Meet the Other Phone. Protection built in.

Meet the Other Phone.
Protection built in.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

The damning Mueller Report is out - but Trump thinks he’s exonerated (Trump thread 93)

999 replies

TheClaws · 22/04/2019 04:35

... not only that, he’s threatening treason charges on those who investigated him.

Previous thread:
www.mumsnet.com/Talk/am_i_being_unreasonable/3540624-Mueller-time-for-Trump-and-his-friends-will-they-all-meet-in-a-courtyard-surrounded-by-a-big-beautiful-wall-Trump-thread-92

OP posts:
Thread gallery
32
TheClaws · 09/05/2019 23:12

North Korea also fires off two more ballistic missiles.

www.google.com/search?q=north+korea&client=firefox-b-m&prmd=nmiv&source=lnms&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwi3gKW5u4_iAhUz6XMBHToLAE4Q_AUIDygA&biw=1024&bih=648&dpr=2

OP posts:
TheClaws · 09/05/2019 23:19

This is what North Korea has to say to anyone who takes issue with their military drills and firing of missiles towards Japan.

DPRK Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Criticizes Some Forces for Making Issue of Its Routine and Self-Defensive Military Drill

Pyongyang, May 8 (KCNA) -- A spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) gave the following answer to a question put by KCNA on May 8 with regard to the fact that some forces are making an issue of the DPRK's recent military drill.

As has already been reported, a strike drill was conducted in the East Sea of Korea on May 4, the purpose of which was to check the operating ability of large-caliber long-range multiple rocket launchers and tactical guided weapons, the accuracy in mission fulfilment and the combat performance of military equipment of the defense units in the frontline area and on the eastern front and, on this occasion, to further galvanize the entire army into the movement for becoming crack shots and make thorough preparations for combat mobilization at all times.

The drill once again confirmed the rapid reaction capability of those defense units in the frontline area and on the eastern front that are fully prepared to go immediately into combat under any orders and at any moment.

Some forces, however, are making spiteful remarks on this routine and self-defensive military drill conducted by the DPRK.

There are some countries that have become totally mute so far on the proactive measures of crucial and strategically decisive nature taken by the DPRK for peace and stability of the Korean Peninsula and on the maximum patience demonstrated by the DPRK concerning the impasse created in the course of implementing the June 12 DPRK-U.S. Joint Statement because of the absence of due corresponding response to the said measures. These countries are now impertinently making spiteful remarks on our recent military drill of regular and self-defensive character.

The recent drill conducted by our army is nothing more than part of the regular military training, and it has neither targeted anyone nor led to an aggravation of situation in the region.

Any country carries on military drills for national defense and this kind of very normal drill is obviously different from the war exercises waged by some countries against other sovereign states.

In last March and April alone, the U.S.-south Korea joint military exercise "Dong Maeng (Alliance) 19-1" and joint aerial military drill were conducted in south Korea, and war drill plans aiming at us continue to be worked out even at this very moment.

For unknown reasons, however, there is only dead silence on these provocative military drills and war exercises.

Only our regular and self-defensive military drill is branded as provocative, and this is an undisguised manifestation of the attempt to press the gradual disarmament of our state and finally invade us.

We think this is very much unpleasant and regrettable, and we sound a note of warning.

Those forces would be well-advised that if they attempt to deny our sovereignty and self-defensive right by making baseless allegations against us at anyone's instigation, it might produce a result of driving us to the direction which neither we nor they want to see at all.

We will watch the future words and deeds of those forces. -0-

OP posts:
Gth1234 · 09/05/2019 23:35

@AskingQuestionsAllTheTime

No. I am wondering WHY President Trump, the legally elected leader of the USA, attracts untrammelled opprobrium from supposed democratic politicians. Down to the puny squeaker of our HofC taking it upon himself to "refusing" to permit said President to address our parliament. We abase our nation by such petty, vindictive behaviour. And I am comparing his treatment with the treatment of a couple of other presidents who were at least disreputable as this one.

lionheart · 09/05/2019 23:59

It's never going to be his superior negotiating skills so he might well have a point. Cake

TheClaws · 10/05/2019 01:20

Gth1234 If you haven’t seen this speech, I’d highly recommend it. It’d answer your questions succinctly.

twitter.com/Mikebattuello/status/1126277038351028224

OP posts:
TheClaws · 10/05/2019 02:20

I’ll decode this far-right twisty thinking for you as this is actually what a Fox heads are pushing > so the lambs are now believing it, too. In Dan’s world, Brennan, Comey et al. are part of a massive “Spygate Scandal,” something that is very debatable as they were FBI. Secondly, the collusion scandal now appears to lie with Democrats, Russia and the Ukraine. I think Dan is reaching for anything he can.

Dan Bongino @dbongino
·
1h
We definitely live in the dumbest of times. It’s absolutely remarkable that we have a free press
so surgically attached to the rear-ends of the Democrats that they’ve let both the massive Spygate scandal, & the Dems Russia/Ukraine collusion scandals, fly right over their heads.

OP posts:
TheClaws · 10/05/2019 03:50

Giuliani is off to The Ukraine to find incriminating evidence on Biden, apparently, or something like that. He says as much in the article. I would think this sort of thing is an offence for a President (as clearly he’s been sent by Trump). How many offences is this now? Can he actually shoot someone in plain sight and get away with it? (I’ve pasted most of the NYT article below because 😉 paywall issues.

