The Trump wiretap story is more important than you realize

[babylonsister]

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2017/3/4/1640085/-The-Trump-wiretap-story-is-more-important-that-you-realize


The Trump wiretap story is more important than you realize
By Keith Pickering
Saturday Mar 04, 2017 · 11:05 AM EST


As you now know, our Fearless Leader’s brief flirtation with “Acting Presidential” (she’s a prude) crashed and burned when he got out of bed this morning with “Tweets” (she’s more of the slutty girl he prefers).

So Trump has accused Barack Obama (personally!) of tapping his phones during the campaign:

But here’s the thing: not even the President of the United States can do that. You need a court order to tap phones.

If Trump’s phone was tapped (and I’m quite sure it was, because Trump said so, and he never lies), then there must have been a court order. And that court order must have been based on a reasonable suspicion of wrongdoing. And it happened in October.

So, what reasonable suspicion of wrongdoing might have been raised in October, regarding Trump? You guessed it: Russian hacking of the election. Which in turn implies that the warrant was issued by the super-secret FISA court (well-known to almost never refuse a warrant request.)

And that means that the either the FBI, or the CIA, or the NSA, knows a lot about what was really going on.

And Trump knows they know, because this morning, he was briefed.

And hoo-boy. The Trumpster is running scared.

[MrPurple]

1. If Obama did it, he probably had a court order

Last edited Sat Mar 4, 2017, 08:14 PM - Edit history (1)

because he cares about the law and not appearing in history as a mad dictator. But, I think Dubya's administration showed that you can get around court orders on surveillance with the Patriot Act. I'd be surprised if at this moment, anyone working in the White House and many others aren't starting to be tapped and surveiled.

[Hortensis]

4. I would be. The president cannot order wiretapping.

I hope someone in the White House is keeping a list of all the orders 45 has given only to be told, "Sorry, Sir, you can't do that."

Btw, there is a huge difference between liberal and conservative presidents. Our Democratic presidents over the past century, with some exception for Johnson, believed in both the principles behind the process and the importance of protecting process itself.

The past 40 years of conservative presidents have specifically not believed in the principles our government is based on and have routinely set about ignoring, getting around, and destroying the processes of government as much as possible while in office. Without exception.

[volstork]

19. Absolutely.

"Our Democratic presidents over the past century, with some exception for Johnson, believed in both the principles behind the process and the importance of protecting process itself."

This is, IMO, one reason why Obama did not swoop in wearing a cape to overturn the election after it became more and more clear that there had been malfeasance. He might have had the ability to declare martial law during that time, but knew that any action on his part that was even barely outside of legal lines would set a dangerous precedent.

Obama is a smart man, and would never have done anything to allow his successor to take even more advantage of power.

[Hortensis]

20. Yes. I believe he must have had protecting the

stability of our government and transfer of power at the top of his priorities. If he and his administration didn't, who would?

[MrPurple]

27. But, he had mad love for Trump

Because Trump said that Obama likes him and that he can really tell.

[dhol82]

2. Would he really be briefed on the fact that he is being investigated?

I would think that would be kept secret until they were prepared to move on charges against him.

[dchill]

5. Not if he's the target.

[dhol82]

7. That's what I figured

So, all his bloviating is just for show. He knows nothing.

[Thinkingabout]

3. Probably getting calls from the Russians they are going to drop some more details.

He made a deal with the devil, now the devil has him on puppet strings, sorry, he should have been smarter.

[Cha]

6. Ye-ah! I'm gathering that..

how "presidential" is now, jones?

Link to tweet

And, hoo boy.. the damn FBI Better not bury it!

[Me.]

8. Not Understanding The Slutty Girl Or Prude References

Help me out please CHa

[Cha]

10. Me not understaning, either! Help us out, babylonsister!

wth!

[Me.]

24. Mahalo Cha

For calling out for help

[babylonsister]

13. I think it means that when he's 'acting prezidentual', he's

harnessing his anger and will tamp down the person he really is; that would be when he'd use prude.

But when he takes to twitter, he lets it fly and doesn't give a damn so anything goes (slutty girl).

I really have no idea.

[Hekate]

14. To you and Cha: it's a tongue in cheek portrayal of two Trump behaviors ...

I had to read it twice, myself. Let's call "Acting Presidential" a girl -- he beds her, but she's no fun at all ("a prude&quot . But when he wakes up in the morning, he's with a girl we'll call "Tweets," who takes him for a wild and crazy ride.

[Me.]

23. Got It

And thanks...though I must say it's obscure

[brush]

30. The prude girl was him acting "presidential" by staying on message and reading the teleprompter...

The slutty girl is who he prefers — him tweeting and getting off in the morning, with maybe even some yellow streaming involved.

"Programs? Programs anyone?

Come on guys, keep up.

Ya can't keep your perverts straight without a program."

[Me.]

31. Appreciated

[Cha]

9. trump thinks dissing Obama is the magic word to get

take the heat off him

[loyalsister]

11. Speaking of tin foil

It won't be long before some RW conspiracy theorist brings Snowden into this with claims that he only exposed the tip of the iceberg and Obama left office with the power to wiretap anyone.

[Eyeball_Kid]

16. Obama has no power to wiretap.

[loyalsister]

17. He also wasn't born in Kenya

nt

[asiliveandbreathe]

12. I wonder about drumpf - "just finding out"

All White House personnel were instructed by counsel that they must retain all information related to Russia, which means the White House was served a warrant this week? Was he just finding out that included him?

[Eyeball_Kid]

15. Trumpy attacks impulsively. He's going on the offensive, which is a clear

giveaway that he's in deep shit. That's how he rolls. If he's guilty, he never admits it. He attacks the perceived accusers.

Given his proclivities, he's trapped. He can't admit his errors because that's not his brand. So he has to go on the offensive and NEVER claim accountability. This means that he's a perfect "defendant". He's willing to go to Court to dispute his guilt.

BUT... when his tax returns are subpoenaed, he's finished. Therein lies his money trail, and the trail will lead to the Russian Oligarchs and to Putin himself. Trumpy will then consider resigning before he gets impeached and convicted. But even after he resigns, he'll still have to defend himself in Court. He's doomed.

[Chemisse]

18. I think it's LESS important than we think it is.

He is simply spouting paranoid rants based on what Breitbart wrote, which was based on what some RW radio host said. In other words it is 'fake news' and Trump ran with it.

Breitbart, the media outlet previously run by White House chief strategist Stephen Bannon, published a story Friday outlining actions supposedly taken by the Obama administration to monitor Trump Tower during the campaign. The story, which claimed the moves were aimed at undermining Trump's candidacy, referenced commentary on Thursday by radio host Mark Levin that made similar claims.
http://www.dailyherald.com/article/20170304/news/170309434/

[leftstreet]

21. Oh, duh

I hadn't seen that

Good Gawdz - so that's probably what "I just found out" means

aarggghhh!!!

[Chemisse]

26. I know. You'd think you could take what a president of the US says seriously.

When half the time what he says is petty and self-serving.

[Motown_Johnny]

22. You lost me at "he never lies"

I need confirmation from a credible source before I believe it happened. Breitbart is not a credible source.

[Delmette2.0]

25. 45 is such a dumb shit.

He doesn't even know when he incriminates himself.

Whoopie.

[bronxiteforever]

28. Kick

[Kablooie]

29. Problem is that if Trump says his phone was tapped it probably wasn't.

The odds of him stating anything truthful are pretty close to nil.