You know what worries me? This week, I’m worried about WHY the Rob Porter scandal is still clinging to the Trump administration like a fart in an elevator. The Bigly White House has endured a million scandals at this point, and it feels like the issue of “Donald Trump and his people are totally fine with men who beat women” doesn’t even really make the Top Ten list of massive f–kups. My concern is that the Rob Porter scandal is hanging around because Donald Trump is about to go on another firing binge and he’ll use the scandal as an excuse for firing chief-of-staff John Kelly and probably like ten people at DOJ. Of course, there’s always the possibility that the controversy is hanging around because these motherf–kers keep lying about it AND because Donald Trump refuses to go on the record about whether he thinks it’s a bad thing to beat your wife.
The White House struggled Tuesday to contain a widening crisis over its handling of domestic violence allegations against a senior official, as it reeled after sworn testimony by the FBI chief directly contradicted what President Trump’s aides had presented as the official version of events. FBI Director Christopher A. Wray told the Senate Intelligence Committee that the bureau had completed a background report on then-staff secretary Rob Porter last July and closed out the case entirely last month. Wray’s account is at odds with White House claims that the investigation required for Porter’s security clearance was “ongoing” until he left his job last week, after his two ex-wives publicly alleged physical and emotional abuse.
The latest bout of turbulence is exacerbated by the administration’s reputation, earned over 13 chaotic months, for flouting institutional norms and misrepresenting facts to the public — a culture set by the president himself. The public relations fallout is further compounded by Trump’s own history of alleged sexual assault and his seeming reluctance to publicly condemn violence against women and give voice to the national #MeToo reckoning.
Trump also ignored the questions asked of him about Rob Porter during a short Q&A session yesterday. Reportedly, Trump hasn’t expressed any sympathy (privately or publicly) for Rob Porter’s ex-wives, or any woman who is the victim of violence and abuse. Probably because Donald Trump brags about assaulting women and he’s still being accused of assaulting more than a dozen women too.
One of the women he did NOT assault? Stormy Daniels, who by her own account had consensual sex with Donald Trump a few times circa 2005. She told her story to the tabloids several times over the years, but during the 2016 election cycle, Trump’s people paid her to STFU. The issue was whether Trump used campaign funds to pay off a p0rn star. His lawyer Michael Cohen now claims that he (Cohen) paid Stormy with his own money. Huh.
President Donald Trump’s personal lawyer said Tuesday that he paid $130,000 of his own money to a porn star who allegedly had a sexual encounter with the President before his time in office.
“In a private transaction in 2016, I used my own personal funds to facilitate a payment of $130,000 to Ms. Stephanie Clifford,” Michael Cohen said in a statement. “Neither the Trump Organization nor the Trump campaign was a party to the transaction with Ms. Clifford, and neither reimbursed me for the payment, either directly or indirectly.”
Just weeks before the 2016 election, Cohen reportedly created a private LLC to pay Clifford, otherwise known as Stormy Daniels, following an alleged July 2006 encounter with Trump, The Wall Street Journal reported in January. The New York Times first reported that Cohen had said he made the payment himself. Following initial reports last month that Cohen had made the payment, he said in a statement that Trump “vehemently denies” any encounter between the two.
In January, the organization Common Cause filed complaints with the Federal Election Commission and the Justice Department, alleging that the reported payment to Clifford constituted a campaign finance violation. But on Tuesday, Cohen’s statement denied that accusation and said the monetary exchange was “lawful” and “not a campaign contribution.”
“The payment to Ms. Clifford was lawful, and was not a campaign contribution or a campaign expenditure by anyone,” Cohen said. Cohen also said he filed a reply with the FEC, but that filing will not be public until the agency has resolved the matter. When asked why he made the payment, Cohen told CNN: “Just because something isn’t true doesn’t mean that it can’t cause you harm or damage. I will always protect Mr. Trump.”
If you think the Stormy Daniels issue will be the undoing of our Dear Leader, then I have some news for you: this doesn’t even make the Top Ten list either. I mean, of course it’s shady and of course Donald Trump cheated on his third wife with a p0rn star (who reminded him of his daughter) and of course he paid her off to keep quiet. But this isn’t what will bring him down.
Photos courtesy of Getty.
Cool. Between this, the lack of sanctions on Russia and the proposed cuts to Medicare/aid, SNAP “blue apron” meals and cutting the loan forgiveness programs in prepared to say we aren’t coming back from this in my lifetime.
