Trump wakes up and promptly throws THREE nat. security officials under the bus

[bigtree]

...confirming reports he shared intel with the Russians.

Donald J. Trump‏ @realDonaldTrump 49m49 minutes ago
As President I wanted to share with Russia (at an openly scheduled W.H. meeting) which I have the absolute right to do, facts pertaining....

Donald J. Trump‏ @realDonaldTrump 39m39 minutes ago
...to terrorism and airline flight safety. Humanitarian reasons, plus I want Russia to greatly step up their fight against ISIS & terrorism.

Matt McDermott‏ @mattmfm 17m
To summarize...
Tillerson: He didn't do it.
McMaster: I was there. He didn't do it.
Dina Powell: Lies! He didn't do it.
Trump: Yep I did it.

[tallahasseedem]

1. He didn't have that right...

It was our Allies' information.

This guy is an asshole.

[bigtree]

3. he really wasn't concerned with the substance

...he's tweeting to push back the report he was sharing out classified info to impress the Russians, on a brag.

[L. Coyote]

45. Josh Marshall called it: "true to form" for trump.

[Cha]

61. Thanks

[Foamfollower]

8. Actually, he does have that right.

The information, once shared with us, became our intelligence regardless of the source. And all secrecy in the Executive branch flows from an executive order, making the president the ultimate authority on what to do with that information, even when it jeopardizes long held alliances with decades upon decades of trust built up in intelligence sharing programs.

This is not a legal question. It is a political question.

Elections have consequences, at times severe consequences. When people react with their gut to put an "outsider" into the White House who obviously knows absolutely nothing about the nuances of the job, let lone basic US Civics, those consequences can become dire.

But,...

her emails.

[forgotmylogin]

17. He's allowed to declassify info,

But as they were discussing on MSNBC last night, the idea is he declassifies information when it is in the best interest of the US and our allies. 45 burned a source and jeopardized people in a meeting that was videotaped by Russian news.

Same with Comey; he's allowed to fire him, but the context is the issue.

They want to say 45 did not disclose "sources" and he may not have directly, but he gave them enough puzzle pieces that Russia could guess the shape of the missing one.

[Foamfollower]

20. This is why impeachment is a political event, not a legal event.

Because a president requires some broad authority; the check on them acting stupidly, or even against national interest, has a political solution called impeachment.

When the political climate becomes such that Trump can no longer remain politically viable, then regardless of which party holds the power, impeachment proceedings will begin.

[forgotmylogin]

21. So it's like...

first, you have to target the boss monster's shields to take them down, then you can actually do damage to it?

[Foamfollower]

23. Precisely!

[Volaris]

52. Lol I never thought of it that way, but it's a pretty good analogy

Have to debuff his presidential shield with Impeachment Spell before he can be nuked with PROSECUTION.

[bigtree]

22. there can be legal consequences in the wake of an impeachment

...would have been in Watergate (although no impeachment) without the pardon from Ford.

[Foamfollower]

24. Absolutely.

Legal consequences cannot begin until a president is no longer in office, though, from the criminal law side.

[bigtree]

27. true

...a lot of prep can occur around investigations, so they don't have to start cold

[bigbrother05]

51. Just like context is the legal reason to strike down the Muslim ban

[tazkcmo]

55. Yes and No

He can declassify info nas he sees fit in order to enhance the security of the US. He cannot declassify info to hostile foreign governments on a whim, in a tantrum or while trying to impress the Big Man On Campus. In addition, his actions can be viewed as causing us and an ally great harm which speaks to his competency, sanity and loyalty.

[okieinpain]

56. if we were face to face i would kiss you on each cheek. n/t.

[Madam45for2923]

9. That's right!

[lostnfound]

13. Screwed our intelligence six ways to Sunday. Assets can't trust us, allies can't trust us, agents...

Can't trust their CofC.

[Achilleaze]

2. I'm telling you, republicans really need a Lie Czar

I mean the republicans could solve all their problems if they would just appoint a Lie Czar to help coordinate the lies from their beloved republican Draft-Dodger-in-Chief, Comrade Casino, and his cabal of republican symps and dupes.


Note: I am waiving my usual consulting fee for this excellent advice, since I already know Damn Well that the republican Draft Dodger does not pay his bills to contractors.

[Zoonart]

4. It seems to me that this is not only...

yes, I did it, but also....what are you going to do about it?

[Madam45for2923]

11. When you are President they let you do anything. Pussy grabber, he.

[Mr. Ected]

5. Twice in less than a week

He did the same thing in the Lester Holt interview, admitting to an act that his sycophants had denied the day before.

