# The Trump Administration: A Clusterfuck in the Making **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [December 7, 2016, 12:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070 "2016-12-07T00:25:42Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 410
**Author:** ![Aspenglow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aspenglow/32/76_2.png) [@Aspenglow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aspenglow)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2017, 12:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/8184 "2017-07-17T00:56:32Z")
> [@Chimera](#): > > I saw it as a pretty straight forward statement that would cut off any of this other bullshit. He wasn’t under Secret Service protection. So no, they didn’t vet anyone, they were not there, they would not have had any reason to be involved with the meeting or clear anyone, period. But in fact, that’s _not_ what they said, and that is what makes the wording so odd: “ **Donald Trump, Jr. was not a protectee** of the USSS in June, 2016. Thus we would not have screened anyone **he** was meeting with at that time,” the statement said (emphasis mine). The _could_ have said they didn’t screen anyone, period, but they didn’t say that. It far from excludes the idea that they might have screened on behalf of… someone else. ---
**Author:** ![Chimera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/8e8cbc/32.png) [@Chimera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chimera)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2017, 1:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/8185 "2017-07-17T01:00:48Z")
> [@running\_coach](#): > > Trump, Sr. had Secret Service protection at the time. No, he was not. > [@Aspenglow](#): > > The _could_ have said they didn’t screen anyone, period, but they didn’t say that. It far from excludes the idea that they might have screened on behalf of… someone else. I think you’re reading things into this that aren’t there and looking for an excuse to why this doesn’t say what it says. He was not under SS protection. PERIOD. Thus they were not vetting any of his visitors or those of his family. ---
**Author:** ![amarinth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3be4f8/32.png) [@amarinth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/amarinth)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2017, 1:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/8186 "2017-07-17T01:07:11Z")
> [@Siam\_Sam](#): > > Trump’s lawyer was on CNN today pointing out that the Secret Service had vetted the Russian-meeting participants. In the past hour or so, the Secret Service has issued a statement saying no, they didn’t vet anyone, that it wasn’t their job. And even if the Secret Service did “vet” someone, wouldn’t it just be to ensure that the person wasn’t a _physical_ threat? The Secret Service’s job, as I understand it, is to keep people from being injured or killed, not to keep them out of ethical conundrums and moral quandaries. ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2017, 1:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/8187 "2017-07-17T01:09:05Z")
> [@Chimera](#): > > No, he was not. [Donald Trump, Ben Carson getting Secret Service protection](http://www.cnn.com/2015/11/05/politics/donald-trump-ben-carson-secret-service/index.html) Nov 5, 2015 The meeting was on June 9 [Trump, Sanders under microscope as Secret Service costs skyrocket this election](http://www.cnbc.com/2016/06/23/trump-sanders-under-microscope-as-secret-service-costs-skyrocket-this-election.html) June 23 ---
**Author:** ![Aspenglow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aspenglow/32/76_2.png) [@Aspenglow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aspenglow)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2017, 1:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/8188 "2017-07-17T01:10:27Z")
> [@Chimera](#): > > No, he was not. > > I think you’re reading things into this that aren’t there and looking for an excuse to why this doesn’t say what it says. He was not under SS protection. PERIOD. Thus they were not vetting any of his visitors or those of his family. Oh, I’ll certainly allow the odd wording may mean nothing. But you’re wrong about Donnie Two Scoops not having Secret Service protection as a candidate. As the nominated candidate of the Republican party, he absolutely receives SS protection. Even just major candidates prior to the actual nomination receive it. Please read this article, paragraph 12. It explains that. [Reuters article on SS protection for Trump as a candidate](http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-trump-russia-idUSKBN1A10Q9) Their role is limited to screening for personal safety, not anything else. Nice ninja, **running coach**. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Euphonious\_Polemic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/euphonious_polemic/32/3002_2.png) [@Euphonious\_Polemic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Euphonious_Polemic)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2017, 1:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/8189 "2017-07-17T01:16:33Z")
