The Commentariat -- December 19, 2020

Real News

Mike Allen & Jonathan Swan of Axios: "Acting Defense Secretary Chris Miller ordered a Pentagon-wide halt to cooperation with the transition of President-elect Biden, shocking officials across the Defense Department, senior administration officials tell Axios.... A top Biden official was unaware of the directive. Administration officials left open the possibility cooperation would resume after a holiday pause. The officials were unsure what prompted Miller's action, or whether President Trump approved.... Miller's move ... was the biggest eruption yet of animus and mistrust toward the Biden team from the top level of the Trump administration.... In a statement released after the publication of this story, Miller said: 'At no time has the Department cancelled or declined any interview.... After the mutually-agreed upon holiday, which begins tomorrow, we will continue with the transition and rescheduled meetings from today.'" (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~

     ~~~ Update. Dan Lamothe of the Washington Post: "The Trump administration and the Biden team were at odds on Friday after the acting Pentagon chief abruptly postponed transition meetings and Biden's representatives expressed concern about the decision.... Acting defense secretary Christopher Miller said in a statement that the Defense Department 'will continue to provide all required support' to the transition team, and that defense officials were working to reschedule 'approximately 20 interviews with 40 officials until after January 1.' Those meetings, initially scheduled for Friday, were postponed after legal officials in the Pentagon raised concern that they could not keep up with the work, said a senior U.S. official.... The Pentagon did not dispute that Miller's decision about meetings on Friday were a surprise to the Biden team.... Yohannes Abraham, the executive director of the transition, said in a call with reporters that there 'was no mutually agreed upon holiday break' and while the Biden team has received 'widespread cooperation on transition,' there have been 'pockets of recalcitrance, and DOD has been one of them.'" ~~~

     ~~~ Rebecca Kheel of the Hill: "President-elect Joe Biden's transition team expressed concern Friday about what it described as an 'abrupt halt' in cooperation with the Defense Department. The Pentagon had said it was rescheduling meetings with the transition team originally planned for Friday until after the new year, but insisted the change was part of a 'mutually agreed' pause for the holiday season.... 'Let me be clear: there was no mutually agreed upon holiday break,' [Biden transition director Yohannes] Abraham [said]. 'In fact, we think it's important that briefings and other engagements continue during this period, as there's no time to spare.'"

Ellen Nakashima of the Washington Post: "Russia is behind the massive, ongoing cyber spy campaign against the federal government and private sector, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said Friday -- the first Trump administration official to publicly blame Moscow for the computer hacks.... The department he leads is one of a growing list of federal agencies discovered in recent days to have been breached.... President Trump ... has not publicly addressed the issue.... Pompeo did not specify which branch of the Russian government carried out the campaign, but U.S. officials have privately said they believe it is the foreign intelligence service, the SVR, which is a successor organization to the KGB. Moscow has denied involvement." An NBC News story is here. ~~~

The best confirmation that Putin is responsible for this hacking attack on the United States is that Trump hasn't said anything. -- Garry Kasparov, in a tweet, December 17 ~~~

~~~ Matthew Lee of the AP: "The Trump administration has notified Congress that it intends to shutter the last two remaining U.S. consulates in Russia. The State Department told lawmakers last week that it would permanently close the consulate in the far eastern Russian city of Vladivostok and temporarily suspend operations at the consulate in Yekaterinburg just east of the Ural Mountains. The notice was sent to Congress on Dec. 10 but received little attention at the time. That timing predates by three days the public emergence of news about a major suspected Russian computer intrusion into U.S. government and private computer systems that has raised grave cybersecurity fears.... Following the closures, the only diplomatic facility the U.S. will have in Russia will be the embassy in Moscow."

