Scandalous

America First? Trump Pushes to Save Jobs in China at Company Deemed a National Security Threat

Posted by on May 13, 2018 at 2:09 pm. 0 Comments :

Throughout his campaign, and into his presidency, Donald Trump promised that he would be the “jobs” president. He swore that he would make American corporations close up their off-shore factories and bring those jobs back to the U.S. He insisted that his tax scam bill would result in companies investing more in domestic facilities and workers. None of that turned out to be true.

Donald Trump

Unfortunately, when Trump said that he would work tirelessly to create jobs, he failed to specify that thousands of them would be in China. But on Sunday morning he corrected that error of omission by tweeting this:

Oh good. That’s just what the American people voted for. They were hungering for a leader who would direct his cabinet to restore the thousands of jobs that have been lost in China. At least when they had the time and resources to do that after taking lavish trips around the world, buying extravagant office furnishings, harassing asylum seekers and separating their families, and raking in cash and property from corporations seeking favorable treatment from the government.

But Trump’s latest initiative to benefit China’s employment situation is a peculiar choice. The company whose fortunes he is trying to advance, the ZTE Corporation, is suffering a financial hardship due to the sanctions that have been placed on it. Those sanctions were in part the result of the company’s trading with Iran. Just this past week Trump pulled the U.S. out of a multinational agreement to prohibit Iran from developing nuclear weapons. He’s now executing his plan to restore the sanctions that were in place prior to that agreement. So American companies will not be permitted to do business with Iran but, apparently, China will be.

And that isn’t all. ZTE has also been cited as a national security threat whose telecom products were found to be capable of spying on Americans. Many of the heads of U.S. intelligence and law enforcement, including the Attorney General, FBI, CIA, and NSA, have warned about ZTE’s nefarious activities and prohibited American companies from sharing technology and selling them parts. Here are some of the reactions to Trump’s tweet:

The question is why would Trump suddenly take this position and tweet about it on Mother’s Day? Generally when we see some random thought expressed by the Tweeter-in-Chief it’s something he just saw on Fox and Friends or Hannity. But that doesn’t appear to be the case in this instance. The next best guess is that China’s President Xi brought it up in a recent conversation and Trump is blindly complying with the wishes of Xi without consulting the professionals in commerce and national security to ascertain whether this is a good idea. It is obviously against existing national policy as expressed by his own cabinet heads.

So what is Trump up to? What’s he getting out of this? He and his family have financial interests in China. He also has political interests in getting Xi to go along with his agenda for North Korea. What’s in it for him? Because you know he wouldn’t do this out of compassion for the poor Chinese workers. And the fact that he would violate the Iran sanctions he fought so hard for, while risking national security, means his reward must be substantial. Somebody better start to ask these questions before he’s allowed to cause even more damage.

How Fox News Deceives and Controls Their Flock:
Fox Nation vs. Reality: The Fox News Cult of Ignorance.
Available now at Amazon.

When Will Donald Trump Resign Over His Multiple Allegations of Sexual Harassment and Assault?

Posted by on May 7, 2018 at 8:22 pm. 3 Comments :

The breaking news on Monday evening about New York’s Attorney General, Eric Schneiderman, has shaken the state and the nation. He was seen as a devoted advocate of women’s rights who vigorously prosecuted men who had abused women in their homes or in the workplace. He even authored a bill that toughened laws relating to violence against women. So the news that he has been accused of perpetrating such violence himself came as a shock.

Donald Trump

It didn’t take but a couple of hours after the story hit the street for Schneiderman to issue a notice that he is resigning from his office. That’s the right thing to do under these troubling circumstances. And he isn’t the only one who has had to skulk away in disgrace following allegations of sexual misconduct. Not by a long shot. There have been dozens of men driven from their jobs for the same reasons. Here’s a short list that covers men from business, media, politics, and entertainment:

  • Harvey Weinstein
  • Kevin Spacey
  • Mark Halperin
  • Roger Ailes
  • Bill O’Reilly
  • Charlie Rose
  • Matt Lauer
  • Al Franken
  • Blake Farenthold
  • Trent Franks
  • Patrick Meehan

There is, however, a conspicuously missing name from this list. Someone who has been accused of horrendous acts by at least sixteen women. And he holds a powerful position in government despite his perverse and violent behavior. Can you guess who that is? (I knew you could).

