Tag: Fox
Nepotism103: Cutting Corners to keep the Family Close [Kushner-Ivanka Edition]
Well, over the recent day, there been news of a John Kelly of last year trying to stop the White House from giving Security Clearance to Jared Kushner, surely there would be speculations into the wife as well, Ivanka Trump, who is the daughter of the President, both who are in informal or non-specific roles in the Trump Administration. They are there, but not really there. Which makes the whole arrangement more hectic.
However, ever since winning the election, these two, the power-couple behind the President. Has lingered around him. Not that they have any expertise or knowledge in public administration. No, they are just relatives of the President and therefore, trusted counsel. They are not what you say, career civil servants nor been ideological driven to get the position they are in. It is not because of their education or their profession, they have no experience and no merits to prove their value. Therefore, only the blood-line and the relations are the reasons.
That is why it is even more striking, that the power-couple behind the President are under fire today again. Because of an issue that lasted so long. They went so long without proper security clearances. It is now proven that the President demanded the son-in-law to get the Top Secret Security Clearance, even if he could be compromised, lied about foreign communications and other forms, which is used to prove scrutiny and eligibility for security clearances in the White House. The same was done by his wife Ivanka, as she also had revise her forms and information to the officials for Security Clearance.
These two wouldn’t have gotten away with it, if they weren’t related with the President. The White House has already been in a hot mess of the Security Clearances, as there been plenty with interim security clearances and not gotten properly integrated and following protocol, as the staff is supposed to be clear and trustworthy of such. As they are keeping state secrets and ensuring the safety of the Republic. However, instead there been plenty of questionable behaviour and connections, that even the ones who was already flagged and in question got appointed with the likes of Gen. Michael Flynn.
What we have seen and read is yet another step of nepotism. Where the President has resident and ruled in favour of his family and his closest kin over the Republic. Where the President are ordering for his own sake and not for the safety of the Republic. That is why Security Clearance given to Jared Kushner is done in spite of the laws. The same can be said about the position and abilities Ivanka has too in the White House. They are there because of the President and nothing else.
This is what Tin-Pot dictators does. This is what autocrats and tyrants do, because they doesn’t trust anyone else than family. This is like the mafia and crime-families, this is not actions made by government or public administrations, which are taken serious. They would hire and appoint people of expertise and merits in the fields. Not hire family members and give them ultimate security clearances without having an official office or position in the Cabinet.
Instead, they are two internal satellites within the West Wing. Doing whatever they like, as their mission, their value to staff is bound by family loyalty and not by any ordinary function. They are not afraid of being fired or retired. The family will always take care of them. They are as thick as thieves and maybe they are. Since the investigations are following them and they have to answer for the public for the orders and the appointment of themselves. Since, it is a public administration and not a Sopranos. Feel me?
Kushner, explain yourself, why you revised your documents a million times, John Kelly didn’t advance you and later you still got clearance! Explain, also Mr. President explain that and why Ivanka got a vital role, when none is doing anything significant. Peace.
Share this:
White House Chief of Staff Memo from John Kelly to McGahn, Hagin, Sessions, Coats and Wray – “Re: Improvements to the Clearance Process” (16.02.2018)
Share this:
Opinion: US Code might allow the White House to Appoint Trump Family Members, but it’s doesn’t make it less questionable!
“3 U.S. Code § 105 – Assistance and services for the President: (e) Assistance and services authorized pursuant to this section to the President are authorized to be provided to the spouse of the President in connection with assistance provided by such spouse to the President in the discharge of the President’s duties and responsibilities. If the President does not have a spouse, such assistance and services may be provided for such purposes to a member of the President’s family whom the President designates” (Cornell Law School).
I don’t know about you, but it’s just one of these days, where you see entitlement in the New York Gang or the Trump Administration. This was made and prepared for the President Donald J. Trump, as he was swearing-in and starting his term. Because the Office of Government Ethics (OGE), who is in-charge of checking and making the sure the personnel and staff is following the codes and procedures for their roles in government. Seriously, the OGE Lawyer worked the laws in his favor, even when I struggle to see it. My first question after reading the US Code 105 Title 5(d), did the President loose his wife? Therefore, because of his tragic loss, he needed counsel from son-in-law Jared Kushner and oldest daughter Ivanka Trump inside the White House. How can you spell the code wrong, “If the President does not have a spouse”. True she was in New York the first months of the Presidency. Still, she was still his spouse, meaning that “he had”. But before I rant, take a look into key parts of the reasoning for the appointments of his family inside the White House!
“Section 3110 of title 5, also known as the anti-nepotism statute, states that “[a] public official may not appoint, employ, promote, advance, or advocate for appointment, employment, promotion, or advancement, in or to a civilian position in the agency in which he is serving or over which he exercises jurisdiction or control any individual who is a relative of the public official.” 5 U.S.C. § 3110(b). The statute expressly identifies the President as one of the “public official[s]” subject to the prohibition, and a son-in-law is a covered “relative.” Id. § 3110(a)(2), (a)(3). Moreover, under Article II of the Constitution, the President exercises “jurisdiction or control” over the White House Office as well as over the rest of the Executive Branch. See Myers v. United States, 272 U.S. 52, 163–64 (1926); Inspector General Legislation, 1 Op. O.L.C. 16, 17 (1977). Less certain is whether the White House Office is an “agency”—a term that section 3110 defines to include an “Executive agency,” thereby calling up the definition of “Executive agency” generally applicable to title 5, see 5 U.S.C. § 3110(a)(1)(A); id. § 105. But whether or not the White House Office meets this definition (a subject to which we will return in Part II, infra), we believe that the President’s special hiring authority in 3 U.S.C. § 105(a) permits him to make appointments to the White House Office that the anti-nepotism statute might otherwise forbid” (Koffsky, P:2, 2017).
