A Porn Actress, A Playboy Bunny, And A Reality TV Contestant

[Lord Jim]

Too easy I lost my integrity on the first try

Why am I not surprised...

[Econoline]

Too easy I lost my integrity on the first try

That's because you didn't stop at the brain-cell-irradiating booth on the way in.

[Econoline]

• WASHINGTON (The Borowitz Report)—The special counsel, Robert Mueller, is actively considering what would be the most appropriate thank-you gift to send to the former New York mayor Rudolph Giuliani, a source close to Mueller’s team has confirmed.
  
  According to the source, Mueller and his team were behind closed doors on Thursday morning to discuss the gift and appear to be close to a decision.
  
  “They’ve been around and around on this, but a consensus seems to be forming on a bottle of single-malt Scotch,” the source said.
  
  Moments after the news of Mueller’s gift to Giuliani leaked, however, Michael Avenatti, Stormy Daniels’s lawyer, indicated that he had already sent Giuliani a single-malt Scotch on Thursday morning and advised Mueller to select an alternative gift, such as Dom Pérignon champagne or beluga caviar.
  
  Responding to Avenatti’s comments, federal prosecutors investigating Michael Cohen issued a statement asserting that they had, in fact, sent Giuliani an entire case of champagne last night, which would appear to leave caviar as Mueller’s only remaining gift option.
  
  The source close to Mueller said that, no matter what gift the special counsel ultimately chooses, it will be an inadequate token of gratitude. “You can’t put a price tag on what Rudy has done for Bob,” the source said.

[MajGenl.Meade]

The maze was easy. The secret is to start with no integrity.

[Lord Jim]

I just went in a straight line from the entrance to the exit; the maze walls are fake...

[Scooter]

Two weeks from now:

[RayThom]

Pikers all. My integrity is so compromised that I used a maze from one of Drumpf's personal placemats in the Situation Room.



Better still, it took me less than 30 minutes to get through it.

Mission accomplished.

[Scooter]

Wait, it gets better:

Trump walks back Giuliani: 'He'll get his facts straight'

(CNN) - President Donald Trump publicly undermined his attorney Rudy Giuliani on Friday, saying the former New York City mayor had only a loose grasp on details of the Stormy Daniels matter when he spoke about it earlier this week.

"He'll get his facts straight," Trump stipulated, before adding: "There has been a lot of misinformation. I say, You know what? Learn before you speak. It's a lot easier." (advice that Lord Dampnut might take to heart himself)

Calling Giuliani a "great guy," Trump nonetheless insisted his attorney wasn't fully up to speed when he told an interviewer that Trump had reimbursed another lawyer for hush money paid to Daniels, an adult film actress who claims she had sex with Trump in 2006. Trump has denied the encounter.

"He really has his heart into it. He's working hard," Trump said of Giuliani, before adding: "He's learning the subject matter."

Trump sought to clarify the matter during a pair of morning appearances as he departed for Dallas, where he will address the National Rifle Association. He spoke first outside the South Portico, as his Marine One helicopter was idling nearby, and again under the wing of Air Force One at Joint Base Andrews.

It was his first time speaking about the matter after Giuliani sat for an interview this week and claimed Trump had paid back his lawyer Michael Cohen for the $130,000 hush payment to Daniels, an adult film actress whose legal name is Stephanie Clifford.

Trump seemed to initially back up Giuliani's statement on Twitter the morning after his interview. But he reversed course on Friday.

"Everything said has been said incorrectly," he said. Giuliani, who announced he was joining Trump's legal team 15 days ago, "started yesterday," the President insisted.

"When Rudy made the statements -- Rudy is great -- but Rudy had just started, and he wasn't totally familiar with everything," he said.

Trump had previously said he wasn't aware of the payment. He told reporters aboard Air Force One a month ago "no" when questioned about his knowledge of the arrangement.

He grew indignant on Friday when pressed about the shifting version of events. (the nerve of those pesky reporters keeping track of the 25 different versions of this story we have told so far - hrrmph!)

"We're not changing any stories," Trump demanded on the Andrews tarmac. "This country is right now running so smooth and to be bringing up that kind of crap, and bringing up witch hunts all the time, that's all you want to talk about."

As reporters interjected, Trump chided them -- "excuse me, excuse me" -- and insisted they review what he'd said.

"You take a look at what I said. You go back and take a look," he ordered. "You'll see what I said."

The remarkable series of appearances did little to clarify matters, which have served to erode the credibility both of the President and his aides, who insisted Trump knew nothing of the hush payments.

