Quote :

"So, has anyone considered that POTUS Trump is coercing people (Comey) via blackmail (threatening him with "tapes")?"

If Comey believed any conversation he had with Trump wasn't recorded in the same fashion that Nixon, Kennedy, LBJ, and Obama recorded their conversations, then he's even dumber than people imagined.

The tweets aren't blackmail - they're trolling anyone who thinks Trump is at the heart of the Russia investigations. You don't think that firing Comey, then meeting with the Russians while bringing Henry Kissinger along for good measure wasn't for the sole purpose of fucking with Democrats?

5/12/2017 7:20:58 PM

Whether Comey knew or didn't know about the existence of tapes is completely irrelevant to the discussion of blackmail.

5/12/2017 8:07:51 PM

^^ my god you're pathetic

5/12/2017 9:14:26 PM

- So Trump says he fired Comey because he was too harsh on Hillary, but that's brazen lie... I mean, people were openly chanting "lock her up" at his rallies and he loved it.

- Then he says the FBI lost confidence in him, but McCabe (acting FBI head) says that's a lie.

How can someone who openly lies like that about serious stuff be the president?

Oh, BTW, buh bye McCabe for daring to tell the truth, which inevitably goes against Trump, truth being truth! Damn the truth!

And I think I read Comey saying "bring it on" with regards to the blackmail from Trump basically challenging Trump to release the tapes if they exist.

Quote :

"Acting FBI director undercuts White House on Comey firing AP | Published — Friday 12 May 2017 WASHINGTON: In ways both overt and subtle, the acting director of the FBI on undermined White House explanations for the firing of former Director James Comey. Andrew McCabe, testifying before Congress on Tuesday in place of his fired boss, contradicted the administration’s characterizations of an investigation into potential coordination between Russia and the Trump campaign to influence the presidential election. McCabe told lawmakers a counterintelligence investigation that a White House spokeswoman dismissed a day earlier as “one of the smallest things” on the FBI’s plate was actually “highly significant.” And though the White House has asserted Comey lost the backing of rank-and-file agents, McCabe flatly said, “that is not accurate.” “I can tell you that the majority, the vast majority of FBI employees, enjoyed a deep and positive connection to Director Comey,” said McCabe, who called it the “greatest privilege and honor in my professional life to work with him.” Comey, he added, “enjoyed broad support within the FBI and still does to this day.” McCabe’s testimony undercut a White House narrative that has evolved in the two days since Comey was ousted. The White House initially said President Donald Trump made the call at the recommendation of the top two officials at the Justice Department, but in an NBC News interview that aired Thursday, the president said he would have fired Comey even without the recommendation. Testifying before the Senate Intelligence Committee, McCabe repeatedly — and at times bluntly — rejected some of the claims the White House has used to explain the firing and to describe the investigation. In one of the more dramatic exchanges, he was asked whether the investigation was — as White House spokeswoman Sarah Huckabee Sanders maintained on Wednesday — a small investigation in relation to the other work the FBI is conducting. “Sir,” he told Sen. Angus King of Maine, “we consider it to be a highly significant investigation.” He also said he would refrain from discussing the investigation with the White House, pledged to report to the committee any efforts to interfere in it and said the dismissal of the director would do nothing to impede the probe. “You cannot stop the men and women of the FBI from doing the right thing,” he declared. Trump maintains Comey told him that he was not under investigation, but McCabe suggested under questioning that was highly improbable. He refused to comment on what Comey did or did not say, but when asked whether it would be common for an FBI director to notify someone they were not the target of an investigation, said “I’m not aware of that being a standard practice.” McCabe’s willingness to cut against White House talking points may reflect an understanding that he may not serve for long as acting director. The Justice Department seemed to be laying the groundwork for that possibility even before his congressional appearance, with leaders there interviewing four other candidates for the interim job Wednesday. McCabe, a career FBI agent who ran the Washington field office and oversaw national security investigations out of headquarters, was a target of Trump’s on the campaign trail following reports that his wife had accepted campaign donations from a close ally of Hillary Clinton during a failed bid for the state Senate."

Wow.

