A Complete Breakdown Of Donald Trump’s 56th Unpresidented Week As POTUS
This week was one for the history books.
130 White House officials without permanent security clearances.
17 innocent people fatally shot at a high school in Parkland, Florida.
13 Russian nationals indicted for interfering in American democracy.
1 President unfit for office.
Countless Americans fed up.
Trump’s consistent reluctance to condemn a hostile foreign power and his quickness to attack his own government, took center-stage once again.
After his own DOJ indicted Russians for their continued interference in our democratic process, rather than outline a plan for how America will respond, the President of the United States continued his attacks on American institutions.
The indictment’s focus on “Putin’s chef,” the Russian troll farm, indicates that there will certainly be more to come in relation to Russia’s hacking (Wikileaks, Cozy Bear, Fancy Bear, voter rolls, etc.). Special Counsel Robert Mueller brilliantly killed Trump’s “Russia Witch Hunt” narrative by indicting 13 witches.
But most notably, the simple fact that Mueller established the underlying crimes the Russians committed is key, because now if there was collusion on the part of the Trump campaign, it could be a crime. Collusion would then be participating in a Conspiracy to Defraud the United States.
When it comes to the devastating deaths of children in Parkland, the President once again tried to make it about himself. But the students of Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School did not let Trump control the narrative.
What we saw this week was the next generation of leaders rise to greatness in the midst of tragedy. Emma González, David Hogg, and the rest of the Parkland shooting survivors projected a resounding message strength and hope to the world.
The old methods of inaction when it comes to gun violence will no longer be tolerated.
The days of the NRA’s influence are numbered.
The youth will right the wrongs of our elders.
…And the GOP should be terrified.
Here’s a complete breakdown of Donald Trump’s 56th week as POTUS:
Moments like these require unrelenting truthtelling. We take pride in being reader-funded. If you like our work, support our journalism.
56th Weekend (February 10–11)
“Due Process”
Facing near-universal backlash over his defense of alleged domestic abuser Rob Porter, over the weekend, President Trump continued his depraved defense of abusers and also distorted a report about a Russian false flag operation.
Peoples lives are being shattered and destroyed by a mere allegation. Some are true and some are false. Some are old and some are new. There is no recovery for someone falsely accused – life and career are gone. Is there no such thing any longer as Due Process?
@realDonaldTrump Trump has claimed for years Obama was born in Kenya. Trump called for the death penalty of 5 black & latino teens after they were accused of rape-Doubled down after they were exonerated by DNA evidence. Don’t lecture us about due process @realDonaldTrump https://t.co/rfkxgklwFu
@realDonaldTrump Trump could’ve used his own lecture on due process when he was leading rallies of people yelling “lock her up!” and directly calling for his political opponents to be jailed. Don’t throw stones when you live in a glass house @realDonaldTrump We have receipts ?
According to the @nytimes, a Russian sold phony secrets on “Trump” to the U.S. Asking price was $10 million, brought down to $1 million to be paid over time. I hope people are now seeing & understanding what is going on here. It is all now starting to come out – DRAIN THE SWAMP!
@realDonaldTrump @nytimes As expected, Trump is blatantly lying about this story Real story: Russians were desperate to drive a wedge between the IC & Trump by providing sketchy intel The CIA did not take the deal Now, Trump is casting doubt on IC Russia’s mission accomplished https://t.co/A8ukIDhZ82
Trump appears to be working in concert with Moscow on this. Russians ran a likely dangle op (https://t.co/xhLLqF1j9m) to set up US intel, which assessed and rejected it. Having taken the op as far as it could, Moscow likely planted the story. Now, Trump echoes Moscow’s narrative. https://t.co/sCgOpU1c2H
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Meanwhile…
- As the Winter Olympics kicked off in South Korea, Kim Jong-Un’s sister began garnering positive press in the U.S. Some had their concerns.
I can report South Koreans here in Pyeongchang are not as enthralled with Kim Yo Jong and the North Korean cheerleaders as it seems some media are back home. Something about N.K. killing, starving, & imprisoning its people while threatening South Korea with nuclear annihilation.
Guys, be more like BuzzFeed here.
