It can be awkward and painful. But when I give sexual harassment prevention training, I advise managers to give a gentle but firm and direct "no" to an underling seeking a personal relationship.https://t.co/XMYcXUsHNC
— WouldOrWouldn'tHat (@Popehat) July 24, 2018
Republican Venality
C.R.E.A.M. Open Thread: “A Theory of Trump Kompromat“
New from latest Manafort hearing: Govt. said explicitly that banker Stephen Calk knew Manafort submitted a fraudulent loan application but approved it anyway because he wanted a Trump job
— Rachel Weiner (@rachelweinerwp) July 23, 2018
Does Putin have kompromat on Trump?
It is WAY worse than that.
Trump is trapped in a massive system of compromise and corruption that he fears and barely understands. https://t.co/BX0EkefLPg pic.twitter.com/eXOgTJ3F76
— Adam Davidson (@adamdavidson) July 21, 2018
Our own Adam Silverman and other knowledgeable cynics have been long said this, but the working theory that financial failures might be more embarrassing than sexual peccadilloes to Trump — and his handlers — is finally getting some traction among the Very Serious People:
… There is no need to assume that Trump was a formal agent of Russian intelligence to make sense of Trump’s solicitousness toward Putin. Keith Darden, an international-relations professor at American University, has studied the Russian use of kompromat—compromising material—and told me that he thinks it is likely that the President believes the Russians have something on him. “He’s never said a bad word about Putin,” Darden said. “He’s exercised a degree of self-control with respect to Russia that he doesn’t with anything else.” Darden said that this is evidence that Trump isn’t uniformly reckless in his words: “He is capable of being strategic. He knows there are limits, there are bounds on what he can say and do with respect to Russia.”…
Trump has made a lot of money doing deals with businesspeople from the former Soviet Union, and at least some of these deals bear many of the warning signs of money laundering and other financial crimes. Deals in Toronto, Panama, New York, and Miami involved money from sources in the former Soviet Union who hid their identities through shell companies and exhibited other indications of money laundering. In the years before he became a political figure, Trump acted with impunity, conducting minimal corporate due diligence and working with people whom few other American businesspeople would consider fit partners. During that period, he may have felt protected by the fact that U.S. law-enforcement officials rarely investigate or prosecute Americans who engage in financial crimes overseas. Such cases are also maddeningly difficult to prove, and the F.B.I. has no subpoena power in other countries. If, however, someone had evidence that proved financial crimes and shared it with, say, the special counsel, Robert Mueller, other American law-enforcement officials, or the press, it could significantly damage Trump’s business, his family, and his Presidency.
Alena Ledeneva, a professor of politics at University College London and an expert on Russia’s political and business practices, describes kompromat as being more than a single powerful figure weaponizing damning evidence to blackmail a target. She explained that to make sense of kompromat it is essential to understand the weakness of formal legal institutions in Russia and other former Soviet states. Ledeneva argued that wealth and power are distributed through networks of political figures and businesspeople who follow unspoken rules, in an informal hierarchy that she calls sistema, or system. Sistema has a few clear rules—do not defy Putin being the most obvious one—and a toolkit for controlling potentially errant members. It is primarily a system of ambiguity. Each person in sistema wonders where he stands and monitors the relative positions of friends and rivals…
The scenario that, to my mind, makes the most sense of the given facts and requires the fewest fantastical leaps is that, a decade or so ago, Trump, naïve, covetous, and struggling for cash, may have laundered money for a business partner from the former Soviet Union or engaged in some other financial crime. This placed him, unawares, squarely within sistema, where he remained, conducting business with other members of a handful of overlapping Central Asian networks. Had he never sought the Presidency, he may never have had to come to terms with these decisions. But now he is much like everyone else in sistema. He fears there is kompromat out there—maybe a lot of it—but he doesn’t know precisely what it is, who has it, or what might set them off.
C.R.E.A.M. Open Thread: “A Theory of Trump <em>Kompromat</em>“Post + Comments (124)
Friday Morning Open Thread: Ministry of Truthiness
Actually, it happened under Mitch McConnell's watch. https://t.co/OnWoJob8AR
— Jennifer Hayden (@Scout_Finch) July 18, 2018
Does Putin have a pee tape of Sarah Huckabee Sanders?
