TVTropes Now available in the app store!
Open

Follow TV Tropes

Following

The General US Politics Thread

Go To

Nov 2023 Mod notice:


There may be other, more specific, threads about some aspects of US politics, but this one tends to act as a hub for all sorts of related news and information, so it's usually one of the busiest OTC threads.

If you're new to OTC, it's worth reading the Introduction to On-Topic Conversations and the On-Topic Conversations debate guidelines before posting here.

Rumor-based, fear-mongering and/or inflammatory statements that damage the quality of the thread will be thumped. Off-topic posts will also be thumped. Repeat offenders may be suspended.

If time spent moderating this thread remains a distraction from moderation of the wiki itself, the thread will need to be locked. We want to avoid that, so please follow the forum rules when posting here.


In line with the general forum rules, 'gravedancing' is prohibited here. If you're celebrating someone's death or hoping that they die, your post will get thumped. This rule applies regardless of what the person you're discussing has said or done.

Edited by Mrph1 on Nov 30th 2023 at 11:03:59 AM

RedSavant Since: Jan, 2001
#243851: May 29th 2018 at 6:19:31 PM

A class Roseanne and many people like her evidently failed in the first day.

It's been fun.
LSBK Since: Sep, 2014
#243852: May 29th 2018 at 6:20:41 PM

Apparently they're pulling all reruns of the season as well.

PhysicalStamina i'm tired, my friend (4 Score & 7 Years Ago) Relationship Status: Coming soon to theaters
i'm tired, my friend
#243853: May 29th 2018 at 6:22:51 PM

Kind of reminds me of that cartoon Allen Gregory where it only lasted for a few episodes because the premise of the show was simply too appalling.

Still doesn't top Heil Honey I'm Home!, which was pulled during the pilot.

i'm tired, my friend
RainingMetal (Handed A Sword) Relationship Status: THIS CONCEPT OF 'WUV' CONFUSES AND INFURIATES US!
#243854: May 29th 2018 at 6:33:44 PM

DC not being part of any state was really baffling, considering it's a nation capital. I'd merge it with Maryland or Virginia if I had my way, just to get rid of this confusing thing.

ASAB: All Sponsors Are Bad.
DingoWalley1 Asgore Adopts Noelle Since: Feb, 2014 Relationship Status: Can't buy me love
Asgore Adopts Noelle
#243855: May 29th 2018 at 6:36:33 PM

[up] The reason the Capital is separate from a State is because if a State got the Capital, that State would get top priority over every other State (considering that would be the State that had 500+ Politicians living in it). If our Capital was still New York City, it would be a lot bigger, and richer, then it is even now, as would all of New York.

The DC area was picked as a compromise between the Northerners and Southerners during the Washington-Adams era; it's pretty much right in the middle of the 13 Colonies.

edited 29th May '18 6:37:29 PM by DingoWalley1

Parable Since: Aug, 2009
#243856: May 29th 2018 at 6:43:22 PM

Apparently President James Madison did the math later on and discovered the closest thing to the center of the United States at the time was Mount Vernon, go figure.

Putting the capital outside an existing state/city did make sense at the time. And if you look at how much of the French Revolution was decided because the mobs in Paris forced the government to do this or that, it was a pretty good decision in hindsight.

megaeliz Since: Mar, 2017
#243857: May 29th 2018 at 7:08:34 PM

Trump Asked Sessions to Retain Control of Russia Inquiry After His Recusal

WASHINGTON — By the time Attorney General Jeff Sessions arrived at President Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort for dinner one Saturday evening in March 2017, he had been receiving the presidential silent treatment for two days. Mr. Sessions had flown to Florida because Mr. Trump was refusing to take his calls about a pressing decision on his travel ban.

When they met, Mr. Trump was ready to talk — but not about the travel ban. His grievance was with Mr. Sessions: The president objected to his decision to recuse himself from the Russia investigation. Mr. Trump, who had told aides that he needed a loyalist overseeing the inquiry, berated Mr. Sessions and told him he should reverse his decision, an unusual and potentially inappropriate request.

Mr. Sessions refused.

The confrontation, which has not been previously reported, is being investigated by the special counsel, Robert S. Mueller III, as are the president’s public and private attacks on Mr. Sessions and efforts to get him to resign. Mr. Trump dwelled on the recusal for months, according to confidants and current and former administration officials who described his behavior toward the attorney general.

