The Political Thread

[Arcadia]

http://www.newsy.com/stories/emmanuel-macron-wins-france-s-presidential-election/?utm_content=inf_11_3490_2&utm_source=whm_fb&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=influencers&tse_id=INF_6914a6c0335411e78b099bd9c6581d40 yay!

 

I'll join you in that dance!

[J.P.]

He seems to be the less of two evils though. We'll see.

[Surelock]

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/05/09/us/politics/james-comey-fired-fbi.html

 

So Trump just fired FBI Director James Comey, the guy who started an investigation into Trump's ties with Russia.

 

Looks like we know Trump's strategy now: fire anyone who tries to oppose him. He did the same thing with Sally Yates a few months ago. Looks like a lot of people are going to be fired.

[SherlockedCAMPer]

The latest thing regarding the Clinton email scandal didn't help his position either.

[Arcadia]

I kind of feel for the guy, he was put in a terrible position with that Hillary stuff. I really believe his staff messed him over but good, there, for reasons of their own.

 

It will be interesting to see if the Trump investigation continues. I'm not taking any bets one way or the other.

 

I am sad for my country ... the destruction of trust in our institutions is finally complete. Let the revolution begin.

[SherlockedCAMPer]

I have a book on my shelf called The Coming Revolution in America. The talks about a revolution that is not a battle of arms like we had in the 1770s but a revolution nonetheless. Once I find the author info I'll try to remember to post it here as it's been several years since I've read it.

[Arcadia]

Is that the one by Richard Lee? He writes well, but I don't subscribe to his outlook.

[SherlockedCAMPer]

Yes it is that author.

[Fantasy Lover]

https://m.mic.com/articles/176985/donald-trump-just-issued-a-threat-to-james-comey-before-he-starts-leaking-to-the-press?utm_campaign=social&utm_medium=main&utm_source=policymicTBLR#.CvYu2Xrc0 this is fishy.

[Van Buren Supernova]

Nowadays whenever I read news, I have to remind myself that it's not b*tchy teenager's playground.

[J.P.]

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2017/may/12/donald-trump-has-no-shame-that-makes-him-dangerous

 

Yes. Why there are no consequences?

 

I wonder if the normal people in Germany in the 30s have felt the same kind of helplessness.

 

BTW, it amuses me that his administration continues to cut on the education, his staff are science deniers, but he wants to send people on Mars. I wonder how. On a Cruise Missile? With the Mother of All Bombs attached to it's butt?

[Arcadia]

He not only has no shame, he has no knowledge. Also, he doesn't mean anything he says. If he wants people on Mars today, tomorrow he will call it a Muslim plot that has to be stopped.

 

I'm hoping there will be consequences. Maybe the system will work the next time we have elections. But I'm losing faith in my fellow Americans. I used to think enough of us were decent enough to see through a fraud like Trump; now I'm not so sure.

 

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/05/12/opinion/sunday/if-liberals-hate-him-then-trump-must-be-doing-something-right.html?_r=0

 

Yes, I do feel rather helpless.

 

 

[Surelock]

 

Yes, I do feel rather helpless.

 

 

 

 

Maybe this will cheer you up?

[Arcadia]

Not really. It depresses me that someone could be such an idiot. :p

[Van Buren Supernova]

Did he or did he not reveal classified information to Russia?

[Surelock]

Did he or did he not reveal classified information to Russia?

 

He probably didn't know it was classified information. We have to feel sorry for him. He didn't know what was classified information.

[Van Buren Supernova]

Oh.. you mean the annual budget never specify How to Be President for Dummies book?

Alright then. Poor him.

 

 

 

To be fair, anyone knows how true is it actually? I read it from source I don't fully believe, but then it's everywhere, including respectable sources, including some suspicious denial.

[Arcadia]

The problem is, the reporters' sources are anonymous. So it comes down to who you believe ... Trump's surrogates, or the anonymous sources. Here's the article, but I'm not sure everyone can access it, so I'll excerpt some of it too. 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?tid=a_inl&utm_term=.4968476d0530
 

President Trump revealed highly classified information to the Russian foreign minister and ambassador in a White House meeting last week, according to current and former U.S. officials, who said Trump’s disclosures jeopardized a critical source of intelligence on the Islamic State.