— Dana Houle (@DanaHoule) July 18, 2018
Despite all the criticisms of her performance, Huckabee Sanders is an artist in her own Southern-Gothic niche. She was hired — and she does her job, in this context, brilliantly — to be the grim, dutiful Good Wife who insists that ERRYTHING IS JUST FAAAAHNE THENK YEW in front of the village congregation. Sure, the whole neighborhood knows that (behind the facade) ‘Daddy’ is a mean drunk who knocks her around and sleeps with hookers, the family business is forever teetering on the brink of bankruptcy, her kids are out of control and would be in jail or another institution if the local police weren’t cowed by or complicit in the ‘best families’ oligarchy… but as long as she can slab on enough pancake makeup and wear her ‘family’ pearls, the comforting clan mythology remains unchallenged. It’s not an easy living, but what alternatives does a past-her-prime good Southern girl with no education outside the conservative bubble have? Praise ‘Merican Jeebus for “tradition”, and don’t forget to vote Republican!
When you try and justify your support for our traitor POTUS that’s called Manchuriansplaining.
— Sex Huntress (@OhNoSheTwitnt) July 19, 2018
"In Sanders’s briefings, the Overton window doesn’t widen or narrow so much as it angrily yells at you for not being a door.” https://t.co/BG5qdZcgzl
— Yoni Appelbaum (@YAppelbaum) July 19, 2018
… It is a well-worn cliché of the Trump presidency—which is also to say, it is a well-worn cliché about the Trump psyche—that, within a White House as vertically integrated as this one, loyalty counts above all. And Sarah Sanders, the press secretary who will have been on the job, this week, for one year—the White House announced her promotion to the role in July of 2017—performs that loyalty every time she meets the press.
This is a White House that prioritizes the scoring of points over the complexities of compromise. Sanders, on behalf of the president she works for—a happy warrior in a culture war that has found a front in the James S. Brady briefing room at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue—takes for granted an assumption that would be shocking were it not so common in the American culture of the early 21st century: There are things that are more important than truth.
Friday Morning Open Thread: Ministry of TruthinessPost + Comments (269)
Russiagate / NRA Open Thread: Mariia Butina, ‘Manliness’ Enhancer…
Whoa: @AdamSchiffCA says that Dems on the House Intel Committee wanted to bring Maria Butina and Paul Erickson in for questioning — but were told not to by House Republicans, who were worried about “tarnishing” the NRA and President Trump.
— Alex Wagner (@alexwagner) July 19, 2018
… by any means necessary!
She gave the Repubs what they were looking for: Attention from a ‘hot chick’ who publicly admired their massive weaponry, political astuteness, and general VIRTUE. In the heat of the moment, it didn’t seem important to ask what she might be looking for in return…
NEW: How did alleged Russian agent Maria Butina make inroads with conservative groups for so many years?
She learned how to speak their language – guns, freedom, God, America.
— Vera Bergengruen (@VeraMBergen) July 19, 2018
It’s hard to tell how much of the story 29-year-old Russian graduate student Maria Butina told Americans about herself for years is real.
What is clear is that in Butina, the Russian government either found or created an irresistible persona for US conservatives. The story she repeated over years of speeches and interviews — of a scrappy girl from Siberia fighting for gun rights in Russia — was carefully calibrated to show a passion for self-defense, a yearning for America’s easy access to guns, and a hint of criticism of Russia’s own laws…
People who spoke to BuzzFeed News about their interactions with her, as well as a review of her interviews, writings, and extensive social media posts, paint a picture of someone who knew how to push all the right conservative buttons.
Hers was a startlingly effective performance.
By the time she appeared on the popular radio show of evangelical author Eric Metaxas, who later endorsed Trump and served on his evangelical advisory council, her life story — or at least what she said was her life story — rolled off her tongue with practiced ease.
“My story is simple — my father is a hunter, I was born in Siberia,” she explained in the July 2015 interview, echoing previous talking points in which she often drew parallels to parts of the US, like South Dakota, where guns are “necessary for survival” to defend lives and property.
“That seems appropriate, somehow,” Metaxas interrupted, sounding delighted, when she described founding her gun rights organization in a “Moscow version of a McDonald’s,” telling her friends “we need to fight for our gun rights.”