Trump, however, said there should be no confusion.

"It's actually very simple," he declared without explanation. (not simple enough for the WH to stick to the same script for longer than 5 minutes, apparently)

The matter has again plunged the President's staff and legal team into crisis mode and left them scrambling to catch up with events. There was little indication beforehand that Giuliani had planned to reveal the payment details on Wednesday night, despite his insistence that he remains aligned with his client.

"You wont see daylight between me and the President," Giuliani told CNN's Dana Bash on Thursday. (uh, you might want to re-evaluate that one, Rudy)

If there was a strategy cooked up between the President and his lawyer, most White House aides were left in the dark. Chief of staff John Kelly was among the aides who watched the Giuliani interview with shock on Wednesday.

Kelly's stature inside the White House has long been the subject of speculation. But Trump sought to bolster his standing on Friday.

"We have a great relationship. He's doing a great job as chief of staff. I could not be more happy," Trump said. "So I just want to tell you that."

[Lord Jim]

Well that didn't take long...

Another reputation gets smacked with the Trump tar brush:

Trump Lawyer Attended DOJ Meeting On Confidential FBI Informant

Emmet Flood, the White House attorney dealing with the Russia probe, was present at a controversial DOJ meeting about the investigation.

WASHINGTON ― Top congressional lawmakers and a White House attorney met with Justice Department officials on Thursday to discuss classified information about an FBI informant involved in the investigation into Russia’s alleged meddling in the 2016 election. Democrats have denounced the sit-down as inappropriate and contrary to the rule of law.

Republicans had requested the information for weeks, issuing a subpoena and warning top DOJ officials that if they refused they would hold them contempt of Congress.

Emmet Flood, the White House attorney dealing with the Russia investigation, attended part of the classified briefing [big surprise, he was not listed as someone who would be there]and was spotted leaving the DOJ headquarters alongside House Speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wis.), House Intelligence Committee Chair Devin Nunes (R-Calif.), Rep. Trey Gowdy (R-S.C.), and White House chief of staff John Kelly. None of the men took questions from a contingent of reporters standing watch.

https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/do ... 4ea10613b3

[Sue U]

. . . spotted leaving the DOJ headquarters alongside House Speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wis.), House Intelligence Committee Chair Devin Nunes (R-Calif.), Rep. Trey Gowdy (R-S.C.), and White House chief of staff John Kelly.

Legit AF.

[Big RR]

What does atrial fibrillation have to do with a legal meeting?

[Lord Jim]

What makes this diversion particularly pernicious and insidious, is that not only is Trump attempting to groundlessly undermine public confidence in the FBI's investigation, (which he does all the time) but he is also trying to normalize Presidential intervention into Justice Department operations for personal and political purposes...

It's very important that if God willing we ever get to this, that this whole episode constitute a component of an abuse of power article of impeachment, so as to convey the clear message to any future President that trying to bend the Justice Department to shield yourself from criminal investigation and/or punish your political opponents (like Third World autocrats routinely use their "Justice Ministry") will not be treated as acceptable, let alone "normal"...

[Sue U]

What makes this diversion particularly pernicious and insidious, is that not only is Trump attempting to groundlessly undermine public confidence in the FBI's investigation, (which he does all the time) but he is also trying to normalize Presidential intervention into Justice Department operations for personal and political purposes...

It's very important that if God willing we ever get to this, that this whole episode constitute a component of an abuse of power article of impeachment, so as to convey the clear message to any future President that trying to bend the Justice Department to shield yourself from criminal investigation and/or punish your political opponents (like Third World autocrats routinely use their "Justice Ministry") will not be treated as acceptable, let alone "normal"...

Have you conveyed this message to the GOP members of the California congressional delegation (*cough* Devin Nunes *cough*) and the National Republican Congressional Committee? I assume you're a GOP donor, and the party may be interested in what their stalwarts think.

[Big RR]

Stalwarts, es; but not turncoats like Jim. These are the guys who have supported Trump all along.

[Lord Jim]

I assume you're a GOP donor, and the party may be interested in what their stalwarts think.

I used to contribute regularly, but it's been a few years since I've written any checks for the RNC or the NRCC...

And now that the RNC has become a wholly-owned subsidiary of Trump Inc. (it's traditional that the national committees of the major parties are controlled by the White House when they hold the Presidency, and most of the time that makes a lot of sense, but there's nothing in the rules that requires it.) and the Congressional Republicans have become largely a collection of cowards afraid to stand up to Trump and out-right collaborators assisting him in undermining the rule of law, I don't expect I'll be making another contribution to either of those organizations any time soon...