...as if we didn't already realize that everything that comes out of the White House is unadulterated bullshit to begin with.

[PA Democrat]

6. WP: Trump acknowledges facts shared with Russian envoys during White House meeting

President Trump appeared to acknowledge Tuesday that he revealed highly classified information to Russia — a stunning confirmation of a Washington Post story and a move that contradicted his own White House team after it scrambled to deny the report.

Trump's tweets tried to explain away the news, which emerged late Monday, that he had shared sensitive, “code-word” information with the Russian foreign minister and ambassador during a White House meeting last week, a disclosure that intelligence officials warned could jeopardize a crucial intelligence source on the Islamic State.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/post-politics/wp/2017/05/16/trump-acknowledges-facts-shared-with-russian-envoys-during-white-house-meeting/?hpid=hp_hp-top-table-main_trumptweet-750a%3Ahomepage%2Fstory&utm_term=.eba083fffcb4

Hard to refute the WP story after the idiot admits he did it.

[SunSeeker]

7. Yep. nt

[Else You Are Mad]

10. They should have known...

that they would be thrown under the bus. I knew it the second that they opened their mouths to deny it happened.

[Madam45for2923]

12. Maybe next time they won't be so quick to lie for him.

[bigtree]

16. they've lost all credibility

...to speak on Trump's behalf, at least.

[IronLionZion]

30. McMaster actually seemed somewhat sensible at first

it's very disappointing. If they ever throw Mattis under the bus, it's game over for everyone.

[Else You Are Mad]

39. Just it time until Mattis is thrown under the bus. Nt.

[mikki35]

14. Wow.

I'm having a really hard time getting past the "humanitarian reasons" BS. Seriously? Russia? Did I miss the news of Russia doing anything for "humanitarian" reasons??? They're gonna jump on this classified intel for 'humanitarian' reasons? And they're so not gonna reverse engineer the intel to figure out where it came from, who collected it, and who provided it, thereby easily getting somebody(ies) killed???
Riiiiiggghhhht...

[smirkymonkey]

42. Donald Trump NEVER does anything for humanitarian reasons.

He is so full of shit!

[brush]

15. This guy just creates chaos wherever he goes and with whatever he touches. Get him out.

He's nothing but a disaster on wheels.

Everybody on his staff has to constantly cover and make rationalizations for his actions, which he then discards and makes them liars.

We've seen this long enough now to know this will go on for the full term of his presidency if he's not forced out.

[narnian60]

35. Yes.

[George II]

18. That was the first thing I thought of this morning when I saw him say "I did it" - so what about....

....all the people you got to say you DIDN'T do it?

So who is correct?

[mcar]

19. Does he realize he's throwing his own under the bus?

I wonder. It's all me, me, me with him. He probably doesn't give it a thought.

[muriel_volestrangler]

29. "His Own"? Nah, that's Ivanka, and maybe Jared

but let's face it, he doesn't have the hots for Jared, so he's not so important to Trump. He's given up on Little Don and Eric ever looking respectable in public. Everyone else is The Help - which, for him means The Suckers.

[erronis]

58. Perfectly stated. The dumpster would fire himself if he could find the phone#.

[lostnfound]

25. Further proving that he has absolutely zero respect for anyone in the world except himself.

Further proving that he has absolutely zero respect for anyone in the world except himself.

The career and reputation of McMaster, Rosenstein, or Comey mean absolutely nothing to him.

Narcissistic sociopath doesn't see anyone but himself, all the time, under pretty much all circumstances.

These other people have not had the same "success" as Donald J. Trump. He worships himself and thinks everyone else is lesser than him. Like a colorblind person who can see color, he is a character-less, disrespectful, dishonorable man who can't see character, respect, or honor in others. He probably assumes those traits are just myths.

[IronLionZion]

26. It's easy to get Trump to admit to anything we want

just tell him he couldn't have done it because he's too soft and feminine. Only a big strong decisive alpha male could have done such a masculine thing. He'll admit it.

Or say he doesn't have the intellectual capacity to do it. Only a very smart person could do it. He'll admit it.

and so on...

[PatSeg]

28. Just like with the firing of Comey

It seems to be a pattern with him.

[bigtree]

32. last week Rosenstein

Link to tweet

[PatSeg]

47. Well

At least it gives us something to look forward to each week. I'd like to see Sessions under the bus.

[democratisphere]

31. redumbliCONs do nothing of substance about it.

