"A" for All Alone. We know some of the major reasons why no credible law firm wants to work for Trump: he's an impossible client, he doesn't pay his bills. . . and he's going to lose. But here's an additional reason that doesn't get as much attention
https://talkingpointsmemo.com/edblog/why-the-president-has-no-personal-attorney
Think about it. Trump faces an aggressive investigation led by the very best people in the Justice Dept, with every indicator suggesting they are narrowing in on him -- and he can't find lawyers to defend him
https://www.vanityfair.com/news/2018/03/donald-trump-legal-team-john-dowd-robert-mueller
Trump’s personal legal team now consists of just one full-time attorney—Jay Sekulow—a remarkably shallow bench for a president facing potential obstruction of justice charges and the prospect of impeachment. “As far as I can tell, Ty Cobb is the only attorney left on the Trump team with experience handling federal criminal investigations,” said Renato Mariotti, a former federal prosecutor who has been closely following the probe. “The team is thinner than you might expect for perhaps the most important investigation of our lifetime.” . . . Trump’s inability to assemble or maintain an experienced legal team could prove crippling if he is forced to square off against Mueller, a fearsome federal prosecutor assisted by “16 of the best lawyers in the country.” . . .
“What happened between last week, when DiGenova and Toensing were announced as joining the team, and yesterday?” mused Neal Katyal, a former acting solicitor general under President Obama. “The conflict of interest issue was apparent on Tuesday, and yet we were told they were joining the team and that Mark Corallo (the person with the most significant conflict) had waived any concern. Then Dowd resigns Thursday, and yet by Sunday DiGenova and Toensing are gone, leaving the president with only two lawyers.” That strange development, Katyal posited to me, suggests that Robert Mueller may have intervened. “Diligent prosecutors, when they see a defendant doing something profoundly dangerous to their self-interest (including hiring lawyers who have conflicts), will raise it with the defendant and suggest they rethink it,” he explained. “I think it very possible that that happened here—Mueller is a scrupulous prosecutor and may have told Trump he had concerns about Trump’s own rights. If it did happen, it would strongly suggest that Mueller is formally thinking of Trump as a target of his investigation . . . A prosecutor would issue such a warning to a target, not to a witness.”
More: https://crooksandliars.com/2018/03/funny-craiglist-dc-ad-seeks-lawyer-trump
FUNNY: Craigslist DC Ad Seeks Lawyer For Trump
The US expels Russian diplomats, but Trump had to be dragged kicking and screaming to agree to it
https://crooksandliars.com/2018/03/john-avlon-expelling-russian-diplomats
https://talkingpointsmemo.com/edblog/keep-an-eye-on-this-8
Kellyanne goes on Fox World to say this disproves the Russia investigation because it shows Trump isn't in Russia's pocket
https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2018/3/27/1752432/-Relax-there-s-no-need-to-investigate-Trump-about-Russia-anymore-Kellyanne-Conway-says-it-s-all-good
No it doesn't: https://thinkprogress.org/trump-stays-quiet-and-defers-on-russia-bfa24ab18501/
Trump’s odd history of downplaying Russian aggression
The OTHER Christopher Steele report
https://politicalwire.com/2018/03/27/christopher-steeles-other-report/
The White House has finished its review of Jared Kushner's real estate activities, and just wants everyone to know that it is ALL JUST FINE. That is all, carry on
https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2018/3/27/1752473/-The-White-House-says-there-is-no-issue-with-Jared-Kushner-s-new-500-million-loans
This stinks. The FEC is trying to slow-walk the review of whether Trump/Cohen's payment to Stormy Daniels violated campaign finance laws. It shouldn't take A YEAR (or more!)
https://talkingpointsmemo.com/livewire/nbc-could-take-at-least-year-fec-rule-stormy-daniels-payment
Trump said Mexico would pay for The Wall™. Then he said, no, really, Mexico WILL PAY for The Wall™.
