Once a small-time grifter, always a small-time grifter.
I’m confused by something that came out from Woodword’s book this morning:
*"Then, in an even more remarkable move, Dowd and Trump’s current personal attorney Jay Sekulow went to Mueller’s office and re-enacted the mock interview. Their goal: to argue that Trump couldn’t possibly testify because he was incapable of telling the truth.
“He just made something up. That’s his nature,” Dowd said to Mueller. *
So, the president’s lawyers went to Mueller and told him that he couldn’t testify because he would lie? What sort of strategy is that?
Calling Trump’s statements lies implies that he knows what the truth actually is and is saying something different for some reason of his own, which happens sometimes. But just from what’s publicly available it’s clear that he’s got something approaching an actual mental disorder if not over that line when he’ll just make up random crap for no particular reason and with no actual knowledge of whether it’s true or not. So I would think that the discussion with Mueller’s team was less “he’s a liar” than “he’s crazy”. Which is hardly exculpatory, but that’s probably the best his attorneys have to offer.
My best guess (assuming the depiction is accurate) is that they operated on the assumption that Mueller was making a good faith effort to get to the bottom of the issue and not a perjury trap. So they essentially told Mueller “look, you’re not going to get any useful information out of Trump because he’s such a liar anyway”. Mueller’s job is not to determine that Trump is a liar, and if they could convince him that bottom line he would not be able to get a clearer picture of the collusion or obstruction facts by interviewing Trump, perhaps he would back off.
Doesn’t seem to have worked, in any event.
According to recent reports (or leaks?) tRump has been subjected to two “practice interrogations”, administered by his White House flunkies so far.
He failed both miserably, but he claims to have aced them. He kept making shit up, and wouldn’t/couldn’t stick to a script.
Why? Haven’t the Russians paid him enough???
There is currently an anti Claire McCaskill ad running in Missouri, where they try to insinuate that her husband’s business has made millions from government subsidies that she has voted in favor of. True or not, I find it ironic that they are running this ad deep in the heart of Trump country. I thought elected officials bilking the government for millions was what this administration is all about!
Ah, the old “confabulator defense”. Isn’t that what he ran on 2 years ago?
Kinda depends. If it was mostly money-laundering, then he would get a cut but not the money. Enough? Dunno.
But if the inducement was in the form of loans? I think thats a major part in how the Russians got Manafort from useful idiot to bound servant. They gave him his payday in the form of loans. Don’t worry about it, its just a formality, we won’t ask for it back. And like an idiot, or someone in the throes of greed-induced psychosis…he trusted them. (I’ve heard that when the mouse trap works, the mouse is dead so fast he doesn’t hear the snap.) That’s what he was talking about when he sought to use his position to “get whole”.
What could have been bigger than a cut of money-laundering? In a word, Exxon. Exxon was in a position to save Putin’s economic bacon with the plan to explore/exploit Arctic oil reserves. For a while there, looked like that might actually work! Got the President of Exxon to be Secretary of State, looking good!
(If Putin had the money to do it himself and not cut Exxon in for a bigger share, well, wouldn’t he? Which means, he didn’t. Also, he doesn’t. Big problem with plutocracy, once you steal everything, there isn’t anything for anybody else but vodka and apathy.)
Follow the money. Pile up the receipts, the records on his desk. Then put down a gracefully worded resignation document along with a nod from Pence to pardon everybody. Nobody goes to jail, but he’s outa there!
I would accept it. I would puke my guts out, but I would accept it. Desperate times, desperate measures.
So, Trump is too mentally incompetent to be deposed.
MAGA!!!
I don’t think it’s just dishonesty, although there is that. Trump really does seem to live in a fantasy world where he seems to think whatever he believes is true (or should be).
Has anybody been watching Preacher on AMC? My new nickname for Trump is Humperdoo.
New: Mueller Will Accept Some Written Answers From Trump
I think the Russia stuff is a bargaining chip. Mueller already has all the evidence he needs. But an obstruction charge requires evidence of Trump’s state of mind when taking certain actions, and an interview may be the only way to get it.
Or, it could be a formality, to fend off criticisms that he didn’t let Trump defend himself. Have no real idea what Mueller thinks about anything. As I’ve said, some guys play their cards close to their vest, his cards are stapled to his tits!
This is according to Trump’s side. Mueller’s side, as usual, has said nothing. So, not sure there is reason to believe any of this.
It is about that, but you have to include the next step: ‘projecting the crimes you’re currently committing onto the opposition, while claiming to be Selfless Servants of the People’ (cue the patriotic music and clip of a soaring eagle).
But Humperdoo isn’t a bully who enjoys sticking it to other people. He’s a guy with an IQ of about 45 on his best day, but he’s not an asshole.
So, maybe Trump is Evil Humperdoo?
That works for me.
I’m reminded of the Trump Administration’s motto:
Malice, tempered with incompetence.
That should be in Latin. Can anyone translate?
Maleus Incus STAPES! 
No, I don’t know what tense and voice mottos are in,and I fear the nouns would be in the mysterious dative, but the word to use for malice is
scelus: crime, wickedness, sin, misdeed, felony, malice
and for incompetence
inscitia: ignorance, folly, inexperience, incompetence, incompetency, want of skill
the best choice for temper here is actually tempero
Scelus per stultitia impeditum.
If you’re trying to pitch this to Trump, I’d go with, “Alicemay, emperedtay ithway incompetenceay.” He wouldn’t know the difference.