A Complete Breakdown Of Donald Trump’s 44th Unpresidented Week As POTUS
With every unhinged tweet, there’s an accompanying Trump-Russia development building upon the president’s paranoia. This week, there were several.
Even during the week of Thanksgiving, Donald Trump continued to stoop to new lows. If it weren’t for the holiday, the moves this week would’ve made a lot more noise. There weren’t just petty tweets — actions were taken.
The President of the United States (who himself has been accused of sexual assault by over a dozen women) defended and essentially endorsed accused pedophile Roy Moore.
The FCC’s move toward repealing net neutrality wasn’t the only policy the Trump administration pushed this week that places corporate interests over the interests of average Americans.
On Black Friday, while Americans were consuming, Trump took aim at the bureau protecting them. While much of the media was focusing on Trump’s “person of the year” tweet, the president appointed someone to lead the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau who once called it a “sick, sad joke.”
I know, sounds terrible. But there was a silver lining this week. For Americans vigilantly following Robert Mueller’s Trump-Russia investigation searching for the truth, there was an enormous development. We discovered that Trump’s former National Security Adviser Michael Flynn, who has seen a lot, may talk.
Now, let’s take a look back so we can move forward.
Here’s a complete breakdown of Donald Trump’s 44th week as POTUS:
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44th Weekend (November 18–19)
Tantrums
Coming fresh off a week that ended with his campaign getting its first subpoena from Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation into Russia’s election meddling and the Trump campaign’s potential collusion in this meddling, Trump was predictably unhinged. On Saturday, President Trump began what would become a weekend of Twitter rants by taking yet another shot at his favorite straw woman Hilary Clinton.
Crooked Hillary Clinton is the worst (and biggest) loser of all time. She just can’t stop, which is so good for the Republican Party. Hillary, get on with your life and give it another try in three years!
I missed this today… You (unconstitutionally) demand your DOJ investigate her for false charges whenever you feel overwhelmed, you always talk about the election, & you just tweeted about her…but SHE needs to get on with HER life? My dude…this is getting sad @realDonaldTrump https://t.co/l51qLbaljf
Then on Sunday, Trump started what would become a week sprinkled with continued attacks on black people in sports. After calling for the ULCA basketball players to thank him (which they did) for being freed in China after being caught shoplifting, the president thought that wasn’t enough. When the father of LiAngelo Ball didn’t give him the praise he wanted, he tweeted at him and also suggested that he should’ve left the players in jail.
Now that the three basketball players are out of China and saved from years in jail, LaVar Ball, the father of LiAngelo, is unaccepting of what I did for his son and that shoplifting is no big deal. I should have left them in jail!
Shoplifting is a very big deal in China, as it should be (5-10 years in jail), but not to father LaVar. Should have gotten his son out during my next trip to China instead. China told them why they were released. Very ungrateful!
Previous presidents would’ve risen above feuds of this nature, but here we are.
After taking a swipe at Senator Jeff Flake (R-AZ), the president responded to the backlash over his earlier decision to lift an Obama-era ban on importing the heads of hunted elephants into the U.S.
Sen. Jeff Flake(y), who is unelectable in the Great State of Arizona (quit race, anemic polls) was caught (purposely) on “mike” saying bad things about your favorite President. He’ll be a NO on tax cuts because his political career anyway is “toast.
Big-game trophy decision will be announced next week but will be very hard pressed to change my mind that this horror show in any way helps conservation of Elephants or any other animal.
We’ll see if he sticks to that, for now, advocacy groups are not giving any ground…
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44th Week (November 20–24)
Monday, November 20
Mueller Honing In
A flood of Trump-Russia stories marking key developments in the investigation were reported, indicating the swift movement of Robert Mueller. The first was the subpoena I mentioned earlier. After having previously requested documents from the White House and scheduling numerous interviews with White House officials, Mueller has issued his first official subpoena to the Trump campaign, seeking Russia-related communications and documents from several top officials. As part of his probe into potential obstruction of justice, Mueller is also requesting documents from the Department of Justice related to the firing of former FBI Director James Comey.
Perhaps the most damning news was about Trump’s son-in-law and Senior Adviser Jared Kushner. The New York Times reported that a top Russian official, Alexander Torshin, proposed a meeting between Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin in May of 2016. The proposal was seen by top campaign officials, and rejected by Jared Kushner. This is problematic because Kushner hadn’t disclosed this contact to investigators. The Senate Judiciary Committee accused Kushner of hiding this contact.
