Trump Dump: Internal Policy (Thread I)

[Thanas]

And in other news, apparently Russia was trying to recruit members of Trump's campaign. The CIA is not sure if they succeeded or not. Link

The former CIA director, John Brennan, has said there were enough contacts between members of the Trump campaign and Moscow by last summer to justify further investigation by the FBI.

In testimony to the House intelligence committee, Brennan gave the fullest account to date of the scale of the effort to combat Russian operations to affect the outcome of the 2016 elections.

He confirmed that the CIA had set up a special group with the NSA and FBI in late July to investigate the extent of Russian intervention in the presidential election. He briefed congressional leaders on the threat and on 4 August he warned Alexander Bortnikov, the head of the Russian intelligence agency, FSB, in a telephone call to stop the meddling, telling him it would backfire. Bortnikov told Brennan he would pass on the message to Vladmir Putin.

Asked about Trump’s reported sharing of top-secret intelligence with Russian officials in the Oval Office, Brennan replied that, if true, Trump’s actions would have violated two intelligence protocols. One of those protocols dictated that such secrets should be shared through intelligence channels and not through ministers and diplomats. Secondly, the language shared with the Russians should have been cleared by the agency that first provided the intelligence.

Brennan confirmed that by last summer, the intelligence showing Russian intervention in the election included striking contacts with members of the Trump circle.

“I encountered and am aware of information and intelligence that revealed contacts and interactions between Russian officials and US persons involved in the Trump campaign that I was concerned about because of known Russian efforts to suborn such individuals,” Brennan said. “And it raised questions in my mind again whether or not the Russians were able to gain the cooperation of those individuals.”


Asked repeatedly whether he had seen evidence of collusion, he stressed that the CIA’s business was intelligence rather than evidence and he could not make that judgment. But he said all intelligence on contacts was passed to the FBI.

Brennan said by the time he left the CIA in January this year: “I had unresolved questions in my mind as to whether or not the Russians had been successful in getting US persons involved in the campaign or not to work on their behalf, again, either in a witting or unwitting fashion.”

[mr friendly guy]

Nice to see Trump draining the swamp. By appointing his supporter to a scientific post when said supporter isn't even a scientist. I say we now need Lance Armstrong to run the United States Anti Doping Agency.

Completely aside, as an attempt to salve my increasing cynicism, that actually would probably be a workable idea. He dodged the system so effectively and for so long that he's familiar with a great many of the tricks and methods.

His doctor should be the one appointed. Armstrong just hired the right people. His medical team probably did the heavy lifting in terms of circumventing the process.

What his doctors (one Dr Ferrari and co) did for him, was know which drugs to give, how much to maximise performance without you know, killing him, and back dating a prescription for cortisone.

Some of the ways he circumvented testing was simply not to answer the door when the tester showed up. That doesn't really require lots of skill, yet alone a doctor to do that. Other tricks like disposing of used needles in soft drink cans didn't require great thinking either. However his other trick of using a spot haematocrit tester, noticing he failed the USADA criteria and then having someone administer IV fluids to him (to lower his haematocrit) while getting other riders who passed the haematocrit test went up first for the blood test in the room next door, now that might need a doctor to think of.

[Flagg]

Unsurprisingly, nothing came of the FCC's Colbert investigation

Show With Stephen Colbert,” in which the host quipped during his opening monologue that “the only thing [Trump’s] mouth is good for is being Vladimir Putin’s c— holster.”

The FCC received thousands of complaints following the broadcast. In response to an inquiry, an FCC spokesman provided a statement on the status of its review.

RELATED
Earlier today (Wednesday, May 17), Stephen Colbert, host of the acclaimed and top-rated THE LATE SHOW with STEPHEN COLBERT, headlined the opening production number of the CBS Upfront presentation at Carnegie Hall. Photo: Jeffrey R. Staab/CBS ©2017 CBS Broadcasting, Inc. All Rights Reserved
Stephen Colbert Speaks Out on FCC Controversy — With More Trump Bashing

“Consistent with standard operating procedure, the FCC’s Enforcement Bureau has reviewed the complaints and the material that was the subject of these complaints,” the FCC statement said. “The Bureau has concluded that there was nothing actionable under the FCC’s rules.”