The information the president relayed had been provided by a U.S. partner through an intelligence-sharing arrangement considered so sensitive that details have been withheld from allies and tightly restricted even within the U.S. government, officials said.

The partner had not given the United States permission to share the material with Russia, and officials said Trump’s decision to do so endangers cooperation from an ally that has access to the inner workings of the Islamic State. After Trump’s meeting, senior White House officials took steps to contain the damage, placing calls to the CIA and the National Security Agency.

“This is code-word information,” said a U.S. official familiar with the matter, using terminology that refers to one of the highest classification levels used by American spy agencies. Trump “revealed more information to the Russian ambassador than we have shared with our own allies.”

“It is all kind of shocking,” said a former senior U.S. official who is close to current administration officials. “Trump seems to be very reckless and doesn’t grasp the gravity of the things he’s dealing with, especially when it comes to intelligence and national security. And it’s all clouded because of this problem he has with Russia.”
 
In his meeting with Lavrov, Trump seemed to be boasting about his inside knowledge of the looming threat. “I get great intel. I have people brief me on great intel every day,” the president said, according to an official with knowledge of the exchange.

 

The Post is withholding most plot details, including the name of the city, at the urging of officials who warned that revealing them would jeopardize important intelligence capabilities.

“Everyone knows this stream is very sensitive, and the idea of sharing it at this level of granularity with the Russians is troubling,” said a former senior U.S. counterterrorism official who also worked closely with members of the Trump national security team. He and others spoke on the condition of anonymity, citing the sensitivity of the subject.

 
 

Senior White House officials appeared to recognize quickly that Trump had overstepped and moved to contain the potential fallout. Thomas P. Bossert, assistant to the president for homeland security and counterterrorism, placed calls to the directors of the CIA and the NSA, the services most directly involved in the intelligence-sharing arrangement with the partner.
 
One of Bossert’s subordinates also called for the problematic portion of Trump’s discussion to be stricken from internal memos and for the full transcript to be limited to a small circle of recipients, efforts to prevent sensitive details from being disseminated further or leaked.

[J.P.]

The German media treat it as if it was true, but who knows?

[Arcadia]

Well, the Washington Post is a conservative, professional newspaper, I don't think they would run it if they didn't think there was something to it. And the two reporters who broke the story have good credentials, they're not some hacks from the blogosphere. They have a good track record. And they clearly trust their sources.

 

The Trump White House, on the other hand, has all but admitted it makes up its own "facts", sends mixed messages, and has been caught in a lie more than once.

 

I leave you to your deductions.

 

[Van Buren Supernova]

I believe he had twitted that it's his right to do so.

 

Can I borrow your hands? I need multiple facepalms.

[Arcadia]

I just saw that headline but I haven't read the story yet.

 

Technically, he's correct, apparently ... if the president decides to reveal a state secret, that's his prerogative. But it's not advisable to do so and I personally believe it only demonstrates how ignorant he is about the world, and about how governments function. (As if we needed any more proof.) Scary dude.

 

And no, I already am a few hands short. Maybe Pseud has one you can borrow. Tell her I sent you. :p

[Van Buren Supernova]

Yah, I am aware he has the right.

 

However, it's about the same that I have the right to pee on my own furnitures and wear my bra outside my T-shirt.

 

And that sort of confirming the allegation and show how bad is the contradiction inside.

[Arcadia]

I haven't had a chance to see the news today, but this sounds, uh ... promising? Comey may have evidence that Trump tried to end the investigation into his "ties" to Russia? Hmmmmmm......

http://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/comey-memo-says-trump-asked-him-to-end-flynn-investigation/ar-BBBdmgu?li=BBmkt5R&ocid=spartanntp

[Caya]

 

eta: In case that's not readily apparent, this is a joke - but wouldn't it be fun if she really did that? ;)