To link - “What it shows is that the president is fixated on the Russia investigation, he’s angry about it, and he wants to do everything he can to discourage or slow down the investigation,”
Former US security leaders blast Trump for yanking clearance
Canceled Military Parade Is The Latest In Trump’s Presidential Power Fails | Deadline | MSNBC
"Steve Schmidt: Trump's Actions Against John Brennan Are An "Abuse Of Power" | The Last Word | MSNBC"
MSNBC Published on Aug 17, 2018
MSNBC national affairs analyst John Heilemann, Bloomberg’s Tim O’Brien, Reverend Al Sharpton, former Rep. Donna Edwards & former U.S. Attorney Joyce Vance on Trump’s affinity for presidential powers & his failed plans for a military parade
As President Trump has settled into Year 2 of his presidency, he has become especially enamored with powers he can exercise — just like back at the Trump Organization — without the approval or even consultation of anyone else.
Four sources close to Trump tell Axios that the revocation of former CIA Director John Brennan's clearance belongs in the same category as the president's love of the pardon power and the signing of executive orders.
* It's a power that is uniquely and solely his, and matches his idea of how the presidency ought to be: pure power and instant gratification.
* "What he enjoys most about this job is finding things he has absolute power over," said one source who’s worked closely with Trump. "He got a kick out of pardons, that he could pardon anybody he wants and people would come to him to court him and beg him."
Now — after Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) pointed out to Trump that he could revoke security clearances from former senior officials who were attacking him — he is clearly relishing the unilateral power:
* For the longest time, according to sources with direct knowledge of the president's thinking, Trump did not get involved in clearance issues, whatsoever.
* He “really wanted to stay out of it, not just for Jared and Ivanka but [for] others,” one source with direct knowledge of the process said.
* Former White House aide Seb Gorka “appealed to him personally several times [to get his permanent security clearance] and he never acted. And he loved Gorka!”
Another source close to Trump said: “I don’t believe Trump is inclined to do anything that erodes separation of powers — at least, nothing that exceeds the historical rate at which executive power has expanded."
* "But if there’s a power he’s been given, you can bet every penny you own that he’s going to use it — and perhaps use it in new ways or with greater frequency than ever before."
* “I’ve never heard him express anger that he was constitutionally constrained from doing something. But he’s definitely biased toward action, so he’s going to try and have to be told otherwise. For example, look no further than telling Native American tribes to 'just do it.'"
Reality check: The White House has provided no evidence that Brennan is a threat to national security.
* West Wing aides have no evidence he leaked classified information; if they did, they would’ve produced it.
* This was a purely political decision. And the explanation for the delay in announcing the decision — Trump told the Wall Street Journal he was prepared to yank Brennan’s clearance last week but it was too "hectic" — is odd, given that he was on vacation at his New Jersey golf club.
Be smart: The narrative that Trump is doing this to silence Brennan — as the former CIA director suggested in his N.Y. Times Op-Ed — is absurd.
* Bloomberg’s Eli Lake nails the reality when he writes that far from wanting to silence Brennan, Trump is clearly trying to elevate him as his foil.
* Lake notes that Trump "wants to make Brennan the face of the so-called resistance."
* "This is the Trump playbook," Lake continues. "Why do you think he keeps tweeting about Maxine Waters? He is a man who approaches politics like professional wrestling, happy to play the villain if it energizes his base. And for Trump, Brennan is a perfect adversary."
oe: A 40 Percent President Donald Trump Loses Midterms | Morning Joe | MSNBC
MSNBC Published on Aug 15, 2018
The president has a net negative approval rating in the double digits in three recent polls, with his disapproval hovering over 50 in each. The panel digs into the numbers, his calling Omarosa a 'dog,' and his continued narrowcasting.
One interesting comment by Joe was that behind closed doors he never once heard Trump say anything racist. He says the first time he heard Trump say anything about it was in 2011 when he grabbed the birther conspiracy, and that it was like this guy, Democrat all his life, suddenly realized he could get the Republican nomination by looking racist and bigoted. Franken also says he never found Trump offensive. Course many people knew what Trump was from he and his father's discrimination against blacks while others of his age were fighting in Vietnam. And from his position on the Central Park 5, yet it seems it's only since Trump started his presidential campaign, to now, that many, even many who have been in the same room with him over years, have come to know Trump for what he really is deep inside. A mentally sick, deluded, racist and bigoted f*wit. And a misogynist.
