;)
Ides of October 2016
Afternoon Update:
Molly Redden of the Guardian: "Some 20 years ago, [Cathy Heller] claims, when she met Donald Trump for the first and only time, he grabbed her, went for a kiss, and grew angry with her as she twisted away. 'Oh, come on,' she alleges that he barked, before holding her firmly in place and planting his lips on hers.... Heller has added her voice to a chorus of women now accusing Trump of unwanted behavior. 'He can't claim we're all liars,' Heller said.... Heller had told [the story to] many friends and family members over the years, but is only now telling in public." Not only that, Trump pulled this stunt at Mar-a-Lago, on Mothers' Day, in front of a large gathering of Heller's family, including Heller's husband. -- CW
Nick Corasaniti of the New York Times: "Escalating his criticism of Hillary Clinton's debate performances, Donald J. Trump came to a state battling a drug epidemic [-- New Hampshire --] and suggested without any evidence Saturday that his opponent had been on drugs during their second debate. 'I think we should take a drug test prior to the debate,' Mr. Trump told a crowd of thousands gathered in the parking lot of a Toyota dealership on a chilly afternoon. He continued: 'We should take a drug test prior, because I don't know what's going on with her. But at the beginning of her last debate -- she was all pumped up at the beginning, and at the end it was like, "Oh, take me down." She could barely reach her car.'" ...
... CW: Given Donald's history of projecting his own foibles on others, this comes close to verifying suspicions that Trump is self-medicating. My own recollection of the end of the second debate was that Hillary Clinton & her family rushed right out to shake hands with the town-hall attendees while Trump stood around lethargically talking to his family until someone -- perhaps Ivanka -- pushed him to go shake a few hands. The energy on the post-debate stage was the Clinton family's, not Trump's. He looked dejected & tired, IMO.
King Kong vs. the World. Jose DelReal of the Washington Post: When Donald Trump decided his teleprompters weren't working properly at a rally in Charlotte, N.C., Friday night, he "physically dismantled one of the teleprompters. Then he knocked the other one down." -- CW
Paul Farhi of the Washington Post: "Donald Trump's rallies have never been the friendliest places for reporters. But lately, as Trump has come under increasing fire, an unwelcoming atmosphere for the press has turned into outright hostility.... Reporters are now concealing or removing their press credentials when leaving the pen to avoid confrontations with Trump's supporters. The atmosphere is particularly threatening to female reporters and to female TV reporters whose faces are well known, reporters say." -- CW ...
... Here are some nice new tees for the angry Trumpbots. Thanks to unwashed for the link:
CW: In case you were wondering how GOP rally attendees got so vicious, remember Sarah Palin. Republicans have been ramping up this kind of vitriol ever since.
*****
Coral Davenport of the New York Times: "Negotiators from more than 170 countries on Saturday reached a legally binding accord to counter climate change by cutting the worldwide use of a powerful planet-warming chemical used in air-conditioners and refrigerators. The talks in Kigali, the capital of Rwanda, have not drawn the same spotlight as the climate change accord forged in Paris last year. But the outcome could have an equal or even greater impact on efforts to slow the heating of the planet. Here's the President's full statement. President Obama called the deal 'an ambitious and far-reaching solution to this looming crisis.'" -- CW
Presidential Race
Jonathan Easley of the Hill: "Hillary Clinton's advisers are ramping up attacks on WikiLeaks and the Russian government over a damaging email hack, lashing out at Donald Trump and the media for failing to treat the breach as a threat to national security. The Clinton campaign gathered its top national security advisers for a blistering conference call with reporters on Friday, framing the email dump as a provocative cyber-attack by foreign adversaries with ties to terror groups. The advisers described the hacks as unprecedented interference in the U.S. election that threatens the nation's sovereignty, and warned there would be 'consequences' for the hackers and potentially the 'Russian state actors' supporting them.... The campaign ... questioned whether [Trump] and his advisers, driven by their own foreign business interests, have conspired to aid the Russians. And Clinton's allies fumed at the media's coverage of the leaked emails, saying the focus has been on trivial political minutia rather than the national security implications." -- CW ...