56th Week (February 11–16)
Monday, February 12
“Infrastructure Week”
Every time the White House sets out to have a week about infrastructure, you can expect by the end of the week, it will have derailed entirely. The same applied this week.
This will be a big week for Infrastructure. After so stupidly spending $7 trillion in the Middle East, it is now time to start investing in OUR Country!
@realDonaldTrump Anyone wanna take a guess as to how quickly “infrastructure week” unravels into unhinged ridiculousness? https://t.co/JgQLERV2ay
Monday was a quiet day for the most part, but the silence was broken when the White House sent Congress its budget proposal. The New York Times reports:
President Trump sent Congress a $4.4 trillion budget proposal on Monday outlining steep cuts to domestic programs, large increases in military spending and a ballooning federal deficit that illustrates how far Republicans have strayed from their longtime embrace of balanced budgets.
The budget would also add $7 trillion to the deficit over the next 10 years. Within it lies Trump’s infrastructure plan, which seeks $1.5 trillion in new spending.
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Meanwhile…
- Attorney General Jeff Sessions made a remark that many claimed was quite the dog whistle.
The office of Sheriff is a critical part of the Anglo-American heritage of law enforcement. We must never erode this historic office” : Attorney General Jeff Sessions speaking at the National Sheriff’s Association winter conference in DC. @vicenews https://t.co/gPS6AbkS30
- Last week’s resignation of Rachel Brand sparked many questions.
Ms. Brand will become the global governance director at Walmart https://t.co/3i299dzZvf
With Rachel Brand’s resignation, the two people below Rosenstein are now gone. Trump signed an EO that changed the line of succession: https://t.co/Sw1n0y8esn If Rosenstein is fired, and Boente’s seat remains vacant, Trump appointee NC Attorney Robert Higdon Jr can fire Mueller
We knew that Brand left for a high paying position at Walmart, but we didn’t know exactly why. We learned that Rachel Brand had been frustrated with her role in the DOJ for quite some time and didn’t like the way it was being run, especially regarding the vacancies. But one of the main reasons when left the DOJ was because she feared she would be asked to oversee the Russia investigation….
- There was some concerning news about Aetna.
Dr. Iinuma admitted under oath that, per @aetna‘s training, he never looked at patients’ records when deciding whether to approve or deny care. https://t.co/FZ76NoczZS #MondayMorning #MorningJoe
- One of Rob Porter’s ex-wives, who bravely spoke about her abuse, wrote a powerful op-ed in Time Magazine.
Jennie Willoughby, one of Rob Porter’s ex-wives: “In light of the President’s and the White House’s continued dismissal of me and Colbie, I want to assure you my truth has not been diminished. I own my story.” https://t.co/ODj7sMXrjQ
- Mick Mulvaney continued his weakening of the Consumer Financial Bureau.
- The Washington Post reported on EPA head Scott Pruitt’s lavish spending on first-class flights and luxury hotels.
- Betsy DeVos’ Department of Education officially stated that it will not take bathroom complaints from transgender students.
Tuesday, February 13
Russia Will Strike Again
U.S. Intelligence agencies released a worldwide threat assessment that contained some pretty stark warnings pertaining to the integrity of our midterm elections.
The assessment stated:
“Foreign elections are critical inflection points that offer opportunities for Russia to advance its interests both overtly and covertly. The 2018 U.S. midterm elections are a potential target for Russian influence operations.”
In a statement about the assessment, the Intelligence Community stated:
“We assess that the Russian intelligence services will continue their efforts to disseminate false information via Russian state-controlled media and covert online personas about U.S. activities to encourage anti-U.S. political views.
Moscow seeks to create wedges that reduce trust and confidence in democratic processes, degrade democratization efforts, weaken U.S. partnerships with European allies, undermine Western sanctions, encourage anti-U.S. political views, and counter efforts to bring Ukraine and other former Soviet states into European institutions.”
That last paragraph is particularly startling, given the fact that the current President of the United States, in his attacks on U.S. institutions, does exactly that.
The current administration not only refuses to implement the veto-proof congressional sanctions on Russian oligarchs, they appear to have no intention to prepare for the incoming assaults on our democracy.
