Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

The Supreme Court cannot be allowed to become the ultimate, unaccountable arbiter of everything.

Also, are you sure you want people to rate your comments?

T R E 4 5 O N

Marge, god is saying you’re stupid.

fuckem (in honor of the late great efgoldman)

… riddled with inexplicable and elementary errors of law and fact

Find someone who loves you the way trump and maga love traitors.

One way or another, he’s a liar.

The truth is, these are not very bright guys, and things got out of hand.

People really shouldn’t expect the government to help after they watched the GOP drown it in a bathtub.

We will not go back.

Books are my comfort food!

Michigan is a great lesson for Dems everywhere: when you have power…use it!

“They all knew.”

When your entire life is steeped in white supremacy, equality feels like discrimination.

You passed on an opportunity to be offended? What are you even doing here?

We do not need to pander to people who do not like what we stand for.

A snarling mass of vitriolic jackals

Their freedom requires your slavery.

Their boy Ron is an empty plastic cup that will never know pudding.

There is no compromise when it comes to body autonomy. You either have it or you do not.

Damn right I heard that as a threat.

People are complicated. Love is not.

Let’s not be the monsters we hate.

You are here: Home / Politics / Goddamned Traitors / Fine-Tuned Machine

Fine-Tuned Machine

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It’s morons, all the way down. The ABC News scoop, via TPM:

The White House had no idea that Sam Clovis testified before the grand jury in special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election, ABC News reported late Thursday.

ABC News reported, citing unnamed sources with knowledge of the probe, that the White House learned Clovis had met with the grand jury from media reports rather than from Clovis himself.

Clovis was a co-chair on President Donald Trump’s 2016 campaign and served as the supervisor to George Papadopoulos, a former adviser on the campaign. Court documents unsealed on Monday revealed that Papadopoulos pleaded guilty earlier in October to lying to the FBI about his contacts with Russian nationals.

“The White House was surprised to learn Mr. Clovis had been contacted by the Special Counsel’s office as part of their separate probe of Mr. Papadopoulos’ activities,” an unnamed White House source familiar with the probe told ABC News.

So, in addition to a generally chaotic administration, the effort to control the administration’s response to the Mueller investigation is also a raging dumpster fire that can be seen from space. May it consume them all.

Open thread!

Reader Interactions

211Comments

  3. 3.

    Adam L Silverman

    They shouldn’t have heard it until/unless Mueller was willing to allow the information to come out. It means that while Clovis may not be immediately in Mueller’s cross hairs, that he took to heart the warning not to tell anyone about his summons and appearance.

  4. 4.

    Major Major Major Major

    Alright! That clean thread smell.

    I think I had too much tea this afternoon, or else I’m just generally ready for the day to be over super hard. Either way, woohoo, I finally get to leave the office!

    We didn’t have very much to do today again. I managed to get 750 or so words done on my novel. Plus lots of bothering y’all. Tonight is installing a new TV and then some Stranger Things! A good day all in all, I guess.

  7. 7.

    Adam L Silverman

    Speaking of idiots missing a village:

  9. 9.

    Ruckus

    We all need to remember that, first, I don’t think they expected to win, second sinularly or collectively, they are fucklng morons

  16. 16.

    Davebo

    @Adam L Silverman: I must have misunderstood the point you were making about him taking to heart the warning not to tell anyone about his summons and appearance.

    Did you mean a warning from his lawyer(s)?

  17. 17.

    Betty Cracker

    @Baud: Here’s what the ABC report says:

    The special counsel’s office has been calling witnesses for the last several months for both interviews at their Department of Justice offices in addition to testifying before a newly impaneled grand jury. White House staffers who have been called to meet with Mueller have usually kept the President’s legal team in the loop.

    @Raoul: Isn’t it though?

  18. 18.

    Le Comte de Monte Cristo, fka Edmund Dantes

    Clovis is a piece of shit, but he is a USAFA grad. His asshole would have puckered up on the “keep your mouth shut” bit.

