Friday, February 17, 2017

Trump's pick to replace Mike Flynn as National Security Adviser says "Oh hell no."

Vice Admiral Robert Harward.
Courtesy of HuffPo: 

President Donald Trump’s choice for national security adviser, retired Vice Admiral Robert Harward, has turned down the offer, sources familiar with Harward’s decision said on Thursday. 

Harward was offered the job after Michael Flynn was fired by Trump on Monday for misleading Vice President Mike Pence over his conversations with Russia’s ambassador to the United States. 

Two sources familiar with the decision said Harward turned down the job in part because he wanted to bring in his own team. 

That put him at odds with Trump, who had told Flynn’s deputy, K.T. McFarland, that she could stay.

This seems to have come as somewhat of a surprise to Trump who had vaguely referred to Harward in that wild and crazy press conference earlier in the day. 

I really do think that at this point Trump is going to have some difficulty finding folks excited about joining his administration, and those he DOES find willing will certainly NOT be the cream of the crop.

After all would you be willing to board a vessel when you already see the crew preparing the lifeboats for the inevitable disaster?

50 comments:

  1. Anonymous9:00 AM

    Trump Uses Putin Style Baiting the Press with Fake Stories To Discredit the Media

    Provokatsiya. This is the Russian word for baiting with fake stories in order to discredit the outlet that ran the story. Or, as we call it here in the U.S., Rovian tactics. Is this what's happening right now with the AP's story about the Trump White House considering using the National Guard to round up undocumented immigrants?

    “Provokatsiya.” This is the Russian word that refers to a hoax designed to embarrass or discredit the someone. Or, as we call it here in the U.S., Rovian tactics.

    Is this what’s happening right now with the AP’s story about the Trump White House considering using the National Guard to round up undocumented immigrants?

    On a day when Republicans are desperately selling the idea that the Media lies so bad so much so hard in order to make Trump’s wildly frightening press conference on Wednesday somehow OK, and Macedonian twitter eggs who recently joined the social media outlet got “#MediaLiesAgain” trending on twitter, the AP ran a story about the Trump administration considering using 100,000 National Guard troops to round up undocumented immigrants.

    Shortly later, on Marine One en route to South Carolina, White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer denied the AP report and chastised the AP for not asking first. The AP reporter replied that they did ask, several times, per a pool report provided to PoliticusUSA by the White House.

    “That is 100% not true. It is false. It is irresponsible to be saying this. There is no effort at all to round up, to utilize the National Guard to round up illegal immigrants,” Spicer said, condemning the press report.

    “I wish you guys had asked before you tweeted,” Spicer finished.

    The AP reporter replied that they asked “multiple times before publication.”

    The AP report cited a draft document it obtained that has “circulated among DHS staff over the last two weeks. As recently as Friday, staffers in several different offices reported discussions were underway.”

    Spicer didn’t deny that this had ever been discussed in the administration, but said there was “no effort to do what is potentially suggested” and “It is not a White House document.”

    So is the press “very fake news” or, is the media being set up to look like fake news by reporting stories that are leaked to them as bait. (Ironic perhaps that it was Time pooler Zeke Miller of the MLK, Jr bust that suddenly reappeared in the Oval office or was always there and somehow Miller missed it, who was tasked with reporting this.)

    Security consultant and former NSA analyst John Schindler called it out as deliberate:

    'So, the WH is bating MSM with fake stories which they run in order to discredit them.

    There's a word for that....in Russian.#provokatsiya'

    http://www.politicususa.com/2017/02/17/trump-white-house-baiting-press-fake-stories-discredit-media.html

    Mitch McConnell Gives One Damning Answer On Russia Scandal That Could Doom Trump

    Senate Majority Mitch McConnell (R-KY) gave a three-word answer when asked if he believed Trump that nobody from his campaign had contact with Russia that was a bad omen for the White House.

    Senate Majority Mitch McConnell (R-KY) gave a three-word answer when asked if he believed Trump that nobody from his campaign had contact with Russia that was a bad omen for the White House.

    During a Friday morning press conference, the Senate Majority Leader was asked, “Trump said nobody he knew of from his camp was in contact with Russian officials. Do you believe him?”

