It’s Tax Day and Donald Trump is Tweeting Up a Storm to Celebrate, But…

Posted by on April 17, 2018 at 11:12 am. NO Comments :

Never one to care anything about facts or truthful dialogue, Donald Trump is attacking the arrival of Tax Day with a celebratory zeal that is entirely out of whack with reality. So what else is new?

Donald Trump

Trump’s day always begins with his most pressing presidential duty: post nonsense and/or rage on Twitter. This Tuesday morning is no different. So here is what the Tweeter-in-Chief is obsessing over while waiting for his tee time in Palm Beach:

Indeed, everybody is talking. Unfortunately for Trump, they are mostly saying that his tax scam bill isn’t helping to do anything but blow up the federal deficit. A poll by NBC and the Wall Street Journal show that a pitiful twenty-seven percent think Trump’s tax bill is a good idea. Another poll by Gallup puts those who disapprove in the majority at fifty-two percent. And an analysis by Bloomberg shows that Republicans are going to find it difficult to run on the tax issue in the 2018 midterms.

So happy tax day everybody. We may have a bill that is only benefiting the wealthy, but it is also likely to throw the members of Congress who forced it on us out on their asses.

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

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The Plot Sickens: Sean Hannity is Revealed to Be Michael Cohen’s Secret Third Client

Posted by on April 16, 2018 at 12:43 pm. 6 Comments :

It is getting ridiculous how much the phrase “You just can’t make this up,” is applicable to Donald Trump’s administration. But the news on Monday morning definitely applies. As Trump’s attorney Michael Cohen headed back to court for a hearing to suppress materials seized during the raid on his office and home, the surprise was supposed to be the presence of Stormy Daniels. That’s not how it worked out.

Sean Hannity Fox News

Prior to this hearing Cohen was ordered by the judge to disclose the three clients that he claimed to be representing. There was some dispute as to whether Cohen was actually doing any legal work. So Cohen supplied the names of Donald Trump and Elliot Broidy. Broidy just resigned from his post at the Republican National Committee after it was disclosed that he paid $1.6 million to a Playboy Playmate to hide his affair. Cohen facilitated that payoff.

However, Cohen’s lawyers declined to reveal the name of the third client. Until now. And it turned out to be Fox News host Sean Hannity. According to reports:

In their letter to Wood, Cohen’s lawyers said he had given legal advice or handled dispute resolution for three clients since 2017: Trump, venture capitalist Eliot Broidy and another person.

Broidy on Friday resigned from his post as deputy finance chair at the Republican National Committee after it was revealed that Cohen had helped arrange Broidy’s $1.6 million payment to a Playboy model in exchange for her silence about their affair and her pregnancy, which was aborted.

“The third legal client directed Mr. Cohen to not to reveal their identity publicly,” Cohen’s lawyers wrote to Wood.

The lawyers added, “As to the one unnamed legal client, we do not believe that Mr. Cohen should be asked to reveal the name or can permissibly do so.”

Cohen’s lawyers argued that identifying the third client was “likely to be embarrassing or detrimental to the client.” No kidding. At this time it is not known what matters Cohen was representing Hannity on. But the fact that he served as the conduit for payments to mistresses for his other two clients is more than a little suspicious.

Hannity has been the most fiercely loyal Trump-fluffer on Fox News. But he has also taken positions defending Cohen since the U.S. Attorney in New York raided his offices. For instance:

https://twitter.com/seanhannity/status/984242895300579330

The fact that Hannity and Trump share a lawyer cuts deeply into his ability to continue reporting on the President. There has to be a complete accounting of the relationships and any legal crossover. And it has to go more in depth than it’s just the “Deep State” attacking him and Trump.

Now there will have to be some response from Fox News. Is it possible for Hannity to continue doing commentaries about Cohen and Trump considering the obvious conflict of interest and overt bias that these relationships represent? Can Fox even keep him on the air? At the very least the network has to get a more complete disclosure from Hannity in order to discern if he has been violating any network codes of conduct. Of course, it is Fox News so they may decide to do nothing simply because their ethics are no better than Hannity’s.

UPDATE: Hannity is saying that he has asked Cohen for legal advice, but he was never his client and was never billed. In effect he’s calling Cohen a liar because Cohen told the court that Hannity is his “client.”

