TrumplelThinSkin Et Al Tuesday

[miniroller]

The Vanity Fair article was originally posted on Valentine’s Day, but I hadn’t seen it posted, & didn’t want it to get overlooked because W.T.F:
William Barr’s Son-in-Law Just Landed a Job Advising Trump on “Legal Issues”
www.vanityfair.com/news/2019/02/william-barr-son-in-law-white-house
Walter Shaub, the former director of the Office of Government Ethics, said it was a “good idea” for McGaughey* and Daly** to leave the D.O.J., but added that McGaughey’s beeline for the White House was “concerning.” “That’s troubling because it raises further questions about Barr's independence,” he told CNN.
*Barr’s youngest daughter’s husband
**Barr’s Oldest Daughter

[debatethis]

Judge Jackson's not playing around. She's ordered Roger Stone to her courtroom in two days to justify why he should be allowed to remain in pretrial release given his Instagram stunt yesterday. ::cackles::

[cville]

Feb 19, 2019 10:54:22 GMT -5 debatethis said:

Judge Jackson's not playing around. She's ordered Roger Stone to her courtroom in two days to justify why he should be allowed to remain in pretrial release given his Instagram stunt yesterday. ::cackles::

YES.

I hope he is pissing his pants. Mwah ha ha ha ha.

[CrazyLucky]

With the testimony yesterday of Lisa Britt in the fight over NC's 9th district, I feel more certain that a new election will be called, but I'm interested in hearing what other people think. Britt admitted she broke the law several times and that the shady guy (Dowless) the Harris campaign hired directed her to do it. She also said she didn't think Harris knew anything about it. How accountable for crimes committed on their campaign are the candidates themselves? The election board is 3 democrats and 2 republicans, so if it's strictly by party, there will be a new election. But I would LOVE it if they said that Harris can't run again. Is that even possible? He's such garbage.

[cattledogkisses]

Feb 19, 2019 11:25:11 GMT -5 CrazyLucky said:

With the testimony yesterday of Lisa Britt in the fight over NC's 9th district, I feel more certain that a new election will be called, but I'm interested in hearing what other people think. Britt admitted she broke the law several times and that the shady guy (Dowless) the Harris campaign hired directed her to do it. She also said she didn't think Harris knew anything about it. How accountable for crimes committed on their campaign are the candidates themselves? The election board is 3 democrats and 2 republicans, so if it's strictly by party, there will be a new election. But I would LOVE it if they said that Harris can't run again. Is that even possible? He's such garbage.

This whole thing is enraging.

Republicans insist that we need voter ID laws for voter fraud that there's no evidence actually exists, but have no qualms about committing fraud themselves to win elections.

[debatethis]

Feb 19, 2019 11:25:11 GMT -5 CrazyLucky said:

With the testimony yesterday of Lisa Britt in the fight over NC's 9th district, I feel more certain that a new election will be called, but I'm interested in hearing what other people think. Britt admitted she broke the law several times and that the shady guy (Dowless) the Harris campaign hired directed her to do it. She also said she didn't think Harris knew anything about it. How accountable for crimes committed on their campaign are the candidates themselves? The election board is 3 democrats and 2 republicans, so if it's strictly by party, there will be a new election. But I would LOVE it if they said that Harris can't run again. Is that even possible? He's such garbage.

Harris knew. Whether they can prove it or not for criminal charges is another thing, but Dowless has been known in that area for ages (probably at least a couple decades) as being a local political fixer who doesn't care about legality so long as the money's flowing. And ultimately it's the candidate's responsibility to sign off on payments via his campaign funds, so sending the guy $130k should've raised some red flags. Additionally, Dowless is a convicted felon stemming from an insurance fraud scheme, so if Harris did *any* due diligence before he hired this company, it would've been discovered. 

www.nbcnews.com/politics/elections/man-center-north-carolina-election-fraud-allegations-has-complicated-past-n945511

[mbcdefg]

Whistleblowers from within Pres. Trump's National Security Council have told a Congressional committee that efforts by Michael Flynn to transfer sensitive nuclear technology to Saudi Arabia may have violated the law


www.nbcnews.com/politics/congress/flynn-backed-plan-transfer-nuclear-tech-saudis-may-have-broken-n973021?cid=sm_npd_nn_tw_ma

[mbcdefg]

An Iowan tried to walk past Kirsten Gillibrand as she addresses the crowd here at the Airliner in Iowa City. Gillibrand turned toward her, but the Iowan apologized, “Sorry, I’m just trying to get some ranch dressing.”

[debatethis]

Feb 19, 2019 11:42:23 GMT -5 mbcdefg said:

Whistleblowers from within Pres. Trump's National Security Council have told a Congressional committee that efforts by Michael Flynn to transfer sensitive nuclear technology to Saudi Arabia may have violated the law


www.nbcnews.com/politics/congress/flynn-backed-plan-transfer-nuclear-tech-saudis-may-have-broken-n973021?cid=sm_npd_nn_tw_ma

Key point here from Rep Cummings statement: the work to transfer this tech is ONGOING by the administration. As in, they're doing illegal shit in real time and nobody's saying boo about it.