    McConnell’s answer:

    http://www.politicususa.com/2017/02/17/mitch-mcconnell-damning-answer-russia-scandal-doom-trump.html

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous9:40 AM

      "The Republican Senate Majority Leader said,
      “I have no idea.” Can anyone even count words?
      I see 4......

      "a three-word answer when asked if he believed Trump that nobody from his campaign had contact with Russia that was a bad omen for the White House. "

      Delete
    2. Anonymous 9:00 AM wrote what appears to be an amalgam of multiple versions of an intended comment.

      Just for starters, paragraphs three and four (beginning “Provokatsiya.” and Is this what’s happening respectively) are almost identical to paragraph two (beginning Provokatsiya. and with Is this what's happening halfway through).

      There are further instances of this sort of repetition, which anyone who cares can easily find.

      Please. If your comment is worth making, isn't it worth proofreading? If you change your mind about the best way to phrase something, is it not worth your while to delete the earlier—apparenlty unsatisfactory—version of what you wrote? Or are you simply copy/pasting stuff without really being aware of its content?

      Delete
  2. Anonymous9:03 AM

    Scarier Than ‘Psycho’: Twitter Erupts Over Trump’s ‘Bats**t’ Press Conference

    President Donald Trump’s combative news conference on Thursday got a YUGE reaction on social media, and the reviews weren’t exactly glowing.

    Here’s a sampling:

    http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/trump-press-conference-reaction_us_58a67a8ce4b07602ad533c3d?pua92r5r9prsve7b9&

    ReplyDelete
  3. Anonymous9:08 AM

    Hundreds Of Thousands Of Nat’l Guard Troops Prepare To Round Up Immigrants Nazi Style

    ...As the AP goes on to add, the final decision as to the mobilization of the National Guard troops targeted by the Trump admin memo obtained by the AP would be left to the discretion of the governors of the respective states where undocumented immigrants may be found. With a majority of the states in the Union under Republican control, that’s hardly reassuring as to whether or not Trump’s plan for the tens of millions of undocumented men, women, and children in this country at present will be able to be stopped.

    This report comes the day after heads of the nation’s Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) told Congressional leaders that the only thing stopping what they called “mass deportations” is a lack of resources.

    http://www.bipartisanreport.com/2017/02/17/hundreds-of-thousands-of-natl-guard-troops-prepare-to-round-up-immigrants-nazi-style/

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous9:25 AM

      We are morphing faster than anyone could possibly think into a totalitarian black hole. Does anyone in the Trump administration understand that we are a nation of immigrants except for those who are 100% Native American?

      This is not MY country; it hasn't been since just after noon on January 20, 2017, when Trump lied in his oath of office. In some ways it hasn't been my country since Trump and Putin stole the election on November 8, 2016, a day which will live in perfidy for all time to come.

      Unfortunately, the only who can save us all are the Republicans in Congress but they have shown themselves repeatedly to be weak-kneed cowards who have no regard for their country, for its Constitution, for its people and even less regard for the people of the world.
      Beaglemom

      Delete
    2. Anonymous9:51 AM

      Whaaa whaa whaaa beaglemom.

      If it isn't your country you should leave.

      Delete
    3. Anonymous10:14 AM

      9:51 AM You leave, trumpster, before Trump resigns in disgrace.

      Delete
    4. Anonymous10:14 AM

      Asshole...whaaa whaaa whaaa just as infantile as the velveta cheeta in the WH. So a big FUCK YOU! In the language you can understand👎

      Delete
    5. Anonymous10:26 AM

      9:51
      Critical thinking is not your strong point, you poor sissy.
      Which vegetable did you ask for that opinion?
      Funny you should post though as you will be leaving before anyone.
      Diseased tissue is always discarded.
      First.

      Delete
    6. Anonymous10:44 AM

      9:15AM You should leave and take your sorry ass to RUSSIA...Blahahaha..
      And run your mouth over there by all means.
      Putin will take care of you!!!Blahahaha...
      maybe a bag over your head will suit you!!! Blahaha!!!!

