Tag: Donald Trump

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Reports Say Trump Was Golfing When ISIS Raid Occurred, Photo Staged Later

President Obama in the Situation Room during bin Laden kill, Trump with his team (photos via public domain)
So, now this has become a “thing.” I’m certain Donald Trump is living for the photo above. He’s always wanted to look ‘tough.’ The interesting thing is it’s marked on the White House Flickr account as “President Trump Watches as U.S. Special Operations Forces Close in on ISIS Leader.” The raid was reported to have taken place at 3:30pm Washington time. But Pete Souza, a White House photographer under Presidents Reagan and Obama notes the camera’s IPTC data indicates the photo was taken at 17:05:24. That would be 5:05pm – over an hour and a half AFTER the raid occurred. Plus, White House reports show Trump was at his golf course at 3:30pm, not in the Situation Room…? So, was this photo staged after the fact? If so, why?

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Trump: Killing ISIS Leader Is Bigger Than Killing Osama Bin Laden

(image via Flickr/WhiteHouse – public domain)
From the New York Times:

President Trump announced on Sunday that a commando raid in Syria this weekend had targeted and resulted in the death of Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, the leader of the Islamic State, claiming a significant victory even as American forces are pulling out of the area.

“Last night, the United States brought the world’s No. 1 terrorist leader to justice,” Mr. Trump said in an unusual nationally televised address from the White House. “Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi is dead.”

Mr. Trump said Mr. al-Baghdadi was chased to the end of a tunnel, “whimpering and crying and screaming all the way” as he was pursued by American military dogs. Accompanied by three children, Mr. al-Baghdadi then detonated a suicide vest, blowing up himself and the children, Mr. Trump said.

Mr. Trump, who is under threat of impeachment for abuse of power by pressuring Ukraine to investigate his domestic political rivals, appeared eager to claim credit for the raid, engaging in a lengthy question-and-answer session with reporters after his statement as he personally walked them through the details, promoted his own role and compared himself favorably to past presidents.

Mr. Trump even seemed to suggest that killing Mr. al-Baghdadi was a bigger deal than killing Bin Laden.

I’m not sure why Trump continually feels the need to compare himself to President Obama. As the Times points out, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi was definitely a bad guy. No doubt. But he never entered the psyche of the American public to the degree that Osama bin Laden, who committed terrorism on American soil, did. Plus, Trump’s appearing to ‘take credit’ here is unseemly especially when he was overly-critical of Obama regarding the takedown of bin Laden. Trump tweeted multiple times that Obama shouldn’t be ‘congratulated’ for the death of bin Laden because “all he did was say O.K.” Now that he’s in the Oval Office, does Trump believe that’s all HE did? “Say ok?” There’s always a tweet…

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First Time In 7 Years – Budget Deficit Surges Past $1 Trillion

Trump walks past reporters with no comment

Donald Trump promised economic growth would cover his tax cuts legislation
So. Much. Winning. From CNBC:

The U.S. government’s red ink for fiscal 2019 swelled past the $1 trillion mark in August, the first time that level has been eclipsed in seven years, the Treasury Department reported Thursday.

The total shortfall rose to nearly $1.07 trillion, thanks to a difference between revenue and expenses of more than $214.1 billion in August. The government last saw that large of a fiscal deficit in 2012, when the gap was nearly $1.1 trillion.

During his presidential campaign, President Donald Trump promised economic growth that would easily take care of the tax cuts and new spending he planned. His 2017 tax break for corporations and individuals has helped contribute to a deficit that has grown from $584.6 billion in 2016.

The national debt now stands at $22.5 trillion, up 13% since Trump took office.

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Kamala Harris Claps Back At Trump: “The Only Part Of Criminal Justice You Can Claim Credit For Is The ‘Criminal’ Part”

Sen. Kamala Harris clapped back at Donald Trump on the issue of "criminal" justice

Sen. Kamala Harris clapped back at Donald Trump on the issue of "criminal" justice
L-R Sen. Kamala Harris, Donald Trump
Sen. Kamala Harris (D-CA) withdrew from a speaking appearance today at the 2019 Second Step Presidential Justice Forum at Benedict College, a historically black college, after the school honored Donald Trump on Friday. “As the only candidate who attended an [historically black college or university], I know the importance that these spaces hold for young Black Americans,” Harris said in a statement Friday per The Hill. “Today, when it became clear Donald Trump would receive an award after decades of celebrating mass incarceration, pushing the death penalty for innocent Black Americans, rolling back police accountability measures and racist behavior that puts people’s lives at risk … I cannot in good faith be complicit in papering over his record.” Instead, Harris announced she would host a criminal justice roundtable for students from around Columbia, South Carolina. Trump trolled Harris on Saturday called her a “badly failing presidential candidate” and took credit for “producing” and signing into law “major Criminal Justice Reform legislation.” He followed those tweets with a third containing just an ellipsis. #Ok Harris clapped back touting her long career in law and justice adding, “The only part of criminal justice you can claim credit for is the ‘criminal’ part.” Suh-nap!

In regards to all that Trump has “done” for the African-American community, let’s take a look, shall we? • He called for the death penalty for Central Park 5 and never apologized • He won’t endorse, or even say, Black Lives Matter • He defended white supremacists as “fine people” • He demonized black NFL players for taking a knee to bring attention to injustice

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Judge Rules House Impeachment Investigation Legal, Orders Mueller Evidence Released

Donald Trump (image via Flickr/WhiteHouse)
House Democrats received a major win today when a federal judge not only ordered the secret grand jury evidence from the Robert Mueller investigation be turned over to the House Judiciary Committee but also declared that the current impeachment inquiry is a legal investigation. From the New York Times:

The House Judiciary Committee is entitled to view secret grand jury evidence gathered by the special counsel, Robert S. Mueller III, Judge Beryl A. Howell of the Federal District Court for the District of Columbia ruled in a 75-page opinion. Attorney General William P. Barr had withheld the material from lawmakers.