Colbert’s remark was bleeped out of the broadcast and his mouth was blurred.

The FCC’s conclusion means that it found that Colbert’s remark did not rise to the level of obscenity or indecency to warrant any kind of sanction or fine. That appeared to be highly unlikely, given the circumstances. Broadcasters have a safe harbor for indecent or profane content between 10 p.m. and 6 a.m., although they can face penalties for airing obscene content at any hour.

Several days after the broadcast, FCC Chairman Ajit Pai was asked about complaints over the remarks, and he said that they would be looked into. All complaints are reviewed by the FCC, but the agency does not monitor programming.

Like I said before: Investigating IS the process for dismissing baseless complaints. Also note the part about them receiving 'thousands' of complaints. Which is a lot more plausible than the White House calling the Chairman and telling him to make an example of a comedian.

It's really funny that the FCC gets thousands of complaints on a show watched by millions and feels compelled to launch an investigation. I can also guarantee that pro censorship groups like the Parents Television Council (or whatever they're called) sent plenty of complaint form letters where it's membership just filled in the blanks.

This is a criticism of the FCC itself, not necessarily the Trump administration. They still could have leaned on them, I just don't care or think it matters. I have an issue with the FCC having any control of content. They were formed to assign and regulate broadcast frequencies, and IMO should get a long overdue kick in the face.

[Ralin]

It's really funny that the FCC gets thousands of complaints on a show watched by millions and feels compelled to launch an investigation. I can also guarantee that pro censorship groups like the Parents Television Council (or whatever they're called) sent plenty of complaint form letters where it's membership just filled in the blanks.

I have no idea what the minimum number of complaints they need to receive before they feel obligated to formally look into it is, but presumably they have guidelines.

I have an issue with the FCC having any control of content. They were formed to assign and regulate broadcast frequencies, and IMO should get a long overdue kick in the face.

Quite possibly, but I don't have any problem with how they handled this.

[Flagg]

It's really funny that the FCC gets thousands of complaints on a show watched by millions and feels compelled to launch an investigation. I can also guarantee that pro censorship groups like the Parents Television Council (or whatever they're called) sent plenty of complaint form letters where it's membership just filled in the blanks.

I have no idea what the minimum number of complaints they need to receive before they feel obligated to formally look into it is, but presumably they have guidelines.

One hopes. I mean the outcome is pretty much what I expected since there was no large response or investigation concerning Dave Chappell using the racial slur "n****r" on SNL. I do think many of the complaints were politically motivated, as in Trump supporters whining and crying. I wouldn't be surprised if the administration made a phone call, but I don't really care if they did. At the end of the day the right outcome was achieved.

I have an issue with the FCC having any control of content. They were formed to assign and regulate broadcast frequencies, and IMO should get a long overdue kick in the face.

Quite possibly, but I don't have any problem with how they handled this.

Yeah, they came to the correct conclusion. That above all else is what matters. My overarching issue with them regulating content is a moot point given this was handled correctly.

That said, if they insist on making sure words that you can hear and actions you can see on basic cable (which they currently don't have much if any control over) and to an even greater extent on premium channels like HBO and Starz, it would be great if they reinstated the prohibition on advertising prescription drugs. But it's not very relevant in this case.

[mr friendly guy]

https://www.forbes.com/sites/eriksherma ... 7526d9b752

Trump Budget Cuts Social Security And Medicaid, Breaking Major Promises

Donald Trump's budget is based on dubious assumptions about economic growth and a strategy of extremely deep cuts into many forms of social spending. Two areas Trump has claimed since the campaign trail that would remain inviolate are Social Security and Medicaid. But both would see cuts cuts under this budget.

The budget's executive summary repeated the claim that Social Security was safe:

This plan will put our Nation’s budget back into balance and begin to reduce the national debt through fiscally conservative principles that respect American taxpayers – all while preserving Social Security and Medicare.

A number of outlets like the New York Times have taken the Social Security claim at face value. But as Center for American Progress Director of Fiscal Policy Harry Stein pointed out on Twitter, Social Security does see significant cuts in the form of Social Security Disability Insurance.