“Wow, I just love the idea of this,” he said. “To think…because you know, those of us in America can be very parochial, we forget that the fight for liberty goes on for all around the globe in different guises.”
Butina also seemed to know exactly what a conservative evangelical audience would want to hear, earnestly speaking about the growing number of churches in Russia after the collapse of the Soviet Union and the “great history of Christian religion” that she had in common with US evangelicals, her audience.
“When we talk about Russian and American relationships, the main point is Christianity, in both countries,” she told Metaxas…
Russiagate / NRA Open Thread: Mariia Butina, ‘Manliness’ Enhancer…Post + Comments (280)
Russiagate Open Thread: COMPLICIT
WATCH: "Instead of standing up for our democracy and democratic principles, President Trump cowered in the presence of Putin. And the entire world watched and saw that," Rep. Nancy Pelosi says https://t.co/zkrmOeSQvW pic.twitter.com/eFzCap9uet
— CBS News (@CBSNews) July 17, 2018
But it’s not just Trump who’s acting just like someone whose career relies on keeping a foreign oligarch happy…
GOP members of Congress "were happy to enjoy the benefits of Russian interference and said so openly among themselves." https://t.co/3ik5l7ub4I
— ryan cooper (@ryanlcooper) July 18, 2018
“Or I’ll say ‘stop’ again!” https://t.co/VPuDXXDFmn
— Daniel W. Drezner (@dandrezner) July 18, 2018
Appears that again he refuses to say it was to help Trump. https://t.co/is9b6CYRwd
— Dana Houle (@DanaHoule) July 17, 2018
Portrait of a man taking his constitutional duty very seriously. pic.twitter.com/PVuUIa9pBH
— Schooley (@Rschooley) July 17, 2018
.@SpeakerRyan downplays Russian interference: "It is clear that it didn't have a material effect on our elections." (That assertion is not in fact clear at all.) pic.twitter.com/R0Yt1zL6Ln
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) July 17, 2018
Dear @SpeakerRyan: I appreciate your words. But as Speaker, there are actual actions you can take. For example:
1. Subpoena the translator in the private meeting of @realDonaldTrump with Putin. Congress needs to know what was said.
2. Allow a vote on bills to protect Mueller. https://t.co/6MzPLTb6Ba
— Ted Lieu (@tedlieu) July 17, 2018
Repub Venality Open Thread: Hey, Remember That ‘Judge Kavanaugh’ Guy?…
This is a big deal! Public doesn't support Kavanaugh out of the gate. The more we talk to people about his dangerous record, the more Senators hear they have to vote NO. Remember, Harriet Miers was not confirmed. This is possible! Share and organize! #scotusnominee #roevswade https://t.co/lZ8Tm41Ida
— ilyse hogue (@ilyseh) July 17, 2018
Of course the Repubs are just a leeeetle bit busy at this point in time, what with trying to avoid getting further caught up in the exposure of their Dear Leaders’ foreign-affairs scandals. But never doubt they’re still working behind the scenes to put Brett ‘Dismemberment by Orca Is Just Another Job Risk’ Kavanaugh on the only SCOTUS we’ve got…
Brett Kavanaugh's father was a DC lobbyist who made $13 million in 2005 repping corporate interests. As a Supreme Court judge, Kavanaugh would "likely achieve for industry incomparably more than all his father’s years of lobbying"https://t.co/6zL1gI2TVK
— Brian Fallon (@brianefallon) July 14, 2018
Progressives are told they should get over the shameful treatment of #MerrickGarland. But conservatives have been reliving Robert Bork's defeat for 31 years. And unlike Garland, Bork got a hearing and a vote.
My column: Hypocrites for #Kavanaughhttps://t.co/GTHrItRwBR— EJ Dionne (@EJDionne) July 12, 2018
the problem with this argument is that Kavanaugh’s first act as a nominee was to tell a fawning, obvious lie in praise of Trump https://t.co/oeBJoWrRcU
— b-boy bouiebaisse (@jbouie) July 13, 2018
This. I’m not a legal wonk, I’d never heard of Kavanaugh before last week. My introduction was him flat-out lying to please Trump. Not a good first impression. https://t.co/IYWzxQWjJ1
— Daniel W. Drezner (@dandrezner) July 13, 2018
On abortion and other issues, Kavanaugh’s heroes are more conservative than Kennedy via @scotusreporter @amarimow https://t.co/VIKiwyrUVO
— Matea Gold (@mateagold) July 15, 2018
The "original intent" of the Constitution was to limit power to wealthy male land owners. It is thanks to those who understand it is a living document that we began to open up freedom to all Americans. So-called originalists like Kavanaugh seek to undo that.