  19. 19.

    Amaranthine RBG

    @Adam L Silverman:

    Federal Rules of Crim. Procedure :

    6(e)…

    (2) Secrecy.

    (A) No obligation of secrecy may be imposed on any person except in accordance with Rule 6(e)(2)(B).

    (B) Unless these rules provide otherwise, the following persons must not disclose a matter occurring before the grand jury:

    (i) a grand juror;

    (ii) an interpreter;

    (iii) a court reporter;

    (iv) an operator of a recording device;

    (v) a person who transcribes recorded testimony;

    (vi) an attorney for the government; or

    (vii) a person to whom disclosure is made under Rule 6(e)(3)(A)(ii) or (iii)

    –https://www.law.cornell.edu/rules/frcrmp/rule_6#

  22. 22.

    jk

    OT

    Gothamist, DNAinfo, LAist And Other Local News Sites Have Suddenly Shut Down. The move to shutter the local news and culture websites comes a week after editors and reporters joined a union.

    Reporters at the local news sites, which were still churning out scheduled social media content Thursday afternoon linking to the now-defunct sites, did not appear to have been informed of the decision ahead of the closure.

    People noted that clearing the sites also swept away all reporters’ and editors’ work from over the years.

    h/t buzzfeed.com/briannasacks/gothamist-dnainfo-laist-and-other-local-news-sites-have?utm_term=.fyKmmxb5…

  25. 25.

    Cheryl Rofer

  29. 29.

    Patricia Kayden

    I contacted Senator Warren to explain how disappointed I was with her decision to throw Secretary Clinton under the bus today on CNN. I’m flabbergasted that at such a crucial point in time, she’s decided that relitigating the Democratic primaries is a good idea. I hope she doesn’t dream about running for President. I’m done with her.

  33. 33.

    Felony Govt (formerly Old Broad in California)

    @Patricia Kayden: I did the same. I’m stunned that she would think shooting her mouth off that way would be a good idea at this time.

  34. 34.

    Mike J

    @Baud:

    I don’t think witnesses have automatic gag orders.

    And even if there are gag orders, there are ways around them. Make it a standing practice to tell your assistant, “I didn’t receive a subpoena or testify in front of a grand jury yesterday” first thing every morning. Then stop when it is no longer true. EFF

  46. 46.

    Mnemosyne

    @Citizen_X:

    They have a Led Zeppelin-themed hotel in San Francisco. I only know this because that’s what Hotwire recommended for me. ?

  47. 47.

    kindness

    That is so funny about them not knowing Clovis testified. I swear, if this administration was older do you know how many Deep Throats there would be out there?

  49. 49.

    Jim, Foolish Literalist

    plenty of action on our circular firing squad today

    Alex Roarty‏Verified account Alex_Roarty
    > @ DFAaction announced tonight it would no longer support RalphNortham, called his campaign “racist”

  52. 52.

    rikyrah

    Callie Beusman‏Verified account @cal_beu

    ICE has prevented Rosa Maria from going to two post-operative follow-up appointments, according to the ACLU

  58. 58.

    Brachiator

    So, in addition to a generally chaotic administration, the effort to control the administration’s response to the Mueller investigation is also a raging dumpster fire that can be seen from space.

    How can this be? The New York Times assured us that Trump regularly calls them via the hot line to tell them that everything is okeydoke and all square.

    This is almost the gang that couldn’t graft straight, if they didn’t get so much protection from the GOP leadership.

  64. 64.

    MazeDancer

    And in further wack-a-doodle, those who may have had a few WTF moments about Donna Brazille (and Elizabeth Warren with Jake Tapper) trashing Dems today, an intrepid tweeter has noticed that Ms. Brazille may have confused two Joint Fund Raising Agreements (JFA).

    Here is a thread, with documents,     on how the 2015 JFA is not what Donna says it is. And how she may be confusing it with the 2016 JFA signed after the primaries.

    Don’t know what is true. Other than no matter what, today was not the day, this week – Virginia election FFS – for Donna and Elizabeth to stage a Dem attack.