Social Security payroll taxes cover retirement, survivor benefits, and disability. People who find themselves permanently disabled and incapable of working at all — only about a third of applicants pass the vetting process, according to government statistics — can receive Social Security benefits. In 2016, that was about 8.8 million people, a decrease of 1.13% over the previous year. Children and spouses can potentially also become eligible, which can add close to 2 million additional people. In 2016, the total spent was $142.7 billion.

The cuts are supposed to produce total savings of $72 billion between 2018 and 2027 and are listed as a budget line item called "Reform disability programs." As NBC News reported, White House budget director Mick Mulvaney told reporters yesterday that Trump intended only to protect the retirement benefits part of Social Security, although he made no such distinction in the past.

Regarding Medicaid, remember Trump's promise that no one would lose healthcare. The budget assumes the House's American Health Care Act passes into law to cut $839 billion from the program over time. Then the Trump administration wants to cut an additional $600 billion over the next ten years by assuming that Medicaid spending would grow at a slower rate. That level of reduction in spending will not happen because of suddenly found efficiencies in healthcare. But the money for anticipated tax cuts must come from somewhere.

Breaking more promises. Is the US winning yet?

[FireNexus]

https://www.forbes.com/sites/eriksherma ... 7526d9b752

Trump Budget Cuts Social Security And Medicaid, Breaking Major Promises

Donald Trump's budget is based on dubious assumptions about economic growth and a strategy of extremely deep cuts into many forms of social spending. Two areas Trump has claimed since the campaign trail that would remain inviolate are Social Security and Medicaid. But both would see cuts cuts under this budget.

The budget's executive summary repeated the claim that Social Security was safe:

This plan will put our Nation’s budget back into balance and begin to reduce the national debt through fiscally conservative principles that respect American taxpayers – all while preserving Social Security and Medicare.

A number of outlets like the New York Times have taken the Social Security claim at face value. But as Center for American Progress Director of Fiscal Policy Harry Stein pointed out on Twitter, Social Security does see significant cuts in the form of Social Security Disability Insurance.


Social Security payroll taxes cover retirement, survivor benefits, and disability. People who find themselves permanently disabled and incapable of working at all — only about a third of applicants pass the vetting process, according to government statistics — can receive Social Security benefits. In 2016, that was about 8.8 million people, a decrease of 1.13% over the previous year. Children and spouses can potentially also become eligible, which can add close to 2 million additional people. In 2016, the total spent was $142.7 billion.

The cuts are supposed to produce total savings of $72 billion between 2018 and 2027 and are listed as a budget line item called "Reform disability programs." As NBC News reported, White House budget director Mick Mulvaney told reporters yesterday that Trump intended only to protect the retirement benefits part of Social Security, although he made no such distinction in the past.

Regarding Medicaid, remember Trump's promise that no one would lose healthcare. The budget assumes the House's American Health Care Act passes into law to cut $839 billion from the program over time. Then the Trump administration wants to cut an additional $600 billion over the next ten years by assuming that Medicaid spending would grow at a slower rate. That level of reduction in spending will not happen because of suddenly found efficiencies in healthcare. But the money for anticipated tax cuts must come from somewhere.

Breaking more promises. Is the US winning yet?

That is the fucking game. Cutting SS or Medicare is fucking it. Even the FREEDOM CAUCUS never made concrete proposals on that shit.

[Flagg]

That budget would leave me on the street to die. Good thing it has less chance of passing than Trump's fat ass through the eye of a needle.

[The Romulan Republic]

Cutting Social Security and Medicare?

Well, there goes the Republican Party's lock on the old geezer vote.

[Ralin]

Cutting Social Security and Medicare?

Well, there goes the Republican Party's lock on the old geezer vote.

You may be underestimating old people's willingness to shoot themselves in the crotch to hurt people not like them.

[Flagg]

Cutting Social Security and Medicare?

Well, there goes the Republican Party's lock on the old geezer vote.

You may be underestimating old people's willingness to shoot themselves in the crotch to hurt people not like them.

Yeah, the thing people often don't understand is that Grandpa and Grandma Moses Dustcrotch won't actually be effected by it. Plus Trumps budget cuts social security disability as opposed to social security for managing to live until 64 (or 65, I can't remember ). But it's already got bipartisan opposition, so the more odious parts will likely never even get past Committee.

