Dolt 45

Schadenfreude Open Thread: Did Somebody Call for A Plumber, Sean?

by Anne Laurie| February 27, 20178:59 pm| 106 Comments

This post is in: Dolt 45, Open Threads, Republican Stupidity, Republican Venality, Repubs in Disarray!, Assholes, Not Normal

Flanked by WH lawyers, Spicer asked to see staffers' phones for leak crackdown.

…which WH staff are now leakinghttps://t.co/FVh99enQyx

— Ari Melber (@AriMelber) February 26, 2017

Uh, wow. Per @anniekarni, Spicer is surprise summoning WH staffers and checking their phones to see who's leaking. https://t.co/3gpIamQdoF pic.twitter.com/aCRvBETOJk

— Bradd Jaffy (@BraddJaffy) February 26, 2017

Does this include Priebus, Kushner, & Bannon, the three with the most to gain from leaks? https://t.co/SyQyIPJdOW

— Dana Houle (@DanaHoule) February 26, 2017

No matter how much you hate your job, at least you’re not working in Sean Spicer’s office…

One good way to cut down on leaks is to not subject your subordinates to humiliation.

— Matthew Yglesias (@mattyglesias) February 26, 2017

Sean Spicer brings back the White House Plumbers Unit pic.twitter.com/PZrKo9QYbq

— Majestik møøse lamb (@ZeddRebel) February 26, 2017

Hunting for leakers is the government's attempt to save a sinking rowboat by draining the ocean.

— stuart stevens (@stuartpstevens) February 26, 2017

This paragraph is really funny. (Via @Dylanbyers) https://t.co/TMOLDFDjmn pic.twitter.com/78Px8YwOUp

— Sopan Deb (@SopanDeb) February 26, 2017

The irony being that the comms shop is, you know, supposed to talk to reporters … https://t.co/jUhbC4FnJx

— Maggie Haberman (@maggieNYT) February 26, 2017

This also cuts against the "all the leaks are fake" narrative https://t.co/jUhbC4FnJx

— Maggie Haberman (@maggieNYT) February 26, 2017

As if working in the Trump White House wasn't demoralizing enough, imagine being the target of sinking ship Sean Spicer's paranoia.

— Schooley (@Rschooley) February 26, 2017

"Don't worry, I took care of the leaks." pic.twitter.com/2rFaZFcRrN

— Schooley (@Rschooley) February 26, 2017

Schadenfreude Open Thread: Did Somebody Call for A Plumber, Sean?Post + Comments (106)

Open Thread: Donald Trump, FAKE! President; Real Traitor?

by Anne Laurie| February 26, 20175:23 pm| 212 Comments

This post is in: An Unexamined Scandal, Dolt 45, Foreign Affairs, Open Threads, Republican Venality, Trump Crime Cartel, Not Normal

There's a pattern to Trump's attacks on the media. They repeatedly happen directly after reporting on Russia. Watch. pic.twitter.com/uhclIdz3Bo

— Bradd Jaffy (@BraddJaffy) February 26, 2017

Russia talk is FAKE NEWS put out by the Dems, and played up by the media, in order to mask the big election defeat and the illegal leaks!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) February 26, 2017

Trump says the "Russia story" is FAKE

Trump also spent 5 years insisting Obama's birth certificate was FAKE

Assess accordingly.

— Judd Legum (@JuddLegum) February 26, 2017

Trump claims sources are fake but leaks are real. Kinda like havin' to break up with your imaginary girlfriend cause she's cheatin' on you.

— Tea Pain (@TeaPainUSA) February 24, 2017

Even the not-very-political USA Today!…

Trending now on @usatoday social media, Time to talk Trump #impeachment by Jason Sattler aka @LOLGOP https://t.co/hkTXzOkd1d #Democrats

— Jill Lawrence (@JillDLawrence) February 26, 2017

Chris Christie, fmr. prosecutor: “When a special prosecutor gets involved, the thing gets completely out of control” https://t.co/etApTgCf7l

— Bradd Jaffy (@BraddJaffy) February 26, 2017

Christie called for a special prosecutor to look into the Clinton Foundation. https://t.co/cU9mEpqWQn https://t.co/4KcrQIaK8V

— Kevin M. Kruse (@KevinMKruse) February 26, 2017

If Twitter existed 43 years ago: "Keep pushing your dumb DNC break-in conspiracy theory. Nixon was reelected in a landslide. No one cares."