As the Intel Chiefs were presenting this assessment, CNN reported that President Trump is still not convinced that Russia meddled.
Later in the week, we learn a great deal more about the specific tactics that took place when it comes to the Russian troll farm and the spread of Russian propaganda.
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Meanwhile…
- After Deputy White House Press Secretary Raj Shah stated that the background investigation into Rob Porter was ongoing, FBI Director Christoper Wray contradicted that version of events, as well as the White House’s previously outlined timeline.
FBI Director Chris Wray says the FBI submitted a partial report on Rob Porter’s background check in MARCH. A completed report in late JULY. Shared follow-up info in NOVEMBER. And closed the file in January.
We also learned that despite Porter’s troubled past, he was still up for a promotion. John Kelly’s role in protecting Porter’s position in the White House made his future increasingly unlikely.
Widespread chatter tonight among Republicans close to the White House that Trump is nearing decision to name Gary Cohn as Kelly’s replacement
- As President Trump sent tweets trying to pin the failure to pass DACA legislation on the Democrats, a second judge ruled against his decision to rescind it in the first place.
Negotiations on DACA have begun. Republicans want to make a deal and Democrats say they want to make a deal. Wouldn’t it be great if we could finally, after so many years, solve the DACA puzzle. This will be our last chance, there will never be another opportunity! March 5th.
- President Trump’s approval rating jumped to 44% in what appeared to be a bump from the passing of his tax legislation.
- In Democrat world: Senator Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) pledged to not take any donations from corporate PACs and Democrats picked up a Republican seat in Florida.
100% reporting: Democrats have picked-up Florida’s #HD72 district! And by a comfortable margin of 7% (about 3,000 votes). That’s a net swing of 12% toward Democrats compared to the 2016 presidential results.
— @Taniel
This is Democrats’ 3rd legislative pick-up already in 2018. (That’s out of 10 special elections so far in GOP-held districts, some of which are very Republican areas.)
— @Taniel
- Trump’s personal lawyer Michael Cohen attempted to take the heat off President Trump by stating that he paid porn star Stormy Daniels the $130,000 out of his own pocket and was not reimbursed by the Trump Organization or campaign.
- Bloomberg reported:
U.S. forces killed scores of Russian mercenaries in Syria last week in what may be the deadliest clash between citizens of the former foes since the Cold War, according to one U.S. official and three Russians familiar with the matter.
More than 200 contract soldiers, mostly Russians fighting on behalf of Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad, died in a failed attack on a base held by U.S. and mainly Kurdish forces in the oil-rich Deir Ezzor region, two of the Russians said. The U.S. official put the death toll in the fighting at about 100, with 200 to 300 injured, but was unable to say how many were Russians.
- After immense backlash, The New York Times fired a new editor that they had just hired on their Editorial Board.
@nytopinion just added an admitted friend of “various neo-Nazis” to their editorial board. Check out her tweets. She’s said “nigger,” “nigga,” “faggot,” and “cunt,” among other things… (threaded) What is going on at the New York Times?
I cannot believe this has to be said, again and again. The underlying principle of white nationalism is “peaceful ethnic cleansing” (their words, not mine). It’s a despicable ideology to hold. And if you befriend someone who holds that view, it speaks volumes on your character.
White nationalism isn’t an acceptable ideology-It’s Nazism with a new haircut They despise minorities They want ethnic cleansing The ideology has historically led to genocide We must always call them what they are & never allow them a seat at the table https://t.co/Bng3mF0bNO
Wednesday, February 14
Parkland
In Parkland, Florida 17 people, including 14 teenagers, were brutally shot by Nikolas Cruz, a deranged 19-year-old who once attended the school.
10 minutes before school was set to end, Cruz entered Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School with an AR-15, triggered the fire alarm, and as the children began to file out of their classrooms, he started gunning them down. The shooter was taken into custody after the attack.
The footage of the attack had me holding back tears.
JUST IN (warning, disturbing video): Cell phone video inside the school as shots were going off at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High https://t.co/wHWo6XjccX https://t.co/3ovf5LhzBs
As it did for others.