David Frum @davidfrum
·
1h
If you're running an ethically dubious, supposedly clandestine attempt to pressure a foreign government to help you sway a US election (for the second time!) - shouldn't you refrain from giving incriminating quotes to the New York Times?

t.co/Rd8QBqVtgr

‘Mr. Giuliani said he plans to travel to Kiev, the Ukrainian capital, in the coming days and wants to meet with the nation’s president-elect to urge him to pursue inquiries that allies of the White House contend could yield new information about two matters of intense interest to Mr. Trump.

One is the origin of the special counsel’s investigation into Russia’s interference in the 2016 election. The other is the involvement of former Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr.’s son in a gas company owned by a Ukrainian oligarch.

Mr. Giuliani’s plans create the remarkable scene of a lawyer for the president of the United States pressing a foreign government to pursue investigations that Mr. Trump’s allies hope could help him in his re-election campaign. And it comes after Mr. Trump spent more than half of his term facing questions about whether his 2016 campaign conspired with a foreign power.

“We’re not meddling in an election, we’re meddling in an investigation, which we have a right to do,” Mr. Giuliani said in an interview on Thursday when asked about the parallel to the special counsel’s inquiry.

“There’s nothing illegal about it,” he said. “Somebody could say it’s improper. And this isn’t foreign policy — I’m asking them to do an investigation that they’re doing already and that other people are telling them to stop. And I’m going to give them reasons why they shouldn’t stop it because that information will be very, very helpful to my client, and may turn out to be helpful to my government.”’

OP posts:
Nyushka1 · 10/05/2019 06:58

I'm not a Trump fan but if the Russian government thought trump would be good for them they were mistaken as aside from his rhetoric we've seen his government take one of the harshest approaches on Russia we've ever seen.

His rhetoric is garbage. The policies nor so much.

Lweji · 10/05/2019 07:11

When pps start by saying "I'm not...", well. ..

It's so true. If Trump stood up more to Russia he'd be called Vladimir.

lionheart · 10/05/2019 07:59

Let's look beyond the closed door meetings with Putin and consider:

  1. The sanctions Trump tried to rescind.
  2. The denial of Russian interference in the election.
  3. The Russia-Syria mess.
  4. Undermining NATO (a gift to Putin).
  5. Ukraine/Crimea

Then there are those still ongoing investigations and a whole report from Mueller.

I don't think you can, in any case, set aside the 'rhetoric'. Words matter and when spoken by a president, can tell you (and Putin) a lot.

PerkingFaintly · 10/05/2019 09:27

What policies towards Russia are you thinking of, Nyushka1?

I don't know if you're labelling as "rhetoric" things like inviting the Russians into the Oval office, having unscheduled meetings over dinner with Vlad with no US staff present, and saying he believes Vlad over his US intelligence services.

But I can easily think of very active things Trump and his aides have done:

– lift sanctions on Oleg Deripaska's business empire
– delay imposing sanctions on Russia www.cnbc.com/2018/01/30/passing-on-sanctions-trump-goes-even-softer-on-russia-than-expected.html

And Trump's national security adviser, Michael Flynn has gone to jail for lying to the FBI about his conversations on sanctions with the Russian ambassador.

This doesn't seem to me "one of the harshest approaches on Russia we've ever seen." It's hardly the Cold War.

PerkingFaintly · 10/05/2019 09:38

Although to be fair, Trump did just extend Obama's sanctions against Russia for its occupation of Crimea. (Separate from the sanctions against Russia for interference in the US elections.)

www.unian.info/politics/10468401-trump-extends-russia-sanctions-over-crimea-for-another-year.html

Lweji · 10/05/2019 10:56

I think we need to separate Trump and his military advisers/staff (let's say most of his Administration and GOP).

I'd guess the Crimea sanctions were continued in spite of Trump. I wonder if he even realised he was signing them, or if they were signed to show how "not influenced by Russia" he is.

cozietoesie · 10/05/2019 14:24

Some legal snippets from Ms Maddow.

lionheart · 10/05/2019 16:34

Golf (balls).

www.vox.com/2019/5/10/18524172/donald-trump-commander-in-cheat-rick-reilly

'They get to a hole with a big pond on it. Both Ted and his son hit the ball on the green, and Trump hits his in the water. By the time they get to the hole, Trump is lining up the kid’s ball. Only now it’s his ball and the caddie has switched it. The kid’s like, “Daddy, that’s my ball.”

But Trump’s caddie goes, “No, this is the president’s ball; your ball went in the water.” Ted and his son look at each other confused, not sure if this is really happening. And Trump’s caddie says, “This is the president’s ball. I don’t know what to tell you.”

Trump makes that putt, wins one up, and declares himself the club champion.'

Hearhere · 11/05/2019 01:07

Trump's going to raise hell if they try to lock his boy up

TheClaws · 11/05/2019 02:18

Trump will do this with every Democratic candidate if he isn’t stopped. This is an autocratic abuse of power.

Kyle Griffin @kylegriffin1
Trump tells Politico that it would "certainly be an appropriate thing to" speak to Attorney General Barr about launching an investigation into Joe Biden.

OP posts:
lionheart · 11/05/2019 08:46

Yes--not to mention the way he uses Giuliani as a freaky trial balloon to gage reaction to whatever line he is about to (or has) crossed.

cozietoesie · 11/05/2019 20:20

Thanks, lion.

lionheart · 11/05/2019 21:00
Smile