# 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:** 636
**Author:** ![Snowboarder\_Bo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowboarder_bo/32/229_2.png) [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2017, 5:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/12705 "2017-10-22T05:02:11Z")
> [@D\_Odds](#): > > Very true, but Donnie Two-Scoops could choose to defer the release. Is this the first time these papers are approaching release, and did previous President’s defer? (Honest question, I don’t know) [Yes, it is the first time the papers are approaching release.](https://www.archives.gov/research/jfk/processing-project) > [@](#): > > When Congress passed the JFK Assassination Records Collection Act in 1992 agencies throughout the Federal Government transferred assassination-related records to the National Archives which established the JFK Assassination Records Collection. The Collection consists of approximately 5 million pages of records. Approximately 88% of the records in the Collection are open in full. An addition 11% are released in part with sensitive portions removed. Approximately 1% of documents identified as assassination-related remain withheld in full. All documents withheld either in part or in full were authorized for withholding by the Assassination Records Review Board (ARRB), an independent temporary agency that was in existence from 1994 to 1998. > > According to the Act, all records previously withheld either in part or in full should be released on October 26, 2017, unless authorized for further withholding by the President of the United States. The 2017 date derives directly from the law that states: > > Each assassination record shall be publicly disclosed in full, and available in the Collection no later than the date that is **25 years after the date of the enactment of this Act** , unless the President certifies, as required by this Act, that – > > (i) continued postponement is made necessary by an identifiable harm to military defense, intelligence operations, law enforcement or conduct of foreign relations; and > > (ii) the identifiable harm is of such gravity that it outweighs the public interest in disclosure. > > The Act was signed by President Bush on **October 26, 1992** , thus the final release date is October 26, 2017.\* ---
**Author:** ![D\_Odds](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/d_odds/32/2882_2.png) [@D\_Odds](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/D_Odds)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2017, 6:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/12706 "2017-10-22T06:03:55Z")
Thank you. I knew Donnie Two-Scoops could postpone, but that otherwise doing nothing (what Daft Twerp does best and should do for the rest of his time in office, and which should include any form of communication) would let the documents enter the public domain. ---
**Author:** ![Snowboarder\_Bo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowboarder_bo/32/229_2.png) [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2017, 2:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/12707 "2017-10-22T14:57:37Z")
[Apparently the President’s committee on election integrity is a clusterfuck](https://apnews.com/bbeec75d754a4f738acffacb1523429e/Trump-voting-commission-criticized-for-lack-of-transparency): > [@](#): > > This past week, two members fired off letters to commission staff complaining about a lack of information about the panel’s agenda and demanding answers about its activities. That comes as Democratic U.S. senators are requesting a government investigation of the commission for ignoring formal requests from Congress. > > The criticism from the commissioners was remarkable because it came from insiders — the very people who are supposed to be privy to its internal discussions and plans. > > In a letter sent Oct. 17, Maine Secretary of State Matthew Dunlap said it was clear he was not being made aware of information pertaining to the commission. He requested copies of all correspondence between commission members since Trump signed the executive order creating it in May. > > “I am in a position where I feel compelled to inquire after the work of the commission upon which I am sworn to serve, and am yet completely uninformed as to its activities,” Dunlap wrote in his letter to Andrew Kossack, the commission’s executive director. > > He said he had received no information about the commission’s research or activities since its last meeting, on Sept. 12. > [@](#): > > A commissioner from Alabama, Jefferson County Probate Judge Alan L. King, said he sent a similar letter late last week. He said the only information he has received since the commission’s meeting more than a month ago was an email informing him of the death of a fellow commissioner, former Arkansas state lawmaker David Dunn. > > “Here I am on this high-level government committee, and I don’t know when the next meetings are or how many meetings there will be,” he said in a telephone interview. “I am in the dark on what will happen from this point on, to tell you the truth.” > [@](#): > > Requests for comment sent to Kossack, the commission’s executive director, and the commission’s vice chairman, Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach, were not returned. > [@](#): > > The commission’s secrecy prompted a lawsuit by the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, which alleges the commission is violating federal open meetings and disclosure laws. > > The group’s executive director, Kristen Clarke, said she was hard-pressed to think of another commission that had acted in such secrecy. > > “We have found that, in every respect, this commission has been carrying out its activities in an almost covert fashion,” she said. People aren’t just sending requests for info to the heads of the committee, tho: > [@](#): > > Democratic senators have filed at least five separate requests for information with the commission since June, and a Sept. 12 follow-up letter noted that none of those had received a response. > > “The Commission has not responded to a single letter from Senators with oversight jurisdiction over the Commission and continues to be rebuked for its questionable activities,” said the letter by Democratic Sens. Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota and Sheldon Whitehouse of Rhode Island. > > Last week, a group of three Democratic senators wrote the Government Accountability Office seeking an investigation into the commission because of its lack responsiveness and transparency. The letter signed by Sens. Michael Bennet of Colorado, Cory Booker of New Jersey and Klobuchar cited a lack of transparency on the commission and concern that its conclusions would diminish confidence in the democratic process. > > “It is incredible that they are not responding to any of this stuff, and that’s why it’s appropriate for GAO to take a look,” Bennet said in an interview. ---
**Author:** ![septimus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/septimus/32/410_2.png) [@septimus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/septimus)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2017, 4:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/12708 "2017-10-22T16:58:41Z")
> [@Bryan\_Ekers](#): > > … Heck, to save on moving expenses, just redraw the border so Vermont and Washington/Oregon are on our side, and we’ll gradually negotiate future transfers of territory as the need arises. Is there some reason you don’t want New York, some more New England states, and California? I was ridiculing the California secessionist movement, but a merger with Canada might work out! I don’t think Trumpia looks so formidable missing New York and the entire West Coast. (Do you have any nuclear weapons up there? We’ll need some deterrent capability against the short-tempered short-fingered guy; I’ve not decided if we should seize Nellis Air Force Base early on, or just make a pact with North Korea. :smack: ) ---
**Author:** ![AI\_Proofreader](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/8dc957/32.png) [@AI\_Proofreader](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AI_Proofreader)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2017, 5:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/12709 "2017-10-22T17:22:24Z")
> [@septimus](#): > > Is there some reason you don’t want New York, some more New England states, and California? > > I was ridiculing the California secessionist movement, but a merger with Canada might work out! I don’t think Trumpia looks so formidable missing New York and the entire West Coast. > > (Do you have any nuclear weapons up there? We’ll need some deterrent capability against the short-tempered short-fingered guy; I’ve not decided if we should seize Nellis Air Force Base early on, or just make a pact with North Korea. :smack: ) Why Nellis? It’s outside Las Vegas - so you’d have to annex a significant chunk of SW Nevada as well. I guess if you take over Las Vegas as well it would be a good idea economically. ---
**Author:** ![BigAppleBucky](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigapplebucky/32/178_2.png) [@BigAppleBucky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigAppleBucky)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2017, 5:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/12710 "2017-10-22T17:38:04Z")
> [@Snowboarder\_Bo](#): > > [Yes, it is the first time the papers are approaching release.](https://www.archives.gov/research/jfk/processing-project) One suspects Trump, aka Donnie Two Scoops, was lacking sufficient staff to perform a review and just let the information go. If there was a spy in the USSR used at the time who is still active in Russia, what does he care? ---
**Author:** ![D\_Odds](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/d_odds/32/2882_2.png) [@D\_Odds](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/D_Odds)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2017, 5:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/12711 "2017-10-22T17:40:16Z")
> [@septimus](#): > > Is there some reason you don’t want New York… Geographically, much of NYS is red. It’s just that NYC has such a massive blue population that dwarfs the rest of the state. Plus the next two biggest cities tend to vote blue. If I were Canada, I wouldn’t want them in my country. ---
**Author:** ![septimus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/septimus/32/410_2.png) [@septimus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/septimus)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2017, 5:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/12712 "2017-10-22T17:44:19Z")
> [@AI\_Proofreader](#): > > Why Nellis? It’s outside Las Vegas - so you’d have to annex a significant chunk of SW Nevada as well. I guess if you take over Las Vegas as well it would be a good idea economically. I just want to make sure we have some nukes. Almost all are in Flyoverland, but there are some at Nellis, I think. ---