Important to note that Campaign Adviser George Papadopoulos was indicted for lying to the FBI in January of 2017 about his attempts to set up meetings between President Trump, his campaign, and the Russian Government in an effort to obtain “dirt” on Hillary Clinton. This isn’t a good sign for Kushner given his shaky relationship with the truth, habit of lying on his SF-86, and omission of communications that pertain to Russia.
A Washington Post report depicted the White House staff as increasingly paranoid and preparing for “a long winter” ahead in the investigation. White House lawyer Ty Cobb is doing a bad job managing expectations, having previously stated that this investigation would be wrapped up before Thanksgiving…Well, this Thanksgiving we got news that proves we are just getting started.
Meanwhile…
- President Trump announced that the U.S would designate North Korea as a “state sponsor of terrorism.” This designation was lifted by President George W. Bush for the purpose of prioritizing diplomacy. Well, it appears our priorities have changed.
- President Trump continued his attacks on black people working in sports.
Marshawn Lynch of the NFL’s Oakland Raiders stands for the Mexican Anthem and sits down to boos for our National Anthem. Great disrespect! Next time NFL should suspend him for remainder of season. Attendance and ratings way down.
Trump complained about Marshawn Lynch about 15 minutes after Fox & Friends ran a segment on Lynch https://t.co/CF1iNwnuwp
— @mmfa
@realDonaldTrump Another day, another black person exercising their First Amendment rights in the president’s crosshairs Marshawn Lynch pisses POTUS off more than a neo-Nazi terrorist killing a civilian We see you @realDonaldTrump. Your selective outrage speaks volumes https://t.co/rS7e9yLhVN
- Buzzfeed News reported that at a July Dinner with Oracle CEO Safra Catz, National Security Adviser H.R. McMaster “dismissed the president variously as an ‘idiot’ and a ‘dope’ with the intelligence of a ‘kindergartner.’”
- The Trump administration ended the temporary protection of 60,000 Haitians in the U.S. and ordered they leave by July 2019. These are people who have established lives here and are contributing to the U.S. economy. These Haitians came to the U.S. after an earthquake devastated their country in 2010. Many of these people have no home to return to.
- The Trump Foundation is shutting down. After brilliant reporting from David Fahrenthold in 2016, the Trump Foundation admitted to self-dealing and was subsequently put under investigation by New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman.
- New York Times white house correspondent Glenn Thrush was accused of predatory behavior by multiple women.
Star New York Times reporter Glenn Thrush is accused of predatory behavior by four women, including a Vox editor https://t.co/8iiY4a2uts
- On Fox & Friends, White House Adviser Kellyanne Conway indicated what was to come the following day. After the White House previously stated that Roy Moore should step aside if the allegations were true, Conway said that if they want the tax bill to pass, Moore should be elected…
- After leaking 210,000 gallons of oil spilled in South Dakota, the Keystone XL Pipeline got approval in Nebraska.
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Tuesday, November 21
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Chairman of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Ajit Pai announced their big plan to repeal net neutrality rules. Net neutrality ensures a free and fair internet landscape, where Internet Service Providers are required to treat all content equally. As Rantt News Managing Editor Kaz Weida explains:
Net neutrality is the concept that there should be equal opportunity for all websites and content providers so the little guy isn’t forced into “a pay to play” situation. To show you how this works, we’ll take an example of something that’s already happening under Chairman Pai’s leadership.
AT&T, who purchased DIRECTV in 2015, began informing customers in 2016 that they could stream DIRECTV NOW on mobile devices without eating into their data cap. Tom Wheeler argued that such an action gave DIRECTV content a virtual fast lane and unfair advantage over other providers like Netflix. Customers might prefer Netflix original content like Stranger Things, but they would be less likely to stream it if AT&T was their provider. Under Chairman Pai’s leadership, the FCC dropped their complaint against AT&T on this matter in February, but the debate lingers.
You see? It would allow ISP’s who own content creators to give their own content a fast lane. This could lead to ISP’s charging higher fees for content packages. Also, it would make it damn near impossible for startups to compete with the already established content creators on the web. This is terrible for both the consumer and the entrepreneur.
Killing #NetNeutrality is killing the internet as we know it. Small business? Forget it, you lose. Start-up? Don’t even bother. Blogger? You’re out too. It cannot be allowed to happen.