And Hannity has actually interviewed Cohen on his show (here and here) without disclosing that he was interviewing his own lawyer.

And Hannity has been in litigation with a woman who asserts sexual misconduct.

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


Trump Told Fox News that the U.S. is Just as Bad as Russia and Tried to Make Comey Agree

Posted by on April 16, 2018 at 11:18 am. NO Comments :

The ABC interview of James Comey Sunday night had some juicy quotables. The interview precedes the release of his book, A Higher Loyalty, which is currently number one on Amazon. Comey’s opinion that Donald Trump is “morally unfit to be president” seems to be getting the most play in the morning-after media. But Comey also introduced several “possibilities” that are hard to ignore. He said that it’s possible that Trump is “compromised by the Russians.” He said that there is possible evidence of Trump obstructing justice. And he said that it is possible that Trump “was with prostitutes peeing on each other in Moscow.”

Comey Trump

All of those are harrowing thoughts when applied to the President of the United States. And particularly so when they come from one of the highest law enforcement officials in the American federal government. The harmful prospects implied by those remarks cannot be overstated. And they will surely play a part in the unfolding investigation being conducted by special prosecutor Robert Mueller.

In addition, there was a surprising allusion to Trump’s favorite cable news network, Fox News. It reveals the extent to which he is preoccupied with everything he sees and hears from his shadow policy advisors on the network, who too often become his actual White House advisors. The exchange occurred when George Stephanopoulos asked Trump about his relationship with Vladimir Putin, a unambiguously brutal dictator who Trump has never been able to say a single bad word about. This is what ensued (transcript here, video below):

“The Super Bowl pre-game show where– and I hadn’t asked any questions about this, but the president was just talking about it, he had given an answer to Bill O’Reilly that had been much criticized across the political spectrum when he had said, in response to a question, that he respected Vladimir Putin and said, ‘That doesn’t mean I’m going to get along with him.’

“And then O’Reilly responded, ‘But he’s a killer.” And the president responded, in substance, “But we’re killers, too. You think our country’s so innocent.’ I forget the exact words, but that’s the gist of it. And that moral equivalence, between the people of our government and Putin’s thugs, had generated a lot of controversy. […]

“He was telling me it was a good answer and then said – gave me an opening by saying, ‘You think it was a great answer. You think it was a good answer.’ And then he was starting to move on. And I jumped in and I said, ‘Mr. President, the first part of the answer was fine, not the second part. We’re not the kind of killers that Putin is.’

And when I said that, the weather changed in the room. And like a shadow crossed his face and his eyes got this strange, kinda hard look. And I thought in that moment, ‘I’ve just done something unusual maybe.’ And then (SNAP) it passed and the meeting was over. And, ‘Thanks for coming in,’ and – and Priebus walked me out.”

Comey regarded that exchange as having an unintended positive result. He said that “by interrupting him and also criticizing him to his face,” it ended any personal relationship between him and Trump. It allowed him to “keep a distance that we need to keep from him.” But it also showed that Trump has an unhealthy obsession with whatever he says on Fox News being validated by everyone with whom he comes into contact. Trump desperately wanted Comey to agree that what he told O’Reilly was brilliant.

Of course, what he told O’Reilly was an insult to America and blatantly unpatriotic. Even O’Reilly thought so. Putin is guilty of murdering his political opponents and critical journalists. He is a cold-blooded tyrant who thirsts for world domination. Whatever flaws the U.S. has, they are not on that level of evil. But Comey’s refusal to suck up to Trump caused the President to freeze up. And it may have been at that moment that he decided that Comey had to go.

The cumulative effect of the Russia investigation and Comey’s lack of adoring fealty to Trump sealed his fate. So ironically, Fox News, the PR division of the Trump White House, may have inadvertently played a role in proving that Trump obstructed justice. Who’da thunk it?

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


Portrait of a Man Consumed By Fear: Trump Panic-Tweets in Anticipation of Comey’s Book

Posted by on April 15, 2018 at 10:59 am. NO Comments :

Well, it looks like Donald Trump’s dog-wagging escapade in Syria didn’t have the desired effect of deflecting attention from his legal woes and disastrous presidency. He is still the same lying cretin, determined to undermine the rule of law, as prior to the bombing raid. And the American people still see him as that. Trump’s shills on Fox News even failed in their attempt to blame the whole Syria situation on Obama.