[FaxModem1]

It looks like Jared Kushner may be getting benched for: The Independent

Jared Kushner 'may have to take a leave of absence' from the White House following Russia revelation
A Washington observer says Donald Trump wants to hang on to his trusted son-in-law

Andrew Buncombe

There are few people Mr Trump trusts more than his eldest daughter and her husband Reuters
As the White House scrambles to deal with the fallout from the latest revelations about contact between Donald Trump’s campaign team and Russia, there is said to be mounting that talk that his favoured advisor, Jared Kushner, may have to take a leave of absence.

Mr Trump returned to Washington after a nine-day overseas tour and immediately went on the offensive, saying the leaks coming out of his administration were “fabricated lies’ invented by the media.

Yet as the President was said to have met with his own criminal defence lawyer who is helping him deal with the FBI’s probe into possible collusion between his team and Moscow alleged effort to influence the election, increasing attention was being paid to Mr Kushner’s future.

NEW: @jonkarl: People close to the president are saying it might be time for Jared Kushner to take a leave of absence from the White House.

Last week, it was confirmed the 36-year-old, who is married to Mr Trump’s eldest daughter, Ivanka, was the focus of the FBI’s ongoing investigation.

It was then reported that Mr Kushner had last year asked the Russian Ambassador to the US to establish a secret back channel using Russia’s communication systems to enable the Trump transition team to talk to Moscow.

Speaking on ABC’s This Week, Chief White House correspondent Jon Karl said there had been a lot of talk of a shake-up, now that Mr Trump had returned to Washington. He said there was also a big question as to what role Mr Kushner should have.

Donald Trump claims his first foreign trip has been a success. His body language tells otherwise
“There is no advisor closer to the president - his office goes - opens right into the Oval Office. He has taken on a portfolio bigger than anybody in the West Wing,” he said.

“And you hear people now, very close to the president, openly saying that it is too much, that he now finds himself at the centre of this investigation, even if he is ultimately completely cleared, he is at the centre of this investigation right now.”

He added: “And you hear people close to the president quietly saying, is it too much and is it time for Jared to take a step back, maybe even take a leave of absence from the White House.”

Will it happen though?

[Simon_Jester]

One of Trump's big weaknesses is that he's got a very limited pool of people he can actually rely on to do his bidding directly. He doesn't have powerful senior officials lining up to be his goons. They'll vote with him, they'll say nice things about him in public, but they're not willing to permanently tie their fortunes to his because they have options. They have the choice of not going down with his ship.

The only people willing to get aboard Trump's ship are those willing to drown with it if things go wrong, and by this point it's becoming obvious that that could happen, even if the average Republican may not think it will happen.

If a normal White House administration had a single man who'd been given a dangerously large portfolio who had to step down in disgrace, they could. Because they'd have a reasonable selection of intellectuals and people from the party interested in taking those jobs. But nobody with the chops it takes to do major jobs in government is going to want to do that for Trump. Not now that he's repeatedly demonstrated a lack of reciprocal loyalty and a willingness to use other men's reputation to wipe up the messes he creates.

So Trump is reduced to recruiting unqualified people he trusts not to leak just how rotten and stupid his administration is- like his family, his old bodyguard, and so on.

[FaxModem1]

ABC News

Congress expands Russia investigation to include Trump's personal attorney
By BRIAN ROSS MATTHEW MOSK May 30, 2017, 12:04 PM ET
Stephanie Keith/Reuters
WATCHWhite House backs Jared Kushner amid Russia inquiry
Email
One of President Donald Trump’s closest confidants, his personal lawyer Michael Cohen, has now become a focus of the expanding congressional investigation into Russian efforts to influence the 2016 campaign.

Cohen confirmed to ABC News that House and Senate investigators have asked him “to provide information and testimony” about any contacts he had with people connected to the Russian government, but he said he has turned down the invitation.

“I declined the invitation to participate, as the request was poorly phrased, overly broad and not capable of being answered,” Cohen told ABC News in an email Tuesday.

After Cohen rejected the congressional requests for cooperation, the Senate Select Intelligence Committee voted unanimously on Thursday to grant its chairman, Sen. Richard Burr of North Carolina, and ranking Democrat, Sen. Mark Warner of Virginia, blanket authority to issue subpoenas as they deem necessary.