Jeff Stein, et al., of the Washington Post: "Congress appears likely to let funding for the federal government expire Friday at midnight, triggering the beginning of a shutdown, as lawmakers scramble to complete a $900 billion economic relief package, multiple aides and lawmakers involved in deliberations.... Lawmakers had hoped to introduce the relief legislation as early as Thursday but have been delayed by numerous contentious issues, particularly a push from Sen. Pat Toomey (R-Pa.) to curb the emergency lending authority of the Federal Reserve.... The nation would face a ... significant disruption if the federal shutdown continued on Monday, when shutdown orders would go into effect." Politico has a related story here. (Also linked yesterday afternoon.) ~~~

     ~~~ Update. New Lede: "Congress on Friday evening approved a two-day extension in funding for the federal government to give lawmakers more time to resolve the remaining sticking points on a $900 billion coronavirus relief package. The measure was quickly approved within hours by both the House and Senate on Friday evening. President Trump still has to sign the measure into law. House Majority Leader Steny H. Hoyer (D-Md.) said Friday evening that there were 'still some significant issues outstanding' in the way of a coronavirus relief deal. Hoyer added that House lawmakers should not expect to vote earlier than Sunday at 1 p.m. The two-day funding measure passed the House by a 320 to 60 vote margin, with all the no votes coming from Republican lawmakers and Rep. Justin Amash (L-Mich.). The measure passed the Senate unanimously." The Hill's story is here. ~~~

     ~~~ Update: Brett Samuels of the Hill: "President Trump on Friday signed a stopgap funding measure that will keep the government funded for another 48 hours while lawmakers attempt to finalize an agreement on an economic relief bill. Trump signed the bill just after 10 p.m., according to the White House."

Supremes (More or Less) Decide Not to Decide. Again. Adam Liptak of the New York Times: "The Supreme Court on Friday dismissed a lawsuit challenging the Trump administration's plan to exclude unauthorized immigrants from the calculations used to allocate seats in the House, saying it was premature. The court's ruling handed the Trump administration an interim victory, allowing it to continue to pursue an effort that could shift the allotment of both congressional seats and federal money to states that are older, whiter and typically more Republican.... 'We express no view on the merits of the constitutional and related statutory claims presented,' the opinion said. 'We hold only that they are not suitable for adjudication at this time.' The court's three liberal members dissented. They said the case was far enough along for a decision and that they would have ruled the plan unlawful." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.) ~~~

     ~~~ Nina Totenberg & Hansi Lo Wang of NPR: "The U.S. Supreme Court ducked a direct ruling Friday on whether President Trump can exclude undocumented immigrants from a key census count.... The court said it would be 'premature' to rule on the case right now because it is 'riddled with contingencies and speculation' and even the Trump administration doesn't know how many undocumented immigrants there are or where they live.... Though the court's opinion was unsigned, Chief Justice John Roberts almost certainly was the author.... Writing for the three [liberal justices, Stephen] Breyer noted that Trump's July memorandum explicitly stated his purpose, namely to take away congressional seats from mainly Democratic states that are now home to many unauthorized immigrants. 'The harm is clear on the face of the policy,' Breyer said. The 'costs' of Trump[']s census order, he said, are more than 'a departure from settled law.'" ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: I guess will have to wait & see if Rip Van Trumple rouses himself from his Big Sleep to try to bully the Census Bureau into coming up with some numbers toot sweet. He does hate both immigrants & Democrats. A lot.