The special counsel’s interest demonstrates Mr. Sessions’s overlooked role as a key witness in the investigation into whether Mr. Trump tried to obstruct the inquiry itself. It also suggests that the obstruction investigation is broader than it is widely understood to be — encompassing not only the president’s interactions with and firing of the former F.B.I. director, James B. Comey, but also his relationship with Mr. Sessions.

Investigators have pressed current and former White House officials about Mr. Trump’s treatment of Mr. Sessions and whether they believe the president was trying to impede the Russia investigation by pressuring him. The attorney general was also interviewed at length by Mr. Mueller’s investigators in January. And of the four dozen or so questions Mr. Mueller wants to ask Mr. Trump, eight relate to Mr. Sessions. Among them: What efforts did you make to try to get him to reverse his recusal?

The president’s lead lawyer in the case, Rudolph W. Giuliani, said that if Mr. Trump agreed to answer the special counsel’s questions — an interview is the subject of continuing negotiations — he should not be forced to discuss his private deliberations with senior administration officials. Talking about the attorney general, Mr. Giuliani argued, would set a bad precedent for future presidents

Mr. Giuliani said that he had not discussed Mr. Sessions’s recusal with Mr. Trump but that a request that Mr. Sessions reassert control over the Russia investigation would be within the bounds of the president’s authority.

“‘Unrecuse’ doesn’t say, ‘Bury the investigation.’ It says on the face of it: Take responsibility for it and handle it correctly,” Mr. Giuliani said on Tuesday evening.

A Justice Department spokeswoman declined to comment.

To the president, no decision has proved more devastating during his time in office than Mr. Sessions’s recusal. In Mr. Trump’s view, Mr. Sessions, who had been one of his closest political allies and earliest prominent supporter in Washington, never would have appointed a special counsel, as the deputy attorney general, Rod J. Rosenstein, did last May after the president abruptly fired Mr. Comey.

Before the recusal, the president and his attorney general were friends, often sharing meals and talking on the phone. Today, they rarely speak outside of cabinet meetings, current and former White House officials and others briefed on their relationship said. They even flew separately in March from Washington to the same event in New Hampshire. Mr. Trump complains to friends about how much he would like to get rid of Mr. Sessions but has demurred under pressure from Senate Republicans who have indicated they would not confirm a new attorney general.

Because of his recusal, Mr. Sessions has been mostly absent from the president’s ire toward the investigation and the Justice Department. He has enforced Mr. Trump’s agenda more successfully than perhaps any cabinet member, imposing conservative policies on immigration and violent crime that are popular with Mr. Trump’s core supporters.

Pressure on Mr. Sessions to step aside from the Russia investigation began building almost as soon as he took office, culminating in a Washington Post report on March 1 that he had not been forthcoming during his Senate confirmation hearing about his contacts with Russian officials during the campaign. Career lawyers at the Justice Department had advised Mr. Sessions to step aside, citing ethics guidelines about impartiality and his role as a prominent supporter of the Trump campaign.

Mr. Trump immediately recognized the potential effect of a recusal. He had his White House counsel, Donald F. Mc Gahn II, lobby Mr. Sessions to retain oversight of the inquiry.

To Justice Department officials close to Mr. Sessions, the request by the president made through Mr. Mc Gahn was inappropriate, particularly because it was clear to them that Mr. Sessions had to step aside. After Mr. Sessions told Mr. Mc Gahn that he would follow the Justice Department lawyers’ advice to recuse himself from all matters related to the election, Mr. Mc Gahn backed down. Mr. Sessions recused himself on March 2.

When Mr. Trump learned of the recusal, he asked advisers whether the decision could be reversed, according to people briefed on the matter. Told no, Mr. Trump argued that Eric H. Holder Jr., President Barack Obama’s first attorney general, would never have recused himself from a case that threatened to tarnish Mr. Obama. The president said he expected the same loyalty from Mr. Sessions.

Some people close to the president have said privately that they believed the recusal was overly broad and done too hastily in the middle of public scrutiny over Mr. Sessions’s congressional testimony.

The day after the recusal, as the president prepared to travel to Florida, Mr. Trump was seen through the windows of the Oval Office by news cameras, gesticulating angrily as he argued with top advisers who had gathered to determine how to go forward with the travel ban, which had been blocked by a federal judge. Justice Department officials had concluded the policy must be withdrawn and revised, a move that Mr. Trump was resisting because he thought it was watered down.