— Julie Roginsky (@julieroginsky) February 25, 2017

"I've had NO CONTACT with Howard Hunt or Gordon Liddy. Never met them. The failing Washington Post is fake news. SAD!" https://t.co/xYYLo5X3Te

— Joshua Zeitz (@JoshuaMZeitz) February 25, 2017

Open Thread: Donald Trump, FAKE! President; Real Traitor?Post + Comments (212)

Early Morning Open Thread: Snippy Sean & the WH Press Corpse, A Tale for Tiny Hands Tots

by Anne Laurie| February 26, 20172:46 am| 31 Comments

This post is in: Dolt 45, Open Threads, Republican Stupidity, Assholes, Bring on the Brawndo!, DC Press Corpse

Tapper is ??????. pic.twitter.com/eiP9xE4MEM

— Matthew Gertz (@MattGertz) February 24, 2017

We journos like to believe that shutting us out is shutting out The American People. Fact is, The American People would sell us for parts.

— Charles P. Pierce (@CharlesPPierce) February 24, 2017

by summer, white house press briefings will be a small dog wearing a tie barking at a pigeon in a tie. the pigeon works for the daily caller

— Erin ??Gloria?? Ryan (@morninggloria) February 24, 2017

Pigeon in a bow tie … but otherwise this checks out https://t.co/ySLeHry2NN

— Michael Cohen (@speechboy71) February 24, 2017

the dog is named Spicy II, after the original Spicy, who was sent to a farm upstate to run and play with the other Sean Spicers

— Erin ??Gloria?? Ryan (@morninggloria) February 24, 2017

Pay no attention to the man behind the curtain!…

Why Spicer wants hand-picked gaggle: 1) avoid on-camera goof 2) Trump can't watch a gaggle 3) get press to 'whine' 4) sow internal strife

— Glenn Thrush (@GlennThrush) February 24, 2017

For all the left talk about Trump as master of distraction, he often does anti-distraction – bringing attention to big stories by ranting.

— Daniel Dale (@ddale8) February 24, 2017

Buzzfeed: Steele Dossier
NYT: Cohen/Sater, FBI case
Politico: Manafort blackmail
CNN: Priebus-FBI
WaPo: Flynn discussing sanctions

— A Finely Tuned ?????? (@ZeddRebel) February 24, 2017

Early Morning Open Thread: Snippy Sean & the WH Press Corpse, A Tale for Tiny <del>Hands</del> TotsPost + Comments (31)

Nightmare Open Thread: Overgrown Toddlers with Weapons of Mass Destruction

by Anne Laurie| February 24, 20173:11 am| 74 Comments

This post is in: Dolt 45, Republican Stupidity, War, Bring On The Meteor, Fucked-up-edness, Looks Like I Picked the Wrong Week to Stop Sniffing Glue

Kim Jong-nam Was Killed by VX Nerve Agent, Malaysians Say, via @nytimes https://t.co/PaRhiPF4DN

— Joshua H. Pollack (@Joshua_Pollack) February 24, 2017

My mind is still reeling at North Korea using VX — a chemical weapon so dangerous it’s considered a WMD — at a *major international airport*

— Max Fisher (@Max_Fisher) February 24, 2017

A-B-C! One spoilt princeling with Chemical weapons, trumped by another with Atomic fantasies…

Exclusive – Trump wants to expand U.S. nuclear arsenal, make it 'top of the pack': Reuters interview https://t.co/X5gWainDAY

— Reuters Top News (@Reuters) February 23, 2017

The current U.S. nuclear arsenal has the power to end human civilization, like, 30+ times over. https://t.co/HnUtQpDJIi

— Dan Zak (@MrDanZak) February 23, 2017

Thanks for breaking the world, Repubs!