Annals of "Journalsim," Ctd. David Folkenflik of NPR: "The New York Times has retracted the core of its hit 2018 podcast series Caliphate after an internal review found the paper failed to heed red flags indicating that the man it relied upon for its narrative about the allure of terrorism could not be trusted to tell the truth. The newspaper has reassigned its star terrorism reporter, Rukmini Callimachi, who hosted the series. Caliphate relayed the tale about the radicalization of a young Canadian who went to Syria, joined the Islamic State and became an executioner for the extremist group before escaping its hold. Canadian authorities this fall accused the man, Shehroze Chaudhry, of lying about those activities. He currently faces criminal charges in a federal court in Ontario of perpetrating a terrorism hoax.... Caliphate made a huge splash for The Times, winning awards, acclaim, new listeners for its podcasts and new paying subscribers. And it further propelled Callimachi into the journalistic stratosphere.... The Times resisted revisiting Chaudhry's story until his arrest this fall, when Canadian officials charged him with lying about participating in terrorist activities. It then published the findings into Chaudhry's activities by its distinguished national security reporter, Mark Mazzetti, who cast significant doubt on the Canadian's claims." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.) ~~~

~~~ Mark Mazzetti, et al., of the New York Times: "... Shehroze Chaudhry, the central figure in the 2018 podcast 'Caliphate,' by The New York Times, was a fabulist who spun jihadist tales about killing for the Islamic State in Syria, Canadian and American intelligence and law enforcement officials contend. Mr. Chaudhry, they say, was not a terrorist, almost certainly never went to Syria, and concocted gruesome stories about being an Islamic State executioner as part of a Walter Mitty-like escape from his more mundane life in a Toronto suburb and in Lahore, Pakistan, where he spent years living with his grandparents." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.) ~~~

~~~ Marc Tracy, et al., of the New York Times: "After an internal review that took more than two months, The New York Times has determined that 'Caliphate,' its award-winning 2018 podcast, did not meet the standards for Times journalism. The 12-part audio documentary featuring Rukmini Callimachi, a Times correspondent who has frequently reported from conflict zones, sought to shed light on the Islamic State terrorist group. The Times found that 'Caliphate' gave too much credence to the false or exaggerated accounts of one of its main subjects, Shehroze Chaudhry, a resident of Canada who claimed to have taken part in Islamic State executions. Dean Baquet, the executive editor of The Times, said the blame fell on the newsroom&'s leaders, including himself.... The Times started its review of 'Caliphate' after Canadian authorities arrested Mr. Chaudhry on Sept. 25 and charged him with perpetrating a terrorist hoax. In an Editors' Note on Friday, The Times said its investigation had 'found a history of misrepresentations by Mr. Chaudhry and no corroboration that he committed the atrocities he described in the 'Caliphate' podcast.'" (Also linked yesterday afternoon.) ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: Funny, I don't see anything in the reporting about how the Times is going to return the awards -- including a Peabody -- it received for its fake reporting. ~~~

     ~~~ Update. Elahe Izadi & Paul Farhi of the Washington Post: "And late Friday came the announcement that the Times would also return the prestigious Peabody award won by the podcast."

Last Days of the Mad Kaiser

Reed Richardson of Mediaite: "... Donald Trump is convinced he won the 2020 election and is now telling aides that he is considering not leaving the White House on January 20th.... On Erin Burnett Out Front, the CNN host reported that Trump appears to have flip-flopped on accepting the reality of his defeat and now adamantly believes a number of conspiracy theories that falsely claim he won the 2020 election.... Host Erin Burnett explained, 'He used to privately accept the reality that he lost the election, but now, no. He's now starting to believe his own lies, that the election was stolen.... One adviser telling CNN, quote, "He's throwing a f*cking temper tantrum. He's going to leave. He's just lashing out,"' Burnett reported. 'Okay. That description is the behavior of a person not right in the mind.... Temper tantrums, lashing out, talking about not leaving the White House. Trump is not 4, right? He's 74. And despite his increasingly deranged delusions, he's still has the power to instill fear and sycophancy in others.'" ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: I do so want to see video of Trump kicking & screaming as federal marshals drag him across the South Lawn. Maybe Melanie could don her "I really don't care, do you?" jacket & pretend to be helping.