“A President wanting a relative’s advice on governmental matters therefore has a choice: to seek that advice on an unofficial, ad hoc basis without conferring the status and imposing the responsibilities that accompany formal White House positions; or to appoint his relative to the White House under title 3 and subject him to substantial restrictions against conflicts of interest. Cf. AAPS, 997 F.2d at 911 n.10 (declining, after holding that the First Lady qualifies as a “full-time officer or employee” of the government under FACA, to decide her status under the conflict of interest statutes). In choosing his personal staff, the President enjoys an unusual degree of freedom, which Congress found suitable to the demands of his office. Any appointment to that staff, however, carries with it a set of legal restrictions, by which Congress has regulated and fenced in the conduct of federal officials” (Koffsky, P: 16-17, 2017).
I will not jumping jacks around this OGE Lawyer Koffsky, but office that is run by the President is an Executive Office, that issues Executive Orders and Executive Memorandums. That if followed by current law and within provisions within the state because legal and acts that all citizens has to follow. To subject the White House into a sublime role of the state is demeaning, even if he needs support of the branches of government like the Courts and Congress. But that doesn’t make the White House into a playhouse for playboy bunnies, its the place where executive orders and legal minds meet to determine the future of the Republic. It’s insulting that Koffsky is belittling the office and the White House, so it fits legally President role and his ability to appoint family members.
Yes, the President is allowed to seek advice and that ad-hock with family members. That is without doubt, but that is different ones in while speak with an uncle in Louisiana before making a decision that matters for both United States and the World itself. There is problematic to hire family into the White House, as their supposed restrictions and the boundaries of their roles. Since the family bond will not be cut, but be ever present in the decision making.
That Jared Kushner is a Public Official is clear with his title and responsibilities, as a Senior Advisor to the President, who is working on American Innovation, Peace in the Middle East and combating the Opioid crisis in the United States. Ivanka Trump is by title the Assistance to the President. Both of them has had a public role and been acting as Public Officials. They have been there, traveling with the President and even taking his place when he was tired or wanted to relax. Like Ivanka Trump did during the G-20 in July 2017, when the not-elected family member took the seat G20 Leaders Table. So her assistance goes further than ordinary public officials. Since, this sort of role would usually end on Secretary of State and the Vice-President. However, it isn’t the case in the matter of Trump Family.
“Enforcement. While the statutory language bars the appointment of relatives as well as the acceptance of such appointments, enforcement of the prohibition may be limited. The remedy expressly provided for violating this prohibition states that the appointed individual “is not entitled to pay, and money may not be paid from the Treasury as pay” for that person. The statute itself does not require nor does it provide expressly for removal of the individual from the federal civilian position. As noted above, the provision was directed at stopping the practice of placing relatives on the government payroll, and thus the law assures that a relative so appointed may not be paid from federal funds for any such service. The statute likewise does not provide a penalty for the public official who appointed the individual. However, it may be noted that for some rank-and-file positions, not of a confidential or policy making nature, the appointment of a relative may involve a “prohibited personnel practice” by the appointing official” (CRS Report & Analysis, 2016).
Here is another one giving leeway for the possible hiring of Jared Kushner and Ivanka Trump, that is if they are in their roles unpaid and with ranks. Even, that is an issue with the role of the Senior Advisor Kushner and all his positions, even the clearances he needs to be able to fulfill his duty at the White House. Ivanka has also been part of the close-knitted leadership of his fathers. She been part of meetings and such. So both of them has been have been close to confidential material most likely, as they work so close with their relative, the President.
Just like covered in People Magazine in January 2017: “Though Kushner’s appointment does not require Senate confirmation, it is a controversial one: Anti-nepotism laws forbid the hiring of relatives to Cabinet positions, but are less clear on whether they can be appointed to White House staff roles. In American history, anti-nepotism laws are actually a relatively recent development: They were put into place in 1967 by then-President Lyndon B. Johnson not long after one of his predecessor’s appointments raised eyebrows” (Pearl, 2017).
So even if the law and the Anti-nepotism law are put in place to accept family members in White House roles. Still, the nepotism is in full affect. There is no half-step on that. The United States should have a hard time accepting the appointment of Jared Kushner and Ivanka Trump as Senior Advisor and Assistant to the President. All of this has entitled them and given them a special role in the Executive Office of the United States. What is clear by the U.S. Code 105, title 5(d) and will always stand out for the provision in the code that said this: “If the President does not have a spouse, such assistance and services may be provided for such purposes to a member of the President’s family whom the President designates”.