  66. 66.

    Duane

    Paul Ryan said today that Trump’s tax plan would provide a family of four a $1200 tax break. Enough to pay the phone bill or buy gas for a year.
    Or, in Ryan’s case, four bottles of wine.

  68. 68.

    Jim, Foolish Literalist

    Warren walks back a bit, becomes less than coherent, IMHO

    Alex Roarty‏Verified account @ Alex_Roarty 2h2 hours ago
    fwiw: spokeswoman for Warren says the senator agreed the DNC was rigged, not the primary process itself

  69. 69.

    rikyrah

    Keith Boykin‏Verified account @keithboykin

    Keith Boykin Retweeted Wall Street Journal

    Unlike Janet Yellen and Ben Bernanke, Powell has no degree in economics. He would be the first Fed chairman in 40 years without it.

  71. 71.

    rikyrah

    Jennifer Epstein
    ✔
    @jeneps

    Why are a former Sanders aide and a Republican strategist discussing the Democratic primary on CNN without a Clinton surrogate?
    3:51 PM – Nov 2, 2017

  72. 72.

    Betty Cracker

    Keeee-rist, now Trump is running with the DNC rigged thing on Twitter and is bellowing about the DOJ getting involved. Heckuva job, Ms. Brazille!

  76. 76.

    Jim, Foolish Literalist

    @Steeplejack: Gillespie got Northam all tangled up talking about ‘sanctuary cities’, DFA is going after Northam. That’s Jim Dean’s (brother of Howard) isn’t it?

  77. 77.

    TenguPhule

    This is why I’m so pessimistic.

    Crowing about no legislation is all well and good.

    But they’re setting up for the next wave of corrupt activist judges.

    But on judges, the Senate GOP is genuinely united. No Republican has voted against any of Trump’s judicial nominees so far, and in some cases a handful or so of Democrats are willing to cross the aisle. On Tuesday, Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Va.) joined two other Democrats and all 52 Republicans to confirm Amy Corey Barrett to the 7th Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals, after Republicans pounced on Democratic questioning about the University of Notre Dame law professor’s Catholic faith.

    And although McConnell hasn’t done so yet, he has broad support in his caucus to abolish a traditional courtesy that allowed senators, even those in the minority, to block judicial appointments from their home states.

    He’s moving quickly. After this week, the Senate will have confirmed eight appellate-level judges, with enough time to move a couple more before the end of the year.

    In contrast, in 2009, Obama’s first year in office, he saw just three Circuit Court judges confirmed.

    Eventually, Obama left a huge liberal imprint on the 13 appeals courts. At the start of his term, one featured a majority of judges appointed by Democratic presidents, according to a Reuters estimate. By the end, the number was nine.

    That liberal tilt came despite Republican control of the Senate during the last two years of Obama’s presidency, when the confirmation process slowed to a crawl.

    Now, the tilt is shifting. That blockade left about two dozen Circuit Court seats open, and McConnell is determined to fill them. “We think we’re on pace here to begin to make substantial changes in the federal judiciary,” McConnell told reporters Tuesday.

    If the courts fail, it all comes crashing down.

  78. 78.

    Brachiator

    @Joe Miller:

    Vitally important article here. VITALLY important:

    Kinda old news, but well written. It also downplays or omits a key point. Yes, gerrymandering helps create safe districts, but the Congressional Republicans fear the big moneymen more than they care about the base. The tax plan will hammer the idiot base. The GOP knows this, and they know that they don’t have to care.

  79. 79.

    mike in dc

    @MazeDancer: If this is the case, then it was massively irresponsible of Brazile to put that misinformation out there, because it will never completely go away.

  82. 82.

    Bill Arnold

    @rikyrah:

    Why are a former Sanders aide and a Republican strategist discussing the Democratic primary on CNN without a Clinton surrogate?

    Is she seriously asking this? (Apparently, from context in her feed.) Has she not noticed that CNN is Fox-lite?