Another Piece of the Big Grift. Shane Goldmacher & Maggie Haberman of the New York Times: "Lara Trump, President Trump's daughter-in-law and a senior campaign adviser, served on the board of a limited liability company through which the Trump political operation has spent more than $700 million since 2019, according to documents reviewed by The New York Times. She was also named on drafts of the company's incorporation papers. The arrangement has never been disclosed. One of the other board members and signatories in the draft papers of the L.L.C., American Made Media Consultants, was John Pence, the nephew of Vice President Mike Pence and a senior Trump adviser. The L.L.C. has been criticized for purposefully obscuring the ultimate destination of hundreds of millions of dollars of spending. Ms. Trump is married to Eric Trump.... The newly disclosed records show an even more intricate intermingling of Mr. Trump's political and familial interests than was previously known.... By routing large campaign expenditures, such as television and digital ad buys, through an L.L.C., the Trump campaign and its joint committee with the national party..., was able to effectively shield many details of its spending, such as who was being paid and how much." ~~~

     ~~~ All in the Family. Travis Gettys of the Raw Story: "Jared Kushner helped set up a shell company that secretly paid ... Donald Trump's family members and spent nearly half of his 2020 campaign's funds. The president's son-in-law and White House senior adviser directed his sister-in-law Lara Trump, Vice President Mike Pence's nephew John Pence and Trump campaign CFO Sean Dollman to sit on the shell company's board, a source familiar with the operation told Business Insider.... 'Nothing was done without Jared's approval,' said a former advisor to Trump's 2016 campaign.... The Department of Justice may open a criminal investigation if the government suspects the payments were a 'knowing and willful' violation of election law." ~~~

     ~~~ When the Marks Are Happy to Be Scammed. Paul Waldman of the Washington Post cites the Business Insider report: "'... Donald Trump's most powerful advisor, Jared Kushner, approved the creation of a campaign shell company that secretly paid the president's family members and spent almost half of the campaign's $1.26 billion war chest.... The operation acted almost like a campaign within a campaign. It paid some of Trump's top advisors and family members, while shielding financial and operational details from public scrutiny....' ... The whole point of shell companies is to hide something; in this case, the campaign was able to show over $600 million in payments to the shell company, American Made Media Consultants Corp., on its Federal Election Committee filings, without the details that would be known if whatever they were spending money on was paid directly to vendors.... Trump's supporters couldn't care less, even if it's their money. That's because he has spent years convincing them that self-dealing and graft are perfectly fine."

** Reed Richardson of Mediaite: "... Donald Trump's latest 'investigate the investigators' probe increasingly looks like it will fail to produce his long-sought evidence of a huge Deep State plot against him, much like all the others that preceded it. During a long interview with Wall Street Journal editorial board member [MB: and right-wing loon] Kimberly Strassel, Attorney General Bill Barr dropped a bombshell that he and Special Counsel John Durham have concluded that the nation's top spy agency did not violate the law or act outside its purview in the Russia collusion probe of Trump. '... Mr. Barr was initially suspicious that agents had been spying on the Trump campaign before the official July 2016 start date of Crossfire Hurricane, and that the Central Intelligence Agency or foreign intelligence had played a role. But even prior to naming Mr. Durham special counsel, Mr. Barr had come to the conclusion that he didn't "see any sign of improper CIA activity" or "foreign government activity before July 2016," he says. "The CIA stayed in its lane."'"

Ali Zaslav & Daniella Diaz of CNN: "... Donald Trump lauded Tommy Tuberville this week after the Republican Alabama senator-elect said he is not ruling out joining a House member to object to the election results when Congress meets in a joint session to accept the votes of the Electoral College. Trump is continuing to push senators to overturn the election while Tuberville's efforts would put his party in an awkward spot to vote on whether to accept the will of the voters or side with him.... Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell ... has privately urged his Republican colleagues not to join House conservatives in their planned objection next month. Tuberville, while stumping in Georgia for the Senate runoff elections which will determine control of the chamber, said in a video that resurfaced this week that senators should also object on January 6 when Congress ratifies the election results." ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: Tuberville, who will not be seated until a few days before the joint session, is already working very hard to replace Ron Johnson as the Stupidest Senator. And that's not easy.