The President has a spouse, his third wife, Melanie, therefore he doe not need such assistance and services. Instead, they are using the titles in the anti-nepotism statutes, they can most likely not be as valuable as these words. However, Koffsky wrote this: “or to appoint his relative to the White House under title 3 and subject him to substantial restrictions against conflicts of interest”. These words are saying that its set substantial restrictions to the office, even as the President has let them be a vital part of his term, Kushner is nearly saving half of America and the Middle-East. Ivanka is publicly part abroad and in Washington. It’s not like they are restricted in that manner, but creating conflicts of interests. That should worry anyone caring about the honest of the public office.
Therefore it was striking what Jason Chafetz said in January 2017: “According to Josh Chafetz, a professor at Cornell Law School and an expert in constitutional law and legislative procedure, the White House is not regulated in the same way as other administrative agencies. “The bigger issue for the administration is not so much about the technical bounds of these nepotism laws, but it just looks bad,” Chafetz said. “I don’t think there’s anything legal that can be done in terms of the appointment. It just looks like there’s a pattern of cronyism that has emerged, especially in conjunction with the cabinet appointments.” (Delkic & Mallin, 2017).
It’s enough. Peace.
Reference:
Koffsky, Daniel L. – ‘Application of the Anti-Nepotism Statute to a Presidential Appointment in the White House Office’ (20.01.2017)
Cornell Law School – ‘U.S. Code › Title 3 › Chapter 2 › § 105’ link: https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/3/105
CRS Report & Analysis – ‘The Federal Anti-Nepotism Statute: Limits on Appointing, Hiring, and Promoting Relatives’ (12.01.2016) link: https://fas.org/sgp/crs/misc/nepotism.pdf
Delkic, Melina & Mallin, Alex – ‘Nepotism Laws Don’t Apply to Jared Kushner Appointment, DOJ Says’ (21.01.2017) link: http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/nepotism-laws-apply-jared-kushner-appointment-doj/story?id=44951811
Pearl, Diana – ‘Donald Trump’s Son-in-Law Has Hillary Clinton to Thank for Skirting JFK-Inspired Nepotism Rules’ (11.01.2017) link: http://people.com/politics/jared-kushner-nepotism-laws-donald-trump/
Share this:
CIA Director John Brennan internal memo on “Russian Interference in the Election” (16.12.2016)
Share this:
Opinion: Trump has bankrupted the Secret Service because of his golfing and nepotism!
We know that President Donald J. Trump has taken nearly one-third of the term into vacations, weekend trips to Florida and other days outside the White House. When the President travels, this is costly and extra hours for the Secret Service. The Secret Service is obligated to be the security guards and have convoys securing the President and his family. With the Trump presidency, it has also been extra lounges at the Trump Tower, as the First Lady stayed there for months before leaving for D.C. Therefore, the expenses has grown with the extra traveling days, but also the rallies and all other activity the President has been up-to. Just take a look!
“Secret Service Director Randolph “Tex” Alles, in an interview with USA TODAY, said more than 1,000 agents have already hit the federally mandated caps for salary and overtime allowances that were meant to last the entire year” (…) “ Alles said the service is grappling with an unprecedented number of White House protectees. Under Trump, 42 people have protection, a number that includes 18 members of his family. That’s up from 31 during the Obama administration. Overwork and constant travel have also been driving a recent exodus from the Secret Service ranks, yet without congressional intervention to provide additional funding, Alles will not even be able to pay agents for the work they have already done. The compensation crunch is so serious that the director has begun discussions with key lawmakers to raise the combined salary and overtime cap for agents, from $160,000 per year to $187,000 for at least the duration of Trump’s first term” (Johnson, 2017).
So the Secret Service already are overworked as they have taken hours and trips with the President. That a 1000 agents already are over the mandated caps for salary and overtime. Shows how much the President are traveling and extra work that the agents has gotten by the actions of the President and his family. That the numbers has gone up from Obama, is also typical, since the family of the Trump needs security in New York and nepotism is rampant in the White House. This sends worrying signals of how little the Trump Administration and New York Gang cares about the budget, as long as they are living their lives.
That this arrogance and double moral is clear in this, as he claimed Obama traveled to much and was such a burden on the budgets as a President. It only tool 7 months before he cracked the budgets of the Secret Service, this from a government that plans to deplete many government subsidized programs to the poor, while expanding the army. The US government under Trump isn’t fiscal responsible or caring about the outcome. Since he in just such short time has spent enormous amounts of funds taking vacations and playing golf on his own estates. That has also added extra expenses to the Police Force and States, which he has visited. It isn’t only the Secret Service who has had to spend fortunes on Trump, but the state of Florida and New Jersey has had to get added funding for their ordinary work.
This proves the mockery of it all, as such a rich man likes this is living lavish on the state and also using the security operations in a way that it even breaking the bank and accounts for the Secret Service. The Secret Service are in August, but has not funds to pay for the extra services needed for the President until December. That is 4 months left of the year and already overspent. This is something the White House and the Capital Hill has to discuss, so that the state can continue to flood the extended fleet and need of agents around the President. The state cannot afford to go broke and not pay the security guards. Then, the state would see deserters without pay or resignations, as who wants to be working for a state; a state who doesn’t pay the salaries and the overtime. Peace.
Reference:
Johnson, Kevin – ‘Exclusive: Secret Service depletes funds to pay agents because of Trump’s frequent travel, large family’ (21.08.2017) link: https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2017/08/21/secret-service-cant-pay-agents-because-trumps-frequent-travel-large-family/529075001/
Share this:
President Trump’s ‘Real News’ is ready to Manufacture Consent and deliver Propaganda to the American Public!
