Donald Trump’s campaign met regularly with Russian intelligence officials

As many of us hoped/expected, the resignation – or was it a firing? – of National Security Advisor Michael Flynn is just the tip of the iceberg. If the iceberg is “a foreign power’s influence over an American president.” Throughout Tuesday, Republican and Democratic senators and representatives were asked whether there should be further investigations into Flynn and the White House’s cozy relationship with Russia. Obviously, the Democrats want ALL of the investigations, and many are asking for an independent counsel to investigate. The Republicans? Well, except for a handful of senators (McCain, Graham, Blunt), they are content to not investigate. Because they know that if you pull at one string of the Baby Fists administration, the whole Russian sweater comes unraveled. Most Republicans are content to put party ahead of country, like Rand Paul, who said that investigating the Flynn matter further would be “excessive,” and then this:

“I just don’t think it’s useful to be doing investigation after investigation, particularly of your own party. We’ll never even get started with doing the things we need to do, like repealing Obamacare, if we’re spending our whole time having Republicans investigate Republicans. I think it makes no sense.”

[From CNN]

Yes, why investigate a Russian takeover of an American presidency when they could be repealing health care for millions of Americans? PRIORITIES.

As for Russia, Flynn and everything else, here are some stories you should keep your eye on:

Michael Flynn’s lies. No one in the Baby Fists administration can keep their stories straight about what Flynn told them and when and what they knew and who said what. There are legitimate reasons for a more thorough investigation, mostly because there are SO MANY LIES and it would be nice to nail down some of these details. Meanwhile, the FBI interviewed Flynn weeks ago and there’s a pretty good chance that he lied to the FBI. Which is a crime.

What did Mike Pence & Baby Fists know? I mean… who can even keep track, but at this point I think we’re supposed to believe that Baby Fists knew about Flynn and the Russian connection weeks before Mike Pence knew. Sure. Maybe.

The New York Times’ latest bombshell. First of all, WaPo and the NYT are doing some great reporting… but on the other side, I feel like they’re both benefiting from the fact that the intelligence community has openly declared war on the Trump administration and intelligence officials are just looking to leak information to anyone and everyone. Anyway, the NYT dropped this story late last night – intelligence agencies have been keeping track of all of the calls and meetings between Trump’s staff and “senior Russian intelligence officials,” and those calls and meetings go back months. Trump’s people were meeting regularly with Russian intelligence during the campaign. American intelligence communities found the communications as they were investigating Russia’s hacks of the DNC, and the investigation morphed into trying to figure out the extent of the collusion between Baby Fists and Putin.

Russia violated an arms treaty. Putin deployed a cruise missile, violating the 1987 treaty on Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces, which was signed by President Ronald Reagan and Mikhail Gorbachev.

And finally, #TrumpImpeachmentParty is trending on Twitter. I hope this hashtag becomes a reality.

Photos courtesy of Getty.

You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.

260 Responses to “Donald Trump’s campaign met regularly with Russian intelligence officials”

Comments are Closed

We close comments on older posts to fight comment spam.

  1. jmooo says:

    Things are not going well for Trump and his people…

    • BengalCat2000 says:

      Hope all of them get taken down for Treason.

      • Tata says:

        Especially rand paul. I want to say I cannot believe he is putting party before country but he has a history of saying dumb things, so…..

        My issue is – I know democrats are far from a perfect party, but what is the deal republicans, where is the attitude of service and patriotism? You guys go crazy and impeach over lying about oral sex, and yet lying about Russian interference is no biggie.

      • Anitas says:

        If this were Hilary by any chance, you know she would’ve been guillotined live on Fox News, quite literally. Because emails!

        Meanwhile Teflon Don slides on.

      • Original T.C. says:

        Treason and exposing state secrets to his hotel guests including the Nuclear football pics. Nothing but silence from the HRC “emailgate” Republicans and Independents about the Mar-Lago incident. Unbelievable! Grounds for impeachment by itself.

        http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-4223218/President-Trump-delivers-speech-Mar-Lago-wedding.html

      • Lightpurple says:

        @Tata, Paul tried to cut a line in a sandwich shop the other day and my cousin and others in the line told him off for cutting the line and everything else.

      • RussianBlueCat says:

        Trump will not leave quietly if it looks like he will be impeached. I can see him dragging down so many people who he feels betrayed him. He will be like a cornered animal and lash out. He will make sure to do some lasting damage to the Republican Party.

      • Deering says:

        RussianBlueCat–Nothing would be more perfect than Trump destroying himself–and making the GOP radioactive for several generations. My mother swears that karma/God is causing all this, and I can but agree. 😉

    • Megan says:

      This news about the Trump campaign’s contacts with Russia leaked months ago. And it was well known that Flynn discussed sanctions with the Russian ambassador. Why is it suddenly front page news? I assume the intelligence community has decided to go full throttle on Trump. Let’s hope they win.

      • DianaB says:

        I thought that too. We knew this already; I guess the intelligence community has decided to leak tangible proof so there is no doubt about how a traitor Easy D is,

      • bleu_moon says:

        There have been rumors and articles in smaller outlets since October 2016. The MSM didn’t report on any of it because it was still unsubstantiated and frequently cited a single unnamed source. Now there is more evidence leaked by the intelligence community they feel justified reporting on it. “Mother Jones” and “Salon” had articles on the Russian connections months ago. The first thing I remembered seeing was about Trump quoting from Sputnik, a Kremlin propaganda website, at a rally in mid-October.

      • Jellybean says:

        I wonder if the British investigator and his family are still in hiding.

      • bleu_moon says:

        @Jellybean- I hope so, because upsetting Putin generally doesn’t work out well.

      • supposedtobeworking says:

        I have a question – are all the president’s calls recorded? Or communication in the Oval Office? And staff calls? I thought there was some consequence from Nixon, but I am not familiar with the protocol and have wondered. I heard Russia recorded the conversations and was able to blackmail Flynn. I hope all nations are recording these conversations because Trump says one thing then changes his stance.

      • Tiffany :) says:

        “Why is it suddenly front page news?”

        I think the intelligence community tested the Trump administration, and they failed the test. They had to give them time to do things that are illegal in order to remove them from power. Hints of corruption mean nothing. Proof of corruption means everything.

      • jwoolman says:

        Jellybean — I’m worried about his cat…. he had to leave so suddenly, he asked his neighbor to take care of the cat.

    • NYGal says:

      Anyone else thinking they are protecting /covering up for Pence, at the expense of Trump on purpose . As this is the bigger plan ??

      • Ama says:

        I do, NYGal!

        Also: Trump was right after all – these elections were rigged. That calls not only for impeachment, but dor RE-ELECTIONS!
        “All rigged, SO SAD!”

      • SusanneToo says:

        Re-election, hell! Just install the person who received 3 million more votes. Or beg Barack to come back, pretty please.

      • Amy Tennant says:

        Absolutely. They have to protect Pence. He’s most likely going to be POTUS before four years are up.

      • Radley says:

        Yes, I do. They’ve beat that drum very hard that Pence was “lied to”. I’m sure there’s infighting in the Republican party that should a resignation and/or impeachment happen about who gets the Presidency. Probably some want Pence and some want Paul Ryan. The right wing is in disarray because of Agent Orange, no doubt about it. The Dems need to toughen up and work on their messaging but the Repubs have potentially full blown criminal/treason issues on their hands.

        But back to Pence. He’s dirty. He knows what’s going on and has I’d guess since before the election. Don’t let him slither off the hook.

      • adastraperaspera says:

        Yes. You can be sure that the GOP leadership is busily cutting deals right now to keep themselves out of the line of fire. Mitch McConnell and Paul Ryan both gave interviews to “Morning Joe” where they answered softball questions and asserted that they are most certainly anti-Russian “hawks” against any interference *cough*. Lots of CYA underway.

