Cult of Trump

Exchanging Friends with Enemies:  Remember when former Fox pundit Bill O’Reilly questioned Trump’s respect and admiration for Putin by pointing out that he was a killer?  Trump, who responded by saying that “there are lot of killers, do you think our country‘s so innocent,” is now extending that respect to his newest friend, North Korea’s Kim Jong Un.  In several of the interviews he gave as part of a media blitz that followed the Singapore Summit, Trump had nothing but nice things to say about the North Korean dictator.  He told Greta Van Susteren, the former Fox and MSNBC correspondent who now works for Voice of America, that Kim is a really smart, great person and also a really fun guy who “loves his people.” After Van Susteren responded to Trump’s comment by reminding him that Kim treats his “loved” people by brutalizing and starving them, Trump, without missing a beat, went on to brag about the greatest and most “comprehensive” agreement that the two had just signed.  Yesterday, Trump doubled down tweeting that the true enemy wasn’t Kim Jong Un but was instead the “Fake News promulgated by fools.”  As to that comprehensive agreement, Secretary of State Pompeo got testy with one journalist when asked why the agreement didn’t include any language about the need for verification of the total denuclearization that Trump promised.  Pompeo responded by attacking the journalist, saying “I find that question insulting and ridiculous and, frankly, ludicrous," and then went on to insist that the one page agreement included language on verification even though we’ve seen it and it doesn’t.  Pompeo also said that he is ready to start immediate conversations though the North Koreans have not made anyone available and promised that the denuclearization would be completed within two years, though experts insist that it will take at least seven years, if not longer.  As to the suspension of those “expensive” military exercises the ones that Trump, like Russia, China and North Korea, also refers to as provocative war games, the not so happy Pentagon has now announced that they have been cancelled as ordered by our Great Leader, oops Trump.  Regarding the dangerous country on our northern border, following his Singapore meeting, Trump said that he plans to punish the people of Canada for Trudeau’s post G7 press conference remarks because while it’s okay for Kim Jong Un to love his people into starvation it isn’t okay for Trudeau to defend his country’s lumber and dairy industries.          

Smoke Signals:  The pundits went into a frenzy yesterday over the news that Trump fixer/lawyer Michael Cohen was dumping his current lawyers and shopping for new ones.  The immediate assumption was that Cohen had flipped and was looking for representation with better white collar criminal expertise and more experience negotiating plea deals.  As the day progressed the suggestion that Cohen had flipped was walked back.  The consensus view now is that he has run up a huge legal bill, is fighting with the Trump organization over who should pay it and is really seeking new counsel in part because the current set doesn’t like getting stiffed.  The Trump campaign paid approximately $250,000 of the bill that Cohen ran up prior to the raid of his office and homes, a payment that was curious because Cohen never really worked for the campaign, he was intentionally kept on the outside so that he could continue serving as Trump’s fixer, Moscow hotel front man and Ukraine peace envoy.  With a large group of lawyers reviewing all of the documents, phones and tapes obtained from the raid, Cohen’s legal bill has grown dramatically, Michael Avenatti, to the extent he is to be believed, reports that it’s running $500,000 per week. With so much of the work focused on screening Trump related material,  Cohen and his lawyers had expected the Trump organization to pick up a large portion of the bill. However, the Trump organization, is pulling its usual shtick, refusing to pay, a curious decision given that Cohen knows too much about Trump’s history.   As to flipping on Trump, Cohen hasn’t made his mind up, yet, but reportedly is feeling abandoned and could be sending smoke signals to Trump to do something because he is seriously close to cooperating with prosecutors. White House insiders report that Trump is nervous and fuming.  Stay posted, this story is in flux.

