The Trump thread: All things Donald

[Athos_131]

There is an irony in a president who accused his predecessor of McCarthyism giving intelligence away to Russia.

#Resist

[joan1984]

As you know, Katiebee, the President has broad discretion when it comes to speaking as regards "secrets", and even his harshest critics, present company excepted, agree he has likely broken no laws, even if the unnamed seditious sources of leftist newspapers are 100% correct.

I guess his security clearance needs to be revoked. This is why you don't let idiots have security clearance.

[Athos_131]

Bombshell: Initial Thoughts on the Washington Post’s Game-Changing Story

Questions of criminality aside, we turn to the far more significant issues: If the President gave this information away through carelessness or neglect, he has arguably breached his oath of office. As Quinta and Ben have elaborated on in some detail, in taking the oath President Trump swore to “faithfully execute the Office of President of the United States” and to “preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States” to the best of his ability. It’s very hard to argue that carelessly giving away highly sensitive material to an adversary foreign power constitutes a faithful execution of the office of President.

Violating the oath of office does not require violating a criminal statute. If the President decided to write the nuclear codes on a sticky note on his desk and then took a photo of it and tweeted it, he would not technically have violated any criminal law–just as he hasn’t here. He has the constitutional authority to dictate that the safeguarding of nuclear materials shall be done through sticky notes in plain sight and tweeted, even the authority to declassify the codes outright. Yet, we would all understand this degree of negligence to be a gross violation of his oath of office.

Congress has alleged oath violations—albeit violations tied to criminal allegations or breaches of statutory obligations—all three times it has passed or considered seriously articles of impeachment against presidents: against Andrew Johnson (“unmindful of the high duties of his oath of office”), Richard Nixon (“contrary to his oath”), and Bill Clinton (“in violation of his constitutional oath”). Further, two of the three articles of impeachment against Nixon alleged no direct violation of the law. Instead, they concerned Nixon’s abuse of his power as President, which, like the President putting the nuclear codes on Twitter, is an offense that can only be committed by the President and has thus never been explicitly prohibited in criminal law.

There’s thus no reason why Congress couldn’t consider a grotesque violation of the President’s oath as a standalone basis for impeachment—a high crime and misdemeanor in and of itself. This is particularly plausible in a case like this, where the oath violation involves giving sensitive information to an adversary foreign power. That’s getting relatively close to the “treason” language in the impeachment clauses; it’s pretty easy to imagine a hybrid impeachment article alleging a violation of the oath in service of a hostile foreign power. So legally speaking, the matter could be very grave for Trump even though there is no criminal exposure.

This approach to sensitive information does not appear to be a one-off. President Trump has previously taken heat for his cavalier attitude towards safeguarding classified information, for example when he openly reviewed plans related to a North Korean nuclear test in the Mar-a-Lago dining room in full view of other diners or when he appeared to inadvertently confirm the authenticity of leaked CIA documents on Fox News.

#Resist

[Athos_131]

The many times Trump undermined, questioned, shocked and upset his own intelligence agencies

#Resist

[Athos_131]

When President Trump’s bodyguard revealed Jim Mattis’s private cellphone number

#Resist

[Lois]

@ Joan:

If Trump betrayed the confidence of one of our allies it is cause for grave concern.  It is possible that ally will never share intelligence with us again.  And why?  Because Trump thought bragging to the Russians about getting the "best" security briefings was more important than our national security?

Do you really think this is acting "Presidential"? 

[Athos_131]

It's also possible the officer that provided the intelligence gets killed as a result.

Of course this is the same guy who stood in front of a memorial for slain intelligence officers and decided to argue about the crowd size of his inauguration.

#Resist

[Katiebee]

As you know, Katiebee, the President has broad discretion when it comes to speaking as regards "secrets", and even his harshest critics, present company excepted, agree he has likely broken no laws, even if the unnamed seditious sources of leftist newspapers are 100% correct.

I guess his security clearance needs to be revoked. This is why you don't let idiots have security clearance.

He wasn't "sharing" intelligence, he was fucking bragging, like the immature dolt he is.and to make it worse , it was to the representatives of an inimical entity. In other words he was blabbing to to a hostile government.