"To date, there has not been a single witness, document or piece of evidence linking me to this fake Russian conspiracy," Cohen added. "This is not surprising to me because there is none."

While much of the media focus in recent days has fallen on Russian contacts made by Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner, there are few people closer to the president than his longtime lawyer. Insiders consider Cohen to be Trump’s pit bull or consigliere for his role in threatening legal action against Trump critics, gaining notoriety for threatening and browbeating reporters investigating Trump’s background.

He was quoted in 2015 telling Daily Beast reporters, “I will take you for every penny you still don’t have. And I will come after your Daily Beast and everybody else that you possibly know … So I’m warning you, tread very f---ing lightly, because what I’m going to do to you is going to be f---ing disgusting.”

In a 2016 appearance on CNN that went viral, the stone-faced attorney flashed anger when anchor Brianna Keiler said the Trump campaign was “down.”

“Says who?” he challenged. When she cited polls, he countered, “Which polls?” She replied, “All of them.” His final response in that exchange proved prescient: “You’re going to all be very surprised when he polls substantially higher than what you all are giving him credit for.”

After the 2016 campaign, Cohen left the Trump Organization to become the president’s personal attorney, a job he still holds. From that post, he has continued to weigh in on Trump’s behalf on Twitter and during occasional television appearances.

After Trump dismissed FBI Director James Comey, for example, Cohen tweeted, “I believe @POTUS was justified in terminating #Comey as @FBI director. #RT if you agree with me!”

Cohen was also made a deputy national finance chairman of the Republican National Committee — a position that gives him some sway on how money will be allocated to Republican candidates. And in April he announced he formed a “strategic alliance” with the powerful D.C. lobbying firm Patton Boggs, a firm whose clients include Russia’s third-largest bank, Gazprombank. The arrangement enables him to work out of Squire Patton Boggs’ offices in New York, Washington and London, according to the announcement.

The emergence of Cohen as a subject of the Senate probe brings renewed attention to a strident Trump advocate who was named in the unverified dossier prepared by a former British intelligence agent during the 2016 campaign and provided by the FBI to Sen. John McCain, which contains a number of unconfirmed allegations that Cohen played a role in working with the Russians on the hacking of Democratic National Committee computers during the campaign.

In January, Cohen told ABC News the allegations in the dossier were “laughably false.” His wife is Ukrainian, and he once worked with her family in Ukraine to establish an ethanol business. ABC News was able to debunk some references to him in the unverified document, such as the assertion in the that his Ukrainian-born father-in-law had a vacation home, or dacha, near Russian President Vladimir Putin’s.

“I don’t even think my father-in-law has ever been to Moscow,” Cohen told ABC News earlier this year. “I wonder who’s living in the dacha.”

Another suggestion in those documents — that Cohen supposedly met with the Russians in Prague last August — is also false, he said. Then-President-elect Trump pushed back against the claim in a wide-ranging news conference held in January, saying that he saw Cohen’s passport.

“I said, ‘I want to see your passport.’ He brings his passport to my office. I say, ‘Hey, wait a minute. He didn’t leave the country. He wasn’t out of the country.’ They had Michael Cohen of the Trump Organization was in Prague. It turned out to be a different Michael Cohen,” Trump said. “It’s a disgrace what took place. It’s a disgrace, and I think they ought to apologize to start with Michael Cohen.”

Democrats in Congress have argued it is conceivable he entered Europe through another country — he was in Italy on vacation around the time the dossier alleges he was in Prague — and his passport would not receive a stamp for crossing the border, but no proof of any such trip has been produced.

“I’ve never actually walked the land in Prague,” Cohen told ABC News. “And last August I was not in Prague.”

Congressional investigators involved in the widening probe have already identified four Trump campaign advisers as people of interest because of their interactions with Russian officials. Only one of them, retired Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn, has received a subpoena for records. Flynn, who served briefly as Trump’s national security adviser, declined to provide them, citing his Fifth Amendment rights.

Lawmakers have also asked former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort, informal adviser Roger Stone and former foreign policy adviser Carter Page to voluntarily hand over relevant records. All three men have said publicly they are producing records and cooperating with investigators.