... Rebecca Savransky of the Hill: "WikiLeaks on Saturday published a new batch of more than 800 emails it says were stolen from the archive of Hillary Clinton campaign chairman John Podesta.... In all, the group has published more than 11,000 emails. WikiLeaks claims to have 50,000 of Podesta's messages, indicating it plans to release them in batches moving forward. U.S. intelligence agencies have said the release may be part of a Russia-backed plot to interfere with the presidential election." -- CW
Michael Shear of the New York Times: "President Obama on Friday implored voters [in Cleveland, Ohio,] to 'reject a dark and pessimistic vision' offered by Donald J. Trump and urged a robust turnout on behalf of Hillary Clinton in a state where the presidential candidates are locked in a razor-thin contest. Following by a day Michelle Obama's deeply personal denunciation of Mr. Trump, the president also assailed the Republican nominee as a morally compromised and intellectually inferior person who fakes his concern for the working class in America. 'The guy spent 70 years on this earth showing no regard for working people,' Mr. Obama said, describing Mr. Trump as a wealthy opportunist who is pretending to be something he has never been. 'And then suddenly, he's going to be the champion of working people? Come on. Come on, man.'" -- CW
Jonathan Martin of the New York Times: "On Thursday and Friday alone, Mr. Trump unleashed a barrage of near-apocalyptic warnings about the potential destruction of the country, broad accusations about the illegitimacy of American democracy, and crude innuendo about his opponent that is almost without precedent in modern presidential history. He warned that Hillary Clinton was conspiring with financiers to destroy American sovereignty, claimed the fate of civilization depended on his victory and ridiculed the appearance of the one of the women accusing him of sexual harassment, while also deriding Mrs. Clinton's looks and saying she ought to be in prison. He also said the presidential election amounted to 'a big ugly lie.'" -- CW ...
... Steve M. speculates that Trump may be trying "to commit political suicide by media cop." -- CW ...
By Driftglass.Politico: "Donald Trump ... kicked off his Saturday by lashing out at the media and 'Crooked Hillary' for trying to 'poison the minds' of voters with claims that Trump has a long history of forcing himself on women.... [He] fired off two tweets before 8 a.m. -- using the Android phone that indicates the tweets are from Trump himself...: '100% fabricated and made-up charges, pushed strongly by the media and the Clinton Campaign, may poison the minds of the American Voter. FIX!' Trump tweeted early Saturday. He followed up with, 'This election is being rigged by the media pushing false and unsubstantiated charges, and outright lies, in order to elect Crooked Hillary!'" -- CW
She was the most corrupt person to ever seek the presidency of the United States and her specialty has been, as you see over the years, it's character assassination. -- Donald Trump, at a rally in Charlotte, N.C., Friday
See anything wrong with that sentence, other than the part where he uses two verbs in one clause ("has been" and "is")? Like accusing your opponent of character assassination while assassinating her character? -- Constant Weader
I'm well informed and I don't listen to the 'lame stream media.' -- Elizabeth Earl, who attended the Trump rally in West Palm Beach Thursday (no link)
... Nick Corasaniti & Alexander Burns of the New York Times: "Donald J. Trump used a campaign speech in North Carolina on Friday to attack the women accusing him of sexual assault or unwelcome advances as fame-seekers and liars, while portraying himself as the victim of a vast conspiracy on the part of the news media and Hillary Clinton's campaign. Speaking at a rally [in Greensboro], Mr. Trump dismissed as 'total fiction' the accounts of a growing number of women who say he groped them or made unwanted sexual advances. But he offered no evidence to cast doubt on their allegations. Instead, Mr. Trump assailed their motives, suggesting that they might have been paid off." [Trump said two of his accusers, Jessica Leeds & Natasha Stoynoff, were too unattractive to interest him.] "Mr. Trump also accused The New York Times, and Carlos Slim, the Mexican billionaire who is its largest individual holder of common shares, of conspiring with the Clinton campaign 'to try and keep their grip on our country.'" -- CW ...
... Jose DelReal of the Washington Post: "Donald Trump suggested several times Friday that he would not have sexually harassed the women who have accused him of assault because of their physical [un]attractiveness. The comments, which appeared to be made offhandedly, drew repeated laughs from the audience.... While Trump said Thursday that he would soon present evidence proving that his accusers are not telling the truth, he offered no such corroboration at the rally Friday in Greensboro." -- CW (Also linked yesterday.) ...
