Wow. The first thing that jumps out at me is this: if you’re going to contest a nondisclosure agreement in court, you should be filing with the court under seal so the NDA isn’t breached unless/until the plaintiff—the person subject to the NDA—prevails in court. Avenatti (Stormy Daniel’s lawyer) didn’t do this and I am sure it was intentional. Because … Read More
This Week’s Resignation: Gary Cohn
The sad story: Serve Donald Trump at your own risk. Being a top aide in his administration doesn’t usually work out well. Some former advisers, like Michael Flynn, are in legal trouble. Others, like Sean Spicer and Anthony Scaramucci, became laughing stocks. Still others have tarnished once-sterling reputations. Gary Cohn falls into the last category. Before working for Trump, Cohn had an … Read More
OK Then
I'm deleting a tweet from yesterday in which I joked about possible Trump nicknames for Sam Nunberg. He told Charlie Gasparino today that he'd been drinking and will seek treatment. Everyone should root for Sam's sobriety. This transcends politics and legal situations. Full stop. — David Martosko (@dmartosko) March 6, 2018
Unauthorized Use Of Presidential Seal Is Illegal
In recent weeks, the Trump Organization has ordered the manufacture of new tee markers for golf courses that are emblazoned with the seal of the president of the United States. Under federal law, the seal’s use is permitted only for official government business. Misuse can be a crime under 18 U.S. Code § 713. Past administrations have policed usage vigilantly. … Read More
Sam Nunberg, Former Trump Aide, Becomes Unhinged On Live TV
This just happened and I didn’t see it, so I’m pulling it together. Apparently Katy Tur of MSNBC was talking to Sam Nunberg, former campaign adviser to Trump. Nunberg just got a subpoena from Mueller. Nunberg lost it. Here’s some video released by MSNBC: Watch: Ex-Trump campaign aide Sam Nunberg says he’s refusing comply with Mueller subpoena: “I’m not going … Read More
WSJ Reporting Indicates Trump Campaign Violation
Remember how Donald Trump’s personal lawyer, Michael Cohen, paid $130,000 of his own money to adult film actress Stormy Daniels in the final weeks of the campaign so her past affair with Trump wouldn’t come out? And how there was question about exactly how often Cohen had paid people off for Trump using his own money, whether this was a campaign contribution, and … Read More
Deep Dive On Christopher Steele
This New Yorker piece by Jane Mayer is a must-read: “Christopher Steele, the Man Behind the Trump Dossier.” It’s very long, so don’t expect anyone in the Fox News office to read it, digest it, and incorporate it in their punditry. But there are several things to note: 1. The article details how Republican Senators Lindsey Graham and Charles Grassley … Read More
Weekly List 68
This was Trump’s worst week since taking office. So far. This week Trump lost loyalist Hope Hicks, and along with the broadening and deepening Trump-Russia probe, Trump became even more unhinged, angry and erratic, deciding by midweek he would ignore all experts and party loyalists and unilaterally act — first on gun control, which he retracted a day later, and then imposing … Read More
Forget About L’Affaire Russe; Let’s Talk About Good Old Fashioned Corruption
Matt Yglesious is right: The potential for serious corruption was always implicit in Trump’s presidential bid. We have had wealthy presidents before. But the Bushes, Kennedys, and Roosevelts were heirs to large, diversified fortunes consisting of stocks and bonds that could be placed into blind trusts in relatively straightforward ways. Barack Obama just owned index funds. Jimmy Carter sold his peanut … Read More
Bomb Cyclone Hits Eastern US
A powerful nor’easter morphed into a “bomb cyclone” Friday as it hammered the East Coast with a ferocious mix of howling winds, drenching rain, some snow and surging waves. “Take this storm seriously!” the National Weather Service in Boston warned via Twitter. “This is a LIFE & DEATH situation for those living along the coast, especially those ocean-exposed shorelines.” The … Read More
Trump’s Tariff Follies
Trump said yesterday he plans to impose tariffs of 25 percent on steel imports and 10 percent on aluminum. However, he didn’t elaborate on the details, saying the formal announcement will come next week. In a tweet on Friday morning, the president said “trade wars are good and easy to win.” When a country (USA) is losing many billions of … Read More
The NRA Owns Trump
I praised Trump — I really did — on Facebook two days ago for his televised meeting with Congressional leaders. He actually took some reasonable pro-gun stances, like universal background checks, and “red flag” restraining orders (which would allow police to take guns from people who are believed to be violent or mentally unstable). But that was Trump, that day. … Read More
Trump To Send Missiles to Ukraine
The news services are reporting that the United States plans to arm Ukraine with Javelin armor-piercing missiles and other lethal military equipment to help Kiev battle Russian-backed separatists in the east. The Trump administration wants to approve a $47 million military aid package to Ukraine, including 210 anti-tank missiles and 35 Javelin launchers. Russia has warned that the plan, a departure from the previous … Read More
Another One Flies The Coop
NBC: WASHINGTON — The White House is preparing to replace H.R. McMaster as national security adviser as early as next month in a move orchestrated by chief of staff John Kelly and Defense Secretary James Mattis, according to five people familiar with the discussions. The move would be the latest in a long string of staff shakeups at the White … Read More
Devin Nunes, GOP Head of House Intel Committee, Is Subject Of Leak Complaint By Senate Intel Committee
The Senate Intelligence Committee has concluded that Republicans on the House Intelligence Committee were behind the leak of private text messages between the Senate panel’s top Democrat and a Russian-connected lawyer, according to two congressional officials briefed on the matter. Senator Richard M. Burr of North Carolina, the committee’s Republican chairman, and Senator Mark Warner of Virginia, the top Democrat, … Read More