    • MamaHoneyBadger says:

      Journo friends here in DC say the WH is leaking like a sieve. An unprecedented sieve.

    • AnneC says:

      He’s heading down to mar al lago this weekend for some more public dining room security briefings. He can’t get a private dining room because no one would be there to give him a standing ovation like he got last weekend. The emperor needs adulation!

    • r.s.orr says:

      The endgame for me is watching him be IMPEACHED. I still believe Russia had voting machines hacked.

  2. amy says:

    “One Republican lawmaker is saying he sees a pattern in the leaks that brought down President Donald Trump’s National Security Advisor Michael Flynn.

    Speaking to national security columnist Eli Lake of Bloomberg View, Rep. Devin Nunes, the chairman of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, suggested that Flynn may be just be the beginning of Trump’s inner circle fallen by enemies within the U.S. government.

    ‘First it’s Flynn, next it will be Kellyanne Conway, then it will be Steve Bannon, then it will be Reince Priebus,’ Nunes told the right-of-center Lake, who then referred to Flynn as the ‘appetizer’ and the president as ‘the entree.'”

    http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-4225488/Is-conspiracy-destroy-Trump-s-inner-circle.html

    • Nicole says:

      Yep this is the beginning. GOP may be content to let America fall to the influence of the Kremlin but the intelligence community won’t. Neither should the people.
      I know my republican friends have a running list of who they want out. I’ve never seen something like this before. Before they were content to vote for HRC and red down the ballot. Now it’s the opposite. It’s amazing really.

      • Merry says:

        I agree that these people must go but read Amys post again. What should stand out is that this guy is preemptively calling any scandal around these names a coup plot by “enemies of the State”. This is a rallying call to their base and more importantly Republicans in the House to circle the wagons. He chairs the select committee on Intelligence too and so its sending a very clear message of war against the intelligence community. He was basically sent out to tell the world that the intelligence community is an enemy of the State is what I am saying.

        If I sound frantic and alarmed, its because I am.

      • Esmom says:

        Merry, I’m frantic and alarmed, too. In this upside down world, I have no faith that justice can or will be served.

      • DianaB says:

        Exactly Merry! my God, this people are frightening. First the press now the intelligence community until their followers trust no one but their own lying mouths.

      • bleu_moon says:

        I read the Fox News site daily because I feel like I should know what the Republicans are thinking and because I’m a glutton for punishment, I guess. 😉 The comments are frequently horrific, but usually one of the first places you see crazy conspiracy theories or the results of spin. Fox lets people post things that would normally be deleted for racism or threats of violence. There is definitely a decent percentage of Fox readers/viewers who would rather the Russians took over the government than the Democrats. That is how effective the Fox propaganda has been for Republicans. Plus side? I’ve noticed an influx of liberal trolls since the election.

      • Nicole says:

        I’m not panicking simply because I already did weeks ago when he started down this road. If I panic every time trump proves he’s a fascist I would not be able to function at all. So I get the post but I wasn’t focusing on that because we already knew this. He already declared war on the intelligence community and we know he doesn’t let the press in and calls them enemies. This is not new. I just choose to focus my panic into action right now to hold onto the sanity i currently have left

      • Radley says:

        @ Merry

        Yeah there was a Congressman on CNN this morning basically saying the same. He also called for the State Department to be investigated over leaks and threw around the word “imprisonment”. It was a cold blooded attempt to scare whistleblowers and the media. But this kind of whistleblowing is protected under Federal law. Nice try, desperate Republican shill.

      • Esmom says:

        bleu_moon: “There is definitely a decent percentage of Fox readers/viewers who would rather the Russians took over the government than the Democrats.”

        This might just be the most frightening and disheartening thing I’ve heard yet.

      • Tiffany :) says:

        Exactly, Merry. They are saying that exposing treason is bigger issue than committing treason. Terrifying.

      • Rapunzel says:

        And yet, when Russia was hacking Hillary, all these folks were like “no big deal, we needed to know this stuff”

        Exposing corruption is apparently only okay if it’s the side you don’t like.

      • Ashamed 2 b a Fl girl says:

        To Merry and all of those who also responded…I remember when President Obama left office (I have to paraphrase) he said words to the effect of I’m not leaving, I will be watching, and I won’t let him get away with anything. Unlike baby fists, President Obama took full security briefings everyday. This stuff has been going on throughout the campaign. Obama knows! He couldn’t say anything as President but he can as a private citizen, and I believe he will. Right now the situation is taking care of itself, I mean, it has been 26 days! This administration is imploding.

      • Tiffany :) says:

        Ashamed, that is why I think the intelligence community tested the Trump administration. I think Sally Yates played her part. When she informed the Trump Administration about Pence and noted that he might be compromised, the intelligence community/Dept of Justice watched for their reaction. If they weren’t colluding with Russia, there would have been immediate consequences for Flynn. But they did nothing. By not firing Flynn, the administration showed they were in on the collusion. They gave Trump enough rope to harm himself.

    • sarri says:

      I can’t wait for the day Bannon will be brought down.

    • Merry says:

      Dear God that link! So this Nunes guy is selling the idea that any negative info on Trump insiders is a plot by enemies from within? The Chair of the House Committe on Intelligence is already peddling the line of propaganda that its the US intelligence agents and not the Russians that are the worry here, and he gets away with that?

    • lightpurple says:

      They’ve been circling the wagons for months. We knew back in October that Russia had hacked various election accounts but Mitch McConnell was against any investigations. And who personally benefited from the election results? Mitch McConnell. When the dossier information and more allegations about the hack came out in early January, McConnell was still opposed to any kind of investigation. Now, he says they’ll investigate. Sure, Mitch. Why wasn’t the investigation begun in October?

  3. Amy says:

    In that last picture, Pence’s face looks like it’s just dawned on him how fully he has sold his soul.

    And Sessions has that look that Umbridge got when she used that evil quill on students.

    • Esmom says:

      I know, that photo is creepily fascinating. I honestly don’t know who creeps me out the most, so many candidates for the top spot. *shivers*

    • lightpurple says:

      Sessions would be wise to remember Nixon’s AG John Mitchell, who went to prison for Watergate.

    • Sarah says:

      Nonsense. Pence didn’t have a soul to sell.

      • LA Elle (formerly Elle R.) says:

        A friend of mine joked that atheists should embrace Pence as proof that there is no god.

  4. WellWellWell says:

    If Trump’s bronzer line is any indication, he’s going to f-ck up any attempt at a coverup
    https://twitter.com/danaschwartzzz/status/831525577165242368

    • PGrant's Girl says:

      Hahaha that’s amazing!

    • Alexandria says:

      If this admin’s education ministry already screwed up their spelling in tweets, you know they’re all just downright incompetent. Gives me extra confidence in next interview.

      • Christin says:

        During a tweet frenzy this morning, the orange one’s account spelled nonsense as two words, with a hyphen. Such ‘non-sense’! The errors illustrate their competence level.

        May I add what a great Valentine’s Day gift it was to see more dots thrown onto the canvas. As Bernstein suggested to reporters, just follow the money.

      • lucy2 says:

        The education dept. not only misspelled, but then wrote “our apologizes” instead of “our apologies” in their apology.
        Also, there’s a grammatical error on an official Trump inauguration photo with a quote, using “to” instead of the correct “too.”
        Head-desk. Face-palm. Non-sense.

      • Christin says:

        We must add ‘non-sense’ to our comments! Sad!

    • Radley says:

      LMAO! Everything about this dude is just sloppy, messy, wtf, don’t and no.

  5. Carol Hill says:

    Fingers are crossed!!

  6. Jellybean says:

    Each day when I walk my dog I chat to another dog walker. He is into conspiracies and thinks Trump will dies in mysterious circumstances. I think he will be impeached. We have been taking bets about this since he was elected, but now I really think I am onto a winner.

    • sarri says:

      I think he will resign, so he won’t have to go to jail etc.