There is time to take the Trump Administration seriously on how much they dislike the media and the stories written about the President and his pending cases. Therefore, he has now invented and started his own Trump Team TV, that is Web-Series that are actually filmed directly from New York and the Trump Tower. Clearly, the President is using the tools of propaganda to get his message out. This is official state TV. An we can already see the first B-Star TV-Personality joining Trump TV. They are clearly starting with once a week clips dropped on Facebook and on Twitter to the supporters of Trump. This will clearly escalate and also be a place for more questionable content.
Merriam Webster defines propaganda as: “the spreading of ideas, information, or rumor for the purpose of helping or injuring an institution, a cause, or a person” and also “ideas, facts, or allegations spread deliberately to further one’s cause or to damage an opposing cause; also: a public action having such an effect” (Merriam-Webster – ‘Definition of propaganda).
So now the President plans to use Facebook for his propaganda and his views in his own way. Without any hesitation or without any problems. This is state TV for his own cause and his own mission. To show his brilliance, instead of his lacking results and his ability to grasp Washington, while he also has a Russian Investigation that is spreading legs. This is clearly in mission to stop and shift the discussion. Where his daughter-in-law Laura Trump and now former CNN commentator are now in-charge off.
The Hollywood reported had to say this about it: “On Sunday, President Trump’s daughter-in-law, Lara Trump, kicked off what The Hollywood Reporter has learned will be a recurring feature: a video segment posted on the president’s Facebook page that aims to present “real news” about what the administration is up to. “I bet you haven’t heard about all the accomplishments the president had this week, because there’s so much fake news out there,” Lara Trump says in introducing the video. “We wanted to give you a glimpse into his week.” In a statement to THR, Trump explained the thinking behind the weekly segments, which she said are emblematic of the president’s strategy of using social media to “speak directly to the American people” and bypass “the biased filter of the mainstream media.” (Barr, 2017).
First official TV commentator to joint Trump TV:
“A day after Kayleigh McEnany announced she left CNN, she showed up as the centerpiece of a video clip posted by President Trump’s campaign team. McEnany, a pro-Trump conservative pundit who appeared on CNN throughout the campaign season, announced via Twitter Saturday that she was leaving the network. She said to “stay tuned” for details about her next career move” (…) “The clips have a format reminiscent of traditional news networks: The host appears on a screen in front of a graphic background. In this case, that background is a smattering of Trump, Trump/Pence and DonaldJTrump.com logos. Elected officials using websites and social media platforms to promote their achievements is standard procedure these days, but the “real news” series appears to go further, seeking to discredit the mainstream media and advertising what purports to be a reliable alternative” (Whattles, 2017).
So the “Real News” out of Trump Tower follows a special kind of ways of producing news, that is made directly and fitting the program of the President. It is his mind and his sort of ideas, what his men and his associates see what he does. Even if he is golfing all week, they will still claim the rates of the Dow Jones and the unemployment record of the month, even if it Elon Musk hired most of it to his promising industrial business. But Trump would take the Triumph!
It seems like Team Trump has now plans of using these tricks in their ways to sway public opinion:
“Though Facebook doesn’t explicitly provide the tools to target people based on political opinions, the new study shows how the platform can be exploited. Using combinations of people’s interests, demographics, and survey data it’s possible to direct campaigns at individuals based on their agreement with ideas and policies. This could have a big impact on the success of campaigns. “The weaponised, artificially intelligent propaganda machine is effective. You don’t need to move people’s political dials by much to influence an election, just a couple of percentage points to the left or right,” says Chris Sumner at the Online Privacy Foundation, who is presenting the work this week at DEF CON in Las Vegas” (…) “Next, by administering various personality tests to a different group they found traits that correlate with how likely you are to agree with that statement on internet privacy. This was converted into an “authoritarianism” score: if you scored high you were more likely to agree with the statement. Then, using a tool called PreferenceTool, built by researchers at the University of Cambridge, they were able to reverse engineer what sort of Facebook interests and demographics people with those personalities were most likely to have. Just 38 per cent of a random selection of people on Facebook agreed with the privacy statement but this shot up to 61 per cent when the tool was used to target people deemed more likely to agree, and down to 25 per cent for those who they deemed more likely to disagree. In other words, they were able to demonstrate that it is possible to target people on Facebook based on a political opinion” (Revell, 2017).
So it might be the people behind the Team Trump who is using these techniques combined with the new Channel to enforce there beliefs and agenda to the Social Media. Not that it is sticking and has been mocked right now. But things begin in the small, before it blows out of proportions. Know that it now look like low-budget no-show. However, with time the messages will be darker and the rhetoric will be pushing to the extreme. As the possible investigation will strike where it hurts the most for the President.
