There’s no huge political story this morning, but I do have a selection of stories which we should keep our eyes on in the coming months. Last night, Politico dropped this fascinating story about how Donald Trump tried to work the phones to avoid the Senate passing that veto-proof Russian sanctions bill. Trump threw an absolute tantrum about signing it (it sat on his desk for six days), and as it turns out, he was just randomly calling up senators to whine about how the Russian sanctions hurt him and hurt his administration:
President Donald Trump privately vented his frustration over Russia-related matters with at least two other Republican senators this month, according to people familiar with the conversations — in addition to the president’s public admonishments of Mitch McConnell, John McCain and Jeff Flake. Trump expressed frustration over a bipartisan bill sanctioning Russia and tried to convince Senate Foreign Relations Chairman Bob Corker (R-Tenn.) that it wasn’t good policy, according to three people familiar with the call. Trump argued that the legislation was unconstitutional and said it would damage his presidency. Corker was unrelenting, these people said, and told Trump the bill was going to pass both houses with bipartisan support.
“He was clearly frustrated,” one person said of Trump’s call with Corker earlier this month. The bill cleared Congress overwhelmingly last month and Trump grudgingly signed it on Aug. 2.
Trump dialed up Sen. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.) on Aug. 7, two days before a blunt call with the Senate majority leader that spilled over into a public feud. Tillis is working with Sen. Chris Coons (D-Del.) on a bill designed to protect Robert Mueller, the independent counsel investigating the president’s Russia connections, from any attempt by Trump to fire him.
The Mueller bill came up during the Tillis-Trump conversation, according to a source briefed on the call — the latest signal of the president’s impatience with GOP senators’ increasing declarations of independence from his White House. Trump was unhappy with the legislation and didn’t want it to pass, one person familiar with the call said.
Trump’s chewing out of GOP senators, according to people briefed on the calls, reflected the president’s frustration that fellow Republicans would make moves that could damage him, particularly on an investigation that he detests. Trump also complained about the Russian sanctions measure in a call with McConnell earlier this month that devolved into shouting. The New York Times first reported that Trump discussed the Russia probe with McConnell.
“It seems he is just always focused on Russia,” one senior GOP aide said.
“It seems he is just always focused on Russia.” Duh. Trump’s allegiance is to Mother Russia and his bear boyfriend Vladimir Putin. Trump basically called up senators to whine about how mean they were being to a poor, murderous dictator. Plus, Trump knows how dirty he is in the treason sense – CNN just revealed that the current White House deputy chief of staff Rick Dearborn, who worked on Trump’s campaign, was acting a go-between to set up meetings between Trump officials and Vladimir Putin. Shocking, I know. Dearborn was also Jeff Sessions’ chief of staff, and Dearborn set up that infamous meetings between Jeff Sessions and Russian ambassador Sergey Kislyak. Someone get me five white boards and some string and let’s really figure out how all of these motherf–kers are connected.
Photos courtesy of Getty.
Dear Orange Voldy, the purpose of the statutes and regulations arising under the Constitution of the United States of America, the supreme law of the land and you shall put no laws before it, is to protect, support, and serve the United States of America and the people, all the people of those United States, not just you or your administration. This is not a monarchy. Don’t like it? Leave. I’m sure Putin will provide you with a nice duchy.
Lol at the “nice Duchy” comment. Putin will make DT Duke of Ufuckedupistan.
Lol, Rapunzel and lightpurple. I have to say it warms my heart that at least some people on both sides of the aisle are trying to uphold a semblance of checks and balances.
I’m also trying to uphold the distinct difference between “their” and “there” as in “their Afghanistan” and ” there was Afghanistan.”
Science envoy Dan Kammen has resigned. The first letters of every paragraph spell out IMPEACH, echoing the Arts and Humanities’ letter spelling RESIGN. Hahahaha. They loathe him.
http://twitter.com/drdenagrayson/status/900375380950777857
The letters killed me because it was just vague enough for people not to notice the pattern
@jerusha
That letter was beautiful to read. Has the GOP finally had it with this madman??? Every day I wake up praying this is the end. And heard this morning another Russian ambassador was found dead in his pool. What more will it take? I realize Robert Mueller has one shot at this, but Trump is wrecking havoc on this country. He is destroying marriages and families beyond repair. I will never look at my in laws the same way, and it’s really sad because they are kind decent people. I tell my kids they’ve been brainwashed by Fox News.
Orangino thought he can bully and yell until GOP will fall in line. The only problem is pols have huge egos and they don’t like this tactic. So I know this is only the beginning of GOP pushing back. About time!
Those letters are fantastic…and I just love the idea of them being preserved in an archive for future generations to see the clever shade.
Presidential library and archives!
OMG! Can you imagine the design of THAT place?
Me too. I love the little RESIST and IMPEACH hints.