Donald Trump

That might be the shortest media-distracting, manufactured war campaign in history. He got one day out of it. Which makes it just another unqualified PR fail that is so typical of Trump’s whole life. So it’s on to Plan B: Smear former FBI Director James Comey in advance of the release of his tell-all book, A Higher Loyalty. And apparently having no presidenting to do, Trump dived into this strategy with gusto on Sunday morning. He posted a flurry of tweets, most of which were aimed directly at Comey. And all of which were a pathetic illustration of someone so obviously frightened by the unfolding of events that he can’t control himself. Let’s begin at the beginning:


Trump revisits his “Slimeball“ commentary that was such an embarrassment two days ago. For the record, Comey’s remarks about the election were simply to state that the environment in which he was making his decisions was inherently political and, with candid soul-searching honesty, he said he couldn’t be sure that that didn’t have an impact on him. Unfortunately, it did have an impact and is a conspicuous low point in his tenure at the bureau. But not for the reasons so poorly articulated by Trump. As for wanting a job – he already had one. The FBI director is appointed for a ten year term, of which he was only in his fifth year. Is anyone surprised that our “stable genius” president didn’t know that?


Here Trump rattles off a litany of right-wing stalking points that are flaming misrepresentations of reality. It’s too time consuming to debunk them all again. So let’s just focus on Trump’s repeated parenthetical that Comey should be in jail. Having no evidence of a crime would make that difficult. However, by flatly stating that Comey is guilty of these things, Trump may have let him off the hook by prejudicing the jury pool and making a fair trial impossible. A competent president would have known not to do that. p.s. Comey’s “badly reviewed book” is currently #1 on Amazon.


Just because Trump would never waste time talking about his grandkids doesn’t mean that normal humans don’t do that. And some better questions than his old, pre-election gossip would be: Why can’t we find out what happened in Don Jr.’s meeting with Russians? Or on Micheal Cohen’s trip to Prague? Or what Trump is saying privately to Vladimir Putin? Or why he has so many non-disclosure agreements with playmates and porn stars? Or what about those hookers in Moscow?


This is just a flat out lie. Trump’s demand for personal loyalty is a common feature of both his business and political relationships. Many of his associates have already conceded this. Also, not knowing someone doesn’t make such a pledge less likely. It makes it more likely. And Comey’s notes were written contemporaneously to the events, before he knew what would transpire or what effect Trump’s behavior would have. That’s what makes them valuable and credible.


Now Trump is just venting his wishes for what he hopes will happen. More to the point, he’s projecting what he fears will happen to him. Because he is – you know – not smart.

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

The endgame of all this whining will still center around Trump’s devastatingly low approval ratings. All but a sliver of deadenders abhor him. And even many Republicans find him too obnoxious to stand next to. Specifically with regard to his feud with Comey, “yuge” majorities of the American people are siding with the FBI guy. No matter how much Trump stamps his feet and throws infantile tantrums, he can’t change that. And his lame attempts to do so just make him look all the more guilty – let’s just say #SAD.

Update: Comey responds:


SRSLY? Corey Lewandowski Tells Fox News That the ‘Situation with Assad’ is Obama’s Fault

Posted by on April 14, 2018 at 2:01 pm. 3 Comments :

It didn’t take long for Fox News to broadcast their official response to the Syrian chemical weapons crisis – or any problem that rankles Donald Trump’s administration: Obama did it! That’s right. And the reason that Trump had to renege on his campaign promises to refrain from getting America mired in any more foreign conflicts, like the one in Syria, is the same as as his excuses for all of his other lies and blunders.

Barack Obama, Donald Trump

In a segment on Fox News, Trump shill Corey Lewandowski disseminated the pre-approved White House doctrine regarding any and all scenarios that negatively impact the administration (video below). It was a prime example of the robo-speak that is emblematic of the Trump regime. It was also the very same position that Trump himself tweeted years before. Lewandowski said that:

“The reason we’re in this situation with Assad is because Barack Obama drew a line in the sand which meant nothing. There were no teeth behind it. The chemical weapons that were supposed to be a red line in the previous administration meant nothing. And we’re here today, and people lost their lives in Syria, because the previous administration did nothing to prevent it from happening.”