That is why this is happening, since mainstream media, New York Times and Washington Post are explaining the leaks and verifying their sources, Laura Trump and Kayleigh McEnany will speak the message of Trump. The message of the belief and needed faith of the moment of the President. This will be propaganda and will be manufacturing consent. Chomsky states: “ Manufacturing consent is related to the understanding that indoctrination is the essence of propaganda. In a “democratic” society indoctrination occurs when the techniques of control of a propaganda model are imposed — which means imposing Necessary Illusions” (…) “Chomsky’s concept of NECESSARY ILLUSIONS is linked to power elites dominating how life happens, with part of the population — about 20% who make up the political class and are expected to participate as cultural managers in a limited fashion — are indoctrinated, and most people — the other 80% of the population — are marginalized, diverted from political awareness and participation in self-governing, and reduced to apathy so they don’t vote or take charge. Media are a tool of society’s power elites and owned and controlled by them and are used to impose those iIllusions that are Necessary to keep people diverted from the political process” (Chomsky, 2017).
So the Team Trump will work like crazy to create necessary illusions to its people, so they believe that Trump works for them. So he can manufacture consent and get more people on the Trump train, even as the investigation will leak more damaging evidence and the unclear business practices of the Trump Organization. Peace.
Reference:
Barr, Jeremy – ‘Trump Daughter-in-Law’s “Real News” Show to Be Weekly Feature’ (04.08.2017) link:http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/trump-daughter-laws-real-news-show-be-weekly-feature-1026853
Chomsky, Noam – ‘Key points in “Manufacturing Consent” a video about Noam Chomsky and American democracy’ (2017). Link: http://hope.journ.wwu.edu/tpilgrim/j190/Chomsky.summary.html
Revell, Timothy – ‘How to turn Facebook into a weaponised AI propaganda machine’ (28.07.2017) link: https://www.newscientist.com/article/2142072-how-to-turn-facebook-into-a-weaponised-ai-propaganda-machine/
Whattles, Jackie – ‘Kayleigh McEnany appears in pro-Trump ‘news’ video after leaving CNN’ (06.08.2017) link: http://money.cnn.com/2017/08/06/media/kayleigh-mcenany-trump-campaign/index.html
Share this:
A brief look into Fox News defense [this week] of Trump considering the Russian Probe!
Walter Kirn on Fox News Nework the 6th August 2017 : “Every 6 months people are gonna look up and see this country changed, they’re still gonna be talking about Russia”.
There always certain types of apologist, just as some defend Martin Luther, other defend John Calvin and even some Judas. At this point in the political spectrum as the evidence and the leaks of investigation into the President Trump Campaign of 2016 are hitting the public. There will be drawbacks and be speculations. Certainly, there are hoover-crafts and snipers trying to debunk every single piece of clue or tarnish the investigation. The grandest part of that is the Fox News Network and their allies. Who are embedded with the Presidency. They are not like the rest, who question the evidence and asks why the President and his associates acted like they did. They are like State TV at this point. That is why I have looked into this weeks special efforts to defend Trump. Because it shows the strangeness of it all. Especially, since these conservatives and these patriots would be horrified if Barrack Obama had a collusion practice with a foreign power and with an adversary. However, when it concerning the master and ideal prince of hope Trump, he cannot do nothing wrong, even if he do? Does it matter. The defenses from Fox News, should not surprise anyone. Therefore let’s take a look at just a few!
It’s Okay that the President is a Crook!
“So does it matter to you whether or not the president is a crook? The answer for a lot of Americans may be no. With the revelation that a grand jury is looking at evidence against members of President Trump’s 2016 campaign team, we move closer still to the possibility that someone could be in very big trouble. Special Counsel Robert Mueller and his squad are moving fast, and the likelihood that some charges will be brought can no longer be ignored. It is not hard to imagine a moment in the very near future where some associate of the president is in the dock, charged with misdeeds relating to Russian interference in the 2016 election” (Stirewalt, 2017).
YES, it should matter if the President are a criminal and done illegal activity, he is not above the law. If he worked with foreign powers to gain the presidency, he could be blackmailed and could be forced not to work in the faith of the constitution, but of the will of the foreign powers. That is worrying for any independent office and any state official if they are colluding with foreign powers. If it didn’t matter, why had the National Security Advisor Michael Flynn had to resign just days into the Presidency for the paid work for the Turkish. If that is an issue, than it should be bigger issue if the President are doing the same for Kremlin and the Russians. That is why it matters.
Judge Jeanie defense of Trump:
““Folks, this was a cover-up of an illegal meeting, collusion, between Bill Clinton and the attorney general after which the FBI interrogated Hillary then exonerated her after which Hillary brazenly proclaimed, if she won, she would hire Loretta Lynch as her attorney general,” said Pirro. “So while this country is now virtually paralyzed with fake news stories of collusion, I ask you, what evidence, give me one piece of evidence, one iota of something that Donald Trump’s campaign colluded with the Kremlin. … You haven’t heard one piece of evidence for 8 months, 24/7 collusion between Donald Trump and Russians.” (Baker, 2017).
The investigations, the 6 of them, with even public hearings and questioning has showed no clear evidence. So that the “judge” are still directing and wanting to detain and to criminalize Clinton is just sad. It shows the double-moral of the Fox News Broadcaster, which can address the Clinton’s for their misgivings, but if Trump does the same or even worse. It doesn’t matter, because he is Republicans and Republicans can acts as they like. Trump has questionable connections with Russians, both in business and during the campaign. The ones that are picked to positions are also connected with Russian associates. It is hard not to find anyone who isn’t connected, who hasn’t had agreements and had trades with Russians at some point in the cabinet and in the White House. Everyone has met and done shadow agreement with Kremlin associates. So Judge Jeanie should boggle about that and wonder why there are no-one who are in the public light who hasn’t had something with an oligarch or with anyone associated with the Kremlin to do.