[Edited on May 12, 2017 at 11:22 PM. Reason : ]

5/12/2017 11:19:35 PM

Quote :

"(And I know this will fall on deaf ears because you defend Trump in some sort of bizarre both-sidesism and have for months)."

Not my fault there is some sort of block in regards to seeing beyond a dichotomy. Its not just you but its built into our culture. Everything is good vs evil left vs right republican vs democrat. There is never a 3rd option on anything.

You have one view on an issue or you have the other. You have prescribed counterpoints to refute opposite view and will not engage anything else because everything else is just trolling because it would require new and independent thought.

Me being against Republican and democrats is "bizarre both-sidism" I don't think you could have portrayed the typical American any better.

The idea that I am against Trump, but don't think everything he does is the "end of the free world as we know it" is indeed rare.

I DON'T FIT INTO ANY OF YOUR BOXES AND THAT IRKS YOU

5/12/2017 11:49:25 PM

^^this is the same McCabe that "forgot" to disclose his donations made to Hillary Clintons campaign or the hundreds of thousands of dollars in donations his wife received to run for VA state senate in 2015 as a Democrat. He's more of a political hack than Comey ever was, and he needs to go. The FBI needs a thorough housecleaning.

5/13/2017 9:14:20 AM

Why does this matter? I've read that a lot of people think McCabe is in over his head in that position but I don't think it has anything to do with that. Comey was a career bureau guy just like McCabe only he was a Republican.

And we all know Cornyn, basically a Trump cheerleader and current sitting GOP senator is going to be the next head of the bureau. And I bet when he is named, you'll defend it.

Quote :

"The tweets aren't blackmail - they're trolling anyone who thinks Trump is at the heart of the Russia investigations."

Holy shit, do you really honestly believe that Trump is playing on some higher level still and is not just plain incompetent??? I mean, I know those people exist, but wow...

[Edited on May 13, 2017 at 9:55 AM. Reason : X]

5/13/2017 9:49:00 AM

I'm surprised the credibility thread has made it this far. I would have thought his credibility was blown on page one, at which point you'd lock it down.

5/13/2017 4:25:11 PM

Lol at trump supporters now calling Comey a political hack

Ha

5/14/2017 1:05:32 AM

The Economist interview was bad enough but the analysis of the interview that the Economist did after is scathing. They basically called him a moron who has absolutely no clue what he is talking about or doing.

I don't know that I've ever seen such a brutal analysis from them.

5/14/2017 7:05:01 AM

http://wncn.com/2017/05/10/99-percent-of-hurricane-matthew-funds-requested-by-nc-denied-by-trump-administration/
Trump would like to thank NC for being dumb enough to vote for him:

RALEIGH, N.C. (WNCN) — The State of North Carolina requested $929 million from the federal government to help with costs associated with Hurricane Matthew, but the state will be receiving far less than that, according to an announcement by Gov. Roy Cooper.

North Carolina will receive only $6.1 million from the Trump administration. That’s 99 percent less than the requested amount.

In a letter Cooper sent to the president and other officials today, he expressed “shock and disappointment in the lack of federal funding for Hurricane Matthew recovery efforts.”

The governor had worked with Sen. Thom Tillis and Representatives David Price (D) and Rep. David Rouzer (R) in April to come up with a request to Congress to help cover the costs associated with the destruction left by Matthew.

The $929 million requested would have been used to “help communities and families fix homes, repair businesses and recover from the historic flooding,” Cooper said.

5/14/2017 9:33:12 AM

^fake news. NC already got $300 million that was applied for under McCrory.

5/14/2017 9:57:24 AM

What is your definition of fake news exactly?

5/14/2017 10:11:33 AM

It's not fake news. It is accurate reporting. A single request was made and 99% of that single request was rejected.

Yes, NC did receive prior federal aid. That is irrelevant for a few reasons, not least of which is the fact that that aid was approved under the prior administration. They needed and requested more and 99% of that request was rejected.

Nothing in that article is implying that any and all federal aid ever requested was denied. It is reporting on a single request for $929 million. In fact if you actually read the whole article:

Quote :

"“The bipartisan North Carolina congressional delegation worked to secure more than $300 million in federal assistance for Hurricane Matthew and is committed to making sure the people of North Carolina have the resources they need for hurricane recovery. Hurricane recovery has always been and should continue to be above partisan finger pointing. Senator Burr encourages both Democrat and Republican leaders to work together to ensure that those suffering as a result of a natural disaster get the support they need.”"