  86. 86.

    TenguPhule

    @Baud:

    We’re already well beyond massively irresponsible.

    Should we set up a pool as to her being in Russia’s pocket?

    At this point it would be irresponsible not to speculate.

  87. 87.

    Jim, Foolish Literalist

    @TenguPhule: I’m voting for useful idiot.

    Somebody needs to get Brazile in front of a camera to explain what the fuck she thought she was doing. And that somebody is Joy Reid.

  91. 91.

    raven

    WASHINGTON ― The federal judge who will oversee the prosecution of President Donald Trump’s former campaign manager said Thursday that she has “concerns” that Paul Manafort poses a flight risk, questioning whether an unsecured bond was enough to make sure he’d show up in court.

    U.S. District Court Judge Amy Berman Jackson also admonished Manafort’s attorney Kevin Downing for his statement to the media outside the courthouse following Manafort’s first court appearance on Monday morning.

    “This is a criminal trial,” Jackson said. “It’s not a public relations campaign.” Lawyers, she said, should make their arguments in court “not on the courthouse steps.”

  94. 94.

    jl

    Would be a hoot if we found out Clovis and Page also plead and have been cooperating.
    I don’t know what value Page’s cooperation would be. Maybe he was tasked to go on TV interviews and say weird shit to stir up chatter that Clovis would pick up with a wire?

    A guy can dream, right?

  95. 95.

    Jim, Foolish Literalist

    Schumer: “The right all sing from the same hymnal. I don’t know how they do that, but they do.”

    Sounded a bit wistful, even jealous.

  96. 96.

    Tilda Swintons Bald Cap

    @AriMelber
    Zuckerberg did not talk to US legislators at today’s Russia hearing
    He did personally talk to Putin’s PM in Russia

  97. 97.

    oldgold

    For years I have wondered if Brazile was not playing for the other team,

    Trump is already tweeting about this.

    @realDonaldTrump
    ·
    48m
    Donna Brazile just stated the DNC RIGGED the system to illegally steal the Primary from Bernie Sanders. Bought and paid for by Crooked H….
    ….This is real collusion and dishonesty. Major violation of Campaign Finance Laws and Money Laundering – where is our Justice Department?

  99. 99.

    jl

    @oldgold:
    A Trump tweet is worthless nonsense, whatever the subject. Just a window into whatever BS is going through Trump’s head, or what goofy stunt he is trying to pull. Nothing else.

  102. 102.

    NotMax

    Went out with the best intentions to mechanically chew up some lawn weeds in the yard, and the riding mower won’t start.

    Call to the repair service toll-free mainland number (still under Sears warranty) got me the message that they are “closed for the holiday.” WTF nonsense is that? Is it Lewis Carroll’s birthday?

  103. 103.

    Steeplejack

    @Jim, Foolish Literalist:

    I thought DFA was Howard Dean. Maybe just founded by. In any case, even if you decide that Northam is racist—again I say WTF?!—how in the hell do you not still support him against his opponent, who is like Whitey “Pointy Hat and Robe” McRacington?! What about the simple “lesser of two evils” concept is too hard for them to understand? And that’s even if you accept their bullshit premise. Jesus.

  104. 104.

    TenguPhule

    @jl:

    A Trump tweet is worthless nonsense, whatever the subject.

    We know that.

    But our media never learns.

  105. 105.

    dogwood

    @jl:
    Trump’s tweet might be worthless nonsense, but Brazille and Warren are serious problems for us.

  112. 112.

    GregB

    Brazile never impressed me as a strategist, but she seems to be doing a great job as a rat-f***er these days.

  114. 114.

    Bill Arnold

    @Brachiator:

    Kinda old news, but well written.

    Well-written is key. That means it can be shared with friends without worrying much about the level of their political sophistication or news consumption level, and that some right-wing/centrist friends/acquaintances might actually read it.