**Author:** ![Anny\_Middon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/bc79bd/32.png) [@Anny\_Middon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anny_Middon)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2017, 5:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/12713 "2017-10-22T17:55:06Z")
> [@Bryan\_Ekers](#): > > [Trump announces intent to release some leftover Kennedy-assassination documents.](http://www.cnn.com/2017/10/21/politics/trump-jfk-documents/index.html) > > Clever, I have to admit - his base will enjoy revitalizing one of their favorite conspiracy theories (whether Trump actually follows through or not) and hopefully the distraction will outlast the current gold-star embarrassment. I want to know WTF is up with Two Scoops saying his release is “subject to the receipt of further information.” That just seems so unlike him. When has he ever said he’d do something but put a condition on it? Doesn’t he usually just say he’ll do it and then not do it? ---
**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 22, 2017, 6:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/12714 "2017-10-22T18:05:17Z")
> [@Bryan\_Ekers](#): > > For what it’s worth, I’d welcome Canada brain-draining the U.S. and accepting all your now-unwelcome college graduates. Just leave your guns at the border, please. Heck, to save on moving expenses, just redraw the border so Vermont and Washington/Oregon are on our side, and we’ll gradually negotiate future transfers of territory as the need arises. This Canuck could possibly accommodate this. Might as well chuck in Austin too. I got pretty good vibes going through Missoula, too, so… ---
**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 22, 2017, 6:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/12715 "2017-10-22T18:35:43Z")
> [@BigAppleBucky](#): > > One suspects Trump, aka Donnie Two Scoops, was lacking sufficient staff to perform a review and just let the information go. If there was a spy in the USSR used at the time who is still active in Russia, what does he care? > [@Anny\_Middon](#): > > I want to know WTF is up with Two Scoops saying his release is “subject to the receipt of further information.” > > That just seems so unlike him. When has he ever said he’d do something but put a condition on it? Doesn’t he usually just say he’ll do it and then not do it? You guys are missing the point (not like y’all! :dubious:) Donnie will say whatever will keep him in the news. Period. If he said he was going to let the already scheduled release go ahead as planned–where’s the headline in that? But if he says, he may or may not let the release go ahead as planned, depending on vague, as-yet-undetermined factors, that prolongs the discussion, as, indeed, it has here. And if he says that on Monday and something different on Tuesday and something still different on Wednesday… you get the idea. Double points for him if the ping-pong-ping game distracts us from other, more important, news items. There is no substance to the man. He has no insides. There is a yawning chasm in the center of DJT. Don’t look for meaning; there is no meaning. Only the moment. And then the next moment, and they may or may not be connected. ---
**Author:** ![AI\_Proofreader](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/8dc957/32.png) [@AI\_Proofreader](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AI_Proofreader)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2017, 7:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/12716 "2017-10-22T19:00:13Z")
^ Agreed. For Trump, it’s all about the ratings, which is why he’s constantly talking about them like he’s still on The Apprentice instead of in The White House: > **[A History of Donald Trump’s Obsession With TV Ratings](https://www.vulture.com/2017/01/donald-trumps-tv-rating-obsession-a-history.html)** > > He’s been creating alternative ratings facts for years. ---
**Author:** ![OttoDaFe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ottodafe/32/356_2.png) [@OttoDaFe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OttoDaFe)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2017, 7:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/12717 "2017-10-22T19:02:31Z")
> [@Bryan\_Ekers](#): > > For what it’s worth, I’d welcome Canada brain-draining the U.S. and accepting all your now-unwelcome college graduates. Just leave your guns at the border, please. Heck, to save on moving expenses, just redraw the border so Vermont and Washington/Oregon are on our side, and we’ll gradually negotiate future transfers of territory as the need arises. My first job was with a company that had Canadian locations, so one of my yearly tasks was programming for T-4s (the Canadian equivalent of the US W-2). Being of a more playful nature at the time, I inserted records into the test data set with addresses that ended “Seattle WA SBC\* U1A 0A1” or something similar. Little did I know then that one day I would more than halfway wish it were true. \*Southern British Columbia. I figured that even after being transferred to Canada we’d still be loath to give up the state name, though on reflection it’s more likely that “SBC” would be restricted to the territory west of the Cascades. ---
**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 22, 2017, 7:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/12718 "2017-10-22T19:05:21Z")
The California Republican Party convention (which is probably meeting in a phone booth this weekend) thought it would be appropriate to bring in Steve Bannon, that unifier, to headline their semi-annual meeting. He warned that if California is allowed to be a sanctuary state, it will want to secede in ten to fifteen years. > **[Bannon warns California may try to secede](https://thehill.com/blogs/blog-briefing-room/news/356522-bannon-warns-california-may-try-to-secede/)** > > Former White House chief strategist Stephen Bannon warned Friday that California may attempt to secede from the United States in the next decade if Republicans do not attempt to… 1-Wouldn’t the Trumpistas think this is a good thing? 2-Has he spoken with any of the Trumpistas in Texas who think Texas should secede? ---