I think a lot of the more right-wing leaning GOPers here think that a headline designed to grab your attention is somehow fake news. Shows an ironic lack of self-responsibility with respect to the fact that you should read the article and get the content as opposed to taking the headline as the entire story.

[Edited on May 14, 2017 at 11:01 AM. Reason : a]

5/14/2017 10:59:10 AM

Quote :

"The Economist interview was bad enough but the analysis of the interview that the Economist did after is scathing. They basically called him a moron who has absolutely no clue what he is talking about or doing. I don't know that I've ever seen such a brutal analysis from them."

just read this -- crazy, haven't noticed this much 'editorializing' from them in the actual article since i've been a regular reader (12+ yrs?)

[on a side note, nc state grad ryan avent writes the free exchange column (and is a senior editor, though economist articles are unsigned so...)]

edit: some interesting quotes:

Quote :

"Trumponomics, despite some tasty ingredients, is guilty of worse than incoherence. It also suggests a dismal lack of attention to the real causes of the economic disruption imposing itself on Mr Trump’s unhappy supporters."

Quote :

"Mr Trump is a showman as well as a pragmatist. His hostility to trade is unfeigned. And his administration, as the sacking of Mr Comey might suggest, could yet find itself in such a hole that a trade war looks like a welcome distraction."

[Edited on May 14, 2017 at 2:38 PM. Reason : article quotes]

5/14/2017 2:33:08 PM

5/15/2017 10:19:25 AM

Intelligence agencies are saying trump was careless with very classified info by giving it directly to the Russians, but it's not illegal because he's the president.

Somehow this seems worse that storing emails in a way where they werent accessible by government IT polices.

[Edited on May 15, 2017 at 5:39 PM. Reason : ]

5/15/2017 5:39:21 PM

And thats the problem with playin the "lesser of two evils" game. Once you know you will have a corrupt candidate, drawing the line on an acceptable amount of corruption becomes arbitrary.

I hope you guys learned for the future that if you're going to expose the character of the opposing candidate, you better run a clean candidate or the water will be muddy. Also, if you're going to pretend to be appalled by any sort of pay to play, you must call Obama out for his wall street kickbacks.

5/15/2017 5:57:58 PM

Quote :

"I hope you guys learned "

Trust me, they didn't

5/15/2017 6:21:05 PM

how's eleusis gonna spin this one?

5/15/2017 6:41:57 PM

This is the most ridiculous CNN coverage i've ever seen. The media is getting worse and worse by the day. Some guy on CNN is saying American lives are at risk because Russians are going to share info on this ISIS threat with all of america's enemies such as Syria, Iran and Hezbollah AND that those parties will get that source killed.

They are leaving out the fact that those are all of ISIS' biggest enemies which should only help with ISIS right?

Are they incompetent are are they just spouting BS because they know most of their viewers don't know the difference between ISIS and Iran.

5/15/2017 7:27:16 PM

But but but her classified emaiils!!!!
https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/trump-revealed-highly-classified-information-to-russian-foreign-minister-and-ambassador/2017/05/15/530c172a-3960-11e7-9e48-c4f199710b69_story.html

5/15/2017 7:53:19 PM

Its almost as if the president thinks the rules on classified information don't apply to him

5/15/2017 7:57:10 PM

Naw CNN's daily coverage is trash. Maybe most news stations are but I only get CNN through sling. Recommend watching the vox YouTube video about CNN. They've essentially become the espn of news stations.

5/15/2017 8:58:12 PM

^when you say trash, do you mean the fact that they talk about the same two stories for 24 hours or that the actual stories are trash? because far as I can tell, the reporting itself is fine.

But I'm 100% with you on 24 hour news if that's what you meant. Although, you have a choice to not watch it for 24 hours.

[Edited on May 15, 2017 at 10:11 PM. Reason : a]

5/15/2017 10:11:28 PM

BREAKING NEWS!