But, preoccupied with Mr. Sessions’s decision and determined to find a way forward, he spent the first 10 minutes of the meeting venting about it, a former White House official said.

The meeting ended without a resolution about the travel ban. And after Mr. Trump flew to Florida, his advisers decided that the only way to get the president’s signoff to revise the immigration order — a time-sensitive matter because of pending litigation — would be to dispatch the attorney general to Mr. Trump’s Palm Beach, Fla., retreat, to implore him in person, the current and former administration officials said.

It was at Mar-a-Lago the next evening that Mr. Trump brought up the Russia investigation with Mr. Sessions and asked him to change his mind about stepping aside, the people said.

Prosecutors rarely go back on recusals. Legal experts said that occasionally, prosecutors who handed off a case to colleagues over concerns about a possible financial conflict of interest would take the decision back after confirming none existed. But the experts said they could think of no instance in which a prosecutor stepped aside from a case in circumstances similar to Mr. Sessions’s. Justice Department guidelines on recusal are in place to prevent the sort of political meddling the president tried to engage in, they said.

“It’s yet more behavior that tramples on the line between law and politics,” said Samuel W. Buell, a professor of law at Duke University and former federal prosecutor.

As the months wore on, Mr. Trump returned again and again to the recusal.

In July, he told The New York Times that he never would have nominated Mr. Sessions if he had known that Mr. Sessions would not oversee the Russia investigation. Two days later, a Washington Post report about Mr. Sessions’s campaign discussions with Russia’s ambassador sent Mr. Trump into another rage. Aboard Marine One that Saturday, the president told his chief of staff, Reince Priebus, to get Mr. Sessions to resign by the end of the weekend, according to a person briefed on the conversation.

Unnerved and convinced the president wanted to install a new attorney general who could oversee the Russia investigation, Mr. Priebus called Mr. Sessions’s chief of staff at the time, Jody Hunt, who said that the president would have to ask Mr. Sessions himself to resign. Unsure how to proceed, Mr. Priebus simply waited out the president, who never called Mr. Sessions but did attack him that week on Twitter.

Attorney General Jeff Sessions has taken a VERY weak position on Hillary Clinton crimes (where are E-mails & DNC server) & Intel leakers!

Days later, Mr. Priebus was out as chief of staff. The special counsel has told the president’s lawyers that he wants to ask Mr. Trump about those discussions with Mr. Priebus and why he publicly criticized Mr. Sessions.

Mr. Trump brought up the recusal again with associates later last year, expressing a desire for Mr. Sessions to reassert control over an investigation that has since resulted in the indictment of his former campaign chairman and guilty pleas by two other campaign aides and his former national security adviser.

edited 29th May '18 7:14:23 PM by megaeliz

Wariolander Since: Nov, 2017
#243858: May 29th 2018 at 7:13:40 PM

[up][up] Nebraska is the center now, but nobody cares/talks about them. The Dakotas are talked about more than Nebraska, yet Nebraska is different than the rest of the US in several ways, particularly in it's legislature.

RedSavant Since: Jan, 2001
#243859: May 29th 2018 at 7:15:23 PM

Wow. That Sessions thing sounds big.

It's been fun.
DingoWalley1 Asgore Adopts Noelle Since: Feb, 2014 Relationship Status: Can't buy me love
Asgore Adopts Noelle
#243860: May 29th 2018 at 7:26:02 PM

[up] Shame, then, that Sessions' is as loyal to Trump as anyone can be. Even with the cold shoulder, Sessions isn't going to abandon Trump. Unless Mueller can find a crime to potentially flip Sessions with, and even then he might go down with the ship (like Manafort) instead of squeal on Trump.

Heck, it might be dangerous to even try anything with Sessions; he is the current Attorney General, and he can de-recuse himself (even though that would be a massive red flag and danger to our society)...

megaeliz Since: Mar, 2017
#243861: May 29th 2018 at 7:28:40 PM

[up] No, as much as I dislike Sessions, I don't think he would do that. The Special Counsel is already investigating that, and since Sessions was already interviewed, he almost certainly told him, although he may have heard about it from others beforehand.

[up][up] It's yet another smoking gun that points to obstruction of Justice. Maybe they're trying to make a smoke signal?