**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 22, 2017, 8:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/12719 "2017-10-22T20:16:13Z")
Trump recently issued an Executive Order to allow the Air Force to recall retired pilots to active duty (apparently in violation of federal law, which limits the recall to 25 pilots, vs. the 1500 pilot shortage the Pentagon says it’s facing). The Air Force says they have no plans to recall retired pilots. > **[Air Force: No plans to recall retired pilots to fix shortage](https://apnews.com/6fa95b14797942b3ba3f6f1a4c467605)** > > WASHINGTON (AP) — The Air Force says it doesn't plan on using new flexibility under an executive order signed by President Donald Trump to address a pilot shortage by recalling retired pilots. Ann Stefanek, the chief of Air Force media operations,... ---
**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:** [October 22, 2017, 8:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/12720 "2017-10-22T20:26:04Z")
[Megadonor Tom Steyer launches TV ad campaign for Trump impeachment](https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/powerpost/wp/2017/10/20/megadonor-tom-steyer-launches-tv-ad-campaign-for-trump-impeachment/?utm_term=.aaeac90da208) An eight-figure campaign. This comes after Larry Flint’s [bounty offer $10 million for any dirt that could get Chump impeached](https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-fix/wp/2017/10/14/have-dirt-that-could-impeach-trump-larry-flynt-will-pay-you-10-million/?tid=a_inl&utm_term=.282441e16479). ---
**Author:** ![Sherrerd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sherrerd/32/8_2.png) [@Sherrerd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sherrerd)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2017, 8:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/12721 "2017-10-22T20:44:26Z")
> [@Bryan\_Ekers](#): > > For what it’s worth, I’d welcome Canada brain-draining the U.S. and accepting all your now-unwelcome college graduates. Just leave your guns at the border, please. Heck, to save on moving expenses, just redraw the border so Vermont and Washington/Oregon are on our side, and we’ll gradually negotiate future transfers of territory as the need arises. Sounds like a plan! Seriously, whatever is in Canadian water, we need it here. It appears to be a sanity-inducing agent of some kind. ---
**Author:** ![Sherrerd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sherrerd/32/8_2.png) [@Sherrerd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sherrerd)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2017, 8:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/12722 "2017-10-22T20:47:21Z")
> [@Rick\_Kitchen](#): > > Trump recently issued an Executive Order to allow the Air Force to recall retired pilots to active duty (apparently in violation of federal law, which limits the recall to 25 pilots, vs. the 1500 pilot shortage the Pentagon says it’s facing). The Air Force says they have no plans to recall retired pilots. > [Air Force: No plans to recall retired pilots to fix shortage | AP News](https://www.apnews.com/6fa95b14797942b3ba3f6f1a4c467605) Clearly Donald is going for the Distracter to Beat All Distracters (to war! to war! with a hey-nonny-nonny and a HAH-cha-cha!!!) Take _that_, Robert Mueller! ---
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2017, 8:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/12723 "2017-10-22T20:53:30Z")
> [@Rick\_Kitchen](#): > > Trump recently issued an Executive Order to allow the Air Force to recall retired pilots to active duty (apparently in violation of federal law, which limits the recall to 25 pilots, vs. the 1500 pilot shortage the Pentagon says it’s facing). The Air Force says they have no plans to recall retired pilots. > [Air Force: No plans to recall retired pilots to fix shortage | AP News](https://www.apnews.com/6fa95b14797942b3ba3f6f1a4c467605) All those F-15s, flying straight for hundreds of miles with their left blinker on… ---
**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 22, 2017, 9:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/12724 "2017-10-22T21:24:23Z")
> [@Okrahoma](#): > > And of course the political hack that was present during the call didn’t steer the grieving family’s interpretation at all… Right? > > “It’s amazing,” the Florida Democrat [said with a laugh](https://hotair.com/archives/2017/10/20/congresswomans-response-kelly-ill-tell-kids-im-rockstar-now/) when asked by 7News in Miami for her reaction to John Kelly’s impassioned rebuke yesterday afternoon over her attack on Trump over the call. “I’ll have to tell my kids that **I’m a rockstar now.** ” > > Ah. Her purpose is achieved. “Rockstar”, laughing, at the expense of the grieving family. But then what would you expect from a Democrat? Once again, you contemptible mass of maggot-ridden slime, you ooze over to your keyboard, extend your pseudopods, and - - waitaminute … “BANNED” … Banned? Is it Christmas already? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070.md?page=635) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070.md?page=637)