Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

The rest of the comments were smacking Boebert like she was a piñata.

Jack be nimble, jack be quick, hurry up and indict this prick.

Sitting here in limbo waiting for the dice to roll

There is no right way to do the wrong thing.

I wonder if trump will be tried as an adult.

The line between political reporting and fan fiction continues to blur.

If senate republicans had any shame, they’d die of it.

Bad news for Ron DeSantis is great news for America.

Republican obstruction dressed up as bipartisanship. Again.

You can’t attract Republican voters. You can only out organize them.

You are so fucked. Still, I wish you the best of luck.

Narcissists are always shocked to discover other people have agency.

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

Israel is using food as a weapon of war. Unforgivable.

The most dangerous place for a black man in America is in a white man’s imagination.

Sadly, there is no cure for stupid.

“Everybody’s entitled to be an idiot.”

I really should read my own blog.

He really is that stupid.

No Justins, No Peace

Republicans firmly believe having an abortion is a very personal, very private decision between a woman and J.D. Vance.

And we’re all out of bubblegum.

Donald Jessica Trump found guilty as fuck – May 30, 2024!

This must be what justice looks like, not vengeful, just peaceful exuberance.

You are here: Home / Politics / Goddamned Traitors / Here, Rex! Here, Boy!

Here, Rex! Here, Boy!

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According to multiple sources, the guy who put the “SOS” in “Secretary of State,” Rex Tillerson, is getting shit-canned shortly. He’ll be replaced by Trump toady Mike Pompeo, currently heading the CIA. Ambulatory Adam’s Apple Tom Cotton will take over Spook Central.

This isn’t too surprising; Rexxon did call Trump “a fucking moron,” and from what I gather, the only relevant expertise Tillerson possessed for the job was knowing how to get around the sanctions that are crimping Vladimir Putin’s oil profits.

With the section of the State Department that oversees sanctions now dismantled, who needs Rexxon anyway? Time to shuffle the ass-kissers around.

But watching these clowns usher Tillerson out the door might yield some entertainment value. Por ejemplo:

Asked during a Thursday morning meeting with the crown prince of Bahrain, Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, whether he wants Tillerson to remain as secretary of state, Trump told reporters, “He’s here. Rex is here.”

White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said in a statement, “As the president just said, ‘Rex is here.’ There are no personnel announcements at this time. Secretary Tillerson continues to lead the State Department and the entire cabinet is focused on completing this incredibly successful first year of President Trump’s administration.”

“Rex is here!” Lolz! I hope that shitbag Tillerson feels every ounce of the humiliation in that. Moreover, let’s hope the other plutocrats in Trump’s orbit see this as an “It Could Happen to You” after-school special.

The cries of distress from career personnel at the State Department received a fair amount of attention recently. Pompeo won’t fix anything, of course; weakening U.S. influence abroad is a core part of the TrumPutin agenda.

But they can blame it all on Rex now. And Trump will rest easier — he doesn’t need a loyalty oath from fawning sycophant Mike Pompeo, who has already demonstrated a willingness to distort CIA intelligence to protect Trump.

Open thread!

Reader Interactions

226Comments

  3. 3.

    TenguPhule

    So now we have two Trump cronies moving into what were formerly critical positions in government.

    I’d be more worried if it were not for the fact that State’s been so gutted already that I don’t see how this helps Trump.

  4. 4.

    germy

    Ambulatory Adam’s Apple wants to be called President Ambulatory Adam’s Apple someday.

    And if that happens, the villagers will call it “A Return to Normalcy”

  6. 6.

    Brachiator

    According to multiple sources, the guy who put the “SOS” in “Secretary of State,” Rex Tillerson, is getting shit-canned shortly. He’ll be replaced by Trump toady Mike Pompeo, currently heading the CIA. Ambulatory Adam’s Apple Tom Cotton will take over Spook Central.

    I wonder sometimes if Trump will ever run out of toadies. But there always seems to be a willing volunteer to replace those who have been ousted.

  7. 7.

    Jim, Foolish Literalist

    and it gets worse! Dim witted Iran-hawk and torture-porn enthusiast Tom Cotton in line to succeed Pompeo at the CIA!

    @ nedprice
    Installing a political ideologue at the nation’s preeminent foreign intelligence agency sends a clear message: We have little need for your work.
    Natasha Bertrand‏Verified account @ NatashaBertrand
    CIA veteran Paul Pillar on Tom Cotton as potential CIA Director: “This is an awful appointment. Senator Cotton is a highly ideological individual who is not well suited to lead an agency part of whose core mission is objective analysis.”

    I get a schadenfreude hit off the fact that this deluded fuck who thinks God called him to State is being publicly shit-canned by an oaf he rightly believes to be a moron, a fraud as a “businessman” and a phony billionaire, but said oaf still occupies the Oval Office, so…

  9. 9.

    germy

    This is the funniest thing I’ve seen all day. I’m grateful for any humor in these uncertain times.

    Predictable and pathetic… first reaction to obvious criticism of our broken political system is as follows. On the left, the lazy "both sides" trope… And on the right, the even lazier "media bias" attack. Congrats, it's how you avoid dealing with the actual problem! Deflect https://t.co/9mJfPj4TwS— Chuck Todd (@chucktodd) November 25, 2017

    So both sides really. https://t.co/7ajCT7RlGf— DougJKidney (@DougJBalloon) November 25, 2017

  11. 11.

    chopper

    Jesus, it’s like a game of musical chairs only there are no chairs and instead of music it’s just a bunch of farting noises.

  15. 15.

    Fair Economist

    I don’t think Trump was snarkily trying to insult Tillerson. He’s deteriorating so quickly I think that’s about as sophisticated a way to say “Rex Tillerson is still working for me” as he can manage.

  16. 16.

    Jim, Foolish Literalist

    @germy: Chinless Chuck (seriously, how did trump ever land on Sleepy-Eyes?) planted the WALL STREET SPEECHES crap in ol’ Wlimers dusty noggin, and brought MSNBC coverage of a debate to a halt to assure his audience that Kellyanne Conway was a “good person”, in the most simpering and smarmy tone you can imagine. At the time, in fairness, she was merely helping a racist demagogue candidate shred the American polity.

    When Boehner stepped down singing Zippity-Doo-Dah (which I’ll grant was funny) Chuck was all about “This is the John Boehner we know behind the scenes”. No word on his zealous adherence to the policy of total obstruction, or inviting a foreign head of state to address Congress in an attack on a sitting US president. HE’s a gormless fuck obsessed with his insider status, his social life.