"Dad, what was the Trump admin like?"

"Remember the scared weird kid in 1st grade, who peed himself? Imagine you gave him all the weapons."

— Big Sharia Jeb Malmö (@Mobute) February 23, 2017

Nightmare Open Thread: Overgrown Toddlers with Weapons of Mass DestructionPost + Comments (74)

Open Thread: GOP Attempting to Buff Away the KGB Fingerprints

by Anne Laurie| February 23, 20177:37 pm| 183 Comments

This post is in: Dolt 45, Foreign Affairs, Open Threads, Republican Venality, Ever Get The Feeling You've Been Cheated?, Not Normal

House Republicans prepare to kill a measure that could force Trump to reveal ties with Russia, conflicts of interest https://t.co/PccR2CMYQ0

— Anne Applebaum (@anneapplebaum) February 23, 2017

The Washington Post has a new subhed: Democracy Dies in Darkness. The GOP would dearly love to make it so:

House Republicans next week plan to derail a Democratic resolution that would have forced disclosure of President Donald Trump’s potential ties with Russia and any possible business conflicts of interest, according to multiple House sources.

Seeking to avoid a full House vote on the so-called “resolution of inquiry” — a roll call that would be particularly embarrassing and divisive for the right — Republicans will send proposal by Rep. Jerry Nadler (D-N.Y.) to the House Judiciary Committee for a panel vote on Tuesday, two Democratic sources said. The GOP-controlled committee is expected to kill the resolution…

The markup has yet to be noticed by the panel. But the Tuesday vote will come just a few hours before Trump will give his first address to Congress. Indeed, Democrats are fuming that Republicans are trying to bury the panel vote by scheduling it on a busy news day.

Resolutions of inquiry are rare in Congress and privileged, meaning lawmakers can circumvent leadership and force action on the floor if they’re ignored for 14 legislative days.

The resolutions can force presidents and agencies to give Congress private records. Nadler’s, for example, demands that Attorney General Jeff Sessions hand over to the Hill “any document, record, memo, correspondence or other communication” pertaining to “criminal or counterintelligence investigations” related to Trump, White House staff or his business…

The mark-up will likely prove awkward for Judiciary Committee Republicans who will have to block the resolution. Judiciary member and Oversight Committee Chairman Jason Chaffetz (R-Utah) just last week, for instance, faced sharp questions from constituents who accused him of steering the Oversight panel’s agenda to protect Trump…

Well, since #JasonintheHouse already whined that town hall protests in his district were meant to “bully and intimidate” him, here’s hoping he’s ready for a whole new onslaught…

Other than McCain/Graham micro-dissent, has anybody in the party even acknowledged Trump's Russian connections as a concern at all?

— Schooley (@Rschooley) February 23, 2017

@anneapplebaum @politico We should see this for exactly what it is: one giant and unequivocal admission of guilt. Publicise it widely.

— Will Lake (@WillLakeCopy) February 23, 2017

Open Thread: GOP Attempting to Buff Away the KGB FingerprintsPost + Comments (183)

Open Thread: Liberals, Never Satisfied!

by Anne Laurie| February 23, 20171:04 am| 67 Comments

This post is in: Dolt 45, Open Threads, Republican Stupidity, All we want is life beyond the thunderdome, Not Normal

Sean Spicer snaps at Anne Frank Center: Trump condemns hate and ‘it’s never good enough’ for them https://t.co/l4JZ5aJyQD pic.twitter.com/MAlSAWLHTn

— Raw Story (@RawStory) February 21, 2017

Spicey: Jeez next they'll tell us Anne Frank would've thought turning away refugees fleeing genocide is a BAD idea https://t.co/q12w2EmTcK

— A Finely Tuned ?????? (@ZeddRebel) February 22, 2017

The GOP motto: If you can’t eat it, fight it, or market it, what good could it possible be?
.