Six months ago News Corpse published an article that asked “What About Donald Trump?” It noted that at that time there were numerous men who had been made to pay for their disgusting behavior:

“Trump’s abusive acts have been well known for some time. He even admitted to criminal sexual assault in the video from Access Hollywood. But he was elected president anyway by so-called “family values” voters who dismissed his contemptible conduct in favor of rank party politics. And he has the full support of Fox News, a network whose corporate culture virtually encourages sexual harassment.” […]

“Allowing Trump to remain in the White House sends a terrible message to all Americans, particularly women and girls. If Trump isn’t impeached for obstruction of justice, collusion with Russia, financial corruption, undermining the free press, or being a pathological liar and malignant narcissist, then his sexual depravity and criminality should be more than reason enough.”

The only thing that’s changed since then is that more men have been exposed and held to account. But Donald Trump is still entrenched in the White House despite being among the worst offenders. Schneiderman showed today that there is only one correct course of action for these weasels. And Trump should pay attention. It’s a stain on our nation that he continues to occupy the presidency despite his criminally and perverse conduct. And while it may take time, the American people will hold him to account. The video below is a powerful statement by some of Trump’s accusers, and should be seen by as many people as possible.

How Fox News Deceives and Controls Their Flock:
Fox Nation vs. Reality: The Fox News Cult of Ignorance.
Available now at Amazon.

Other Things Giuliani Told Hannity that are as Bad or Worse than Stormy’s Hush Money

Posted by on May 3, 2018 at 9:59 am. 5 Comments :

Wednesday was another chaotic day in the epically unraveling administration of Donald Trump. His newly unwrapped lawyer, Rudy Giuliani, went on Fox News and told Sean Hannity that Trump lied about not knowing anything about the hush money paid to Stormy Daniels by his personal attorney, Michael Cohen. That revelation has roiled the Trump White House and the media. But that isn’t all that Giuliani spilled in the hour long interview.

Fox News, Sean Hannity, Rudy Giuliani

Sean Hannity hosted Giuliani for the entire program, mostly without commercial interruption. That’s an indication of how important this was to Hannity and Fox News. That they would forgo significant revenue in order to hold their audience enrapt in the unhinged stylings of Giuliani is further evidence that the network is literally state-TV and an arm of the Trump PR machine.

In addition to the shocking confessions about the hush money payoff, Giuliani delved into matters related to Trump’s unsavory connections to Russia and the collusion that he is so tightly associated with. What follows are some of the non-Stormy babblings of Giuliani that should receive some attention when the more salacious disclosures of porn star payments subside:

Giuliani: “[Trump] fired Comey because Comey would not, among other things, say that he was not a target of the investigation. […] So he fired him and he said ‘I’m free of this guy'”

Giuliani just provide the latest confession of Trump’s obstruction of justice. Firing Comey because he refused to clear the President, and declaring freedom from the pending investigations could not be a clearer admission of guilt.

Giuliani: “Lester Holt asked him why he did it. He said ‘I did because I felt that I had to explain to the American people that their president was not a target of the investigation.'”

That’s not even close to what Trump told Holt. Actually, he told Holt that he did it because “I said to myself, I said ‘you know, this Russia thing with Trump and Russia is a made-up story, it’s an excuse by the Democrats for having lost an election that they should have won’.”

Giuliani: “Comey should be prosecuted for leaking confidential FBI information. When he leaked his report intended to develop a special prosecutor for the President of the United States.”

Of course, Giuliani doesn’t bother to cite what law was broken here, because there wasn’t any.

Giuliani: “Comey is a pathological liar.”

This is typical Trumpian projection. It’s the President who is known for his compulsive lying. Comey may have used some poor judgment in the run up to the election, but it has yet to be shown that he lied.

Giuliani: “I have the indignity of unfortunately having hired [Comey] for his first big job, and I’m embarrassed that I hired him.”

This is about the only act of repentence you’ll ever see from Giuliani or Trump.

Giuliani: “I believe they [Sessions and Rosenstein] should, in the interest of justice, end this investigation. There’s been too much government misconduct. The crimes now have all been committed by the government and their agents.”

Naturally Giuliani would like the investigation to end by the waving of a magic wand. He certainly doesn’t have the legal capability of ending it or succeeding. But he does like to make baseless accusations of crimes.

