[AMV] Amerikaanse politiek #492 Swamping the Drain

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Op maandag 16 april 2018 11:00 schreef grrrrg het volgende:
Een ex-FBI directeur zou zowiezo geen president moeten worden. Kijk maar wat er in Rusland is gebeurd, waar een ex-KGB-er een waar schrikbewind voert.

Aangezien Comey gelooft in moreel leiderschap, zal hij natuurlijk geen presidentsschap ambieren alleen al daarom.

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Is it just me or does it smell like the swamp around President Trump is overflowing?

Last week we learned that the president’s lawyer arranged a million dollar pay-off to a Playboy model from one of the president’s top donors. The donor had impregnated the model in an adulterous affair. The woman had an abortion.

What are those evangelical Christians supporters who close their eyes to the president’s alleged affair with a porn actress to say about this one?

Last week, Trump told those irritating reporters to ignore reality because “it may not look like it, but believe me we are draining the swamp."


That’s funny. Last week, the FBI raided the home, office and hotel room of Trump’s personal lawyer, Michael Cohen, after a federal judge, the U.S. Attorney in Manhattan and the Justice Department agreed there was sufficient indication of criminal activity to grant a warrant.

That added to the stench from the rising swamp of sex scandals, hush money and lies around the president.

So too did the president’s pardon for Scooter Libby, the former chief of staff to Vice President Dick Cheney.

After Libby was found guilty of lying and obstruction of justice, then-President George W. Bush, with the case fresh before him, refused to pardon Libby — despite persistent pressure from Cheney.

The facts of the Libby case have not changed. But Trump has his own trouble with a special prosecutor. Now is a good time for him to make the point that he has the power to take care of his friends in the spreading swamp.

It is an important message from this president to anyone talking to the current special counsel looking into the Trump campaign’s ties to Russia.

That message fits with his pardon of former Sheriff Joe Arpaio, a big Trump booster, who was found guilty of defying a federal court order to stop using racial profiling to detain Latinos suspected of being illegal immigrants.

Is it any surprise that former FBI director James Comey says Trump reminds him of a “mob boss?”

Anthony Scaramucci, who briefly served as Trump’s communications director, has tried to redefine the meaning of “drain the swamp” by saying last month that the real target may be less a swamp and more like a “gold-plated hot tub,” in which “special interests and lobbyists curry favor with elected officials to maintain the order of what is sometimes called ‘Crony Capitalism.’”

Well, what are we to make of tax cuts that gave the three biggest banks record profits for the first quarter?

They are now able to charge people looking for a loan higher interest rates, while enjoying a sharp drop in corporate tax rates. Meanwhile, the federal deficit is rising to record levels to line the pockets of the banks and corporations.

It does not look like Trump is draining the “gold-plated hot tub.”

According to a Transparency International poll taken in December, 44 percent of Americans said they believe that “most or all of the officials in the Office of the President are corrupt.” Fifty-eight percent said the corruption had risen in the past year since Trump took office.

And day-by-day it has become more obvious that several of Trump’s cabinet secretaries have their hands in the old-fashioned type of swamp.

Let’s look at the record:

*Secretary of Health and Human Services Tom Price resigned in disgrace last year after it was revealed that he bilked the taxpayers out of over $1 million for private charter jets and military air travel.

*Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke could well be in danger of losing his job and being brought up on charges when the Department of Interior Inspector General’s report comes out later this month. He is under review for his lavish taxpayer-funded travel — including for political purposes and a personal vacation.

*Then there is the profligacy and corruption of EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt. Pruitt received a sweetheart deal on rent for his luxury condominium in Washington. The condo is owned by the wife of a lobbyist whose clients had business before Pruitt’s EPA.

Pruitt paid an astonishing $50 per night to rent the condo, well below market value.

Also, he used taxpayer money to dole out big bonuses to his top aides and to pay for a 19-man security detail. When interviewed by my Fox News colleague Ed Henry, Pruitt said he could not believe he was even being asked about his shady deals.

That is pure Trump style.

The president still refuses to release his tax returns; he still refuses to divest from his sprawling business empire; and don’t forget his hiring of his daughter and son-in-law as senior White House advisers, as if he were running a family business to serve his bottom line instead of the national interest.

The New York Times reported in February that Apollo Global Management and Citigroup made risky loans to the president’s son-in-law’s real estate business after a White House meeting.

It is no secret that Kushner’s family business is up to its eyeballs in debt and the Washington Post reported last month that at least four countries view Kushner as susceptible to influence because of that debt.

“Drain the swamp,” has become as empty a promise as “Build the Wall.”

If you ever believed Trump, you got duped.

Juan Williams is an author, and a political analyst for Fox News Channel.

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Op maandag 16 april 2018 10:35 schreef Ringo het volgende:

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Die vraag moet je aan hemzelf stellen.
Hij legt zoveel nadruk op het democratisch bewustzijn van het Amerikaanse volk en roept alle partijen op tot het nemen van politieke verantwoordelijkheid, tot het herwinnen van moreel leiderschap, dat je gaat denken: en welke rol dicht jij jezelf daarin toe?