  17. 17.

    germy

    Cotton is a traitor, one of those that tried to subvert President Obama on the Iran Deal. He should be swinging from a yard arm, not being appointed head of the CIA.— Rex Alcairum (@CairoTiger) November 30, 2017

  18. 18.

    Luthe

    As terrible as it would be having Tom Cotton in charge of the CIA, I am all in favor of his leaving the Senate. In fact, he should do it right now so he can start prepping for his new job instead of thinking about silly things like taxes.

  21. 21.

    celticdragonchick

    @germy:

    He is one of the few people in the senate I would go so far as to call actually evil. Not just wrong, or stupid or ignorant, but actively malicious and malevolent.

  23. 23.

    germy

    If NBC maintains financial ties with Trump—if it still owes him royalties or in any way profits from its past association with him—it MUST address allegations of sexual and racial harassment against him by reviewing Mark Burnett's unaired Apprentice footage. RETWEET if you agree. pic.twitter.com/Q5ODQC1sdx— Seth Abramson (@SethAbramson) November 30, 2017

  24. 24.

    germy

    @celticdragonchick:

    From Cotton’s wikipedia page:

    “Butts told New York Times columnist Frank Bruni that she had gone to see Cotton about his objections to her nomination, and Cotton explained to her that because he knew that the president and Butts were friends, it was a way to “inflict special pain on the president,” Bruni wrote. Cotton’s spokeswoman did not dispute Butts’ characterization. Butts died on May 26, 2016, still awaiting a Senate vote.

  25. 25.

    LurkerNoLonger

    @chopper:

    Jesus, it’s like a game of musical chairs

    And only a small handful of the worst people would even consider sitting in those chairs.

  26. 26.

    Jim, Foolish Literalist

    @celticdragonchick: what @germy: said

    I get a Bates Motel vibe from Cotton.

    I’d bet that if you talk to Cotton’s neighbors from age 11 to 15 they’ll all remember that weird time when all the cats and some small dogs in the neighborhood disappeared, and nobody ever knew why….

  27. 27.

    Steeplejack

    Sarah Huckabee Sanders:

    Secretary Tillerson continues to lead the State Department, and the entire cabinet is focused on completing this incredibly successful first year of President Trump’s administration.

    We all know that S.H.S. took to her job with a great gusto for straight-up lying, but, damn, this is getting into the zone of outright parody and/​or self-trolling.

  28. 28.

    Patricia Kayden

    The only thing I’ve learned from Trump’s Presidency is that he has no loyalty to anyone not named Trump. The GOP needs to take notice. This isn’t going to end well for them.

  29. 29.

    Patricia Kayden

    @Steeplejack: She’s a purveyor of fake news while defending a deranged egomaniac who trafficks in fake news while calling legitimate media outlets fake news. Bizarro world.

  30. 30.

    Roger Moore

    Ambulatory Adam’s Apple Tom Cotton will take over Spook Central.

    This seems short-sighted to me. Appointing a Senator is obviously helpful to get him confirmed, but it would put one more Republican seat up for election in 2018. I wouldn’t normally consider Arkansas to be vulnerable, but it might be in 2018. Then again, short-term wins at the cost of the long-term is a hallmark of Trumpian thinking.

  31. 31.

    Another Scott

    @NeenerNeener: Fortune:

    […]

    Both sides stressed that sacrifices were being made. Exxon pointed out that Tillerson is actually getting $7 million less than he would have under normal circumstances. (Cue the tiny violins.) Tillerson, in his letter, said he was giving up an Exxon credit card that would have granted him discounted gas for life. Tillerson won’t get all of the $180 million immediately. It will go into a trust that vests over time. And if he leaves the State Department and heads back to the oil industry, he will have forfeit a significant portion of the money. It would go to charity.

    What neither side cared to mention: A quirk in the way the deal was structured will allow Tillerson, at least for now, to avoid over $71 million in taxes. With the deal, Tillerson can move his money, now locked up in the value of Exxon’s stock, which right now accounts for about half of Tillerson’s total wealth, according to a financial disclosure form Tillerson filed on Wednesday, into diversified mutual funds—potentially an even bigger benefit, since his financial well being won’t be so closely tied to just one company. And again, he gets to do that without incurring taxes, at least for now.

    Exxon declined to comment for this story, saying that Tillerson had left the firm and that his taxes were a personal issue. A lawyer for Tillerson did not respond to emails seeking comment.

    Here’s how the almost unprecedented deal will work: In the early 1990s, George H.W. Bush’s administration added a loophole to the tax code that allows political appointees to defer any capital gains taxes they would ordinarily have to pay on investments they’re required to divest to take a post in government. The main requirement is that the appointee reinvest the money immediately into a diversified mutual fund or U.S. Treasury Bonds. The $54 million worth of Exxon stock that Tillerson owns directly will squeeze through the Bush-era loophole. So the money Tillerson gets is tax-free for now as long as it stays invested. And could be forever. If Tillerson never touches the money before he dies, and given that the $54 million is about a tenth of his total net worth he might not have to, it will transfer to his heirs with no tax liability.

    But for the bulk of Tillerson’s Exxon holdings—$180 million in restricted stock units—there was a catch. Restricted stock, unlike actual shares, are not covered by the loophole. Normally, if Exxon wanted to allow Tillerson to sell his restricted stock, and sever his financial ties with the company, he would have to pay taxes immediately—$71 million worth. Instead, Tillerson and Exxon came up with the trust structure that will allow Tillerson to avoid taxes for now. Tillerson will swap his restricted stock for cash, based on the current value of Exxon’s shares. The cash goes into a trust, and the trust vests over the next decade, on the same schedule that Tillerson was supposed to receive the restricted stock. True, Tillerson is prevented from getting a one-time huge cash bonanza from heading to the government. But he won’t have to pay taxes upfront, either, like he normally would have had to.

    Instead, Tillerson will owe income taxes on the cash in the trust as it vests, as he would have if he had held onto the restricted stock.

    The potentially even bigger benefit is what goes on in the trust. Tillerson doesn’t have to keep it in cash until it becomes fully his. Instead, immediately Tillerson can reinvest the money into a diversified mutual fund, which as any financial planner will tell you is a far better investment choice than having 50% of your net worth in one commodity-driven stock. Another bonus, once the money is in the trust: Exxon agreed to forfeit its right to “clawbacks,” which it would have been allowed to make with restricted stock if some of Tillerson’s actions as CEO caused major losses to the company down the road.

    “They clearly structured this in the most efficient way they could for Tillerson,” says tax expert Robert Willens.