— Oliver Willis (@owillis) July 15, 2018
In related news, chickenshit Repubs hope to evade future responsibility…
know what America really needs right now? ….blacklists compiled by political addicts https://t.co/1yb9EDrnIN
— Ben Sasse (@BenSasse) July 13, 2018
Repub Venality Open Thread: Hey, Remember That ‘Judge Kavanaugh’ Guy?…Post + Comments (94)
Russiagate Open Thread: The ‘President’ Finds A Staunch Defender
"If there wasn't such acute hatred for President Trump, such a 'Trump derangement syndrome' on the left…," a meeting with a Russian leader could have happened sooner says Sen. @randpaul. The blow back from the meeting, "really shows people hatred for President Trump." pic.twitter.com/ejfBwqYduz
— PBS NewsHour (@NewsHour) July 16, 2018
Unfortunately, it’s just Little Prince Rand of the Paul barony, whose sympathy springs from a mixture of pissy adolescent ‘contrarianism’ and GOP-white-guy ressentiment, with maybe a soupcon of fellow feeling for another guy who’ll never live up to his old man’s success. It was good enough that Trump apparently tweeted his thanks earlier today, but weak enough that the tweet got deleted by close of business day.
UPDATE: 24 hours after downplaying campaign interference and calling Mueller's probe a "witch hunt," Rand Paul has announced a trip to Russia "to discuss common ground with their leaders and help prevent further, unnecessary escalation of tensions."? https://t.co/z9cDZ46fr5
— Frank Dale (@fwdale) July 16, 2018
From Paul’s signed piece in Politico:
… Unfortunately, over the past two years, some have fueled a hysteria that has created such a paralysis regarding Russia that regular meetings and communications have ceased, and one can be accused of “collusion” merely for agreeing to a routine meeting with elected Russian officials who might be visiting Capitol Hill.
The hostile climate created by Russophobes has resulted in a vacuum in cultural, educational and even legislative exchanges, while elected officials from both Washington and Moscow are now on so-called ban lists. Nothing will be achieved by each country shutting the door to the other…
In just a few weeks, I will take my own trip to Russia in an attempt to discuss common ground with their leaders and help prevent further, unnecessary escalation of tensions. We will discuss trade, cultural exchanges and how to better work for peace and prosperity in the world. I look forward to consulting with Trump between his visit and mine and to working with diplomats from both countries to have a successful trip and better relationships. Millions of lives could be at stake.
Any bets on whether he’ll actually go through with his visit?
.@RandPaul comes to Trump's defense after today's news conference: "The left has become unhinged on this," he tells me.
— Thomas Kaplan (@thomaskaplan) July 16, 2018
The Washington Post‘s view, as the company paper in the town whose monopoly industry is politics:
… The stars are lining up for Paul in a way they haven’t before. His non-interventionist beliefs are typically way outside the mainstream in Washington. Suddenly, they align with those of none other than the president of the United States. So why not take full advantage of this moment to elevate his worldview? And the best way to get attention is by doing what no one else is: defending Trump. All the better if that interview creates some controversy…
When you consider Paul’s penchant for controversy, savvy ability to get media attention and inclination to seize a rare moment to elevate his own views, it’s less surprising he’s Trump’s biggest defender on Russia…
Paul was admirably vehement that it was unacceptable for NSA to monitor innocent Americans’ electronic communications. Which makes it awfully weird to be this blasé about GRU doing it. https://t.co/wS7NkDS5O7
— Julian Sanchez (@normative) July 15, 2018
Reminder of why we even bother talking about Young Prince Rand:
People are calling @RandPaul a "stealth hurdle" to the #Kavanaugh confirmation.
Please. Paul is more like a garish doormat. Something loud that demands attention, but provides no real impediment. https://t.co/U4V38cs0a7
— Elie Mystal (@ElieNYC) July 16, 2018
Russiagate Open Thread: The ‘President’ Finds A Staunch DefenderPost + Comments (241)