Tina Nguyen of Politico: "An 1807 law invoked only in the most violent circumstances is now a rallying cry for the MAGA-ites most committed to the fantasy that Donald Trump will never leave office. The law, the Insurrection Act, allows the president to deploy troops to suppress domestic uprisings -- not to overturn elections.... Only once ... has [the law] been used in the wake of an election -- and that was to stop a literal militia from seizing the Louisiana government on behalf of John McEnery, a former Confederate officer who had lost the 1872 governor's race.... While scattered theories about a 'deep state' arrayed against Trump have long circulated in MAGA circles, calls for troops to stop a democratically elected president from taking office have taken those ideas to a more conspiratorial and militaristic level. It also displays the exalted level to which Trump has been elevated among his most zealous fans as his departure looms."

Peter Hermann of the Washington Post: "The leader of the Proud Boys, Enrique Tarrio, said he participated in the burning of a Black Lives Matter banner that had been ripped from the facade of a historic Black church during unrest in downtown Washington following a rally earlier this month for President Trump. Tarrio, the chairman of the male-chauvinist organization with ties to white nationalism, said in an interview with The Washington Post he would plead guilty to destruction of property, pay the church the cost of the banner and surrender to authorities if that criminal charge is filed.... Tarrio wrote he was speaking out against the advice of his attorney: 'So let me make this simple. I did it.'" MB: No doubt Tarrio thinks this is good publicity for his little organization. ~~~

~~~ Will Carless of USA Today: "Several hours before members of the extremist group the Proud Boys clashed with police and opponents on the streets of Washington, D.C., last weekend, the head of the group..., [Enrique Tarrio, wrote on Parler,] 'Last minute invite to an undisclosed location...,' posting photos on the steps of the White House. Tarrio's presence on a White House tour shows how he and the Proud Boys have moved closer to ... Donald Trump via a little-known booster group called Latinos for Trump.... Photos on social media show [Latinos for Trump]'s leaders attending events at the White House and Mar-a-Lago, rubbing shoulders with Vice President Mike Pence..., Rudy Giuliani, and Trump's sons Eric and Donald Jr. In the middle of it all is Tarrio, who serves as Latinos for Trump's chief of staff.... In Trump's final days, the Proud Boys have evolved into the thuggish face of the far-right movement, giving their support to everything from Trump's claims of voter fraud to anti-vaccination conspiracy theories. As the Proud Boys have gained notoriety, Latinos for Trump has seen its political star rise too."

Jennifer Rubin of the Washington Post: "We are not off to a good start in the coverage of the Republican Party in the post-Trump era.... It is time to stop giving air to Republicans' phony outrage and to hold them accountable for their own language and conduct on race and gender. First, as a general rule, when Republicans say they are upset or outraged, they almost never are. They do not care about foul language (after four years of President Trump), or about deficits (after four years of Republican government), or comity in the Senate (after more than four years being led by Majority Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky). The media should stop taking seriously politicians' harping, especially from those who have lied about the election, about Trump's record, about Trump's own words and about their knowledge of Trump's words. Second, it is no coincidence that the Republican or right-wing columnists who complain about Democratic women are almost always men.... Third, throughout the last four years, the media seemed to gloss over the appalling lack of diversity in Republican ranks." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.) ~~~

~~~ Erik Wemple of the Washington Post has reviewed critiques by writing coach (and former glossies writer & current Jill Biden basher) Tucker Carlson. Wemple figured out Carlson's secret to good writing: a conservative POV. MB: As Jen Rubin warns, and any sensible person knows, confederate critiques of liberals are hypocritical, at best.

The Trumpidemic, Ctd.

** Nathaniel Weixel of the Hill: "The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on Friday cleared the nation's second coronavirus vaccine, giving additional hope that the end of the pandemic could be in sight. The official emergency use authorization for the Moderna vaccine comes after an agency advisory panel voted 20-0 in favor of the vaccine Thursday. The authorization now allows the Trump administration to begin shipping nearly 6 million doses of the vaccine across the country. Once a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) panel meets and votes this weekend, vaccinations will be allowed to begin. Between Moderna and the vaccine from Pfizer/BioNTech that has already been approved, health officials said they expect to deliver enough doses to vaccinate 20 million people with the first dose by the end of the year."

