patients’ day so much brighter. Your surprise warmed our hallways and put smiles on everyone’s faces! Our patients loved your company…and your gifts! instagram.com/p/BrlZliwBD8e/ ❤️ #HolidaysAtChildrens #ObamaAndKids
twitter.com/childrenshealth/status/1075507032537620480?s=21

www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2018-12-20/russia-has-a-plan-for-libya-another-qaddafi

www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/entry/paul-ryan_us_5c1aae86e4b0407e9076adb2

Yep! The latest dead cat.

As we suspected, the Pentagon was not informed in advance that Trump would announce an immediate withdrawal of all U.S. troops from Syria.

Bigger picture: Trump got bored with the shutdown crisis he had created, so he manufactured a new, bigger crisis to take its place.
twitter.com/christinawilkie/status/1075476272267096065?s=21

Almost old news now - so difficult to keep up!

Sealed v Sealed: ruling sheds light on mystery case thought to involve Mueller
www.theguardian.com/us-news/2018/dec/18/sealed-v-sealed-robert-mueller-mysterious-case-subpoena?CMP=Share_iOSApp_Other

I watched the video clip of the passing of that bill Pain.

Kamala Harris leading the way and Cindy Hyde-Smith as the chair:

'Few senators were on the floor for Wednesday’s debate — but the presiding officer was Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith, the Mississippi Republican who last month sparked a national firestorm after joking she would attend a “public hanging” if invited by a supporter.'

www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2018/12/19/why-not-indict-trump-organization/?utm_term=.f5b61fbf68b1