1. in March, Sessions went to Mar-a-Lago bc Trump hadn't been answering his calls re: travel ban for two days. At that point Trump was ready to talk: to BERATE Sessions about his decision to recuse from Russia investigation and ask him to REVERSE his decision. Sessions refused.

2. As one can easily imagine, Mueller found out (how did he find out? From Sessions, clearly) and he is obviously investigating the confrontation. Together with the fact Trump tried to pressure Sessions for a LONG time.

3. "Mr. Trump dwelled on the recusal for months, according to confidants and current and former administration officials who described his behavior toward the attorney general.". NOO who knew? His tweets didn't indicate ANY such dwelling. LOL.

4. "The special counsel’s interest demonstrates Mr. Sessions’s overlooked role as a key witness in the investigation into whether Mr. Trump tried to obstruct the inquiry itself." One would think. And there's more to this. But let's leave it for later.

5. "It also suggests that the obstruction investigation is broader than it is widely understood to be — encompassing not only the president’s interactions with and firing of the former F.B.I. director, James B. Comey, but also his relationship with Mr. Sessions." Um, yeah.

6. I mean we only got half a dozen reports on Mueller asking about Trump's state of mind toward Sessions, and that was also part of the leaked questions, but hey... who would have thought? /sarcasm

8. Since Sessions himself was questioned in January this year, I think it's safe to say that, considering he was wise and refused to reverse his recusal, he told Mueller everything. Bc this makes Trump look VERY bad and it makes Jeffie look good, if anything.

9. Now for the comic part: NYT quotes Giuliani (I know, I know) as saying "“‘Unrecuse’ doesn’t say, ‘Bury the investigation.’ It says on the face of it: Take responsibility for it and handle it correctly." PLEASE. LOL. This is bad even for Giuliani. Bet Mueller is all: 😂😂😂

10. "Mr. Trump complains to friends about how much he would like to get rid of Mr. Sessions but has demurred under pressure from Senate Republicans who have indicated they would not confirm a new attorney general." Translation: Graham & Burr told Trump: don't even THINK about it.

11. Mc Gahn's name immediately came to mind, and I'm glad the NYT mentions at this point that Trump asked Mc Gahn to lobby Sessions to retain oversight of the Russia case. Bc Mc Gahn had a TWO DAY chit chat, interrupted by the Flynn news, with Mueller. And rest assured he SANG.

12. "The day after the recusal, as the president prepared to travel to Florida, Mr. Trump was seen through the windows of the Oval Office by news cameras, gesticulating angrily" bc he was venting over Sessions, per sources. Isn't that image the EVERYDAY case for l'enfant orange?

13. What the NYT is reporting about Priebus (see below) is shocking for how servile and utterly incompetent Priebus was. Really, you don't know how any of this works and you don't immediately understand it's obstruction and you "wait out Trump"? Amazing.

Aboard Marine One that Saturday, the president told his chief of staff, Reince Priebus, to get Mr. Sessions to resign by the end of the weekend, according to a person briefed on the conversation.

Unnerved and convinced the president wanted to install a new attorney general who could oversee the Russia investigation, Mr. Priebus called Mr. Sessions’s chief of staff at the time, Jody Hunt, who said that the president would have to ask Mr. Sessions himself to resign. Unsure how to proceed, Mr. Priebus simply waited out the president, who never called Mr. Sessions but did attack him that week on Twitter.

14. Days later, Priebus was out as Chief of Staff. I laughed when I read this, I actually did. What did Priebus expect the outcome would be? HOW did he get into this without having the faintest idea on how to operate AND without having the spine for it? The mind boggles.

15. In essence, Mueller has not just Comey, but SESSIONS,too, for indisputable evidence of obstruction of justice. I am waiting for Jeffie to drop the mask, and that will be the climax of Act 3. Then we'll proceed on to Act 4: the demise of Trump. Stay tuned. /END

[1]

edited 29th May '18 7:32:45 PM by megaeliz

MorningStar1337 The Encounter that ended the Dogma from 🤔 Since: Nov, 2012
The Encounter that ended the Dogma
#243862: May 29th 2018 at 8:26:46 PM

Would making the District of Columbia a City-of-London-esque state within a state solve any issues associated with it being a territory or other non-state entity in the US?

edited 29th May '18 8:34:04 PM by MorningStar1337

PhysicalStamina i'm tired, my friend (4 Score & 7 Years Ago) Relationship Status: Coming soon to theaters
i'm tired, my friend
#243863: May 29th 2018 at 8:28:55 PM

Would that make us like Baltimore or Alexandria?

i'm tired, my friend
megaeliz Since: Mar, 2017
#243864: May 29th 2018 at 8:35:18 PM

[up][up] what would that look like exactly?

