# The Trump Administration: A Clusterfuck in the Making Part Deux (Part 1) **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [June 22, 2020, 3:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making-part-deux-part-1/911083 "2020-06-22T03:36:45Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 240
**Author:** ![Buck\_Godot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/buck_godot/32/6573_2.png) [@Buck\_Godot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Buck_Godot)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2020, 2:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making-part-deux-part-1/911083/4798 "2020-10-11T02:12:35Z")
> [@Sherrerd](#): > > šŸ˜± > > (Looked for a Headslap emojiā€¦?) I usually use face palm. šŸ¤¦ā€ā™‚ļø ---
**Author:** ![mikecurtis](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mikecurtis/32/3284_2.png) [@mikecurtis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mikecurtis)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2020, 2:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making-part-deux-part-1/911083/4799 "2020-10-11T02:16:24Z")
I was not joking. But I was hedging by saying ā€œI believeā€ After doing some research Iā€™ve found out a couple things. First: the President and Vice President are exempt from the Hatch Act. Second: Federal employees are only covered under the Act when they are in a federal building and acting in their official capacity. Soā€¦while this letā€™s the Pres off the hook, anybody else who gets a federal paycheck is in a grey area. Was this event on the Presidentā€™s calendar? Were they acting in their official capacity? Some involved could say they were there on their own time, but others like the Marine guards or domestic staff were clearly on the clock. The short answer is the President can do what he wants. The upper level staff have plausible deniability. And low level staff are fucked, but who wants to hold them accountable? So it might as well be perfectly legal. ---
**Author:** ![mikecurtis](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mikecurtis/32/3284_2.png) [@mikecurtis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mikecurtis)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2020, 2:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making-part-deux-part-1/911083/4800 "2020-10-11T02:25:02Z")
> [@Trinopus](#): > > If Obama ever actually campaigned from the White House, thatā€™d be a double oops Maybeā€¦ > **[Campaigning from the White House](https://www.politico.com/story/2011/07/campaigning-from-the-white-house-059631)** > > Obama balances his squeaky-clean brand with the politics of a campaign headquartered in Chicago. > But Obamaā€™s activities have not been without controversy. On March 7th, he led a DNC-organized economic policy discussion with fundraisers and potential fundraisers in the White Houseā€™s Blue Room ā€“ an event that was not included in the presidentā€™s daily schedule and which attracted the attention of House Oversight Committee chairman Darrell Issa (R-Calif.) after a story about it appeared in the New York Times ---
**Author:** ![mikecurtis](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mikecurtis/32/3284_2.png) [@mikecurtis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mikecurtis)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2020, 2:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making-part-deux-part-1/911083/4801 "2020-10-11T02:35:45Z")
To make things even more confusing, if thatā€™s possible, the White House is saying the opposite of my explanation above. That it was NOT a campaign rally and that no campaign staff were involved. That it was the President addressing the masses. This explanation might be easier to accept it it wasnā€™t for the gigantic Trump/Pence signs on display! ---
**Author:** ![Guest-starring\_Id](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guest-starring_id/32/21736_2.png) [@Guest-starring\_Id](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guest-starring_Id)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2020, 2:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making-part-deux-part-1/911083/4802 "2020-10-11T02:47:46Z")
> [@Rick\_Kitchen](#): > > The Taliban endorses Individual 1. And because President Partying Pangolin thrives on being flattered like taking in oxygen, heā€™ll consumptively come to the conclusion that meh, maybe those Taliban people are fine people, too. In turn, heā€™ll get his base in line with this (sorta like the ā€œBetter Russian Than Democratā€ t-shirters), which, _in turn_, will force Republicans to once again jump into the [glurge](https://youtu.be/3Xg2v_T2XH8?t=164) and do a 180 on what they had previously believed in, and try to ā€œworkā€ with the Taliban. (expect a smitten quote from Lindsay Graham about the Taliban in next couple weeks) ---
**Author:** ![HelenGawn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/a88e4f/32.png) [@HelenGawn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HelenGawn)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2020, 2:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making-part-deux-part-1/911083/4803 "2020-10-11T02:51:07Z")
Deutsche Bank. ---
**Author:** ![ThelmaLou](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thelmalou/32/390_2.png) [@ThelmaLou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThelmaLou)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2020, 3:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making-part-deux-part-1/911083/4804 "2020-10-11T03:43:52Z")
This looks to me like grounds to impeach Obama _ex post facto_! MAGA! šŸ‡ŗšŸ‡ø ---
**Author:** ![Rick\_Kitchen](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rick_kitchen/32/522_2.png) [@Rick\_Kitchen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rick_Kitchen)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2020, 4:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making-part-deux-part-1/911083/4805 "2020-10-11T04:12:58Z")
A woman who spoke for Individual 1 at the Republican convention has been arrested for shooting another woman. > **[Nurse who spoke at 2020 RNC busted for shooting woman after argument](https://nypost.com/2020/10/10/nurse-who-spoke-at-2020-rnc-busted-for-shooting-woman/)** > > A West Virginia nurse who spoke at the Republican National Convention in August was arrested for shooting a woman in the gut after an argument, according to reports. Amy Thorn, 39, gained attentionā€¦ ---
