Donald Trump

kingstongraham

KellyAnne Conway: I have no evidence for the surveillance claims, that's why there's an investigation. Also in another interview - the monitoring could be done with "microwaves that turn into cameras. We know this is a fact of modern life."

Approaching crunch time, I think. If the madness can continue longer than the anger, then the terrible becomes acceptable.

bendertherobot

KingstonGraham wrote:

KellyAnne Conway: I have no evidence for the surveillance claims, that's why there's an investigation. Also in another interview - the monitoring could be done with "microwaves that turn into cameras. We know this is a fact of modern life."

Approaching crunch time, I think. If the madness can continue longer than the anger, then the terrible becomes acceptable.

I'm concerned we've passed it.

fenix

He has been quiet of late. Maybe he's all out of dumb.

bendertherobot

Fenix wrote:

He has been quiet of late. Maybe he's all out of dumb.

He's planning his various Mar-a-Lago weekends.

dinyull

bendertherobot wrote:

KingstonGraham wrote:

KellyAnne Conway: I have no evidence for the surveillance claims, that's why there's an investigation. Also in another interview - the monitoring could be done with "microwaves that turn into cameras. We know this is a fact of modern life."

Approaching crunch time, I think. If the madness can continue longer than the anger, then the terrible becomes acceptable.

I'm concerned we've passed it.

Think so.

The RoguePOTUSstaff* twitter thing said the same when Spicer said that Trump didn't know Flynn was a foreign agent. West Wing were apparently sh!tting themselves at the assumed onslaught at that but none of the press followed it up.

*assuming the account is real of course.

kingstongraham

Fenix wrote:

He has been quiet of late. Maybe he's all out of dumb.

Stephen Colbert said that he was worried that the timeshare in crazytown had been sold after the "big boy speech to congress", and then came the tweets about the wiretap... and just like that, the White House had to reset the "days since" sign back to zero.

He'll be back.

bianchimoon

he's just leaked 'one' of his own tax returns, the most favourable one he has

kingstongraham

bianchimoon wrote:

he's just leaked 'one' of his own tax returns, the most favourable one he has

Is it confirmed the original leak was from the Trump camp? That was my first thought. He's now released the same one officially, but that surely means he has no excuse to keep the others secret doesn't it?

bianchimoon

KingstonGraham wrote:

bianchimoon wrote:

he's just leaked 'one' of his own tax returns, the most favourable one he has

Is it confirmed the original leak was from the Trump camp? That was my first thought. He's now released the same one officially, but that surely means he has no excuse to keep the others secret doesn't it?

the self leak still a theory unfortunately, on the contrary, if he leaks a good one, bet he thinks will take the heat off the Russian investigation in the press, interesting quote in the WP

If Trump or someone near him was the source of the leak, it certainly wouldn’t be out of character for the president. For years, Trump regularly posed as his own spokesman, using the aliases “John Barron” and “John Miller” to brag about himself and steer coverage about his personal life. (Trump has denied that he ever used a fake name, but he admitted under oath to doing so

kingstongraham

If he can keep it going a bit longer, perhaps people will miss the CBO report saying that 24 million fewer people will be insured under the new healthcare bill, and that insurance costs will go up for older Americans.

Pross

It was a big own goal my MSNBC to report the leaked info. I suspect most people's reaction was along the lines of 'that's not as bad as I expected'. If it was Trump's own team that leaked it then it was a great tactic. Takes the heat off the tax question, shows he actually paid close to the average tax rate of a 'high earner' and gets to act a victim too.

kingstongraham

Pross wrote:

It was a big own goal my MSNBC to report the leaked info. I suspect most people's reaction was along the lines of 'that's not as bad as I expected'. If it was Trump's own team that leaked it then it was a great tactic. Takes the heat off the tax question, shows he actually paid close to the average tax rate of a 'high earner' and gets to act a victim too.

For that one year... If the other year's show something different, it could end up being short sighted.

bendertherobot

I agree with Pross, so far. But, on the other hand, that year, quite clearly is not being audited. So can be released. Also, there is the implication that he's less rich than he says he is. But, come on, he's hardly scratching round under the sofa cushions.

kingstongraham

bendertherobot wrote:

I agree with Pross, so far. But, on the other hand, that year, quite clearly is not being audited. So can be released. Also, there is the implication that he's less rich than he says he is. But, come on, he's hardly scratching round under the sofa cushions.