    As long as the base is convinced that Mueller is an agent of the deep state (or whatever), it will punish any Republican politician that strays from the pack and criticizes Trump. For a GOP officeholder, standing up for democratic integrity could mean sacrificing reelection in 2018 or 2020.

    Read it earlier today and have been wondering about tactics for neutralizing such propaganda tactics. One aspect is key; to start the neutralization early as possible, like now. Points that could be made:
    (1) The investigation is not just Mueller; he has a large team of experienced investigators. Are people suggesting that the entire team is corrupt and involved in an attempted coup? They’ve also been working pretty quickly and efficiently; how long exactly did the Ken Starr investigation last, and what exactly did it uncover amongst the things publicly investigated?
    (2) Some of the alleged crimes are not political. They are financial, etc. Do people really want to normalize such crimes? (This especially applies if there is a pardon for such crimes.)
    (3) I’m confused. I grew up being told by the Republicans that Russia was the enemy. They still have thousands of nuclear weapons pointed at us, they clearly attempted interference in our election through their propaganda apparatus (as facebook etc have acknowledged, quite reluctantly), in line with their known and documented (by them) military doctrine, and their leadership (notably V. Putin) is known to actively dislike Hillary Clinton for alleged interference in Russian elections. (etc etc etc)

    What other points do people suggest? (Not sure the above are any good, just thrown out as examples.)

  117. 117.

    dogwood

    @MazeDancer:
    I don’t think she can retract. It’s probably in the book she’s selling. Ratfucking Democrats is probably part of the marketing plan. Republicans and Bernie bots will buy. I don’t think she would have appealed to wide swaths of ordinary dems in terms of book sales.

  118. 118.

    NotMax

    No, Trelane.

    This afternoon President Trump told a right-wing radio host that he’s sorry he can’t personally direct the DOJ and FBI ‘go after’ Hillary Clinton. Source

  119. 119.

    oldgold

    @jl:

    Not really. It is s big mistake to be dismissive of Trump’s rancid tweets. Almost every damn day for 18 months they have shaped this nation’s news narrative.

  120. 120.

    GregB

    I am also watching on Twitter the same folks who have been adamant that there was no Russian involvement in the election whatsoever are now mocking some of the highlighted propaganda as silly.

    So, it was none, zero, nada, zip and now it is look at all of the funny Russian propaganda.

    I am also disgusted that the Democrats are in circular firing squad mode in VA. Insanity.

  121. 121.

    zhena gogolia

    @dogwood:

    That’s it exactly. If Donna Brazile published a book supporting Democrats and urging that we take back the House in 2018, it would be crickets. There’d be no TV appearances, no attention paid whatsoever, and certainly no sales.

  123. 123.

    Bill Arnold

    @oldgold:
    For years I have wondered if Brazile was not playing for the other team,
    “Three lefts make a right”, perhaps? Sad.

  125. 125.

    dogwood

    @Betty Cracker:
    The scary thing about these advocacy groups is that the people who run them get seduced by some weird sense that they are powerful movers and shakers. It’s about ego. Once that happens, the group is worthless as a change agent.

  127. 127.

    jl

    @dogwood: Not unless the 2016 version of the DNC is the ultimate election winning machine. It wasn’t. The DNC and the various factions hashing out their gripes will sort it out and reach an agreement on how to go forward for future campaigns. And if they do, very few voters will care or even know about it in 2018 and 2020, or care what Brazile and Warren said today. Unless of course by some cruel twist of fate we have another HRC/BS race in 2020. I hope neither run, but it’s a free country, and HRC has said she won’t. If a strong candidate emerges from Dems, I hope BS says the same.

    Some people at this blog are utterly consumed by the HRC/BS battle of 2016 and will never let it go.

  129. 129.

    Betty Cracker

    Brazile’s Twitter feed would leave the impression that she never wrote a book that insinuated “Bernie Wuz Robbed.” Weird!

  131. 131.

    dogwood

    @jl:
    It appears that Warren and Brazil’s aren’t letting it go. This is a minor blog. They’re opening the wounds on national tv.

  132. 132.

