What does a TRUMP presidency look like?

[The Brain]

Doesn't Trump have security clearance?

[Eddie Teach]

And the power to grant clearances. All that story really does is reconfirm that he's a liar.

[DGuller]

Doesn't Trump have security clearance?

He does, but it would be a lot more helpful if someone a little more lucid had it as well.

[The Minsky Moment]

The DC Circuit a few days ago affirmed a district court's decision to allow the AT&T-CNN merger to go through, despite DOJ Antitrust's attempt to block it.

To date, that merger is the only one challenged in the last 2 years since Trump became President. The case was brought even though the head of the AT division made public statements beforehand indicating there wasn't a good legal basis to block.

Meanwhile the New Yorker is reported Trump personally intervened with Gary Cohn and General Kelley, demanding that they take action to make sure the case was brought. Cohn is quoted as refusing to intervene.  But the case was eventually brought . . .

[HVC]

why would trump ant the case brought? just to mess with CNN?

[viper37]

just to mess with CNN?

yes.

[The Minsky Moment]

That's an impeachable offense BTW, for those keeping score.

[HVC]

That's an impeachable offense BTW, for those keeping score.

Messing with cnn? If so I'll give him a pass on this one.

[The Minsky Moment]

So as long as you lack sympathy with the targets of President's enemies list, abuse of power is fair game?

What about the AT&T shareholders who lost hundreds of millions of dollars responding to a bogus complaint?  Any sympathy for them?

[dps]

So as long as you lack sympathy with the targets of President's enemies list, abuse of power is fair game?

What about the AT&T shareholders who lost hundreds of millions of dollars responding to a bogus complaint?  Any sympathy for them?

Sounds more like a potential civil suit than a criminal case to me.  "High crimes and misdemeanors" are impeachable, but not torts.

[HVC]

So as long as you lack sympathy with the targets of President's enemies list, abuse of power is fair game?

Pretty much, yeah

What about the AT&T shareholders who lost hundreds of millions of dollars responding to a bogus complaint?  Any sympathy for them?

Isn't at&t like one of the most hated corptations in america?

[The Minsky Moment]

Sounds more like a potential civil suit than a criminal case to me.  "High crimes and misdemeanors" are impeachable, but not torts.

There is no civil case to be made and there is no criminal case to be made.
It is straight up abuse of power, exactly what the impeachment clause was designed for.

A well-constituted court for the trial of impeachments is an object not more to be desired than difficult to be obtained in a government wholly elective. The subjects of its jurisdiction are those offenses which proceed from the misconduct of public men, or, in other words, from the abuse or violation of some public trust.

[The Minsky Moment]

Isn't at&t like one of the most hated corptations in america?

I doubt it, it's a very heated competition.

Targeting unpopular private parties is how would-be dictators condition the public to accept their abuse of authority.  It's the same playbook run from Venezeula to Turkey to Russia.

[dps]

Sounds more like a potential civil suit than a criminal case to me.  "High crimes and misdemeanors" are impeachable, but not torts.

There is no civil case to be made and there is no criminal case to be made.
It is straight up abuse of power, exactly what the impeachment clause was designed for.

I respect you, and I was largely being facetious anyway, but please don't make me quote the whole impeachment clause.

[The Minsky Moment]

Living under Trump is like being the frog slowly boiled in water, we keep increasing our tolerance for what usually would be intolerable.

Last week I watched a parade of Republicans politely disagree with Trump's insane comments about Kim and Warmbier and then attempt to excuse the President with some variation of "that's just how he is." Even his political supporters talk about the man like he is some unavoidable disease or disfiguring condition that must be accepted as the price of living.

There is such thing as Trump Derangement Syndrome but it is not suffered by those who fantasize about his eventually ouster.  That's just a logical reaction to the facts. The derangement is the Orwellian double think afflicting political supporters confronted over and again by his glaring incompetence and unfitness for the job.  It's a high price to pay just to get some holy rollers on the federal courts and a fat tax break for passive limited partnerships.