What makes the whole SNAP box meals so galling is it is just a way for this administration to give federal tax dollars to their shady contractor buddies, like the tiny company hired to rebuild PR’s electric grid who couldn’t complete it, or the one-woman show hired to send them meals who couldn’t complete it either.
What bothers me about the SNAP meals is that they will not take in to consideration any allergies (peanut, milk, etc) or those who have certain diseases such as celiac’s and Krohns that must restrict their diet from certain foods. Mostly will be cheese, powdered milk and peanut butter. There will be no fresh veggies, fruit, meat, etc.
Or the fact that even poor people like to choose the food they eat. I remember those government cheese slabs and blank cans of beans and corn quite well. We aren’t a starving country, this isn’t the Soviet Union. Let the poor people choose which food they want to buy with the measly amount of food stamp benefits they’re given.
@aenflex – totally agree.
Aside from being an obnoxious thing to do to fellow humans (which no GOPer or 45er will cop to) I don’t understand how it is logistically more cost effective to drive boxes of food to people than it is to have them go to the store. If they want to tighten up the rules on what people can buy, fine, whatever. That would be a first step, not this. I personally have no problem with my $36 annual contribution to the program buying someone a soda or chips or whatever BECAUSE BEING POOR SUCKS. YOU TAKE WHAT YOU CAN GET FOR 5 MINUTES OF NOT BEING MISERABLE. And, can I just say to all the people non-stop complaining about people getting “free” stuff and living off the government, if it’s so awesome and easy, feel free to be poor. Give away all your money and live off the government and HUD and SNAP if it’s so great. If you would rather have money, that’s your choice.
@frankly: EXACTLY how I feel. Whenever I hear people bitching about “their tax dollars going to feed poor people” I tell them their hair would stand on end if they knew about their tax dollars going to CORPORATE WELFARE and just how much THAT actually is.
With their mindset they feel like corporations earned it – someday they will be a rich corporation, too, if the poors will quit taking their money!
I forget where I read this about 45: He’s a poor man’s idea of a rich man.
When I was a kid WIC was delivered in boxes to our house. Peanut butter full of hydrogenated oils, processed cheese, sugary cereal, powdered milk. I assume they converted WIC to a card and allow people to shop for themselves because it is more cost effective, and while WIC purchases are restricted, people now have some leeway in what they buy. No one is mentioning that this has been tried before, and for whatever reason changed to the current system. I realize WIC and SNAP are separate programs but they are close enough for this to be relevant.
Well said.
What makes me upset about these the proposed SNAP changes is that these same Republicans were upset about Michelle Obama’s GetActivie and eat healthy initiatives, especially the school lunch guidelines. Yet, are happy to tell “the poors” what they can and can’t eat. Hypocritical and disgusting.
@Nicole, sadly, I’m with you. Every shred of hope I have is gone. I also don’t see any way that we come back from this in my lifetime.
I hoped for so long that sanity would prevail, but it just keeps getting worse every day.
I’ve never felt like this over a President, and I lived through W. And I really couldn’t stand him. But this animal has affected my mental health. Every day I see and hear his stupid bellowing face, this threats, his constant punching down. Of course he can’t say you shouldn’t beat women, he beat up and raped his first wife Ivana. And it’s been obvious from the start that Melania flinches if he touches her. So who knows the full story there.
I have such contempt for the people who voted for this animal, for the people, including WOMEN, who support him still. I feel like I’m going to choke on it. And I don’t really know if this is going to end. I feel like this is never going to end.
Oh Darla, I’m right there with you. It has affected my mental health that someone so horrible can be completely unchecked. Nothing sticks to him. Yesterday on NPR, a poll showed that his support is still just as strong in my state (NC). People have be trained to believe anything they don’t want to hear are just lies from the “liberal media.” It’s truly sickening.
I know, that fake news bs right? It’s like knocking your head against the wall, they’re brainwashed. But this, I really hesitate to call him a man, is just so awful, so cruel, such a bully, and even IMO, a sadist. I just can’t take it. But I have to. I fantasize about moving. You know, leaving the country. I see people mocking those like me who say they want to move to Canada. But that’s all I have, that fantasy that I could still get out if God forbid he should serve another term.
Darla,
I totally agree with you. It is depressing to the point where it is hard for me to think about friends who voted for him in the same way. I turn off the news whenever Trump is mentioned.