Normalizing “Grand Jury” of Mueller investigation:
“As an old Justice Department reporter, I can tell you this is utterly routine. Prosecutors regularly convene grand juries to question witnesses and gather evidence. It’s what they do. The shocker would have been if Mueller completed his investigation without bringing in a grand jury. In fact, as the Journal story notes, there already was a grand jury, across the river in Alexandria, that the FBI was using in this case before Mueller was appointed. But in the public mind, “grand jury” is associated with “indictment.” And notwithstanding the old adage that a prosecutor can get a grand jury to indict a ham sandwich, the former FBI director could conclude that nothing in the case rises to an indictable offense—at least as far as the president and his inner circle. We have no way of knowing that, and neither does Mueller” (Kurtz, 2017).
This is the only little sense from the Fox News commentators. Since it is an ordinary thing to do, but not with an investigation into a President. Since the Grand Jury are signaling that the prosecutor planning to dig deeper and look into Trump and his associates with more subpoena’s, where he can legally get more paperwork and more evidence for criminal conspiracy. This is not a short-con, but taking down a long-con. Who has not been open with business transactions and Trump Organization before getting public office. The business model and the transactions done can be in question, since the President never revealed this and might only happen through a criminal investigation.
Katrina Pierson on Fox News on the 6th August 2017 said: “There has been no evidence found. Even Democrats are saying we have no evidence. Collusion is not a crime”.
He has been sued over 1000 times for all sort of financial tricks and frauds. Still, the vision of a clean business are not something that seem likely, if so, he would have released the IRS Tax Returns like the Clinton’s did within their campaign. There are some secrets that will reveal some shady stories the Trump family and associates wants to hide from the public. Peace.
Reference:
Baker, Trent – ‘Judge Jeanine: Meeting Between Loretta Lynch, Bill Clinton Proves U.S. No Longer True to Declaration of Independence’ (05.08.2017) link:
Kurtz, Howard – ‘Grand jury bombshell rocks media, but calm down: This is what prosecutors do’ (04.08.2017) link: http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2017/08/04/grand-jury-bombshell-rocks-media-but-calm-down-this-is-what-prosecutors-do.html
Stirewalt, Chris – ‘Would you even care if he was guilty?’ (04.08.2017) link: http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2017/08/04/would-even-care-if-was-guilty.html
Share this:
Trump is the Golfing President!
“Boredom forces you to ring people you haven’t seen for eighteen years and halfway through the conversation you remember why you left it so long. Boredom means you start to read not only mail-order catalogues but also the advertising inserts that fall on the floor. Boredom gives you half a mind to get a gun and go berserk in the local shopping centre, and you know where this is going. Eventually, boredom means you will take up golf.” – Jeremy Clakson
Donald J. Trump, the American President has been President only for 196 days. Not so long and has had a rocky road. I am quickly and briefly looking into the high-energy and not taking vacations. Something he promised the electorate and the citizens of United States, just like everything else. He lied and keep lying. First take some quotes and where he was shaming his predecessor Barrack Obama, before we looks into his extensive time-offs since getting into office. Clearly, he is playing a lot of golf. The stats and numbers of that is taken from Trumpgolfcount.com, which is page you should check-out if you don’t believe me.
What President Trump said on the 13th November 2016:
“When Stall told Trump it is $400,000 per year, he said, “No, I’m not going to take the salary. I’m not taking it.” (…) “There’s just so much to be done,” Trump said. “So I don’t think we’ll be very big on vacations, no.” (CNN Wire, 2016).
On criticizing Obama for vacations:
“Trump has long criticized President Obama for his yearly summer and winter breaks. “He takes more vacations than any human being I’ve ever seen,” Trump told Fox News host Greta Van Susteren in 2011. “It sends a bad message. Here we have a country that really is going to hell in a handbasket. . . . And we have a president that’s constantly, whether it’s Martha’s Vineyard or someplace else, constantly on vacation.” (Tracy, 2016).
So the man who complained and nagged on Obama, are clearly a giant hypocrite and is very low-energy. He doesn’t have the stamina or the will-power to stay in the White House. Certainly, he loves his estates and golf-courses more than actually working on policies and executive orders.
Numbers until now at Mar-A-Lago!
In Miami Mar-A-Lago he has spent 25 days. That is over 3 weeks at the Miami Golf-Course and private club. He has taken 7 flights there and is estimated cost of $ 14,392,000. That is the estimated of the flights down from Washington D.C. not the cost of local reinforcement of police, the cost of Secret Service and all the other efforts to secure the President.
Numbers until now at Trump National Bedminister:
In another club he owns and in New Jersey, the President has spent 11 days at Bedminister. He has had 6 flights costing the public tax-payer $ 3,598,000 in flight charges. That is not taking the extra cost of Secret Service, other security officials like Police and local authorities securing the Trump National Bedminister. This is something that would cost the New Jersey state extra, just like the visits to Miami and Florida State. At the 31st of July 2017, the President had already been golfing for 41 days in his now 196 days into office.