[Edited on May 15, 2017 at 10:48 PM. Reason : great reporting]

5/15/2017 10:47:58 PM

Anyone that watches a 24hr "news" channel as a primary news source deserves whatever they get

5/15/2017 11:16:11 PM

Quote :

"Anyone that watches a 24hr "news" channel as a primary news source deserves whatever they getone scoop of ice cream"

5/15/2017 11:34:36 PM

I don't see how CNN's reporting right now is any worse than it was during the last election cycle. In fact, at least now they're reporting actual events as information comes out as opposed to providing Trump surrogates superfluous airtime to drive up ratings in what was supposed to be cakewalk for Hillary.

It's still garbage, but I'm pretty sure I stopped thinking of CNN as an unbiased and reliable source of news back when I was in HS and GWB was still president. Perhaps you're just slow.

5/15/2017 11:51:35 PM

Quote :

"“For years, the U.S. government has been supporting armed militant groups working directly with and often under the command of terrorist groups like ISIS and al-Qaeda in their fight to overthrow the Syrian government. Rather than spending trillions of dollars on regime change wars in the Middle East, we should be focused on defeating terrorist groups like ISIS and al-Qaeda, and using our resources to invest in rebuilding our communities here at home,” said Rep. Tulsi Gabbard. “The fact that American taxpayer dollars are being used to strengthen the very terrorist groups we should be focused on defeating should alarm every Member of Congress and every American. We call on our colleagues and the Administration to join us in passing this legislation.”"

Trump just put our terrorist allies in grave danger

5/16/2017 12:38:14 AM

Quote :

"Its almost as if the president thinks the rules on classified information don't apply to him "

It's not illegal, no. It's just ridiculously unethical, dangerous and incompetent.

For someone who spent months (in part, rightfully) being outraged about Bernie's treatment, which also wasn't illegal, I'd expect you to understand some nuance... but not when it comes to tacitly supporting Trump I guess..

[Edited on May 16, 2017 at 6:17 AM. Reason : Also, WaPo is good and well-sourced.. but it's not crazy to think they get some stuff wrong]

5/16/2017 6:15:14 AM

If they were wrong, you'd think you'd see a denial, instead they're spinning it as 'methods and sources were not revealed', which the WaPo article doesn't even allege.


[Edited on May 16, 2017 at 7:46 AM. Reason : a]

5/16/2017 7:45:45 AM

^white house staff denied the report. trump basically admitted in his tweets that the WaPo report was true.

edit: actually it's kinda conflicting what the white house staff is saying.

Quote :

"McMaster reiterated his statement in a subsequent appearance at the White House on Monday and described the Washington Post story as “false,” but did not take any questions."

Quote :

"“The president and the foreign minister reviewed common threats from terrorist organizations to include threats to aviation,” said H.R. McMaster, the national security adviser, who participated in the meeting. “At no time were any intelligence sources or methods discussed, and no military operations were disclosed that were not already known publicly.”"

so they're saying the report is false without really denying anything specific within the report.


https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/trump-revealed-highly-classified-information-to-russian-foreign-minister-and-ambassador/2017/05/15/530c172a-3960-11e7-9e48-c4f199710b69_story.html?hpid=hp_hp-banner-main_trumpintel-0504pm%3Ahomepage%2Fstory&utm_term=.20e87e3170bf








[Edited on May 16, 2017 at 8:09 AM. Reason : d]

5/16/2017 8:05:19 AM

If he did it, it would have been much easier to make a case within his foreign policy, that this information needed to be sent to the Russians. But nope.

Just flat out denies it.

5/16/2017 8:08:44 AM

Lol.. and Trump admitted it.

He's right in that it is his right but it's so highly trusting of a nation who isn't trustworthy -- naive.

Also, he just continues to fuck over his staff and cabinet by senddig them out to lie and then contradicting them immediately. At some point people will just stop working with him.

He has EMBARRASSED every single person who works for him over multiple decades unless they were family. It's who he is.

5/16/2017 8:15:21 AM

no confidential informant or source has any reason to work with the US as long as Trump is in office. that will cost us American lives.

5/16/2017 8:24:21 AM

Paul Ryan just out there praying for a CBO score to drop before reporters get to him.