Giuliani: “I’m sorry Hillary. I know your very disappointed that you didn’t win. But you’re a criminal. Equal justice would mean that you should go to jail.”

Both Trump and Giuliani like to recklessly throw around baseless accusations of guilt. That is irresponsible and unprecedented behavior for a president or his representatives.

Hannity: “He said that [Hillary] Clinton deeply respects the rule of law. Comey said that.”
Giuliani: “Wow. Then this is a very perverted man.”

For heaven’s sake, Rudy. What the heck are you talking about?

Giuliani: “The President of the United States didn’t do anything wrong. We are lucky that we have a president who can focus. In a way it almost hurts him.”

For heaven’s sake, Rudy. What the heck are you … Um, I used this one already. But it still fits.

Giuliani: “Ivanka Trump? I think I would get on my charger and go right into their office with a lancet if they request Ivanka. If they do do Ivanka, which I doubt they will. The whole country will turn out. They’re going after his daughter?”
Hannity: “What his son-in-law [Jared Kushner]? They’re going after him.”
Giuliani: “Jared is a fine man. You know that. But men are, you know, disposable. But a fine woman like Ivanka? Come on.”

Men are disposable? Does that include Trump? And the day when you mount a charger and ride into battle might indeed get the whole country to turn out. Just for the laughs.

Hannity: “This was supposed to be about the Trump campaign, Russia collusion.”
Giuliani: “Gone.”
Hannity: “Gone. Never happened.”
Giuliani: “He’s been cleared of that.”

Cleared? Seriously, what planet are these guys broadcasting from?

Giuliani: “Russia collusion is total fake news. Unfortunately it has become the basis of the investigation. And Mueller owes us a report saying it means nothing, it didn’t happen.”

Relax Rudy. You’ll get your report from Mueller. Although it may not contain exactly the sort of vindication you’re hoping for.

How Fox News Deceives and Controls Their Flock:
Fox Nation vs. Reality: The Fox News Cult of Ignorance.
Available now at Amazon.

For those of you with strong stomachs, here is the video of the whole interview:

Kiss of Death? Another Trump Goon Sleeps With the Fishes After Praise From the White House Don

Posted by on May 2, 2018 at 1:27 pm. 1 Comments :

The big news out of Washington on Wednesday is that Donald Trump’s last remaining original lawyer working on Russia collusion matters is off the case. The President has had a difficult time hiring and maintaining legal defenders to counter the investigation of special counsel Robert Mueller. A few weeks ago his lead attorney, John Dowd was dismissed. And his personal attorney, Michael Cohen has his own legal problems and might be close to flipping on his former client.

Godfather

Ty Cobb was one of the first lawyers that Trump brought aboard to handle the special counsel matter. And throughout a tumultuous tenure. Trump has fiercely insisted that Cobb was in it for the duration and had his “full confidence.” Trump affirmed that in a tweet as recently as April 12. What’s more, Trump was outraged (as usual) at the the New York Times for reporting last March that there were problems within his legal team and that changes were imminent:

Apparently, the Times’ Maggie Haberman got a lot right despite Trump’s whining that she “knows nothing” and was “not given access.” It turns out the story wasn’t false after all. Both Dowd and Cobb have left since those tweets. And his insistence that he would not be hiring anyone else has also proven to be untrue. In a much ridiculed display of desperation, Trump hired Rudy Giuliani. And along with the news about Cobb’s departure is the addition of Emmett Flood. Flood’s significance as a new member of the team is that he is one of the few attorneys alive who has experience with impeachment, having worked on Bill Clinton’s hearings in 1998. What does that say about what Trump is currently fixated on and worried about?

And don’t let anyone tell you that Cobb’s departure was simply due to his desire to retire. That is an utterly implausible assertion. He just took this job a few months ago and was well aware that it wasn’t going to be a quick gig. The truth is that Cobb and Trump have been at odds regarding Trump’s behavior and particularly his tweets attacking Mueller which just make him sound more guilty. CNN’s Jim Acosta confirmed this with sources who said that Cobb “was not going to be ‘part of a mud slinging campaign.'”

In conjunction with the news about Cobb, Trump fired off some more rage-tweets denying that there was any collusion or obstruction of justice. You know, like any innocent person would do five times a day. One of the tweets quoted Joseph diGenova on Fox News (who was on Trump’s legal team for about half an hour) saying that Trump could fire anyone he wants at any time. Of course, that isn’t true. There are exceptions for criminal conspiracy and obstruction of justice that specifically apply to Trump’s situation.