LSBK Since: Sep, 2014
#243865: May 29th 2018 at 8:40:20 PM

Probably just be an independent city. Virginia has tons of them, and I think that's what Baltimore is in Maryland.

DingoWalley1 Asgore Adopts Noelle Since: Feb, 2014 Relationship Status: Can't buy me love
Asgore Adopts Noelle
#243866: May 29th 2018 at 8:40:30 PM

BREAKING NEWS: The Special Election for the 30th House seat in Mississippi has been called for Tracey Rosebud (Democrat). This is a hold, however. He is taking over for Robert Huddleston.

megaeliz Since: Mar, 2017
#243867: May 29th 2018 at 9:31:55 PM

[up]x7 On Sessions, I feel like you may be overestimating his loyalty to trump.

The NYT reported in September of last year, that Trump insulted and humiliated Sessions, in front of several people, when he learned that Rosenstein had appointed a special counsel, saying, that he was an idiot, and it was his fault they were in this situation. He also told him that appointing him as attorney general was the worst mistake he ever made, and that he should just resign.

He was absolutely humiliated by this, and threatened to hand in his letter of resignation, and would later say that this was the most humiliating and demeaning experiences in his entire professional life. This was way back when a special counsel was first appointed, and there relationship has only deterorated from there.

He also refused to "un-recuse" himself despite trump, which is worth something, I think.


Renato Mariotti connecting the dots on Obstruction.

THREAD: Are the revelations in today's @nytimes article, including Trump's repeated attempts to push Sessions to reassert control over the Russia investigation, evidence of obstruction of justice? (Short answer: Very strong evidence.)

1/ Today in the @nytimes, @nytmike and @juliehdavis reported that Sessions flew to Trump's Mar-A-Lago resort when Trump refused to take his calls about the travel ban. While there, Trump pushed Sessions to reassert control over the Russia investigation.

2/ This isn't the first time we've heard news about Trump's intense anger at Sessions for recusing himself. First, there were reports that Trump exploded at Sessions when Mueller was appointed, causing Sessions to submit a resignation letter

3/ Later we learned that Trump said he wanted an Attorney General who would "protect" him, as he believed Eric Holder did for Obama. We then learned that Trump ordered his White House Counsel to try to stop Sessions from recusing himself [1]

4/ Today's story indicates Trump was so angry about the recusal that his friendship with Sessions ended: "Before the recusal, the president and his attorney general were friends, often sharing meals and talking on the phone. Today, they rarely speak outside of cabinet meetings."

5/ The piece also indicates that Trump "asked advisers whether the decision could be reversed," and when he was told no, argued that Holder never would have recused himself from a case that could have hurt Obama, and he wanted the same loyalty from Sessions.

6/ Trump also told the New York Times in July that he wouldn't have appointed Sessions if he knew he would recuse himself from the Russia investigation, and today's article reports that two days later, Trump told Priebus to get Sessions to resign by the end of the weekend.

7/ Today's article also indicates that Trump brought up the recusal again with associates later last year, expressing a desire for Sessions to reassert control over Mueller's investigation after some of his associates were indicted and pleaded guilty. So what does this all mean?

8/ Today's piece presents a fuller picture of Trump's obsession with Sessions' recusal and determination to remove Sessions and replace him with a loyalist who will ensure that the Mueller investigation does not harm Trump and/or his friends.

9/ The hard part of proving obstruction of justice is proving the "corrupt" intent of the defendant. In other words, proving the person acted with the intent to unlawfully impede the investigation. Today's news adds to the mountain of evidence of Trump's intent to obstruct.

10/ Four months ago, I wrote this article in @POLITICOMag, concluding Mueller would find that Trump obstructed justice. Since then, the evidence has grown stronger. Trump's team should expect a report from Mueller citing the Sessions recusal as evidence.

11/ Recusal is a routine practice for Justice Department lawyers—Sessions was just doing his job, following the recommendation of career DOJ lawyers. Trump must have been told this by his team, but he persists in his anger at Sessions.