... Eli Stokols of Politico: "Explaining that he was ignoring his own advisers, Trump seethed with contempt for the women who've claimed he assaulted them. But his rambling, at times incoherent, comments seemed to instantly invalidate two of his defenders' key talking points: That he regrets past comments judging women by their looks and treats them with respect." -- CW
As the Prick Shrivels. I am standing at the podium and she [Hillary] walks in front of me. And believe me when she walks in front of me I wasn't impressed. -- Donald Trump, at a rally Friday
I had assumed that when Trump repeatedly said, "Hillary doesn't look presidential," the implication was, "because she's a woman." But no. It turns out the unstated condition was, "because checking out her ass doesn't give me a hard-on." -- Constant Weader
Dahlia Lithwick: "Summer Zervos, who is represented by attorney Gloria Allred..., says she met Trump on Season 5 of The Apprentice, then went to see him at his offices in New York in 2007, at which time [he] kissed her several times on the mouth, in casual greetings that made her uncomfortable. A few days later Trump allegedly ... had Zervos brought to his bungalow at the Beverly Hills Hotel, where she saw his clothes on the bed, and he called out to her from a room adjacent to his bedroom.... After 15 minutes, he joined her with his clothes on and began kissing her, open-mouthed and dragging her toward him. He allegedly grabbed her shoulder and her breast. She describes him having 'led her to the bedroom' as she resisted. She described him as 'thrusting his genitals' against her clothed body.... Allred confirmed in a Q&A with reporters following the event that she has two corroborating witnesses for this account, and that Zervos -- a Republican -- was not contacted by anyone to come forward." -- CW (Also linked yesterday afternoon.) ...
... Brendan Morrow of Heavy has more details. (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)
That Time Donald Trump Groped Me. Karen Tumulty of the Washington Post: "Kristin Anderson was deep in conversation with acquaintances at a crowded Manhattan nightspot and did not notice the figure to her right on a red velvet couch -- until, she recalls, his fingers slid under her miniskirt, moved up her inner thigh, and touched her vagina through her underwear. Anderson shoved the hand away, fled the couch and turned to take her first good look at the man who had touched her, she said. She recognized him as Donald Trump.... Over the years, Anderson, now 46 and a photographer living in Southern California, has recounted the story to people she knew...." -- CW (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)
Before the day is out, there will be more evidence publicly that shows and calls into question these allegations. --mike pence, Friday morning on CBS
Unless you think "evidence" = "those women are too unattractive to assault," mike's assurances were false. -- Constant Weader ...
... Wait, Wait, I Was Wrong! Gilby Was There! Daniel Halper of the New York Post: "Donald Trump's campaign says a British man is countering claims that the GOP presidential nominee groped a woman on a cross-country flight more than three decades ago. The man says he was sitting across from the accuser and contacted the Trump campaign because he was incensed by her account -- which is at odds with what he witnessed.... In an exclusive interview arranged by the [Trump] campaign, [Anthony] Gilberthorpe said he was on the flight -- in either 1980 or 1981 -- where Jessica Leeds claimed Trump groped her." -- CW ...
... CW: Feeling dismayed? Wondering if Leeds invented her story? Let's ask Kevin Drum, who's been checking up on the posh Mr. Gilberthorpe. There was that time when Gilberthorpe "announced his engagement in the Times to Miss Leah Bergdorf-Hunt. 'But there was no engagement, and indeed no Miss Bergdorf-Hunt.'" And that time Gilby (as his ex-friends call him) invited an MP friend & his mistress out to the Gilberthorpe country place, whereupon "it transpired [that Gilby] fitted out the spare-room with hidden cameras and microphones and shopped his loyal friend to the tabloid [Sunday Mirror] for £25,000." And so forth. Yep. Gilby is the guy the Trump campaign puts forth as fact-checker & character witness. Soon we'll hear from Trumpbots that "a friend of Queen Elizabeth's proved" Leeds made a pass at Trump, who delicately turned her down. ...
... Evelyn Rupert of the Hill: "Donald Trump's presidential campaign released a statement on Friday to rebut allegations of sexual assault against the candidate. The cousin of a woman accusing Trump of groping her, John Barry of Mission Viejo, Calif., said Summer Zervos is making the allegations to get back on reality television. 'I am completely shocked and bewildered by my cousin, Summer Zervos, and her press conference today. Ever since she was on The Apprentice she has had nothing but glowing things to say about Mr. Trump,' the statement reads.... The Trump campaign also released an email from Zervos to Trump's secretary dated April 14, 2016, in which Zervos talks about her California restaurant and says she hopes to reconnect with the GOP nominee." ...