Trump also tweeted a promo for Fox News legal analyst, Gregg Jarrett, and his new book “The Russia Hoax – The Illicit Scheme to Clear Hillary Clinton and Frame Donald Trump.” Jarrett is disreputable character whose credentials are pitiful. He hasn’t practiced law in 30 years, and has been at Fox News half of that time. Trump and Jarrett both share the problem of repeatedly referring to the Mueller investigation as a hoax. PolitiFact honored that phrase with its 2017 “Lie of the Year” award.

How Fox News Deceives and Controls Their Flock:
Fox Nation vs. Reality: The Fox News Cult of Ignorance.
Available now at Amazon.

Like many of the other members of Trump’s White House staff who he has praised, Cobb was dumped a few weeks later. Having Trump’s approval is the best warning that you are about to be unceremoniously shit-canned. Cobb should have seen it coming. And now that there are new reports that Chief-of-Staff John Kelly has been calling Trump an idiot, Trump came out with criticism of those reports and is standing by Kelly. In other words – goodbye Kelly. He’s just the latest flunky to get the Fredo treatment from the White House Don.

Trump Towering Inferno? National Enquirer Attacks President’s Attorney Michael Cohen

Posted by on April 29, 2018 at 2:37 pm. 1 Comments :

Everyday there are more indications that Donald Trump’s shoddily constructed shelter from the scandals enshrouding him is collapsing. His closest allies are abandoning him and his administration, or are being cast out by him unceremoniously. Trump ends up being protected by incompetents with the same set of sleazy principles that he embraces.

Donald Trump, National Enquirer

After the raid of the home and offices of Michael Cohen, Trump’s personal attorney, the President set out to distance himself from his long-time friend and lawyer. He told the hosts of Fox and Friends that “Michael is a businessman, he’s got a business. He also practices law.” Continuing he said that prosecutors are “looking at something having to do with his business. I have nothing to do with his business.” And when asked by Steve Doocy what percentage of his legal work is handled by Cohen, Trump said it’s “a tiny, tiny, little fraction.”

That description of their relationship amounts to trump throwing Cohen under a freight train. Cohen’s lawyers had just argued in court that Trump was one of his primary clients, along with Sean Hannity. But Trump is calling him a liar. Hannity also called that a lie. These characters are purposefully fleeing from any suggestion that they are connected to Cohen. And the reasons have to do with what is expected to be uncovered in the items collected in the raid.

Now another prominent friend of Trump is bravely running away. The National Enquirer is a gossipy tabloid whose chairman, David Pecker, is a close friend of the President. It has reliably boosted Trump on its front page, and attacked his political foes. However, the headline on the latest issue is joining in the rapidly escalating disavowals of Cohen. It reads: “Trump Fixer’s Secrets and Lies!” The article says that:

Cohen “is under the spotlight, as scandals swirl around his boss, and some are questioning Cohen’s role, alleging blackmail, threats, hush-money payoffs – and even collusion with Russia. The president is in the hot seat because of his lawyer.”

Indeed he is. And he knows it. There is speculation that Cohen is likely to “flip” on Trump and tell the feds every little dirty detail that he knows. And having been the President’s consigliere for at least a decade, he knows a lot.

For the National Enquirer to publish such a damning story about a Trump ally is an astonishing turn of events. This is, after all, the magazine that paid former Playmate, and Trump mistress, Karen McDougal $150,000 for a story that they never published. That’s a tactic known as “catch and kill” that is used to bury negative news so that no other publisher can report it. Recent headlines from the Enquirer include fawning praise for Trump and brutal attacks on his enemies. For instance:

  • How I’m Cleaning Up Obama’s Mess
  • The Donald Trump Nobody Knows
  • Trump Takes Charge
  • FBI Plot To Impeach Trump
  • Obama’s Secret Plot To Impeach Trump
  • Trump Must Build The Wall
  • Proof Obama Wiretapped Trump
  • Trump Must Be Prez
  • Hillary: Six Months To Live
  • Hillary Framed Trump Family
  • Hillary Caught In Sex Scandal Cover Up
  • Hillary Going To Jail

So now the Enquirer is piling on Michael Cohen. This coincides with Trump’s blatant distancing himself from Cohen and nearly pretending that he hardly knows him. Trump is preparing for Cohen’s rumored intention to turn state’s evidence. He even posted a Twitter rant that implied that if Cohen sings, he will be lying. Trump said that “Most people will flip if the Government lets them out of trouble, even if it means lying or making up stories.”