Sometimes I get this out of body feeling when I think that this has all happened in less than a year and right now, after Charlottesville and everything that happened after, that the whole Russian treason mess now seems the least of what he’s doing.
The treason thing is what will take him down. The question is how far down will he drag us with him before he is gone?
I suspect money laundering is what will take him and the entire Trump organization down. If Manafort flips, its orange jump suits for all of them.
I agree Megan – just like trying to cheat the IRS, it’s always the money that brings them down. He has to have so many dirty deals, it’s probably even beyond Russia.
There is a huge story this morning, it broke last night. The WH has sent over it’s 2.5 page memo detailing how to get rid of transgendered form the military. And in true trump stle, he is passing the buck to Mattis to decide who goes, and no one who identifies as transgendered can join. Also, all medications are to stop immediately. But viagara!
it’s heartbreaking.
I came down to write this. This is actually a huge political story. He’s following through on his bigotry. How anyone can still support this fool is beyond me.
I’m not American, could you explain why do they need viagra in army?
ah, the 80 million dollar question!
A small percentage of prescriptions is for active servicemen with erectile dysfunction relating to PTSD, etc…
The vast majority (90%) are for the guys that previously served in the military, but still have their healthcare covered when they got old, fat and unhealthy. It doesn’t have to be a work-related condition.
In some case it is prescribed for those injured or where PTSD causes ED. I’d venture, though don’t know this for fact, the majority of the prescriptions and $$ spent on viagra is NOT because of injury/ptsd.
Um, probably it’s all the old generals that need it so they can keep up with the sweet young things they meet. 🙂
Also, since he is Commander-in-Chief of the armed services he would get his free!
Maybe he, his family and friends has stocks in the para company. Everything 45 supports there’s money in it for his family and friends.
He has been going to Mar a Lago almost every weekend, each time he’s there it cost the tax payers $3m per weekend. most of that money goes in his pocket because he charges the secret service to stay there and they have to rent golf carts to follow him around, ect. He’s making money hands over fist stealing from us.
Forget to mentioned that the government stop the SS from staying at Trump 5th ave building because they were being charged too much. Now they are staying at a cheaper hotel, in order to save the tax payer money. The man is a con 👨🎤, its all about money for him.
@B n A fn, IIRC, I read yesterday that every CHARITY event that takes place at Mar a Lago has profits up to $275,000. So they are losing big time with all the charities pulling out. Karma is rearing it’s ugly head.
Viagra can also be used for pulmonary hypertension. It’s my understanding that is what Viagra was originally for, but there’s bigger money to be made in the “side effects”.
Many men with diabetes also need help with viagra.
Allowing Viagra is once again a hypocracy in $ saving policy. ED meds are strongly linked to heart complications and therefore increase the users risk of hospital stays and additional medication (if not death).
Insurance coverage of Viagra will lead to more cost to the insurance company. But this policy has preventative meds thrown off. Not cost effective.
(I’m pro- insurance covering drugs, I’m just pointing out the obvious)
Trump thinks he is doing the military a “great favor” by banning transgender service members. We need new words because I cannot think of any existing words that effectively capture what a revolting piece of garbage he is.
Yeah, I’ve been listening to this story all morning and I’m with you. Every day just leaves me in utter disbelief. I KNOW I should know better and have zero expectations for anything reasonable from Trump but my brain can’t seem to get on board.
Someone needs to change this babyish man’s diaper, feed him a bottle, put a rattle in his tiny hand, remove him from the Oval Office and bring him to the nursery.
We need a responsible adult as our president, not a brat who has no idea what the hell he’s doing
Preach.
Give him a toy phone a dozen Big Macs and an ice cream cone when he gets to the nursery
. . . with two scoops of ice cream!
Yup another day, another Twitter meltdown for Orange Pig Vomit.
Please hurry up, Mueller, we are counting on you!!!!
Only if by “nursery” you mean “jail cell”.
While wearing orange prison jumpsuits, not cute baby onesies
Also- more evidence proving the validity of the Steele dossier is expected. Urine trouble, DT.
The Transgender ban will go to court and get thrown out.
And emails showing Sessions’s aide was trying to set up a direct meeting between Putin and Trump throughout 2016 with the removal of sanctions to be a topic of discussion.
Can this damage Bo Jeffrey? Please say Yes. He has to go too.
As will the denial of meds
He has no political finesse at all. No political skill. He is politically retarded. He has to be exhausting to try and work with, even if you are his most ardent supporter in Washington… all that pointless emotional reacting; all those needless tangents he goes off in.
Oh, I think it’s worse than that: I think he has a real personality disorder. Even bad people have the brains to learn from their mistakes. Since he never admits making mistakes, he can’t learn from them. He has the emotional landscape of a paranoid 12 year old. Only his money has kept him from the consequences. He could be learning a lot on the job – but he’s learning nothing, and that’s where the real problem is. That could turn out to be lucky for us: I think the GOP are panicking with the mid-terms coming up and are looking for ways to get rid of him.