    From Exxon perspective in the deal it struck with Tillerson, the problem is at least an optics one with its own investors, and potentially bigger than that. Exxon’s proxy has a lengthy section about how the company believes in long-term thinking and how its executive compensation reinforces that. A large portion of executive pay is in deferred comp tied to future performance. And the payouts are stretched out over a decade. No immediately cash payments on retirement. No exceptions. “Our program is applied consistently to all executives, including the CEO,” Exxon says in its latest proxy statement.

    Clearly that last statement is no longer true. Even in Exxon’s public statement it seemed to acknowledge that it was cutting a deal at odds with what it has stated in the past. The Tillerson payout shows that no matter how set in stone compensation plans are, boards can alter them anyway, especially when it will mean having a friend in a very high place. Executives probably understand this as well.

    For Tillerson, there is one snag. The ethics rule allow him to invest the cash in the trust into a diversified mutual fund. But Tillerson has pledged not to put any of his money into Exxon. If he’s truly serious about that pledge, that rules out investing in a S&P 500 index fund, since Exxon makes up about 2% of that index. As an alternative, Tillerson may want to consider putting his money in the Goldman Sachs Growth Opportunities Fund. It has nearly $3 billion in assets, and a better than average long-term track record. Unfortunately, it has an annual expense ratio of 1.3%, which is much higher than an index fund. But the fees are going to Goldman, so at least Tillerson will be keeping it in the Trump cabinet family.

    As I read it, it doesn’t matter when Rex leaves State as far as his taxes are concerned. But I’m just skimming it, I’m not an expert, and I don’t know if the Fortune piece is right.

    Presumably the MotU would be hesitant to take government jobs if they risked getting a huge tax bill because they were fired early, so the “has to be a government employee for a year” comments that have gone around seemed sorta dubious to me (but I dunno)….

    Cheers,
    Scott.

  32. 32.

    Jim, Foolish Literalist

    @Patricia Kayden: The only thing I’ve learned from Trump’s Presidency is that he has no loyalty to anyone not named Trump.

    I’d narrow that down to himself and Ivanka, and her only because he desperately wants to fuck her.

  33. 33.

    Cacti

    @Patricia Kayden:

    The only thing I’ve learned from Trump’s Presidency is that he has no loyalty to anyone not named Trump. The GOP needs to take notice. This isn’t going to end well for them.

    I’ve also noticed his total inability to deal with or build relationships with anyone who doesn’t need something from him/isn’t forced to like him.

    Probably the biggest reason why U.S. prestige and international standing may be in terminal decline by 2020.

  34. 34.

    Steeplejack

    @Betty Cracker:

    Hey, Betty, off topic:

    We had a laugh last weekend about the Iowa State-Kansas State “farmageddon.” I related that at lunch to a friend of mine who used to live in Iowa, and she said she had never heard it before either.

    Anyway, in that connection, she mentioned that a few years ago the university one of her kids went to, Florida Atlantic, sold the naming rights to their stadium to a for-profit prison corporation. The school’s team name is the Owls, and the outraged student body cranked up a campaign to call the stadium “Owlcatraz.” The prison company got pissed and backed out of the deal.

  35. 35.

    Jim, Foolish Literalist

    Laura Rozen‏ @ lrozen
    This line made me laugh: “Cotton is widely believed to be interested in seeking higher office in the future, and it’s not clear whether he believes joining the administration would help or hurt his chances.”

  36. 36.

    West of the Rockies (been a while)

    Maybe I’m petty, but I hope SHS feels the disdain so many have for her, that at parties people turn away, gesture and laugh. Same for JKush and Co.

  38. 38.

    The Moar You Know

    Tom Cotton will take over Spook Central.

    That’s the most terrifying part of the story.

  39. 39.

    Raoul

    As an investor, I’ll be keeping my eyes peeled: Any board that takes Rex on as a director after this disgraceful, amateurish and ultimately humiliating turn as SOS is one that I will want to avoid — or sell if I happen to be holding.

    One of the many lessons here, though it pales compared to the shitpile of awful overall, is how crap a person can be and rise to the top of a massive corporation.

  42. 42.

    Jim, Foolish Literalist

    and 280 characters is useful for a change….

    Chris Donovan‏Verified account @ chrisdonovan
    Lindsey Graham on CNN:“U know what concerns me abt the American press is this endless, endless attempt to label the guy as some kind of KOOK NOT FIT TO BE PRESIDENT”

    Graham labeling Trump on Fox on 2/17/16: “I think he’s a KOOK. I think he’s crazy ..He’s NOT FIT TO BE PRESIDENT”

    If I were a liberal billionaire, I’d make an ad of this and run it in the DC area for a couple of weeks. Not that I think it would change anyone’s minds about Dear Lindsey, Second Best Sunday Morning Guest. Just to fuck with the war-mongering little fraud for a bit

  43. 43.

    patrick II

    If I was Mueller, I would be curious to know how explicit was Trump’s directions to Tillerson regarding the dismantling of the State Deparment’s section on monitoring sanctions, or was it something Tillerson just instinctively knew. I might even have him in for a chat.

  46. 46.

    Bill

    The rate at which people in Trump’s immediate orbit have been forced out is breathtaking. At this rate the entire cabinet may turn over within 18 months.

  47. 47.

    Enhanced Voting Techniques

    “Rex is here”

    That’s about Trump dumb to personally insult someone who is about to have a lot of free time to speak their mind about Trump.

  50. 50.

    Roger Moore

    @Patricia Kayden:

    The only thing I’ve learned from Trump’s Presidency is that he has no loyalty to anyone not named Trump.

    The smart money says he has no loyalty to anyone not named Donald J. Trump Sr.

  53. 53.

    Fair Economist

    @germy: And once again we see probably conspiratorial action between harassers to support each other. Sounds like Geraldo REALLY has it coming, from Bette Midler’s shocking allegation of attempted gang rape and Geraldo’s claim that it’s just news being a “flirty business”. I’m betting we’re about to get a slew of Geraldo stories comparable to Cosby’s.

    And HOW were Midler’s accusations ever treated so casually?

  54. 54.

    Amir Khalid

    “… this incredibly successful first year of President Trump’s administration” is a phrase so disconnected from reality that I can’t even begin to process it.

  55. 55.

    germy

    Frank Rich:

    If NBC wants to start making amends, it could finally make public any Apprentice archival video that sheds further light on its star’s behavior. As the Associated Press reported last year, more than 20 former crew members, editors, and contestants affirmed that Trump repeatedly demeaned women on the show. Bill Pruitt, a former Apprentice producer, said there are “far worse” tapes than the Access Hollywood video that surfaced. NBC must stop sitting on any additional evidence of potentially criminal Trump behavior.

