US Politics

When a politician starts saying you have their support it's time to start sprucing up your CV

No way. This is the beginning of the end for Trump. Some congressional republicans are now calling for an independent special prosecutor to look into the Russia links. As soon as that happens, its only a matter of time.

The special prosecutor for Bill Clinton started looking into a property deal he made whilst governor. Ended up with Monica Lewinsky and impeachment. Just think where it could lead Trump.

but it could take over 6 months for anyone to be appointed to that role and longer to get settled and actually get anywhere.

There is lots of talk about a special prosecutor but who appoints one? and how far reaching are they? and what if trump just ignores it? (I genuinely dont know the answers to those questions.)

Yeah, true. This isn't going to happen quickly.

The attorney general appoints a special prosecutor, but if both parties are calling for one, then the AG would have to have a good reason not to appoint. In this case the AG, Jeff Sessions has recused himself from the Russia investigation because of conflicts of interest, so it up to the deputy AG to appoint one.

They usually have a remit to look into a particular instance or case, but they then have the ability to subpoena anyone who may help with that investigation. And once you are testifying under oath, if you lie it is an offence. That is what Clinton ultimately got impeached for, lying about his relationship to Monica Lewinsky.

If Trump ignores a subpoena, it sets up a clash between the executive and the judiciary. No way Trump is winning that fight.

Check your facts, AndyP, you knob head.

The FBI probably have some people in a basement working on this like in The Wire. At least, that's what I like to think.

The day after he sacks the director of the FBI, he's meeting the Russian Ambassador in the White House, but the only media invited to cover it is the Russian media.

It's getting beyond parody now.

Nah, it can always get funnier.

Writer: And then in the final scene he meets the Russian agents, right in the WH.
Producer: I told you to get the fuck out of my office.

Entertaining exchange on Twitter where a chap asks if it was a good idea to let a Russian government photographer into the Oval office, with all of their kit - deputy director of the CIA responds with "no, it was not".

Ha, I assume there was an edit in there somewhere?

May not even have to go that far, there are already 2 grand juries taking place and they are rounding up the trump lackies and issuing Subpoenas.

There was. I thought Clinton was never impeached but he was, although the vote was lost in the Senate.

The Russian foreign minister who was with the ambassador was the guy the Chris Steele dossier said was running Putin's entire election manipulation operation.

Apparently this is NOT a spoof

http://www.economist.com/Trumptranscript

It's long... so here's the article based on the interview

http://www.economist.com/news/united-states/21721909-interview-president-sets-out-economic-ideas-will-help-him-make-america

Good read. Thanks.

The ensuing analysis and opinion is also compelling

http://www.economist.com/news/leaders/21721904-impulsiveness-and-shallowness-americas-president-threaten-economy-well-rule

This in particular

Unleashing pent-up energy would be welcome, but Mr Trump’s agenda comes with two dangers. The economic assumptions implicit in it are internally inconsistent. And they are based on a picture of America’s economy that is decades out of date.

^ that is a pretty bleak read. Dystopian future, here we come!

Yes, the worrying thing is that our move towards a more nationalist agenda, combined with the ongoing Conserative support for interests of large businesses (despite Theresa May's slight shift towards selective interventionism), arguably makes some of the risks highligthed in the article relevant to us.

We would like to think the FBI is staffed by guys like Lester Freamon & Jimmy McNulty. This investigation, under the new Trump-appointed Director of the FBI, is more likely to have the drunk, the guy who goes off to work in his brother-in-law's video shop and Prez.

Shitburg!

<3 the wire

Nothing particularly revelatory but quite interesting nonetheless

http://time.com/donald-trump-after-hours/

FBI are raiding a GOP fundraising/consulting firm in Annapolis right now. This is going to be a wild ride.

http://www.wbaltv.com/article/fbi-searching-annapolis-fundraiserconsulting-firm/9639787

A clusterfuck of presidential proportions

Hadn't seen this picture before. Presumably during the 'dating' phase (and I guess Trump had just slammed some Tic Tacs and was in the process of making his move).