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/

6 hours ago, JCon said:

She is an accomplice, not a victim. 

And an opportunist.

12 minutes ago, blue_gold_84 said:

Nutbar Senator Jordan saying 14 FBI whistleblowers have contacted him.

Here’s an idea, no matter who you are every sitting Senator’s statements are under Oath and if found to be a lie immediate punishment will be dealt. 
 

Planting seeds of doubts with outright lies works nicely when you know you won’t be held accountable and social media will work its magic for you.

 

“On political corruption, we are going to restore honor to our government. In my administration, I’m going to enforce all laws concerning the protection of classified information. No one will be above the law,” 

Donald Trump
August 18, 2016.

3 hours ago, blue_gold_84 said:

 

Hope they got John Barron's, John Miller's and David Dennison's passports too.

 

Trump World urges Republicans to cool fiery rhetoric because more bad news is coming: report
   
Allies of former President Donald Trump have advised members of the Republican Party to cool down their inflammatory rhetoric toward the United States Department of Justice and the Federal Bureau of Investigation following the execution of a search warrant at Trump's Mar-a-Lago estate in Palm Beach, Florida on Monday.

Trump supporters, right-wing pundits, and lawmakers have been whipped into a frenzy over what Trump called a "raid" by federal agents in pursuit of classified documents removed from the White House during Trump's departure from office.
Indications are growing of an ongoing criminal investigation into how, why, and by whom those items ended up inside Trump's property.

But according to New York Times correspondents Maggie Haberman, Ben Protess, and Glenn Thrush on Thursday, "some senior Republicans have been warned by allies of Mr. Trump not to continue to be aggressive in criticizing the Justice Department and the F.B.I. over the matter because it is possible that more damaging information about Mr. Trump related to the search will eventually become public."

That report was published shortly after CNN learned that in June "the FBI served an earlier grand jury subpoena and took away sensitive national security documents."

https://www.alternet.org/2022/08/trump-world-republicans-fiery-rhetoric/

 Ex-Trump Organization CFO negotiating 'unexpectedly favorable' plea deal with Manhattan DA
 
Former Trump Organization CFO Allen Weisselberg, who worked for the Trump family since 1970, is nearing a plea deal with Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg in his case, according to The New York Times. Charges include conspiracy, grand larceny, criminal tax fraud, and falsifying business records.

Weisselberg, who is 75, could walk away with a minor prison sentence of just five months, the Times reports, calling it “an unexpectedly favorable outcome for him.”
The plea deal would not include any cooperation on broader issues related to Donald Trump. Legal experts have said Weisselberg knows nearly everything that the Trump Organization has done.

“His plea deal, if finalized, would bring prosecutors no closer to indicting the former president but would nonetheless brand one of his most trusted lieutenants a felon.”

Earlier this year Manhattan D.A. Bragg came under intense criticism after he seemingly halted his office’s longtime investigation into Donald Trump.

One of the prosecutors who worked 0n the Trump case but quit when Bragg ended it called it a “grave failure of justice,” and said Trump was “guilty of numerous felonies.”

“Prosecutors accuse Weisselberg of a 15-year scheme to defraud federal, New York State, and New York City tax authorities of $1.76 million in ‘off-the-books’ compensation,” Law & Crime reported. “These included $359,058 in tuition expenses for multiple family members, $196,245 for leases on his Mercedes Benz automobiles, $29,400 in unreported cash, and an unspecified amount in ad hoc personal expenses, according to his indictment.”

In 2018 The New Yorker reported “Allen Weisselberg, the firm’s longtime chief financial officer, is the center, the person in the company who knows more than anyone.”

https://www.alternet.org/2022/08/allen-weisselberg-negotiating-plea-deal

(Weisselberg must have offered a treasure trove of information to get such a sweetheart deal)

Matt Gaetz And Jim Jordan Threaten Merrick Garland For Trump To Try To GetName Of FBI Informant

Reps. Jim Jordan, Matt Gaetz, and 16 other House Republicans sent a threatening letter to the FBI demanding to know who informed on Trump.