      Delete
    7. Anonymous10:53 AM

      Isn't it illegal to use the National Guard in this way?

      Delete
    8. Anonymous11:50 AM

      Given all of the evidence that Russia has been in communication with Trump and/or Trump representatives prior to the election, those that still support him must be okay with that. I can believe that fake news exists but when the evidence is so strong (multiple US and world intelligence), then to deny it must mean that you approve of it.

      Delete
    9. Anonymous2:05 PM

      Whaaaaaaaaa whaaaaaaaaaa cry away little babies!

      Delete
  4. Anonymous9:10 AM

    On Wednesday, Scott Dworkin from the Democratic Coalition Against Trump took to Twitter to reveal that top Trump aide Kellyanne Conway’s husband, George Conway, recently represented a corporation accused of bribing Russian officials.

    Dworkin’s tweet includes documents that show lawyer George Conway represented Hewlett-Packard Co and Hewlett-Packard Mexico in the U.S. District Court in North California’s San Jose division.

    The tweet reads as follows:

    ‘#BREAKING: Kellyanne Conway’s husband George recently represented corp accused of bribing Russian officials #trumpleaks #resist #trumprussia’

    http://www.bipartisanreport.com/2017/02/16/kellyanne-conway-caught-in-breaking-russian-bribe-scandal-here-we-go/

    ReplyDelete
  5. Anonymous9:13 AM

    http://cdn.bipartisanreport.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/cbc.png

    Like a child caught in a series of lies, Trump deflected blame and refused to be held accountable for his own lack of integrity and that of his staff. He even presented a concocted story about how the real cause for concern is leaks from the intelligence community and various federal agencies. Of course, he attacked the “fake” news as often as he could.

    http://www.bipartisanreport.com/2017/02/16/chuck-todd-enters-twitter-war-with-donald-trump-during-insane-press-conference/

    ReplyDelete
  6. Anonymous9:19 AM

    White House tells CNN they’re upset with 2 contributors. They’re both people of color.
    The story broke on the same day Trump claimed to be “the least racist person.”

    https://thinkprogress.org/white-house-upset-cnn-coverage-two-contributors-of-color-909f55cd9af9#.f9f1zv7tv

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous9:56 AM

      Even though trumk is fully racist, compared to banyan , he well may be the least racist person?

      Delete
  7. Anonymous9:20 AM

    The NRA just persuaded Congress to legalize the killing of bear cubs in wildlife refuges

    The House voted to overturn the Obama administration’s ‘Fair Chase’ rule.

    The U.S. House of Representatives voted Thursday to legalize the killing of black bear cubs and their mothers at their dens in Alaska’s national wildlife refuges.

    The controversial measure, backed by the National Rifle Association (NRA), overturns a ‘Fair Chase’ rule, promulgated by the Obama administration, that also limited baiting, trapping, and the use of airplanes to track and shoot bears and wolves on U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service lands in Alaska.

    The vote was met with an outpouring of criticism from wildlife and conservation groups.

    “Alaska’s extreme predator control policies lack scientific support, contravene conservation mandates on national wildlife refuges and defy traditional wildlife management principles,” said Jenny Keatinge, federal lands policy analyst with Defenders of Wildlife. “H.J. Res. 69 would cede federal management of iconic wildlife to the state’s misguided program on over 76 million acres of national wildlife refuges that belong to all Americans.”

    https://thinkprogress.org/congress-legalized-killing-bear-cubs-in-refuges-9ca5d3ae3929#.m20rq3zc4

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous10:00 AM

      They didn't have to "persuade" Congress,
      They simply had to bend over and take it like a "punk ass" using Sara Palin s favorite catch phase.

      Delete
    2. Fuck the NRA.

      Exactly how sportsmanlike is it to hunt bear cubs?

      Delete
  8. Anonymous9:23 AM

    One of the only black people in Trump’s team has been fired for criticizing Trump
    Security guards escorted Shermichael Singleton out of his office Wednesday.

    A senior adviser to Housing and Urban Development Secretary Ben Carson was suddenly fired Wednesday, apparently because the White House discovered he had criticized President Donald Trump.