The Washington Post's live updates of Covid-19 developments Friday are here: "Vice President Pence and second lady Karen Pence got the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine at the White House on Friday, on live TV in an effort to vouch for the vaccine's safety and efficacy." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.) ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: According to several on-air reports, pence wanted to make a big deal of his vaccination story, airing the event live in hopes news networks would carry it. Trump, meanwhile, was tweeting about unrelated stuff. Numerous pundits on the teevee have speculated on why Trump himself is not getting the vaccination. A common suggestion is that he thinks he already is immune as a result of having contracted the virus. Others said his doctors might have advised against a shot because of treatment he received when he had Covid-19. Someone thought he was afraid he would flinch when the needle poked his arm, which would make him look weak. But I thought John Heilemann, appearing on MSNBC, had the best idea: Trump doesn't want to risk losing any of his anti-vaxxer followers.

~~~ Axios: "House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) both received their first doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech coronavirus vaccine from the attending physician of Congress on Friday.... The office of House Majority Whip Jim Clyburn (D-S.C.), chair of the oversight subcommittee tasked with looking at the coronavirus crisis, told Axios' Kadia Goba that he received the vaccine at 4 p.m. Friday. Sen. Mitt Romney (R-Utah) posted a photo on Twitter as he received the vaccine Friday afternoon.... Members of Congress, many of whom are elderly and in high-risk categories, are among the first people in the U.S. eligible to begin receiving the vaccine. Pelosi at age 80 and McConnell at age 78 -- are both at risk of severe infections from the coronavirus." ~~~

~~~ AP: "The justices on the U.S. Supreme Court are being provided with doses of the coronavirus vaccine. That is according to a letter by Capitol Physician Brian Monahan, which says the court, along with Congress and executive branch agencies are being given a limited supply of doses 'for continuity of government operations.' The doses are being provided under a directive by ... Donald Trump that established continuity of government as a reason for vaccine prioritization. The Supreme Court and the other branches of government are supposed to be treated 'in parallel.'"

Juliet Eilperin, et al., of the Washington Post: "Officials have taken the extraordinary step of closing the Washington Monument starting Friday as a precaution after Interior Secretary David Bernhardt -- who gave a private, nighttime tour to other Trump appointees this week -- tested positive for the coronavirus. Interior spokesman Nicholas Goodwin said the monument would reopen Monday, adding the department acted after consulting with federal health officials. Some National Park Service staff at the site said they were near the secretary during his tour and are now in quarantine, leading to a staffing shortage at the monument, Goodwin said." A USA Today story is here.

Comments

[Akhilleus]

Regarding this Tuberville person, soon to be moron senator from Alabama: Haven’t seen anyone so anxious to be sworn in so he could move from amateur idiot to professional idiot since, well, since Trump.

Funny, whenever I see the name “Tuberville”, I think “potato farm”. Which would mean he’s coming to make a hash of things? Even though he seems about as smart as a potato, he’s not nearly as useful. Except your average tuber probably knows what the three branches of government are. Which means Senator Potato Head won’t be showing up the day the senate votes on judges since, according to him, the judiciary isn’t one of those branches.

Jesus. Alabama ranks at or near the bottom of every quality of life issue. Now we know why. They didn’t get the child molester many of them wanted, so they sent us a spud.

Thanks, ‘Bama.

[Bobby Lee]

So typical it's barely mentioned. There's a defense bill Trump may or may not veto, a government funding bill deadline looming again, and an inadequate social support bill in congress. But all the media seems to be focused on the stimulus checks.

[NiskyGuy]

Chris Hayes pointed out that rupert murdoch got his vaccine shot yesterday in the UK and praised the NHS workers. Meanwhile his minions over here spread lies about the virus and the vaccine, and socialized medicine is an abomination to them. What a waste of a vaccine dose. There is no soul for it to protect.