For starters, Lewandowski must have forgotten that Trump already executed a military response to a prior use of chemical weapons by Assad last year. He insisted that it would send an unmistakable message to Assad that continuing such atrocities would not be tolerated. Apparently the message was not as clear as Trump thought. Especially after he announced that he would be pulling U.S. troops out of Syria shortly.

The question that no one on Fox News is asking is: How would Obama’s actions years earlier have changed any of the outcomes following Trump’s more recent actions? If Trump’s bombing raid last year didn’t deter Assad, why would Obama’s raid five years ago have done it? Are they just admitting that Obama would have done it better?

Now let’s take a look at whether Obama did anything after Assad’s use of chemical weapons during his term. The fact is that Obama forcefully denounced Assad and advocated for a military response. However, unlike Trump, he sought congressional approval (as the Constitution requires) in order to ensure that the action had the full support of a united nation. He beseeched the GOP-controlled legislature to come together in this effort saying:

“Here’s my question for every member of Congress and every member of the global community: What message will we send if a dictator can gas hundreds of children to death in plain sight and pay no price? What’s the purpose of the international system that we’ve built if a prohibition on the use of chemical weapons that has been agreed to by the governments of 98 percent of the worlds’ people and approved overwhelmingly by the Congress of the United States is not enforced?”

The response by Congress was worse than voting down an authorizing resolution. The Republicans in charge would not even permit the measure to come up for a vote. And it was clear that if they had, a majority of Republicans would have voted against it. Which is especially interesting considering what Trump was saying at the time:

So according to Trump, Obama needed congressional approval to bomb Syria (which he tried to get), but Trump can do whatever the hell he wants? That’s the mindset of a flaming hypocrite, and a wannabe dictator.

None of these facts are likely to persuade Fox News, or their glassy-eyed viewers, to change their minds about Obama being the source of everything bad in the world. He will continue to be the excuse they cling to for any of the failings by Trump and the Republican Party of (avoiding) personal responsibility. This is just the way that the right-wing has their propaganda wired. And it’s convenient that they have a “news” network that is amenable to serving as their State-run TV outlet.

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. NO 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.

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Untruthful Slime Ball: New Poll Shows Americans Say Trump is Less Believable Than Comey

Posted by on April 13, 2018 at 11:57 am. 5 Comments :

The new book by former FBI Director James Comey is about to be released and details are being discussed in the press. The book, “A Higher Loyalty,” is sure to create a stir as excerpts reveal Donald Trump to be, as Comey says, “unethical, and untethered to truth.” While anyone paying attention the last of couple years already knows this, saying so publicly about a sitting president is unprecedented, especially coming from such a high government official.

Donald Trump, James Comey

It was a foregone conclusion that Trump would be unable to refrain from reacting to Comey’s book. Furthermore, it was easy to predict that his reaction would be hostile, childish, and devoid of any factual basis. And Trump did not disappoint. On Friday morning he commenced his presidential duties by logging in to Twitter and posting some typically asinine attacks on Comey:

Being called a liar by Trump is like being called ignorant by – well, that’d be Trump too. The pissed off president is accusing Comey of serious crimes, which is not only false, but improper for an alleged commander-in-chief. He is prejudicing any potential jury pool with his blatantly biased opinion and personal animus.

However, what really sticks out like a sore, infected, and gangrenous thumb is Trump’s colorful assertion that Comey is an “untruthful slime ball.” He is clearly projecting a character flaw that he sees in himself. And he isn’t the only one who sees that. A new poll by ABC News/Washington Post asked “Who are you more likely to believe, Comey or Trump?” The results may cause Trump’s Diet Pepsi infused blood to go flat. According to the poll:

“Americans by a 16-point margin, 48-32 percent, find Comey more believable than Trump.”

