The Official Donald Trump Thread
West Virginia state Sen. Mike Maroney charged with soliciting
a prostitute
By Associated Press
August 29, 2019 | 2:01am
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A booking photo of West Virginia state Sen. Mike Maroney.AP
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The Republican lawmaker turned himself in and was arraigned Wednesday morning, a Marshall County court clerk said. He has pleaded not guilty and paid a $4,500 bond.
Maroney exchanged text messages to discuss prices and set up meetings with a woman who has acknowledged being a prostitute, according to a criminal complaint. He also sent her a picture of himself smiling along with a message reading “now can I stop by” after she said she wouldn’t meet without a photo of him.
Police have been investigating the woman, Cortnie Clark, and say two people have already pleaded guilty to soliciting her for sex. She has been criminally charged and has told police she became a prostitute so she could buy heroin, according to the complaint. Her attorney didn’t immediately return a message left at his office.
Authorities found used condoms, uncapped hypodermic needles and “an unimaginable amount” of human feces and urine throughout Clark’s house. Before one of their meetings, she told Maroney her house was messy and he replied he didn’t care about a mess, the complaint said.
Maroney, 51, did not return a voicemail left on his cellphone. His lawyer, Paul Harris, didn’t immediately return a message left at his office.
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West Virginia Senate President Mitch Carmichael issued a statement saying the allegations are “deeply disturbing” and that further statements would be released as the case continues.
Belinda Biafore, the chairwoman of the state Democratic party, is calling for Maroney to be removed from the Senate.
Maroney is the chairman of the Senate committee on health and human resources.
a prostitute
By Associated Press
August 29, 2019 | 2:01am
Enlarge Image
A booking photo of West Virginia state Sen. Mike Maroney.AP
MORE ON:
The Republican lawmaker turned himself in and was arraigned Wednesday morning, a Marshall County court clerk said. He has pleaded not guilty and paid a $4,500 bond.
Maroney exchanged text messages to discuss prices and set up meetings with a woman who has acknowledged being a prostitute, according to a criminal complaint. He also sent her a picture of himself smiling along with a message reading “now can I stop by” after she said she wouldn’t meet without a photo of him.
Police have been investigating the woman, Cortnie Clark, and say two people have already pleaded guilty to soliciting her for sex. She has been criminally charged and has told police she became a prostitute so she could buy heroin, according to the complaint. Her attorney didn’t immediately return a message left at his office.
Authorities found used condoms, uncapped hypodermic needles and “an unimaginable amount” of human feces and urine throughout Clark’s house. Before one of their meetings, she told Maroney her house was messy and he replied he didn’t care about a mess, the complaint said.
Maroney, 51, did not return a voicemail left on his cellphone. His lawyer, Paul Harris, didn’t immediately return a message left at his office.
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West Virginia Senate President Mitch Carmichael issued a statement saying the allegations are “deeply disturbing” and that further statements would be released as the case continues.
Belinda Biafore, the chairwoman of the state Democratic party, is calling for Maroney to be removed from the Senate.
Maroney is the chairman of the Senate committee on health and human resources.
“We’re respected around the world again,” says Donald. Bigly.
Tae Yang Kwak#Warmongers: We are a loaded gun ready for the Saudi monarch to point and shoot. Please point us at Iran!
#ShitPOTUSsays: "Saudi Arabia oil supply was attacked. There is reason to believe that we know the culprit, are locked and loaded depending on verification, but are waiting to hear from the Kingdom as to who they believe was the cause of this attack, and under what terms we would proceed!"
https://mobile.twitter.com/rea.../status/1173368423381962752
How exciting! I hope your sons and daughters are ready to bleed for oil, kill for kleptocrats, and die to keep Trump in office.
Tae Yang Kwak#Warmongers: We are a loaded gun ready for the Saudi monarch to point and shoot. Please point us at Iran!
#ShitPOTUSsays: "Saudi Arabia oil supply was attacked. There is reason to believe that we know the culprit, are locked and loaded depending on verification, but are waiting to hear from the Kingdom as to who they believe was the cause of this attack, and under what terms we would proceed!"
https://mobile.twitter.com/rea.../status/1173368423381962752
How exciting! I hope your sons and daughters are ready to bleed for oil, kill for kleptocrats, and die to keep Trump in office.
And just when you thought he couldn't sink any lower, he publicly mocks a 16 year old girl.
Melania and her 'Be Best' campaigners must be so proud.
Melania and her 'Be Best' campaigners must be so proud.
MORE TRUMP HYPOCRISY: REPORT: Hundreds of White House emails sent to third PRIVATE SERVER Kushner family account. BUT TELL ME MORE ABOUT HILLARY'S EMAILS...
Hundreds of White House emails sent to third Kushner family account
White House officials are reviewing a third email account associated with Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner’s private email domain.
By JOSH DAWSEY and ANDREA PETERSON
10/02/2017 07:52 PM EDT
Hundreds of emails have been sent since January from White House addresses to accounts on the Kushner family domain, which both Jared Kushner and Ivanka Trump had access to.
