So what do you Brits make of Trump ?

[buttslinger]

QUOTE=Stavros- Guess its just a matter of time before Mueller is sacked....

In Jolly Olde England, Trump is a bounder, and sacks people.
In the Goddam USA, Trump is an asshole who fires people.

We've got this memo that will shock everyone, because that's how the White House wrote it.
Before we had Mueller, we were getting revelations everyday about Trump, we're limited now to government shutdowns, pornstar payoffs, and secret meetings with Russians flown over here Straight outta Putin's office. Even the hero of Bengazi Trey Gowdy announced he wasn't running for re-election after he read the memo.

The Republicans in the House and Senate and Supreme Court MUST see what's going on. I guess they're just holding onto something and gritting their teeth, like everyone else.

[trish]

Re the 'Nunes Memo' -if this is an FBI document containing classified information that the FBI want s to protect, does this mean that whoever releases it should be arrested and charged? I seem to recall the (alleged) distribution of classified emails led to 'Lock Her Up!' becaming a popular chant during the 2016 election campaign.

Or is it a case that officials of the USA must, must pledge their loyalty to the President, and that in future pledging to uphold the Constitution of the USA will be the second pledge they make after swearing undying loyalty to the President?

As for Rod Rosenstein, who apparently responded to the President's demand:
“Of course, we’re all on your team, Mr President,” Rosenstein replied, CNN quoted unnamed sources as saying.

Does this mean the Attorney General's office is more committed to protecting the President or the Law? And doesn't this mean Rosenstein can no longer be trusted to uphold the law? Guess its just a matter of time before Mueller is sacked.

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/...e-donald-trump

My understanding is it’s not an FBI document but a memo of the Congressional Intelligence Committee containing cherry picked information lifted from FBI documents that were forwarded to the Committee by the FBI at the Committee’s request. Typically such memos (containing classified information) need to go through a declassification procedure before it can be released to the full Congress or the public. These are not typical times.

It now appears possible (likely?) that the White House was involved in the writing of this memo. As the memo questions the initial reasons for the Mueller investigation, White House involvement in the memo may constitute further obstruction. In my opinion, this is all a prelude to Trump firing Mueller.

Trump has been crucified from day 1 by the MSM, CNN hate him with a passion because he won’t dance to their tune, I wish he was Prime Minister of the UK.

Believe me, you do not want this enfant terrible running your country. But if you insist, please take him. PLEASE.

The White House is now involved in nothing less than a coup to usurp the balance of powers originally conceived by the Founding Fathers. No president, not even Nixon, has undermined the authority of the Justice Department and endangered our National Security like Trump. And why? He has no vision for the Nation. He never gave a shit about the people who now constitute his base. He never wanted anything more than personal aggrandizement. This, in his heart, because he knows that he’s is one of life’s biggest losers.

[Stavros]

My understanding is it’s not an FBI document but a memo of the Congressional Intelligence Committee containing cherry picked information lifted from FBI documents that were forwarded to the Committee by the FBI at the Committee’s request. Typically such memos (containing classified information) need to go through a declassification procedure before it can be released to the full Congress or the public. These are not typical times.

Thanks Trish, I stand corrected on the precise nature of the document, but it does contain classified material, I think that is the point with the rest of your points accepted, but for the last. Someone so lacking in experience might be elected to a local council, but I doubt would get past any selection committee in either Labour or the Conservative Party. The United Kingdom Independence Party, so called might have been the route, but these days it is no longer a party, merely a coven in search of a sacrifice.

[Stavros]

Trump has been crucified from day 1 by the MSM, CNN hate him with a passion because he won’t dance to their tune, I wish he was Prime Minister of the UK.

If CNN does not cover him with pride, it is because the President, as with the candidate that preceded the office, is a blatant liar, and one who does not like being exposed as one. He has also expressed hatred of Americans with a careless lack of interest in the consequences.

The closest we have to this oaf is the city trader who realised he could make more money as a member of the European Parliament he was elected to, who has pocketed over a million quid in wages, claimed every expense the EU has to offer, and in practical terms done sod all to make a difference to policies he claims the EU is responsible for. Two years on the Fisheries Committee and he turned up for two meetings. His marriage has broken down, his children are in expensive private education and he has to wait another 10 years before he gets his pension(s) though he will get a jolly of around £157,000 when he leaves the Parliament -

MEPs leaving Brussels after next month's election will receive a payoff of up to £157,000, in addition to other perks, as part of a "golden goodbye".
---All MEPs who step down or lose their seats are entitled to a "transitional allowance" of at least £39,000. The value of the payment increases with length of time in post, meaning the longest-serving MEPs could receive two years' salary after leaving. The allowance provides one month's salary for each year an MEP has been in parliament, with a minimum of six months and a maximum of 24.
The revelation follows a row last week over the second pensions to which many members of the European parliament are entitled, in addition to their statutory pension. The longest-serving MEPs accrue statutory pensions of up to £55,000 – 70% of their salary. They are entitled to draw this non-contributory pension, which is funded solely by the taxpayer, at age 63.
https://www.theguardian.com/world/20...-payoff-157000


Not being able to mount a coup to become head of state and thus loot the national treasury, the President realised years ago he can make millions when losing at business by exploiting a tax rule that gets the taxpayer to fund his losses, and make even more by borrowing from any bank that will lend it, and when President, charge the tax payer to fund golfing trips to clubs that he owns. He is determined to make money from the office of President and even used his blow job with Piers Morgan to advertise the merits of the Scottish golf course that bears his name, surely a clear violation of the moral purpose of the Presidency, even if it is not illegal. If he was Prime Minister of the UK, he would probably be in jail.

