How To Message The Trump-Russia Scandal

Ken AshfordElection 2018, L'Affaire Russe, Trump & Administration, Women's IssuesLeave a Comment

Having written about The Navigator last month, I am glad to see that the second issue deals with how to talk about the Mueller scandal. Some quick takeaways: A majority of Americans — 59 percent — say that Robert Mueller’s investigation into Russia and the 2016 campaign has not yet uncovered evidence of any crimes, even though in reality, Mueller … Read More

Reuters Poll: The Blue Wave May Not Come

Ken AshfordElection 2018Leave a Comment

In the generic Republican vs Democratic ballot, the much-touted Dem lead has evaporated, according to the most recent Reuters poll. This is due, I suspect, to Mueller fatigue, and a somewhat successful (if not complete disingenuous and lie-based) media onslaught by Trump and Company. The Reuters poll reflects a larger trend of Republicans closing the gap in the generic ballot. A CNN … Read More

Adam Serwer: It’s One Scandal

Ken AshfordGeneral corruption, L'Affaire Russe, Stormy Daniels & Karen McDougal Affairs, Trump & AdministrationLeave a Comment

The Atlantic: There are not many Trump scandals. There is one Trump scandal. Singular: the corruption of the American government by the president and his associates, who are using their official power for personal and financial gain rather than for the welfare of the American people, and their attempts to shield that corruption from political consequences, public scrutiny, or legal … Read More

It’s Time To Stop Taking Giuliani Seriously

Ken AshfordL'Affaire Russe, Stormy Daniels & Karen McDougal Affairs, Trump & AdministrationLeave a Comment

That’s the title of a Washington Post editorial by Jennifer Rubin, and yes, I agree: President Trump’s TV lawyer Rudolph W. Giuliani declared on Sunday that the special counsel plans to wrap up the obstruction-of-justice inquiry into his client by Sept. 1. The press treated this as true, or possibly true, when it is obviously another ludicrous Giuliani utterance (e.g. … Read More

Was The Actual Collusion With The Saudis?

Ken AshfordL'Affaire Russe, Trump & AdministrationLeave a Comment

Remember Devin Nunes fake scandal about “unmasking” that caused him to do his “midnight run” to the White House?  What people forget that the subject he was so concerned about was that Obama’s National Security Advisor, Susan Rice, and unmasked intelligence data and discovered that Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed al-Nahyan had a secret meeting with Flynn, Kushner, and Bannon in NY. That … Read More

Why Did He Release This Email Admitting To Collusion?

Ken AshfordL'Affaire Russe, Trump & AdministrationLeave a Comment

Interesting: Released in a tranche of documents by the Senate Judiciary Committee on Wednesday morning, the release of this email in particular is likely to further ignite already-existing inquiries into the younger Trump’s knowledge of alleged Russian collusion with the Trump 2016 campaign during the presidential election held that same year. The sender of the email in question is redacted. … Read More

Trump To Instruct The FBI/DOJ To Investigate The Mueller Investigation

Ken AshfordL'Affaire Russe, Stormy Daniels & Karen McDougal Affairs, Trump & AdministrationLeave a Comment

On Sunday, Trump’s simmering anger over Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s year-old Russia probe spilled over into a series of well-worn recriminations in several tweets, including that the investigation was politically motivated and had its roots in the administration of his Democratic predecessor, Barack Obama. Read Sunday AM tweets from @realDonaldTrump: they are a portrait of a man alone, paranoid, isolated, … Read More

Houston Police Chief Has Had Enough

Ken AshfordCrime, Education, Gun ControlLeave a Comment

Another school shooting occurred last week.  It is getting so that it barely registered as news anymore.  The same script was followed.  Thoughts and prayers. We need to do more.  Yada yada yada. It occurred at Santa Fe High School in Santa Fe, Texas, in the Houston metropolitan area, on May 18, 2018. Ten people were fatally shot and thirteen … Read More

Weekly List 79

Ken AshfordWeekly ListLeave a Comment

This was the first week in many, many months that the Republican Party showed any signs of standing up to Trump. Meanwhile, Trump and his allies spent the week attacking the FBI, alleging without evidence that the agency spied on his campaign as a means to discredit the Mueller probe—which continues to escalate as it reached its one-year mark. This … Read More

Loose Ends From A Crazy News Day

Ken AshfordClinton Email Faux Scandal, L'Affaire Russe, Stormy Daniels & Karen McDougal Affairs, Trump & AdministrationLeave a Comment

Yesterday was one of those crazy Trump news days. Big story followed big story. But what was odd was a lot of it was retrospective.  Things that happened in the investigation that we are NOW just learning.  It clearly got under Trump’s nerves, as shown by his tweets this morning. It is a little silly for him to say that.  … Read More

Amazing Photo And Video OF Kilauea Eruption

Ken AshfordBreaking News, DisastersLeave a Comment

For nearly three weeks, images of volcanic activity on Hawaii’s Big Island have been mostly focused on the East Rift Zone on Kilauea’s slopes, where fissure upon fissure has opened up in the earth, spewing forth red-orange lava and sending thousands of residents fleeing from their homes. Yesterday, the volcano’s Halemaumau Crater snapped people’s attention back to the summit with … Read More

Trump Discloses Financials

Ken AshfordGeneral corruption, Stormy Daniels & Karen McDougal Affairs, Trump & AdministrationLeave a Comment

As I wrote about yesterday, Trump was to disclose his financial liabilities, and there was an open question as to whether he would admit his payments to Cohen as a liability, and how much was paid.  Today the public got its answer, sort of.  I will attach only the page dealing with financial liabilities. See there at the bottom?  He is … Read More

Ice Cube, 3-On-3 Basketball, and The OTHER “Trump Tower Meeting”

Ken AshfordL'Affaire Russe, Trump & AdministrationLeave a Comment

Given the congressional testimony and exhibits that were released by the Senate Judiciary Committee this morning, we probably know as much as we can about the infamous June 2016 in Trump Tower between Don Trump Jr, Jared Kushner, Paul Manafort, and a bunch of Russians.  But there is another Trump Tower meeting drawing interest. The genesis of it is confusing … Read More

New Information About The “Trump Tower Meeting” With The Russians

Ken AshfordL'Affaire Russe, Trump & AdministrationLeave a Comment

More than 2,500 pages of congressional testimony and exhibits that were released by the Senate Judiciary Committee this morning, all relating to the now-infamous “Trump Tower Meeting” in June 2016. As you may recall, Rob Goldstone, a music promoter, promised Donald Trump Jr. over email that a Russian lawyer (Natalia Veselnitskaya) would provide dirt about Hillary Clinton.  Goldstone told the committee … Read More