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President Trump Staffers Reportedly 'Absolutely Terrified' Of Omarosa Tapes | The 11th Hour | MSNBC
MSNBC Published on Aug 14, 2018
Trump called his fired aide Omarose Onee Manigault (Omarosa) a 'dog' today in part of a tweetstorm. Meanwhile, the Trump White House staff is reportedly on edge as Omarosa releases yet another tape. Donna Edwards, Philip Rucker, & Jonathan Lemire discuss.
Omarosa says Donny-boy "absolutely" knew about the hacked Clinton emails before they were revealed publicly. Giuliani has said, "I know she's lying..."
See also:
In just the last day, we've learned that Trump tried to bully Melania into abandoning her anti-bullying campaign, removed all the furniture Melania bought for the White House before she moved in, and would consider having Melania deported if she left him. https://investorshub.advfn.com/boards/read_msg.aspx?message_id=143011360
John Brennan Threatens Lawsuit To Prevent Trump Revoking More Security Clearances
Posted on Sun, Aug 19th, 2018 by Jason Easley
Former CIA Director John Brennan said that he is willing to get his name dragged through the mud and go to court if it means preventing Trump from revoking more security clearances.
I’m curious, on Friday night with Rachel Maddow, you indicated that you have had lawyers contact you about possible legal action, it’s 48 hours later, what would that look like, is that something you’re serious about?
JOHN BRENNAN:
Well, I have been contacted by a number of lawyers and they have already given me their thoughts about the basis for a complaint, an injunction to try and prevent him from doing this in the future. If my clearances and my reputation, as I’m being pulled through the mud now, if that’s the price we’re going to pay to prevent Donald Trump from doing this against other people, to me it’s a small price to pay, so I am going to do whatever I can personally to try to prevent these abuses in the future, and if it means going to court, I will, I will do that.
Trump is going to get sued over how he revoked the security clearances
When some Democrats like Rep. Adam Schiff (D-CA) suggested that Trump violated the law when he revoked Brennan’s security clearance [ https://www.politicususa.com/2018/08/15/adam-schiff-says-trump-broke-the-law-when-he-revoked-brennans-security-clearance.html ] what he was referring to is the legal process that is put in place that involves hearings and appeals before a security clearance can be revoked. Trump ignored the law and unilaterally revoked the security clearances. The president may have the power to take action, but he still needs to follow the law.
Trump is going to get sued over his process for revoking clearances, and it won’t be a surprise when a federal judge issues an injunction blocking him from revoking the security clearances of others who are on his enemies list.
Omarosa's 'Unhinged' settles for No. 2 spot on U.S. best-seller list
August 23, 2018 / 2:30 PM / Updated 4 hours ago Reuters Staff
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - The tell-all memoir from former White House aide Omarosa Manigault Newman sold more than 33,000 copies in its first week, but failed to take the top spot on the U.S. best-sellers list.
The book "Unhinged" by former White House staffer Omarosa Manigault Newman on her time in the White House administration is seen for sale in Manhattan, New York, U.S., August 14, 2018. REUTERS/Shannon Stapleton
Sales data on Thursday from NPD BookScan showed that “Unhinged,” Manigault Newman’s much publicized account of her year at the White House, was beaten to the No. 1 spot by lifestyle guide “Girl, Wash Your Face,” which sold more than 58,600 copies for the week.
In her book, Manigault Newman accuses U.S. President Trump of having made derogatory statements about African-Americans, Filipinos and other minorities, as well as exhibiting “forgetfulness and frustration.” “His mental decline could not be denied,” she wrote.
The former contestant on Trump’s reality TV show “The Apprentice” had been one of the Republican president’s most prominent black supporters, before she was fired from her White House position in December.
She made multiple media appearances to promote the book ahead of its release last week.
Trump last week called Manigault Newman a “dog” and a “crazed, lying low-life.”
The NPD BookScan data is compiled weekly from independent, online and chain bookstores, book wholesalers and independent distributors across the United States.
It showed that “Unhinged” was the second best-selling fiction or non-fiction hardcover book after “Girl, Wash Your Face,” by Rachel Hollis. Thriller writer James Patterson’s new title, “Texas Ranger,” was the top selling fiction book with more than 31,000 books sold.
Reporting by Jill Serjeant; Editing by Tom Brown Our Standards:The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.
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