Facebook
MOST READ
Why Giuliani and Trump Can’t Hide Behind Attorney-Client Privilege
By CYRUS MEHRI, RICHARD CONDIT and CLEVELAND LAWRENCE III
Hundreds of emails have been sent since January from White House addresses to accounts on the Kushner family domain, these people said. Many of those emails went not to Kushner’s or Ivanka Trump’s personal addresses but to an account they both had access to and shared with their personal household staff for family scheduling.
The emails — which include nonpublic travel documents, internal schedules and some official White House materials —were in many cases sent from Ivanka Trump, her assistant Bridges Lamar and others who work with the couple in the White House. The emails to the third account were largely sent from White House accounts but occasionally came from other private accounts, one of these people said.
The existence of additional accounts on the family domain beyond the two personal accounts used by Kushner and Ivanka Trump and reported earlier raises new questions about the extent of personal email use by the couple during their time as White House aides. Their use of private email accounts for White House business also raises concerns about the security of potentially sensitive government documents, which have been forwarded to private accounts.
The family has declined to say what privacy measures have been placed on the domain, but a person familiar with the setup said some security measures were taken when it was installed.
Many of the emails came from Ivanka Trump’s assistant and included work-related “data,” according to a person familiar with the exchanges. Such messages were sent “daily,” this person added.
“They’ve pretty much been using it since they got here,” this person said.
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ijkfamily.com, as he was preparing to accept a senior adviser role in President Donald Trump’s administration. Ivanka Trump joined the administration in March but was corresponding with officials through a private email account before.
POLITICO reported in September that Kushner and Ivanka Trump used their personal emails to conduct some government business. Other current or former White House officials have also used personal email accounts or encrypted messaging apps that can be set to automatically delete communications for official matters. The White House is reviewing the use of personal email addresses by administration officials.
A representative for the family said Ivanka Trump has been careful about keeping her personal life separate from her work.
“Her White House assistant did not and does not work on these matters,” the representative said. “Her personal and work obligations, schedule, travel arrangements and contacts were and are coordinated in accordance with this separation, as she was advised to do.”
The representative added that Ivanka Trump’s emails have been preserved on the White House email system. “The extent of this coordination illustrates both full transparency and a desired separation between her work and personal functions,” this person said.
A White House spokesman said staff have been told to comply with the Presidential Records Act and “applicable guidelines for work-related communications.”
“In light of recent congressional inquiries, we have briefed staff on the need to preserve records and are working to ensure compliance,” the spokesman said.
Kushner’s lawyer Abbe Lowell said his client “uses his White House email address to conduct White House business” and that Kushner exchanged fewer than 100 emails with White House colleagues through the personal account. In most cases, those exchanges were initiated by the other party sending a message to Kushner’s private account, Lowell said.
Kushner forwarded such messages to his official White House email account to comply with the Presidential Records Act, which mandates that documents about White House activities be preserved, according to Lowell.
The blurring of lines between personal and professional communications isn’t unique to the Kushners, but the use of personal email accounts creates a security risk, White House officials and experts say.
“Everyone uses private email, no one thinks about security, and that’s why it keeps happening,” said James A. Lewis, senior vice president and director of the Strategic Technologies Program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies. “Even if there’s not any classified information sent, that doesn’t mean the information wasn’t sensitive.”
Kushner’s activities have been put under a microscope during the ongoing investigation into Russian meddling in the 2016 election. That probe, run by FBI special prosecutor Robert Mueller, is further reviewing possible obstruction of justice by the president and White House officials since the inauguration.
White House says now not the time for gun debate
By CRISTIANO LIMA
The revelations about the Kushner family email domain have drawn parallels to Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton’s use of a private email server for official business during her tenure as secretary of state. Clinton’s emails were a major point of contention during the 2016 election. President Trump criticized Clinton’s email habits and frequently called for Clinton’s arrest on the campaign trail, leading crowds at rallies in chants of “lock her up,” and urged the Justice Department to reopen the investigation into her emails.
Clinton called the private email use by White House staffers the “height of hypocrisy” during an interview last week with SiriusXM.
Many details about the ijkfamily.com email domain remain unclear, including what type of security protections are in place.
The accounts would have been more secure if they relied on commercial email providers. It is unclear what they did. “If you’re using a commercial email service provider, you’re really reducing the risk,” according to Lewis, because the major tech companies that run platforms like Gmail and Outlook typically have robust security teams. “If you’re doing your own email, it gets to be a lot easier [to hack],” he added.
White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said last week that White House staff had been told to stick to its government email accounts. “All White House personnel have been instructed to use official email to conduct all government-related work,” Sanders said. “They are further instructed that if they receive work-related communication on personal accounts, they should be forwarded to official email accounts.”
WHITE HOUSE
NSA warned White House against using personal email
By JOSH MEYER
House Oversight and Government Reform Committee Chairman Trey Gowdy (R-S.C.), and ranking member Elijah Cummings (D-Md.) sent a letter to White House counsel last week requesting more information about the use of private email addresses by White House staff.
“With numerous public revelations of senior executive branch employees deliberately trying to circumvent these laws by using personal, private, or alias email addresses to conduct official government business, the Committee has aimed to use its oversight and investigative resources to prevent and deter misuse of private forms of written communication,” the pair wrote.