    Corner Stone

    @dogwood:

    Ratfucking Democrats is probably part of the marketing plan. Republicans and Bernie bots will buy

    Doubt Bernie Bros will buy a black woman’s book. They will just excerpt as needed.

  137. 137.

    dogwood

    The first time Warren ran, I sent her some money and got on her email list. I wasn’t impressed enough with her to send cash in 2012. At least today she motivated me to unsubscribe. So that’s a good thing.

  139. 139.

    dogwood

    @Baud:
    No. She was elected in 2010 to fill out the remainder of Ted Kennedy’s term.

    ETA i’m Wrong. She defeated Brown in 2012 who was finishing out kennedy’s Term. Anyway, fewer emails for me.

  140. 140.

    Betty Cracker

    @Baud: For example, Brazile retweeted this:

  143. 143.

    Steeplejack

    @Betty Cracker:

    This hits a nerve with me, because I’m extremely nervous about the Gillespie-Northam governor’s race. Part of it is just pre-game jitters, I’m sure, but Gillespie has been bombarding the airwaves with ads that are completely hysterical and unhinged. Northam’s ads are so reasonable that they seem milktoasty and wussy in comparison.

    Not only do I not want Ed Gillespie as governor, I don’t want to think about how his victory would embolden crazy-ass right-wing bullshit ads and campaigning in 2018. I don’t know if people on this blog in general have seen Gillespie’s ads, but they have left Willie Horton ads miles behind in the rearview mirror.

  151. 151.

    dogwood

    @Steeplejack:
    I mentioned in a previous thread that I have had a bad feeling about Virginia for a long time. Republicans have a very reliable voter base. What Trump proved is you can find new Republican voters by being overtly racist, without losing the reliables.

  153. 153.

    Betty Cracker

    @Steeplejack: I’ve heard Gillespie is running a thoroughly despicable, race-baiting campaign. Didn’t he used to be a garden-variety wingnut apparatchik? Agree it’ll be scary as hell if that transformation is rewarded.

    @Baud: Fuckifino. She’s not an idiot, so she must’ve realized how that dramatic “cancer” excerpt would land. She keeps repeating the mantra “read the whole book,” as if anything else it contains could mitigate the damage the excerpt is doing. I don’t see how it could.

  154. 154.

    Steeplejack

    @Steeplejack:

    ETA: Every autoplay ad that comes up for me on this very site—every page, every page refresh—is a goddamn Ed Gillespie ad. Fuck you, Taboola. Fuck you up your stupid ass.

  158. 158.

    Barbara

    @Corner Stone: Maybe he should have let McAuliffe veto whatever it was he was supposed to provide the pivotal vote on. Warren has always seemed tone deaf to me and Brazile has always been an opportunist.

  159. 159.

    Adam L Silverman

    @rikyrah: Not quite true. Despite his claims, it appears that Allan Greenspan doesn’t have an advanced degree in economics either. Supposedly he was awarded his doctorate not because of defense of a dissertation, but on the strength of five articles he had published. However, he, the department that awarded the doctorate, nor the university that conferred it upon him has ever been able to produce the five articles he was supposed to have published.

  160. 160.

    GregB

    Gillespie called North Virginia enemy territory today.

    Also, DFA only has a million members.

    Still, what the fack…..

  163. 163.

    Barbara

    @Betty Cracker: I wouldn’t give a dime to Donna Brazile. She is simply another political operative with a penchant for getting ahead by throwing others under the bus. She has always been this way (and she has sometimes been treated this way by others as well).

  166. 166.

    Aleta

    Maybe tomorrow (maybe Flynn)

    The grand jury may still be out, but when @bobsmueller indicts a Trump associate, we’ll be serving up $5 Moscow Muellers #muellertime pic.twitter.com/ISmC2faOfv

    — The Bird DC (@thebirddc) November 1, 2017

    The Bird has previously offered discounted drinks whenever Trump fires someone from the White House, making the offer after the departures of former chief strategist Stephen Bannon and former communications director Anthony Scaramucci.