[broncofan]

Every single person who has been in charge of the Russia investigation has been the subject of attack, a campaign of slander, or an attempt to influence them in a way to challenges the investigation. Comey, Rosenstein, Sessions, McCabe, and Wray.

This memo is another attempt to portray the DOJ as biased against Trump even while many key appointees are Republicans. Nunes originally came into the public eye with the allegations about FISA unmasking that did not hold any water but were timed to distract from the investigation. Now there's this memo that apparently relates to surveillance of Carter Page. It is abundantly obvious that what these people will not accept is any process that leads to scrutiny. Their idea of oversight is for someone to bury his head in the sand.

It seems the issue is Rod Rosenstein's renewal/approval of a FISA warrant to conduct surveillance on Page. The idea is that if Rosenstein can be portrayed as having violated Carter Page's civil liberties, then maybe he can be fired and another Deputy Attorney General can be put in place to curtail Mueller's investigation or fire him. As you can see by the inappropriate answer Rosenstein gave to Trump's question about whose team he was on (the answer should have mentioned his legitimate duties and rebuked the idea of teams), he is not biased against Trump but not sufficiently willing to obstruct justice.

http://nymag.com/daily/intelligencer...s-is-safe.html

[broncofan]

Thought I'd include this little blurb that makes the question of whether the FISA application relied on the Steele dossier moot. The FISC almost never turns down applications for warrants. That Republicans have suddenly chosen this occasion to object to an application for surveillance is bizarre given the court's history and how easy it has been to target people thought to threaten national security.

http://reason.com/blog/2018/01/31/it...d-to-justify-s

[Jericho]

In Jolly Olde England, Trump is a bounder, and sacks people.

I really can't say as I've heard anyone call that cunting motherfucker a bounder over here...We're not that fucking jolly!

[Stavros]

Thought I'd include this little blurb that makes the question of whether the FISA application relied on the Steele dossier moot. The FISC almost never turns down applications for warrants. That Republicans have suddenly chosen this occasion to object to an application for surveillance is bizarre given the court's history and how easy it has been to target people thought to threaten national security.

The key point in your link is this:
Trump and his allies say the FBI's warrant application relied on information from former British intelligence agent Christopher Steele without making it clear to the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court (FISC) that his research had been funded by Hillary Clinton's campaign and the Democratic National Committee.

In fact, two facts trash this claim:

1) as Fusion GPS have pointed out
Three congressional committees have heard over 21 hours of testimony from our firm, Fusion GPS. In those sessions, we toppled the far right’s conspiracy theories and explained how The Washington Free Beacon and the Clinton campaign — the Republican and Democratic funders of our Trump research — separately came to hire us in the first place.
https://www.nytimes.com/2018/01/02/o...usion-gps.html

2) The FBI warrant was not based on evidence in the 'Steele dossier' but information derived from the claims made by George Papadopoulos that he had dirt on Hillary Clinton:
The big takeaway here is that Papadopoulos's claim to such information made its way to U.S. authorities as early as July 2016 -- suggesting the investigation involving the Trump campaign was predicated on something independent of the Steele dossier.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/...=.37f18563bb66

As you suggested above this is a bear-naked attempt to trash the investigation before it is finished. One suspects Mueller by following the money is getting too close to the wallet of the man in the mirror.

Can the President merge the Attorney General's office with his Communications Office and make Hope Hicks Attorney General?

[Stavros]

So farewell, then, Hope Hicks. Nobody knew who you are anyway.

The President's belief that being Chief Executive would make him money may be coming true in some ways -but those 100 golfing trips to his private clubs paid for the by the taxpayer straight into the family till may increase as customer demand in his branded establishments around the world is falling so much the prices are falling too. No wonder the man needs Russian and Saudi money to stay afloat...


Trump slump | How average rates have fallen at his hotels

Hotel	Price January 2017	Price January 2018	% change
Trump Turnberry	£498	£215	-57%
Trump Las Vegas	£637	£237	-63%
Trump Panama	£345	£269	-22%
Trump Doral	£729	£340	-53%
Trump Doonbeg	£334	£357	+7%
Trump Vancouver	£704	£365	-48%
Macleod House & Lodge	£500	£450	-10%
Trump Soho	£575	£451	-22%
Trump Chicago	£633	£454	-28%
Albemarle Estate at Trump Winery	£694	£477	-31%
Trump Washington DC	£1,245	£598	-52%
Trump New York	£1,009	£682	-32%
Trump Waikiki	£892	£692	-22%
Average	£677	£430	-36%

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/201...rcial-dispute/

[Stavros]

I don't think many people are now either surprised or shocked that the President of the USA should refer to another American as a 'dog', making one wonder if he did not use the female name for the canine species because even that would mark a new low in his lexicon of hate, or perhaps because he doesn't know what the word actually means given that when he did use the word he was referring to male football players. Or maybe it doesn't matter when the people concerned are black and only worthy of insult and abuse and the words are interchangeable.

Maybe people should start using the words the President uses when addressing senior members of his administration, so you could have:
Mr Sessions, you son of a bitch, what have been the latest developments with regard to illegal immigrants?
Ms De Vos, you dog, why did you go to the state of New York earlier this year but not visit a single state school?

As for Omarosa Manigault Newman, when you realise she was the most senior (and the only) African American in the Administration you have to ask if there is something wrong with the President's judgement, given the calibre of his appointments -self-confessed liars, law breakers on the verge of jail time, spongers using tax payers money to fly around the USA and the world, buying expensive knives and forks...what was it Mussolini said? Drenare le palude...

As for the book, titled Unhinged, it hit the shelves today, and in the WH Smith retail network is on sale at 50% off the cover price.

I think the appropriate word is desperate.