Wow, Philip Mudd, a former FBI agent who has interviewed terrorists broke down crying talking about the latest school shooting https://t.co/Kp4rMfcS3L
Sen. @ChrisMurphyCT on Parkland, Florida School Shooting: “This happens nowhere else other than the United States of America, this epidemic of mass slaughter, this scourge of school shooting after school shooting.” https://t.co/bgIrYzrDRl
— @cspan
Don’t tell me tomorrow isn’t the appropriate time to debate gun violence. If you’re a political leader doing nothing about this slaughter, you’re an accomplice.
In the over 4 months between the Vegas shooting & today’s Parkland, Florida school shooting, only 1 gun bill passed: It was the @HouseGOP‘s “Concealed Carry Reciprocity Act,” which allows concealed carry license holders to conceal guns in other states…https://t.co/EaotdF3w6E
President Trump opted not to speak that day.
I remember being at the White House on Dec. 14, 2012, the day of Sandy Hook. Obama went into the briefing room that afternoon to address the American people. A different WH approach today. Trump hasn’t spoken on camera, and his staff just called a lid.
President Trump did not address the nation today after the Florida school shooting and, at least for now, he does not have any public appearances scheduled for tomorrow either
Administration aides tell me that advisors have recommended he say something, but he has opted not to https://t.co/DJp1biO5x7
But he did speak on Twitter.
My prayers and condolences to the families of the victims of the terrible Florida shooting. No child, teacher or anyone else should ever feel unsafe in an American school.
Just spoke to Governor Rick Scott. We are working closely with law enforcement on the terrible Florida school shooting.
This is where we began to see the kids of Parkland speaking out directly to the President.
the kids are better than us
Over the next few days, we learned a great deal about the shooter, but we learned a great deal more about the heroes who shielded others from harm, and we learned of the brilliance and strength of the survivors of the shooting.
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Meanwhile…
- NBC News reported:
More than 130 political appointees working in the Executive Office of the President did not have permanent security clearances as of November 2017, including the president’s daughter, son-in-law and his top legal counsel, according to internal White House documents obtained by NBC News.
Of those appointees working with interim clearances, 47 of them are in positions that report directly to President Donald Trump. About a quarter of all political appointees in the executive office are working with some form of interim security clearance.
…
The documents also show that 10 months into Trump’s administration, at least 85 political appointees in the White House, vice president’s office and National Security Council were working without permanent security clearances. About 50 appointees were operating with interim security clearances while serving in offices closely linked to the West Wing, such as the National Economic Council, the Office of Management and Budget, the U.S. Trade Representative and the White House executive residence.
- As a bipartisan group of Senators reached a deal on immigration, President Trump opposed it.
- Before the shooting, Maggie Haberman reported that Kelly’s team believes the leaks about Kelly are coming from Trump himself, as the Porter scandal continued.
The morale was already quite low in the Kelly era for several staff. But this is worse than it’s been since Charlottesville. And after dismissing Kelly dismissal talks as spread by Mooch/others, ppl close to Kelly now realize it’s coming from Trump.
Over a week since Porter story broke and the president has yet to issue even a perfunctory comment about domestic violence
Rob Porter’s security clearance is officially being investigated by Congress in a committee led by none other than Rep. Trey Gowdy (R-SC). “I’m troubled by almost every aspect of this,” Gowdy told CNN this morning. “How in the hell was he still employed?
Trump: “I’m totally opposed to domestic violence. And everybody here knows that. I’m totally opposed to domestic violence of any kind. Everyone knows that. And it almost wouldn’t even have to be said. So, now you hear it, but you all know.” via @justinsink
— @jeneps
7 days after Porter resigned, Trump finally condemns domestic violence. Although he claims it “wouldn’t even have to be said,” we beg to differ. Trump seems to forget that he had accusations of domestic abuse leveled against him by his ex-wife Ivana https://t.co/OcwincEr7G
- An ethics scandal plagued the VA chief.
Veterans Affairs official altered email to justify paying travel costs for Secretary Shulkin’s wife on Europe trip, report finds https://t.co/OpiMPSt440
- We learned that Pruitt has a waiver from the EPA that lets him travel in the wasteful manner he travels in.