Casual reminder that, historically, autocratic rulers have *always* tried to limit the public’s access to information #NetNeutrality
As the FCC prepares to alter the landscape of the internet as we know it, here are just a few reasons you shouldn’t trust net neutrality to the free market. COMCAST IS NOT YOUR FRIEND. This is a lesson we’ve all learned the hard way. #SaveNetNeutrality https://t.co/rSEI28GqWh
The vote is in December and The New York Times reports that it’s expected to pass at a 3–2 margin by the FCC commissioners. But nevertheless, activists are persisting:
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Meanwhile…
- “Additional remains” of Sgt. La David Johnson were found in Niger. Yes, the husband of the widow President Trump said lied about his phone call with her. Sgt. La David Johnson was killed in an ISIS ambush that we still don’t know all the details of. After Johnson wasn’t able to have an open casket, there was speculation that he may have been mutilated. It appears that speculation was accurate…
- Just when you think the President of the United States can stoop no lower, he sinks into the floor. Despite the fact the RNC pulled funding from him and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnel (R-KY) called for him to drop out of the race, Trump cast doubt on accused pedophile Roy Moore’s accusers and essentially endorsed him.
The President of the United States (who himself has been accused of sexual assault by over a dozen women) just defended and basically endorsed accused pedophile Roy Moore For @realDonaldTrump and the @GOP, there is no such thing as rock bottom https://t.co/qfGw7JvcGB
- The accusations against Representative John Conyers (D-MI) continued to pile up.
- CNN reports “US District Court Judge William Orrick issued a permanent injunction Monday blocking Trump’s executive order seeking to strip so-called sanctuary cities of federal funding.”
- The Turkey pardon lacked the wit we’ve come to expect from the days of President Barak Obama. It was pretty uneventful, aside from this priceless photo.
Tell me he doesn’t look like a Dementor sucking the soul out of Harry Potter.
Wednesday, November 22
The Ungrateful Fool (Hint: It’s This Guy ?)
As news was breaking of a crashed U.S. Navy aircraft with 11 people on board (3 now confirmed dead after 8 were rescued), President Trump began his day at what would mark his 100th visit to a Trump-branded property as president. And the first thing on his mind was those lost Americans as he took to Twitter with thoughtful remarks first thing in the morning…Just kidding. Trump was up at 5am tweeting about black sports anchor LaVar Ball and black NFL players exercising their First Amendment rights.
It wasn’t the White House, it wasn’t the State Department, it wasn’t father LaVar’s so-called people on the ground in China that got his son out of a long term prison sentence – IT WAS ME. Too bad! LaVar is just a poor man’s version of Don King, but without the hair.
LaVar, you could have spent the next 5 to 10 years during Thanksgiving with your son in China, but no NBA contract to support you. But remember LaVar, shoplifting is NOT a little thing. It’s a really big deal, especially in China. Ungrateful fool!
The NFL is now thinking about a new idea – keeping teams in the Locker Room during the National Anthem next season. That’s almost as bad as kneeling! When will the highly paid Commissioner finally get tough and smart? This issue is killing your league!…..
I keep repeating the fact that they’re black for a reason. This is part of a pattern. After a neo-Nazi terrorist kills an anti-Nazi protestor, Trump called their side “very fine people.” When an NFL player kneels to protest police brutality and racial injustice, he very angrily called them a “son of a bitch.” His selective outrage is very telling and it’s time to call this what it is: racism.
@realDonaldTrump 11 people were on board a crashed US Navy aircraft but at 5 am, the President of the United States is spending his time angrily calling LaVar Ball (yet another black person he’s attacked) a poor man’s Don King and an ungrateful fool…
Time for some blunt truth: It’s clear that black people using their first amendment rights pisses our petty kid president off more than a despot interfering in US democracy or neo-Nazi terrorist attacks We see you @realDonaldTrump, you ungrateful fool https://t.co/O0jvsFjQrT
Meanwhile…
- President Trump continued to use the office of the presidency to plug his business interests.
Will be having meetings and working the phones from the Winter White House in Florida (Mar-a-Lago). Stock Market hit new Record High yesterday – $5.5 trillion gain since E. Many companies coming back to the U.S. Military building up and getting very strong.
Trump finally spoke about the lost Navy crew.