      • IlsaLund says:

        Trump’s ego will never allow him to resign.

      • lightpurple says:

        Resigning won’t keep him out of prison. If he committed crimes, a presidential pardon would be necessary to keep him out of prison.

      • bleu_moon says:

        I could see Trump resigning if he thinks he might be impeached. That way he can spin it as a conspiracy against him. “It’s so unfair folks. Very, very unfair. I gave up my very successful businesses to come here and help our country become great again. But they won’t let me do it. They just won’t. I don’t know why. So I’m like, why bother? I’ll go back to my very, very nice penthouse and keep making lots and lots of money. I tried folks, bigly, I tried.” Something like that but with more Obama/Hillary/ I won the popular vote thrown in.

      • eXo says:

        @bleu_moon:

        ITAWY!

      • Esmom says:

        bleu_moon, that is completely plausible. Fingers crossed.

    • ell says:

      i’m not into conspiracies at all, but the way he breathes doesn’t sound very healthy. so you know, we might get lucky.

      • Betsy says:

        No way. I want this thing investigated thoroughly. I want them out on their bums and in prison as appropriate. Ivanka, Jared, Steve, Donald, Manafort, Stone, Pence, MConnell, Nunes, Ryan…. I want these treasonous boomwads exposed.

    • lucy2 says:

      At this point, nothing would surprise me.

    • Radley says:

      Ask your conspiracy friend if North Korea’s missile test plus the murder of Kim Jung Un’s brother on foreign soil was a message for Cheetolini? I think North Korea wants it known by Trump that the government is run by some ruthless cold blooded killers who ain’t afraid to go there.

      Same with Russia’s missile deployment violating a treaty and also having a spy vessel off the East coast of the US. They want it known by Orange Apocalypse that he better keep cooperating.

      I guess NOW he understands why international diplomacy is a thing. What a breathtakingly arrogant f*ck up he is.

    • Becky says:

      I’m anticipating some sort of freak accident happening to Trump, either that or someone shoots him.

      Going on a boat off his resort and falling over the side (a la Robert Maxwell).

    • LA Elle (formerly Elle R.) says:

      Think Ivanka might poison him to preserve her brand?

      Ooo, that might be my new favorite conspiracy theory. Trump dies in mysterious circumstances due to one of his kids killing him to protect their lifestyle.

  7. Jayna says:

    Donald is a mad little baby comrade this morning. He’s tweeting away.

    • Megan says:

      Someone needs to take his phone away. Those tweets will be used as evidence against him at the impeachment trial.

    • Nancy says:

      Right. But his tweets are ludicrous. He is still obsessed with Obama and Hillary (trying to divert attention from the subject at hand) and the dirty lying media. He knew for at least 17 days that Flynn was playing footsies with the Russians, but doesn’t know how to disassociate himself. In his own words, drain the damn swamp, expose the lies. This bad hombre is going to have to face the music soon, a swan song for a devious man who by now has to realize he cannot lead our country. Fix us somebody…

      • Shambles says:

        He knew for much, much longer than 17 days that Flynn was playing footsies with the Russians… Trump has been full-on tongue kissing the Russians for quite some time

      • Rapunzel says:

        shambles- tongue kissing? They’ve been getting full on BJs from him. It’s so gross.

      • cd says:

        Flynn was probably just following instructions and mediating between *45 and Russia. Flynn is the filling in that Trumputin sandwich.

    • Disco Dancer says:

      Why just take his phone away? Someone needs to break his tiny fingers so that he can’t tweet for a long time!

  8. anniefannie says:

    I was woken by a text from NYT with this headline at about 4:00 am and I got so excited I couldn’t go back to sleep. I’m thinking impeachment could be a possibility!
    I think the intelligence community is going drip, drip info til the GOP has to investigate.
    This is what happens when you smear agencies and intelligence officers. The fact that Trump didn’t immediately fire Flynn when he found out about the communication w/ the Russians is really going to be difficult to explain as most will assume he was colluding. I’m loving 2017 so far..

    • Juls says:

      I’ve been giddy the past few days. Terrified, yes, because this may end badly for us all before the toilet flushes these turds. But I have finally started to come out of my deep depression, so that’s good at least.

    • NastyWoman says:

      Nope. He’s claiming it’s fake news and his deplorables are all over facebook and other social media squawking about how unfair this “conspiracy theory” is to their emperor.

      • Saras says:

        Drum Trumputin out along with the rest of the traitors!

      • lucy2 says:

        Doesn’t matter what his supporters think. When the GOP has had enough, they’ll move to remove him. Whether that comes from internal party conflict or enough evidence piling up that people are out with pitchforks remains to be seen.

    • Christin says:

      The only question is, how thick will the smoke have to get before the legislative branch does their job? It’s getting heavier by the day, yet many seem to be ignoring it and/or wanting to talk about why Smokey the Bear has the nerve to warn us about fires.

    • Tiffany :) says:

      “This is what happens when you smear agencies and intelligence officers.”

      I am hoping the intelligence community stands up for what is right, because they may be our only hope right now. I do worry about the FBI, though. They’ve seemed to have some odd priorities over the last year.

  9. Lenn says:

    Will impeachment mean that Pence becomes president? What if he also lied? Who would be next in line? are new elections possible? Questions from me in Holland

    • Kaye says:

      Hi Lenn–Pence would be president, which is honestly more terrible than Trump as president–although, the hope would be that his power would be muted completely by lame duck status (the same it was for Gerald Ford) and this entire white nationalist nightmare would be over by 2020. After Pence (if he was swept up in this) would be (and this is even worse) Paul Ryan. That’s how succession works–because ostensibly “speaker of the house” would be most representative of the american public, since he serves in the house of representatives.

      Again–it probably won’t get to Paul Ryan and it certainly won’t get to new elections (sadly) but the hope is that Pence would be a lame duck because of how much his character (that i assume he had at some point in his life before he became the monster that he is now) would be too far besmirched.

      I hope that helps!

    • abingaling says:

      it goes POTUS, Pence, Ryan, Hatch… None are wanted.

    • Onerous says:

      Are you guys reading the RoguePOTUSstaff tweets? Incredible stuff… from what they say… and this is insane… the only people holding Trump back are Preibus and Pence – they say without them, things would be much, much worse…

      I strongly oppose everything Mike Pence stands for, however, he’s a politician… he won’t get us all blown up.

      • bleu_moon says:

        I follow @Roguepotusstaff! There are several alleged “inside the White House” leakers, but RouePotusstaff is the only one I think *might* be legit. I actually worried for them when their feed went dark for a day or so.

      • Holla here says:

        I like reading @RoguePotusStaff “insider” leaks too. But he/she tweeted on Feb 13 that Flynn was not going anywhere, hours before Flynn resigned. So yeah, taking it with a grain of salt of now.

      • lucy2 says:

        I read that one daily, I too think it’s legit.
        If it’s to be believed, I *think* maybe Pence isn’t as involved in the Russian stuff, but it’s hard to say. Trump for sure, and hopefully he is impeached or resigns soon.
        I loathe Pence, but I’d rather fight a couple of years of bigotry than flat out crazy that can blow up the world.

    • DianaB says:

      Can’t you guys demand new elections via protest? just a thought.

      • Lynnie says:

        As far as I know we can’t. Once they’re done and the President is sworn in that’s it. We do have steps to remove him/her such as impeachment, the president resigning himself, 25th amendment being invoked and the president being declared incompetent, assassination, etc.

        Once he’s removed though, presidential succession starts. Although I am curious to see what will happen if it’s proven that Russia interfered with the election beyond propaganda. Would that take down more people in the succession line and be enough to get a new election? Who knows

      • LA Elle (formerly Elle R.) says:

        I honestly feel like America’s been in a Constitutional Crisis since November 8 and that extraordinary measures are required. So as Lynnie said, no, technically, that’s not an option … but I also think like, for the preservation of American democracy and protesting the Constitution, the current system isn’t strong enough to protect itself.