    Shermichael Singleton, 26, had worked on Carson’s own presidential bid in 2016 before joining the administration. In the closing weeks of the election, Singleton wrote an op-ed critical of Trump in which he blasted the then-nominee’s rhetoric toward black voters as “a coded message from an era in our history that should stay in the past.”

    Singleton had already “answered a number of questions regarding the article and expressed remorse for the piece and support for Mr. Trump” prior to assuming his HUD position in January, the New York Times reports. But administration staff hadn’t finished his background check and “this week, Mr. Trump’s advisers turned up” the op-ed and some related tweets, according to the Times.

    Singleton, who the Huffington Post notes is “one of the few black Republicans in the Trump administration,” told the Times he could not discuss the circumstances of his abrupt firing.

    Security guards reportedly escorted Carson’s aide out of the HUD building Wednesday.

    https://thinkprogress.org/one-of-the-only-black-people-in-trumps-team-has-been-fired-for-criticizing-trump-5748f2d6f247#.2fsxwue9a

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous10:44 AM

      Yet the blond big mouth Kellyanne Conjob criticized Donald before she was on his team,and gets to promoted.I wonder what the difference is?

      Delete
  9. WA Skeptic9:27 AM

    "Help us, Obi Wan; you're our only hope".

    Sigh--a man of honor and integrity. No wonder he didn't want to get close to this mess.

    ReplyDelete
  10. Anonymous9:35 AM

    Russians Are Turning on Donald Trump

    One month in, the new White House is looking chaotic and weak -- the opposite of what Russia respects in a politician.

    http://foreignpolicy.com/2017/02/17/russians-are-turning-on-donald-trump/

    ReplyDelete
  11. Anonymous9:37 AM

    "Shit sandwich" is right.

    ReplyDelete
  12. Anonymous9:40 AM

    Trump is in South Carolina at a Boeing Plant.

    Why can't he say "airplane" versus "air-o-plane"

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous10:54 AM

      Old white man racist at home in SC. "Air-o-plane" is probably the best he can do.

      Delete
    2. My immigrant Dutch father-in-law could only speak somewhat broken English. Run a way, air o plane and pan a cake were pronounced with an extra syllable and air hyphens.
      Little donald trump hasn't quite assimilated.

      Delete
    3. Anonymous 9:40 AM wrote: Why can't he say "airplane" versus "air-o-plane"

      My dictionary lists "aeroplane" as chiefly British variant of airplane.

      Perhaps he's practising for meeting the Queen (in his dreams). Let's not sweat the small stuff.

      Delete
    4. 10:54 Because his parents probably taught him aeroplane.

      Delete
    5. Anonymous2:51 PM

      Because isn't Aeroflot the Ruske airline?

      Delete
  13. Anonymous10:14 AM

    Trump Sends Out ‘Poor Donald is Being Bullied by the Media’ Survey to Supporters

    Another sign of Donald Trump’s insecurities is a survey he sent out to supporters following his rant-n-rave presser Thursday. It was called the “Mainstream Media Accountability Survey.”

    This thoroughly remarkable survey seems intended, as well as to rally the base, to give Donald Trump a much-needed boost in confidence, as the explanation demonstrates with it’s “don’t you agree poor Donald is being bullies” approach:

    http://www.politicususa.com/2017/02/17/trump-sends-poor-donald-bullied-media-survey-supporters.html

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I thought he didn't believe in polls. Oh, that's right, this is a "survey."

      Delete
    2. Anonymous8:26 PM

      WHO is paying for this crap? the taxpayers? then we should all get one.

      Delete
  14. Anonymous10:16 AM

    Bill to Investigate Activities of Russia in 2016 Election Gains First GOP Sponsor

    The Protecting Our Democracy Act (H.R. 356) which has as its purpose to establish a commission “to examine any attempts or activities by the Russian government, persons or entities associated with the Russian government, or persons or entities within Russia to use electronic means to influence, interfere with, or sow distrust in elections for public office held in the United States in 2016.”