Using "upbeat" Anne Frank graphics for marketing is not a good look @IvankaTrump pic.twitter.com/zPKESfQHNp

— Alex Leo (@AlexMLeo) February 12, 2017

Open Thread: Liberals, Never Satisfied!Post + Comments (67)

Post-Midnight Open Thread: Russophilic Nesting Dolts

by Anne Laurie| February 22, 20171:43 am| 23 Comments

This post is in: Dolt 45, Foreign Affairs, Open Threads, Republican Stupidity, Republican Venality, Get Angry

Trump lawyer Michael Cohen confirms meeting Ukrainian, denies delivering peace plan to Mike Flynn https://t.co/w18qbncuxu pic.twitter.com/wS0R3O1JWN

— NBC Investigations (@NBCInvestigates) February 20, 2017

Adam will no doubt keep explaining these spy-vs-spy shenanigans far more cogently, but I couldn’t resist the chance to re-up the last video clip here…

… The Times reported that the meeting was called to discuss a peace plan being pushed by a Ukrainian lawmaker, Andrey Artemenko, who is associated with a former Ukrainian leader backed by Russian president Vladimir Putin and advised by Paul Manafort, Trump’s former campaign chairman.

Manafort is the subject of an FBI inquiry over his Ukraine dealings, and the FBI is also investigating whether any Trump associates colluded with the Russian campaign to interfere in the U.S. presidential election.

In an interview with NBC News Monday, Michael Cohen confirmed that Felix Sater, a former Trump associate with a criminal past, asked him to come to a meeting in New York last month, and brought along Artemenko.

“I acknowledge that the brief meeting took place, but emphatically deny discussing this topic or delivering any documents to the White House and/or General Flynn,” Cohen said. “I didn’t see Gen. Flynn while I was at the White House, and I didn’t spend two seconds talking about this, not even one second.”

The Times told NBC News that it stood by its story, saying Cohen told the newspaper he did take a sealed envelope to Flynn’s office….

Senate just sent word to White House to preserve records tied to Russia ties. Wonder what happened to the envelope with the 'peace plan'?

— Josh Marshall (@joshtpm) February 20, 2017

It's either a half-baked sting op from a known FBI informant that Cohen fell for hook, line and sinker…or this was Putin's big long con.

— A Finely Tuned ?????? (@ZeddRebel) February 20, 2017

The 'plan' was to remove Poroshenko, let Putin keep Crimea in perpetuity and lift all sanctions. https://t.co/d6yQOvAw1h

— A Finely Tuned ?????? (@ZeddRebel) February 21, 2017

It shouldn't be called a peace plan. It's a conspiracy to blackmail/topple Ukraine's gov't and give Putin everything https://t.co/CgdbH132vm

— A Finely Tuned ?????? (@ZeddRebel) February 21, 2017

NICE JOB, REPUBLICANS!

For context on this story and this denial, remember, the guy in this video is Michael Cohen https://t.co/gwudewQZ6A

— Josh Marshall (@joshtpm) February 20, 2017

Post-Midnight Open Thread: Russophilic Nesting DoltsPost + Comments (23)

If you’re pissed about Biden’s speech, he was talking about you.

The revolution will be supervised.

“Jesus paying for the sins of everyone is an insult to those who paid for their own sins.”

Shallow, uninformed, and lacking identity

Impressively dumb. Congratulations.

Let there be snark.

Hot air and ill-informed banter

Second rate reporter says what?

Our job is not to persuade republicans but to defeat them.

You cannot shame the shameless.

I did not have telepathic declassification on my 2022 bingo card.

A Senator Walker would also be an insult to reason, rationality, and decency.

Usually wrong but never in doubt

People are complicated. Love is not.

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

When someone says they “love freedom”, rest assured they don’t mean yours.

Being the leader of the world means to be the leader of peace.

Historically it was a little unusual for the president to be an incoherent babbling moron.

I did not have this on my fuck 2022 bingo card.

Jesus, Mary, & Joseph how is that election even close?

Peak wingnut was a lie.

Never entrust democracy to any process that requires republicans to act in good faith.

That’s my take and I am available for criticism at this time.

All your base are belong to Tunch.