The @USNavy is conducting search and rescue following aircraft crash. We are monitoring the situation. Prayers for all involved. https://t.co/1AxmegKqvu
- Another Representative was in hot water for sexual misconduct.
@GOP Rep Joe Barton (TX 6th District) sent a woman sexually explicit photos, videos & messages then threatened to report her to the Capitol Police if she exposed him… @janasanchez, a Latina woman, is running against him 2018 is the time to clean House https://t.co/HTmXX1Wg5J
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Thursday, November 23
Flynnsgiving
Much like a competent investigator honing in on John Gotti, Special Counsel Robert Mueller continues to methodically move forward with a strategy straight out of a mobster’s worst nightmare. Strategically levying charges on lower-level made men, then flipping them to catch bigger fish within the organization is mafia prosecution 101. Now, it’s a tactic being executed in one of the most consequential investigations in history.
President Trump’s former National Security Adviser (APNSA) Michael Flynn was in deep. Given the fact he participated in similar behavior that was detailed in Mueller’s first round of indictments directed at former Trump Campaign Chairman Paul Manafort, Deputy Campaign Manager Rick Gates, and Campaign Adviser George Papadopoulos (lobbying as an unregistered foreign agent, lying to the FBI) he became the subject of a lot of speculation. Was Flynn next in line to be indicted? Was he already cooperating with Mueller? Were talks of cooperation ongoing behind the scenes? After recent reports of Mueller ramping up pressure on Flynn and his son Flynn Jr. for their Turkish lobbying, the speculation culminated in major news on Thanksgiving.
The New York Times and The Washington Post reported details that signaled a potentially monumental development. Robert Kelner, Michael Flynn’s lawyer, called up Trump’s attorney John Dowd this week to let him know that the information-sharing agreement between the White House and Flynn’s legal representation had to end. Discussing the Special Counsel’s investigation was no longer authorized. This is a move experts say is typically made when there is a conflict of interest between a subject of an investigation and the entity they’re sharing info with. White House lawyers believe this is a signal that Michael Flynn is cooperating with Mueller’s investigation.
These reports sparked speculation that Michael Flynn may be about to flip on Donald Trump or other higher-level associates and cooperate with Robert Mueller…As with everything in this investigation, it’s not that simple.
Mueller could be leveraging Flynn’s willingness to limit his son’s legal exposure and pushing for a deal. Flynn could be in the preliminary stages of negotiating a plea agreement where he pleads guilty to charges in exchange for a reduced sentence for himself or his son, but Mueller would only present this as an option if he believes Flynn is capable of providing information on other key subjects of the investigation. That could involve info bolstering Mueller’s case against Manafort and Gates, which is headed to trial or it could involve Flynn providing incriminating inside information on the campaign’s contacts with Russian operatives. But if a deal like this were to be offered, it’s likely information about people much higher up in the food chain.
Norm Eisen, President Barack Obama’s White House Ethics Czar, spoke on his experience with Mueller and asserted that the info from Flynn would have to involve players like Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner, his son Donald Trump Jr., or Donald Trump himself in order for Mueller to pursue a deal.
I negotiated a cooperation deal for a target with Mueller’s office when he was US Atty and lemme tell ya, he’s not gonna give one to Flynn unless he implicates someone up the ladder. That means Kushner, Don Jr., or Big Daddy. They are all having indigestion tonight. https://t.co/8SNzelLuBp
If Flynn were to turn on Trump, it would be pretty bad for the Donald. Michael Flynn has seen a lot. As APNSA, he was exposed to the nations most classified secrets. As Donald Trump’s friend, he was exposed to some of Trump’s most private moments during the campaign. And while working on the campaign, Flynn was also front and center in some of the sketchiest behavior. From making overtures to Russian operatives to seeking Hillary Clinton’s lost emails, there’s quite a bit to cover…
Read this is if you want the full breakdown of what Flynn could reveal about the Trump campaign:
Michael Flynn Could Bring Down The Trump White House
Meanwhile…
- Some more damning news about Paul Manafort dropped.
Manafort made 138 trips to Ukraine, one as late as fall 2015, and 18 trips to Moscow while working for Putin-backed party https://t.co/QGxUsIIoPf
A man who was paid tens of millions to push Russian interests in the Ukraine, as well as in the US, doesn’t suddenly switch teams… Remember, Paul Manafort (a money motivated man) didn’t take a salary from the Trump campaign when he was Chairman…
- Trump took a jab at Obamacare as if he wasn’t the cause of the issue he was complaining about.