Thursday, February 15
The NRA Put On Blast
As we know, even in the most consequential moments, President Trump can’t bring himself to have a genuine moment of humble clarity. Trump woke up on Thursday and began to shift blame for the shooting before all the information had been gathered.
So many signs that the Florida shooter was mentally disturbed, even expelled from school for bad and erratic behavior. Neighbors and classmates knew he was a big problem. Must always report such instances to authorities, again and again!
This was quickly deemed ridiculous by facts.
As Trump tweets blame the victims for not reporting the shooter, Buzzfeed reports that the shooter actually was reported-directly to Trump’s own FBI-months ago. It did nothing to prevent the shooting. https://t.co/7sgXkoyXXg
— @mattmfm
As we learned more about how he was reported, although the FBI did indeed have a massive failure here, we recognized some additional legislation regarding firearms and those who have had mental health concerns on their record could’ve prevented him from getting a gun. And what we had towards that end, the President repealed.
People with mental illnesses should not be allowed to buy guns. (Trump signed a bill making it easier for them to buy guns) People on the terror watch list should not be allowed to buy guns. (GOP blocked bills that would’ve stopped them) The @GOP is complicit #GunReformNow
President Trump finally did speak but did not say the word gun in his entire speech.
Pres. Trump: “I want to speak now to America’s children, especially those who feel lost, alone, confused, or even scared. I want you to know that you are never alone and you never will be.” https://t.co/AV4U0lse9O https://t.co/DaBIgMeBiW
— @abc
The President and the NRA’s complicity in this was not lost on the survivors of the shooting. As the GOP, conservative talking heads, and tools of the NRA said “let’s give the families and students time to grieve and not talk about solutions,” the survivors said, “nope.”
Can the Left let the families grieve for even 24 hours before they push their anti-gun and anti-gunowner agenda? My goodness. This isn’t about a gun it’s about another lunatic. #FloridaShooting
I was hiding in a closet for 2 hours. It was about guns. You weren’t there, you don’t know how it felt. Guns give these disgusting people the ability to kill other human beings. This IS about guns and this is about all the people who had their life abruptly ended because of guns.
David Hogg for Congress, 2020. “Ideas are great. But without action, ideas stay ideas, and children die.” https://t.co/jCPDTMyJDk #ThursdayThoughts #GunReformNow
News organizations did not fail to point out the GOP/NRA complicity in this either.
daaaaaamn @NYDailyNews.
— @RVAwonk
There were attempts to “both-sides” this, but those attempts were swatted down.
@NBCFirstRead: Washington is fundamentally broken when it comes to addressing mass shootings. https://t.co/pdZjGjPgyA
— @NBCNews
One party has proposed a range of solutions that are broadly popular with the public. The other party has refused to do anything for over a decade. “Washington.” https://t.co/OrMYGmI10i
— @jonfavs
It’s not Congress who won’t take action on gun control, it’s Republicans.
President Barack Obama spoke.
We are grieving with Parkland. But we are not powerless. Caring for our kids is our first job. And until we can honestly say that we’re doing enough to keep them safe from harm, including long overdue, common-sense gun safety laws that most Americans want, then we have to change.
0,000,000 from the NRA https://t.co/XZPOzhNdsL
There were some early reports that the Anti-Defamation league set off when they were falsely tipped by a Nazi leader in Florida. It claimed that Nikolas Cruz was a white nationalist training in a paramilitary group. That was debunked quickly. What was confirmed was that he was a Trump supporter.
Instagram implicitly confirming that an account with a MAGA Trump hat avatar belonged to gunman Nikolas Cruz. Asked why the account was removed, spokesperson says:
All that we know, is that we at Rantt are going to do whatever we can to highlight the issue and make sure that this cycle of slaughter will end.
Week after week, Republicans: 1. Watch children get shot 2. Issue hollow thoughts & prayers 3. Climb right back into bed with the @NRA A government that fails to protect the lives of children has failed at its most basic purpose Enough is enough @GOP! https://t.co/uXSXusZOv7
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Meanwhile…
- The bipartisan immigration bill failed after Trump threatened a veto.
WH issues veto threat against bipartisan immigration proposal that it says would weaken border security and undercut existing immigration law. Also says Schumer-Rounds-Collins measure would encourage millions of additional minors to be smuggled into the US.