> [@Aspenglow](#): > > Please read this article, paragraph 12. It explains that. > > [Reuters article on SS protection for Trump as a candidate](http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-trump-russia-idUSKBN1A10Q9) > > Their role is limited to screening for personal safety, not anything else. Yes, as confirmed by a SS agent in an interview: > [@](#): > > The Secret Service would not have had to do a background check on the attendees beforehand since Trump was just a candidate at the time, former Secret Service agent Jonathan Wackrow told CNN on Sunday — only a physical screening. Interestingly, it’s confirmed that [Trump Sr. was indeed in the building.](http://www.businessinsider.com/trumps-lawyer-jay-sekulow-russia-meeting-2017-7) > [@](#): > > According to media reports from that time, Trump was at Trump Tower at 4 p.m. while the meeting was taking place in his son’s office. The only public event the then-candidate attended that day was a fundraising lunch for the Trump Victory Fund, CNN reported, and he was back at Trump Tower by 1 p.m. The thought that Trump Sr. knew nothing of this meeting is laughable. Also, Trump’s lawyers DID KNOW about this meeting three weeks ago: > [@](#): > > rump and his surrogates have insisted the president did not learn of the meeting until last week. But his legal team knew about it at least three weeks ago, according to Yahoo, when Jared Kushner’s lawyers informed them of the email chain. The chain, which was forwarded to Kushner, prompted him to amend his security clearance form — for the second time — on June 21. Either Trump is a liar, or his legal team is inept, and did not inform their client of a critical piece of information. One or the other. And I have no evidence that the legal team is inept. ---
**Author:** ![Chimera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/8e8cbc/32.png) [@Chimera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chimera)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2017, 1:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/8190 "2017-07-17T01:24:37Z")
Ok, yes, I am wrong. He did have SS protection, but his family did not. But it is becoming increasingly clear that he and his entire circle are lying their asses off about this treasonous meeting. ---
**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:** [July 17, 2017, 2:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/8191 "2017-07-17T02:08:16Z")
Yeah I hate it walking alongside a border wall, reading the latest paperback, and another bag of heroin comes flying over. They should at least yell “four” or something. ETA - At least you can say the administration is trying to show _some_ transparency. ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2017, 2:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/8192 "2017-07-17T02:09:16Z")
> [@Eddie The Horrible](#): > > Yeah I hate it walking alongside a border wall, reading the latest paperback, and another bag of heroin comes flying over. > > They should at least yell “four” or something. What if it’s the first bag? ---
**Author:** ![Ike\_Witt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ike_witt/32/283_2.png) [@Ike\_Witt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ike_Witt)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2017, 2:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/8193 "2017-07-17T02:12:42Z")
How many different parties will team Trumpster Fire blame for their actions? ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2017, 2:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/8194 "2017-07-17T02:19:59Z")
> [@Ike\_Witt](#): > > How many different parties will team Trumpster Fire blame for their actions? As many as possible. ---
**Author:** ![Chimera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/8e8cbc/32.png) [@Chimera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chimera)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2017, 2:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/8195 "2017-07-17T02:23:46Z")
The Media Obama Clinton The Secret Service The Media The Russians Their Lawyers Treasonous Leakers ---
**Author:** ![Mollie\_Magill](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mollie_magill/32/20882_2.png) [@Mollie\_Magill](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mollie_Magill)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2017, 2:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/8196 "2017-07-17T02:38:29Z")
> [@Euphonious\_Polemic](#): > > Yes, as confirmed by a SS agent in an interview: > > Interestingly, it’s confirmed that [Trump Sr. was indeed in the building.](http://www.businessinsider.com/trumps-lawyer-jay-sekulow-russia-meeting-2017-7) > > The thought that Trump Sr. knew nothing of this meeting is laughable. Also, Trump’s lawyers DID KNOW about this meeting three weeks ago: > Either Trump is a liar, or his legal team is inept, and did not inform their client of a critical piece of information. One or the other. And I have no evidence that the legal team is inept. Yet. ---
**Author:** ![steatopygia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/steatopygia/32/3132_2.png) [@steatopygia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/steatopygia)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2017, 2:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/8197 "2017-07-17T02:44:04Z")
> [@Chimera](#): > > The Media > Obama > Clinton > The Secret Service > The Media > The Russians > Their Lawyers > Treasonous Leakers I haven’t noticed him saying anything bad about the Russians. I could have missed it. ---
