The Trump thread: All things Donald

[Northwest]

(Consider this to be a continuation of the post above):

Donald Trump doesn't get the special counsel investigation. And he's never going to.



Washington (CNN)Donald Trump has, throughout his life, had one setting when it comes to stories he doesn't like: Attack, pivot, declare victory.

From his rise in Manhattan social circles to his career as a real estate developer to his time as a reality TV star, he's always employed these same basic tactics. If someone writes or says something Trump doesn't like, he either threatens to or actually sues while simultaneously pushing out a counter-narrative aimed at discrediting the initial report and turning the story toward more favorable ground for him.

Everything is to be treated as a tabloid story that can be shaped, changed, rebutted, knocked down and torn apart though force of will -- and words.

It's worked remarkably well for Trump. And so it shouldn't be all that surprising that he's brought that blueprint to Washington with him.

Except that the White House -- and the political and legal worlds it touches -- isn't the same thing that Trump is used to facing. Not at all. The rules governing this world aren't the rules of the tabloids of New York City media. Bob Mueller isn't some "Page Six" reporter.

Trump doesn't seem to have even the slightest understanding of that distinction. His twin tweets Thursday morning make that point better than I ever could.

"They made up a phony collusion with the Russians story, found zero proof, so now they go for obstruction of justice on the phony story. Nice," Trump tweeted at 6:55 a.m. ET. He quickly followed that tweet with this one: "You are witnessing the single greatest WITCH HUNT in American political history - led by some very bad and conflicted people! #MAGA"

This isn't the first time that Trump has employed such over-the-top rhetoric to describe the special counsel investigation being led by Mueller, a former FBI director. On May 18, Trump tweeted something very similar to what he said this morning: "This is the single greatest witch hunt of a politician in American history!" Trump wrote.

This is standard-issue stuff in the Trump playbook. When attacked, attack back -- harder. Go after the story in big, broad ways -- "total hoax" is one way Trump has described the federal investigation -- and assume that the average person won't consume enough details or follow it closely enough to see whether you're right or wrong.

But this investigation isn't anything like what Trump has faced before. He can't simply say this is all a "witch hunt" or a "hoax" and have it disappear. Short of firing Mueller, which seems to me incredibly unlikely -- particularly after the leak of the obstruction investigation -- Trump can't stop it. The investigation will proceed no matter what Trump says about it or who involved in it he calls names. It will also, eventually, reach some conclusions about the nature of Russia's hacking of the election and whether or not there was any collusion in that effort by any member of the Trump campaign.

That train has already left the station. And Trump's ability to derail it is decidedly limited.

That doesn't mean Trump's use of his tried and true "attack, pivot, declare victory" strategy against Mueller and the special counsel investigation won't have any impact.

The more Trump casts the investigation as biased and unfairly targeted at him, the more his supporters will believe that it is. Which means that if Trump either fires Mueller -- again, that is so hard to imagine -- or works to discredit the final conclusions of the special counsel, there will be a ready bloc of his supporters eager to adopt and spread that message.

"I told you this whole special counsel was a witch hunt," you can imagine Trump saying to nods from his supporters. "Of course they concluded I was in the wrong. They had decided that before they even started investigating. We need to drain the swamp and make America great again."

That line will work with his supporters. But it won't change the underlying facts Mueller unearths -- and the reverberations they could cause among everyone outside of Trump's most loyal backers.

Trump is a blunt instrument. He knows one way of doing things. And that way has always worked for him. But this investigation is both more serious than anything Trump has faced before.

Almost everyone grasps that. Everyone except Donald John Trump, that is.

http://www.cnn.com/2017/06/15/politics/trump-tabloid-russia/index.html

[joan1984]

  What part of 1408/Politics section do some here not understand.

  What the WH is said to be saying in the Mainstream Media reports, and what the Washington Post or the White House actually "knows" about SC Mueller's activities and approach, is meaningless drivel, promoted as a distraction, as I believe neither knows exactly what the SC has as his so called "approach", let alone his taking over a National Security investigation, and turning it into a Criminal investigation, at this point in his tenure.

  All drivel, quotes from unnamed sources, snippets of supposed replies to some loaded questions, shouted from the Press, or whispered among those who conspire with the Press, are simply proved not to be taken seriously, or with a large grain of salt. Guestimates of what will happen have proved wrong to date.

  Watch as the attempted assassination of House and Senate Republicans by a rabid leftist who believes all the post election, and even pre election propaganda is relegated off the daily "news" cycle, where it can be ignored by the public.