[bigtree]

33. troubling

Link to tweet

[Honeycombe8]

34. When are they going to do something about that loose cannon in the White House? nt

[TNLib]

36. I'm seeing on FB comments from our local news and bunch of supporters have been Screaming Fake News

now I wonder how they feel that they've been made to look absolutely ridiculous.

I honestly can't see how anyone keeps defending this bat shit crazy con artist.

[Else You Are Mad]

41. I really doubt that those still supporting Trump will ever doubt Trump.

They call EVERY negative news story about Trump fake news. Like Trump himself, they will never admit they are wrong.

[turbinetree]

37. Follow the MONEY...........................

This "guy" is an extension of the american version of "His" clown car Mafia (look at all of his past associations with the mob "The Making of Donald Trump by, David Cay Johnston&quot , and that he has hooked up with the Russian Mafia and the dictatorship of Russia, and the Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi, holding a secret meeting in Seychelles Island with Erik Prince.

He has bought and sold is inflated ego for MONEY (that is the only item he believes in, nothing else, his materialistic concept of, I got mine FU attitude, and in the consequence of his actions, he has committed TREASON and he is "bragging" about his actions, he is a pathological demented liar, with a narcissistic idea of grandiose self fulfillment of sh*t.



Connect the dots

[erronis]

59. Not disagreeing with your analysis. Just wanted to offer a simpler one

He is an privileged adolescent in an old-man's body and brain. He never had to learn to deal with anyone other than Daddy, Mommy, and servants.

Perhaps if he is convicted of crimes, including treason, he could argue that precedent case of "affluenza".

[turbinetree]

62. That is good

Now the country has a Congress, that is doing nothing, except worrying about how to get a tax cut to the same corruption that enabled this sh*t to happen.

Just listened to Joy Reid on O'Donnell show and she hit it right on the head, paraphrasing, that the "lack of leadership from the right wing of the Ryan and McConnell is absolutely remarkable, and they have no spine except to perform there party BS to further the right wing agenda, of decimating health care, and getting tax cuts for this sexual predator to sign while and before he is removed, and that Pence and all of them Nunes and Burr, are just as corrupt and that they are enabling this treason to have continued and that if this had happened if Clinton was elected she would have been IMPEACHED

[Kablooie]

38. Several posts on townhall.com calling Trump a traitor now.

Though there was one saying it wasn't nearly as bad a Obama giving nukes to our enemies.

[CanonRay]

40. We have a near complete dysfunctional government

The Congress has been broken for at least 8 years, maybe longer, and cannot get anything positive done.

The Presidency is now a total disaster.

SCOTUS is nearly complete; almost everything is 5-4 and there is no consensus. It is functioning at a minimal level.

[Dopers_Greed]

43. So he openly admitted to it?

Trump for Padded Cell 2017

[grantcart]

44. He's just priming the pump

[HopeAgain]

46. A lesson on Trump psychology...

He can't stand it when his staff decides to deal with things by lying about his behavior. He sees that as his staff telling him that he did something wrong. Trump can't ever, ever admit he was wrong (disclosures to Russians). Nor can he ever, ever admit his motives or thinking was wrong (firing Comey over the Russian investigation).

His grandiosity is truly limitless.

[world wide wally]

48. For Congress and the American people to accept this and allow it to continue can only mean

one of two things.
We are complicit and agree with him or we are an incredibly weak nation that has nothing to say about our own governance.

[Equinox Moon]

49. It's nice to see the lies being proved.

[malthaussen]

50. I think the subtext here is this:

Donald Trump does not like even the implication that there are limitations on what he may and may not do. So when his subordinates try frantically to put out a fire by denying that he did anything hinky, he has to come out and double-down on it, or else implicitly acknowledge limitations.

-- Mal

[SHRED]

53. Under the bus they go

[MedusaX]

54. Escalation of Authoritarianistic Behaviors...

Prior to campaign he fantasized about being
Ruler of US.. and all the things he would do

During campaign he bragged publicly about all the things he could & would do

First 100 days in office he tested the waters ....
but denied doing anything & had others lie for him

Then he quickly cycled through the stage of publicly acknowledging acts done but lying about the circumstances/ motivation behind acts

And has now entered the
Yeah, I did that, so what? Stage...,

Next step is that he will begin to act for the purpose of "showing" how powerful he is

Each act will increase in size & intensity as he attempts to satisfy his own need to have total control over the country...

Then he will NEED to exert control over other countries...

the only way it stops is when he is physically & legally removed from power and permanently prevented from attempting to reassert/regain power.

[Hekate]

57. Christ on a trailer hitch

[uppityperson]

60. K&R for great summary

[KPN]

63. Awesome tweet Matt McDermott. Awesome post bigtree!