    Including Elijah Cummings (D-MD) and Eric Swalwell (D-CA), the bill has 198 cosponsors and it has just gained the one thing it was missing: its first Republican co-sponsor, Rep. Walter B. Jones (R-NC). MSNBC’s Kyle Griffin tweeted the news this morning:

    http://www.politicususa.com/2017/02/17/bill-investigate-activities-russia-2016-election-gains-gop-sponsor.html

    ReplyDelete
  15. Anonymous10:19 AM

    Jared Kushner Takes Trump’s Complaints About CNN to Time Warner Executive

    Apparently the Trump administration is worried that despite the president calling CNN “fake news” at every opportunity, the network isn’t aware that he doesn’t care for their coverage. The Wall Street Journal reports that during a recent meeting with a top Time Warner Inc. executive Jared Kushner, Trump’s son-in-law and adviser, complained that the network’s coverage is biased against the president.

    Kushner is a longtime friend of Gary Ginsberg, who’s an executive vice-president of corporate marketing and communications at CNN’s parent company. During a wide-ranging discussion at the White House, Kushner reportedly complained about specific anti-Trump CNN contributors, including Van Jones, a Democrat who worked in the Obama administration, and Ana Navarro, a Republican strategist.

    http://nymag.com/daily/intelligencer/2017/02/kushner-takes-trumps-cnn-complaints-to-time-warner-exec.html

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Remember, Trump now "owns" the FCC. He can make it very uncomfortable for the media.

      Delete
  16. Anonymous10:38 AM

    OT
    The very folks most likely to have voted for #45 (Texas cattle ranchers) are among the first to be hurt financially by his uninformed threats on the trade agreements with Mexico and his threats to impose a 20% tax on all incoming goods.
    I sure hope those Texans are happy about their choice as their lives get more difficult and their finances dwindle. And if they are not happy - I won't feel a second of sympathy for them. The damage that is being done to the very core of this country rests on their shoulders for their vote - so at least there is some satisfaction that they will suffer too and right where Republicans suffer the most - when it hits their wallets.

    http://www.dallasnews.com/opinion/commentary/2017/02/16/first-casualties-trumps-trade-wars-texas-cattle-ranchers

    #WeWillRise #RESIST #TheResistance #donthecon #popularvoteloser

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous8:28 PM

      Just wait until the crops need picking, with no immigrant workers!!!

      I doubt those coal miners want to pick grapes for less than minimum wage.

      Delete
  17. Anonymous10:41 AM

    There are no words for how vile the trumps are.

    For the second time in three months, the Trumps want to hire immigrant workers, not American.

    http://www.rawstory.com/2017/02/trump-winery-begs-labor-dept-to-hire-more-foreign-workers-over-americans-for-second-time-in-3-months/

    #WeWillRise #RESIST #TheResistance #donthecon #popularvoteloser

    ReplyDelete
  18. Anonymous10:57 AM

    I hope CNN et al basically say 'fuck you' Donald Trump! I agree with statement someone made: "Who the Hell does he think he is?"

    Someone that assuredly doesn't represent the majority of Americans, that is for sure! He truly has a massive ego problem constantly saying how much he won the electoral vote by - which is also another one of his rabid lies!

    He'll never be in office four years!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous2:53 PM

      He won't last 4 months.

      Delete
  19. Anonymous11:11 AM

    This is absofuckinglutely TERRIFYING!

    One Press Conference, Two Audiences

    Viewers who watched it themselves saw a rambling, misleading performance. But those who relied on conservative cable newscasts or talk radio hosts got a very different impression.
    But it is important to understand that millions of Americans got a vastly different impression of what happened. Here is how Rush Limbaugh summed it up for his listeners:

    Folks, it was masterful. It wasn’t scripted. It was nothing that the president had to think long and hard about. He didn’t have to make notes and memorize them and go out. It was improv. It was spontaneous. We had a caller in the last half hour who mentioned how good that was. It was the truth. When you’ve got the truth and when you’re telling people the truth of what you really think, you don’t have to remember it.

    It’s in your heart. It’s like anything else you believe, you don’t need a cram course on what you believe. You don’t really need advisers to tell you what you believe. You believe it, it’s in your heart, it’s in your mind, and you can easily explain it to people, you don’t have to remember it. And that’s who Donald Trump was today. And they came at him from everywhere.