The Schumer-Rounds-Collins immigration bill would be a total catastrophe. @DHSgov says it would be “the end of immigration enforcement in America.” It creates a giant amnesty (including for dangerous criminals), doesn’t build the wall, expands chain migration, keeps the visa…
lottery, continues deadly catch-and-release, and bars enforcement even for FUTURE illegal immigrants. Voting for this amendment would be a vote AGAINST law enforcement, and a vote FOR open borders. If Dems are actually serious about DACA, they should support the Grassley bill!
- Special Counsel Robert Mueller interviewed Steve Bannon for several days.
- We learned of what was to come in the coming week.
Paul Manafort’s Deputy Rick Gates is close to a plea agreement with Mueller https://t.co/DH0rIlUulJ
- Bloomberg reported:
U.S. tax authorities have requested documents from lenders and investors in real estate projects managed by Jared Kushner’s family, according to a person familiar with the matter.
They have gathered information from people who lent money and assembled investors for some Kushner Cos. real estate projects in New York and New Jersey, the person said. Those projects involve deals dating back to 2010.
Friday, February 16
The Investigative Brilliance Of Robert Mueller
After over a year of reports, and over a year since the Intelligence Community concluded that the Russian government interfered in our democracy, Special Counsel Robert Mueller and the U.S. Department of Justice, unveiled indictments for 13 Russian nationals and entities.
Special Counsel Robert Mueller & DOJ have indicted 13 Russian nationals & entities for interfering in the 2016 election -Russians supported Trump and opposed Clinton -People tied to Trump camp unwittingly communicated/coordinated w/ Russian entities Witch hunt @realDonaldTrump?
Also included in the indictment: -Russians also propped up Stein and Sanders -Russain troll farm operation began in 2014 -Russians staged rallies within the US -Russians obtained Visas, traveled around the US to gain intel Read the full indictment here: https://t.co/0xFY9EzNto
This specifically targeted the Russians involved in the Russian troll farm, Internet Research Agency. Known in Moscow as “Putin’s chef,” for more reasons than just his catering business, Yevgeny Prigozhin was one of the main oligarchs in this indictment. We’ve reported on their sophisticated tactics of impersonating Americans and organizing rallies within the U.S.
Putin’s Professional Trolls Catfished And Paid Pro-Trump Activists In The US
Also, there wasn’t much discussion about the Russian spies who obtained visas in 2014 to gather intelligence by traveling the United States. It makes the Russian visas that Tillerson was openly granting for most of 2017 (before stopping them) more troubling. We need to watch this closely.
By brilliantly establishing the underlying crime on the part of the Russians, Robert Mueller frees himself up to make collusion a crime, because colluders would then be aiding in a conspiracy against the United States as the indictment notes. Not to mention, the omission of election law violations is notable.
Mueller’s investigative brilliance:
1. Determine the underlying Russian crimes.
2. Withhold Federal Election Campaign Act violation charges as to not reveal your next move and bolster your future negotiating leverage.
3. Then when you move on Americans, you’ve now locked in co-conspirators in a conspiracy against the United States and whatever election law violations they bring, etc.
Just like that, collusion is a crime
And we haven’t even gotten to the hacking part of this. Cozy Bear, Fancy Bear, Wikileaks…
A few other takeaways:
INDICTMENT NEWS: Russians posted “derogatory information about a number of candidates” and by mid-2016, they SUPPORTED Trump and disparaged Clinton. They bought ads and COMMUNICATED with “unwitting” people tied to Trump campaign and others to COORDINATE political activities
— @mkraju
Just gonna drop this here
— @Zeddary
This point seems major. Goldstone’s 6/3/16 email to Don Junior about “Russia and its government’s support for Mr. Trump” presumes foreknowledge – and Don Junior seems to know exactly what he’s talking about. Good luck grasping that “unwitting” straw. https://t.co/X5poqCw7uP
Rep. Jerry Nadler, top Judiciary Committee Democrat: “At this point, any step President Trump may take to interfere with the Special Counsel’s investigation… will have to be seen as a direct attempt to aid the Russian government in attacking American democracy.