Ik acht hem presidentieel genoeg, daar niet van.

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A major GOP donor is jumping ship and now he’s contributing to Democratic candidates in hopes of flipping the House of Representatives and/or the Senate in this year’s midterm elections.

Seth Klarman, the billionaire CEO of the Baupost Group who the Economist once dubbed “The Oracle of Boston,” called out Republicans for failing to keep President Donald Trump in check.

“The Republicans in Congress have failed to hold the president accountable and have abandoned their historic beliefs and values,” Klarman told the Boston Globe. “For the good of the country, the Democrats must take back one or both houses of Congress.”

SPOILER

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Op maandag 16 april 2018 13:12 schreef Ulx het volgende:
Ik heb echt zin in de rants die hij straks gaat twitteren.

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Op maandag 16 april 2018 13:13 schreef brokjespoes het volgende:
Billionaire GOP Donor: I’m Using My Tax-Cut Money To Help Elect Democrats (HuffPo)

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Op maandag 16 april 2018 13:20 schreef klappernootopreis het volgende:

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Komt altijd op hetzelfde neer.

• Hij is ergens verontwaardigd over.
• Hij liegt er even over.
• Hij geeft alles en iedereen de schuld.

* [send]

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President Trump asked a federal judge Sunday night to allow him to review documents that FBI agents seized from the office of his longtime lawyer before criminal investigators have a chance to see the material.

The request underscores the high stakes in an ongoing legal fight in federal court in New York, where Michael Cohen, Trump’s lawyer, is also fighting to get a chance to review material seized as part of a criminal investigation of his business dealings.

Trump’s request, in the form of a letter from other lawyers representing him, could further complicate a hearing set for Monday afternoon. During that session, lawyers for Cohen are expected to tell the judge overseeing the case how many legal clients he has and how many seized documents he thinks might be covered by attorney-client privilege.

Cohen is set to attend the hearing. Also expected to be on hand is adult-film star Stormy Daniels, whom Cohen secretly paid $130,000 in 2016 to keep quiet the details of an alleged sexual liaison she had with Trump.

twitter:

SethAbramson twitterde op maandag 16-04-2018 om 09:05:18 God, the horrible irony in James Comey saying he was trying to save the FBI when he violated FBI protocols to inadvertently hand the election to Trump, only to have Trump do more damage to the FBI as president than Comey ever could have done by not sending his letter to Congress. reageer retweet

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Op maandag 16 april 2018 13:37 schreef Kijkertje het volgende:

twitter:

SethAbramson twitterde op maandag 16-04-2018 om 09:05:18 God, the horrible irony in James Comey saying he was trying to save the FBI when he violated FBI protocols to inadvertently hand the election to Trump, only to have Trump do more damage to the FBI as president than Comey ever could have done by not sending his letter to Congress. reageer retweet

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Op maandag 16 april 2018 13:43 schreef Tchock het volgende:

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Dat Comey nu zo opgehemeld wordt is toch ook te hypocriet voor woorden. Hij is ineens een held omdat hij zich tegen Trump keert terwijl iedereen schande over hem sprak voor de verkiezingen.

In die zin is Trumps' opmerking dat iedereen hem ontslagen wilde hebben, helemaal niet ver van de waarheid (al is de reden en het tijdstip waarop Trump hem ontsloeg weer totaal verkeerd uiteraard).

twitter:

SethAbramson twitterde op maandag 16-04-2018 om 08:41:28 It's clear that James Comey KNOWS there were shenanigans going on at the FBI between October 3 and October 27, because for his team to sit on *650,000 emails* for *24 days* and then (by the way, *falsely*) say "we can't review these by Election Day" is 100%, straight-up insanity. reageer retweet

twitter:

SethAbramson twitterde op maandag 16-04-2018 om 08:45:51 2/ Here's where it gets bad for Comey: "A week or so before the election, we find material on Weiner's laptop that may change the result, including the missing Blackberry emails." No, man... the FBI found that material *36 days* before Election Day. It *wasn't* "a week or so." reageer retweet

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Op maandag 16 april 2018 13:48 schreef Ulx het volgende:
Hemelt men Comey op dan?

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Op maandag 16 april 2018 13:50 schreef Tchock het volgende:

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Nou ja, ophemelen is wellicht niet het goede woord, maar hij krijgt vreselijk veel aandacht van de media om zijn uitspraken over Trump, waarbij hij in een slachtofferrol wordt geplaatst omdat Trump hem ontslagen heeft en kritische vragen worden grotendeels achterwege gelaten.

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Op maandag 16 april 2018 13:50 schreef Tchock het volgende:

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Nou ja, ophemelen is wellicht niet het goede woord, maar hij krijgt vreselijk veel aandacht van de media om zijn uitspraken over Trump, waarbij hij in een slachtofferrol wordt geplaatst omdat Trump hem ontslagen heeft en kritische vragen worden grotendeels achterwege gelaten.