  Does anyone doubt that if Nancy Pelosi, or Stenny Hoyer were under the knife today for their third operation, remaining in critical condition, that the Post or Times would headline housing projects in the UK on page one, above the fold?
House and Senate Democrats, usually quick to call for hearings, investigations, calling for the public to remain calm... are attempting to wish this one away, as no one wishes to be branded with it's ownership.

  Ignore all those people calling for harming the President, and his Party... nothing to see here... bloody heads, what bloody heads... just art... stabbing Trump to death to ovations in Central Park nightly? On the taxpayer's dime?

Nothing to see here, pay no attention, no one would take such things seriously, right?  Right?

[Athos_131]

Huh?

#Resist

[Northwest]

  What part of 1408/Politics section do some here not understand.

Okay, I'll bite. What part?

[Lois]

Hehehheh.  Mueller has team Trump running scared.

[Northwest]

Hehehheh.  Mueller has team Trump running scared.

It would certainly seem so.

[Athos_131]

It's almost like someone's been reading the playbook.



https://twitter.com/PhilipRucker/status/875166972614516737

Apparently the ones complaining about leaks are leaking things as well.

#Resist

P.S. I wish there was a way to embed tweets.

[Athos_131]

Pence hires outside counsel to deal with Russia probe inquiries



#Resist

[Athos_131]

Trump keeps creating his own personal hell

This is the great irony for Trump, an irony he doesn't seem to have comprehended: When he feels backed into a corner, he lashes out in politically inadvisable ways that often makes his life much more difficult. But he can't seem to stop doing it.

Trump's go-to move when he feels under attack is to respond in a way that exacerbates the situation. That's why there's an obstruction of justice investigation in the first place.

Keep blaming everyone EXCEPT the one who keeps fucking up.  If he had any brains he'd have shut his trap -and his phone- yet he can't stop making his own situation worse.

#Resist

[Athos_131]

Thanks for confirming the obstruction investigation, Mr. President

#Resist

[Athos_131]

It's almost like someone's been reading the playbook.



https://twitter.com/PhilipRucker/status/875166972614516737

Apparently the ones complaining about leaks are leaking things as well.

The Republican response to reports of an investigation into Trump, annotated

#Resist

[Lois]

Nothing wrong with leaks so long as the information is not classified. Too bad Trump does not know what classified means.

[Athos_131]

Nothing wrong with leaks so long as the information is not classified.

#Resist

[Athos_131]

https://www.lawfareblog.com/law-leaks

#Resist

[Athos_131]

Lobbyist for Russian interests says he attended dinners hosted by Sessions

#Resist

[Athos_131]

Special counsel is investigating Jared Kushner’s business dealings

#Resist

[Northwest]

So...what's up with the move to reverse the opening with Cuba..?

-- Trump today will roll back Obama-era policies that allow for more private investment in Cuba. In doing so, he's going to undercut hotel-industry rivals of his own Trump Organization -- who have raced in recent years to establish a foothold in a lucrative new market. Drew Harwell and Jonathan O'Connell report: “Starwood Hotels and Resorts, which merged with Marriott International to form the world’s largest hotel chain, last year debuted the first Cuban hotel managed by a U.S. company in nearly 60 years, taking advantage of [Obama’s] 2014 move to normalize relations with Cuba and lighten regulations enforcing the U.S. embargo on the island. Trump is expected to announce in Miami his intention to ban certain financial transactions between U.S. businesses and the Cuban military, whose companies control much of the island’s economy and a significant share of the tourism and hotel sector." The president's action will have the practical effect of negating his corporate rivals's first-mover advantage.

Excerpt from: https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/powerpost/paloma/daily-202/2017/06/16/daily-202-prospect-of-trump-firing-mueller-keeps-becoming-more-untenable/5942f946e9b69b2fb981dd36/

[joan1984]

  Cuba is not worthy of the recognition bestowed upon them by Obama.  Think of this as 'right sizing', or just think of it as 'winning'.

[Northwest]

  Cuba is not worthy of the recognition bestowed upon them by Obama.  Think of this as 'right sizing', or just think of it as 'winning'.

Any particular reason, Joan, or do you just like to pretend that you're an Old Testament God, arbitrarily smiting people who are a bit different than you?

Speaking of people who are different, have you heard about the gays? Should we smite them too (some folks say yes -- people in your crowd mostly). Should we do some "winning" on the fucking gays?

Here's a thought, Joan, How about waking up, and trying a posture that isn't based on ignorance, hate and small mindedness.

[Lois]

Gee Joan, Castro is dead.  Oh, and Cuba did not meddle in our election.

So maybe Cuba before Russia?