Then he said, well, WE will pay for The Wall™, but Mexico will reimburse us. Then he said, we will pay for The Wall™, but it will pay for itself.
Now he says, the MILITARY will pay for The Wall™, and that way we won't need Congressional approval (but it will be taking away funds that he was just bragging would go toward troops and weapons).
So, just to summarize, we have gone from "Mexico will pay for it!" to "The Military will pay for it!"
https://talkingpointsmemo.com/livewire/trump-wants-military-fund-border-wall
http://nymag.com/daily/intelligencer/2018/03/trump-thinks-military-should-fund-his-wall-without-congress.html
In other news . . .
Trouble for Trump's CIA nominee?
https://www.politico.com/story/2018/03/27/cia-torture-haspel-487301
Trump wants a line-item veto. It's unconstitutional, but he still wants it
http://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow-show/white-house-keeps-pushing-power-the-supreme-court-says-it-cannot-have
Former Supreme Court Justice John Paul Stevens says we should repeal the Second Amendment
https://www.salon.com/2018/03/27/the-second-amendment-should-be-repealed-former-supreme-court-justice-john-paul-stevens-says/
[NB: Well, THAT won't happen. My view is that we should simply enforce it as written: it does NOT authorize the unlimited personal ownership of guns, and it calls for strict regulation.]
More: http://nymag.com/daily/intelligencer/2018/03/2nd-amendment-hasnt-always-guaranteed-the-right-to-own-guns.html
Not So Long Ago, the Second Amendment Didn’t Guarantee the Right to Own a Gun
The NRA admits that it accepts foreign funding, but says it doesn't use them to influence elections . . .uh. . . sorta
https://politicalwire.com/2018/03/27/nra-admits-it-takes-foreign-funds/
https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2018/3/27/1752532/-The-NRA-admits-that-it-gets-foreign-funds-but-gets-fuzzy-on-how-it-funds-elections
More: https://talkingpointsmemo.com/muckraker/nra-acknowledges-receiving-foreign-funds-moving-money-between-accounts
NRA Acknowledges Receiving Foreign Funds, Moving Money Between Accounts
Trump wants to use the census to police immigration, knowing that it will suppress and distort demographic numbers
http://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow-show/the-trump-administration-faces-census-sabotage-accusations
https://talkingpointsmemo.com/dc/census-citizenship-question-announced
More: https://www.nytimes.com/2018/03/27/us/census-citizenship-question.html
At Least Twelve States to Sue Trump Administration Over Census Citizenship Question
Not shocking, really
https://www.salon.com/2018/03/27/trump-treats-texas-hurricane-victims-better-than-those-from-puerto-rico/
Trump treats Texas hurricane victims better than those from Puerto Rico
https://www.politico.com/story/2018/03/27/donald-trump-fema-hurricane-maria-response-480557
How Trump favored Texas over Puerto Rico
More: https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2018/3/27/1752436/-Trump-s-shocking-neglect-of-hurricane-battered-Puerto-Rico-by-the-numbers
Trump's shocking neglect of hurricane-battered Puerto Rico, by the numbers
Trump hates Amazon
https://politicalwire.com/2018/03/28/trump-hates-amazon/
We need a modern view of global trade
https://washingtonmonthly.com/2018/03/27/trump-and-sanders-are-fighting-the-last-trade-battle-not-the-future-one
Another judge tells Scott Walker he can't delay special elections in Wisconsin
https://www.salon.com/2018/03/27/second-judge-denies-scott-walkers-request-to-delay-special-elections/
The GOP doesn't like to pass balanced budgets -- but they love to pass balanced budget amendments (especially now that they have created a massive deficit with their tax cuts)
https://politicalwire.com/2018/03/28/house-gop-will-push-balanced-budget-amendment/
The NRA is lying about the Maryland school shooting
https://thinkprogress.org/nra-narrative-shooting-great-mills-maryland-falls-apart-loesch-c2e702cf867c/
The Parkland kids watched their friends get killed. They have been incredibly articulate and moving. All they want is to protect more kids from being killed. Now watch the right-wing liars attack them as "Nazis"
https://thinkprogress.org/right-wing-comparing-david-hogg-to-hitler-4377d80aab93/