      • Otaku Fairy says:

        I WISH.

    • lightpurple says:

      It only goes to Ryan if Trump and Pence both die, leave office or are removed from office before a new Vice President can be appointed and approved. Nixon’s VP Spiro Agnew resigned because he was facing income tax charges and Gerald Ford was then appointed and approved. He moved up when Nixon removed and then nominated Nelson Rockefeller as VP and he was approved by Congress. The Speaker of the House at the time remained right where he was.

      We cannot demand new elections. The next presidential election is in November 2020.

  10. Jayna says:

    Did anyone see that Stephen Miller interview with George Stephanopolous from the other day? Wow! What a nutcase.

    • Odette says:

      My husband and I have taken to calling him “Omen Damien”.

    • Linabear says:

      Miller really scares the crap out of me, and every time I watch an interview of him I get chills.

    • Kitten says:

      He is completely insane. It just boggles my mind how these people can continue to straight-up LIE to the faces of the American people. Evil doesn’t begin to describe this administration.

      • NastyWoman says:

        What boggles MY mind is the sheer number of people who believe them. If you go that Kellyanne thread, it was a “fan” telling her he loves her and it’s great how she puts up with the “hate” from the media and the liberals. These people and their followers are deluded. The world is upside down.

      • Marley says:

        “.It just boggles my mind how these people can continue to straight-up LIE to the faces of the American people.”

        Politicians and governments are renowned for lying. I’m surprised that you’re surprised.

      • Kitten says:

        It really is some Nazi-level brainwashing shit.

        @Marley- Nah. I don’t even recall any administration in US history continuing to deny truths-both insignificant and impactful-that are easily proven.

    • Giddy says:

      That man is scary crazy.

    • Merry says:

      “The end result of this, is that our opponents, the media and the whole world will soon see that the powers of the president are very substantial and will not be questioned”.

      The above quote was made by
      A) Benito Mussolini B) Joseph Goebbels C) Stephen Miller. D) A James Bond villain. E) All of the above have at some point said something to this effect.

      (Answer is E but full marks if you also answered C.)

    • LA Elle (formerly Elle R.) says:

      This is the result of decades of fake news, a weakened public education system, and oligarchs buying elections. Look at Cruz or Rubio. They’re in no way fit to be in the Senate (and not just because I disagree with the them politically) – they’re useful puppets to distract from the real issues. The problem is, I think they finally went too far with Trump and his ilk.

      (And reading this, I realize I sound like a conspiracy nut job … )

    • Deering says:

      As if Bannon and nice-dad-face-on-fanaticism Pence weren’t terrifying enough.

  11. RussianBlueCat says:

    With all the baggage this man has( bankruptcies, sexual assault allegations, shady business deals, multiple marriages/cheating, etc) why on earth did the Republican Party pick him as nominee in the first place? Granted the other choices were not great, but he has become just one huge train wreck. Everyday brings some new trauma/drama to the public. Didn’t anyone in the party stop and think “this guy is not exactly a great choice”
    I am seriously concerned something is going to happen to take the attention away from all the turmoil in the White House. Notice how Steve Bannon has been very quiet lately?

    • Esmom says:

      I don’t think they wanted him…and like me they also didn’t think he could possibly win the primaries. But he did. We can thank the American voters for serving him up as their candidate.

      • B n A fn says:

        They did not picked him, he bulldozed his way to the top by lying, insulting all the people who were running for president. He screamed and yelled that he was going to put Hillary in jail, “lock her up”. Now he maybe the one joking to jail, ha, ha, ha. His people loved all the nonsense about building the Wall and Mexico would pay for it. He promised everything that his racist followers wanted to hear. He’s going to “Make America Great Again” by keeping out the brown people out of The country. . Most His supporters are just dispictable, jmo.

      • Esmom says:

        B n A fn, No arguments here.

    • Malificent says:

      The Republican establishment didn’t pick Trump. They detest him too and there was much discussion over how he could be stopped. However, he was elected as the Republican candidate in the primary election, and most Republican officials chose party over decency.

    • Jaded says:

      Trump is nothing more than a figurehead – it’s Bannon who is pulling his strings with the ultimate goal in mind of creating a fascist dictatorship and kleptocracy . He will use any excuse to create a state of emergency, thereby handing ultimate power over to the small cabal of rich, white, racists that now run the WH. Look for a fake assassination attempt, fake terrorism threats, anything to destabilize the democratic principles that are at the heart of America’s Constitution.

      • cd says:

        This is the real danger!

      • dj says:

        @Jaded. Holy cow! You are right on the money so much my stomach just dropped! The fake assassination attempt and fake terrorism threats would play right into Bannon deranged planning. Yikes. Let’s hope we can get these nut balls out by impeachment and get Bannon out. He really scares the **** out of me.

  12. Bex says:

    Sally Yates has my utmost respect.

    I dont know enough about the American system so could anyone tell me- if this blows up further and Trump is impeached (surely we’re getting to that point?!), will his whole administration be implicated and the election nullified (what even happens then?!) or will Pence/Ryan/whoever is next in line simply slide into place as #46?

    The whole thing is just mind boggling. It’s not like Hillary didn’t warn everyone either. But emails!

    • Malificent says:

      Unfortunately, his whole administration would not go. In the US, we vote individuals into office, not the entire party. So the next in line for the presidency (Pence and Ryan) will remain unless they are found to be personally involved in the impeachable activities. When Nixon resigned, his vice-president, Gerald Ford, became president because he had not been involved in Watergate.

    • lightpurple says:

      Next in line would be Pence who then gets to nominate a new Vice President who must be approved by Congress. Ryan moves up only if Trump & Pence go simultaneously before a new VP is appointed.

  13. margie says:

    BUT HER EMAILZZZ!!!! Benghazi!!!! SHE STAYED WITH A CHEATING HUSBAND!! Donald Trump is the lesser of two evils, amirite? hahahahaha

    • sunnydaze says:

      But she’s SO UNLIKABLE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
      But she spoke at banking conferences!!!!!
      But the Clinton Foundation!!!!!!!!
      But she’s a “politician”!!!!!!!

      I keep thinking Trump supporters will come to their senses, but the depth of denial is unfathomable to me.

      But what do I know, I’m just a butt-hurt libtard snowflake. Excuse me while I sort through the endless notifications on my phone about Russian influence, verified intelligent compromises, ethics breaches, disregard of treaties, and willful blind eyes because Obamacare.

      • margie says:

        You are my people. My own father has said I’m just a snowflake that needs to quit whining. I am like, but you old rich white guys are the ones who are so offended by every.single.thing. liberals say or do, often in defense of or to help marginalized people…who is actually the snowflake? But like you said, the depth of denial is never ending.

      • sunnydaze says:

        Margie:

        My mother always described my brother as “if he weren’t so damn funny I’d have killed him eons ago. But he does something so stupid and I can’t help but laugh.” It’s true – my brother is a really funny guy with that Irish wit and dry sarcasm. Anyway, not long ago my mother was making dinner and my brother plucks off a piece of turkey. She turns to him and says, “Jonathan! I told you to stop picking at the turkey!” He looks at her, totally serious, and says “I didn’t.” She starts getting a bit red in the face (He’s a very big guy, 6’7, 300 lbs and his “plucking” is like a huge piece). “I JUST SAW YOU!” She yells, but kind of laughing at the same time. He reaches right in front of her, staring her in the eye and plucks off another piece. “I didn’t touch anything. Stop lying mom.”

        Every time I see a new piece of evidence come out and a Trump supporter tries to defend it I this scene plays in my mind.

  14. MunichGirl says:

    Well, maybe Michael Moore was right after all.

  15. Capepopsie says:

    This must be a nightmare. . . .?!

  16. minx says:

    Drip, drip, drip.

