Lets see if we can keep this thread a little more civil.

I found this interview very interesting.  A lot of soft balls thrown at Trump, he explained his back pedalling on his more extreme issues as a lot of his claims as opening bids for negotiation purposes.  Which .. whatever .. I still think that those are insincere claims he used to get elected.

He does now come across way more presidential then he did prior to the election.  A lot of his noise, yelling, and rhetoric has been scaled back.

Do respect this one though:

Quote

 

Lesley Stahl: Are you gonna take the salary, the president’s salary?

Donald Trump: Well, I’ve never commented on this, but the answer is no. I think I have to by law take $1, so I’ll take $1 a year. But it’s a -- I don’t even know what it is.

Donald Trump: Do you know what the salary is?

Lesley Stahl: $400,000 you’re giving up.

Donald Trump: No, I’m not gonna take the salary. I’m not taking it.

 

http://www.cbsnews.com/news/60-minutes-donald-trump-family-melania-ivanka-lesley-stahl/

 

When when someone rushed the stage during a campaign speech and he practically jumped behind his lectern?  He then said he was "ready" for the guy but "its better to let the cops" handle it. 

2 hours ago, The Unknown Poster said:

When when someone rushed the stage during a campaign speech and he practically jumped behind his lectern?  He then said he was "ready" for the guy but "its better to let the cops" handle it. 

 

Or my new favourite:

 

I dont begrudge someone *not* being a hero and President's *should* let their secret service handle issues.  But if you're going to proclaim yourself a hero, more than once, you open yourself up to scrutiny, especially when you avoided Vietnam five times and criticized those who WERE heroes in that conflict.  By the way, Mueller went to Vietnam and took a bullet.

Russia/NRA connection?  Oh boy

 

Oh good 

 

Hmmm I guess he’s not cooperating after all. lol 

 

37 minutes ago, The Unknown Poster said:

Hmmm I guess he’s not cooperating after all. lol 

 

So the larger set of those indictments against Gates have been dropped, after a guilty plea?   Mueller must be really getting the royal jelly, here.......

2 minutes ago, do or die said:

So the larger set of those indictments against Gates have been dropped, after a guilty plea?   Mueller must be really getting the royal jelly, here.......

It would almost surely mean he's flipped.  I know some people here tried to downplay the guilty plea as a nothingburger.  But this would seem to counter that notion.

There has been a couple of stories that confirm Trump feels Manafort can jeopardize him.  So there are two thoughts here.  1) Gates, as Manafort's partner, knows as much as Manafort and his information can hurt Trump and/or 2) Gates flipping leaves Manafort alone in the wild and will be used to pressure him into flipping too.

I would think, if Manafort flips, its really the big game at that point - Trump and Kushner.  If Mueller isnt comfortable indicting Kushner and recommending impeachment against Trump, it might be that Manafort is his big game catch.

Poor guy

 

Perhaps a connection here.....Washington Post just put out a story about some more issues with Kushner's somewhat ambiguous status:

Quote

Officials in at least four countries have privately discussed ways they can manipulate Jared Kushner, the president’s son-in-law and senior adviser, by taking advantage of his complex business arrangements, financial difficulties and lack of foreign policy experience, according to current and former U.S. officials familiar with intelligence reports on the matter. 

Among those nations discussing ways to influence Kushner to their advantage were the United Arab Emirates, China, Israel and Mexico, the current and former officials said. 

 

Quote

H.R. McMaster, President Trump’s national security adviser, learned that Kushner had contacts with foreign officials that he did not coordinate through the National Security Council or officially report. The issue of foreign officials talking about their meetings with Kushner and their perception of his vulnerabilities was a subject raised in McMaster’s daily intelligence briefings, according to the current and former officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive matters.

To say nothing of his potential actions, trying to address his 1.2 B debt, during the transition, including trying to set up a secret back channel, with some Russian fellas.

Does this mean peace in the Middle East is on hold?   What a joke.

 

2 hours ago, The Unknown Poster said:

Poor guy

 

Time to show him the door and he can take his wife with him.

But she is busy bringing the Koreans together.     Trumps have it covered.

It will be funny when Kushner has to resign and trump goes insane that he can’t even keep his kids employed.  But really, trump will just undercut his CoS and order Kushner’s clearance reinstated 

 

 

 

Interesting....the way McMaster and Kelly are inching away from Kushner.   Fear of shell splinters?

If only there was some way for trump to ask sessions himself 

 

2 hours ago, The Unknown Poster said:

If only there was some way for trump to ask sessions himself 

 

Simply heeding his master's voice. 

Whenever he goes after Sessions, I honestly think its 1) to throw dirt on the DOJ, even his own people 2) to try and make Sessions quit so he can replace him with someone who will fire Mueller and take the heat.  Trump could fire Sessions any time he wants but he knows the political fall out would be immense.  But if Sessions quits on his own, then so be it. 

http://www.tmz.com/2018/02/28/donald-trump-jr-jury-duty/

Based on my own personal experience, TUP is right about the Sessions stuff.  I've worked for bosses who, for whatever reason, did not want to fire people.  So they would passive-aggressively "manage them out of the company."

3 minutes ago, johnzo said:

Based on my own personal experience, TUP is right about the Sessions stuff.  I've worked for bosses who, for whatever reason, did not want to fire people.  So they would passive-aggressively "manage them out of the company."

I believe Sessions has offered his resignation before and Trump declined, which fits this idea.  Trump wants no part of firing, pushing, suggesting, accepting Sessions leaving.  He's trying to force Sessions to create a reason to go that has nothing to do with Trump.

Your next to leave

20 minutes ago, bustamente said:

Your next to leave

POW!

 

https://www.cnn.com/2018/02/28/politics/hope-hicks-white-house/index.html