  56. 56.

    Fair Economist

    @The Moar You Know:

    Thought he’d died back in the 1990s. He did well in life.

    Nabors had end-stage liver disease in the 90’s, which is normally fatal. I’m sure there were plenty of “Nabors dying” reports. He managed to get a liver transplant.

  58. 58.

    Patricia Kayden

    @germy: Amen to that! I suppose he’s going to be pushing for war with Iran and North Korea in his new position. All while Congressional Republicans plunge the country into debt to give tax cuts to their rich donors.

  60. 60.

    germy

    @Fair Economist:

    And HOW were Midler’s accusations ever treated so casually?

    that’s the thing that astounds me. In the middle of an otherwise uneventful Barbara Walters interview, Bette mentions a sexual assault.

    Rivera was a local NYC anchor in the 70s. I used to see him every day. And a documentary he produced (Not the Willowbrook one) was shown in one of my High School classes. He was held up as an important activist journalist; someone we should look up to.

    But I always found him slimy.

  63. 63.

    Yutsano

    @O. Felix Culpa: I will always appreciate Kennedy getting that one vote right.

    He has a shit ton of others to answer for, but that one vote changed America for the better.

  64. 64.

    Kay

    I just want to thank you all for this website. I’m upset about the tax bill and assorted thievery and corruption and you’re all funny and just nice people and that’s comforting.

    i hope we win at some point but even if we don’t you were good company on the way down :)

  65. 65.

    Roger Moore

    @Bill:

    At this rate the entire cabinet may turn over within 18 months.

    Probably not. My guess is that the high turnover is going to be restricted to the high profile positions, especially the ones held by Trump loyalists and non-conventional appointees. People like Rick Perry and Elaine Chao have been around for long enough that they’re unlikely to have skeletons suddenly pop out of their closets, and they’re not doing anything that’s so terrible that people will want to force them out in favor of whatever disaster Trump would appoint in their place.

  66. 66.

    germy

    @Kathleen:

    Oh that the goddess would bestow that blessing upon me.

    I must be a bad person because when I learned about Lauer I couldn’t stop smiling. Even our cat noticed.

  67. 67.

    Chyron HR

    @Yutsano:

    NBC doesn’t own them. Mark Burnett does. And he’s not letting them go.

    Too bad there’s no organization dedicated to global transparency and freedom of information that could do something about that, shrugging emoticon.

  70. 70.

    O. Felix Culpa

    @Kay: Kay, you are much loved and respected. The jackal community is the better for your presence here. We may be down, but we ain’t out. I’m confident that eventually we’ll prevail.

  71. 71.

    Fair Economist

    @Kay:

    i hope we win at some point but even if we don’t you were good company on the way down :)

    Come for the politics, stay for the pet posts!

  72. 72.

    Mike in NC

    The kakistocracy just keeps getting worse, but we knew that the shitty people Trump appointed would only be replaced when they displeased him by someone even more inept. The idiot Cotton at CIA will increase the chances of war with North Korea and/or Iran by about 50%.

  74. 74.

    TenguPhule

    @Roger Moore:

    People like Rick Perry and Elaine Chao have been around for long enough that they’re unlikely to have skeletons suddenly pop out of their closets, and they’re not doing anything that’s so terrible that people will want to force them out in favor of whatever disaster Trump would appoint in their place.

    That we know of. So far.

  75. 75.

    TenguPhule

    @Amir Khalid: Still running around trying to sell American coal to foreign renewable energy utilities.

    Its working out about as well as could be expected.

  76. 76.

    David ??Merry Christmas?? Koch

    Jim Nabors was a Democrat from Alabama (Talladega County) who served in the Marine Corp from 64-69.

  77. 77.

    bemused

    @Steeplejack:

    Love the Owlcatraz story. Somehow I missed it at the time. Anyway, it feels good to read something that makes me smile even if it was 4 years ago.

  78. 78.

    The Moar You Know

    Sounds like Geraldo REALLY has it coming, from Bette Midler’s shocking allegation of attempted gang rape and Geraldo’s claim that it’s just news being a “flirty business”. I’m betting we’re about to get a slew of Geraldo stories comparable to Cosby’s.

    @Fair Economist: I have heard rumors about Jerry for years. If any of them are true he’s picked a real bad time to do anything save keep his dumb, mustachioed mouth shut.

  79. 79.

    rikyrah

    TENGU posted this when it first came out, and I think it missed the FrontPagers view…

    But, It’s no less ridiculous today than when I first read it.

    ………………………….

    There are stories you read that makes you blink numerous times, cause you can’t believe them

    This is one of them.

    Close your eyes…count to 10, and then read.

    Tens of Thousands With Outstanding Warrants Purged From Background Check Database

    Tens of thousands of people wanted by law enforcement officials have been removed this year from the FBI criminal background check database that prohibits fugitives from justice from buying guns.

    The names were taken out after the FBI in February changed its legal interpretation of “fugitive from justice” to say it pertains only to wanted people who have crossed state lines.

    What that means is that those fugitives who were previously prohibited under federal law from purchasing firearms can now buy them, unless barred for other reasons.

    ………………………………………………………..

    After Trump was inaugurated, the Justice Department further narrowed the definition to those who have fled across state lines to avoid prosecution for a crime or to avoid giving testimony in a criminal proceeding.

    On Feb. 15, the FBI directed its employees in the Criminal Justice Information Services Division to remove all entries of fugitives from justice from the background check database and said that “entries will not be permitted” under that category until further notice. Before the FBI memo, there were about 500,000 people identified as fugitives from justice in the database — and all of those names were removed.

    Now there are 788.

    What.The.EVERLOVING.PHUCK!!!!!!

  80. 80.

    TenguPhule

    @Kay:

    and you’re all funny and just nice people and that’s comforting.

    Wait, you are talking about Balloonjuice, right?

  83. 83.

    Chip Daniels

    I’m curious, actually, if once Rex is swatted with a newspaper and made to go outside in the cold, will he warm up to Mueller offering him a treat?

  88. 88.

    germy

    Reaction to my tweets today on #sexharassment makes clearI didn't sufficiently explain that this is a horrendous problem. long hidden-Harassers are deviants who deserve what is coming to them-Often victims are too frightened to come forward in a timely fashion- I humbly apologize— Geraldo Rivera (@GeraldoRivera) November 30, 2017

  89. 89.

    TenguPhule

    @Yutsano:

    What if Cotton goes a little too far?

    It is unwise to make enemies of your employees. Especially when those employees are trained to remove people while leaving little or no evidence behind.