These numbers are similar to previous polls that asked the same question. Last June an NBC/Wall Street Journal poll found that by a 2-to-1 margin (45% to 22%), Americans said they are more likely to believe Comey than Trump. And just in case Trump dismisses these polls as being “fake” news, other polls show that voters also trust the media far more than they trust Trump.

Those saying that they believe Trump more represent his hard-core base that worship him as their cult leader. They don’t care if he’s lying, if he cheats on his spouse(s), if he breaks the law, or if he shoots someone on Fifth Avenue. Their messiah can do no wrong. Fortunately, the rest of America doesn’t agree. The ABC/WaPo poll asked about other matters related to investigations of Trump’s unsavory activities. By “yuge” majorities the public supports those inquiries and the work that special counsel Robert Mueller is doing:

“The public by a broad 69-25 percent supports Mueller’s initial thrust, to investigate possible collusion between Trump campaign officials and Russian government attempts to influence the 2016 election. Support extends to half of conservatives and more than four in 10 Republicans.

“Backing for Mueller’s work goes further: Americans by 2-1, 64-32 percent, also support his investigating Trump’s business activities. And by 58-35 percent, a 23-point margin, they support investigators’ latest apparent direction, looking at allegations that Trump’s associates paid hush money to women who say they had affairs with him.”

Trump ought to be more careful when calling other people slime balls. The mud he is throwing invariably splashes back on him. And he ends up dirtier than those he seeks to tarnish. It’s a familiar pattern that we can expect to see repeated as Trump’s problems exacerbate. He will predictably lash out with greater ferocity the closer Mueller gets to releasing his findings. Let’s hope that he can be constrained before he does anything even more stupid and destructive to our nation than what he’s done so far.

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


Trump-Fluffing Nut Job and Fox News Shill Says Root of Mueller Probe is ‘Penis Envy’

Posted by on April 12, 2018 at 12:43 pm. 8 Comments :

It had to come to this. The wingnut miscreants who suck up to Donald Trump have descended to the basest and most delusional fantasies their diseased imaginations can manufacture. It’s not enough anymore to merely smear American patriots as corrupt and dishonest. No, they are now envisioning perverse scenarios that are, in all likelihood, projections of their own psychotic defects.

Wayne Allyn Root Fox News

Wayne Allyn Root is a radio talk show host who resides on the outer fringe of the right-wing universe. He is also a frequent guest on Fox News and a contributor to their website’s editorials. And apparently he is also a sex-obsessed pervert with ludicrous ideas about the motivations of special counsel Robert Mueller. In a completely bonkers rant on Wednesday, Root attacked Mueller in the most disgustingly personal way imaginable. The tirade was triggered by news that the recent raid on the home and offices of Michael Cohen (Trump’s attorney) collected information regarding the now infamous Access Hollywood recordings of Trump bragging about committing sexual assaults.

This is just one part of the wide-ranging investigation into Trump’s improper and unlawful activities that include collusion with Russia, obstruction of justice, and financial corruption. But in Root’s mind it now comprises the whole of the inquiry. And unable to construct any rational arguments to defend Trump or support his demented theories, Root leaped head first into a totally made up story intended to malign Mueller. Here are a couple of excerpts from Root’s dementia courtesy of Right Wing Watch:

“Robert Mueller has probably never had sex in his life,” Root said. “I know he has never had sex with a beautiful woman. Did you ever see the angry look on Robert Mueller’s face? Robert Mueller needs sex badly and he is so jealous that Donald Trump was a billionaire playboy and obviously had sex with the most beautiful women in the world.” […]

“Mueller is vicious, Mueller is disgusting, Mueller is a pervert. Can you imagine what he does at home at night? Who knows what he does, watching his computer images of Donald Trump and beautiful women. I can just guess what Mueller is doing in the dark, with the light of the screen glaring on him inside is office at 12 midnight..” […]

“It’s penis envy,” Root declared triumphantly. “Mueller’s is smaller than Trump’s.”

Root must have had assistants standing by to wipe the drool from his chin. He made a big deal about how women were drawn magnetically to Trump because he was so handsome and rich. Mueller, he said, was just a nerdy, penniless virgin. And it was that contrast that made Mueller so determined to get Trump.