He definitely has Narcissistic Personality Disorder probably coupled with Anti-social Personality Disorder aka sociopathy – lack of empathy and personal relationships unless they benefit him in some way. He has no remorse for screwing people over and saying offense sh*t. Couple that with the fact he has been a spoiled brat for the past 71 yrs of life, never worked a real day in his life and his low IQ and its a recipe for disaster. Its scary how uncharismatic he is and yet people blindly follow him anyways b/c of fear and racism.
I truly think he would have been screwed had he not been born into wealth.
If Trump isn’t a malignant narcissist, he certainly is doing an excellent imitation of one.
Dear Mr. Trump: Have you ever heard the expression: “What’s good for the goose is good for the gander”? Well, it means that everything that you called Hillary Clinton out for applies to you as well. It means that you are hypocritical lying snake. You Mr. Trump are the real snake not Taylor Swift.
Lol… he’s tweeting now. Blaming Mitch M and Paul R for screwing up debt ceiling issue. So when economy tanks it’ll be their fault.
GOP, That noise you hear is the bus running you over.
He also is retweeting racist anti-Obama crap and typed “their was Afghanistan.”
I actually cannot with that “eclipse” tweet someone just pointed out to me.
Like I get that some neckbeard tweeted it, but…he is the POTUS and he is retweeting stuff like that???
LMFAO. Yeah I saw that “their” tweet…quickly deleted.
Too bad because it was the first part of a threaded tweet and the suspense was killing me.
*eyeroll*
@kitten, not so quickly. It was up for over an hour.
I guess he must have skipped spelling classes while going to the best schools and getting the best education that he bragged about at the rally
Lindy, I agree. It’s one thing for regular people to tweet stuff like that, but anyone who is POTUS should be above that and act professionally.
With Harry and MM looking like a “go” I’m feeling wager-ish again (I’ve got $10 riding on that), and thinking of putting another tenner on the Donald not making it through this year without his own party figuring out a way to throw him under the bus. What does everyone think? Should I risk it?
Should bet on which happens first: MM & Harry engagement or Trump out of the White House (by whatever means it takes).
Don’t jinx us.
HE JUST RETWEETED THIS:
https://twitter.com/JerryTravone/status/900694348257517568
Before he corrects it.
Donald J. TrumpVerified account
@realDonaldTrump
Follow
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The Fake News is now complaining about my different types of back to back speeches. Well, their was Afghanistan (somber), the big Rally…..
He also said “to” not “too” in the second tweet ugh. SMDH.
The eclipse thing is hilarious cause it’s really an insult. Obama=sun and Trump=moon. So Trump is saying he’s a dumb rock that bring darkness. Sounds right.
That is pathetic on oh about a 1000 different levels.
I love the Twitter responses though. So good!
Hey Emperor Zero…
The Hound told me to tell you to stop whinging. He said if your lips are moving and you’re complaining, that’s whinging.
Your welcome,
Signed Everyone
BUT DEARBORN’S EMAILS!!!!
Obstruction of justice?
drump is the worst whiner.The only thing Scaramucci could point out about drYuriump’s accomplishments as president was that drump sacrificed so much for his country by giving up living in Drump Tower. Stephen Colbert told him “What has that got to do with anything. All presidents give up a private life.”
I’m sure drump reminds everyone ever day that he is the ultimate victim of everything.
Did he not say on Tuesday that he has a bigger home and better education than the reporters covering him. We all know he has the best words, covfefe, bigly, and I must not forget he must have went to Trump University, believe me.
drump really understands his job, doesn’t he. Brag about your vulgarian, hideous, gilded taste, and believe that your having a vocabulary of at most 50 words really puts journalists in their place.
God, he’s absolutely demented.
I wondered why my usually give-him-a-chance senator finally spoke up last week and questioned his temperament and ability. Now he’s been listed as one of several who got called and chewed out within recent weeks.
I hope these were middle of night calls, so these enablers fully get a dose of what has been heaped upon the masses.
Just saw this tweet from Stewart Stevens – Gone from Mexico will pay for the wall and I’ll save your Social security to You will pay for the wall or I’ll take your Social Security.
I have a feeling any federal case against Trump is going to be a long time coming, mostly because I get the sense that it goes far deeper than we could all imagine. I’m worried to think about what kind of insanity he pulls once he starts to feel the walls closing in.
Trump is scrambling to figure out how to thread the needle between Mueller putting him in prison and Putin assassinating him. SAD.
Just saw that the Hurricane Harvey could seriously impact the Texas coast. This administration is NOT at all prepared and I’m scared for the people that may endure more suffering due to the incompetence of Trump and Co.