  90. 90.

    MCA1

    Since it’s an open thread, just a note on the two competing tax scam bills, for those of you who, like me, fit into the precise group most targeted by Freedom Caucus members, and most hated by the exurban and rural, lower middle class Trumpanzees (that is, high wage earning, blue state, educated professional/upper middle class).

    I went back and recalculated my 2016 return based on both the House and the Senate bills, at least based on the details I can find. It turns out the Senate GOP’ers are, evidently, actually concerned about not pissing off upper middle class blue staters along with everyone making under $100k/yr. This is somewhat surprising, since I would have thought it would be the blue state Republicans in the House who were most interested in keeping their suburban constituents happy – you know, country club Republicans. But while I would have saved about $10k in 2016 taxes had the Senate bill been in place, I actually would have paid a few thousand dollars more under the House bill. The House bill intentionally f’s anyone in a high tax, expensive (i.e., blue) state who makes between $250,000 and $500,000, which means it must be even more of a boon for the .1% than the Senate bill is. It is absolutely personal for them – huge breaks for the super wealthy donors, and a big middle finger to blue state professionals.

    Apropos of nothing in particular, I guess. They’re both abominations, but I guess if we’re going to explode the deficit and destroy the middle class in order to give more to the strip mining rich, I’d prefer to be part of the group that actually gets to extract more. You know, to have more cash on hand for when Econopocalpyse II occurs. So, if Choice A (total legislative failure) doesn’t materialize, I guess Choice B for me personally is for the Senate bill to be brought to the House floor unchanged. That way I can go consume some more champagne and caviar before the pitchfork carrying mob comes to burn down my house and murder me, instead of being as pissed off as they rightly are.

  91. 91.

    schrodingers_cat

    @germy: He is also a coauthor of that godawful immigration “reform” bill promoting “skilled” immigration. Which gives the finger to people in the GC backlogs and makes the bar to immigrate higher while cutting overall immigration by 50%.

  92. 92.

    Patricia Kayden

    @Roger Moore: Yep. He looks like the kind of douche who would deny his own kids if that’s what he had to do to get ahead. Just a disgusting human being.

  93. 93.

    JoeyJoeJoe Junior Shabadoo

    @germy:

    I may have noted this before, but there was a season 3 contestant, Verna, who started acting strangely and then quit, all without explanation . When asked about it in an interview with a now-defunct reality tv website, realitynewsonline, Verna said that a non disclosure agreement prevented her from talking about the cause of her behavior at the time. Nobody has ever said what happened with her. I think it’d be interesting to find out.

  95. 95.

    FlipYrWhig

    Does Trump ever appoint new people to the old spots that his quitters and sacrificial lambs vacate?

  96. 96.

    Patricia Kayden

    @Kay: We won with the elections on the first Tuesday of this month and I’m sure there are many more wins to come. But yes, this has been a rough year and it’s still unbelievable that a bigoted ignoramus is in the White House and has already moved towards destroying this country. I thought Bush the 43rd was bad but whoo boy!

    This website and a few others (Joemygod, Alicublog, Littlegreenfootballs, Lawyersgunsandmoney, Wonkette, Crooks and Liars) are keeping me sane. Thank goodness for the liberal echo chamber. LOL.

  98. 98.

    mike in dc

    I expect Gary Cohn leaves within weeks of passage of the tax bill. Mission accomplished, time to cash in.

  99. 99.

    tjmn

    Could the * president have tertiary syphilis? Maybe he lost his own personal Viet Nam war against STDs? (IANAD)

  103. 103.

    Roger Moore

    @Amir Khalid:

    Now that you mention it, I don’t think there’s been so much as a peep out of Rick Perry in a while. Is he still conscious?

    He popped up not too long ago to say something stupid about fossil fuels protecting women against sexual assault. The basic idea was that better street lighting made the streets safer, something that’s probably true, but he had to spin it into supporting coal rather than lighting in general or even electricity. So he’s still out there and as stupid as ever, but I think he has to fall into the “low risk” category. He’s well vetted for a Trump nominee, he actually supports the mission of his department, and he’s enough of a traditional political hack to know his job is to be a figurehead and cheerleader for his department while letting the career civil servants do the real work.

  104. 104.

    ruemara

    Yeah, I’m getting my passport together next year. I just think I need to be prepared. I don’t want to be in a bad position when my green card expires.

  105. 105.

    Yutsano

    @Roger Moore: I work in the same building with a bunch of DoE folks, and they still seem to be humming along without too much disruption in their lives. And FWIW Mnuchin doesn’t seem to be monkeying around with the IRS all that much. Of course his job is to get himself some sweet sweet tax cuts too. Wonder if he’ll bail at the year mark

  106. 106.

    The Moar You Know

    Could the * president have tertiary syphilis? Maybe he lost his own personal Viet Nam war against STDs? (IANAD)

    @tjmn: Staggeringly unlikely, unfortunately. If he’s ever taken antibiotics – and he’s not a well man so my bet is he’s taken a lot – that would have cured it long before tertiary stage. It WAS a very easy disease to treat.

  111. 111.

    bemused

    Simon Maloy is writing for Media Matters and his piece, Sebastion Gorka, Swamp Thing cracked me up. That would make a great name for fascist marching band, Trump and the Swamp Things.

  113. 113.

    debbie

    @Kay:

    One day we will be able to march right up to those who have infuriated us and gleefully state, “Elections have consequences.”

  115. 115.

    TenguPhule

    @Yutsano: Having to change the tax rates and forms for 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024 will at least serve to keep accountants gainfully employed. At least until the angry mobs start setting everything on fire.

  116. 116.

    TenguPhule

    @debbie:

    One day we will be able to march right up to those who have infuriated us and gleefully state, “Elections have consequences.”

    And on that day we will follow that with “Blindfold or cigarette. Pick one.”

  117. 117.

    Ocotillo

    Can/Would Bobby Three Sticks go after sexual assault charges? Is he able to compel testimony that is covered by an NDA?

  119. 119.

    TenguPhule

    @Yutsano:

    And FWIW Mnuchin doesn’t seem to be monkeying around with the IRS all that much.

    Or we just haven’t heard about it yet.

    He does seem to be flying around touching money and gold most of the time now.

  120. 120.

    Yutsano

    @TenguPhule: That’s mostly playing with money/showing off Mint stuff. As far as I can tell he hasn’t actually worked on any sort of policy that actively goes against us.

    I don’t know anything about the new acting commissioner to have an opinion yet. Yet.

  121. 121.