The letter had many implied threats that warned the Justice Department to keep all communications and made it clear that Republicans would launch an investigation if they won back the House

3 hours ago, bustamente said:

 

Hope they got John Barron's, John Miller's and David Dennison's passports too.

 

Reality is that Trump's money can get him out of the US any time he wants, but a) where would he go? Russia is nice this time of year but.... and b) he would leave behind most of his assets and whatever dignity he has left at that point.

27 minutes ago, Tracker said:

Reality is that Trump's money can get him out of the US any time he wants, but a) where would he go? Russia is nice this time of year but.... and b) he would leave behind most of his assets and whatever dignity he has left at that point.

Dignity ? Think about that Tracker. 😁

14 hours ago, Tracker said:

Reality is that Trump's money can get him out of the US any time he wants, but a) where would he go? Russia is nice this time of year but.... and b) he would leave behind most of his assets and whatever dignity he has left at that point.

Putin has already used him and spit him out.  Not sure why people think Putin would want him in Russia.

2 hours ago, Wideleft said:

Putin has already used him and spit him out.  Not sure why people think Putin would want him in Russia.

Putin might like Trump under his thumb as a trophy. 

34 minutes ago, Tracker said:

Putin might like Trump under his thumb as a trophy. 

To impress who?

That's like winning 4th in the 3rd event at the Winnipegosis Farmer's Bonspiel.

1 minute ago, Wideleft said:

To impress who?

That's like winning 4th in the 3rd event at the Winnipegosis Farmer's Bonspiel.

It would be like taking an enemy's head after defeating him and putting it on a post. It would be an ongoing public humiliation of the American electoral system and a source of abrasive tweets and emails supporting Putin no matter what he does.

1 minute ago, Tracker said:

It would be like taking an enemy's head after defeating him and putting it on a post. It would be an ongoing public humiliation of the American electoral system and a source of abrasive tweets and emails supporting Putin no matter what he does.

The humiliation angle I get, but Trump would end up more humiliated than anyone or any political system.

3 minutes ago, Wideleft said:

The humiliation angle I get, but Trump would end up more humiliated than anyone or any political system.

All the available evidence indicates that Trump does not embarrass easily and would probably enjoy being given a platform to whine and rant.

26 minutes ago, Tracker said:

All the available evidence indicates that Trump does not embarrass easily and would probably enjoy being given a platform to whine and rant.

He's got thinner skin than a leopard frog.

1 minute ago, Wideleft said:

He's got thinner skin than a leopard frog.

With that combover, spastic "dance moves" and public displays of appalling ignorance (like asking if it would be helpful for people to drink bleach at a news conference), I would say his self-awareness is functionally zero.

1 minute ago, Tracker said:

With that combover, spastic "dance moves" and public displays of appalling ignorance (like asking if it would be helpful for people to drink bleach at a news conference), I would say his self-awareness is functionally zero.

Having no shame is different than being embarassment-proof.  As Hillary said, he can be baited with a tweet.  He's extremely insecure.

27 minutes ago, Wideleft said:

He's got thinner skin than a leopard frog.

Damn! What did leopard frogs ever do to you?

2 minutes ago, blue_gold_84 said:

Damn! What did leopard frogs ever do to you?

Let's just say they can't take a joke.

Scientology Church asks Supreme Court to force rape accusers into private arbitration

Members of the controversial Church of Scientology are hoping that the U.S. Supreme Court will agree to hear a case that involves their policy of internal arbitration for current and former members. Mentioned in the case is actor Danny Masterson, a Church member who is facing sexual assault allegations from four different women — including former Scientology member Chrissie Carnell Bixler.

According to Law & Crime reporter Aaron Keller, the case “questions whether religious groups can force their followers — and even their ex-followers — to submit to internal arbitration proceedings to settle disputes.”
“The case is connected to and indeed names Daniel Masterson, the ‘That ‘70s Show’ actor who faces an upcoming rape trial in the California state court system,” Keller explains. “The respondents in the case allege that Masterson, who is described in Church legal filings as ‘another Church parishioner,’ sexually assaulted them between 2000 and 2003. The instant case involves not the instances of alleged assault, but rather, whether Church officials ‘improperly handled Respondents’ reporting of the alleged assaults.’”