... CW: How odd that the Trump campaign didn't release Zervos' contemporaneous e-mail, directed to Donald himself, in which she wrote (according to her account), "I have been incredibly hurt by our previous interaction." P.S. to those who may not get it: victims of sexual assault frequently say nice things about the men, especially powerful men, who have abused them. We also have no idea about the veracity of Barry's remarks. I'm not saying he's another Gilby, but we don't know.
Washington Post Editors: "... when ... Donald Trump was outed as a serial abuser of women, first by his own words and then by testimony from a lengthening list of alleged victims, he responded with tactics worthy of the Russian ex-KGB man Vladimir Putin, whose leadership he so admires. Mr. Trump branded the women liars and blamed 'the establishment and their media enablers' for the purported smear.... Mr. Trump went on to compound verbally the insult he already inflicted on his victims, through his conduct, with predictable attacks on their veracity, motives and, of course, appearance.... Beyond merely denying the truth of the allegations about his treatment of women, he recast them as evidence that U.S. democracy itself is no longer legitimate.... A greater measure of accountability belongs to the men and women who purport to lead the GOP faithful, and have, with a few honorable exceptions, so manifestly failed the moral test Mr. Trump's candidacy poses."
Nancy Collins, in the Hollywood Reporter, produces a transcript of a 1994 interview of Donald Trump. For a shorter version, see Megyn Reynolds of Jezebel who highlights the lowlights. CW: Like Reynolds (and probably everybody else), I was struck by Trump's instant transition from "I have great relations with women" to "The woman's a liar, extremely unattractive, lots of problems because of her looks." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.) ...
... Alyssa Rosenberg of the Washington Post: "For a long time, it has been abundantly clear that Trump bases his valuations of women, including his own daughter, on their appearance. But he also has a record of suggesting that women he deems unattractive are somehow unreliable or incompetent in other ways or that there's something wrong with men who are attracted to women Trump himself is not." -- CW
Dana Priest & Tom Hamburger of the Washington Post: "Former senior U.S. national security officials are dismayed at ... Donald Trump's repeated refusal to accept the judgment of intelligence professionals that Russia stole files from the Democratic National Committee computers in an effort to influence the U.S. election. The former officials, who have served presidents in both parties, say they were bewildered when Trump cast doubt on Russia's role after receiving a classified briefing on the subject and again after an unusually blunt statement from U.S. agencies saying they were 'confident' that Moscow had orchestrated the attacks.... Trump has assured supporters that, if elected, he would surround himself with experts on defense and foreign affairs, where he has little experience. But when it comes to Russia, he has made it clear that he is not listening to intelligence officials, the former officials said." -- CW
Oliver Willis of Media Matters: "The racist white nationalist movement is once again thrilled with ... Donald Trump, this time over a Thursday speech he gave that has been criticized for trafficking in anti-Semitic themes.... The white nationalist 'alt-right' site The Right Stuff praised Trump's speech, with writer Lawrence Murray arguing, 'somehow Trump manages to channel Goebbels and "Detroit Republicanism" all at the same time.' Murray added that the speech was 'almost unprecedented in its militancy and vitriol for the luegenpresse and the brahmins.' ('Luegenpresse' is a term Nazis used to denigrate the media -- 'lying press' -- that has recently been revived by racists.) He also described Trump's speech as '88% woke' (88 is used by white nationalists as an abbreviation of 'Heil Hitler')." -- CW
** Sarah Posner & David Neiwert in Mother Jones: "Trump did not become the object of white nationalist affection simply because his positions reflect their core concerns. Extremists made him their chosen candidate and now hail him as 'Emperor Trump' because he has amplified their message on social media -- and, perhaps most importantly, has gone to great lengths to avoid distancing himself from the racist right. With the exception of [David] Duke, Trump has not disavowed a single endorsement from the dozens of neo-Nazis, Klansmen, white nationalists, and militia supporters who have backed him. The GOP nominee, along with his family members, staffers, and surrogates, has instead provided an unprecedented platform for the ideas and rhetoric of far-right extremists, extending their reach.... Trump's tacit welcoming of these hate groups into mainstream American politics will have long-lasting consequences, according to these groups' own leaders, regardless of the election outcome." -- CW
Vanessa Williams of the Washington Post: "A progressive advocacy group is launching an advertising campaign accusing Indiana Gov. Mike Pence, who also is the Republican vice-presidential nominee, of sanctioning voter suppression after state police raided the offices of a voter registration program aimed at signing up African Americans. Patriot Majority USA will place the ads on black-oriented radio stations and in print and online with black newspapers throughout the state starting Saturday, said the group's director, Craig Varoga. Patriot Majority is affiliated with the Senate Majority PAC, a super PAC that supports Democratic candidates." CW: A nice coda to pence's claim on CBS yesterday that he was all worried about voter fraud.