JUST IN: Mueller hasn’t concluded his investigation of possible collusion with Russia, source says; his work is expected to continue for months and also includes examining potential obstruction of justice by Trump https://t.co/7LbC10xJpH
Mitch McConnell, who rejected Democrat’s request to go public in a bipartisan statement with information about Russian election interference they were briefed on before the 2016 election, owes the American people an apology. Then he should resign in shame.
When reading this indictment, recognize that this is only the beginning The indictment doesn’t dive into the hacking of our political organizations, Cozy Bear and Fancy Bear’s role, or Wikileaks, etc The Russians’ operation was broader than this. Expect more from Mueller.
President Trump, as usual, attempted to spin the indictment as vindication.
Russia started their anti-US campaign in 2014, long before I announced that I would run for President. The results of the election were not impacted. The Trump campaign did nothing wrong – no collusion!
The White House pointedly noted the alleged Russian interference began in 2014, a year before Trump announced his candidacy. Aside from the fact that the initial alleged purpose was just to sow discord: Trump was talking about a run as early as Jan. 2014. https://t.co/OirFCYSYvG
— @ddale8
We responded per usual.
@realDonaldTrump Really Donald? Page 4, section 6: Russians’ “operations included supporting the presidential campaign of then-candidate Donald J. Trump…” Russians “posing as U.S. persons…communicated with unwitting individuals associated with the Trump campaign…” https://t.co/3wA3LrwajS
@realDonaldTrump “I love it.”-Donald Trump Jr. said to Rob Goldstone after he offered dirt on Hillary Clinton from the Russian government. “Russia, if you’re listening, I hope you’re able to find the 30,000 [Clinton] emails that are missing.”-Donald Trump Sr. in July 2016 https://t.co/3wA3LrwajS
@realDonaldTrump Don Jr, Manafort, & Kushner met w/ Russian operatives, seeking dirt on Hillary Clinton Sessions met w/ Kisylak multiple times, then lied about it Papadopoulos tried to set up meetings between Trump & Putin Page went on campaign-approved trip to Moscow https://t.co/3wA3LrNLIs
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Meanwhile…
- The FBI acknowledged their failure in preventing Nikolas Cruz from committing this horrible atrocity. The New York Times reported:
The F.B.I. received a tip last month from someone close to Nikolas Cruz that he owned a gun and had talked of committing a school shooting, the bureau revealed Friday, but it acknowledged that it had failed to investigate.
The tipster, who called an F.B.I. hotline on Jan. 5, told the bureau that Mr. Cruz had a “desire to kill people, erratic behavior and disturbing social media posts,” the F.B.I. said.
The information should have been assessed and forwarded to the Miami F.B.I. field office, the bureau said. But that never happened. On Wednesday, Mr. Cruz, 19, killed 17 students and teachers at his former high school in Parkland, Fla., law enforcement officials said.
The tip about Mr. Cruz appeared to be the second in four months, after another person told the bureau about online comments from Mr. Cruz that he wanted to become “a professional school shooter.”
But we also learned that Nikolas Cruz was quite literally gained his shooting skills from the NRA.
BREAKING: Nikolas Cruz learned how to shoot on his school’s rifle marksmanship team which received more than $10,000 in grants from the NRA There’s no way around it. The @NRA trained & materially supported this murderer. We must hold them accountable. RT! https://t.co/nWgNiIaq7i
- The FCC is being investigating as to whether it’s own chairman coordinated with Sinclair Broadcast Group to craft favorable policies. We all remember Sinclair right? The media company silently infecting homes with far-right disinformation.
Sinclair Broadcast Group: The Greatest Threat To Our Democracy Since Fox News
- Mitt Romney officially announced he’s running for Orrin Hatch’s soon to be vacant seat in Utah.
- Chief of Staff John Kelly will overhaul the security clearance investigation process.
- Fox News Commentator Laura Ingraham gets quite the clapback from Eagles’ defensive end, and Super Bowl Chapion, Chris Long
Laura Ingraham says #LeBronJames should “shut up and dribble” and leave political comments to people who didn’t leave high school a year early. https://t.co/vwInOpZJZq
I’ll be replying to my own tweet with a collage of your network allowing political commentary from a few folks. https://t.co/WUGl1WQSLE
ANACONDA GUY
Lebron, responded like a beast.