**Author:** ![MovieMogul](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f08c70/32.png) [@MovieMogul](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MovieMogul)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2017, 3:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/8198 "2017-07-17T03:31:00Z")
[In other news](http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/donald-trump-citizenship-letter-welcome-wrong-potus-immigration-a7842936.html), it appears that six months after taking office, the administration still has not updated its new US citizen welcome letters, which are still being issued from the White House w/Obama’s signature & greeting. ---
**Author:** ![davidm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/davidm/32/225_2.png) [@davidm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/davidm)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2017, 3:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/8199 "2017-07-17T03:36:03Z")
> [@Banquet\_Bear](#): > > …and with this proclamation, the Trump administration can scale back the wall promises to a much more affordable _ **fence** _: which can be built for substantially less, which will then be declared a \*\*huge \*\*victory. He’ll just say that he built an invisible wall. That’ll satisfy his base without having to spend a penny. ---
**Author:** ![davidm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/davidm/32/225_2.png) [@davidm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/davidm)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2017, 3:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/8200 "2017-07-17T03:41:31Z")
> [@amarinth](#): > > And even if the Secret Service did “vet” someone, wouldn’t it just be to ensure that the person wasn’t a _physical_ threat? The Secret Service’s job, as I understand it, is to keep people from being injured or killed, not to keep them out of ethical conundrums and moral quandaries. That was my first thought. I don’t think that they’re concerned with anything except the physical security.of their protectees. ---
**Author:** ![Walken\_After\_Midnight](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/b487fb/32.png) [@Walken\_After\_Midnight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Walken_After_Midnight)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2017, 3:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/8201 "2017-07-17T03:45:10Z")
> [@davidm](#): > > He’ll just say that he built an invisible wall. That’ll satisfy his base without having to spend a penny. He’d need to hire some of [these guys](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qKrrHtYWcWA&feature=youtu.be&t=5) for the grand opening. ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2017, 4:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/8202 "2017-07-17T04:50:09Z")
> [@bobot](#): > > Not sure how many lawyers Trump has, but a Trump lawyer was on Meet The Press today making it quite clear that he represented Trump and not Trump Jr. Must be the same one. He kept emphasizing that on CNN too. ---
**Author:** ![Crazyhorse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crazyhorse/32/31_2.png) [@Crazyhorse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crazyhorse)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2017, 5:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/8203 "2017-07-17T05:05:03Z")
> [@ThelmaLou](#): > > Has he considered that this might attract hordes of drug addicts who will loiter along the approximately 2,000-mile border wall just waiting for sacks of drugs to come flying over? Hmmm?? Sure, out in the hundreds upon hundreds of miles of desert this will be no problem, as they’ll probably die of thirst or heat stroke, but what about the loiterers in downtown El Paso and Laredo. They’ll create a huge traffic jam, lying around in drug-induced stupors. But noooo, Trump never thinks ahead to the consequences of his ideas and pronouncements. Any wall in any form would have virtually no impact on drug traffic. Like immigration, pretending that it would slow the flow of drugs to the US is just another lie to rally the ignorant, xenophobic masses who elected Il Douche. It requires people working for the cartels in the US for the system to work as it operates now. Any obstacle placed in the distribution chain will always have a back door that can be opened from the US side. Before they start flinging bags of heroin over the wall I think they will probably turn to the miles of tunnels they already have and the thousands of trucks, trains, buses, cars, planes, ships, and even foot traffic that cross the border every day in plain sight. But if it should come to that don’t worry. The guys expecting that bag of heroin on the other side will make very clear to anyone foolish enough to try to grab it that finders aren’t keepers. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070.md?page=409) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070.md?page=411)