[Akhilleus]

Signs and Symbols

Much of the Trump Disaster has been overloaded with symbolism. Fatty golfing by himself as thousands of Americans die alone from the Trump virus. Babies caged and families torn apart as Melanie boards a luxury aircraft to sail above it all wearing a jacket announcing her indifference to it all. Trump picking our pockets while Putin picks his. The violent clearing of protesters so Fatty can hold up a Bible in front of a church. The inauguration crowd claims, the giant, childish signature, the projection, the straight faced lies, the wall...

Pick your favorite.

Lovers of literature (and the films of Jean-Luc Godard) are always on the lookout for cool symbols, and this week, there is one of the neatest in Atlantic City. There, at the site of so many Grotesque Fatty failures, as his reign of hatred, stupidity, and indolence is finally coming to an end, the city’s mayor is auctioning off the right to press a button and explode what’s left of the crumbling hulk of the Trump Hotel and Casino. Perfect!

Now if they can just time it so the networks can do a split screen of the Orange Menace climbing aboard whatever conveyance (garbage truck?) will carry his fat ass away from OUR White House, as an icon of his lies, failures, greed, and narcissism is blown to hell and gone, there will, perhaps for just a moment, return to our universe a sense of order and justice.

Hey, I might even put in a bid, but I doubt that stimulus check will get here in time.

[PD Pepe]

In 1864, "Harper's" listed the many epithets that the Northern press had hurled at Abraham Lincoln:

Filthy Story-teller
Despot
Liar
Thief
Braggart
Buffoon
Monster
Robber
Swindler
Tyrant
Fiend
Butcher
Ape
Demon
Beast
Baboon
Gorilla and finally––
Imbecile.

And THIS was a good guy! We may never have an actual Civil War but the divisions in this country run deep ––Latinos for Trump! Really???? I wish I could find more solace in the new administration taking over and doing a monumental job of do-overs but I see muddy footprints that will be hard to clean and their owners will continue to try and step all over the process.

By the way––Tucker––rhymes with Fucker––Carlson needs to be put out to pasture along with Sean, Lou and Laura. Fenced in a field with grass-fed cows they can continue to milk their asininities and their audience will nod and swish their tails to keep the flies at bay.

The story about Family Trump and one Pence and their nifty LLC shell is not one wit surprising or shocking–-it's what they set out to do from the beginning––"why not?" they said, "when opportunity knocks we answer 'toot sweet' " ( since they never learned the actual French–– typical faux fabrications that this family operated by. Corrupt at the core!

[Akhilleus]

Astute comment from chess GM Garry Kasparov (regarding Trump’s guilty silence as his “BFF” Putin continues to bang him like a screen door) who knows a thing or two about Russians, as well as weak, narcissistic, overly confident losers. Check, and mate, Fatty.

Trump was always waaaay out of his league with the big boys and girls. Chess on the world stage has never been his forte. Hard to move from “Chutes and Ladders” to The Ruy Lopez, although Trump has excelled at the Putin’s Pawn opening. He’s got that down cold.

[Akhilleus]

PD,

Quite.

Corrupt from the core and all the way out. Even the epidermis is putrescent, meaning everything the Trump Crime Family touches immediately begins to fester and stink.

Out, foul beasts!

[RAS]

"Donald Trump is convinced he won the 2020 election and is now telling aides that he is considering not leaving the White House on January 20th"
Reminds me of when Trump started telling people that the Access Hollywood tapes were actually a hoax and he never said any of that.
Donald has a lot of trouble keeping reality and fantasy straight in that stable genius brain of his.

[Jeanne]

I just heard part of the end of an MSNBC broadcast-- you know, the ones where they honor people who have died of Covid. This one was someone who rescued thousands of dogs and rehomed them. It hurts deeply to hear of such worthies who are now gone from our world, and yet, the nastiest family and most wretched people who prop up the trumpet party in the most filthy ways are still here: robbing, stealing, scrounging, hiding, killing, lying, boasting and maiming. If I believed in a just god, I would really wonder how all this happens. The lord high figurehead/infection of all this dastardly behavior remains snug in our house. WTF...