[aurora]

Feb 19, 2019 12:48:00 GMT -5 debatethis said:

Feb 19, 2019 11:42:23 GMT -5 mbcdefg said:

Whistleblowers from within Pres. Trump's National Security Council have told a Congressional committee that efforts by Michael Flynn to transfer sensitive nuclear technology to Saudi Arabia may have violated the law


www.nbcnews.com/politics/congress/flynn-backed-plan-transfer-nuclear-tech-saudis-may-have-broken-n973021?cid=sm_npd_nn_tw_ma

Key point here from Rep Cummings statement: the work to transfer this tech is ONGOING by the administration. As in, they're doing illegal shit in real time and nobody's saying boo about it.

Oh.

This all feels perfectly normal. Sure.

[mbcdefg]

President Donald Trump is reportedly already dreaming up nicknames for his 2020 election challengers.

The president has been workshopping potential labels within the West Wing and in conversations with confidantes, sources close to Trump told The Associated Press.

It doesn’t stop there. The president is also reportedly looking for ways to wound his opponents by exploiting their vulnerabilities and plotting viable attacks to unroll at his campaign rallies.

www.yahoo.com/huffpost/donald-trump-reportedly-workshopping-nicknames-163644308.html

[notsopicky]

Feb 19, 2019 14:31:29 GMT -5 mbcdefg said:

President Donald Trump is reportedly already dreaming up nicknames for his 2020 election challengers.

The president has been workshopping potential labels within the West Wing and in conversations with confidantes, sources close to Trump told The Associated Press.

It doesn’t stop there. The president is also reportedly looking for ways to wound his opponents by exploiting their vulnerabilities and plotting viable attacks to unroll at his campaign rallies.

www.yahoo.com/huffpost/donald-trump-reportedly-workshopping-nicknames-163644308.html

Because THAT'S all he has to do. Ok then. 

[mbcdefg]

This article doesn't mention Flynn so IDK if it's the same overall story as the one I posted a few hours ago:

Donald Trump rushing to sell Saudi Arabia nuclear technology


Experts worry tech transfer will allow Saudi Arabia to produce nuclear weapons, contributing to Middle East arms race.

www.aljazeera.com/news/2019/02/report-trump-rushing-sell-saudi-arabia-nuclear-technology-190219181918317.html

The Trump administration is bypassing the United States Congress to advance the sale of US nuclear power plants to Saudi Arabia, despite concerns it would violate US law guarding against technology transfers, according to a new report by a congressional committee.

Security analysts worry the technology would allow Saudi Arabia to produce nuclear weapons in the future, potentially contributing to an arms race in the Middle East.

US lawmakers are concerned about the stability of Saudi leadership under Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman because of the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi and the war in Yemen.

Multiple unnamed "whistleblowers" have come forward to warn about White House attempts to speed the transfer of highly sensitive US nuclear technology to build new nuclear power plants in Saudi Arabia, according to the staff report by the House Oversight and Reform Committee.

"The whistleblowers who came forward have warned of conflicts of interest among top White House advisers that could implicate federal criminal statutes," Representative Elijah Cummings, the Democrat chairman of the committee, said in a February 19 letter to the White House.

The committee is investigating efforts by US nuclear power companies to win Trump administration approval to build nuclear power plants in Saudi Arabia and other Arab countries.

[downtoearth]

Feb 19, 2019 11:42:23 GMT -5 mbcdefg said:

Whistleblowers from within Pres. Trump's National Security Council have told a Congressional committee that efforts by Michael Flynn to transfer sensitive nuclear technology to Saudi Arabia may have violated the law


www.nbcnews.com/politics/congress/flynn-backed-plan-transfer-nuclear-tech-saudis-may-have-broken-n973021?cid=sm_npd_nn_tw_ma

This is really interesting... and oddly I'm still surprised he would do this, but I shouldn't be.

Career national security officials objected to the plan, citing what they deemed Flynn's conflict of interest, and also that the proposal sought to bypass a policy review that is required whenever nuclear technology is transferred to another country, the report says.

The proposal, which involved enlisting the U.S. nuclear power industry to build nuclear plants across the Middle East, was backed by a group of retired generals who formed a firm called IP3. Flynn described himself in financial disclosure filings as an "advisor" to a subsidiary of IP3, IronBridge Group Inc., from June 2016 to December 2016 — at the same time he was serving as Trump's national security adviser during the presidential campaign and the presidential transition, the report says.

Why do people go into politics only to help themselves? I don't understand how they don't feel some altruistic calling to be in politics, but instead look at it as a meal ticket to their next government contract or spin off job. 

