Donald Trump Goes Full Fredo
I can handle things. Im smart! Not like everybody says, like dumb. Im smart and I want respect!
This mornings presidential Twitter outburst recalls those words of Fredo Corleones in one of the most famous scenes from The Godfather series. Trump tweeted that his two greatest assets have been mental stability and being, like, really smart, and in a subsequent tweet called himself a very stable genius.
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Before the Saturday morning tweets, what should have been the biggest story of the week was Trumps success at mobilizing the Senate and the FBI to deploy criminal prosecution as a weapon against Trump critics. The Senate Judiciary committeethe Senate Judiciary Committee! The committee that oversees the proper enforcement of the law!formally filed a criminal referral with the Department of Justice against Christopher Steele, the author of the infamous dossier about Trumps Russia connections. The referral was signed by the committees chairman, Republican Senator Chuck Grassley, without even notice to Democrats on the committee, Democratic Senator Dianne Feinstein said; a startling abuse of majority status and a sharp departure from the norms of the Senate, especially a 51-49 Senate.
The Department of Justice can ignore such a referral. Its ominous, however, that on the very same day, the FBI obeyed Trumps repeated demands and reopened a long-closed criminal investigation into the Clinton Foundation. The FBI has come under relentless abuse from Trump, who complains about its refusal to do his will. Is it now yielding?
https://www.theatlantic.com/amp/article/549875/?__twitter_impression=true
ProudMNDemocrat
(16,786 posts)[img]?w=749&h=315[/img]
When Michael gives Fredo the Kiss of Death for his betrayal before the fall of Batista in Cuba. Which still makes me think Donald Trump is an Agent of Russia doing Putin's bidding as his Puppet President.
yurbud
(39,405 posts)Using Trump as a puppet makes about as much sense as the urban legend where some rednecks tape a stick of dynamite to the back of rabbit to watch it explode--but it hides under their pickup before it does.
liberal_patriot_md
(194 posts)Putin doesnt need Trump to do his bidding on every single matter. He doesnt need a puppet. Thats whats being missed - along with whether there was collusion by Trump himself. Those claims dont matter.
Putin simply wanted to sow discord and confusion in the US. He wanted to destabilize, isolate, and diminish the US. He wanted to undermine their influence in Europe.
Trumps election is just a happy accident. He is easily manipulated and his only consistent position is to do the opposite of what Obama did. Russia is taking full advantage and so is China.
The real Russian connection with Trump is purely financial. He is and has been dependent on Russian money for years. This made his willing to use information and support from these same oligarchs and look the other way in other areas.
Thats why we havent seen his taxes or his financial data.
yurbud
(39,405 posts)put some of the evidence of that out there.
The collusion stuff is pretty slippery even if there's evidence, but the financial entanglements and possible quid pro quo would be easy to prove and on solid legal ground.
C_U_L8R
(45,002 posts)BigmanPigman
(51,600 posts)people who will derail Mueller's investigation. He can't do it directly but now he will be able to successfully do it indirectly. I read how the chain of command would work and who and how it can be done pretty quickly. If Pruitt replaces Sessions we will see the Sat Night Massacre scenario.
yurbud
(39,405 posts)blatant obstruction.
Although Trump has a talent for attracting such people.
BigmanPigman
(51,600 posts)Nitram
(22,803 posts)all to investigate.