It appears rather likely that Cohen is going to turn on Trump and his pals at the Enquirer are helping to discredit him before his testimony is revealed. And seeing as how the paper has been such a dedicated Trump-fluffing comrade, it’s inconceivable that the Enquirer would have published a story like this without Trump’s knowledge and approval. Therefore, the ground must be shifting under both Cohen and Trump. And a legal earthquake may be about to shake things up. Stay tuned.

How Fox News Deceives and Controls Their Flock:
Fox Nation vs. Reality: The Fox News Cult of Ignorance.
Available now at Amazon.

In Schizoid Speech, Trump Exposed His Son’s and Campaign’s Collusion With Russian Spy

Posted by on April 29, 2018 at 8:26 am. 2 Comments :

On Saturday America was treated to a pair of events that are best described as bizarre and controversial. It began with Donald Trump’s petty revenge for journalists throwing a party in Washington to celebrate the First Amendment. Too afraid to attend, Trump held another of his hate-mongering, ego-stroking, campaign-style rallies. Shortly thereafter, the White House Correspondents Dinner featured a routine by Michelle Wolf, something that frightens Trump and the GOP even more than journalists – comedy! And from a (gasp) woman!!!

Donald Trump Vladimir Putin

The right will try to make Sunday all about Wolf’s admittedly raunchy routine. They’ll say it was vulgar and insulting. And they’ll manage to keep a straight face despite supporting a president who has made vulgar and insulting the hallmark of his public persona. It’s a core part of his appeal to his disciples who drooled over him at the Michigan rally.

Trump’s speech mainly covered familiar, and now tedious, territory with jabs at all of usual targets. But he didn’t fail to satisfy those hoping for new derangments of old numbers. On that score he offered up a threat to “close down the country” as if it were one of his bankrupt casinos. He also threatened Montana Senator Jon Tester with some unspoken, heinous secret that would end his political career.

But perhaps the most peculiar revelation in his address was his admission that his campaign – and specifically his son, Don Jr. – actually did collude with the Russians (video below). Although, true to form, he probably had no idea what the heck he was talking about. The confession came in a segment focusing on the collusion issue, when he blurted out:

“Have you heard about the lawyer? For a year a woman lawyer was like, ‘Oh, I know nothing, know nothing.’ Now all of a sudden she is supposedly involved with government. You know why? If she did that – because Putin and the group said, ‘You know, this Trump is killing us. Why don’t you say you’re involved with government so that we can go and make their life in the United States even more chaotic?

“Look at what’s happened. Look at how the politicians have fallen for this stuff. Russian collusion. Give me a break. The only collusion was the Democrats colluded with the Russians. And the Democrats colluded with lots of other people. Take a look at the intelligence agencies.”

Let’s break that down. Trump is saying that the Russian lawyer that we know had a meeting with Don, Jr. and other members of Trump’s campaign staff, was recently told by Vladimir Putin to say that she’s involved with the Russian Government. OK. So she’s taking orders from Putin. Which means that she IS involved with the Russian Government. Therefore, Don, Jr. and company DID collude with Russia by meeting with this admitted spy to discuss obtaining stolen Hillary Clinton emails in order to damage her campaign and boost Trump’s.

That’s Trump’s theory? One that incriminates himself, his campaign, and his family? He is so unfathomably stupid that he doesn’t realize that he just told America that his son conspired to help Russia subvert our democracy. And it doesn’t even matter if he knew at the time. Because if he didn’t, that just means he got played by Putin. And who’s to say he isn’t still getting played?

Are you listening to this, Robert Mueller? It’s really very simple. Trump previously confessed on national TV to obstruction of justice with the firing of James Comey. And now he’s admitting this collusion in a public, televised (by Fox News only, of course) congregation of true believers. What’s more, he follows that up by lashing out wildly at Democrats in a pathetic display of consciousness of guilt. How much more proof do we need than all of these admissions straight from the horse’s ass?

How Fox News Deceives and Controls Their Flock:
Fox Nation vs. Reality: The Fox News Cult of Ignorance.
Available now at Amazon.

