McMaster firing upends plan to oust other top Trump officials

[highplainsdem]

Source: Politico

President Donald Trump’s decision to abruptly fire national security adviser H.R. McMaster surprised senior White House aides who had been preparing a single statement announcing the departure of multiple top Trump officials, according to two senior administration officials.

White House chief of staff John Kelly and other top aides were waiting for inspector general reports that they believed would deliver devastating verdicts on Veteran Affairs Secretary David Shulkin and Housing and Urban Development Secretary Ben Carson, who have both been accused of racking up extravagant expenses. They were also debating whether several senior White House aides, including McMaster, should go with them.

It’s unclear which other West Wing officials were possibly set to depart with McMaster, but the two senior administration officials said they believed it would be easier to manage the optics if multiple firings were made public in a single statement instead of drawn out. The announcement, though, was not expected for at least another week.

Trump, however, upended those plans late Thursday, firing McMaster and offering his job to former U.N. Ambassador John Bolton in a move that surprised not only his top advisers — but also Bolton himself.

-snip-

Read more: https://www.politico.com/story/2018/03/22/mcmaster-firing-trump-officials-cabinet-482165

[Wwcd]

1. Hope they're all shitting their pants about now.

S.o.b.'s have let Trump get to this point.

If they don't turn on him enmasse, they will watch their once beloved country self destruct.

They signed on their loyalty pledge & climbed right in bed with this psycho.

Now what the F do they do that its all suddenly taken on a life of its own.

[notdarkyet]

2. I hope Pruitt, Zinke and Sessions are on the list. Go for it.

[GeorgeHayduke]

8. Lockstep tools who toe the line dont get fired.

That list of rediculously amoral sociopathic ass-hats get a pass.

We should have, at some point, a welcoming line where we all get to slap them and pilfer their bank accouts.

[BumRushDaShow]

16. Don't forget Mnuchin too. nt

[mountain grammy]

3. We are in grave danger

Our government is coming apart.

[Progressive2020]

7. I Have To Agree

We are in Grave Danger. It is clear that Trump does not want or even understand Democracy. He wants a Cult Of Personality with Himself at the Center, and he is surrounding himself by extremists and incompetents. We have a dangerous Narcissist in the White Hose, akin to a Hitler or Mussolini.

Trump admires Authoritarians like Putin, and would like to be "President for Life". He must be stopped, either by Impeachment, removal via the 25th Amendment, or voted out by 2020. If Mueller is able to bring Criminal Charges, that might be enough to motivate an Impeachment vote in the Congress, but to do that we need a Blue Wave in November 2018.

[Progressive2020]

4. Trump Is An Incompetent Manager

The amount of personnel "churn" in this White House is phenomenal. Trump is dangerously incompetent. Good managers hire good people in the first place. Constantly changing staff is a sign of incompetence and instability. Trump runs the White House like a game of whack-a-mole.

The National Government is being run more like a Banana Republic than a Great Democracy. Trump gives powerful positions to unqualified relatives (Kushner) and is constantly changing staff based upon personality, not qualifications and professionalism.

Trump runs his "administration" like a bad episode of his old reality show. "Don The Con" did not make his fortune by being a brilliant Manager and skilled Entrepreneur. He made his fortune by cheating others and running scams and schemes perpetually funded by debt and ripping off others.

It would be funny if it were not so dangerous. Instead of competent Statesmen, we have Right Wing War Mongers and Conspiracy Theorists in key positions in the White House. The inmates are taking over the asylum, with people so Far Right that they are closer to being Fascists than Republicans.

Nationalism tied to Incompetence is a dangerous mix, and now it is in control of the American Superpower. I fear with Bolton coming in the enable Trump's worst thinking, we are headed to War in a way that will be devastating for us and the entire world.

Trump is incompetent and dangerous. He should be removed for his incompetence, but there is no one positioned in the White House to do it under the 25th Amendment. The sane adults are being removed from the Administration. Chief of Staff John Kelley is rumored to be next. I think that once he is gone, the last brake will be removed from what might be a runaway train.

Under the 25th Amendment, Congress may lawfully create a body that can remove the President in conjunction with the Vice President, if the President can not discharge his duties. Pence is not likely to ever do something like this, and Cabinet Members like Kelly that might be able to do this are being removed from the Administration.

We need to retake the House and push for Impeachment or removal of the President on the grounds of Incompetence under the 25th Amendment.

[Skittles]

9. WORTHY OF ITS OWN THREAD

YES INDEED

[Progressive2020]

11. Thanks

I did post it as its own Thread in General Discussion. Thanks for the support.

[pbmus]

14. If we get to vote....!!!!

[Angry Dragon]

5. Off with their heads I say

[Baitball Blogger]

6. What? He reached his limit?

[Julian Englis]

10. Timed to distract from the McDougal Interview and Gucifer story. Who gets fired Sunday?

What will Cadet Bonespurs due to draw attention away from 60 Minutes and Stormy? Fire Cobb and Kushner?

[BigmanPigman]

12. Firing Rosenstein would do it.

Or does Sessions have to do that?

[ginnyinWI]

13. I'm glad he is so stupid.

Being this rotten and also smart would have been much worse. It's a matter of time with this joker.

He's being the media "master", trying to win each day. But in the long run, disaster.

He won't change and won't learn. He's ignorant because he's too stupid to know that he doesn't know stuff. He is grading himself on his perceived "ratings."

It's the White House Reality Show starring Donald J. Trump. Hope it gets canceled soon!

[duforsure]

15. Why are they still there?

Jarvanka can't even get top security clearances, and have engage in activities that may prove to be illegal, so why are these people still there now?

[PassingFair]

17. Bolton is barking mad.

Holy crap. This is what I wake up to? Can't articulate how fucky this is.

[Ohiya]

18. Not the Onion ?!?!?!?!?

[FakeNoose]

19. If he fires his entire Cabinet, there will be no possibility of 25th Amendment removal

... You know, it's the scenario when the President's Cabinet votes in favor of removing him from office.
Maybe that's been Cheeto's plan all along?

[lagomorph777]

21. Where can I buy that?

[FakeNoose]

24. Sorry, I have no idea

I grabbed this photo from a Twitter thread. For all I know, somebody probably photoshopped it.

[Progressive2020]

22. 25th Amendment

If you read the 25th Amendment, it does not just have to be the Cabinet. It can be the Vice President and a lawful body established by Congress. So, if the Dems had congressional control, they could form a body, a commission of some sort, to remove the President for incompetence.

It has never been done before in our history. I am not sure it would be a good idea. Trump is incompetent, but if the Congress used this mechanism to remove him, I think in the future Repubs might try to remove a Democratic President this way just out of politics.

So, I think that retaking the Congress in November and Impeachment is the safer route to getting Trump out of office. Otherwise, we just need to cripple him with investigations until we can vote him out in 2020.

[FakeNoose]

23. OK thanks for that explanation

I've always believed (as most of us have) that it needed to happen through the President's Cabinet.
Well in this case, Trump's Cabinet is useless, and quickly disappearing.

[lagomorph777]

20. So when the West Wing is empty and cobwebbed, what will Pres. Turd do?

Wander around in his jammies, rolling ball bearings in his hand?