[isabel]

Feb 19, 2019 15:41:11 GMT -5 notsopicky said:

Feb 19, 2019 14:31:29 GMT -5 mbcdefg said:

President Donald Trump is reportedly already dreaming up nicknames for his 2020 election challengers.

The president has been workshopping potential labels within the West Wing and in conversations with confidantes, sources close to Trump told The Associated Press.

It doesn’t stop there. The president is also reportedly looking for ways to wound his opponents by exploiting their vulnerabilities and plotting viable attacks to unroll at his campaign rallies.

www.yahoo.com/huffpost/donald-trump-reportedly-workshopping-nicknames-163644308.html

Because THAT'S all he has to do. Ok then. 

It's his Executive Time, OK!?

[miniroller]

Re: Saudi scandal, in rather un-shocking news:

One of the power plant manufacturers involved in the proposed project in Saudi Arabia, Westinghouse Electric, is a subsidiary of Brookfield Asset Management, the company that bailed out Jared Kushner’s property on 666 Fifth Avenue:
JARED KUSHNER CITED BY DEMOCRATS INVESTIGATING TRUMP ADMINISTRATION PLAN TO SELL NUCLEAR TECHNOLOGY TO SAUDIS
www.newsweek.com/jared-kushner-democrats-trump-saudi-nuclear-1335990

[isabel]

Feb 19, 2019 16:34:05 GMT -5 downtoearth said:

Feb 19, 2019 11:42:23 GMT -5 mbcdefg said:

Why do people go into politics only to help themselves? I don't understand how they don't feel some altruistic calling to be in politics, but instead look at it as a meal ticket to their next government contract or spin off job. 

Because humans are inherently full of self-interest and preservation.

This is exactly why the idea of privatizing health care, infrastructure, and social safety nets is ludicrous. Because humans can generally be assumed not to give a fuck about anyone but themselves and will act accordingly. And we know this to be the case because health care in this country is a goddamn nightmare.

I like to think that some are better than others. There are certainly politicians who seem to care about their constituency, but many (see: all Republicans, Bernie Sanders) are really only in it for themselves/the people who are close to them.

[miniroller]

Feb 19, 2019 17:08:12 GMT -5 isabel said:

I like to think that some are better than others. There are certainly politicians who seem to care about their constituency, but many (see: all Republicans, Bernie Sanders) are really only in it for themselves/the people who are close to them.

[/div][/quote]
I wholeheartedly agree.
In this vein/ sort of a strange offshoot: I don’t think anyone would call me crazy for identifying Al Gore is one of those not wholeheartedly/ 100% out for his own (& very close others’) personal political/ financial benefit...
He’s been on my mind a bit with all of this very scary environmental news surfacing (in terms of: we need a change NOW). And I’ve considered his role as an advisor for a D candidate, as someone who’s been heavily involved both in politics & climate change reality/ changes that need made.
I think that he’s adept enough to help balance/ fine-tune a candidate’s message to not look as insanely terrifying as R’s are attempting to make AOC’s/ Cortez’s Green Deal seem.
(Obviously my first choice would be for him to join Kamala Harris’s campaign as her environmental advisor, but I’m not even sure if they’ve met..? Nor am I sure he’s not been out of DC for too long to understand the crazy deniability train that the R-party has wholeheartedly climbed.)
Anyone have thoughts on my recent (perhaps meaningless) pondering?

[WOT?*]

Covington student's lawyers suing WaPo for $250M.

www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/lawyers-for-nick-sandmann-high-school-junior-who-faced-off-with-native-elder-on-lincoln-memorial-steps-sue-washington-post-for-dollar250-million/ar-BBTPnTn?ocid=spartanntp

[isabel]

Feb 19, 2019 19:22:17 GMT -5 WOT?* said:

Covington student's lawyers suing WaPo for $250M.

www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/lawyers-for-nick-sandmann-high-school-junior-who-faced-off-with-native-elder-on-lincoln-memorial-steps-sue-washington-post-for-dollar250-million/ar-BBTPnTn?ocid=spartanntp

Million!?!?

[carmenere]

Feb 19, 2019 17:02:42 GMT -5 isabel said:

Feb 19, 2019 15:41:11 GMT -5 notsopicky said:

Because THAT'S all he has to do. Ok then. 

It's his Executive Time, OK!?

Right?? Like, what else would he be doing? Tweeting and watching Hannity?

[mbcdefg]

President Trump announces his intent to nominate Jeffrey Rosen as deputy attorney general. Rosen would replace Deputy AG Rod Rosenstein.

[muffin0]

Feb 19, 2019 19:22:17 GMT -5 WOT?* said:

Covington student's lawyers suing WaPo for $250M.

www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/lawyers-for-nick-sandmann-high-school-junior-who-faced-off-with-native-elder-on-lincoln-memorial-steps-sue-washington-post-for-dollar250-million/ar-BBTPnTn?ocid=spartanntp

He was vilified for being white?! So he should get 250 million (plus more since this “is only the beginning”)

AYFKM?!

I hate people.