I just feel like we are in a nightmare that never ends. So depressing!
It would only end if Republicans said “Enough” and stood up to him, but none of them have showed even a remote interest in growing a spine. It is appalling.
Yes, me too. The worst part is that this shouldn’t even be partisan, treason isn’t partisan. But conservatives keep gaslighting us and it’s so atrocious. Stay strong and disengage when you need to. I’ve started posting my art on Instagram as a way of forcing myself off bad news (and also hopefully get commissions at some point, lol). Take care of yourself.
I don’t support the death penalty for murder, but it turns out I do for treason. It’s such an enormous betrayal of all our values.
My anti-depressants and anti-anxiety meds had to be slightly increased in 2017. And now I’m practicing meditation every single day. It’s helping.
Just my way of saying I get it.
Anastasia: do you have any advice for someone who is a complete newbie to meditation, but wants to start? Thank you!
Trump won’t say that it is wrong to beat one’s wife because he sees no problem with beating women. It is that simple.
And I’m fed up with the likes of Kellyanne Conway and Sarah Huckabee Sanders being sent out to defend that position. Not just with their willingness to do it but the view that if they send out a woman to defend it, people will accept it.
And I pray that every American athlete at the South Korea Olympics boycotts Princess Nagini.
It’s like his racism. He knows he’s supposed to think it’s wrong, but he doesn’t. So he dissembles.
I wish they’d do an eleven hour style grilling of this clown. You know he’d go all Jack Nicholson in A Few Good Men. “You’re gosh darn right I ordered the code red!”
And because the people who voted for him feel oppressed if they can not longer be racist and sexist.
He must be paying his lawyer one hell of a retainer, is all I have to say. As far as everything else, well….nothing surprises me anymore about our POS President and his POS Administration. Not to mention the morally corrupt GOP that stands idly by and does nothing.
Yes, another version of a series of lies. baby fists’ lawyers took a while to think this lie up because they “honestly” don’t see anything wrong with using campaign money to pay off porn stars. But the porn star is the least of his crimes.
The rot in this administration does make one ill as baby fists always looks perfectly content to sit in his filth.
Its not all that uncommon. Wrong, but not uncommon. A lawyer pays out of pocket for something messy… the client pays an astronomically high fee to the lawyer, who has incredibly high costs. Technically then the client never gave the complainant any money at all. Its a form of money laundering if I am reading all the rules and laws aright… but when has a little thing like that bothered Trump?
Mango Mussolini’s finances are a multi-layered shady mess, and we already know they launder money through their charities (like Don Jr.) That is a rotten onion that needs to be peeled back until we figure out exactly how much in debt he really is, and to whom.
I predict this is what will really bring him down, a debt gone bad. I just remind myself that what got Al Capone in the end was the IRS.
The thing that scares me the most though about his downfall is starting to wonder just how much that downfall might have been the ultimate plan all along. There is no way Pence could have won the election… but Trump goes, by either health issues, impeachment, etc and he steps handily into the center of the storm. On the one hand, saying that makes me feel like I should be fashioning myself a tin foil hat first but on the other… his insanity and rash actions, so many even against his own partyline have started making things feel like he never intended to stick around all that long and is just laying groundwork for his leaving. How grateful will we all be to see Trump gone? How willing to overlook extreme conservative ‘family’ values (she said with a groan) will people be if it means he (Trump) is gone? If we stop hemorrhaging money and get back to even just a vague sense of being on a more even keel as opposed to whatever craziness Trump comes up with next, what kind of social re-engineering will be tolerable to a desperate nation? It is all so very scary and doesn’t seem like much good is to be seen anywhere. And with THAT depressing statement, I’m going to go hug a cat while listening to a Terry Pratchett audiobook until my depression lifts at least a little for the day.
There might also be wine and chocolate involved. And yes, I’m aware it isn’t even 10am yet. I swear, this whole mess is going to render me obese and a drunk before it’s all over. The stress already has kicked off epilepsy in me! (As good an explanation as any to a sudden surreal diagnosis.)
For a man who lies so gleefully, I don’t get why he won’t lie to cover his ass in these instances.
The only answer is that he so vehemently believes big, smart, strong men NEED to beat on women sometimes (for their own gpod!) that he won’t risk losing favor with the toxic one dimensional militant manly men by saying otherwise. Even for self preservation.
Pride and crazy goeth before the bigly fall.