Typically, Congress has no right to view secret evidence gathered by a grand jury. But in 1974, the courts permitted the committee weighing whether to impeach President Richard M. Nixon to see such materials — and, Judge Howell ruled, the House is now engaged in the same process focused on Mr. Trump.

“Tipping the scale even further toward disclosure is the public’s interest in a diligent and thorough investigation into, and in a final determination about, potentially impeachable conduct by the president described in the Mueller report,” she wrote.

In reaching her decision, Judge Howell rejected the contention by Mr. Trump and his allies that the investigation Democrats are pursuing, which has since expanded to encompass the Ukraine scandal, is not a legitimate impeachment inquiry.

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Fox News Host: Democrats Are Following The Rules

Judge Andrew Napolitano

Judge Andrew Napolitano
Judge Andrew Napolitano (screen capture)
Fox News’ Judge Andrew Napolitano gave the Fox & Friends crew a lesson in how impeachment inquiries work on Thursday morning including this little nugget they didn’t want to hear: Democrats are “following the rules.” “I read the House rules,” said Napolitano. “And as frustrating as it may be to have these hearings going on behind closed doors — the hearings over which Congressman Schiff is presiding — they are consistent with the rules.” “They can make up any rules they want?!” asked perpetually dopey Brian Kilmeade. Napolitano told him, “Well, they can’t change the rules, they follow the rules.” Napolitano added that those rules were written in January 2015 when Republicans held the majority and the Speaker of the House was John Boehner. Because they don’t want to go on the record actually defending Donald Trump on the Ukraine scandal, Republicans are whining about the process Democrats are using in questioning witnesses. As with a grand jury, witnesses are questioned behind closed doors so that they can’t collaborate or ‘get their stories straight’ with other witnesses.

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Trump Orders Federal Agencies To Stop Subscribing To NY Times, Washington Post

Donald Trump has ordered US military forces to the Middle East following an Iranian attack on Saudi oil facilities

Donald Trump has ordered US military forces to the Middle East following an Iranian attack on Saudi oil facilities Talk about petty… Axios is reporting that the White House will soon order all federal agencies to not renew their subscriptions to the Washington Post and the New York Times. Yes, those would be the two newspapers Donald Trump has repeated raged against on Twitter for what he feels is biased, ‘fake news’ reporting. The announcement came just hours after Trump appeared on Sean Hannity’s Fox News show calling the two papers ‘fake.’

The White House said on Tuesday that it would cancel its own subscriptions to the Post and the Times, after Trump complained that they were “fake” during an appearance this week on Fox News’ “Hannity.” White House Press Secretary Stephanie Grisham said in an email to the Wall Street Journal: “Not renewing subscriptions across all federal agencies will be a significant cost saving—hundreds of thousands of taxpayer dollars will be saved.”

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Forget ‘Deplorables’ – Trump Calls Political Opponents ‘Human Scum’

Remember Republicans clutching their pearls when Hillary Clinton called Trump supporters “deplorable?” I’m totally confident those same folks will stand up just as forcefully today after Donald Trump took to Twitter to declare #NeverTrump Republicans “human scum.” “The Never Trumper Republicans, though on respirators with not many left, are in certain ways worse and more dangerous for our Country than the Do Nothing Democrats,” he wrote. “Watch out for them, they are human scum!” This is all normal, right?

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Acting Ukraine Ambassador: Trump Pressured Ukraine Into Investigating Biden In Exchange For Aid

President Zelensky of Ukraine and Donald Trump (image: public domain)
Acting U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine, William B. Taylor Jr., told impeachment investigators behind closed doors on Tuesday that Donald Trump withheld vital military aid for Ukraine and refused a White House meeting with Ukraine’s leader until he agreed to make a public pronouncement pledging to investigate Mr. Trump’s political opponents. From the New York Times:

In testimony that Democrats in attendance called the most damaging account yet for the president, Mr. Taylor provided an “excruciatingly detailed” opening statement that described in blunt and unsparing terms the quid-pro-quo pressure campaign that Mr. Trump and his allies have long denied.

When he objected to that effort, Mr. Taylor said in his opening statement obtained by The New York Times, Gordon D. Sondland, the United States ambassador to the European Union and a Trump campaign donor, sought to explain Mr. Trump’s actions by noting that he was a businessman.

Mr. Taylor recounted Mr. Sondland saying that “when a businessman is about to sign a check to someone who owes him something, he said, the businessman asks that person to pay up before signing the check.”

Taylor testified today that Trump had made his position clear: Ukrainian President Zelensky would not be invited to the White House or secure much-needed security aid unless the Ukrainian leader made a public announcement that his country would launch the investigations sought by Trump. Before Trump supporters begin their expected attacks, it’s worth noting that Taylor is a West Point graduate who served in Vietnam with the 101st Airborne.

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Trump Equates Constitutional Process With ‘Lynching’

Donald Trump
Donald Trump took to Twitter today to rant (again) about the ongoing impeachment inquiry. In this edition of Trump Twitter Tantrum, the Donald equates the current Constitutional process of impeachment with “lynching.”

Trump’s buddy, Sen. Lindsey Graham, jumped on the “lynch” wagon as well calling the impeachment inquiry a “lynching in every sense.”

Others had different thoughts on the use of the word “lynching.”