So with this in mind, as plans to spend 17 more days at the Trump National Bedminister in New Jersey. This means the count when is done is 48 days of total 212, which means that ¼ of his days in office by 212 has been spent on a self-owned golf-club. So that he was bashing others for their vacations and playing golf. Was so, so wrong, since he is himself worse and the biggest orange hypocrite in history.
This is how the Boston Globe staff describe his vacation place:
“Trump’s golf club in Bedminster, they noted, is located in Somerset County, one of the tonier sections of New Jersey that are not visible from the New Jersey Turnpike” (…) “Trump’s property cost him a cool $35 million in 2002 (expensive!),” they wrote. “(A)nd … membership at the Trump-owned golf course there reportedly costs $300,000 (too rich for our blood!)” (Fox News, 2017).
So he is again at golf-club, who seems overprice and expensive, but that wasn’t surprising. Clearly, the amount of time spent on his own properties and his own companies. Are showing how he plans to spend public funding on himself and his businesses, that is still owned by family and controlled by the family. While other Presidents has sold their businesses or put them in blind trust, not like Trump, who has given Eric Trump and Donald Trump Junior the control. So he can have it all close and tight-knit.
But he is a lazy President, a low-energy and a weak one. Since he is using one-fourth of the time on the green and not in the office. That is why there is no legislation victory or written that could get both chambers to win from the President. That is why the Tax Plan is mere a Christmas Wish-list, than actually policy. Koch Brothers should get their greed-on and their drink-on since it is their wishes that will be fulfilled.
President Trump could have worked for Taylor-Made and not for the White House. Since he spends so little time there. Peace.
Reference:
CNN Wire – ‘Donald Trump: Not big on vacations, no salary as president’ (13.11.2016) link: http://myfox8.com/2016/11/13/donald-trump-no-big-vacations-no-salary-as-president/
Fox News – ‘Trump vacation site sparks feud between New England, New Jersey’ (05.08.2017) link:
Tracy, Jan – ‘Ever untraditional, Donald Trump elects to pass on vacations’ (21.08.2016) link:https://www.bostonglobe.com/news/politics/2016/08/21/donald-trump-keeps-busy-work-pace-averse-vacations/vsZK55k2we8AkJP2CpMVmK/story.html
Share this:
Nepotism102: Family Matters – Jared Kushner and Ivanka’s role in the White House!
“It is only with the development of political institutions like the modern state that humans begin to organize themselves and learn to cooperate in a manner that transcends friends and family. When such institutions break down, we revert to patronage and nepotism as a default form of sociability.”
― Francis Fukuyama
Well, President Donald J. Trump cannot handle being ordinary or being honest. He has to lie and deceive, it is in his nature and his past. Therefore, he can like a buffoon blaming the Clinton for having a private e-mail server, while he has sensitive information and such on an android. So, it is not like the President himself is a careful as he should be. Not that he really cares. He never cared about anything else than his own bloated image.
President Trump, the so-called Conservative Republican, has gone and done a few unthinkable things. First he used his sons and oldest daughter as part of the transition team, as well as the sons of Vice-President Mike Pence and later hired Security Official Mike Flynn, who was all part of the team! Well, for Donald that is not enough, his bar for nepotism isn’t big-wig enough.
His little trust in other people and his own judgment was so weak he had to have his son-in-law Jared Kushner and daughter Ivanka Trump at the meeting of the Japanese Prime Minister Shino Abe. As the New York Times wrote: “After Mr. Trump’s transition office was asked by The New York Times about allowing Ms. Trump to attend the meeting with the Japanese prime minister, an individual close to the family, who said she did not have authorization to provide her name, hinted that Ms. Trump would not be attending meetings like this in the future” (…) “Mr. Trump has always encouraged Ivanka and his children to attend meetings with him,” the person close to the family said. “This meeting in question was very informal. However, they obviously need to adjust to the new realities at hand, which they will” (Lipton, 2016).
Still, this has not stopped the family matters to become State matters. Something that should worry the world and Americans, as the entangled and the inter-state affairs colluding with personal business, can likely happen. Since the Trump family doesn’t care about ethics or general conduct as long as the striving companies they are running is gaining profits.
In January the Son-in-Law was hired by the President to an advisory role:
“Mr. Kushner has been described by numerous transition staff members as the first among equals in Mr. Trump’s high command. His new title belies the sweeping influence he will have behind the scenes” (…) “The soft-spoken Mr. Kushner has often been described as having a calming effect on Mr. Trump, who is notorious for yelling at staff members during moments of tension. Mr. Kushner became the de facto campaign manager in the spring, and his influence with Mr. Trump has expanded rapidly” (Thrush & Haberman, 2017).
So after being in the campaign team, being in the consultation meetings with foreign leaders, the couple was part of the leadership. Still, only the son-in-law got a title and office inside the White House. That should be bringing enough family matters into the hollow chambers. That Jared Kushner becomes on the same level as others and created a role around the President proves the critical problems with this appointment. It would be if Vice-President Mike Pence hired his son as a staff member and an under the office of Vice President.