    Here is what Sean Hannity told Fox News viewers who didn’t flip on their TV until later in the evening:

    https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2017/02/break-on-through-to-the-other-side/517098/

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous11:58 AM

      Never listen to Limbaugh so cannot comment but I suspect Sean Hannity is a minor player in the Trump-Russia "Make America Great Again" team. His defense of Trump is a little suspect sometimes.

      Delete
    2. Anonymous2:56 PM

      I think it was full of secret coded messages to Putin. I am totally serious.
      They caught us. "Electric chair. Russia and Putin don't want to deal with us now" .
      Plus, probably the number of times he said "Clinton" and "electoral college win" are codes too lol! Hope Puty had his magic deoder ring on!

      Delete
  20. Anonymous11:47 AM

    Another Donald Trump election twist: Russian diplomat plunged to his death in New York

    This is turning into a bad spy novel

    Now that Donald Trump’s election victory has been tainted by Russian collusion to the point that it’s enveloping his administration in scandal and taking down key advisors in the process, one keeps waiting for the other shoe to drop. After all, with four of his advisors now having been caught collusion with Russian intel officials during the election, it has the makings of a bad spy novel. And now there’s this: a Russian diplomat plunging to his death at the Russian consulate in New York City.

    Although the details are just now surfacing, this incident happened – fittingly enough – on Election Day. Sergei Krivov was found lying on the ground of the Russian consulate with skull crushed, suggesting he had plunged to his death. But the Russian consulate claimed Krivov had died of a heart attack instead, and for some reason, the police decided to go along with the unlikely claim. Naturally, the medical examiner has other ideas. And the story gets even stranger.

    BuzzFeed, which has been digging into the matter, has found that “Sergei Krivov” more or less doesn’t exist. There is no record of his past. And his listed home address is actually an office building for the Smithsonian. And again, this Russian diplomat alarmingly died in New York on Election Day – just a hair up Fifth Avenue from where Donald Trump was watching himself being declared the winner.

    https://www.palmerreport.com/opinion/another-donald-trump-election-twist-russian-diplomat-plunged-to-his-death-in-new-york/1578/

    The Strange Case Of The Russian Diplomat Who Got His Head Smashed In On Election Day

    How did Sergei Krivov die? And why did the NYPD close the case?

    https://www.buzzfeed.com/alimwatkins/the-strange-case-of-the-russian-diplomat-who-got-his-head-sm?utm_term=.hrqJGB5bV#.vqmwn8o2D

    ReplyDelete
  21. Anonymous12:01 PM

    It's all in the plan.

    https://twitter.com/AltStateDpt/status/832379127625871361

    ReplyDelete
  22. Anonymous12:07 PM

    Trump’s Base Shows Signs Of Collapse As His Approval Rating Falls To Record Low 38%

    President Trump's approval rating has fallen to a new of 38%, which means that after one month as president, Trump is close to losing his base of support.

    President Trump’s approval rating has fallen to a new of 38%, which means that after one month as president, Trump is close to losing his base of support.

    The Gallup Daily Tracking Poll has Trump’s job approval at 38%, and his disapproval at 56%.

    Here is the Trump trendline via Gallup:

    http://www.politicususa.com/2017/02/17/trumps-base-shows-signs-collapse-approval-rating-falls-record-38.html

    ReplyDelete
  23. http://www.politico.com/blogs/donald-trump-administration/2017/02/white-house-failed-background-checks-dismissals-235112?utm_source=huffingtonpost.com&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=pubexchange

    "Among those who won't be working at the White House was President Donald Trump’s director of scheduling, Caroline Wiles, the daughter of Susan Wiles, Trump’s Florida campaign director and former chief of staff to Governor Rick Scott. Wiles, who resigned Friday before the background check was completed, was appointed deputy assistant secretary before the inauguration in January. Two sources close to Wiles said she will get another job in Treasury."

    Yep. Failed the background check so now she's going to work in TREASURY. Oh, I feel so much better now.

    ReplyDelete

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