Somebody needs to President Up.
It looks like Putin is using the King of Lies and Fake News to transform this country:
After news about people requesting to see the transcripts from the 10 hour hearing on the dossier broke, the WH released their guidelines on the Transgender ban.
A judge ordered DreamHost to hand over protester and website visitor information to the DOJ.
“The Fake News is now complaining about my different types of back to back speeches. Well, there was Afghanistan (somber), the big Rally…….(enthusiastic, dynamic and fun) and the American Legion – V.A. (respectful and strong). Too bad the Dems have no one who can change tones!”-Trump
This is where the press is wrong. The press is falsely spreading that there are 2 different Trumps, the teleprompter one and the “off-script” one. The King of Lies and Fake News isn’t going off-script, rogue, or ab libbing. This was evidenced by the fact that he walked up to the podium twice with notes in his pocket. I wish the press would take a moment to think and reflect, if talking about Charlottesville during in NY and then again in Az wasn’t apart of the script, then why would he have the notes in his pocket? These “off-script” moments are planned, especially when you realize that it’s Stephen Miller writing these speeches for him. If the press actually paid attention to the speeches they are labeling as “presidential” or teleprompter Trump, then they would see that that Miller inserts his WS ideals and ideas in the speech(it’s why some reporters said that they detected a dark vibe in the Poland speech and the speech to Congress). Think about how much Stephen Miller is enjoying playing with the press. Stephen Miller uses 2 speech modes, aggressive(what the press calls “off-script” Trump-Saturday Charlottesville,Tuesday Charlottesville, Boy Scouts, Az Rally) and passive aggressive(what the press calls “teleprompter Trump”-Poland, Congress, Afghanstan, Monday Charlottesville, Veterans yesterday). If the press had been paying attention they would have seen that the 3 speeches that The King of Lies and Fake News have on Charlottesville were all the same. He blamed the counter-protesters in all 3 speeches and in all 3 speeches he declared that he stood by what he said on Saturday. The difference between the 3 was the mode in which it was delivered. The 2nd speech that he gave on Monday was passive aggressive. The other 2 were aggressive. There aren’t 2 different King of Lies and Fake News, it’s just Stephen Miller messing with the press. It’s amazing that he gets away with things like this when it’s other people reciting his words.
It’s Thursday and the King of Lies and Fake News is having another meltdown.
“The only problem I have with Mitch McConnell is that, after hearing Repeal & Replace for 7 years, he failed!That should NEVER have happened!”-Trump
Didn’t the King of Lies and Fake News once say that only he can fix it and that he would have Obamacare repealed and replaced on day 1? Every time The King of Lies and Fake News claims that he can verbally attack Mitch because for 7 years he said repeal and replace, Mitch should retweet or recite The King of Lies and Fake News words about only he can fix it. I’m don’t feel story that The King of Lies and Fake News is verbally attacking Mitch M because when Mitch had a chance to stop him(when Obama went to about the Russian meddling, Mitch threw a fit and threatened to cause trouble), he did nothing. Now look where he is. Being publicly ridiculed every single day, some days it happens right in front of his wife.
“James Clapper, who famously got caught lying to Congress, is now an authority on Donald Trump. Will he show you his beautiful letter to me?”-Trump
He is so full of hypocrisy. The WaPo reported that The King of Lies and Fake News has told 1000 lies(5 lies/day) since January, but he wants to chastise Clapper about lying, especially after he used quotes from Clapper’s testimony in one of his speeches.
“I requested that Mitch M & Paul R tie the Debt Ceiling legislation into the popular V.A. Bill (which just passed) for easy approval. They……didn’t do it so now we have a big deal with Dems holding them up (as usual) on Debt Ceiling approval. Could have been so easy-now a mess!”-Trump
Does he even know what he is talking about? It’s scary what little he knows about being president, but what’s even scarier is how he doesn’t even bother to learn anything about what he is tweeting. Mitch and Ryan have no one to blame but themselves. They have had numerous attempts to stop The King of Lies and Fake News and they just sit there and let him verbally attack them.
Then his tweet about Obama was out of line. Why hasn’t The King of Lies and Fake News been banned yet? What’s the point in launching a campaign against bullies when they do nothing about the biggest bully, who just so happens to be the “president” as a result of our elections being rigged by a 3rd party?
Why?: help me here, I notice. 45 saying that the Republicans are not helping him to pass the bills he want to pass. Then he’s boasting he has done more than any other president in history, so which is it, they both can’t be right.
Btw: why are we supposed to pay for the border wall when he promised that Mexico will pay for the stupid wall.
I hope he’s ready for hurricane Harvey.
I saw that roger stone guy on tmz saying that if they try to impeach 45 there will be a civil war and their side has the weapons, so good to know that 45 and his goons are blackmailing the congress and senate to better not impeach him.