    The restaurant offered a special cocktail called “the Mooch” following Scaramucci’s firing and shortly after decided to offer discounted drinks “anytime Trump fires a White House official,” according to its Twitter profile.

    -The Hill

  167. 167.

    GregB

    Adam, Betty, All.

    Check out this tweet from Richard Painter:

    “The fix is in. They set up Sessions to take the fall. After he is gone, a new acting AG fires Mueller.”

    Holy mackerel.

  169. 169.

    Jim, Foolish Literalist

    @Baud: one of my many, many crackpot theories about politics is that Colorado and North Carolina have Republican Senators because a lot of dumb people thought that would stop Obama from letting them catch ebola

  171. 171.

    Jim, Foolish Literalist

    @GregB: “fix is in” implies this was a long-term, grand strategy. I think they’re agile opportunists, and don’t doubt they’ll try it if they think they can get away with it, but I think Page, Geo Papadoo et al are telling the truth

    ETA @Baud: hadn’t thought of that, it did pass Lisa Simpson’s “I have a rock, do you see any tigers?” test.

  173. 173.

    Barbara

    @GregB: I am going to go out on a limb and guess that Sessions has better political instincts than Trump and will not take the fall for him, and that his friends in the Senate won’t either. Not sure who the acting AG would be. Rosenstein?

  177. 177.

    Adam L Silverman

    @GregB: I’ve seen him say that on MSNBC. It is possible, though I’m not sure who they is here. The President? Bannon? Miller? Jared? Especially as Grassley has made it clear that he will not hold a nomination to replace Sessions as AG if he resigns and/or is fired.

  179. 179.

    Steeplejack

    @Betty Cracker:

    Here is a representative Gillespie ad, by no means the worst: “Northam Weak on MS-13.”

    Interesting note: I really had to search to find this one, because Ed Gillespie’s YouTube channel doesn’t have it! The only ads on his channel are his own milktoasty “We love Ed Gillespie” ones. Go figure.

  180. 180.

    Omnes Omnibus

    @Baud: I was being tiresomely sarcastic. I don’t think either person was helpful but I don’t see a disaster. The thread seemed to have gone Tenguphuly. That’s all.

  189. 189.

    Davebo

    OT but I’ve got to go to the Opera this weekend and it’s normal venue, has a couple of feet of mud in it from Harvey. I really don’t like the Opera much but she does so now I’ve got to find parking at their temporary venue at the convention center, AND a restaurant for dinner before.

    Talk about first world problems.

  193. 193.

    FlipYrWhig

    @MazeDancer:

    the 2015 JFA is not what Donna says it is. And how she may be confusing it with the 2016 JFA signed after the primaries.

    Holy shit — after reading that thread, if it’s accurate, it sure as hell sounds like Brazile fucked up royal.

  195. 195.

    dogwood

    Democrats have been great about standing their ground without jumping in with provocative statements that draw attention away from the hourly crap that spews from the White House. And the press has been deservedly brutal to Trump. The problem is the press’ ethos is rooted in both siderism, so they jump eagerly on anything that allows them to feel sanctimoniously fair. This isn’t gonna change. Donna Brazile’s book tour will end, just like Hillary’s did. Let’s hope Warren gets enough negative feedback that she thinks twice before she decides to give the press what they want. But today is a cautionary tale for democrats who think going after your own is going to do anything to stop Trumpism. It’s the ultimate distraction.

  198. 198.

    Bill Arnold

    @GregB:

    “The fix is in. They set up Sessions to take the fall. After he is gone, a new acting AG fires Mueller.”