  17. Esmom says:

    This might be a stupid question but I haven’t been able to find any answers about why, if the intelligence community has been onto these Russian ties for a while, didn’t this come out more forcefully BEFORE the election? I don’t get it.

    • DianaB says:

      Wondering the same thing. Why have they let him get this far and do that much damage?

    • margie says:

      I think they, much like all of America, did not think our present situation would come to pass. They don’t want to get involved if they don’t have to.

    • sunnydaze says:

      This may be me mis-remembering because I was up all night with a sick kiddo, but or some reason I feel like I heard/read no one shared this information before the election because it would look like Clinton was trying to sway the election and they didn’t have enough details to put it out there without a doubt – If they were going to risk the potential backlash they had to make sure every last detail was 100% verified. I’m not sure how true that is, but I can kind of see them weighing the risk to her campaign, that by being open about the Russian ties it might make her look petty and she was already running an uphill battle campaign against someone who thrived on attacking her integrity. Not to mention his supporters were so die-hard and his campaign was so heavy on the “this is rigged!” mentality it perpetuated this deep distrust of all things related to career politicians. So while it seems like it would have been the no-brainer thing to do I think the intelligence community was just like me – I really thought up until the last few votes were in there was no way in hell Trump would win. But, if they released this information without all ducks in a row it might sway those folks on the fence in that Trump’s camp could spin it as “look how outrageous this is! How could liberals be so low!”

      I don’t know, I’m so confused and scared and nauseated.

      • swak says:

        Hope your kiddo is feeling better!

      • Lightpurple says:

        McConnell told Obama that he would be influencing the election

      • steerpike says:

        Lightpurple, I definitely remember that McConnell told Obama that any attempt to challenge the Russian hacking publicly would be treated as partisan politics, but didn’t he also threaten to make a huge deal of that so it would blow up in Obama’s face and make it seem like Obama was trying to influence the election? At the time, people were expecting Clinton to win, so maybe Obama didn’t want to risk tarnishing her win by making it look like she was helped.

        Edited to add: Oops…I see that SusanneToo has already made my last point just below.

    • SusanneToo says:

      Until Comey’s last interference wasn’t HRC ahead in the polls by 12%. Go back and look at our posts on CB at the time-we all expected her to win. And, as said, the other side had been planting the “rigged” narrative. Her admin would have been tainted had Intelligence intervened.

      • Christin says:

        Remember how Rudy G and others smugly predicted a big surprise, and it happened days before the election?

        The timeline since last summer will likely be analyzed and make more sense as the drips turn into a steady flow.

    • cindy says:

      Me too, esmom.

      Also, why isn’t Flynn in hand-cuffs? I hate even typing that because it looks so naive, but isn’t this treason? Or collusion? If we know as fact that the Russians influenced baby fists election, how is the presidency legitimate? And yet…..no impeachment possible until 2018 when (if), democrats have majority? And from what I understand we STILL need republican votes to impeach, so it’s a long shot at best. We all just sit here and destruct under our Russian elected president?

      • Esmom says:

        cindy, I agree with everything you’re saying. We thought Republican obstruction was bad under Obama — this seriously takes everything to a whole new level. I feel like we really are operating under an authoritarian regime now. WHO the f%ck is going to stand up and do something about it? The Dems are powerless.

        And sunnydaze, that all makes sense. Teflon Don’s supporters wouldn’t have believed any of this anyway. They still apparently don’t. Hope you get some rest today and that your kiddo gets better soon!

    • That is an excellent question, one that people in independent media have been asking, too. Would it still have been worth investigating had Hillary been elected?

  18. PunkyMomma says:

    I can’t see Trump exiting the presidency easily. Combined with the Republicans determined to implement every iota of their agenda while in power, the megalomaniac Il Douche is going to take us all down with him.

    Are there no Republicans left who put their country over their party?

    • Pip says:

      “Il Douche”: I like that – very clever.

      Who was the shortest serving President prior to this debacle? Surely impeachment has to come soon, although I’m not counting any chickens …

      • Julaine says:

        The shortest serving President was Willian Henry Harrison, the 9th US President. He served 31 days and dies of complications from pneumonia he apparently contracted during his Inaguration.

    • Merry says:

      I can see them throwing him over if he were to do something so egregious that it would be political suicide not to ditch him or he locks Pence out completely. The reason Trumps office is pushing the illogical theory that Flynn left for lying to the VP is because it reminds establishment Republicans that one of their own is also in office and he is being allowed some authority. (Illogical because Trump has known for weeks that Pence was lied to and is only acting now because the story was leaked)

      • Esmom says:

        I hear you but at this point what would any of the Republicans consider “political suicide” if they haven’t already?

  19. Giddy says:

    I am so angry. To think that while Hillary was out on the campaign trail fighting all the fake news stories that were being planted, Trump’s campaign staff was making sure that the fix was in. I keep thinking of the morning of the election how excited I was. We were going to elect our first woman President. I wore my Nasty Woman t-shirt all day. There were so many women going to Susan B. Anthony’s grave to wait for the results and celebrate. And so many women took their daughters with them when they voted, so they would remember the historic day. But all along the Russian fix was in.

    Two faces of evil: https://www.google.com/search?q=kellyanne+conway+steve+bannon&client=safari&hl=en-us&prmd=niv&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwj29O7inJLSAhUG7oMKHU8sCTsQ_AUICCgC&biw=1024&bih=681#imgrc=_Vux4t2exm1WSM:

    • Esmom says:

      I know. I KNOW. It’s beyond demoralizing and frightening.

    • Snowflake says:

      I know! I went to bed early on the night of the election because I knew i would wake up to Hillary having won it. I was in shock when i got up and found out he had won. To me, he sucked. Couldn’t debate, no solid issues/platform, just throwing dirt. Crazy

    • adastraperaspera says:

      It guts me. Our daughter is still not over the “defeat” and neither are we.

  20. Jenns says:

    The next season of The Americans is pretty much writing itself at this point.

    This is also a good read. Basically, this is just beginning:

    https://newrepublic.com/article/140631/trump-white-house-screwed-big-league?utm_content=bufferb2f8e&utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter.com&utm_campaign=buffer

    • Pip says:

      The header photo of that article makes me feel nauseous. It’s like a cabinet from the 1950s: all male, all white, all middle-aged or older, all racist, misogynist bastard fascists.

  21. DianaB says:

    Well, DUH. was anyone apart from his insane and delusional followers in doubt that the russians gave him the election?

  22. IlsaLund says:

    Congressional Republicans will stone wall and deflect for as long as they can. They haven’t had time yet to implement their treacherous agenda against the American people. They need Trump in office long enough to pass their odious legislation and once they’ve done that, then he can be replaced with Pence. Republicans will begin to attack the intelligence communities, the media and anyone else who get in their way. We, the people, have to continue to rise up and resist and make our voices heard.

  23. Alexandria says:

    All these drama which is sadly in real life is material for Scandal man….wonder what B613 would do with 45….*hand petting Bond villain cat

  24. StarryCosmos says:

    My rational side is thinking that this will eventually end in a loss of power, whether it be impeachment or resignation. The less practical side is thinking that the world probably gonna go up in flames and some sort of nuclear war is gonna happen and we are all going to die. Unfortunatly, the less practical side gaining traction 🙁

    • Kitten says:

      This is me. So many things that I never thought would or could ever happen, have actually happened. I just don’t have any hope that this will end well.

    • anniefannie says:

      I have a friend who’s plugged in with a segment producer at CNN. He posted on FB last nite that 3 bombshells were coming. The revelations of the aides phone calls to Russia being the 1st. Me/pins/needles

      • Shambles says:

        I need to know more about this!!! I’m guessing the third bombshell relates directly to the Cheetoh in Charge. I’m getting this sick sense of vindication watching the dominos fall.