11/ Recusal is a routine practice for Justice Department lawyers—Sessions was just doing his job, following the recommendation of career DOJ lawyers. Trump must have been told this by his team, but he persists in his anger at Sessions.

12/ Given this bizarre timeline of behavior by Trump, it's hard to conclude that Trump *doesn't* want Sessions to improperly impede the Mueller investigation, which is strong evidence that Trump wanted to impede the investigation when he fired Comey.

13/ Despite this, Trump's team appears to believe that his presidency will survive a report concluding that Trump obstructed justice, which is an impeachable offense. The jurors would be GOP Senators, and Trump's intense anti-Mueller campaign is influencing the GOP base. /end

That is also likely obstruction in itself.

edited 29th May '18 10:28:18 PM by megaeliz

CharlesPhipps Since: Jan, 2001
#243868: May 29th 2018 at 10:42:01 PM

Also, Sessions is guilty of crimes and collusion.

So he should make a deal.

Author of The Rules of Supervillainy, Cthulhu Armageddon, and United States of Monsters.
KnightofLsama Since: Sep, 2010
#243869: May 30th 2018 at 12:44:12 AM

Would making the District of Columbia a City-of-London-esque state within a state solve any issues associated with it being a territory or other non-state entity in the US?

I think the issue is less that DC is not part of a start but more in how the US treats its territories. Australia uses an almost identical system, carving out the Australian Capital Territory to make the capital independent of any of the States. But our Territories have their own representatives in the House of Representatives and representation in the senate, though less than the States (though the really small ones are lumped in with the Australian Capital Territory or Northern Territory in terms of Senate representation).

archonspeaks Since: Jun, 2013
#243870: May 30th 2018 at 4:46:35 AM

So, we’re thinking obstruction is gonna be the big one re: potential charges?

I’m getting the feeling that Trump might still manage to walk away from this one, but a lot of his core players are pretty much screwed.

They should have sent a poet.
CharlesPhipps Since: Jan, 2001
#243871: May 30th 2018 at 5:16:00 AM

Obstruction was a charge which was originally touch and go but Trump has pretty much never stopped trying to obstruct justice in the case so that it's got more and more evidence on it. Then there's the corruption, bribes, terminations, cronyism, and nepotism. Colluding with a foreign power is the more serious charge but you'd have to be an idiot not to get at least one conviction on obstruction with all the stuff Trump has done.

I mean, seriously, he openly admits to how much he hates the fact Sessions recused himself and how he expected him to handle the charges.

Author of The Rules of Supervillainy, Cthulhu Armageddon, and United States of Monsters.
Fourthspartan56 from Georgia, US Since: Oct, 2016 Relationship Status: THIS CONCEPT OF 'WUV' CONFUSES AND INFURIATES US!
#243872: May 30th 2018 at 6:53:27 AM

Shame, then, that Sessions' is as loyal to Trump as anyone can be. Even with the cold shoulder, Sessions isn't going to abandon Trump. Unless Mueller can find a crime to potentially flip Sessions with, and even then he might go down with the ship (like Manafort) instead of squeal on Trump.

Heck, it might be dangerous to even try anything with Sessions; he is the current Attorney General, and he can de-recuse himself (even though that would be a massive red flag and danger to our society)...

Honestly I don't think this is true, Sessions has had a career long before Trump and I think what he really cares about is the power necessary to implement his values. He's not a loyalist he's a ideologue.

"Einstein would turn over in his grave. Not only does God play dice, the dice are loaded." -Chairman Sheng-Ji Yang
Larkmarn Since: Nov, 2010 Relationship Status: Hello, I love you
#243873: May 30th 2018 at 7:15:55 AM

Yeah. Sessions is one of the few that I actually think truly believes that he's doing the right thing.

Found a Youtube Channel with political stances you want to share? Hop on over to this page and add them.
sgamer82 Since: Jan, 2001
#243874: May 30th 2018 at 7:43:47 AM

Federal prosecutors poised to get more than 1 million files seized from Michael Cohen’s phones

https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/federal-prosecutors-poised-to-get-more-than-1-million-files-seized-from-michael-cohens-phones/2018/05/29/ff407104-63b1-11e8-99d2-0d678ec08c2f_story.html

Federal prosecutors investigating President Trump’s personal lawyer Michael Cohen are poised to receive on Wednesday 1 million files from three of his cellphones seized last month, according to a filing submitted to the court Tuesday night by special master Barbara Jones.