How’s this for fitting, considering the Kevin Durant-LeBron James discussion that sparked all this was an @uninterrupted production? This is what you see when you walk into their office in LA. https://t.co/5K8VJa4V32
wewillnotshutupanddribble https://t.co/LyenGRKTUE
- Also, can’t end this without mentioning the cultural phenomenon that is Black Panther. I may write a separate piece on this later so I’ll save my takes for then.
BlackPanther is a masterpiece. A movie about black excellence, not oppression The cultural impact of its black representation & the film’s $ success is paradigm shifting T’challa’s growth was great & Killmonger was a relatable personification of Black American plight 10/10
As expected, President Trump completely lost it over the weekend and went on his usual Russia paranoia-triggered tweet sprees we’ve grown used to. But not without fact-checks and pushback (Only posting a few here, but there are more).
Very sad that the FBI missed all of the many signals sent out by the Florida school shooter. This is not acceptable. They are spending too much time trying to prove Russian collusion with the Trump campaign – there is no collusion. Get back to the basics and make us all proud!
Parkland students are hammering @realDonaldTrump for his Russia tweet. A few examples:
General McMaster forgot to say that the results of the 2016 election were not impacted or changed by the Russians and that the only Collusion was between Russia and Crooked H, the DNC and the Dems. Remember the Dirty Dossier, Uranium, Speeches, Emails and the Podesta Company!
I never said Russia did not meddle in the election, I said “it may be Russia, or China or another country or group, or it may be a 400 pound genius sitting in bed and playing with his computer.” The Russian “hoax” was that the Trump campaign colluded with Russia – it never did!
I asked him again…You can only ask so many times…He said he absolutely did not meddle in our election…I really believe that when he tells me that, he means it…I think he’s very insulted, if you want to know the truth.”
Here are 27 of the many times Trump tried to discredit the Russia investigation.
@RanttMedia This is just the tip of the obstructive iceberg. There were at least 30 more tweets I couldn’t fit. Not to mention the actual actions he’s taken to to try obstruct the investigation. https://t.co/CL58wOK2gO
If it was the GOAL of Russia to create discord, disruption and chaos within the U.S. then, with all of the Committee Hearings, Investigations and Party hatred, they have succeeded beyond their wildest dreams. They are laughing their asses off in Moscow. Get smart America!
@realDonaldTrump Trump is right. They are laughing their asses off in Moscow-But the joke’s on him Trump’s attacks on the FBI, DOJ, & IC accomplish Putin’s goal of undermining faith in US institutions Trump refusing to impose sanctions aids Putin Trump is a useful idiot https://t.co/Llb2VWDpvQ
Meanwhile…
- Things weren’t looking too good for Paul Manafort, and by extension, Trumpworld.
Former Trump aide Rick Gates will plead guilty and has agreed to testify against Manafort, sources tell @latimes https://t.co/0S6oqTTMZZ
- I want to end this week’s Unpresidented with a speech from Parkland shooting survivor Emma González (who is now on Twitter, go follow her).
Emma Gonzalez is the future. “To every politician who is taking donations from the @NRA-shame on you!” In this powerful speech, she calls out @realDonaldTrump, @ChuckGrassley, and the @NRA. The Parkland shooting survivors are going to change the world.
The young activists are already organized.
Survivors of the school shooting in Florida are calling for a march on Washington to demand action on gun control. “People are saying that it’s not time to talk about gun control, and we can respect that. Here’s a time: March 24, in every single city.” https://t.co/ObmdZo67La https://t.co/qaJfAZy99k
— @ABC
And on a personal note from me: While having written this column week after week, the blatant depravity displayed by those in power is always balanced out by the resilience, decency, and hope that the American people consistently display. I believe that we will become a better nation at the end of this uncertainty.
No, I don’t believe. I know.
Having written about every moment during Trump’s presidency, one constant I’ve noticed is that with every depraved act, there is always an equal and opposite surge of decency Emma Gonzalez, & the other Parkland shooting survivors, give me hope America is awake-Decency will win https://t.co/NXuOQKOyZz