      • Christin says:

        Seems like each night this week around 9 PM Eastern, there is a new revelation (often a WaPo or NYT article that drops at night). I’m glued to CNN and MSNBC between 8 and 11 PM to see what it is.

    • Original T.C. says:

      Thanks for the tip! Also let’s keep our eyes on the Republicans in Congress. They are speeding ahead to repeal Ombacare before Trump’s impeachment and “claim” they will keep the pre-existing conditions clause, will increase amt you can put in a health savings account and allow the under 26 to stay on their parent’s insurance.

      Lies!!

      The small print is you have to stay CONTINUOUSLY insured to keep the pre-existing conditions acceptance. If you go a DAY without insurance, no one will accept you again into the insurance pool.

      Also they get to dictate what procedures you can use your health saving account for. You are never allowed to use it for an elective abortion! Thanks Republican dictators!

      I’m sure there is something shady too about kids under 26 staying on parent’s insurance (like premium hikes) but didn’t get to look into it.

      Morning Joe had Mitch McConnell on and didn’t challenge him even once about the small print. It was like an informercial.

  25. teresa says:

    I can’t believe we are 27 days into this and we are already on the march to impeachment. I thought it would take longer than this, like maybe in June. For now, Republicans are going to attempt to protect this guy, but I don’t think it is going to work. We know one thing for sure though, they will blame Obama!
    Thanks Obama! LOL.

    • Christin says:

      And while they drag their feet, the next playbook move is some type of major distraction. The sheer incompetence could be enough reason to act.

  26. Mierke says:

    I wonder who will play President Trump after his death, that should make a good political movie. ^^

  27. Catherine says:

    “Divide and conquer” (race relations, sexism), “the enemy of my enemy, is my friend” (Russia), “I’d rather be feared than loved.” (The press/intelligence community)

    And it worked. He is president and it is undeniably a very sad place in American history. Not for the first time, I am in awe of the genius of our constitution and founding fathers: separation of powers, checks and balances, freedom of the press, free speech (and much, much more).

    The violation of the Arms treaty…..GOP needs to take the name “Ronald Reagan” out of their mouths. Forever.

    • IlsaLund says:

      Those hypocrites will forever stand on the mantle of Reaganism. What a joke….Ronald Reagan couldn’t even be a member in today’s Republican Party. How did these clowns get so damn crazy?

    • Juls says:

      Reagan, their hero, would not be accepted in today’s GOP. At this juncture, I doubt Dunya would be either.

  28. Eric says:

    Emperor Zero has been nervously tweeting this morning deflecting from the fan and what’s about to hit it.
    I’m guessing that he’s about to bolt from office. Then he’d never have to release his tax returns nor perjure himself when (not if!) he’s called to testify before a “so-called” judge.

    Even SNL is on high alert about what to do for their next show.

  29. Rhiley says:

    Can we have a thread about how awful the House GOP is? That twerp Jason Chaffetz was on the news no more than two weeks ago stating how the investigations into Hillary Clinton’s emails were ongoing. But yesterday he states that there is no need to investigate Flynn because it was taking care of itself. It is absolutely insane and I get really pissed off every time I think about it. If you are in Jason Chaffetz district and you are so inclined, please call his office and demand he works with the democrats in a bipartisan investigation into all of this. An aside, any of you think Trump’s tax returns will be leaked in the next year? Someone has them. They are out there. Just sayin’.

    • lucy2 says:

      He just had a town hall of hundreds of people shouting “Do your job!” at him. My guess is he disconnected the phones after that.

    • Lightpurple says:

      If I lived in Chaffetz’s district, I would. E reviewing whether my state had a recall process or other method of removing him from office for dereliction of duty.

    • hogtowngooner says:

      The hypocrisy he displays is astonishing.

    • Elisa the I. says:

      Yep, I’m also waiting for the day someone leaks his tax returns. And I’m surprised his phone has not been hacked yet.

  30. Insomniac says:

    Boy, the Trump defenders on my Facebook feed have been really, really quiet the last couple of days. They’ve been able to handwave away just about every other bit of bad news about Orangina until now, so their silence is interesting.

    But ugh … it was so freaking obvious that something like this had to be happening during the campaign. I wish to hell the media had been more interested in pursuing it back then, instead of now when the GOP is controlling everything, because those craven scumbags are not gonna do shit to Trump. But I guess Hillary’s emails were just more important … *rollseyes*.

    • Rhiley says:

      I wish the ones on mine were. Some of them have gone silent but others are just getting revved up. It is kind of funny/sick.

    • Kitten says:

      I’m still seeing some sad delusional fans holding tight to their denials. It’s just so cringe-worthy to witness at this point, really embarrassing.

    • sunnydaze says:

      If you want to try and perk yourself up a bit I recommend reading the thread under @trump_regrets (i think that’s the name on twitter). One day I was feeling particularly depressed about all this and googled “trump voter” (with the intent on finishing the sentence with remorse, but regret came right up). It’s nice to see that although I still hold them all accountable for this there is a growing amount of people who are thoroughly remorseful. And sometimes the best I can do for my mental health is revel in their regret.

      • Isa says:

        I just checked two of my most annoying friend’s pages. One is quiet and the other was comparing the ACA requiring everyone purchase insurance to kellyanne/trump pushing Ivanka’s clothing line. 🙄

  31. Bringbacksassy says:

    We are very much in uncharted waters. I just want Gaping-open-orange-anus-mouth to STFU and go away …he’s so dangerous! And incompetent! Did any of you see his press conference with the PM of Japan?? So embarrassing and painful to watch. Agent Orange spoke for 12 minutes saying NOTHING, repeating the same 9 words from his limited vocabulary. How did we get here?!? We need every investigation looking into how he stole the presidency. There’s so much at stake: our safety as a nation, for one. We are now entering WEEK 4 …feels like a year for each passing week, but let’s brace ourselves. I am worried about what and who will replace him once he’s gone (and yes, I do believe that that is inevitable).

  32. Jenns says:

    If you can, subscribe to The Washington Post and the New York Times. They have been doing outstanding work. It’s also a reminder that no matter what age we are in, the press matters.

    If you are an Amazon Prime member, you can get TWP free for 6 months and then a discount after that.

    • SusanneToo says:

      Thanks for that info. I am an Amazon Prime member and I’m going to check it out now.

      • Original T.C. says:

        I recommend Politico too, it’s free I think. Funny article to cheer up fellow Resistance members: http://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2017/02/the-laws-of-gravity-catch-up-to-trump-214780

      • SusanneToo says:

        @OTC. Thanks, Politico is among the scores of outlets I follow, both professional journalists and clued in civilians. I can’t bring myself to read any right-wingers as I don’t want to add to their traffic. I’ve been praying for Woodward & Bernstein 2.0 and it looks like we have them in multitudes. Back during Watergate we had to wait for the evening news(only three networks then)or the morning papers, so this is really something.
        It’s also gratifying to be able to commune with a group of intelligent posters on CB.

    • lucy2 says:

      I just did the WaPo one yesterday, and I subscribed to the Times a few weeks ago. Definitely agree we need to stay informed and support quality journalism.

    • LA Elle (formerly Elle R.) says:

      Shout out to the Guardian as well. I love that they don’t have a paywall so that everyone can have access to the news, and they’ve done outstanding work the last couple of years with US politics.

  33. Indiana Joanna says:

    Today I am terrified. Michael Flynn’s discussions with the Russians were meant to enrich by the billions Putin and his cronies Bobby drilling in the Arctic. Some Russian legislators denounced Flynn’s departure, which tells you they were invested in this man being there for them. Also baby fists attempt to bully and degrade the US intelligence community now makes sense. baby fists and his gang are dealing with the Russians in the hope they will benefit monetarily.

    It’s now starting to make sense as bits and pieces of the Flynn/Russian alliance surface. baby fists’ Make America Great Again is a huge lie. He wants to make himself great again. Publishing his tax documents would be the beginning in getting a total picture of how beholden baby fists is to Putin.

