Former President Donald J. Trump

[Davey the Fat Boy]

I think I’m spending too much time talking to Jimbo. I can’t help shaking the feeling that Trump got himself involved with money laundering for Russian oligarchs, and when it all felt too dangerous - ran for President as a Hail Mary to gain immunity and pardon power.

Our times are so strange, a scenario like that is almost believable.

[Snarfyguy]

These are explosive developments: AT&T lining Cohen's slush fund right when it (AT&T) was facing pushback from Trump's DOJ over a multi-billion dollar merger with Time Warner and a similar instance with Novartis. What are these corporate interests doing giving hundreds of thousands of dollars to the point man for the president's extortionists? (I can't even believe I just typed that sentence!)

It doesn't seem like too much of a stretch to preliminary conclude there's some sort of BRIBERY afoot. This is not how lobbying is done. In fact, this is precisely how it's NOT done, in order to avoid giving the impression of corruption.

The big question is: did Trump know about these payments (and share in them)? If yes, please to explain. If NO, that means Cohen was holding out on the boss, which, woah, holy shit!

[Sneelock]

this guy is doing a little publicity for his book "Trump Russia"
https://talkingpointsmemo.com/news/why- ... l-manafort
I heard him on a radio interview this morning. the host asked him, straight up, how he would describe TRUMPS mob ties from the mid 80's on. the author said "Mob Friendly"

[BARON CORNY DOG]

These are explosive developments: AT&T lining Cohen's slush fund right when it (AT&T) was facing pushback from Trump's DOJ over a multi-billion merger with Time Warner and a similar instance with Novartis. What are these corporate interests doing giving hundreds of thousands of dollars to the point man for the president's extortionists? (I can't even believe I just typed that sentence!)

It doesn't seem like too much of a stretch to preliminary conclude there's some sort of BRIBERY afoot. This is not how lobbying is done. In fact, this is precisely how it's NOT done, in order to avoid giving the impression of corruption.

The big question is: did Trump know about these payments (and share in them)? If yes, please to explain. If NO, that means Cohen was holding out on the boss, which, woah, holy shit!

Indeed! Either way, it’s crazy! If it was a secret, then Cohen feels no loyalty to Trump whatsoever. And if DJT knew, then he’s even more brazenly corrupt than we might’ve imagined.

[Sneelock]

well, there's SO much hubbub that DT treated Cohen like shit - yelling at him in front of others, all that sort of thing. that stuff has to make a difference.

[Jimbo]

I smear you. You smear me. We're a dysfunctional coun-ter-y …

Stormy Daniels' lawyer Michael Avenatti has some explaining to do…

After appearing on CNN 59 times to claim the moral high ground over President Trump's alleged decade-old affair with Daniels, skeletons in Avenatti's closet are now beginning to pour out.

Questions have emerged over who's funding Avenatti, how he was privy to Trump attorney Michael Cohen's bank records - and how exactly did he obtain banking transactions for two men also named Michael Cohen, who he wrongly accused in a seven-page "dossier" released this week.

https://www.zerohedge.com/news/2018-05- ... st-catches

[BARON CORNY DOG]

Well I sure wouldn’t hire him!

[Snarfyguy]

Rudolph W. Giuliani, a lawyer for Trump, said Wednesday that the president was unaware of Cohen’s consulting agreements.

Okay then. Trump officially has Cohen at arm's length now. Even if that changes -- but I don't see how that could happen -- either a) Trump has to have been oblivious to Cohen's shenanigans, b) Trump has to hope there's no evidence of any benefit of Cohen's business campaign going to him, or c) there's some indeterminate, unsatisfying lack of an outcome. I GUESS what's unfortunate for Trump (or maybe it just plays to his strengths) is that he can't prove a negative, where the feds CAN prove a positive disposition of the issue.

I understand the bar of finding provable corruption of this type (which is showing actual quid-pro-quo transactional conduct) is pretty high, even leaving aside Mueller's/federal prosecutors in the S.D.N.Y.'s odds of getting the SCOTUS to green-light an indictment on a sitting president, so I'm not actually falling out of my chair just yet.

It does seem like things are coming to a head, but how long have we been saying that for?

[Snarfyguy]

I smear you. You smear me. We're a dysfunctional coun-ter-y …

Stormy Daniels' lawyer Michael Avenatti has some explaining to do…

After appearing on CNN 59 times to claim the moral high ground over President Trump's alleged decade-old affair with Daniels, skeletons in Avenatti's closet are now beginning to pour out.

Questions have emerged over who's funding Avenatti, how he was privy to Trump attorney Michael Cohen's bank records - and how exactly did he obtain banking transactions for two men also named Michael Cohen, who he wrongly accused in a seven-page "dossier" released this week.

https://www.zerohedge.com/news/2018-05- ... st-catches

Wow, I sure didn't see THAT coming!

Anyway, it's weird how pretty much everybody has by now accepted the idea that the president was the mark in various extortion schemes, yet the idea that he may be susceptible to blackmail is somehow unthinkable because... it implies the president did something wrong???

Devin Nunes is apparently okay with hush money for sex hookups, but at the same time the concept that some rogue entity may have undue leverage over Trump is unacceptable. How is it possible to hold both of those things to be true?

EDIT

Wait, this is from today, I guess:

"I talked to the President only one time about this and that was the first day it came out and he wasn't aware of that situation that now, I guess, the facts are getting a little contorted," Giuliani said when asked about Cohen's pitch and if the President knew about it.