Congressional Activities:  Senator Bob Corker has just about lost it with his Republican colleagues.  He’s now publicly chastised them for being afraid to “poke the bear” and by bear he means Trump and has gone on to say that they are acting like cult members.  Corker, like Jeff Flake, another frequent Trump critic is on his way out of the Senate and though his criticism is laudable it’s hard to miss that he’s voted with Trump on almost every issue, including those tax cuts that included a last minute provision that benefited Corker’s personal business interests.  Corker’s outburst was driven by his fury over tariffs and Senate Majority Leader McConnell’s refusal to seriously consider restricting Trump’s ability to impose them by falsely asserting national security.  While Corker continues to steam, the fallout from the news about the callous separation of children from their parents may be spurring immigration legislation. Speaker of the House Ryan reports that he will allow votes on two immigration bills next week, the harsh one supported by Freedom Caucus Congressman Goodlatte and his cronies and a compromise bill crafted to appeal to more moderate Republicans as well as some Democrats.  Though that bill is still being negotiated, Ryan reports that it will prohibit separating children from their parents, resolve DACA, provide lots of money for border security, eliminate the visa lottery, clamp down on chain migration and have Trump’s support.  The devil of course is in the details, and those aren’t available yet because the compromise bill still doesn’t really exist.  We’ve heard this story before so who knows what will happen but if anything passes the House it will still have to pass the Senate and be signed by Trump to become reality.  In the meantime the clock continues to tick for the DACA kids and children are still being removed from their parents arms, including one baby who was grabbed away from a mother while breastfeeding. Some reporters were finally allowed to see where some of these separated children are being warehoused.  The reporters were allowed into a reconfigured old Walmart building where around 1400 children, some from families separated at the border, others minors who crossed the border alone.  Though the children, all boys in this facility who ranged in age from ten to seventeen, weren’t kept in cages, they are only allowed outside for two hours each day. MSNBC’s Jake Suboroff said that the facility reminded him of a prison and that the children are effectively being incarcerated.  He did say that this facility was staffed with professionals with appropriate experience and that it appeared to be well maintained but then again this is the one facility that reporters have been allowed into and even their closely monitored visit came about only after Oregon’s Senator Merkley made a well-publicized stink about being refused entry to any of the “warehouses” last week.   At this point, neither Merkley nor the press have seen where younger children or any girls are being held. The Department of Homeland Security is still planning to build “tent” warehouses on unused portions of military bases to hold additional illegal immigrants and refugees, many of whom are now losing their refugee status as a result of Attorney General Sessions’ harsh new interpretation of relevant law and guidelines.  As of now there is no indication that those new facilities will be managed by appropriately skilled professionals.                 

Staffing:  If you have some free time on your hands and have few scruples, head over to the Conservative Partnership Job Fair.  Apparently, the White House is advertising job openings in an effort to fill positions across the employment spectrum, entry level up to assistant secretary level.  White House jobs are typically coveted but in this administration not so much.  One current White House aide, just had his wings clipped a little.  Andrew Giuliani, son of that other Giuliani, has had his West Wing access cut because Chief of Staff Kelly believes that despite his Trump admired golf skills, he is disruptive to others and “subverts the chain of command.”  Wonder who he learned that from?   Against all odds EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt is still a member of the cabinet.  He continues to sidestep controversies that would ordinarily be career ending.  Yesterday it was reported that after the Chic Fil A thing fell through, he twisted conservative donor arms to get his wife a job, or at least a temporary job, at a conservative organization.  Still he remains in the cabinet.  He may outlast Sarah Huckabee Sanders and Raj Shah, two of Trump’s most skillfully deceptive spokespeople.  Reports are that they are both planning to depart the White House by year end which could mean anytime.  Sometime today, the Justice Department Inspector General is expected to release his long awaited and very long 500 page report on the FBI.  Early indications are, or at least, indications leaked by the administration are that former FBI Director Comey will be criticized for violating long standing guidance and for mishandling the Hillary Clinton email investigation and, according to Jeff Sessions, more “heads will roll” at the FBI.  The report may also criticize former Attorney General Loretta Lynch and might even have something to say about how Rudy Giuliani knew so much about the Anthony Weiner email situation before any information on that subject was publicly revealed.