In her update to the court, Jones said investigators from the Office of the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York have already been given access to nearly 300,000 pieces of potential evidence seized from Cohen’s office and residences in an April raid.

Jones was appointed by U.S. District Judge Kimba Wood late last month to review the material after attorneys for Cohen and President Trump said many seized documents and communications could be protected by attorney-client privilege.

In their initial request for a special master, Cohen’s attorneys said thousands of the seized documents might be covered by attorney-client privilege.

But in her update Tuesday to the court, Jones noted that so far only 252 items have been flagged by Cohen’s or Trump’s attorneys as privileged. She is set to make a recommendation to the court about that material by June 4.

An additional 292,006 items that were not designated by Cohen or Trump as privileged or highly personal were turned over to prosecutors on May 23.

Jones is set to release 1,025,063 more items from three of Cohen’s phones on Wednesday, pending her final verification, according to the filing. Material released to Jones this month from two other phones has not yet been scheduled for release.

edited 30th May '18 7:44:54 AM by sgamer82

MarqFJA The Cosmopolitan Fictioneer from Deserts of the Middle East (Before Recorded History) Relationship Status: Anime is my true love
The Cosmopolitan Fictioneer
#243875: May 30th 2018 at 8:09:10 AM

From today's WTFJH feed:

1/ The U.S. Office of Refugee Resettlement lost track of nearly 1,500 unaccompanied immigrant children between October and December of 2017. The children are not lost per se, said Deputy HHS Secretary Eric Hargan — upon a call following release from ORR care, their sponsors "simply did not respond or could not be reached." Though the stories are not related, the comments come as the Trump administration defends its policy of separating immigrant children from their families as part of increased border-enforcement efforts. (Washington Post / Reuters)
Odds that those "sponsors" either are part of child trafficking rings or just plain abducted the kids for personal motives?

ACLU: Border patrol beat, kicked, and threatened migrant children with sexual abuse during Obama administration. Migrant children under the care of United States Customs and Border Protection were abused while in custody between 2009 and 2014, according to a report from the ACLU. (Newsweek)
... Alright, I'm officially siding with the "burn the CBP down and build a new one!" camp. No saving this one if this is already endemic.

2/ The White House said it "continues to actively prepare" for the proposed-but-canceled summit between Trump and Kim Jong Un. White House officials have characterized Trump's letter to Kim as a negotiating tactic purportedly designed to bring North Korea back to the table. (Associated Press)
Yeah, right. "Negotiating tactic." How about trying to pull the other leg?

A nuclear weapons expert says North Korean disarmament could take up to 15 years to complete. The best the United States can hope for is a phased denuclearization that targets the most dangerous parts of the program. (New York Times)
Well, one less thing (total disarmament) for Trump to be able to claim credit for, I guess.

A top North Korean official is headed to New York to discuss the possibility of reviving the canceled summit. Kim Yong Chol is expected to meet with Mike Pompeo this week. (Associated Press)
... You'd think the North Korean regime would want the US to be the one to send an official to Pyongyang to revive the talks, to make the balance of power seem to be in the DPRK's favor, right?

3/ Rep. Thomas Garrett of Virginia announced he is an alcoholic and will not seek re-election in November. Garrett insists his departure from politics was spurred solely by his addiction. Garrett will be the 48th Republican to retire from or refuse to seek re-election to the House this year. (Washington Post)

4/ Rep. Ryan Costello of Pennsylvania will not seek re-election because all he does is "answer questions about Donald Trump." Costello also cited the Pennsylvania Supreme Court's decision to redraw his district as a major factor in his decision. (CNN / The Hill)

Are there any strong Democratic contenders for these soon-to-be vacant seats?

5/ Trump will impose investment restrictions against China, file trade litigation, and impose tariffs on $50 billion of goods. The trade dispute between Trump and China has become somewhat muted in recent weeks, and Washington and Beijing announced a tentative solution to their dispute just days ago. Trump's decision contradicts that truce. (Politico / CNBC)

6/ China awarded Ivanka Trump's company seven new trademarks just days before her father vowed to save Chinese telecom giant ZTE. Ivanka Trump already held more than a dozen trademarks in the country and has multiple pending trademark applications. Her father holds more than 100 trademarks in China. (New York Times / The Guardian)

... Wait, so China successfully bribes the Trumps to get a favorable deal over ZTE, but just a few days later Trump also escalates the trade war with China? WTH???