Cummings and the previous chairman, then-Rep. Jason Chaffetz (R-Utah), sent a similar letter in March after reports that White House staffers used encrypted or disappearing messaging apps.
Concerns about how the White House should preserve electronic records such as emails far pre-date the Trump administration. Some 22 million White House emails stored on private email servers hosted by the Republican National Committee during President George W. Bush’s administration were subsequently deleted, impeding a later investigation into politically motivated firings of U.S. attorneys.
This article was reported in coordination with the Project On Government Oversight, a nonprofit investigative watchdog organization.
Hundreds of White House emails sent to third Kushner family account
White House officials are reviewing a third email account associated with Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner’s private email domain.
By JOSH DAWSEY and ANDREA PETERSON
10/02/2017 07:52 PM EDT
Hundreds of emails have been sent since January from White House addresses to accounts on the Kushner family domain, which both Jared Kushner and Ivanka Trump had access to.
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By CYRUS MEHRI, RICHARD CONDIT and CLEVELAND LAWRENCE III
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Hundreds of emails have been sent since January from White House addresses to accounts on the Kushner family domain, these people said. Many of those emails went not to Kushner’s or Ivanka Trump’s personal addresses but to an account they both had access to and shared with their personal household staff for family scheduling.
The emails — which include nonpublic travel documents, internal schedules and some official White House materials —were in many cases sent from Ivanka Trump, her assistant Bridges Lamar and others who work with the couple in the White House. The emails to the third account were largely sent from White House accounts but occasionally came from other private accounts, one of these people said.
The existence of additional accounts on the family domain beyond the two personal accounts used by Kushner and Ivanka Trump and reported earlier raises new questions about the extent of personal email use by the couple during their time as White House aides. Their use of private email accounts for White House business also raises concerns about the security of potentially sensitive government documents, which have been forwarded to private accounts.
The family has declined to say what privacy measures have been placed on the domain, but a person familiar with the setup said some security measures were taken when it was installed.
Many of the emails came from Ivanka Trump’s assistant and included work-related “data,” according to a person familiar with the exchanges. Such messages were sent “daily,” this person added.
“They’ve pretty much been using it since they got here,” this person said.
ADVERTISING
ijkfamily.com, as he was preparing to accept a senior adviser role in President Donald Trump’s administration. Ivanka Trump joined the administration in March but was corresponding with officials through a private email account before.
POLITICO reported in September that Kushner and Ivanka Trump used their personal emails to conduct some government business. Other current or former White House officials have also used personal email accounts or encrypted messaging apps that can be set to automatically delete communications for official matters. The White House is reviewing the use of personal email addresses by administration officials.
A representative for the family said Ivanka Trump has been careful about keeping her personal life separate from her work.
“Her White House assistant did not and does not work on these matters,” the representative said. “Her personal and work obligations, schedule, travel arrangements and contacts were and are coordinated in accordance with this separation, as she was advised to do.”
The representative added that Ivanka Trump’s emails have been preserved on the White House email system. “The extent of this coordination illustrates both full transparency and a desired separation between her work and personal functions,” this person said.
A White House spokesman said staff have been told to comply with the Presidential Records Act and “applicable guidelines for work-related communications.”
“In light of recent congressional inquiries, we have briefed staff on the need to preserve records and are working to ensure compliance,” the spokesman said.
Kushner’s lawyer Abbe Lowell said his client “uses his White House email address to conduct White House business” and that Kushner exchanged fewer than 100 emails with White House colleagues through the personal account. In most cases, those exchanges were initiated by the other party sending a message to Kushner’s private account, Lowell said.
Kushner forwarded such messages to his official White House email account to comply with the Presidential Records Act, which mandates that documents about White House activities be preserved, according to Lowell.
The blurring of lines between personal and professional communications isn’t unique to the Kushners, but the use of personal email accounts creates a security risk, White House officials and experts say.
“Everyone uses private email, no one thinks about security, and that’s why it keeps happening,” said James A. Lewis, senior vice president and director of the Strategic Technologies Program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies. “Even if there’s not any classified information sent, that doesn’t mean the information wasn’t sensitive.”
Kushner’s activities have been put under a microscope during the ongoing investigation into Russian meddling in the 2016 election. That probe, run by FBI special prosecutor Robert Mueller, is further reviewing possible obstruction of justice by the president and White House officials since the inauguration.
White House says now not the time for gun debate
By CRISTIANO LIMA
The revelations about the Kushner family email domain have drawn parallels to Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton’s use of a private email server for official business during her tenure as secretary of state. Clinton’s emails were a major point of contention during the 2016 election. President Trump criticized Clinton’s email habits and frequently called for Clinton’s arrest on the campaign trail, leading crowds at rallies in chants of “lock her up,” and urged the Justice Department to reopen the investigation into her emails.
Clinton called the private email use by White House staffers the “height of hypocrisy” during an interview last week with SiriusXM.
Many details about the ijkfamily.com email domain remain unclear, including what type of security protections are in place.
The accounts would have been more secure if they relied on commercial email providers. It is unclear what they did. “If you’re using a commercial email service provider, you’re really reducing the risk,” according to Lewis, because the major tech companies that run platforms like Gmail and Outlook typically have robust security teams. “If you’re doing your own email, it gets to be a lot easier [to hack],” he added.