In the 2016 election cycle I contributed to John Kasich's campaign and a group I got involved with that I posted about here that was called Free The Delegates...(A group of anti-Trump Republicans who first tried to prevent him from getting nominated, and later tried to force him from the ticket.)

Most recently, I made a contribution to Republicans for the Rule of Law, (I posted about them too; a group organized by Bill Kristol, Linda Chavez and some other long-time Republicans primarily for the purpose of supporting the Mueller investigation.)

All three of those qualify as Republican causes, but contributing to them won't exactly give me any pull with the Trumpists or the gutless wonders refusing to stand up to them.

Stalwarts, es; but not turncoats like Jim.

Well, I certainly don't consider myself to be a turncoat...

I want to help save the Republican Party, not destroy it....

The ones steering the party towards the ash heap of political history are those who have abandoned Republican principles (we have a President openly and gleefully trying to undermine the rule of law and some of the Congressional Republicans are openly helping him, while most of the rest stand around in parallelized silence..."Law and Order Party" my ass...) in the service of a know-nothing, corrupt, autocratic narcissist who is neither a Republican nor a conservative...

Those are the true "turncoats"...

My extremely reluctant vote for Hillary Clinton and my equally painful decision to now support a Democratic take over of the House are both borne of a deep desire to rescue the GOP from the dark and ultimately politically suicidal embrace of Trumpism...

As the late great Margaret Thatcher once said, "You may not like the medicine, but it's the only way the patient is going to get well"...

The party had a lot of problems before Trump, but his toxic infection in it may very well be the final blow. If the party cannot summon up the will to cast him off, then it will richly deserve the political oblivion that will surely befall it.

[RayThom]

To paraphrase Vietnam veteran Michael D. Miller's misquote describing the siege of Ben Tre, “We had to destroy the Republican Party in order to save it.”

There will be no quick fix in restoring a secure Democracy after Drumpf's demise -- be it literal or figurative. There's no magical change in the wind for 2018 nor 2020. I feel it's going to be generational, and little gained by a mere changing of the guard. There is blame on both sides. As soon as both parties come to that realization, the better.

As for Hillary, if she tries pushing herself into the mix -- we, as Democrats, are doomed.

[Lord Jim]

Wow, talk about projection...

Rudy Giuliani: James Clapper and John Brennan are ‘clowns’

Rudy Giuliani lashed out at former Director of National Intelligence James Clapper and former CIA Director John Brennan when asked Sunday if he thought they were part of a "deep state" conspiracy against President Trump.

“I don’t know what you want to call it,” Giuliani told CNN’s “State of the Union.” “I think they are two clowns.”

Trump and his allies have accused the “deep state” of trying to undermine his presidency, especially as it relates to the Russia investigation. “Deep state” refers to a group of unelected government or military officials who secretly try to influence national policy.

“They are not civil servants as far as I know,” Giuliani said of the former Obama administration officials.

“Really? All those decades of service?” CNN anchor Dana Bash asked Giuliani.

“There are a lot of people with decades of service, some good, some bad. Some get consumed with power and begin to lie,” [Amen to that, Rudy...]Giuliani responded.

https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news ... are-clowns

I'm sure that Clapper and Brennan are reeling from this attack...

It's always devastating when a guy standing there wearing a bright orange fright wig, red nose and big floppy shoes with calliope music playing behind him calls you a clown...

Maybe next Rudy will squirt them with his carnation or throw a bucket of confetti on them...

[Joe Guy]

I wanted to post this somewhere and I thought this thread might be a good place...

[Lord Jim]

Oh dear, looks like somebody got caught fibbing again...(He'll probably say the tape's a fake):

NYT: Cohen taped conversation with Trump on porn star

Michael Cohen, President Donald Trump's longtime lawyer, secretly recorded a conversation between himself and the president in which they discussed payments to a former Playboy model who said she had an affair with Trump,[Those would be the payments Trump said he knew nothing about to buy silence for the affair he says never happened] according to a report Friday in The New York Times.

According to the report, the FBI seized the recording this year during a raid on Cohen's office three months ago as part of an investigation into his business dealings. The tape was recorded two months before the presidential election, according to the Times.

https://www.detroitnews.com/story/news/ ... 807239002/

Kinda makes you wonder if making these recordings was a standard practice of Mikey's when doing dirty work for Trump, and if so what else might be on tape...

Stay tuned...

[Econoline]