ObamaCare premiums are going up, up, up, just as I have been predicting for two years. ObamaCare is OWNED by the Democrats, and it is a disaster. But do not worry. Even though the Dems want to Obstruct, we will Repeal & Replace right after Tax Cuts!
You’re right @realDonaldTrump. Obamacare premiums are going up. But the American people won’t be played for fools. Your recent EOs and cuts to cost-sharing reduction subsidies spike premiums even higher. Trying to sabotage Obamacare then blame bill itself. You’re so see-through https://t.co/dvzxCPFZVp
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Friday, November 24
“Sick, Sad Joke”
As the previous director of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) Richard Cordray stepped down and named his Chief of Staff as acting director, President Trump appointed his Budget Director Mick Mulvaney (who called the CFPB a “sick said joke”) to the role. This meant there were two acting heads. Despite challenges surrounding this, the DOJ released this:
JUST IN: DOJ releases Office of Legal Counsel opinion by AAG Steven Engel, dated today, concluding POTUS can appoint acting director of CFPB under the Vacancies Reform Act. https://t.co/m67J8sy4C5
Many are rightfully worried that Mulvaney will carry out the Republicans wishes of essentially dismantling the agency. It was brought into existence under the Obama administration as part of the Dodd-Frank legislation that was drafted to address the problems that led to the 2008 financial crisis. Since the GOP doesn’t have enough votes to repeal Dodd-Frank, it appears they’re doing everything they can to render it ineffective.
The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, or CFPB, has been a total disaster as run by the previous Administrations pick. Financial Institutions have been devastated and unable to properly serve the public. We will bring it back to life!
let’s talk about the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau and why you should care about it. the CFPB was proposed by Elizabeth Warren, long before she was the elected official you love/hate, back when she was better known as one of the country’s experts on bankruptcy law
Meanwhile…
- There were a few reports that indicated Jared Kushner’s role in the White House is shrinking.
- Despite this move of the Mulvaney appointment, which has huge ramifications, most of the media was talking about this frivolous tweet from Donald Trump where he falsely claimed he was probably going to be TIME’s “person of the year.”
Time Magazine called to say that I was PROBABLY going to be named “Man (Person) of the Year,” like last year, but I would have to agree to an interview and a major photo shoot. I said probably is no good and took a pass. Thanks anyway!
The President is incorrect about how we choose Person of the Year. TIME does not comment on our choice until publication, which is December 6.
— @TIME
- President Trump used the terrorist attack in Egypt, which killed hundreds of people, as an opportunity to plug his Muslim ban and…the wall the Mexican border?
Will be calling the President of Egypt in a short while to discuss the tragic terrorist attack, with so much loss of life. We have to get TOUGHER AND SMARTER than ever before, and we will. Need the WALL, need the BAN! God bless the people of Egypt.
President responds to a terrorist attack against Muslims in Egypt by calling for a wall between the U.S. and Mexico and a ban on travel from Muslim-majority countries that aren’t Egypt. https://t.co/rBOrXrnJBz
— @jonfavs
- On Saturday, the president took to Twitter to attack the media the same day Vladimir Putin signed a law requiring that international media organizations register as foreign agents. It was in retaliation to the U.S.’s move that made Russia Today (RT) register as a foreign agent in the America.
@FoxNews is MUCH more important in the United States than CNN, but outside of the U.S., CNN International is still a major source of (Fake) news, and they represent our Nation to the WORLD very poorly. The outside world does not see the truth from them!
If you favor CNN OR Fox and are not dismayed by this, you may now be numb and no longer capable of outrage. Scary if that’s our new normal. https://t.co/pvG71XvN6R
@jmclaughlinSAIS If this is who we are or who we are becoming, I have wasted 40 years of my life. Until now it was not possible for me to conceive of an American President capable of such an outrageous assault on truth, a free press or the first amendment.
- And to wrap up that Saturday, The New York Times published a profile of a neo-Nazi presenting them as a friendly neighbor. This rightfully caused outrage and calls that the Times was normalizing neo-Nazism. Our response was clear:
If you want a white ethno-state and advocate for ethnic cleansing, you are scum. If you marched in Charlottesville on the side of the Nazis who killed Heather Heyer, you are scum. Nazis deserve no ambiguous coverage or platform to promote their bigotry. Do better @nytimes
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