White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said last week that White House staff had been told to stick to its government email accounts. “All White House personnel have been instructed to use official email to conduct all government-related work,” Sanders said. “They are further instructed that if they receive work-related communication on personal accounts, they should be forwarded to official email accounts.”
WHITE HOUSE
NSA warned White House against using personal email
By JOSH MEYER
House Oversight and Government Reform Committee Chairman Trey Gowdy (R-S.C.), and ranking member Elijah Cummings (D-Md.) sent a letter to White House counsel last week requesting more information about the use of private email addresses by White House staff.
“With numerous public revelations of senior executive branch employees deliberately trying to circumvent these laws by using personal, private, or alias email addresses to conduct official government business, the Committee has aimed to use its oversight and investigative resources to prevent and deter misuse of private forms of written communication,” the pair wrote.
Cummings and the previous chairman, then-Rep. Jason Chaffetz (R-Utah), sent a similar letter in March after reports that White House staffers used encrypted or disappearing messaging apps.
Concerns about how the White House should preserve electronic records such as emails far pre-date the Trump administration. Some 22 million White House emails stored on private email servers hosted by the Republican National Committee during President George W. Bush’s administration were subsequently deleted, impeding a later investigation into politically motivated firings of U.S. attorneys.
This article was reported in coordination with the Project On Government Oversight, a nonprofit investigative watchdog organization.
Donald Trump Committed "High Crimes"
RepubliKlans & Democrats
Top Legal Scholars Unanimously Agree
Judge Napolitano: Trump attacks his own presidency
Oct. 02, 2019 -- Judge Napolitano's Chambers: Republican Judge Andrew Napolitano explains the Democrats' mounting evidence against President Trump and why he should present a principled defense IF he has one!
Watch Video
Harvard's Laurence Tribe, University Professor at the Harvard Law School, former law professor to Adam Schiff, Chair of the House Intelligence Committee;
Makes the case for impeachment
This will be only the fourth time in our country's history that a president has faced the imminent threat of impeachment. Laurence Tribe, author of “To End A Presidency,” makes the case for just that.
Watch Video
RepubliKlans & Democrats
Top Legal Scholars Unanimously Agree
Judge Napolitano: Trump attacks his own presidency
Oct. 02, 2019 -- Judge Napolitano's Chambers: Republican Judge Andrew Napolitano explains the Democrats' mounting evidence against President Trump and why he should present a principled defense IF he has one!
Watch Video
Harvard's Laurence Tribe, University Professor at the Harvard Law School, former law professor to Adam Schiff, Chair of the House Intelligence Committee;
Makes the case for impeachment
This will be only the fourth time in our country's history that a president has faced the imminent threat of impeachment. Laurence Tribe, author of “To End A Presidency,” makes the case for just that.
Watch Video
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Thanks! This is beginning to look a lot like Tricky D !!!
This is what no integrity looks like....and goddam it’s ugly!
He has company!
Him too
Republicons should spend some salary on wet wipes...Cheeto disease is rampant... them...
He has company!
Him too
Republicons should spend some salary on wet wipes...Cheeto disease is rampant... them...
Sunday, Oct 13th 2019
Karen Pence tells audience of women 'don't be afraid to get on your knees' for Donald Trump as she urges them to pray for the president and praises his conduct with young women
- Second lady appeared alongside Lara Trump, president's daughter-in-law, at a 'Women for Trump' rally in St. Paul, Minnesota, on Wednesday
- Karen Pence praised President Trump for his treatment of young women and says she was 'all in' after seeing how he behaved with her daughter, Charlotte
- Last month, it was reported that Karen Pence was 'livid' over Trump's 'grab them by the p***y' comments as heard on infamous Access Hollywood tape
- Karen Pence reportedly refused to kiss her husband, Vice President Mike Pence, on election night, saying: 'You got what you wanted, Mike. Leave me alone.'
10 October 2019 | UPDATED: 20:37 EDT, 10 October 2019
Karen Pence urged women across America to pray for President Trump and praised his treatment of young women despite reports that the devoutly religious second lady was disgusted by the infamous Access Hollywood tape.
‘Don’t be afraid to get on your knees [and pray for the president],’ Pence told an audience of hundreds who turned out for a ‘Women for Trump’ event in St. Paul, Minnesota, on Wednesday.
Pence, who appeared on stage alongside the president’s daughter-in-law, Lara Trump, said she was ‘all in’ in backing Donald Trump after she saw how he treated her daughter, Charlotte, according to The New York Times.
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!['Don't be afraid to get on your knees [and pray for the president],' Karen Pence told the crowd](/forum/proxy.php?image=https%3A%2F%2Fi.dailymail.co.uk%2F1s%2F2019%2F10%2F11%2F00%2F19563180-7560823-image-a-14_1570749755287.jpg&hash=d474e7759199d00f341513f2558a7432 "'Don't be afraid to get on your knees [and pray for the president],' Karen Pence told the crowd")
Prominent female surrogates for the president insisted Trump was the best choice for American women during the event inside St. Paul's Union Depot in Minnesota on Wednesday night, although Lara recognized it's 'not easy sometimes' to support the president.