[Gina Marie]

As you know, Katiebee, the President has broad discretion when it comes to speaking as regards "secrets", and even his harshest critics, present company excepted, agree he has likely broken no laws, even if the unnamed seditious sources of leftist newspapers are 100% correct.

Tweet em and read! Sharing is caring - BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!  HOLY FUCKING SHIT!

Donald J. Trump
@realDonaldTrump

As President I wanted to share with Russia (at an openly scheduled W.H. meeting) which I have the absolute right to do, facts pertaining to terrorism and airline flight safety. Humanitarian reasons, plus I want Russia to greatly step up their fight against ISIS & terrorism.

4:03 AM - 16 May 2017

[watcher1]

Trump, so used to winging it as a businessman, now is finding out that winging it while President has not only caused his party undue embarrassment but made more then a few of his GOP allies lie for his actions, thus putting them in front of what is wrong with the Trump presidency.  The inmates seem to be running the asylum.

[Lois]

There are ways of sharing relevant intelligence with the Russians without compromising our sources.  But Trump is not smart enough to handle the job.  Therefore he should leave such things to the experts.

Sadly, because he hasn't a clue, he revealed enough information that the Russian may be able to ascertain the source and compromise it.

[Athos_131]

The GOP doesn't care what Trump does as long as they can give the 1% a tax cut.

#Resist

[Athos_131]

The Daily 202: Trump’s chaotic White House once again makes a bad story worse

#Resist

[Athos_131]

even if the unnamed seditious sources of leftist newspapers are 100% correct.

Trump acknowledges ‘facts’ shared with Russian envoys during White House meeting


#Resist

[joan1984]

Someone provided what you note as important secrets to TheWashingtonPost. Leftists have no problem with secrets being leaked, seems, when Hillary or the Bezos Post does the leaking, or keeps secrets on her home server for years...

Some CIA type, when they received a courtesy review of the White House meeting, leaked the details, including more than what the Post published, along with a full explanation of the issue that person saw, so the Post could tease the reader as to what Nation(s) are involved... anything is OK, so long as Trump is the target of the left. The end justifies the means.

Establishment selected General McMasters was in the room, along with many other Cabinet Members, each of whom denied any sinister motive or result, and the Bezos Post prints it, no matter what.

That is the leak, not anything the President had to say.

When President Obama named Seal Team 6 as the group who took down Bin Laden, a giant leak of proportions unprecedented, as Seals operate on secrecy, little was said about it in the Washington Post, and few reports were done on the taking out of a number of Seal Team 6 Operators about a month later, in a Helicopter explosion, no doubt payback, Middle Eastern Style, for Obama's errant words.

Survivors of those Seal Team 6 Members know the loss, and time moves on.

There are ways of sharing relevant intelligence with the Russians without compromising our sources.  But Trump is not smart enough to handle the job.  Therefore he should leave such things to the experts.

Sadly, because he hasn't a clue, he revealed enough information that the Russian may be able to ascertain the source and compromise it.

[Lois]

Such nonsense 

[Northwest]

I think Joan is going to wear herself out in her self appointed role as Trump apologist. It's endless, and I suspect, ultimately pointless. I am really starting to doubt that Trump is going to make it through a single term.

FILE THIS RESOURCE AND SAVE IT:

http://www.trumptwitterarchive.com/archive

[Athos_131]

[Lois]

A prominent conservative journalist has stepped forward saying that he knows the leaker. Further he said the person had been repeatedly frustrated while working with Trump because he takes even constructive criticism as a personal attack. That is why the person felt the need to leak the incident to the press.

Even Trump's supporters can't work with him.

[Northwest]

A prominent conservative journalist has stepped forward saying that he knows the leaker. Further he said the person had been repeatedly frustrated while working with Trump because he takes even constructive criticism as a personal attack. That is why the person felt the need to leak the incident to the press.

Even Trump's supporters can't work with him.

Sure. Why would anybody have any loyalty to that asshat? He uses his people, and then tosses them in the trash.

Speaking of which, any bets on how many days Spicer has left?

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/kimberly-guilfoyle-sean-spicer_us_58532192e4b039044707e441?fsp&ncid=inblnkushpmg00000009