    Thank God for the editors and reporters of New York Times, Washington Post and other media outlets that are relentlessly chipping away at this administration. Thank God for our intelligence community for it’s resistance. Paul Ryan and his ilk are playing the short game of disassembling the ACA, and shame shame on them for their pettiness and selfishness for not seeing the big picture of baby fists’ treasonous actions.

    Today I am terrified.

    • lizzie says:

      i really wish the NYT and post were doing this type of reporting during the election though.

      • Indiana Joanna says:

        @Lizzie

        The NYT did do the actual reporting because they have reported on him for decades. But most people don’t read the NYT.

        I agree that most of the media failed us by being led by the nose by baby fists’ tweets and not understanding the electorate and the people who don’t vote at all. It was all a funny game to them. David Brooks, a respected political commentator, looked like a dolt when he said he didn’t understand that baby fists was a real contender.

        This a huge wake up call for everyone. Our democracy is very fragile and easily commandeered by very bad people. I think the fact that we had a brilliant, high minded president in President Obama left everyone lulled into complacency. Now we are in very terrible trouble from Putin’s obvious influence on our leaders and our own spiteful, greedy politicians In the Congress.

      • Christin says:

        The Post had a reporter who did tons of research on his shady foundation, yet any revelations kept being snowed under by distracting tweets or insults every time.

        Same for his former manager and ghostwriter, who spoke out last summer and never got the exposure that was warranted.

      • lizzie says:

        i have a subscription to the NYT so i know what the coverage was during the election. maggie haberman is doing god’s work on this entire thing. i agree Fahrenthold’s work on the trump foundation was excellent. but overall the trump coverage was soft. the fact that he was taken seriously as a candidate worthy of competition with HRC was ludicrous and both publications were guilty.

    • dotdotdot says:

      Okay, but EXXON is still in the running? Rex Tillerson’s and Exxon’s interests in Arctic oil drilling are even greater than Trump’s and Putin’s (and yes both will need ginormous pockets when the oil money starts floating in): Exxon already invested loads and loads of money to be able to drill in Russian territory, only the sanctions against Russia are holding them back. So. Loosing / getting rid of Flynn is not a total disaster for Putin/Trump/Exxon , I fear.

  34. aang says:

    I can’t get through to either of my senators or my rep. I hope that means my fellow citizens are demanding an investigation.

    • LA Elle (formerly Elle R.) says:

      I’ve switched to just emailing daily. I know it’s said to not be as effective as calls, but at least it gets through as compared to a busy signal …

  35. swak says:

    I’ll reserve my praise for Blunt for when/if he calls for a bipartisan investigation and follows through. De Vos contributed to his campaign and when he voted on her nomination he went against his constituents and voted for her. I, believe, as many Missourians do, that he is covering his a$$. It will be interesting how the investigation will go – let’s hope that a bipartisan committee investigates this. Let’s hope this is the beginning of the end for this administration.

  36. SusanneToo says:

    I was following all the news last night and all I can say is, “Hahahahahahahahaha.”

    During Watergate I rushed home every day to grab some popcorn, turn on the news, and watch the perp parade as the Nixon felons were taken down, moving up the food chain so deliciously, finally landing the big one. Republicans still had balls and some sense of ethics and patriotism then. I hope, trust, pray, Russiagate will play out the same way.

    • mee says:

      I’m hopeful that this will happen. I read that the Republicans didn’t have control of Congress during Watergate, which is a distinction from today… But, if the shit starts to splatter everywhere, there’s no way even the disingenuous, cynical, But-Benghazi(!) Repubs can ignore this or at least that’s what I think… Then again, I never thought this country would vote in the SCROTUS.

  37. JRenee says:

    We may get down to having President Ryan… I am truly concerned what removing them all will do to national security. ..

    • lucy2 says:

      Considering how lackadaisical Trump and Co have been with classified info, leaks, and being buddy buddy with Putin, it can only be an improvement.

    • LA Elle (formerly Elle R.) says:

      I told someone last fall (before the election) that Ryan’s wet dream was to enact his own real life version of House of Cards.

      I sort of wish I had placed money on that so I could at least benefit from the destruction of American democracy..

  38. original kay says:

    So after reading all the Flynn info, and watching the KC interview, basically Flynn resigned because he got caught laying.

    It was ok he lied, but not ok he got caught. That’s what KC was saying to Matt, to me anyway.
    Everyone knew he was in contact with Russia but he got caught and was told to resign.

    **mad face**

  39. Marcy says:

    I say impeach any Republican increasing Cheetoloonie and his Fascist Squad who think it’s ok to let another has been government overrule is I hope they continue to leak leak it all they are too cocky and think they got us good and we are brain dead idiots who they can pull one over on the people hashtag leakmoretogetthemimpeached each person who knew should be charged with guilty by association why should they above the law we aren’t so fair trade LOCK THEM UP!

  40. Amy Tennant says:

    I have the feeling Pence is being “protected” because the Republicans know Trump is becoming a worse and worse deal all the time. They’ve got to try to shield the Veep because he’s likely going to be President before four years are up.

  41. Rapunzel says:

    Trump is melting down on Twitter. He knows his goose is cooked.

    To think, our big scandal with Hillary was her emails asking people to print things for her. And share recipes. Boy did we dodge a bullet. . . we almost had a politician elected to our highest political post! That would have a been a bigly disaster, right?

    I swear, if I hear one more “Everyone’s out to get Trump” excuse from the right, I’m gonna scream. The only one out to get Trump is Trump himself.

    • hogtowngooner says:

      Everyone who is outraged by the Russia connections of Trump and his advisors/cabinet is a butt-hurt libtard snowflake, peddlers of “fake news” and is biased.

      This from the party of “personal responsibility”. They can take all the seats and reap what they’ve sown.

      • Rapunzel says:

        It’s the right, not the left, which is filled with butt hurt snowflakes. They’re the one’s who get upset when people show goodwill by saying Happy Holidays instead of Merry Christmas.

        The biased peddlers of fake news are on both sides, but generally it’s only the right that falls for the crap. And the GOP hasn’t been behind personal responsibility in decades. Why else are always telling women what to do with their bodies?

      • hogtowngooner says:

        That’s what I was saying, but I realize now that my comment was a bit misleading. I was pointing out that the Republicans constantly tout personal responsibility, yet are pointing fingers for this disastrous administration at everyone else. They are also constantly offended yet call the left/liberals snowflakes all the time.

  42. lizzie says:

    real question: is hillary clinton watching this in a straight-jacket in Chappaqua rocking and moaning “why?…why?…why?…” OR is she watching this drinking margarita after margarita and laughing until she pisses herself?

    • B n A fn says:

      Neither one. I bet she is saying “what goes around comes around”. I’m sure she feels vindicated.

      • JudyK says:

        Karma is working for sure. What an immature, mentally unstable, self-important, narcissistic moron we have playing the pretend child game of being POTUS.

    • Pip says:

      I think it’d be impossible for her not to feel vindicated by this insanity & the speed with which it’s unravelling. However I think politics & the Democrats are so ingrained in her that she must be worried sick, too, like the rest of us.

      Things could, & should, have been so different 🙁

    • Alexandria says:

      I actually think she and Obama are laughing for a while and having pot cookies somewhere.

    • Rapunzel says:

      I suspect Hillary is currently planning the party she’s going to throw when Trump is impeached and locked up. Obama will DJ it, with Mobama serving drinks. White Russians, probably.

      Seriously, I suspect Hillz will run again in 2020. Calling it now.

    • adastraperaspera says:

      I think she knew, but had to campaign with one hand tied behind her back the whole time, or the Dems would have been accused of influencing the election.

  43. robyn says:

    This was known all along … why was this not a big deal then and it is now. Where were the whistle blowers and sources. As for the Republicans … they need to grow a spine and put country over party. This weak-kneed bunch may well get what they want, though, President Pence.