5/16/2017 8:27:36 AM

Regarding CNN, the last two years I've started following politics a lot more closely so they may have already been this way, but it seems to me they manufacture drama when nothing "breaking" is happening. Their website articles are okay i guess. Nothing groundbreaking or anything.

Here's the Vox video I was talking about.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4pS4x8hXQ5c

Back on topic, I don't know what to believe about the Trump intelligence leak. First WaPo comes out with the story with admittedly shaky sources, then McMaster comes out and denies it, now Trump is on twitter saying he has the right to give that intellegence away (which is correct). Feels like the best move for Trump would have been to deny and let it go away.

5/16/2017 8:36:45 AM

i don't understand all the "it's not illegal" responses, those cucks are entirely missing the point

5/16/2017 8:46:43 AM

Quote :

"Also, he just continues to fuck over his staff and cabinet by senddig them out to lie and then contradicting them immediately. At some point people will just stop working with him."

It's so bizarre. Even the worst liars I know at least understand you have to get your stories straight, form a lie, and then stick with it, even after it's not useful anymore. It can only be explained by either dementia or he gets some kind of sick joy from hanging his people out to dry.

Bizarro-world

5/16/2017 8:47:30 AM

Quote :

"Regarding CNN, the last two years I've started following politics a lot more closely so they may have already been this way, but it seems to me they manufacture drama when nothing "breaking" is happening. "

seems to be the case with a lot of 24 hour news. a lot of fairly mundane stuff gets the "BREAKING:" scroll at the bottom.

Quote :

" i don't understand all the "it's not illegal" responses, those cucks are entirely missing the point"

i don't think they miss the point. they just will say or do whatever is necessary to defend their guy. pointing out the hypocrisy of trump mishandling classified info means nothing to them. dredging up every old tweet from trump and quote from paul ryan about hillary's handling of classified info and trying to relate it to this incident is not going to culminate in some change of heart for those folks.

[Edited on May 16, 2017 at 9:02 AM. Reason : f]

5/16/2017 8:53:28 AM

politics are sports now and these bitches are rooting for their team. simple as that.

5/16/2017 9:50:25 AM

^absolutely.

5/16/2017 10:02:39 AM

Regarding the ice cream thing, that's the trash you get when you have to fill 24 hours of news. It doesn't mean the rest of the shit they report isn't news or that it's fake news or lies.

Also, the point of that "story" wasn't to talk about ice cream, it was to emphasize the fact that as a policy, people in the White House are treated in a submissive manner with respect to Trump. The fact that he had to tell the staff/chefs "when you bring out ice cream, only I get two scoops, everyone else gets one" speaks to the ego problems he has which greatly impact his credibility and capability as the leader of the free world. It essentially was a "story" speaking to his mental state.

Quote :

"politics are sports now and these bitches are rooting for their team. simple as that."

I've been saying that for years. I 100% agree with you.

[Edited on May 16, 2017 at 10:35 AM. Reason : a]

5/16/2017 10:34:02 AM

CNN isn't fake news, it is Very Fake news.

5/16/2017 10:45:06 AM

WaPo was right again.

At this point they have infinitely more credibility than the W.H. Good job by McMasters walking that delicate line but he basically confirmed the entire story.

5/16/2017 12:09:55 PM

Yep

5/16/2017 12:17:58 PM

http://www.rawstory.com/2017/05/conservative-erick-erickson-claims-source-who-leaked-latest-russia-bombshell-was-a-trump-supporter/

For some reason I can't get the OG article to load

But this is fucked up:

Quote :

" The President will not take any internal criticism, no matter how politely it is given,” Erickson explains. “He does not want advice, cannot be corrected, and is too insecure to see any constructive feedback as anything other than an attack. So some of the sources are left with no other option but to go to the media, leak the story, and hope that the intense blowback gives the President a swift kick in the butt.”"

5/16/2017 12:32:52 PM

Quote :

"no confidential informant or source has any reason to work with the US as long as Trump is in office. that will cost us American lives."

how about we bring all the troops home then

5/16/2017 12:40:32 PM

^*sigh

5/16/2017 1:09:14 PM