In California, where Masterson is based, an appellate court has already ruled in the case. But the Church of Scientology is hoping that the U.S. Supreme Court will be willing to take the case; that remains to be seen.

https://www.alternet.org/2022/08/scientology-supreme-court-internal-arbitration/

Florida Court Says Teen Not 'Mature' Enough For Abortion, So Must Bear Child

A Florida appeals court decided Monday to uphold a lower court’s ruling that a pregnant 16-year-old had not shown she was “mature” enough to terminate her unwanted pregnancy, and must therefore give birth.

The teen, described as “parentless” in court documents, has been petitioning the state court system to let her get an abortion without the written consent of a parent or guardian, which is required for minors under a law signed by Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) two years ago.
She argued before Escambia County Circuit Court Judge Jennifer Frydrychowicz that she was not ready to be a parent and did not have a job. She was living with a relative while she worked toward earning her GED.

But Frydrychowicz found that the teen did not establish “by clear and convincing evidence that she was sufficiently mature to decide whether to terminate her pregnancy,” court documents say. Florida’s First District Court of Appeals upheld the decision, with two judges on the panel concurring and one issuing a separate opinion concurring in part and dissenting in part.

https://www.huffpost.com/entry/florida-court-says-teen-not-mature-enough-for-abortion-so-must-bear-child-instead_n_62fbf510e4b0a85a8196b41e

“Everyone's saying no”: Trump hires Florida insurance lawyer as top attorneys refuse to work for him

Former President Donald Trump and his team have spent days since the FBI raid on Mar-a-Lago trying to assemble a "team of respected lawyers" but keep getting rejected, according to The Washington Post.

"Everyone is saying no," a prominent Republican lawyer told the outlet.

Trump is scrambling to find an experienced team of attorneys to defend him amid mounting legal crises. The Justice Department is investigating him under the Espionage Act after he took classified records, including some labeled "top secret," to his Mar-a-Lago residence. He also faces legal scrutiny in the DOJ's investigation into the deadly Jan. 6 Capitol riot, as well as a state civil probe in New York and a Fulton County, Ga., criminal investigation into his efforts to overturn his loss in the state.

Jon Sale, a former Watergate prosecutor who is now a prominent Florida defense attorney, told the Post he turned Trump down last week.

"You have to evaluate whether you want to take it," he said. "It's not like a DUI. It's representing the former president of the United States — and maybe the next one — in what's one of the highest-visibility cases ever."

https://www.salon.com/2022/08/17/everyones-saying-no-hires-florida-insurance-lawyer-as-top-attorneys-refuse-to-work-for-him/

As they say everything that Trump touches dies, this includes lawyers

Putin World Declares ‘Our Agent Trump’ Is Irreversibly Screwed
‘THEY FOUND EVERYTHING’

Concerns are swirling within the Kremlin and splashing onto the screens of Russia’s tightly controlled state media. Moscow’s grueling invasion of Ukraine and Washington’s potential designation of Russia as a state sponsor of terrorism are at the top of the list—but the upcoming U.S. elections are likewise causing some heart palpitations.

Having recovered from their initial shock over the FBI’s search of Donald Trump’s Florida estate, Russian experts and pundits started to dismiss it as much ado about nothing, albeit a convenient tale they could use to smear American democracy. Now they’re singing a different tune. In the most recent broadcast of the state TV show Sunday Evening With Vladimir Solovyov, host Vladimir Solovyov remarked, “I’m very worried for our agent Trump. They found everything at Mar-a-Lago, they got packages of documents. In all seriousness, they say he should be executed as a person that was ready to hand off nuclear secrets to Russia.”

https://www.thedailybeast.com/russian-state-media-declares-our-agent-donald-trump-is-irreversibly-screwed?ref=home