So if that was enough when the Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau visited the White house in February 2017, into the second month of the Trump Presidency. So this was written about the event days ahead:
“In this Feb. 1, 2017, file photo, President Donald Trump, accompanied by his daughter Ivanka, waves as they walk to board Marine One on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington. According to officials, Ivanka Trump, who has been a vocal advocate for policies benefiting working women, was involved in recruiting participants for a round table discussion that will be held Monday, Feb. 13, about women in the workforce. President Donald Trump and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau will participate in the round table” (Vucci, 2017). The pictures of this round-table debate that went viral, was of this one where Ivanka Trump was participating with the foreign Prime Minister. This shows the lack of integrity in the new Administration, but Trump will continue.
Just as the March month arrives and the German Chancellor Angela Merkel came to visit the White House, Ivanka Trump got “work training” as she participated in another state visit for her father without official clearance or jurisdiction, as the procedure and protocol of state doesn’t matter to this President. He thinks his position is all family. If Barrack Obama had hired or had his wife in closed door meetings with foreign leaders; he would have cause havoc and storm, but President Trump is allowed to do this without to much fuzz, except for dress-code and how people looks at Ivanka.
“In the end, Angela Merkel couldn’t hide it. Seated next to Ivanka Trump at a White House meeting with business leaders on Friday, the German leader tilted her head in the first daughter’s direction as Ivanka spoke, a look of bewilderment tinged with disdain enveloping her face” (…) “Why are you here,” Merkel, never a good pretender, seemed to be thinking” (Karinitsching, 2017). Everybody should understand Merkel, not like Ivanka is a serious politician or civil servants, she is daddy’s favorite daughter. That is known for the world and not disgraceful to say.
That this isn’t enough? Well, for Trump and Trump Administration the Nepotism has to be in Authoritarian leadership worthy, not only at meeting and being beside the President, also appointed, as the daughter haven’t been appointed like the husband Jared Kushner. Still, she has been a key player in the rooms of foreign affairs and foreign policy. Because of the level that President Trump has in her. Still, that she gets a place before career officials and others who has done this as their profession, show’s the lack of understand of what State work and how diplomacy works.
So that the news today that Ivanka get clearance to sensitive and confidential information, as well as a office inside the White House without being appointed proves the Nepotism. Surely, soon could Eric Trump and Donald Trump Junior even get hired by their father inside the White House. As well as Tiffany Trump could be spokesperson for the father instead of Kellyanne Conway. That is just the next step.
“Ivanka Trump will have her own office in the West Wing of the White House that comes with a security clearance for classified information, although she will not have an official title, according to a White House official” (…) “Trump will still comply with the ethics rules for government appointees though, even if she technically isn’t one, Trump’s attorney Jamie Gorelick told the Associated Press” (Abramson, 2017). So the family lawyer have dropped the news to the AP and therefore verified the news yesterday.
The family lawyer Gorelick, who has addressed the Trump Organization and other close connected businesses of the family. Therefore, that he did do it proves the capacity and the levels of family matters instead of skills or career.
That President Trump hires Ivanka and Jared inside the White House. Donald, doesn’t care about the legal or ethical perspective, nor about the jurisdiction of state or even common sense. Even as protocol or even justification of this entangled between the family and the Executive. That this could be done inside the Trump Organization is more reasonable and understandable, as the Private Business and Corporate policies are different, than how a State and Government supposed to work.
President Trump deserves to be sanctioned for this, as this words should be key:
“The key for the White House will be to ensure not just that they recruit the best people for the top job at an agency, but to make sure that agency leaders are viewed as a team rather than individuals. The secretary, deputy secretary, chief of staff and other top agency leaders should all complement each other in terms of both expertise and personality. For example, if the secretary is someone who is most comfortable acting as the “face” of an agency and policy agenda, then the deputy secretary should be the one to manage the agency on a day-to-day basis as the chief operating officer. Keeping this in mind when making specific appointments will help build a cohesive, well-functioning unit that will provide effective, unified leadership at the agency” (Center of Presidential Transition – ‘Presidential Transition Guide’ P: 74, 2016).
So, President Trump thinks more individuals and family, more than protocol and the ethical perspective of how he is involving the family into state affairs. That the State becomes mixed with family is not a trait of the United States, but now the Trump Organization and Trump Administration is closer than before. If and when there will be more scandals, more nepotism and misuse of the power… will come, but when is only about question of time. Peace.
Reference:
Abramson, Alana – ‘ Ivanka Trump Will Have West Wing Office, But No Official Title’ (20.03.2017) link: http://fortune.com/2017/03/20/ivanka-trump-west-wing-office/
Karinitschinig, Matthew – ‘Merkel’s Ivanka moment’ (18.03.2017) link: http://www.politico.eu/article/merkels-ivanka-moment/
Lipton, Eric – ‘Ivanka Trump’s Presence at Meeting With Japan’s Leader Raises Questions’ (18.11.2016) link: https://www.nytimes.com/2016/11/19/us/politics/ivanka-trump-shinzo-abe.html?_r=0
Thrush, Glenn & Haberman, Maggie – ‘Jared Kushner Named Senior White House Adviser to Donald Trump’ (09.01.2017) link: https://www.nytimes.com/2017/01/09/us/jared-kushner-senior-adviser-white-house-trump.html
Vucci, Evan – ‘Trump, Trudeau to discuss women in workforce’ (12.02.2017) link: http://www.am1250theanswer.com/news/politics/trump-trudeau-to-discuss-women-in-workforce
MinBane 