Fox News Fetishes Over Their False Claim that CNN Fetishes Over Trump’s Fetishes

Posted by on April 18, 2018 at 12:11 pm. 0 Comments :

Last year an opposition research document compiled by a respected British intelligence operative surfaced that is still generating news. Known now as the “Steele Dossier,” it contained a wealth of information about Donald Trump that was both substantive and disturbing. And a small bit of it that was rather salacious. So guess which part drove Trump to distraction?

Fox News/Playboy

The findings that Christopher Steele included in his dossier placing Trump in a Moscow hotel with prostitutes have assumed an undue prominence in much of the press. No one should be surprised by that in a society that made Kim Kardashian a pop culture phenomenon. Fox News is no exception, as they frequently hyped up reports of hookers urinating on the bed in Trump’s hotel room as he watched from safe distance. Especially Sean Hannity, who can’t seem to keep his mind off of it (see video below).

Despite their own perverse complicity, Fox News is boldly calling out CNN for reporting on the very same subject. In effect, they are whining that their own salacious reporting isn’t doing as well as the salacious reporting by their competitors. Their media reporter, Brian Flood, is asserting that this “puts CNN coverage in the toilet.” He doesn’t say where it puts Fox’s coverage.

His arguments are strained, to say the least. He leads off by swinging at CNN boss Jeff Zucker, who he says “continues to focus on adult film stars and lurid claims about President Trump’s alleged activities in a Moscow hotel room.” In the same opening paragraph Flood baselessly claims that the “pornographic video probably does not exist.”

Flood disgorges the familiar Fox News talking points that the dossier is unverified (that’s not true) and that it was the basis for warrant to spy on Trump’s campaign (also untrue). Then he goes on to cite the number of times that the “pee tape” was mentioned on CNN over a finite period of time. Those stats came from the ultra-rightist media bashers at the Media Research Center.

The conclusion that Flood draws from his overtly biased sources and analysis is that CNN’s ratings have been severely damaged by their attention to this undeniable newsworthy story. He says that:

“The result of Zucker’s strategy has been a president of the United States who often refers to CNN as ‘fake news’ on a regular basis, while the network regularly loses to MSNBC when it comes to ratings.”

Of course, Trump called CNN, and the rest of the media that is appropriately critical, fake news long before this story broke. It has been a part of his public diatribe dating back to his campaign and his assertions that the media is the “enemy of the American people.” And CNN’s ratings, while trailing MSNBC and Fox, have never been better. So that doesn’t square with Flood’s claim that this story has hurt CNN.

What’s more, Flood completely ignores the fact that MSNBNC does similar reports on Trump’s “pee tape” escapades. And MSNBC is regularly beating Fox News in the ratings war. Especially Rachel Maddow who has taken the lead as the number one cable news program, leaving Sean Hannity without a pot to piss in.

How Fox News Deceives and Controls Their Flock:
Fox Nation vs. Reality: The Fox News Cult of Ignorance.
Available now at Amazon.

SAYS WHO? Michael Cohen, Trump’s Fixer, Reportedly Lied About Being in Prague -Dossier Confirmed?

Posted by on April 14, 2018 at 11:00 am. 0 Comments :

Donald Trump’s repetitious and hollow declarations that there was “no collusion with Russia” and “no obstruction of justice” have never had any substance to back them up. They were always the ravings of a frightened man exposing to the world his consciousness of guilt. And along with the spin by his sycophants in politics and punditry who insist that there is “no evidence” of any wrongdoing, he continues to stubbornly deny the reality that most Americans plainly see.

Michael Cohen

One of the most frequent claims from the Trump camp is now crumbling to dust. For months they have been castigating the Christopher Steele dossier, a document provided by a respected former British spy, as “fake” news. They pretend that none of it has been verified, even though much, but not all, of it has been. And they assert that the whole investigation by special counsel Robert Mueller should be terminated and discarded because it sprung from the “phony” dossier. For the record, the dossier was a small part of the justification for FISA court authorization of surveillance of certain Trump associates.

One of the claims in the dossier that had been vehemently denied was that Trump’s personal lawyer, and mob fixer, Michael Cohen, had traveled to Prague to meet with Russian operatives. Cohen was adamant that he was never there and tweeted a picture of the front of his passport to prove it. Although how the cover of a passport proves anything has yet to be revealed.