    No Drought No More

    This Tillerson business is all about distracting the American taxpayer from the unfolding rape of the American taxpayer.

  122. 122.

    bemused

    @The Moar You Know:

    Too bad the trump never touched liquor. I suspect the perpetually raging egotist would have downed a lot of booze to soothe himself instead of writing poison pen letters with a gold sharpie and twitter. Booze would have sped up his deterioration and maybe rendered him incapable of running for prez. That’s how I would rewrite history.

  123. 123.

    TenguPhule

    @Yutsano:

    As far as I can tell he hasn’t actually worked on any sort of policy that actively goes against us.

    He’s cheerleading the tax cut abomination. That seems to take most of his energy these past couple of months.

  126. 126.

    Brachiator

    @O. Felix Culpa:

    I grew up with Gomer Pyle. (Which maybe explains a lot.) Didn’t know he was gay.

    This seemed to me to be one of those open secrets that everybody knew about even if they did not talk about it. Heck, I just watched his tv shows now and again, and assumed that he was gay.

    I will have to read his obit. He seemed like a nice guy.

  128. 128.

    catclub

    @MCA1:

    fit into the precise group most targeted by Freedom Caucus members

    It appears to me that grad students with tuition forgiveness are Patient zero: triple your federal income tax bill – because everyone knows the grad students are where the money is. I wonder if they will next tax the value of athletic scholarships. Why not!

  132. 132.

    bemused

    @Major Major Major Major:

    I never thought about him like that before. Even if you were joking, it does fit. I know some people I grew up knowing pretty well along with a few family members who drank hard for decades. When they quit drinking, they dried out to be bitter, angry, grudge holders blaming everyone else for their bad behavior and decisions while sober. I should say used to know, I avoid them altogether now.

  133. 133.

    catclub

    Another OT: Bitcoin.

    What happens when the last bitcoin is mined? Who will then be motivated to find the correct ‘nonce’ for a transaction, and verify transactions on the blockchain?

    A blockchain is useful as a distributed ledger.

    I only like the statement that ‘my exit strategy for my bitcoins is to have them stolen.’

  134. 134.

    TenguPhule

    @catclub:

    I wonder if they will next tax the value of athletic scholarships. Why not!

    Actually, they might be subject to the same provisions in the bill as the grad students.

    If I remember my scholarships correctly, as they’re structured now, they do fall afoul of the same classification.

  135. 135.

    debbie

    Speaking of assholes

    The Dow just broke 24,000 for the first time (another all-time Record). If the Dems had won the Presidential Election, the Market would be down 50% from these levels and Consumer Confidence, which is also at an all-time high, would be “low and glum!”— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 30, 2017

    I’m not a math wiz, but I think he’s trying to say the Dow would be at 12,000 if Dems had won the election. Au contraire:

    Once the stock market stabilized, it went on to experience the second-longest bull market in U.S. history, a trend that continues today. The Dow closed at about 7,949 on Inauguration Day in 2009, and about 19,732 on Obama’s last full day in office. This represents a 148 percent increase over eight years.

    Although the Dow didn’t “nearly triple,” [as he claimed,] Axelrod may have been referring to the S&P 500, which is a common and arguably more representative benchmark of the stock market. The S&P 500 closed at about 805 on Inauguration Day in 2009, and about 2,264 on Obama’s last full day in office, an increase of 181 percent. If the index had climbed around another 152 points, it would have tripled, so Axelrod’s claim is correct.

    The Democratic Party has done much for corporate America. Pity they’re too piggish to see this.

  136. 136.

    Ocotillo

    @Baud: He is announced he is not running for reelection. Oddly enough, no calls for resignation or that he be sacrificed on the altar of morality.

  138. 138.

    Brachiator

    @Yutsano:

    I almost swear they’re designing this bill just to blow up the 2018 filing season.

    Some people won’t really know what hit them until they start filing tax returns in 2019.

    Of course, people will have to adjust their withholding and estimates, and this may give them a taste of what is to come. I expect that some single people and some married people without kids will be very unhappy.

    @TenguPhule:

    Having to change the tax rates and forms for 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024 will at least serve to keep accountants gainfully employed.

    Forms and rates change. This is not a big deal.

    OTOH, I think that the individual side of the income tax industry might take a big hit. There will be fewer deductions and credits and people will not be allowed to deduct tax prep fees if they itemize. More people will do free filing or use tax prep software. People with complicated individual and business returns will still rely on CPAs, etc.

  139. 139.

    Yarrow

    Manafort has reached a $11 million bail agreement — which he would pay for by forfeiting 4 properties in VA, FL, and NY — with Mueller's office to be released from house arrest https://t.co/lUDOFJ5OCN— Natasha Bertrand (@NatashaBertrand) November 30, 2017

    Tick tock, motherfuckers. Hard to pay your lawyers when your assets are forfeited or frozen.

  140. 140.

    germy

    @Baud:

    I’m also reminded how Barton is being ignored in all the sex harassment scandals.

    We’re too busy discussing Franken.

  144. 144.

    Roger Moore

    @Chip Daniels:

    I’m curious, actually, if once Rex is swatted with a newspaper and made to go outside in the cold, will he warm up to Mueller offering him a treat?

    Not a worry. Trump has been assured that the investigation will wrap up and give him a clean bill of health in a matter of weeks.

  146. 146.

    Yutsano

    @Brachiator: Incorporating as a business isn’t that hard. I expect A LOT of tax shenanigans like what happened in Kansas with pass-throughts to happen on the federal level as well. But when that first deficit estimate comes out…wonder if they’ll be forced to do the triggers more or less right away.

  147. 147.

    WaterGirl

    @debbie:

    One day we will be able to march right up to those who have infuriated us and gleefully state, “Elections have consequences”.

    Can new please make that “Elections have consequences, mutherfuckers? Asking even though I have never used the word mutherfuckers before in my life. Just seems like it belongs there.

  149. 149.

    TenguPhule

    @Yarrow: Or Mueller wants to see who gets flushed out chasing after Manafort. Putin has got to want him silenced.

    Live bait works wonders.

  153. 153.

    opiejeanne

    Did anyone else see the ad last night on MSNBC? It had a black background, no sound at all, and the invitation to Talk Trump, with a phone number and the message that the call is free.
    Is that about the election in 2020? Or is it something from the Resistance?

    I tried googling it and got nothing.

  155. 155.

    Patricia Kayden

    @tjmn: I’m leaning towards dimentia in its earliest stage given his speech patterns but that’s pure speculation.

  157. 157.