So a possible backtrack is to sack Rudy.

https://www.cnn.com/2018/05/10/politics ... index.html

[Jimbo]

… Saudi Arabia's foreign minister announcing earlier that day that "his country stands ready to build nuclear weapons if Iran restarts its atomic weapons program."

(Press secretary) Sanders was asked by a reporter about the White House response to Saudi Arabia's brazen statement declaring itself willing to pursue nukes. The exchange is as follows:

QUESTION: Sarah, Saudi Arabia said that they would pursue a nuclear weapons program if Iran were to pursue a nuclear weapons program. Would they have the administration’s support in the event that that occurred?

MS. SANDERS: Right now, I don’t know that we have a specific policy announcement on that front, but I can tell you that we are very committed to making sure that Iran does not have nuclear weapons.

https://www.zerohedge.com/news/2018-05- ... nukes-iran

[Snarfyguy]

I know Stormy Daniel's lawyer is a major Showboat but still...

Don't overlook the fact that, for now, the venue here is the court of public opinion, in 2018. I guess you have to fight fire with fire. How can you begrudge him his theatrics in the age of Instagram and Twitter?

So now that the smoke has cleared (LOL), Cohen isn't likely to be charged for influence peddling, because the definition of the word "lobbying" got narrowed in some U.S. Supreme Court case that Baron probably knows about. But Avenatti hints that there's worse to come, and that it's going to come out incrementally.

I have to say I'm enjoying the cat-and-mouse game he's playing, suggesting he can take down the prez with info he's doling out piecemeal, challenging his adversaries to confess and surrender. He's really swinging for the fences.

[Snarfyguy]

When is Trump going to have had enough of Rudy running his mouth and going off-message on TV?

One day: "The president denied the [AT&T] merger."
The next day: "He told me directly he didn't interfere."

This is some spectacular ineptitude. How can it be that they can't get their story straight here?

[sloopjohnc]

I smear you. You smear me. We're a dysfunctional coun-ter-y …

Stormy Daniels' lawyer Michael Avenatti has some explaining to do…

After appearing on CNN 59 times to claim the moral high ground over President Trump's alleged decade-old affair with Daniels, skeletons in Avenatti's closet are now beginning to pour out.

Questions have emerged over who's funding Avenatti, how he was privy to Trump attorney Michael Cohen's bank records - and how exactly did he obtain banking transactions for two men also named Michael Cohen, who he wrongly accused in a seven-page "dossier" released this week.

https://www.zerohedge.com/news/2018-05- ... st-catches

He seemed a little too good to be true, and I am always suspicious of a person like that.

[Snarfyguy]

^^^ Consider the source. I'm not sure Zero Hedge is reputable, being notable for spouting Rothschild conspiracies (anti-Semitic dogwhistle) and the like. Also, consider that fact that the story (which I confess I haven't read) doesn't seem to be gaining any traction among respected news organs. Finally, keep in mind the sheer inevitability of personal/professional smears and attacks on Avenatti. Can't say this comes as a surprise.

Happy one yer anniversary of the Mueller investigation. The score stands at 21 indictments/guilty pleas.

https://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics ... grand-jury

[Jimbo]

I posted this comment on CN reacting to an article about how Europe will ultimately knuckle under Trump's will and cancel the Iran deal along with the US. https://consortiumnews.com/2018/05/12/t ... ent-324837

It’s coming more and more clear that Trump is a real O.G. and he does not give a fuck.

Declining US, I don’t think so. Military bases all over the world, top weapon systems, got weapons up in space, the US dollar still the only currency that matters. Sheeeit. Trump ain’t playing. Treaties, negotiations, compromises, that shit’s for pussies.

Might fucking work. Don’t like it? Lump it.

[BARON CORNY DOG]

Well, he certainly doesn’t give a fuck (as long as people are talking about him), I’ll give you that!

[Jimbo]

Well, he certainly doesn’t give a fuck (as long as people are talking about him), I’ll give you that!

At this rate those "people" better keep their traps shut.

Look how we trembled when North Korea brandished those missiles. Trump will take the same tack as Rocket Man and up it and like Crocodile Dundee will say to Putin or who the fuck ever, "You call that a missile? This is a missile."

Look how he's beating all those raps. He's getting better and better at this game. He's looking at his hand and he's holding a full house. What do the Democrats have, a pair of treys? Sheeeit.

[BARON CORNY DOG]

You’ve gone over the edge.
Which is saying something.

[naughty boy]

This makes a lot of sense (not especially new to most of us, I suspect):

[Sneelock]

He's getting better and better at this game. He's looking at his hand and he's holding a full house.

crazy talk.

when we say "the Bush Doctrine" you think of W. pulling out of the ABM treaties-unilateralism, pre-emptive strikes, doubling down military efforts in lost cause situations time and time again.

"Obama Doctrine" is shaping up to mean some things. among these -- selective down-sizing of "feet on the ground" (with increased privatization and drone strikes). more emphasis on problem areas. this emphasis would change (not very effectively) as the problems changed.

what will "the TRUMP Doctrine" mean? I'm sorry Jimbo, you really think the joke is on us and he's achieving goals? what goals might those be? it seems to me that a country kisses his ass then he loves them. If he has business concerns in their country (yes, RUSSIA) then he is especially pliant.

what the hell is the Trump Doctrine? whatever is good for trump's personal interests or strikes his fancy between breakfast and naptime. The idea that he's out thinking anybody makes me cough up blood laughing.