**Author:** ![Rick\_Kitchen](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rick_kitchen/32/522_2.png) [@Rick\_Kitchen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rick_Kitchen)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2020, 4:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making-part-deux-part-1/911083/4806 "2020-10-11T04:31:10Z")
Doctor Fauci named Federal Employee of the Year, > **[Dr. Fauci Named Federal Employee of the Year](https://www.fedweek.com/federal-managers-daily-report/dr-fauci-named-federal-employee-of-the-year/)** > > Dr. Anthony S. Fauci, M.D., director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases at the National Institutes of Health has been named the ---
**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2020, 5:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making-part-deux-part-1/911083/4807 "2020-10-11T05:17:45Z")
> [@eschereal](#): > > ā€œQueā€ is the Asian braided ponytail. What? ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2020, 3:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making-part-deux-part-1/911083/4808 "2020-10-11T15:19:12Z")
I thought Que was Tommy Lee Jonesā€™ character in _Men In Black_. ---
**Author:** ![Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba9def/32.png) [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Just_Asking_Questions)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2020, 3:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making-part-deux-part-1/911083/4809 "2020-10-11T15:21:08Z")
> [@silenus](#): > > I thought Que was Tommy Lee Jonesā€™ character in _Men In Black_ . Since the characterā€™s full history was erased when he became a MIB, does that mean he is Que-anon? ---
**Author:** ![asahi](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asahi/32/8693_2.png) [@asahi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/asahi)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2020, 3:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making-part-deux-part-1/911083/4810 "2020-10-11T15:25:16Z")
Very fine woman. ---
**Author:** ![asahi](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asahi/32/8693_2.png) [@asahi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/asahi)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2020, 3:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making-part-deux-part-1/911083/4811 "2020-10-11T15:25:42Z")
Not by Trump, though. ---
**Author:** ![smithsb](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smithsb/32/12107_2.png) [@smithsb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/smithsb)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2020, 3:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making-part-deux-part-1/911083/4812 "2020-10-11T15:32:08Z")
> [@Sherrerd](#): > > Que Congressional Republicans to say en masse when asked about this tomorrow, ā€œI hadnā€™t heard that so canā€™t comment.ā€ I took this to mean,ā€œWhat Congressional Republicans ā€¦ā€ The Republican Party disbanded; starting in the 1980s, complete by 2016. For evidence - go look for the Republican Party platform for 2020 - there isnā€™t any. ---
**Author:** ![JohnT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnt/32/15048_2.png) [@JohnT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnT)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2020, 4:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making-part-deux-part-1/911083/4813 "2020-10-11T16:20:44Z")
One truly genuine way that I am disappointed by Trump is that, even in 2017, I was like ā€˜well, if someone is going to blurt out the truth about Roswell, the Tri-Lateral Commission, and JFK, itā€™s gotta be this guy!ā€™ But fuck no, we didnā€™t even get that. ---
**Author:** ![Trinopus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/2bfe46/32.png) [@Trinopus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trinopus)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2020, 4:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making-part-deux-part-1/911083/4814 "2020-10-11T16:35:02Z")
> [@mikecurtis](#): > > After doing some research Iā€™ve found out a couple things. > First: the President and Vice President are exempt from the Hatch Act. > Second: Federal employees are only covered under the Act when they are in a federal building and acting in their official capacity. Thank you kindly! We differ, here on the SDMB, from the President in one very important regard: we respect the truth. ---
**Author:** ![asahi](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asahi/32/8693_2.png) [@asahi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/asahi)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2020, 4:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making-part-deux-part-1/911083/4815 "2020-10-11T16:58:58Z")
[quote=ā€œmikecurtis, post:4799, topic:911083ā€] Second: Federal employees are only covered under the Act when they are in a federal building and acting in their official capacity.[/quote] Not necessarily; it can get complicated, which you seem to acknowledge a little later when you comment about grey areas. ---
**Author:** ![jsc1953](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/5daacb/32.png) [@jsc1953](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jsc1953)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2020, 6:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making-part-deux-part-1/911083/4816 "2020-10-11T18:24:17Z")
Which is proof that thereā€™s nothing to say about Roswell. Kind of like how the invention of the cell phone camera has proven that there is nothing to the Loch Ness monster or Bigfoot. ---
**Author:** ![JohnT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnt/32/15048_2.png) [@JohnT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnT)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2020, 6:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making-part-deux-part-1/911083/4817 "2020-10-11T18:43:31Z")
Why do you hurt meā€¦ and our underwater allyā€¦ by spreading such falsehoods about Nessie? šŸ˜Ÿ [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making-part-deux-part-1/911083.md?page=239) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making-part-deux-part-1/911083.md?page=241)