ABC News' Eric Avram and Pete Madden contributed to this report.

The investigation expands again.

[The Romulan Republic]

Good.

As I said before, this is how Trump will ultimately "drain the swamp": By being so blatantly and clumsily corrupt that the corruption cannot be ignore, and by bringing all the worst elements of the country together so they go down with him.

[Iroscato]

Good.

As I said before, this is how Trump will ultimately "drain the swamp": By being so blatantly and clumsily corrupt that the corruption cannot be ignore, and by bringing all the worst elements of the country together so they go down with him.

Or maybe...THAT WAS THE PLAN ALL ALONG! MUAHAHAHA!

https://imgur.com/VUe5cXe?r

(I can't fucking tell if this is a parody or not. My ability to detect such things has been eroded from all the background noise of the last year)

[The Romulan Republic]

I remember the days when people speculated that Trump was a Clinton plant to destroy the Republican Party.

[Simon_Jester]

Good.

As I said before, this is how Trump will ultimately "drain the swamp": By being so blatantly and clumsily corrupt that the corruption cannot be ignore, and by bringing all the worst elements of the country together so they go down with him.

The problem is that most of the blatantly corrupt individuals working with him are people he brought in from his old days as a corporate executive, not normal national politicians...

[The Romulan Republic]

Good.

As I said before, this is how Trump will ultimately "drain the swamp": By being so blatantly and clumsily corrupt that the corruption cannot be ignore, and by bringing all the worst elements of the country together so they go down with him.

The problem is that most of the blatantly corrupt individuals working with him are people he brought in from his old days as a corporate executive, not normal national politicians...

Well, there's Jeff "Perjury" Sessions, former Senator, and of course his VP, Pence.

Though I think if nothing else, a lot of the Republican establishment is going to get burned by their association with/enabling of him, particularly if they continue to drag their feet on the investigation. Via Congressional seat losses, if nothing worse.

[mr friendly guy]

Trump bitching about covfefe, it's totally unpresidented.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N1-xc3Q7iTE

Jesus Christ. Mainstream media would be making up fake news to get the same effect on the geopolitical rivals of the West. With the US, they don't even need to.

[bilateralrope]

A normal person would have just admitted that they made a typo and went to bed without noticing. People would have laughed and then it would have blown over.

Trumps cronies can't admit that he makes mistakes.

[Civil War Man]

A normal person would have just admitted that they made a typo and went to bed without noticing. People would have laughed and then it would have blown over.

Trumps cronies can't admit that he makes mistakes.

The best part about the whole covfefe thing is that Spicer was forced to pretend that it actually meant something. We really have tunneled so far below rock bottom that we can no longer see daylight.

I will admit, as stupid and pointless as the whole covfefe story was, I was very entertained by it. Because it was at least the funny kind of stupid and pointless, particularly when you add the attempts by Trump and his people to make it look like it was something they did intentionally.

[Khaat]

I love the "small select elite group of people who know what it means" bullshit. I would love it even more if someone found a "small, select, elite group" that uses it, and they turn out to be a child-sex-slave ring. Trump's people would back-pedal from "it means something" to "typo, sorry!" so fast, time might reverse. But the child-sex-slave ring would know what he meant!

The fact that no-one in his clubhouse is telling him "you fucked up, own it" is a bad thing.

In fairness, you get some positive covfefe from Breitfef, FOX & Ferfs, and Milo Fefenefellfef as well.

Favorite:

(n.)When you want to say "coverage" but your hands are too small to hit all the letters on your keyboard.

[The Romulan Republic]

A normal person would have just admitted that they made a typo and went to bed without noticing. People would have laughed and then it would have blown over.

Trumps cronies can't admit that he makes mistakes.

Of course not. Dear Leader Donald is always right.

[Flagg]

A normal person would have just admitted that they made a typo and went to bed without noticing. People would have laughed and then it would have blown over.

Well, normal people tend to possess empathy and lack a seemingly endless horde of women accusing them of committing sexual assault.

Trumps cronies can't admit that he makes mistakes.

Yeah, the guy exists in a fantasy land where he does no wrong and is the best at everything.