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Op maandag 16 april 2018 13:48 schreef Kijkertje het volgende:

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Ja en als hij de waarheid zo hoog in het vaandel heeft staan waarom dan die onduidelijkheid over wat zich heeft afgespeeld?

Draadje:

twitter:

SethAbramson twitterde op maandag 16-04-2018 om 08:41:28 It's clear that James Comey KNOWS there were shenanigans going on at the FBI between October 3 and October 27, because for his team to sit on *650,000 emails* for *24 days* and then (by the way, *falsely*) say "we can't review these by Election Day" is 100%, straight-up insanity. reageer retweet

twitter:

SethAbramson twitterde op maandag 16-04-2018 om 08:45:51 2/ Here's where it gets bad for Comey: "A week or so before the election, we find material on Weiner's laptop that may change the result, including the missing Blackberry emails." No, man... the FBI found that material *36 days* before Election Day. It *wasn't* "a week or so." reageer retweet

Etc...

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Op maandag 16 april 2018 13:52 schreef westwoodblvd het volgende:

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Dan heb je het interview duidelijk niet bekeken.

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Op maandag 16 april 2018 13:53 schreef J.B. het volgende:
Ik vind Comey maar een zuur figuur, hij had kunnen verwachten dat zijn gepruts voor de verkiezingen hem duur zou komen te staan.

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Op maandag 16 april 2018 13:52 schreef Tchock het volgende:

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Tel daarbij op dat hij toegeeft dat de polls die duidelijk in het voordeel van Clinton wezen, daarbij heeft meegewogen.

Het komt een beetje op mij over alsof hij Clinton wilde beschadigen, in de overtuiging dat zij president zou worden. Wat daar het voordeel of de tactiek van is weet ik ook niet.

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Op maandag 16 april 2018 13:55 schreef Ulx het volgende:

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Het gepruts van Trump sinds de verkiezingen kan iedereen ter wereld duur komen te staan, dus dat heft elkaar weer mooi op.

twitter:

kylegriffin1 twitterde op maandag 16-04-2018 om 13:30:16 Trump asked a federal judge Sunday night to allow him to review documents that FBI agents seized from Michael Cohen’s office before criminal investigators have a chance to see the material. https://t.co/4mWTENePK3 reageer retweet

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“This great nation can tolerate a president who makes mistakes,” declared Senator Orrin Hatch, the Utah Republican. “But it cannot tolerate one who makes a mistake and then breaks the law to cover it up.”

No, Mr. Hatch wasn’t talking about Donald Trump. It was 1999, and he was talking about Bill Clinton.

At that time, the American system — and the flawed yet sometimes heroic people their fellow Americans choose to lead them — underwent, and passed, a hard test: The president, his financial dealings and his personal relationships were painstakingly investigated for years. Prosecutors ultimately accused Mr. Clinton of lying under oath, to cover up a sexual affair. The House of Representatives impeached him, but the Senate declined to convict, and Mr. Clinton stayed in office.

The public, which learned in detail about everything investigators believed Mr. Clinton had done wrong, overwhelmingly agreed with the judgment of the Senate. It was a sad and sordid and at times distracting business, but the system worked.

Now Mr. Hatch and his fellow lawmakers may be approaching a harsher and more consequential test. We quote his words not to level some sort of accusation of hypocrisy, but to remind us all of what is at stake.

News reports point to a growing possibility that President Trump may act to cripple or shut down an investigation by the nation’s top law-enforcement agencies into his campaign and administration. Lawmakers need to be preparing now for that possibility because if and when it comes to pass, they will suddenly find themselves on the edge of an abyss, with the Constitution in their hands.

SPOILER

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quote:

Op maandag 16 april 2018 14:02 schreef Ulx het volgende:

twitter:

kylegriffin1 twitterde op maandag 16-04-2018 om 13:30:16 Trump asked a federal judge Sunday night to allow him to review documents that FBI agents seized from Michael Cohen’s office before criminal investigators have a chance to see the material. https://t.co/4mWTENePK3 reageer retweet

Dit is best bizar.

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Op maandag 16 april 2018 14:10 schreef Tchock het volgende:

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Ik mis wat duiding of en waarom dit opmerkelijk is, wat de kans van slagen hiervan is en of het invloed heeft op de rest van het proces.

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Op maandag 16 april 2018 14:12 schreef Ulx het volgende:

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Ik zou zeggen: Lees het artikel.

twitter:

realDonaldTrump twitterde op maandag 16-04-2018 om 14:25:19 Comey drafted the Crooked Hillary exoneration long before he talked to her (lied in Congress to Senator G), then based his decisions on her poll numbers. Disgruntled, he, McCabe, and the others, committed many crimes! reageer retweet

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Op maandag 16 april 2018 14:27 schreef Ulx het volgende:

twitter:

realDonaldTrump twitterde op maandag 16-04-2018 om 14:25:19 Comey drafted the Crooked Hillary exoneration long before he talked to her (lied in Congress to Senator G), then based his decisions on her poll numbers. Disgruntled, he, McCabe, and the others, committed many crimes! reageer retweet