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According to a September ABC News-Washington Post poll, Trump has a 30% approval rating among women.
The event took place a day before both Trump and Vice President Mike Pence were scheduled to visit the Twin Cities and focus on the message of turning Minnesota red in 2020.
'We're going to do it here in Minnesota by the way in 2020,' said Lara Trump.
She added: 'I think if you're a young woman and you're on the fence, you need to look at the facts you need to look at the fact when you come out of college or high school or starting a family, this is a President that cares about your pocketbook.'
Karen Pence insisted that the President had 'empowered women like no other.' She added: 'All these young women here today, that is the future of our country and this president cares.'
Karen Pence tells women 'don't be afraid to get on knees' for Trump
Karen Pence, who appeared on stage alongside the president's daughter-in-law, Lara Trump, said she was 'all in' in backing Donald Trump during a 'Women for Trump' rally in Minnesota.
Women in Minnesota get fired up for Trump rally in Minneapolis.
Karen Pence used the economy as an example of how women are doing well under Trump. 'Just look at job rates, the unemployment for women is the lowest that it has been in 55 years,' she said.
Lara Trump, who is married to the president's son Eric, touched on a variety of issues including the economy and immigration.
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She acknowledged: 'We know it's not easy sometimes to be a Trump supporter.'
The 'Women for Trump' movement was started by Lara Trump in 2016 while campaigning for her father-in-law.
Karen Pence’s appearance on behalf of Trump came just weeks after it was reported that she was ‘livid’ over remarks by the president from more than 10 years ago in which he is heard talking about grabbing women by the genitals.
Karen Pence (seen above with husband Mike Pence in Minneapolis on Thursday) was reportedly 'livid' over Trump's 'grab them by the p***y' remarks on Access Hollywood
In 2005, Trump was recorded on a hot mic during an Access Hollywood video bragging about groping women.
The video surfaced weeks before the 2016 election.
According to Tom LoBianco’s book Piety & Power: Mike Pence and the Taking of the White House, Karen Pence expressed her displeasure to her husband over the remarks.
But Pence, the former Indiana governor and evangelical Christian, told his wife it was too late to drop out of the ticket.
Karen Pence also refused to kiss her husband on Election Night, according to a new book, Power & Piety: Mike Pence and the Taking of the White House
On election night, after Trump pulled off his shock victory over Hillary Clinton, Karen Pence reportedly refused to kiss her husband.
She is said to have told him: ‘You got what you wanted, Mike.
‘Leave me alone.’
Karen Pence’s appearance in St. Paul came on the same day that a new book revealed fresh allegations that Trump committed dozens of acts of inappropriate behavior.
One woman, Karen Johnson, accused Trump of grabbing her by her genitals at a New Year's Eve Party at his club Mar-a-Lago in the early 2000s while his then-girlfriend Melania was upstairs.
Former dancer Johnson made the shocking accusation to authors Barry Levine and Monique El-Faizy in their upcoming book 'All the President's Women: Donald Trump and the Making of a Predator', an excerpt of which appeared in Esquire Wednesday.
She told them, 'When he says that thing, 'Grab them in the p****,' that hits me hard because when he grabbed me and pulled me into the tapestry, that's where he grabbed me.'
Trump has publicly faced allegations from two dozen women.
Trump claims to be the greatest dealmaker, and yet...
North Korea
China
Iran
Israel/Palestine
Afghanistan
Immigration
Health care
The wall
North Korea
China
Iran
Israel/Palestine
Afghanistan
Immigration
Health care
The wall
BREAKING: More shameless Trump corruption
Trump’s lawyer: If Trump shoots someone on 5th Avenue, “nothing could be done”
Trump’s lawyer just told a federal appeals court that a sitting president is above the law.
By Ian Millhiser | Oct 23, 2019 | https://www.vox.com/2019/10/23/20928680/nothing-could-be-done-trump-fifth-avenue-immunity-mazars-vance
President Trump’s lawyer argued in court on Wednesday that he should, as president, be immune from criminal prosecution — even if he murders someone in broad daylight with a gun.
The argument was made as part of Trump v. Vance, a case asking whether Manhattan prosecutors can subpoena Trump’s tax records as part of an ongoing criminal investigation. In the case, as Judge Victor Marrero explained in an opinion, Trump’s lawyers argued that “the person who serves as President, while in office, enjoys absolute immunity from criminal process of any kind.” (Marrero rejected that argument.)
On Wednesday, the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit heard Trump’s appeal of Marrero’s decision. During that hearing, Trump lawyer William Consovoy confirmed just how far his argument goes. In response to a question by appellate Judge Denny Chin, Consovoy argued that Trump is immune from criminal investigation even if he were to shoot someone on Manhattan’s Fifth Avenue:
The question is a callback to Trump bragging in January 2016 that he could “stand in the middle of Fifth Avenue and shoot somebody and ... wouldn’t lose voters.”
Consovoy did concede that “once a president is removed from office” then he could be subject to criminal investigation. “This is not a permanent immunity,” in Consovoy’s words.