Well yes, and lying on its own definitely isn't a problem for him.

briantrumpet

Pross wrote:

It was a big own goal my MSNBC to report the leaked info. I suspect most people's reaction was along the lines of 'that's not as bad as I expected'. If it was Trump's own team that leaked it then it was a great tactic. Takes the heat off the tax question, shows he actually paid close to the average tax rate of a 'high earner' and gets to act a victim too.

Yes, Maddow's had a good run, and Twitter got all excited when whe announced they had 'Trump tax returns"... very quicky she was backtracking and saying it was a specific part of an old one, and now there is the definite whiff of having been played. (It's been noted that this copy wasn't even one that had been submitted to the IRS.)

On the other hand, maybe it'll embolden someone to get the general public a little more up to date with Trump's tax affairs, after the disappointment of this non-scoop.

dinyull

If he's being audited, how far back will that go?

This return is 12 years old - he can't be being audited up until then so you have to assume he's leaked his best one. And got everyone talking about it. As thick as mince he appears, he's top dog when it comes to deflection.

bianchimoon

I though the US was a democracy? just watching on CNN as to how they came up with the budget and the spokesman said, we just looked at his speeches (Trump) and came up with then figures based on what he's said/promised. I know they'll have to go through senate etc, but making budgets up based on what Trump said during his speeches.. WTF

kingstongraham

bianchimoon wrote:

I though the US was a democracy? just watching on CNN as to how they came up with the budget and the spokesman said, we just looked at his speeches (Trump) and came up with then figures based on what he's said/promised. I know they'll have to go through senate etc, but making budgets up based on what Trump said during his speeches.. WTF

Have they included the 2 trillion for the wall?

pblakeney

KingstonGraham wrote:

bianchimoon wrote:

I though the US was a democracy? just watching on CNN as to how they came up with the budget and the spokesman said, we just looked at his speeches (Trump) and came up with then figures based on what he's said/promised. I know they'll have to go through senate etc, but making budgets up based on what Trump said during his speeches.. WTF

Have they included the 2 trillion for the wall?

No.
Mexico will be covering that. :roll:

bendertherobot

Apparently not. It's in the budget for the US to pay

pinno

He's been fooked wice regarding the travel ban. There's no sign that a 3rd version will go through, so that's one of DT's big 'manifessto' points already on the rocks.
GCHQ in a rare public statement have flatly denied 'wire tapping' Trump towers.

briantrumpet

Pinno wrote:

He's been fooked wice regarding the travel ban. There's no sign that a 3rd version will go through, so that's one of DT's big 'manifessto' points already on the rocks.

It's particularly pleasing that they've used Trump's own braggadocio against him and Bannon: both times they have (rightly) looked beyond the EO's actual wording in order to assess the intent of the ban, and the statements of all the key players in the past twelve months were explicitly part of the case against the ban. Ha. Trumped by his tweets.

bendertherobot

Not a good week, another ban, no evidence of a wiretap and some utterly scary healthcare stuff from the stats guys. Meals on wheels gone for 2.9 million.

Once again, man of the people not man of the people shocker.

cooldad

Pinno wrote:

He's been fooked wice regarding the travel ban. There's no sign that a 3rd version will go through, so that's one of DT's big 'manifessto' points already on the rocks.
GCHQ in a rare public statement have flatly denied 'wire tapping' Trump towers.

They might have lied. Proof from an impeccable source that GCHQ have been spying on Donald.

http://www.thedailymash.co.uk/news/inte ... 0317124290

"GCHQ HAS confirmed that Donald Trump’s private communications are nothing but the same meaningless bollocks he says in public."

bianchimoon

if one thing sums trumps attitude up it's this feature in the washington Post, and Trump paying homage Andrew Jackson, how similar they are in may ways
https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions ... 9a83d218ad

Although to be fair, Bannon probably made him go

rjsterry

Just listened to Rifkind commenting on the GCHQ claims. Scathing would not quite do it justice.

secretsam

It actually wouldn't surprise me if GCHQ did listen in on Trump's comms. I mean, Spies need a laugh, same as the rest of us, surely?

kingstongraham

More likely CTU from what 24:Legacy is showing us. They can get anything with no authorisation. Just look like you mean it when you ask, and all's good.

bompington

Certainly, I've always found 24 to be a good documentary for explaining American counter-terrorism practice.

bendertherobot

KingstonGraham wrote:

More likely CTU from what 24:Legacy is showing us. They can get anything with no authorisation. Just look like you mean it when you ask, and all's good.

It depends though, I mean, did they open a socket?