The Economist: "By normalising attitudes that, before he came along, were publicly taboo, Mr Trump has taken a knuckle-duster to American political culture.... Mr Trump's reality-television persona makes that proposition appear less alarming. It creates an ambiguity about how serious he is, and how seriously his audience needs to take him.... Not all those at Trump rallies are bigoted. But they are prepared to stand next to someone shouting chauvinist abuse or wearing a 'Trump that bitch' T-shirt and conclude that if that's what's needed to defeat Mrs Clinton, then so be it.... If Mr Trump actually wins the election, Republicans will have to meet the expectations he has created -- of protectionism, spending increases allied to tax cuts, hostility to foreigners and a retreat from decades of foreign policy. That would make America poorer, weaker and less secure.... If Mr Trump loses, Mrs Clinton will begin her presidency with tens of millions of people believing that she ought to be in jail...."
Matt Taibbi of Rolling Stone assesses the state of the presidential race: "Trumpian license has pushed hatred of Hillary Clinton beyond all reason.... For grown men and women to throw around words like 'bitch' and 'cunt' in front of their kids, it means things have moved way beyond the analytical.... Trump's shocking rise and spectacular fall have been a singular disaster for U.S. politics. Built up in the press as the American Hitler, he was unmasked in the end as a pathetic little prankster who ruined himself, his family and half of America's two-party political system for what was probably a half-assed ego trip all along, adventure tourism for the idiot rich." ...
... Michelle Cottle of the Atlantic is worried about what will happen to "the guy -- attending a Trump rally with his wife and small children -- who opted to wear a 'She's a Cunt. Vote Trump' T-shirt." CW: I'm more worried about what that guy will do to his family & the rest of us, whether or not Trump loses. (Also linked yesterday.)
Annals of "Journalism," Ctd., Show & Tell Edition. Erik Wemple of the Washington Post demonstrates how Sean Hannity urges his guests -- in this case, women who have accused Bill Clinton of sexual assault -- to lie, & how those lies bleeds into Fox "News"' "news" reports. This week's fabrication: that the "lamestream media" never even tried this election season to cover the accusations the women had made against the former president. -- CW
Other News & Views
Doni Bloomfield of Bloomberg: "A 114-character tweet from Senator Bernie Sanders' twitter account cost Ariad Pharmaceuticals Inc. investors as much as $387 million on Friday afternoon. 'Drug corporations' greed is unbelievable. Ariad has raised the price of a leukemia drug to almost $199,000 a year,' said the tweet, linking to an article about the drugmaker written by Stat News. The shares slumped as much as 15 percent, the biggest intraday decline in more than a year, and traded down 12 percent to $11.51 at 2:52 p.m. in New York.... Ariad has raised the wholesale acquisition price of Iclusig, its therapy for a rare advanced form of leukemia, four times this year, according to Bloomberg data. A 30-day pack of the pill now costs more than $16,000, or about $199,000 a year." -- CW
Have a Cigar. Mimi Whitefield of the Miami Herald. "President Barack Obama issued a presidential directive on Cuba Friday that seeks to cement his policy changes toward the island and encourage further engagement even after he leaves office. His administration also released a sixth set of regulatory changes designed to enhance business and trade between the United States and Cuba. The new rules allow Cubans and Americans to engage in joint medical research and lift monetary limits on the amount of Cuban products Americans can bring back in their luggage for personal use. Currently the limit is $400, which included a combined total of $100 of alcohol and tobacco products. Now U.S. travelers can bring back as many cigars and bottles of rum as they like.... -- Akhilleus (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)
Beyond the Beltway
Mark Berman of the Washington Post: "Just seven months after Florida revamped its death penalty law, the state's Supreme Court struck down the new statute as unconstitutional because it does not require juries to be unanimous about handing down the sentences. This ruling further adds to the uncertainty surrounding the death penalty in Florida, one of the country's leading practitioners of capital punishment and home to one of the nation's biggest death-row populations.... The Florida Supreme Court decision Friday marks the second time this year that a court has overturned the state's death-sentencing statute. The U.S. Supreme Court struck down the state's old law as unconstitutional in January because it allowed judges, not juries, to make the final decision about imposing capital sentences." -- Akhilleus (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)