Nevertheless, when Chin asked whether “nothing could be done” while Trump remains in office, Consovoy stated, “That is correct.”
To be clear, Consovoy is not correct about the law. As the Supreme Court explained in Clinton v. Jones (1997), “it is settled law that the separation-of-powers doctrine does not bar every exercise of jurisdiction over the President of the United States. Moreover, the Court added that “we have never suggested that the President, or any other official, has an immunity that extends beyond the scope of any action taken in an official capacity.”
Thus, because murdering people on Fifth Avenue is not part of the president’s official duties, Trump’s immunity argument would likely fail. Similarly, because the financial information sought by prosecutors also does not relate to Trump’s official duties, Trump’s claim of immunity in Vance is weak.
'Who gives a s--- about Afghanistan?': Trump stunned officials with his comments during a military briefing, former aide says
David Choi
10 hours ago
President Donald Trump speaks to reporters outside the White House in August. Kevin Lamarque/Reuters
During the Joint Chiefs of Staff meeting at the Pentagon in January 2018, Trump was briefed by Mattis on the Defense Department's strategies and internal assessments, Guy Snodgrass, a retired US Navy commander and Mattis' former speechwriter, said in his book, "Holding the Line: Inside Trump's Pentagon with Secretary Mattis," out next Tuesday.
Snodgrass, who was assisting Mattis with PowerPoint slides for the president, said he prepared his presentation "of paramount importance" by taking into account Trump's tendency to dislike slides with "too much information." Instead of adding statistics and explanations, Snodgrass opted for the "more straightforward approach: just pictures."
Mattis started the briefing by saying that Trump had "inherited a military that has languished for a long time," Snodgrass said.
"After years of reduced defense budgets and continuing resolutions, you can now ask for more money from Congress as it fits within your strategy," Mattis said, according to Snodgrass.
Read more: Sen. Lindsey Graham and a Fox News contributor threw a Hail Mary to keep US troops in Syria
Trump and Jim Mattis at an Army-Navy football game in Philadelphia. Reuters
Mattis also mentioned to Trump a looming government shutdown, which would eventually play out two days after the meeting.
"To be clear: You'll have no strategy if [Congress] shuts down the government in the coming months," Mattis said. "Trying to implement a strategy without a fully enacted budget is a hallucination, nothing more. This is the situation you inherited."
As Mattis went on, Trump shook his head and demurred. "Just terrible ... terrible situation," he said, Snodgrass recalled.
Mattis later mentioned the US's strength in relying on its allies. Trump interrupted by railing against the North Atlantic Treaty Organization for not spending as much on defense as the US.
NATO's 29 members have agreed to spend 2% of their gross domestic product on defense by 2024. The US spends about 3.4% of its GDP on defense, or 69% of the overall defense spending among NATO members, in large part because it is the world's largest economy.
Read more: 4 times the Navy SEAL admiral who oversaw the Osama bin Laden raid has lambasted Trump
Commanding Officer Cmdr. Guy Snodgrass, a former Top Gun instructor, leads a member of the Japan Air Self-Defense Force in an exercise in April 2016. US Navy
Snodgrass said Trump was making "a good point" until the president derailed his talking point.
Trump, referring to himself in the third person, said that NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg "is by far the biggest fan of Trump."
"You know, I blame everything on the Democrats," Trump added before glancing at Mattis.
"What about Afghanistan?" Trump said. "How are we doing over there?"
Mattis began speaking, and Trump interrupted again.
"We're really not helping ourselves ... We're helping everyone else out there," Trump said, according to Snodgrass. "You know, Kazakhstan is a very rich country. On my last visit they kept saying, 'Oh thank you, thank you.' Well, why aren't they paying us? Why aren't they fighting?"
Trump was "not impressed" by the US's and allies' previous efforts to stabilize Afghanistan, Snodgrass wrote.
"Seriously, who gives a s--- about Afghanistan?" Trump said, according to Snodgrass. "So far we're in for $7 trillion, fellas ... $7 trillion including Iraq. Worst decision ever and we're stuck with it."
The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Wednesday morning.
Nearly a year before the briefing, Trump spoke out against the US's military spending in the Middle East, saying it had spent $6 trillion. He's said as recently as the State of the Union address last February that the US has spent more than $7 trillion in the Middle East.
That amount appears to come from a study's projection of the future costs of the wars in both Iraq and Afghanistan that includes debt interest and veterans' benefits up to 2056.
Snodgrass, a former Top Gun instructor and F/A-18 pilot, served as Mattis' chief speechwriter for 17 months. He resigned amid infighting with other senior members of Mattis' staff.
Mattis, a retired four-star Marine Corps general, resigned as defense secretary in December after serving for nearly a year. In his resignation letter, Mattis said he was no longer able to carry out Trump's policies and that as the commander in chief, Trump was entitled to a defense secretary "whose views are better aligned."
David Choi
10 hours ago
President Donald Trump speaks to reporters outside the White House in August. Kevin Lamarque/Reuters
- President Donald Trump bemoaned a US-led coalition mission to provide aid to Afghanistan and derailed a meeting with top military officials last year, according to an upcoming book by an aide to former Defense Secretary Jim Mattis.