    Mary G

    @Kay: I’ve posted about this before, but it is inspiring. A group called “Voters, Not Politicians” in Michigan is a volunteer organization that has gotten 250,000 signatures to change their state constitution so that gerrymandering is out and an independent commission will set the boundaries of districts. They need 316,000 in a set amount of time so are getting more as fast as they can. Not one penny was spent for the canvassing; 3,000 people are doing it all themselves at farmer’s markets, football games, church and pretty much everywhere they go.

    Of course, the Republicans are fighting back:

    A quarter-million people have already signed petitions to put a proposal on the 2018 ballot intended to end partisan gerrymandering in Michigan.

    But the fate of the effort to create an independent commission to draw political district boundaries may rest with just seven people – the justices of the Michigan Supreme Court.

    Veteran GOP attorney Bob LaBrant said he expects those opposed to creating an independent commission, which includes the Michigan Republican Party, will seek to challenge the ballot initiative in court; in essence, by trying to kill it before 2018 voters get a chance to say yes or no. Such a case likely would end up in front of the Michigan Supreme Court, where justices officially are nonpartisan, but are nominated by Republican and Democratic state conventions. Republicans hold a 5-2 majority on the high court.

    The proposed ballot language would change the Michigan Constitution to take the power to draw political boundaries away from the Legislature and give that power to a commission made up of four Republicans, four Democrats and five people unaffiliated with either party. For new district boundaries to be accepted, the majority of the 13 commission members must vote for it, including at least two Republicans and two Democrats and two unaffiliated members.

    I imagine the ACLU and Let America Vote, both of which I support, will help fund the legal battle. But even if it gets killed, it gives me hope because for that many regular people to get pissed off and DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT instead of pissing and moaning means we have plenty of allies in the fight. Even if HRC had been elected, these turds in Michigan government would still be around and fucking over their citizens at every turn. Change has to come from the ground up.

  158. 158.

    HeleninEire

    The Exxon guy is gonna get Tax Fucked.

    YAY. About time one of those idiots gets tax fucked.

    Life is good.

  160. 160.

    lgerard

    @mike in dc:

    They have to stick out a year in order for them to avoid taxes. That was one of the worst policy ideas ever and should be eliminated.

  161. 161.

    TenguPhule

    OMFG.

    That lying GOP Veritas employee was used in ANOTHER attempt back in 2016.

    For two weeks in July, early in her time in the District, Phillips rented a basement apartment in the Capitol Hill home of Brad Woodhouse, the former communications director for the Democratic National Committee. Woodhouse was president of the liberal group Americans United for Change when it was targeted in a Project Veritas video released days before the 2016 election.

  165. 165.

    Felonius Monk

    @A Ghost To Most:

    I’ve read that long-term Rogaine use can cause these symptoms as well.

    Rogaine is a hair restorer. Why the hell would anyone want to restore that field of weeds. It should be burned so that it doesn’t spread and infect any other living being – human or non-human. Why isn’t there a law?

  167. 167.

    WaterGirl

    @HeleninEire: Someone here posted earlier to say that the one-year thing isn’t codified anywhere and that you could get the tax savings after serving for only one dat. Don’t know what’s true, but there was a link with the comment.

  170. 170.

    Gravenstone

    @bemused: Booze would have long ago killed him. His self deception and need to shape the world into his twisted image would have overwhelmed him had he the succor of demon rum.

  171. 171.

    Mary G

    @Yutsano: Forgive me if anyone has talked about this, I had to take a break from the screen, but Don Motherfucking Blankenship is running for Senate to try to take Manchin’s seat for the other side, and I’ve been waiting for the Cole explosion. Sad thing is that he’ll probably win despite the fact that his mines kill people en masse.

  172. 172.

    TenguPhule

    @Betty Cracker:

    The next person who says “X” is a distraction from “Y,” I swear to fucking god…

    Betty Cracker as Homer Simpson!

    “Why you little….!!!”

  173. 173.

    smintheus

    Tillerson dissing Ivanka when she was all set to be received rapturously in India probably became the last straw for her daddy. He doesn’t let anybody beat him at the game of petulance.

  174. 174.

    TenguPhule

    @Mary G: I think its time we looked at evacuating John from WV and then bombing the state into oblivion.

    Its the only way to be sure.

  175. 175.

    Enhanced Voting Techniques

    @Major Major Major Major:

    he’s basically a dry drunk who skipped the drunk phase.

    Trump sure talks like one, doesn’t he, with all that false bragging to try and cover up his fear.

    Going by some of the nonsense Trump has been spewing lately I was wondering if Trump was also lying about never drinking.

  177. 177.

    The Moar You Know

    Someone here posted earlier to say that the one-year thing isn’t codified anywhere and that you could get the tax savings after serving for only one dat. Don’t know what’s true, but there was a link with the comment.

    @WaterGirl: True.

  178. 178.

    HeleninEire

    @TenguPhule: @WaterGirl: Oh God. You guys are breaking my heart. So what’s to stop a President from putting his rich friends in the cabinet for just a day so they can avoid capital gains?

  179. 179.

    Another Scott

    @Yutsano: I agree that people will try to find a way to not pay the increased taxes if at all possible – it’s what people do.

    I will be very surprised, though, if there is any Teabagger “triggers” in the final bill. House Republican’s won’t back Obamacare payments that Collins is demanding, and Corker says there’s no agreement on a trigger provision.

    The Republicans want to gut the government – that’s been their holy grail for 37+ years. They’re not going to give up easily on that just because the deficit is going to balloon…

    Cheers,
    Scott.

  183. 183.

    eemom

    @smintheus:

    Tillerson dissing Ivanka when she was all set to be received rapturously in India probably became the last straw for her daddy.

    Which is ironic, seeing as that was his single positive contribution to American history.

  185. 185.

    LurkerNoLonger

    @Betty Cracker: A list of words (in no particular order) that I hope to never hear again after this Trump horror is over:

    1) Trump
    2) Twitter
    3) Tweet
    4) Distraction
    5) Normalize
    6) Roll-back
    7) Gut
    8) Ivanka
    9) Jared
    10) Reconciliation
    11) Trump

  187. 187.

    TenguPhule

    @HeleninEire:

    So what’s to stop a President from putting his rich friends in the cabinet for just a day so they can avoid capital gains?

    Personal moral fiber.

  188. 188.

    Spanky

    @WaterGirl:

    an new please make that “Elections have consequences, mutherfuckers? Asking even though I have never used the word mutherfuckers before in my life

    Congratulations! We now expect you to totally channel Samuel L. Jackson. First, imagine yourself on a plane. With snakes ….

  189. 189.

