Pence conspired in near secrecy with Trump to oust Comey: NY Times

[kpete]

A bombshell New York Times report about the tumultuous inner workings of the Trump team claims that Vice President Mike Pence was integral to President Donald Trump’s planned firing of former FBI Director James Comey that rocked American politics in the past week.

The article alleges that Pence was among “the small group of advisers who planned Mr. Comey’s ouster in near secrecy”.


Pence’s work to forward the initial White House story claiming that Trump fired Comey under recommendation from Attorney General Jeff Sessions was “vaporized” once Trump appeared on Lester Holt‘s show Thursday, when the president claimed that he was “going to to fire regardless of the recommendation” of Sessions and Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein.

Along with allegations that Pence helped Trump concoct a story to fire Comey, the article also makes the serious claim, based on interviews with “a half-dozen West Wing officials” who remain anonymous, that Trump is “considering the most far-reaching shake-up of his already tumultuous team”. The article insinuates that the shake-up will come in the form of firing Press Secretary Sean Spicer, but remains unclear as to exactly how “far-reaching” such changes could go.

http://www.rawstory.com/2017/05/pence-conspired-in-near-secrecy-with-trump-to-oust-comey-ny-times/

[2naSalit]

1. K&R

[meadowlark5]

2. Pence: just as stupid as Trump or

strategically trying to get Trump impeached so he can be president?

[tblue37]

6. Both. Pence is famously stupid, but he was Bannon's/Mercer's VP choice (Trump wanted Christie).

The plan all along was to use Trump to sign off on the RW agenda, then ditch him as soon as he became sufficiently compromised to prevent his cultish voters from rebelling against the GOP. And then the GOP could distance themselves from his toxic reputation and install Pence as their friend in the Oval Office.

That is why they tie themselves into pretzel knots trying to maintain Pence's plausible deniability.

[milestogo]

7. He's in it up to his eyeballs.

[babylonsister]

12. He was Manafort's choice...

http://www.cbsnews.com/news/donald-trump-offered-chris-christie-vice-president-role-before-mike-pence/

CBS says Manafort picked Pence back in July 2016
Paul Manafort, Trump’s campaign manager at the time, allegedly had another idea in mind.

Manafort had arranged for Trump to meet with his first choice for the job on July 13: Indiana Governor Mike Pence. Afterwards, the plans was for Trump and Pence to then fly back to New York together and a formal announcement would be made, a campaign source said of Manafort’s thinking.

What had previously been reported as a “lucky break” by the New York Times was actually a swift political maneuver devised by the now fired campaign manager. Set on changing Trump’s mind, he concocted a story that Trump’s plane had mechanical problems, forcing the soon-to-be Republican nominee to stay the night in Indianapolis for breakfast with the Pence family on Wednesday morning.

Swayed by Pence’s aggressive pitch, Trump agreed to ditch Christie and make Pence his VP the following day, according to a source.

[tblue37]

13. I thought it was Bannon who performed that manipulative trick. Fuzzy memory caused

by the sheer number of bad actors performing bad deeds!

[R B Garr]

14. +1, yes Trump is the perfect Trojan horse for the KGOP. He's useless and

discardable after they get access to all they want to plunder. Never could have gotten there legitimately on their own. Pence is their insertable goodie two-shoes.

[democratisphere]

3. The drumpf family and administration are all going to be removed.

[mn9driver]

4. Interesting. The widespread assumption is that since Pence is not Trump, he must be more competent.

But this article indicates perhaps not. Incompetence comes in more than one form.

[L. Coyote]

5. PENCE is Looking Like a Liar or a Fool: What It Means to Work for Trump

Link to tweet

Link to tweet

Link to tweet

Trump's New Impeachable Offenses: Obstruction of Justice, Conspiracy, Abuse of Power

[dhill926]

8. jesus...what a shit show....

[LakeArenal]

18. ...what a shit show.... sigh....

[Marie Marie]

28. We're gonna need a bigger sewer system...

Donald, please include in your infrastructure "plans".

[Still In Wisconsin]

29. It is, indeed, the very definition of a shit show.

[Me.]

9. Excellent...No President Pence

When the time comes for 45 to get the heave ho Pence can now, by implication, be shoved out with him.

[dchill]

22. +1000.

[dalton99a]

10. How much is Trump paying this bootlicking Gingrich to write his biography?

"Mr. Gingrich, who is working on a biography of Mr. Trump"

[C_U_L8R]

11. We need an HR Dept in the White House

That was the most despicable and lame 'management' move... ever.
What stupid fux. They need adult supervision.

[Amaryllis]

23. Stupid and lame may work to our advantage in the long run.

[WinkyDink]

15. Mikey P.: Eyeballs, up to his.

[BumRushDaShow]

16. Link to NY Times story

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/05/12/us/politics/trump-sean-spicer-sarah-huckabee-sanders.html

[Solly Mack]

17. ...

https://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=view_post&forum=1002&pid=9055713


LMAO

[kentuck]

19. Pence will squeal...

if pressured.

[MineralMan]

20. One thing's certain. The White House is going to remain

a source of entertainment and anxiety for all of us here on DU. It's a soap opera of international scope. We will all have plenty to talk about as the story slowly unfolds and unravels. With good luck, it will end well. With bad luck, it will end very badly, indeed.

One thing remains certain, though, none of us will have any effect on how things progress in this soap opera. We are merely the rapt audience, watching in horror and amusement.

[SleeplessinSoCal]

25. That's way too couch potato. We need to exercise our rights and responsibility.

Take to the streets!

[MineralMan]

26. By all means. You should do that, if you believe it will

have an effect.

[SleeplessinSoCal]

31. From all my researching, it is what is called for if we are intent on upholding the Constitution.

Otherwise we lose the whole deal to the greenish people on the planet.

[yuiyoshida]

21. K&R and Tweeted

n/t

[SleeplessinSoCal]

24. I envision Bill O'Reilly at the podium as Press "Controller"

[GoCubsGo]

27. Yeah, no kidding.

Secrecy is Pence's M.O. Anyone who thinks this asshole's hands are the least bit clean in anything, including the Russia collusion, is severely deluded.

[Docreed2003]

30. I'm more convinced by the day...

That Pence is the Trojan horse for Bannon et al. I think he's knee deep in the Russia collusion and I think he's playing this administration to benefit when Trump goes down. I don't trust me one bit.

[malaise]

32. My take

When the Con goes down, he's taking Pence with him.