Category Archives: Donald Trump
FBI Files
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The president ordered the release of FBI files related to the 2017 application for a FISA warrant to spy on Carter Page.
So, here’s how three different news outlets played the story:
NPR – Trump Orders Declassification Of FBI Documents Sought By House Republicans
New York Post –Trump says order to release FBI files may be ‘crowning achievement’
CNN – Trump inflames war on Justice Dept. by declassifying Russia docs
Fantastic Job in Puerto Rico
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President Trump’s policy is “if you hit me I hit you harder.” So he spent last week hitting the mayor of San Juan Puerto Rico over the death toll due to Hurricane Maria.
He claims “We Did a fantastic job in Puerto Rico.”
Death Toll
A GeorgeWashington University study commissioned by the Puerto Rican government says the hurricane killed 2,975 people. But FEMA administrator Brock Long says many of those deaths occurred “six months after the fact.” The initial number of deaths confirmed by coroners is 64. Trump’s preferred number is 18. That was the official count when he visited two weeks after the storm.
Meanwhile Obama has entered the mid term fray and he’s taking credit for the current economic boom.
Impeachment
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Democrats are trying to keep their impeachment hopes under the radar. For example, Jimmy Carter’s not talking about it and he says you shouldn’t either. Besides, other Democratic leaders like Nancy Pelosi worry impeachment talk could backfire.
But former Labor Secretary Robert Reich has a different approach. He doesn’t want impeachment talk either. In fact he doesn’t want Trump impeached at all.
He wants the election annulled.
Unindicted Co-Conspiritor Witch Hunt
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President Trump’s former lawyer Michael Cohen ratted him out. He says Trump directed him to arrange hush money payments to a playboy model and a porn star. Trump then reimbursed him for the Stormy Daniels payment. Cohen claims that helped Trump’s 2016 election chances and therefore it was an illegal in-kind campaign contribution.
Witch Hunt
Democrats are wary of impeachment talk but Cohen’s lawyer (and Bill Clinton’s old impeachment defender) Lanny Davis is howling “high crimes and misdemeanors.”
But Bill Clinton’s former speech writer Mark Penn says there’s nothing illegal about it. Had Trump used campaign funds to pay hush money it would have been an illegal personal use of campaign funds. So using his own money can’t be considered a campaign contribution. And Professor Dershowitz says even if it is a campaign contribution there’s no limit to the amount Trump can contribute to his own campaign.
Trump tweets “witch hunt.” Stay tuned.
Manafort’s Money
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President Trump’s former campaign manager Paul Manafort was convicted on eight charges of bank and tax fraud. The judge ruled a mistrial on 10 other charges. The conviction isn’t related to Robert Mueller’s collusion investigation.
But maybe it was related to Manafort’s taste for the the finer things in life. He once spent $15,000 on an ostrich jacket. Not that there’s anything wrong with that. Except that he lied to banks for loans and didn’t pay taxes on $16 million.
Vox follows Manafort’s money here.