    Brachiator

    @Yutsano:

    Incorporating as a business isn’t that hard. I expect A LOT of tax shenanigans like what happened in Kansas with pass-throughts to happen on the federal level as well. But when that first deficit estimate comes out…wonder if they’ll be forced to do the triggers more or less right away.

    I see a fair amount of semi-competent return preparation and errors and problems with small business people and preparers. For example, people getting an EIN as a C Corp and then trying to file as an S Corp. And a fair amount of shoddy record keeping.

    In any event, I agree that there is going to be a lot of conversions of Schedule C businesses into S Corps and even incorrectly into partnerships. Just a lot of confusion. I think that one or both bills has changes related to NOLs, etc.

    Also an increase in one problem that the IRS does not (I think) have a good handle on. Non professionals using Turbo Tax and other programs to prepare returns for people without signing as a paid preparer.

  190. 190.

    HeleninEire

    @Baud: Meh. Looks like this was revenge pron. Not a fan, but Barton should be allowed a consensual relationship (even outside of marriage) without being doxed.

  193. 193.

    Suffragette City

    What I find amazing is they knew EXACTLY who to use to fill the cabinet. All sycophants..yeah even Rex in a way. So why is that?

  197. 197.

    smintheus

    @eemom: It’s practically a Republican tradition by now: Show a shred of decency or a lick of sense, watch your career aspirations go down in flames.

  198. 198.

    WaterGirl

    @Spanky: P.S. I believe that my warming to that word is the result of the frequent “tick, tock, mutherfuckers” comment here, which I find comforting.

  199. 199.

    JoeyJoeJoe Junior Shabadoo

    @Mary G: There are other high profile Republicans running, like Congressman Evan Jenkins , and Joe Manchin is still popular. Blankenship winning is far from certain, I think

  200. 200.

    smintheus

    @bemused: It’s brain damage. My brother, who was in a coma for weeks after a bad car accident, expresses himself in the same way. I have to assume that Trump’s brain scans look like swiss cheese from whatever condition he’s got.

  201. 201.

    Yutsano

    @Brachiator:

    Also an increase in one problem that the IRS does not (I think) have a good handle on. Non professionals using Turbo Tax and other programs to prepare returns for people without signing as a paid preparer.

    If the preparer has either the filing PIN or their prior year AGI there is no way of tracing back who exactly filed the return. It was one of the reasons ID theft got as crazy as it did. And I can’t think of any way to prevent that without making filing such a massive hurdle. I’m open to ideas there.

    And I type this as someone who has prepared returns for family members before.

    @JoeyJoeJoe Junior Shabadoo: Right. There are two other candidates in the primary and Blankenship isn’t exactly beloved in the state.

  203. 203.

    Another Scott

    @HeleninEire: I don’t think it works that way.

    In order to join the cabinet, these guys (unlike Donnie, apparently) have to divest to reduce the appearance of overt conflicts of interest. In the process of divesting, they normally would get hit with a huge tax bill. As indicated by the Fortune link and excerpt at #31 above, W added some exceptions so that they wouldn’t get hit with the huge tax bill if they did various things. Exxon did other things for Rex so that he wouldn’t have other huge tax bills.

    Nobody is going to try to take a cabinet job to not have to pay taxes, because the only reason they would have a huge tax bill is the divesting requirement which remains.

    At least that’s my understanding. Corrections welcome.

    Cheers,
    Scott.

  204. 204.

    sherparick

    I posted earlier today about this story, and to me it is about the U.S. attacking Iran and initiating a war in the Persian Gulf on the side of Saudi Arabia in 2018. I expect it will be catastrophic.

  207. 207.

    catclub

    @HeleninEire:

    just a day so they can avoid capital gains?

    I saw lots of posts somewhere that they have to be in the job for a year – and booting out Tillerson at day 364 would be funny.

  210. 210.

    TenguPhule

    @lgerard:

    emolument

    No, that one I want branded onto the face of every bobblehead on the weekend talk shows who supported Trump by action or inaction. I want viewers to see that mark on their face on every cable news show.

  211. 211.

    The Moar You Know

    I posted earlier today about this story, and to me it is about the U.S. attacking Iran and initiating a war in the Persian Gulf on the side of Saudi Arabia in 2018. I expect it will be catastrophic.

    @sherparick: It would be, because unless America is willing to go full nuclear at the outset, we would lose. And it would be “we”, as in America. The Saudi’s don’t actually have an army that is in any way combat capable.

  212. 212.

    Enhanced Voting Techniques

    @TenguPhule: Going by the dry drunk theory Trump thinks everything his fault and is looking to create narrative that it’s not or creating scapegoats to take the blame. Thus twitter for the narrative (“it says Trump is the best on twitter”) and there is Tillerson as the last member of Trump’s admin getting fired.

  213. 213.

    WaterGirl

    @rikyrah: I was wondering why Mueller would go for this. 11 million isn’t that much for someone like Manafort who I would see as a serious flight risk. Why would they trust him? Even if they take the 4 or so passports that we know about who’s to say he doesn’t have more than that?

  214. 214.

    geg6

    @Mary G:

    I really don’t think he will. Manchin has good polling numbers and Blankenship is reviled by many in the part of the state I’m most familiar with.

  215. 215.

    bemused

    @smintheus:

    My theory is that a lot of people who drank heavily for most of their lives pickled their brains and can’t function well when they quit.

  216. 216.

    catclub

    @WaterGirl:

    Even if they take the 4 or so passports that we know about who’s to say he doesn’t have more than that?

    perhaps they could ask the state department the number of ALL the passports that Manafort has.

    However, depending on the efficiency and usefulness of the State Dept may not be the best plan, at the moment.

  223. 223.

    SiubhanDuinne

    @HeleninEire:

    So what’s to stop a President from putting his rich friends in the cabinet for just a day so they can avoid capital gains?

    Silly person, the checks and balances of Senate confir …

    Oh yeah. Never mind then.

  224. 224.

    Chris

    According to multiple sources, the guy who put the “SOS” in “Secretary of State,” Rex Tillerson, is getting shit-canned shortly. He’ll be replaced by Trump toady Mike Pompeo, currently heading the CIA. Ambulatory Adam’s Apple Tom Cotton will take over Spook Central.

    Say, this means we get to find out what that “suicide pact” was worth, doesn’t it? I’m not holding my breath…

  225. 225.

    SiubhanDuinne

    @WaterGirl:

    I believe that my warming to that word is the result of the frequent “tick, tock, mutherfuckers” comment here, which I find comforting.

    I, too, find myself heartened with every iteration of “tick, tock, motherfuckers.”

Comments are closed.