However, a new report by the McClatchy Washington, D.C. bureau undermines Cohen’s denials and asserts that contrary evidence is already in the hands of Mueller’s team. The article quotes sources who confirm his visit to Prague and his meetings with suspicious foreign characters. They include Konstantin Kosachev, an ally of Vladimir Putin who has since been sanctioned for meddling in the 2016 presidential election. Also present were hackers under the supervision of the Kremlin with access to the stolen emails of Hillary Clinton and John Podesta. If this article is true, Cohen has a lot of explaining to do. And not the least of his problems will be that he also made his denials in testimony to Congress which, if false, is a federal crime. The McClatchy story notes that:

It would also be one of the most significant developments thus far in Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation of whether the Trump campaign and the Kremlin worked together to help Trump win the White House. Undercutting Trump’s repeated pronouncements that “there is no evidence of collusion,” it also could ratchet up the stakes if the president tries, as he has intimated he might for months, to order Mueller’s firing.

That looks pretty bad bad for Cohen, Trump, et al. And the article goes into significantly more detail about the meeting and the alleged conspirators. Cohen has responded to the story in a tweet that calls it “bad reporting” and claims that it was “proven” that he wasn’t in Prague. Of course, none of that is true and he offers no further proof. But if you were to press him him about the allegations that he actually was in Prague, he might just respond by asking his now famous question: “Says who?”

How Fox News Deceives and Controls Their Flock:
Fox Nation vs. Reality: The Fox News Cult of Ignorance.
Available now at Amazon.

‘WITCH HUNT’: Donald Trump Responds to the FBI Raid of His Attorney Michael Cohen (Video)

Posted by on April 9, 2018 at 4:04 pm. 4 Comments :

It’s Mueller Monday and the breaking news about special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation into Donald Trump’s crime family has just broken new ground. The New York Times reported earlier that the FBI raided the home, office, and hotel room of Trump’s attorney, Michael Cohen. This can only be viewed as a serious escalation of the legal jeopardy that Trump faces. So naturally, he is lashing out with wild accusations against the law enforcement agencies that are performing their duties to protect the public welfare.

Donald Trump

In his response, Trump made some familiar criticisms that have been the core of his past whining about being the subject of this investigation. In a brief press availability during a national security meeting, Trump said:

  • “It’s a disgraceful situation.”
  • “I have this witch hunt constantly going on for over twelve months now.”
  • “It’s an attack on our country…what we all stand for.”
  • The special counsel office is “the most conflicted group of people I have ever seen.”
  • No one “is looking at the other side (i.e. Hillary Clinton).”
  • “A whole new level of unfairness.”
  • “Why don’t I just fire Mueller? Well, I think it’s a disgrace, and we’ll see what happens.”

These lame and tedious complaints do nothing to counter the devastating news of this raid. Nor do they advance any argument that it was improper or help him to establish innocence. We have heard it all before and majorities of the American people don’t believe him.

Of note is his assertion that this is an attack on our country. Um…No it isn’t. This is all about Trump’s sleazy and likely illegal behavior and that of his associates. Calling the special counsel’s office “conflicted” has always been ludicrous. Mueller is a life-long Republican, as is is boss at the Department of Justice, Rod Rosenstein (who Trump appointed). And no one should be surprised by Trump’s interjection of “whataboutism” with his left field swipe at Hillary Clinton, who has been investigated ad infinitum with no hint of wrongdoing being discovered.

Perhaps the most ominous part of Trump’s remarks refers to the possible firing of Mueller. Trump has said in the past that he is not even considering such a thing. Now he says that “we’ll see what happens.” That’s a sharp u-turn in the direction of terminating the special counsel or Rosenstein. And if that happens, rest assured that the rest of his house of cards will quickly tumble down.

How Fox News Deceives and Controls Their Flock:
Fox Nation vs. Reality: The Fox News Cult of Ignorance.
Available now at Amazon.

Hannity vs Kimmel: Fox News Host’s Obsession with Other People’s Sexual Lives is Creepy

Posted by on April 7, 2018 at 2:26 pm. 4 Comments :

For the past couple of days Twitter has been the stage of an epic battle between the top dog at Fox News, Sean Hannity, and a formidable political intellectual and social scientist – oops – I mean comedian Jimmy Kimmel. And even a late night jokester has proven to be too much of challenge for Hannity’s severely limited cognitive abilities. Kimmel took the whole thing as good, not-so-clean fun. But Hannity had a cerebral spasm that threatened to burst a blood vessel in his ample forehead.