https://www.salon.com/2018/03/27/here-are-the-hoaxes-surrounding-the-parkland-shooting-and-the-stoneman-douglas-students_partner/
Trump rages against Stormy Daniels in private
https://talkingpointsmemo.com/livewire/trump-rages-in-private-stormy-daniels
In Fox World: https://thinkprogress.org/fox-and-friends-stormy-daniels-bill-clinton-donald-trump-ainsley-earhardt-39ace2435643/
After completely ignoring the Stormy Daniels story on Monday, Fox & Friends finally devoted a segment to the scandal surrounding President Trump’s alleged affair and hush payment to the adult film actress. But host Ainsley Earhardt went to extreme lengths to downplay it, making the case that the media has “a double standard” because they have “forgotten about Bill Clinton,” who was impeached 20 years ago. . . . Earhardt opened the segment by suggesting that nobody but the media cares about Trump’s alleged affair with Daniels. . . . [read on]
The NDA Stormy Daniels signed was boilerplate language that suggests more than one person had been forced to sign one. Daniels' lawyer says 6 (now 8) other women have come froward saying they signed one too -- and part of the boilerplate language addresses paternity issues (Trump doesn't like to wear a condom). Stay tuned
https://www.thecut.com/2018/03/stormy-daniels-lawyer-six-women-donald-trump.html
https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/why-trump-nda-stormy-daniels-mentions-paternity-alleged-200212855.html
In praise of John Avenatti
https://wonkette.com/631821/the-two-best-times-stormy-danielss-lawyer-was-so-fuckin-hot-the-past-24-hours-because-we-only-saw-him-on-tv-twice#CRQGaQY9Vhji2uhU.99
Colonel Sanders lies
https://thinkprogress.org/sanders-citizenship-census-ed2a376eea32
White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders falsely claimed on Tuesday that the citizenship question the Trump administration decided to add to the 2020 Census has been part of the national survey for decades. “This is a question that’s been included in every census since 1965, with the exception of 2010 when it was removed,” Sanders said, later repeating the same claim. . . .
More: https://talkingpointsmemo.com/livewire/sanders-complains-reporter-questions-stormy-daniels
After facing several questions about a payment from Trump attorney Michael Cohen to porn actress Stormy Daniels, and President Donald Trump’s silence on Daniels’ allegation of an affair, White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders complained on Tuesday that reporters asked the “the same question over and over and over again.” “I don’t think it’s silent when the President has addressed this. We’ve addressed it extensively. There’s just nothing else to add,” Sanders said . . .
This shows the flaw in "approval ratings." Trump's numbers go UP -- but don't tell me that 42% of the population "approves" of him
https://talkingpointsmemo.com/news/ap-poll-trump-approval-rating-rises-seven-points-from-february
Bonus item: On character
This type of scandal demonstrates why character does matter in politics. The main problem is not sex. It is a certain approach to public life. Trump feels exempt from the normal rules of honesty and decency. He plays close to ethical and legal lines. And he uses his wealth and influence to shield his embarrassing behavior from view -- with hush money, non-disclosure agreements, legal threats and lies from the White House briefing room podium. He forces everyone around him to become complicit in his corruption. Members of Congress, White House staffers, party officials, conservative media figures and religious leaders are all expected to be accomplices. . . Trump has made a career out of paying and manipulating people to be dishonest about him. It is how he built his image as a plausible president, even though he was more of a con man than a successful businessman. This weakness of character is now what moves Republicans in Washington to speak of him as though he is a great leader -- bowing and scraping in the hope of getting what they want. Sometimes they do. But in the process they give Trump what he wants: people pretending he is something he is not. . .
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