It goes without saying that this is ridiculous in the extreme. It hardly deserves a response. But in the interests of correcting the record, here is the truth about Robert Mueller:

Mueller was born into a life of privilege, much the same as Trump. His father was an executive with DuPont. In school he was popular and admired. He was the captain of the soccer, hockey, and lacrosse teams. He married his childhood sweetheart and remained happily married for fifty-two years (and counting). He enlisted in the Marines and served in Vietnam where he was the recipient of the Bronze Star, two Navy Commendation Medals, the Purple Heart, and the Vietnamese Cross of Gallantry. And professionally he compiled a resume of achievement that included a law degree from the University of Virginia, being a U.S. Attorney, and the longest serving Director of the FBI.

Comparing that to Trump’s life of failure is way too easy. Trump inherited his wealth and did virtually nothing to increase it. To the contrary, he claimed bankruptcy half a dozen times. He never had a happy marriage (including the current one) and cheated publicly on all three of his wives. He dodged service in Vietnam with four academic deferments and a bogus claim of bone spurs. And unlike Mueller’s life of public service, Trump was in service only to his own greed, lust, and ego.

Root’s unhinged diatribe is emblematic of the Trump cult mentality so many of the President’s supporters suffer from. Sean Hannity is every bit as deranged and dishonest as Root. But it’s no wonder that these bootlickers have won Trump’s favor. Trump even thanked Root for his slobbering sycophancy on Twitter. They are clearly made for each other. And Root’s latest blathering is sure to give Trump some solace in these trying times preceding his imminent downfall. For a taste of Root’s madness, here is a video of part of Wednesday’s show – if you have the stomach for it:

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


New York Times Shatters Trump’s Denial that He Took 150G From a Ukrainian Oligarch

Posted by on April 11, 2018 at 3:36 pm. 4 Comments :

Poor Donald Trump. He continues to be a victim of of his own ignorance and acutely deficient comprehension skills. As a result he misunderstands even the simplest subjects and then lashes out in mindless tantrums that only make him look even more foolish. It’s a downward spiral of psychotic collapse that repeats itself on a nearly daily basis. And despite all the evidence to the contrary, Trump still thinks he’s a “stable genius.”

Donald Trump

On Wednesday Trump was typically miffed at the “fake” news he perceived being published by the “failing” New York Times. Michael Schmidt and Maggie Haberman of the Times posted a well researched article about Trump receiving $150,000 from a Ukrainian oligarch as payment for a twenty minute video address in September of 2015. The money was “donated” to Trump’s foundation which has a notably poor record of doing any charitable work. In fact, it has been found to have unlawfully funneled money to Trump via phony transactions. In one case the foundation bought a portrait of Trump that it hung at his golf resort. On another occasion foundation funds were used to pay a legal settlement that was owed by Trump personally.

Per usual, Trump expressed his outrage at the Times via Twitter:

Trump’s tweet doesn’t in any way refute the reporting by the Times. In fact, he validates it. And Trump’s failure to grasp what’s obvious was noted by the article’s authors on Twitter here and here. In the article the authors explicitly note that:

“The special counsel is investigating a payment made to President Trump’s foundation by a Ukrainian steel magnate for a talk during the campaign, according to three people briefed on the matter, as part of a broader examination of streams of foreign money to Mr. Trump and his associates in the years leading up to the election.”

And that:

“The event, his first foray into global politics during the campaign, was set up by Doug Schoen, a veteran political consultant and pollster who works with Mr. Pinchuk, according to a person familiar with how the speech was arranged. Mr. Schoen, a frequent Fox News guest, has known Mr. Trump for years and contacted him personally to set it up at the end of August 2015, according to the person.”

So Trump is correct. It was Schoen who set up the speech. But the speech wasn’t for Schoen, nor did Schoen pay for it. How could he? He’s just a Fox News shill who pretends he’s a Democrat so he can get booked on Fox and bash Democrats. It was the Ukrainian billionaire Victor Pinchuk who was Trump’s benefactor. Schoen was a go-between. Pinchuk is a steel magnate who has been accused of dumping Ukrainian steel into U.S. markets. He engaged Schoen, who knew Trump, to facilitate the appearance.