- "Seriously, who gives a s--- about Afghanistan?" Trump said, according to Guy Snodgrass, a retired US Navy commander and Mattis' former speechwriter. "So far we're in for $7 trillion, fellas ... $7 trillion including Iraq. Worst decision ever and we're stuck with it."
- Snodgrass, who was assisting Mattis with PowerPoint slides for the president, said he prepared his presentation by taking into account Trump's tendency to dislike slides with "too much information."
- Instead of using complicated military information in the briefing, Snodgrass opted for the "more straightforward approach: just pictures," he said.
- Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.
During the Joint Chiefs of Staff meeting at the Pentagon in January 2018, Trump was briefed by Mattis on the Defense Department's strategies and internal assessments, Guy Snodgrass, a retired US Navy commander and Mattis' former speechwriter, said in his book, "Holding the Line: Inside Trump's Pentagon with Secretary Mattis," out next Tuesday.
Snodgrass, who was assisting Mattis with PowerPoint slides for the president, said he prepared his presentation "of paramount importance" by taking into account Trump's tendency to dislike slides with "too much information." Instead of adding statistics and explanations, Snodgrass opted for the "more straightforward approach: just pictures."
Mattis started the briefing by saying that Trump had "inherited a military that has languished for a long time," Snodgrass said.
"After years of reduced defense budgets and continuing resolutions, you can now ask for more money from Congress as it fits within your strategy," Mattis said, according to Snodgrass.
Read more: Sen. Lindsey Graham and a Fox News contributor threw a Hail Mary to keep US troops in Syria
Trump and Jim Mattis at an Army-Navy football game in Philadelphia. Reuters
Mattis also mentioned to Trump a looming government shutdown, which would eventually play out two days after the meeting.
"To be clear: You'll have no strategy if [Congress] shuts down the government in the coming months," Mattis said. "Trying to implement a strategy without a fully enacted budget is a hallucination, nothing more. This is the situation you inherited."
As Mattis went on, Trump shook his head and demurred. "Just terrible ... terrible situation," he said, Snodgrass recalled.
Mattis later mentioned the US's strength in relying on its allies. Trump interrupted by railing against the North Atlantic Treaty Organization for not spending as much on defense as the US.
NATO's 29 members have agreed to spend 2% of their gross domestic product on defense by 2024. The US spends about 3.4% of its GDP on defense, or 69% of the overall defense spending among NATO members, in large part because it is the world's largest economy.
Read more: 4 times the Navy SEAL admiral who oversaw the Osama bin Laden raid has lambasted Trump
Commanding Officer Cmdr. Guy Snodgrass, a former Top Gun instructor, leads a member of the Japan Air Self-Defense Force in an exercise in April 2016. US Navy
Snodgrass said Trump was making "a good point" until the president derailed his talking point.
Trump, referring to himself in the third person, said that NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg "is by far the biggest fan of Trump."
"You know, I blame everything on the Democrats," Trump added before glancing at Mattis.
"What about Afghanistan?" Trump said. "How are we doing over there?"
Mattis began speaking, and Trump interrupted again.
"We're really not helping ourselves ... We're helping everyone else out there," Trump said, according to Snodgrass. "You know, Kazakhstan is a very rich country. On my last visit they kept saying, 'Oh thank you, thank you.' Well, why aren't they paying us? Why aren't they fighting?"
Trump was "not impressed" by the US's and allies' previous efforts to stabilize Afghanistan, Snodgrass wrote.
"Seriously, who gives a s--- about Afghanistan?" Trump said, according to Snodgrass. "So far we're in for $7 trillion, fellas ... $7 trillion including Iraq. Worst decision ever and we're stuck with it."
The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Wednesday morning.
Nearly a year before the briefing, Trump spoke out against the US's military spending in the Middle East, saying it had spent $6 trillion. He's said as recently as the State of the Union address last February that the US has spent more than $7 trillion in the Middle East.
That amount appears to come from a study's projection of the future costs of the wars in both Iraq and Afghanistan that includes debt interest and veterans' benefits up to 2056.
Snodgrass, a former Top Gun instructor and F/A-18 pilot, served as Mattis' chief speechwriter for 17 months. He resigned amid infighting with other senior members of Mattis' staff.
Mattis, a retired four-star Marine Corps general, resigned as defense secretary in December after serving for nearly a year. In his resignation letter, Mattis said he was no longer able to carry out Trump's policies and that as the commander in chief, Trump was entitled to a defense secretary "whose views are better aligned."
Winning this election should be easy for the Democrats. Just be less crazy than Donald Trump. Are you guys seriously struggling with this?
Nowhere Else to Go!
Nowhere Else to Go!