    The thought has crossed the mind.
    The five-minute (not carefully considered) reaction:
    I don’t see it working out cleanly for them unless Sessions agrees to it. And even then, pretty (not completely) sure that Rosenstein would refuse/get-fired. At that point Trump’s support would be running on 27%er fumes. He could probably get rid of Mueller, then various dead-man switch plans would get activated. I have no clue what they are; neither do Trump’s people. They would be serious, and multi-pronged, and show no mercy.
    For example, if the investigations are fully shut down, full terabyte(s) leaks of all investigatory materials to the crypto drop boxes of all media organizations. Enough material to perma-ruin the lives of all under investigation, and impoverish their children. Porn history, financial records, phone call (at least metadata, maybe including location) records including calls to mistresses, whatever. Independent non-nation-state actors (e.g. hackers/hacker groups) and other national governments might get involved (various motives), releasing other damaging information.
    It would be breathtakingly naive not to expect substantial leaks (timed to do serious political damage) even if congressional “investigations” continue.

  199. 199.

    Omnes Omnibus

    @dogwood: Exactly. This is a couple of mistakes on the same day by noticeable Dems. I don’t think it lasts past the weekend with anyone who doesn’t already think that HRC was running a kiddie escort service while blowing every investment banker who ever lived. And we will never get those people.

    Let’s not worry about them and concentrate instead on non-voters that we can get.

  200. 200.

    Adam L Silverman

    @Omnes Omnibus: Also, since she’s not running for anything again, it’s kind of pointless navel gazing and sour grapes. Until someone can show me a single vote cast by the DNC, then joint funding agreements are just that, not vote rigging schemes. Also, if you want to complain that a political party screwed you it might go over better if you’d actually be a member of that party, rather than joining when it’s convenient and then quitting the party as soon as you no longer need it.

  204. 204.

    Adam L Silverman

    @Omnes Omnibus: Take down on Brazile’s account, as well as Politico’s sensationalized headline, which was actually belied by what they had excerpted.

  206. 206.

    Adam L Silverman

    @Omnes Omnibus: Nope. Completely self inflicted information ops fratricide.

    ETA: Especially because Politico actually covered the joint financing agreement back in 2015
    politico.com/story/2015/08/dnc-democratic-committee-hillary-clinton-fundraising-agreement-2016-12181…

    DNC announces fundraising agreement with Clinton campaign
    By EDWARD-ISAAC DOVERE and GABRIEL DEBENEDETTI 08/27/2015 03:59 PM EDT Updated 08/27/2015 04:14 PM EDT
    After months of discord and delay, the Democratic National Committee announced Thursday that it signed a joint fundraising agreement with Hillary Clinton’s presidential campaign.

    The document will enable the DNC and the campaign to conduct events and other fundraising activities together that will generate money for both entities. Clinton wouldn’t have access to the money unless and until she’s the nominee — but this is seen as an essential step for banking cash to counter what’s expected to be massive Republican spending next year.

    “Through this agreement and others we will sign with our party’s candidates, we are building the organization we will need now to make sure that whoever our nominee is, they are in the best possible position to win next November,” said DNC chairwoman Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-Fla.).

    All 50 state parties were invited to join the agreement as well. Several had already pursued their own joint fundraising agreements with the Clinton campaign while the DNC had held off on signing — largely over disagreements over how the money would be able to be spent. The Clinton campaign, wary of management and structural problems at the DNC, insisted on a tight rein on spending.

    The DNC says it’s pursuing similar agreements with the other Democratic primary campaigns, but so far, those haven’t materialized.

  210. 210.

    Barry

    @Davebo: “I seriously doubt anyone told him not to tell anyone about his summons and appearance and if they did that wouldn’t be enforceable.”

    Agreed. What might have happened was that Mueller persuaded Clovis’ lawyers that – hypothetically – if ‘some guy’ felt the need to flip, for some reason, he could negotiate a much better deal if his conspirators remained ignorant.

  211. 211.

    J R in WV

    @LurkerNoLonger:

    @Le Comte de Monte Cristo, fka Edmund Dantes: Clovis is a piece of shit but he is a USAFA grad.

    Did he train to be an aircraft carrier?

    No way, dude!!! Aircraft carriers train at Annapolis, they’re all Navy!!

    Clovis maybe trained to be a C-5A, or even a C-130…

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