Even more suspicious is the fact that it was Trump’s lawyer, Michael Cohen, who solicited the donation. That’s the same Michael Cohen whose home and offices were just raided by the FBI. According to the Times, Schoen “had gotten to know Mr. Cohen by running into him in the green room at Fox News.” Well, as the Church Lady would say, “isn’t that convenient?”

Once again, Trump’s wild-eyed indignation has no basis in reality. He’s simply disgorging illogical outbursts that fail to advance any coherent objective, other than whining about the media. And in this case of Trump’s unhinging, as in most all of the others, the media was just doing its job responsibly, accurately, and honestly. Trump thinks that if he hollers and stamps his feet enough, everyone will agree with him. But he’s only pointing out how pathetic he is at comprehending a simple news story. SAD!

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


Trolling Trump? ‘Rule of Law’ Republicans Run Ad Defending Mueller During Fox And Friends

Posted by on April 11, 2018 at 12:52 pm. 1 Comments :

The Republican Party has demonstrated that they have little to no courage when it comes to mitigating the harm that Donald Trump causes to their party, the nation, and the world. At every turn they’ve had his back, whether it was regarding breaches of the Constitution, sexual harassment and assault, infantile tantrums on Twitter, and especially colluding with Russia to subvert democracy and obstructing justice.

Donald Trump Robert Mueller

Efforts by Congress to reign in Trump’s worst instincts have been suppressed by congressional leaders like Paul Ryan and Mitch McConnell. Bipartisan bills have been drafted to insure that Trump does not move to fire special counsel Robert Mueller or Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein in a vain attempt shield himself from the consequences of his illegal activities. But those bills have been bottled up and, although there are sufficient votes for them to pass, the GOP leaders won’t allow them to come to the floor. Not only that, but Americans don’t want Mueller fired 69 percent to 13 percent. And that includes a majority (55%) of Republicans. Even a Twitter poll by Fox’s Lou Dobbs opposed firing Mueller (70% to 25%).

However, there now seems to be a growing assortment of GOP politicians and pundits whose disgust with the President can no longer be contained. They have launched an initiative seeking to protect Mueller from the vengeful Wrath of Trump. The “Rule of Law Republicans“ include some of the most prominent party members, office holders and media. Their website features quotes from many of them that strongly support the work of the special counsel, including Sen. Mike Lee, Sen. Ben Sasse, Rep. Trey Gowdy, Sen. John McCain, former Gov. Chris Christie, and National Review editor Rich Lowry, to name a few. In addition to the website, the group purchased ad time to run commercials like this one:

In a particularly inspired bit of programming, they bought airtime during Donald Trump’s favorite Fox News show, Fox and Friends, in the Washington, D.C. market. They know that Trump watches the show every morning, often live-tweeting what he sees. So it’s safe to say that Trump saw the ad. And since he relies more on Fox News than the combined resources of his White House staff, cabinet and intelligence agencies, they hope that this will be a way to influence his future behavior. That may be somewhat optimistic, but it’s as good a strategy as any other.

The urgency to protect Mueller escalated significantly after the U.S. Attorney’s office raided the home and offices of Trump’s personal lawyer, Michael Cohen. He immediately tweeted that “Attorney–client privilege is dead!” and called the probe “A TOTAL WITCH HUNT!!!” On Wednesday morning’s regularly scheduled tweetstorm, Trump lashed out saying that:

Of course the inhabitants of the Real World know that all of the top managers of the inquiry (Mueller, Rosenstein, A.G. Jeff Sessions, FBI Director Chris Wray) are life long Republicans. What’s more, they were all appointed by Trump. So his accusation that Mueller is the “most conflicted of all” is not only delusional, it should be seen as a bright, high-flying red flag declaring his desire and intention to terminate Mueller.

Democrats have been concerned about Mueller’s status for months. Only now are a significant number of Republicans joining those who worry that Trump will pull the trigger. What’s funny is that there is also new outcry among conservatives that Democrats are trying to goad Trump into firing Mueller. Apparently they think that demanding that Trump leave Mueller alone is a sophisticated reverse psychology scheme by crafty leftists to get him to do the opposite. How insidious those Democrats are. But Media Matters has compiled evidence of who is actually trying to force Trump to act against Mueller. And it’s mostly people on Fox News:

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