Fox News, Sean Hannity, Jimmy Kimmel

The feud began when Kimmel made a lighthearted joke about First Lady Melania Trump’s accent when reading to kids at a White House Easter event. Kimmel merely repeated her pronunciation of “dis and dat.” Dat’s it. It was hardly a sharp elbowed political jab. But it drove Hannity to distraction wherein he literally couldn’t think of anything else. Much of his day on Friday was consumed with manic tweets attacking Kimmel as a “despicable,” “perverted,” “racist asshole.” He took to calling Kimmel “Harvey Weinstein, Jr.” in a callous trivialization of a real perpetrator of sexual assault. Most of the Twitter battle can be seen here.

Later that evening, Hannity spent most of his Friday program ranting about Kimmel and vowing to destroy him. Hannity criticizes Kimmel for “losing his mind for five minutes on his show,” just before devoting almost the whole hour of his own show to Kimmel bashing. And after getting so freaked out over Kimmel’s joke directed at a First Lady, Hannity attacks Michelle Obama. His tantrum also included baseless accusations that Kimmel relentlessly bashed all Republicans 24/7 and “kissed Obama’s ass.” Actually, Kimmel has been fairly apolitical until the recent difficulties he had with his sick newborn. It was after his advocacy of healthcare reforms that the right started attacking him. And Hannity promises to escalate this one-sided war. On his program he said that…

“I am going after Jimmy Kimmel tonight. We’re gonna pound him with his own words. […] I’m throwing down the gauntlet. I’m not gonna stop. They are gonna stop by the time it’s done. […] For me this is it. I’ll just stay on this, and I’ll roll tape of Jimmy Kimmel every night for the rest of my career.”

Well, that at least would be more entertaining than having to watch Hannity. But his sanctimonious sermonizing about some Kimmel bits that Hannity dug up from the two decade old Comedy Central program “The Man Show” don’t really help him much. Mainly because it casts Hannity as the sexually obsessed pervert who finds salaciousness in what everyone else sees as just raunchy comedy. And Hannity shouldn’t be throwing stones. He’s the guy who sees secretly placed images of sperm in President Obama’s portrait. He charged CNN president Jeff Zucker with being the “scandal-plagued” “king of porn.” He’s had his own run-in with allegations of sexual harassment. And then there was the time he propositioned a “really hot looking chick in the third row” of his audience and asked if she would “Wanna meet me later?”

Remember, Kimmel’s joke had nothing to do with sex. It was about Melania’s accent. But Hannity turned the whole affair into a sleaze-fest. Because that’s what’s on his diseased mind. Every year he does a week of programs about Spring Break where he castigates America’s youth while running endless footage of bikini-clad girls.

And let’s not forget that he’s on a network that has a distinct problem with misogyny. The network’s CEO, Roger Ailes, was fired for multiple incidents of sexual harassment. Then their biggest star, Bill O’Reilly, was tossed out after the discovery of tens millions of dollars paid to secure the silence of his victims. Fox also jettisoned its president, Bill Shine; host Eric Bolling; Fox Sports President, Jamie Horowitz; and VP of Fox News Latino, Francisco Cortes, all for similarly abhorrent misconduct. Most recently the wives of Fox hosts Jesse Watters and Pete Hegseth filed for divorce due to their public infidelities.

One thing is clear: Sean Hannity is working at just the right network for his brand of perversion. It’s a network that has canonized serial predator Donald Trump and supported the senate candidacy of pedophile Roy Moore. Fox News is a breeding ground for perverts. They hire and promote men who blatantly demean and abuse women. The environment was described accurately by former Fox News host and victim Andrea Tantaros in her lawsuit as “a sex-fueled, Playboy Mansion-like cult, steeped in intimidation, indecency, and misogyny.” Hannity must be loving it. But he probably isn’t too happy about being beaten regularly by MSNBC’s Rachel Maddow. And that may be the real reason he is jumping on Kimmel. It’s a desperate and lame attempt to goose his ratings. And it isn’t going to work any better than his Pizza-Gate episodes.

How Fox News Deceives and Controls Their Flock:
Fox Nation vs. Reality: The Fox News Cult of Ignorance.
Available now at Amazon.