American Terrorists, Ctd. Mark Berman & Sarah Larimer of the Washington Post. "Three Kansas men were accused of plotting a bomb attack targeting an apartment complex home to a mosque and many Muslim immigrants from Somalia, authorities said Friday. Curtis Allen, Gavin Wright and Patrick Eugene Stein face federal charges of conspiring to use a weapon of mass destruction, the Department of Justice announced Friday." -- CW
The Robe Comes Off! Amy Wang of the Washington Post. "A Michigan judge, growing increasingly frustrated with a defendant who was talking back to him, stormed down from his bench and rushed to help subdue the man as he resisted being handcuffed. Though the incident took place in December, video footage of the scuffle was published this week on Mlive.com. It showed a rare instance of a judge physically intervening in a courtroom situation -- something that at least one of the Michigan judge's colleagues said was justified in this case." -- CW
News Lede
Weather Channel: "Trees and power lines were downed throughout Oregon Saturday as a powerful Pacific Northwest storm began to ramp up.... Friday a rare occurrence shook the West Coast when two confirmed tornadoes tore through Tillamook County, Oregon. One of the twisters tore through the town of Manzanita, Oregon, in the morning, leaving damage in its wake. A second tornado was spotted in Oceanside. The National Weather Service in Portland later rated the former twister an EF2." -- CW
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Reader Comments (7)
Lawrence O'Donnell had Scott Stringer, the N.Y. Comptroller, on last night who tells us that the 9/11 donation of $10,000 that Trump says he donated was never received. Another front pager I would think!
And Wash Po's Karen Tumulty describes in full the close vetting she did with Trump accuser, Kristen Anderson, before she put it out. "We are extremely careful about this kind of thing and I spent weeks making sure this was legitimate."
Funny how that old nursery rhyme tune comes back to me––The Farmer in the Dell––something about the dog taking the rat, hi ho the derry-o and the Cheese Stands Alone.
And he will finally, won't he?
@PD Pepe: I think the $10K lie was on the front page of the NY Daily News when they scooped it. I linked the story here at the time. Linked on the Commentariat yesterday.
Marie
More about the t-shirt wearing jerk from Luzerne County, PA.
Chris Kelly (writer, Scranton Times-Tribune) "And let’s talk about that word with Tim Seriani, who took the “Deplorables” routine to a nauseating new low Monday when he wore that word to Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump’s rally at Mohegan Sun Arena. "...a word no one with a shred of class (or decency) would ever utter in public."
Mr. Seriani informed me that I live in a “liberal bubble” and dismissed me as a “typical media type that fishes for sound bites to promote your agenda.” "the C-word"
The Great Wallower himself has unleashed a swamp of stupidity.
@MAG, here's Bill Maher's response.
@unwashed. Hahahah Responses indeed! OK so, we'll all go high next week!
Just happened to catch on WAPO what appeared to be a live-streaming event with Trump just a few miles away from me spewing the usual crap ...I looked at the crowd carefully, in case I spotted anyone I never want to speak to again! Cameras didn't zoom in —thus didn't spot any offensive t-shirts, but it's rather chilly today so jackets may have concealed anything controversial.
At latest Trump rally today, he's suggesting that he and Hilary take drug tests. He posits she was on something at the 2nd debate and anyway, they're like "athletes." I think a mental status exam and a straight jacket for Trump would be more appropriate.
His completely unhinged ramblings on Thurs and Fri could have come from any dictator in any era. The words, which he read from a Teleprompter, had way too many syllables in the words to be written by Trump. Clearly the author was Bannon, deep in the throes of an especially satisfying fever dream.
Trump is yeling about the accusations being made in "the media". Would he prefer them to be made in legal papers delivered by an officer of the law?
It's mpre than probable this is coming.