  44. LouLou says:

    I am so upset by the Drumpf supporters who still defend him. They now believe the NY Times is fake news, so they just don’t believe anything printed there. They are under some evil spell. Makes me feel like our only hope is if Fox News develops a conscience and starts using the word treason.

    • robyn says:

      Fox news makes me sick. They cultivated the Trump cult and still do.

    • LA Elle (formerly Elle R.) says:

      Or if the liberal side of the country gets angry enough to rightly call them terrorists. Their sowing of discord through false information and preying on people’s worse fears is one of the tenets of terrorism.

  45. nicole says:

    This is just so unbeleivable, its like reading a thriller, but its hard to beleive this is real life. I just cant beleive how corrupt the US goverment is, very scary. I just hope this isnt going to fade away and nothing is going to come of it, its clear that Trump is a complete conman and so is his whole administration, I just look forward to watching CNN everynight to see what is coming next, I just hope the ‘big one’ is coming in the end and wipes Trump out and his band of deplorables , every horrible one of them.

    • Deeanna says:

      This is exactly how it was during Watergate, but everything was a lot slower. There was no internet, no cell phones, no email, no tweets. But that feeling that life was like a thriller novel or a spy movie was very, very strong.

  46. Kate says:

    BUT. HER. EMAILS!!

  47. SusanneToo says:

    Just heard this morning a direct result here in Mobile of this stolen election. 15 Place, a facility that provided daily shelter for 75+ homeless people here, has closed because HUD is no longer providing any funds. Just in time for our low 30’s temps tonight. Thanks, Ben, your expertise and compassion are so appreciated.

    • LA Elle (formerly Elle R.) says:

      That’s awful. And sarcastically I want to add: Tell me again about the GOP’s overwhelming concern for the sanctity of life.

      Will you post if they do any sort of fundraising effort?

  48. BW says:

    Trump is a traitor. We knew it all along and now we have proof. The spineless Democrats left in Congress need to grind the government to a halt until trials and hearings can be held. This is monstrous.

  49. Eric says:

    Ha! Some Christian Broadcasting reporter completely caught Emperor Zero off guard at the press conference with Israeli PM.

    Drumpf was expecting a softball and got questioned about Flynn and Rusdian ties!
    Haha!

  50. Marcy says:

    I think if the Orange Cheetoloonie goes down he will narc everyone out he will take the whole party with him from top to bottom I don’t know who will go unscathed. He was stupid he got cocky he pushed his agendas to fast and his lover boy Puttycakes tells on him to well at least his people do in a round about way. Flynn will be the fall guy but who knows if Flynn is smart he will make a deal unless he is scared that snitches get stitches who knows what he has been threatened with but Puttycakes is known for offing his people so he might give Flynn the heave ho. These Republicans think they are untouchable and don’t want to go down with the sinking ship so I hope and pray the news keeps pushing and pushing and someone needs to change those football codes and take away Cheetoloonies security access to info before Puttycakes gets it all and wikileaks that. Does the tweeting help, or do we have to flood them all with postcards now?

    • LA Elle (formerly Elle R.) says:

      You know, it would be a disaster, but it would be best for America in the long run if he just totally laid waste to the modern Republican Party. Let’s hope.

    • Alexandria says:

      He will take out what he can but not all. I think if all the Republicans and the intelligence rally and hold something or many things against him, he may resign. Why wouldn’t someone inside know his actual tax returns? Or his actual business dealings? If he goes berserk then he really has confirmed mental health issues.

      • SusanneToo says:

        Someone at the IRS needs to go rogue and funnel those returns to Fahrenthold at the NYT. He’s the reporter who exposed trump’s charity cheating.

      • jwoolman says:

        The IRS has Trump’s tax returns. Congress could pass a law requiring disclosure of Presidential tax returns directly by the IRS. There has been some talk of that, but I don’t know if the Republicans will do it. I also don’t know if they will be useful or not. If it’s just his personal tax returns, maybe not. I would assume that the real transactions would be buried in the corporate ones.

    • Lady D says:

      Taking down everyone with him means his 3 oldest kids should also get caught in the cross-fire. I doubt that will even occur to him in his rage.

  51. LA Elle (formerly Elle R.) says:

    Something I’ve wondered in recent weeks: Is John Boehner somewhere, depressed that he’s not going to get a shot at the presidency, or is he whistling on a golf course?

    (My personal opinion is he and Obama have been texting each other like two teenagers exchanging gossip about the latest high school drama.)

    • Lightpurple says:

      I think Boehner is still butt hurt about the Pope’s visit. He thought Congress would cheer him for bringing the Pope but they let him know the right-wing only cares about Catholics for the abortion votes. He thought the Pope would praise him for his abortion stance but instead the Pope scolded him for a long list of offenses. That resulted in his crisis and retirement.

  52. Elisa the I. says:

    This is my fav tweet today by Il Douche:
    “Information is being illegally given to the failing @nytimes & @washingtonpost by the intelligence community (NSA and FBI?).Just like Russia”

    hahahaha, so he basically confirms that this info exits and that he has no control over parts of his very own executive branch. And more than 50,000 likes for this tweet. Oh my.

  53. original kay says:

    It’s hard to believe that people are believing trump, someone with no experience, no law degree, nothing at all but bankruptcies and failed marriages, over the intelligence community.
    But they do, they really do think trump will save them all.
    It’s a nightmare 🙁

    and now he says Flynn is a good man who has been treated badly by the dishonest media. FFS.

  54. reg says:

    Intelligence Comittee Chair Nunes announced leakers ” belong in Jail” he is complaining about FBI recording Flynn while he was a “private citizen”, they had a valid reason to record him since they had info of suspicious contacts between Trump campaign and Russians before he even started his campaign, and Flynn was a major player in
    Trump’s campaign. All of a sudden Republicans develop amnesia and spew nonsense.
    Democrats should get independent investigation.

    • Deeanna says:

      What would make the chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee ever think that the FBI is not able to legally record a “private citizen”? Does he think they only ever record elected or appointed officials? I don’t think so.

      Another thing, everyone is assuming the recordings came from one of OUR agencies. But we don’t yet know that is true. There are other entities who could be recording either our or the Russians’ phone calls. And leaked them.

  55. Veronica says:

    I’m sure Michael Pence and the Republican Party certainly want me to buy that they were ignorant of all this going on so it makes the impeachment transition smoother.

    • Deeanna says:

      Oh, yes they certainly do. I expect that we are shortly going to witness an “internal coup” as Republicans begin to detach from Trump and align themselves with Pence.

      How will they get rid of Trump? Will he voluntarily resign? Will they invoke Section 4 of the 25th Amendment, initiated by the Vice-President and supported by cabinet members?

      It is pretty clear by now to just about everybody that Trump is nuts. He’s obviously not playing by the Republican rule book. That Trump actually seems to have thought he was going to blow into town and “change things” is funny or pitiful, depending on which way you look at it.

      In any case, even the Repubs have to be getting upset watching this clown interact with world leaders. And be getting upset watching the chaos taking place within the West Wing. He’s so much worse than many thought he possibly could be!

  56. Mary says:

    This toad thinks he can do whatever he wants without consequence, hes going to find himself impeached S O O N.

  57. BooBooLaRue says:

    omg he is still in office? I can’t tell you how sick to my stomach I am each day by this dick-tator.

  58. Doc says:

    Honest question: how have the Russians elected him? The American voting system is so complex that it means ‘the Russians’ affected the willpower of millions of people, but also the electoral college? How exactly?

    That being said, why hasn’t he been impeached yet based on all the acquired info? How long does this take and who does the impeaching?

    And how has a sane, eloquent administration so quickly been replaced by this freak show?

    This is nuts. And everyone should use every opportunity to protest each and everything about him.