7/ More than 60 House Democrats are calling for an ethics probe into the "extremely short time frame" between Trump's pledge to save ZTE and a $500 million loan from the Chinese government to an Indonesian theme park that includes Trump Organization properties. Trump vowed to save ZTE just three days after China approved the loan to the park, which will include a Trump-branded hotel and golf course. Democrats sent a letter to the U.S. Office of Government Ethics calling for an investigation. (Newsweek)
Didn't the Trump administration already gut the Office of Government Ethics? Or am I confusing it with some other office/department with a similar mandate?

8/ Trump claimed Robert Mueller's team will meddle in the 2018 midterm elections in favor of Democrats. "The 13 Angry Democrats (plus people who worked 8 years for Obama) working on the rigged Russia Witch Hunt," Trump tweeted, "will be MEDDLING with the mid-term elections, especially now that Republicans (stay tough!) are taking the lead in Polls. There was no Collusion, except by the Democrats!" (CNN / Washington Post)
Let's just hope that this and other, similar accusations don't end up being taken seriously by swing voters at the worst time possible.

9/ Giuliani admitted that Trump's Spygate conspiracy theory is part of a public relations campaign aimed at discrediting the Mueller investigation. "It is for public opinion," Giuliani admitted to CNN's Dana Bash, "because eventually the decision here is going to be impeach or not impeach." He continued: "Members of Congress, Democrats and Republicans, are going to be informed a lot by their constituents. And so our jury is — as it should be — is the American people." (New York Magazine / The Guardian / CNN)
... Isn't this blatant admission to them attempting obstruction of justice?

poll/ Roughly 4 in 5 people in the United States — gun owners and non-gun owners — support additional gun-control measures. Polled measures include universal background checks, stronger accountability for missing guns, a safety test for concealed carry permits, improved mental-health reporting, preventing people with temporary domestic-violence restraining orders from obtaining guns, and allowing families to petition a court to remove a firearm from someone deemed to be at serious risk of harming themselves or others. (Reuters)
Ha! I wonder what the NRA has to say to that!

poll/ Twenty-two percent of Republicans think Trump provides somewhat or very little moral leadership. Fifty-nine percent of Americans, 60% of Independents, and 91% of Democrats feel the same way. (CNN)
... Only 22% of Republics? I expected the number to be significantly higher.


From the Notables:

The U.S. Supreme Court refused to hear a challenge to Arkansas' restrictive abortion law. The law requires providers of medication-based abortions to have contracts with doctors who have admitting privileges at a hospital in the state. (New York Times)
This is bad, isn't it?

The Supreme Court ruled that, in general, police must obtain a warrant to search someone's driveway. The Court ruled that Officer David Rhodes violated the law when he entered the property of a Virginia motorcyclist without a warrant or invitation. (New York Times / Collins v. Virginia)
First, they side with police brutality by giving officers an easy justification for violating standing laws that are supposed to stop such brutality. Now, they side against the police by forcing them to obtain warrants before they are allowed to search a citizen's driveway. And it's all within the span of 2-3 months! Does the Supreme Court suffer from a collective Split Personality condition?

The Trump administration refused to acknowledge conclusions of the scientific community related to climate change. An internal White House memo suggested the administration should handle federal climate-science reports by (1) "debating" the established science; (2) casting doubt on scientists' conclusions; or (3) ignoring those conclusions. (The Guardian)
One, Trump and his cronies must be driving themselves nuts over these leaks persisting despite everything they've tried to stamp them out.

Two... How much impact on the reputation of Trump and his regime should we expect?

A GOP Congresswoman from Tennessee said pornography was a "big part" of the reason for the recent spike in school shootings. “It’s available on the shelf when you walk in the grocery store. Yeah, you have to reach up to get it, but there’s pornography there,” said Rep. Diane Black. “All of this is available without parental guidance. I think that is a big part of the root cause.” (HuffPost)
... I'm sorry, what? Pornography drives people to commit gun violence? What Kool-Aid is she on, and where can I get some so that I can spike the water of my sworn enemies with it?

edited 30th May '18 6:59:27 PM by MarqFJA

Fiat iustitia, et pereat mundus.

Total posts: 417,856
Top