Well, this is fairly amusing.
According to Politico, Trump called in chief of staff Reince Priebus, son-in-law Jared Kushner, Ivanka Trump, chief strategist Steve Bannon, communications director Mike Dubke and press secretary Sean Spicer to rant about how Sessions’ recusal was handled after the president had previously said he saw no reason for the attorney general to step aside.
Before heading off to his Mar-a-Lago resort for his fourth weekend getaway, Trump sat with down with his inner circle where he reportedly blew up when the subject of Sessions’ stepping-aside was broached.
Sources said an exasperated Trump told the assembled insiders he didn’t think Sessions should have withdrawn and that the announcement was not controlled properly by the White House communications team.
The report also notes that Trump singled out White House counsel Don McGahn for specific criticism.
“There were fireworks,” said one source.
Apparently he was so angry he kicked Preibus and Bannon off of the Air Force One Manifest.
“Now, go to your corner, stare at the wall and stay there!”
I have two take-aways from this.
My first thought is, besides the fact that it’s clear Trump doesn't understand there was no way Sessions could have investigated himself and he never had any real choice except to recuse, is that since the Trumpian position is that “there’s no there there” exactly what is he getting so upset over? Spicer has been repeatedly stating “There’s nothing new — there's nothing to investigate.” And, just to grant them maximum deference for a second, if they and Trump truly believe that’s true, then Attorney General Jeff Sessions promising not to involve himself in a investigation of nothing means what exactly?
I still think there are strong indications based on the actions and statements of FBI Deputy Director McCabe that there is no current FBI investigation of this matter and that the Bureau came to all of their significant conclusions — or at least established their party line — back in October when a report was published that knocked down the Christopher Steele dossier on the same day that David Corn first mentioned it in Mother Jones.
Non-participation in a non-investigation that is essentially “all ‘bout nothing” as the Trumpians believes leaves what? Nothin’!
Unless…
Unless there is something. Maybe a lot of somethings such as hundreds of $Millions changing hands between Russian Oligarchs and Trump to launder their cash, perhaps involving a shady bank on Cyprus, multiple elements of Russian Intelligence circling in their orbit in additional to Kislyak, maybe long before Flynn and Sessions had a bunch of Russians bouncing on their couch the Russians themselves had already stated they “know most of Trump’s entourage”, and perhaps even dozens of Russian mobsters were buying up tons of property from Trump and even leasing out entire floors of Trump tower to run a gambling ring? Maybe it was a few something’s like those?
Now, I could elaborate on all that — but I have a FP diary posting tomorrow with all the gory details and I'd rather not spoil it just yet. Patience, all things in good time.
Be that as it may what I want to say right now is my second thought, which is the fact that Trump is very likely already aware of some or all the above and that he was counting on Sessions being in place as AG in order to quash it.
With Session now down for the count the task of investigating this, besides the FBI, falls onto his deputy who until Trump’s own nominee Rod J. Rosenstein is confirmed is Dana Boente, an Obama holdover who replaced the previous Deputy Sally Yates.
And we already know how well things went between Trump and Yates.
My honest belief is that the FBI — particularly the Giuliani friendly New York Field Office — is stone-walling and covering for Trump. Since already compromised Republicans like Intel Committee chairs Nunez and Burr as well as CIA Director Pompeo have shown they’re willing to carry Trump’s water uphill and shill for him with reporters an Independent Commission remains unlikely, so this thing only moves forward to a Special Prosecutor if Boente calls for one.
That’s why the Great Cheeto exploded yesterday and then this morning went on a tweet storm of bogus accusations against Obama and his mythical magical “Deep State”, Pelosi and Schumer to distract everyone from the smoke trail wafting up from under his tie clasp. His cover up still has too many loose ends. Leaks are popping out from somewhere inside the NSA like a leaky bucket. British and Dutch Intelligence are getting into the act. He could still get caught. He knows this. He fears this.
And thus shall be his undoing.
Or his enormous eggshell-like ego is just this fucking fragile.
Thoughts?
Sunday, Mar 5, 2017 · 4:36:14 AM +00:00 · Frank Vyan Walton
While Trump is vacationing with the Nuevo-Riche Blue Hairs of Palm Beach, his poor White House council is chasing the White Rabbit of those phantom FISA warrants that even Breitbart says were denied in the first place. Dumb Mutha-Frackas!
The New York Times reported Saturday evening that while Trump is spending the weekend at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida — his fourth weekend away from Washington since he was inaugurated Jan. 20 — a source reported that senior White House [Counsel] Donald F. McGahn II is spending the weekend trying to secure access to a court order that may or may not exist
…
There are two possibilities regarding Trump’s angry tweets from Saturday morning in which he accused former Pres. Barack Obama of wiretapping the phones in Trump Tower: One is that Pres. Trump is getting his news from right-wing radio and fringe conspiracy websites like Breitbart.com and InfoWars, both of which ran with a story on Friday alleging that Obama eavesdropped on Trump.
The other possibility, as suggested by Democratic Rep. Ted Lieu (CA), is that the president was under surveillance through an order from a FISA court. This would mean that a federal judge felt there was probable cause to believe that Trump had committed a serious crime or was an agent of a foreign power.
No, there’s a third possibiliy — there was no warrant, there was no wire-tap. This is just fracking pathetic. Jesus Hussein Christ — the original argument made by both Breitbart and Mark Levin was that the FISA warrant in June was requested but DENIED
!. June 2016: FISA request. The Obama administration files a request with the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court (FISA) to monitor communications involving Donald Trump and several advisers. The request, uncharacteristically, is denied.
THAT’S WHAT FUCKING BREITBART SAID! That’s what McGahn is looking for. A phantasm. A court order that literally doesn’t exist, and Trump has been maniacally rage tweeting about it all morning. These people have a giant trough of crow coming on their next meal course. Maybe after the Meatloaf. There was a second warrant which was approved about a Trump Tower server which was communicating oddly with Alfa Bank of Russia, but that lead went nowhere.
4. October: FISA request. The Obama administration submits a new, narrow request to the FISA court, now focused on a computer server in Trump Tower suspected of links to Russian banks. No evidence is found — but the wiretaps continue, ostensibly for national security reasons, Andrew McCarthy at National Review later notes. The Obama administration is now monitoring an opposing presidential campaign using the high-tech surveillance powers of the federal intelligence services.
So yeah, they did check out the server — but not Trump’s Galaxy S3 Android phone. Or Michael Flynn’s or Jared Kushners or Reince Preibus’. Maybe they should, but they didn’t.
This is like when Trump tried to make the National Park Service prove his bogus claims of having the “Greatest Inauguration Crowd Evah!” — but he didn’t.
On the morning after Donald Trump’s inauguration, acting National Park Service director Michael T. Reynolds received an extraordinary summons: The new president wanted to talk to him.
In a Saturday phone call, Trump personally ordered Reynolds to produce additional photographs of the previous day’s crowds on the Mall, according to three individuals who have knowledge of the conversation. The president believed that the photos might prove that the media had lied in reporting that attendance had been no better than average.
Trump also expressed anger over a retweet sent from the agency’s account, in which side-by-side photographs showed far fewer people at his swearing-in than had shown up to see Barack Obama’s inauguration in 2009.
According to one account, Reynolds had been contacted by the White House and given a phone number to call. When he dialed it, he was told to hold for the president.
Sometimes I truly think these guys truly can’t read. Or comprehend. There was no “other” crowd photo and there was no FISA warrant authorizing wire-taps of Trump’s phone.
But these dumb fracks are never going to admit it, never.