Donald Trump Committed "Impeachable Offenses"
RepubliKlans & Democrats
Top Legal Scholars Unanimously Agree
Judge Napolitano: Trump has committed impeachable offenses
Fox News Judge Napolitano: Democrats have credibly argued that Trump has committed impeachable offenses
Watch Video
Neal Kumar Katyal is an American lawyer and partner at Hogan Lovells, as well as Paul and Patricia Saunders Professor of National Security Law at Georgetown University Law Center. Katyal served as Acting Solicitor General of the United States from May 2010 until June 2011. ;
RepubliKlan counsel on worldwide television willfully distorts text from Neal Katyal's book Impeach: The Case Against Donald Trump in attempt to deceive low information viewers
Watch Video
RepubliKlans & Democrats
Top Legal Scholars Unanimously Agree
Judge Napolitano: Trump has committed impeachable offenses
Fox News Judge Napolitano: Democrats have credibly argued that Trump has committed impeachable offenses
Watch Video
Neal Kumar Katyal is an American lawyer and partner at Hogan Lovells, as well as Paul and Patricia Saunders Professor of National Security Law at Georgetown University Law Center. Katyal served as Acting Solicitor General of the United States from May 2010 until June 2011. ;
RepubliKlan counsel on worldwide television willfully distorts text from Neal Katyal's book Impeach: The Case Against Donald Trump in attempt to deceive low information viewers
Watch Video
This could be another one of his power moves, like
his fierce handshakes and two scoops of ice cream:
Trump's salt and pepper shakers tower over everyone else's. Obama, Bush, and Clinton used the same size shakers as their guests.
James Pasley
4 hours ago
President Donald Trump and Secretary of State Rex Tillerson at a working lunch. Note the discrepancy in salt and pepper shakers. Carolyn Kaster / AP
Mark Knoller, CBS News' White House correspondent, pointed out how much bigger Trump's shakers were in a tweet on Thursday.
Insider combed the photo archives and found that Trump more often than not gets much larger salt and pepper shakers than other foreign leaders or American politicians when dining at the White House. And we couldn't find instances of Trump's most recent predecessors using larger shakers than those of their guests.
The large shakers might just be because he enjoys salty foods like KFC chicken, Big Macs, and bacon and eggs. But it could also be another power move, alongside his fierce handshakes and bulky suits.
These photos show how much bigger Trump's White House salt and pepper shakers usually are than everyone else's, and how they compare to those of Presidents Bill Clinton, George W. Bush, and Barack Obama.
To set the scene, we'll start with Clinton. It appears he and Vice President Al Gore ate lunch with typical, nondescript salt and pepper shakers.
Gore and Clinton at a White House meeting. Dirck Halstead/The LIFE Images Collection / Getty
Condiment equality continued with Bush. In 2005, he seasoned his food with the same size salt and pepper shakers as Condoleezza Rice, his secretary of state.
Bush and Rice's salt and pepper shakers were the same size. Eric Draper / The White House / AP
When Vice President Joe Biden joined Obama for lunch in the private dining room of the White House, the shakers were equal.
Obama and Biden with their salt and pepper shakers. Carolyn Kaster / AP
But Obama was known for his regimented eating, so maybe bigger salt shakers weren't a priority.
Obama and Biden. Brendan Smialoski / AFP / Getty
Doug Fisher The biggest, most powerful salt and pepper shakers ever!
his fierce handshakes and two scoops of ice cream:
Trump's salt and pepper shakers tower over everyone else's. Obama, Bush, and Clinton used the same size shakers as their guests.
James Pasley
4 hours ago
President Donald Trump and Secretary of State Rex Tillerson at a working lunch. Note the discrepancy in salt and pepper shakers. Carolyn Kaster / AP
- When he's having working lunches or dinners at the White House, President Donald Trump often wields salt and pepper shakers almost twice the size of everyone else's.
- This could be another one of his power moves, alongside his fierce handshakes and bulky suits.
- Photos show Presidents Bill Clinton, George W. Bush, and Barack Obama using the same size shakers as their White House guests, while Trump's usually tower over others.
- Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.
Mark Knoller, CBS News' White House correspondent, pointed out how much bigger Trump's shakers were in a tweet on Thursday.
Insider combed the photo archives and found that Trump more often than not gets much larger salt and pepper shakers than other foreign leaders or American politicians when dining at the White House. And we couldn't find instances of Trump's most recent predecessors using larger shakers than those of their guests.
The large shakers might just be because he enjoys salty foods like KFC chicken, Big Macs, and bacon and eggs. But it could also be another power move, alongside his fierce handshakes and bulky suits.
These photos show how much bigger Trump's White House salt and pepper shakers usually are than everyone else's, and how they compare to those of Presidents Bill Clinton, George W. Bush, and Barack Obama.
To set the scene, we'll start with Clinton. It appears he and Vice President Al Gore ate lunch with typical, nondescript salt and pepper shakers.
Gore and Clinton at a White House meeting. Dirck Halstead/The LIFE Images Collection / Getty
Condiment equality continued with Bush. In 2005, he seasoned his food with the same size salt and pepper shakers as Condoleezza Rice, his secretary of state.
Bush and Rice's salt and pepper shakers were the same size. Eric Draper / The White House / AP
When Vice President Joe Biden joined Obama for lunch in the private dining room of the White House, the shakers were equal.
Obama and Biden with their salt and pepper shakers. Carolyn Kaster / AP
But Obama was known for his regimented eating, so maybe bigger salt shakers weren't a priority.
Obama and Biden. Brendan Smialoski / AFP / Getty
Doug Fisher The biggest, most powerful salt and pepper shakers ever!