Thursday, May 18, 2017

Mueller Has a Lot to Gnaw On



If there's one thing that marks the Trump administration it's their favourite pastime, lying. That and the erratic ramblings of the Cheeto Benito.

It's getting tough for Trump's handmaidens. A controversy looms. They all caucus to formulate a teflon response. Then they go out to spread their gospel to the waiting scribes. Then, the next day, Trump himself goes out, contradicts them and admits the rumours were true.

Isn't it curious? These people - Conway, Spicer, Huckabee Sanders, the lot - speak on behalf of the president. They're his people, his staff, the face of his administration. They're the people you see on the 6 o'clock news and the Sunday talk shows. Yet here they say one thing and the next day the president hisself essentially says they were lying. Of course, unless he's lying. They're either making a liar out of Trump or Trump is making a liar out of them. No matter - wash, rinse, repeat - it just keeps on coming.

Now a sane president who values his integrity and reputation might have to deal with this problem, the incessant lying by his staff. Surely he would have fired the lot of them by now. And yet that's not the way it works in the Trump White House.

Then there's this deepening Flynn business. After his confirmation as National Security Advisor rumours surfaced of Flynn's dealings with the Russians. Veep Pence went public saying (lying) that Flynn had done no such thing. 18 days later, more or less, a paper reports details of Flynn's dealings. He's promptly sacked by Trump for lying to Pence only Trump blames the newspaper that broke the story, not Flynn. Conspiracy theory Mike takes one for the team and leaves. Later he seeks an immunity deal. Why, because he had dealings with the Russians?

Now it emerges that Flynn disclosed his Russia dealings long before the inauguration. He wasn't hiding anything - at least not from Trump. So how could he later have lied to Pence about something he'd already disclosed? And how could Trump claim to have been betrayed by Flynn, or some newspaper, or someone, something, anything? Why lie about this at all? One thing is certain. This whole, elaborate yet clumsy lie wasn't about protecting ex-general Michael Flynn.

And there's this business about contacts between the Trump campaign and Russian officials. Now it emerges there were 18-more meetings and calls that were not, until now, revealed.  It's difficult to make sense of this. How many contacts did Trump and his aides have with, say, the Chinese, or the Swedes, or French officials? Why so many and why the Russians? Why all the denials and obfuscation?

These are the sorts of things that a seasoned counsel can sink his teeth into - all the contradictions, the lies, the inexplicable stuff. It's there. It's on record. A lot of the good stuff comes straight from Trump's mouth. As liars go, Trump is incredibly sloppy and ill-disciplined.

5 comments:

  1. Then there's this.

    http://www.politico.com/story/2017/05/17/mueller-clients-special-prosecutor-238532

    "Robert Mueller could face one significant issue with his appointment as special counsel to lead the Justice Department's investigation into ties between Russia and Donald Trump's presidential campaign: The law firm he's worked at since 2014 has represented several prominent players in Trump's bid for the White House.

    Former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort, Trump's daughter Ivanka and his son-in-law, Jared Kushner, are all clients of WilmerHale, the firm Mueller is leaving to assume the position of special prosecutor overseeing the high-profile Russia election probe."

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  2. .. there needs to be a Universal Medal of Commendation
    struck for Donald Frump .. for Public Service
    He's about to accidentally help reveal some very important facts !

    It appears he's not the lid of Pandoras Box opening wide.. after all
    Rather he crawled out from under a slime covered rock..
    a real American Hero ready to make America Great Again along with Russia and China
    and look, he left the rock partially overturned.. Hey what's that under the rock?
    Why its some sort of stairwell & it leads somewhere..!
    But.. what th hell..? What is that godawful stink?

    Well .. that's where this story or fable entangling Frump or Trumph is teetering right now..
    Its likely this cartoon character is going to reveal what and who was under the rock with him !
    The stink appears to emanate from a fascinating menagerie of pretty smelly and scary folks..

    No no.. not politicians, evangelicals, climate deniars, vote fixers, white supremacists
    This is not about the freakshow of American politics or the Frump's hostile takeover of such
    No, this may be primarily about MONEY honey.. and how and where he went to get some
    Yes kiddies, we are on the cusp of falling into the basement and sump pumps & cesspools
    of ill gotten loot, almost inconceivable frauds, money laundering and offshore concealment..
    Oh yes.. staggering payoffs, international bribes, threats, real estate flips, scams aplenty, you name it

    Of course Russia is involved & likely at least a dozen other countries
    Russian oligarchs, mobsters, 'politicians' who found suitcases or accounts with billions
    they somehow stumbled upon dispersed the windfalls in myriad wonderful pathways.
    Once scrubbed, perfumed in Ukraine or Old England or the stink removed via American real estate
    the lovely funds zippity doo dah'd off to amazing new places where bankers were glad to help.

    The corker though is like Being There.. but its Donald not Chauncy
    who found himself in The White House ! And so here we are today eh ?
    In the course of scratching their heads about Frump's bizarro reality tv political hit show
    investigators are descending the mysterious stairwell wearing scuba gear and hazmat suits
    to find out who else was under that rock with the current President of the United States.

    Deary me n omigod.. it don't look good for the Brooklyn Kid, does it?
    His so called 'Brand' will be mud & he'll beat feet to Monaco or Moscow
    and all his family, enablers, droogs, Golf Club cronies, GOP cretins and Executive Advisors
    will find their personal Brand' to be taken over by comedians and talk show jocks..
    So ya wanna be rich and famous like Donald Trump eh ?

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  3. He doesn't get to deal with China on the Silk Road but we do. I find that amazing.

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  4. I'd understood that the lies that Flynn was reported to have told to Pence, and that led to his dismissal, dealt with his denial of sanctions discussion during his telephone calls with Kislyak on the same day, 29 Dec 16, that the additional ones were imposed. That was the day before Trump posted his famous tweet:

    "Great move on delay (by V. Putin) - I always knew he was very smart!"

    2:41 PM - 30 Dec 2016

    If Pence claims that he wasn't aware of the other Russian dealings that Flynn had disclosed previously, he's either an incompetent or providing alternative facts.

    I think Salamander is close to bang-on and that a lot of the money-people know it.

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  5. I know- I'm developing a manner of staying on topic, k?
    Takes time, believe me! Oh God, I hate that he's making me talk like he does...

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