Come on bigly fall.
“Pride and Crazy” could be the name of the eventual movie on this bigly mess.
If there was no encounter between Trump and Stormy then why the payout. Think this may also be hanging because of DACA. McConnell said they would only take a week to debate it. Therefore just about guaranteeing no agreement.
I can’t watch him anymore, but then I think that by ignoring Cheeto and his minions, I’m playing right into their game plan. So I take a pill, and watch BLOTUS destroy this country, all the while cursing the Republican Party.
Rotting in hell is not enough to wish on Ryan, McConnell, et al, so perhaps on this Ash Wednesday, may those without a conscious or sense of decency suddenly find their way back to being patriots, and put country over party.
Oh it is Ash Wednesday!
It’s very optimistic of you, but until rank and file are shown the level of Russia involvement in their “news” sources, the level of reward the elected GOP got, and until the media (one begins to wonder if the media owners are a bunch of Russian spies, too, with as bad a job as they’ve done in covering most of this) starts telling the truth, as close as they can manage. Real truth.
I’m revolted by this administration. Scandal after scandal. Who can still support him? These are the same people who relentlessly attacked the first black family. Where is the Christian outrage here? I am disgusted by every single person who made this administration possible. Those who voted for him and those who didn’t vote.
I am revolted too and not even a US citizen. The whole situation to me, as an outsider, screams “Soviet intervention”. Fake news = propaganda = brainwashing 2.0 or 3.0, I can’t decide, now that social media has so much power. And I feel more than embarrassed and sad at the same time for all those good US citizens. In case my theory is correct, Russia has the US on its knees, for all the world to see. And gawd knows what happens behind closed doors, if what is visible is so gross and outrageous and revolting and f**ked up.
Not to diminish the clown car that is the WH, but another massive story hit town yesterday when the heads of the IC met in open (and then closed) session with Senators yesterday.
It is imperative that you tell all of your peeps to register to vote for the midterms in 2018. And for the love of all things sane, please do not fall for the predators on social media who will stick Russian talking points into their links/feeds/comments.
This is because Emperor Zero, according to CURRENT IC members has asked them to do absolutely zero to combat Russian interference in the next election. Imagine a President unwilling to combat interference since becoming aware of it August 2016 (before the election)? And not enacting a sanctions package passed in congress 517-9? That’s where we are.
Emperor baby fists’ collusion with Putin and his bots is horribly disturbing and undeniable given his public encouragement to Russia to interfere with our elections and his family’s desperate need for Putin money.
The despicable Republicans are allowing it for their short term but lucrative financial gains by way of the evil Mercers and Kochs.
Eric, those are two of the most important headlines of the week.
I wish the media would just play those two topics non-stop and ignore the latest tweet or timeline regarding the circus’ most recent internal failure. Sometimes the media plays right into this “reality show” mentality.
That is terrifying and so very, very telling. He just wears his corruption on his sleeve, and people laugh uncomfortably and do nothing about it.
SHAME on House and Senate GOP members who have looked the other way on this corruption because of their $$$$ interests.
Has anyone noticed something very interesting? Every time Bigly Screws up, there’s a negative story about the Obama administration posted on the DailyFail. Old scandals That aren’t really scandals get dragged in the name of misdirection and deflection. This cannot be coincidence. Someone in right wing media is specifically doing Bigly’s business. This frightens me.
Yes … I’ve noticed. I’m also wondering how Fox “news” gets away with its antics. That’s why we’ve got Earth 1 and Earth 2. Shouldn’t their media license be pulled by now? Who the heck regulates these things. It’s disturbing.
Fox News is licensed as entertainment, not news. It’s how they get away with a great deal.
Trump is wise enough to comprehend that saying a single word on behalf of women and giving them any credibility whatsoever will open the floodgates to his very own terrible behaviour towards certain woman. It’s simple to extrapolate: If Porter’s accusers are telling the truth then surely Trump’s accusers are also telling the truth. It’s the same mindset as the Russia “thing” where he can never admit Russia rigged the election on his behalf because he’s afraid it will effectively go towards exposing his own complicity in that very same rigging. I blame the voters for putting this inept person into office, especially the white women who STILL are his enablers.
I’m actually surprised the Stormy Daniels thing got as much press as it did. Like, we’re a year into this nightmare and THAT still qualifies as a scandal? Okay.
And unfortunately, his wife beater buddy is barely making a ripple either. 45 isn’t commenting because he knows ultimately, he doesn’t really have to. His base and the GOP already know his attitude towards women and they don’t care. They’ll vote for him over and over again.
Eventually he’ll do something stunningly sh*tty to retaliate for people annoying him about this and then we’ll move on to the next thing.
I think these issues aren’t as important on the surface level as they are on a deeper level.
The Stormy Daniels thing isn’t important because he cheated on his wife, it’s important because big secrets can be used as leverage for blackmail.
The Porter thing is important because it brings attention to the fact that there are SO MANY people working in the White House without proper security clearance (like Kushner, among dozens of others). People aren’t denied security clearance because they smoked pot in college, it is denied for legitimate reasons. Once again, if something can be used against you for blackmail, you don’t (or in this case “shouldn’t”) get access to highly sensitive and confidential information.
Who are these lawyers??? I work in a big law firm, I worked for one of the senior partners. I got squeamish when he represented a client whose business practices I didn’t agree with (I’m talking global players). BUT there was none of this sh*t. There are standards. Reputations. And nobody believes that he paid this sum out of the goodness of his heart. Bitch, please. You were paid. That money was not technically yours, it came from Trump. Even if he didn’t send you a cheque that said “Please pay off the porn star.”
right??? who is this lawyer? and why is he sacrificing his career for this loser trump?
mafia lawyer
I don’t get it. Cohen the lawyer said he used his personal funds to pay her off, and that he did not receive any compensation from Trump. How does it work? What’s in it for Cohen? Over inflated legal fees for Trump to make up for that amount?
Hi, SoulSPA, Another lie that just happened to appear weeks after the story. It reeks of their realizing they better address something they did illegally because it’s going to come out in the press. So my guess is that it’s from his campaign funds. baby fists stole money (suprise!) to pay the lawyer.
this is SO GROSS. The lawyer and Trump think with the lawyer paying her with his own money that the American people can’t see exactly what happened here. Such a JOKE.
Between this and my boyfriend of 4 years doing nothing for valentines day after 4 years together, i’m officially wearing all black today to mourn the death of any hope I had for humanity
Lol don’t worry my husband of ten years did nothing too…
But my friend sent me an email valentine so there’s that
thanks for that. i’m glad i’m not the only one today!!!! my 2 year old nephew presented me with a half chewed candy bracelet for V-day so I’ve got that. i’ve probably caught his cold now but it’s the thought that counts. My 2 year old can figure that out but somehow this evades my 40 year old boyfriends mind. UGH
i’m wearing all black today, smoking cigarettes and eating cheetos in protest of all the A DOUBLE SS holes in the world
Because he’s a wife beater himself.
Here’s what I would find absolutely DELIGHTFUL: If articles about the orange anus’s BS shenanigans could be posted here WITHOUT photos of his stupid face and dumb hand gestures. I love your commentary, but I just cannot deal with looking at him any more than necessary. It fills me with hatred, nausea, and anger.
Pipe dreams, I know.
duplicate
So…his attorney freely admits that he made the payment to Stormy Daniels, but doesn’t think people will ask why? Morons. The lot of them.
Trump is a monster who has abused untold numbers of women, probably many of them underage. Old news–like from the 1980s old. I saw that Stormy Daniels is taking her strip show on the road–wonder if he’s financing that to gin up distractions from his crimes? The Senate Intelligence Committee testimonies made it clear that every agency we have is basically in agreement that Trump has sold out to Putin and many GOP are in on it. The clock is ticking. I think the agencies are slicing and dicing how to take him down before he starts a shooting war and blocks Russian sanctions for good. Time for the DOJ and state AGs to step up with the handcuffs. In the meantime, paper ballots are our friend!
I’m always sad to see this guys mug on this site every week.
A top story on the BBC yesterday: Stormy’s manager said that now that Don the Con’s lawyer talked about the NDA, she is free to talk about what happened. Wow. Of course that I don’t know about that NDA outside what’s been written/talked about but oh gawdy, I’d be happy to hear some tea.
It’s all worse than we had thought. Total madness. Trump is ignorantly and effectively trolling us and he is still a sitting POTUS.
Remember those memes…
2016 Trump won’t win.
2017 President Trump can’t do that, right?
2018 you guys watching the hunger games tonight? I hope my district wins.
And we all laughed. It was so outrageous and funny. And seriously. This is real life.