Trump attacks Justice Department on charges against Republican congressmen

Trump thinks winning elections is more important than punishing crime. He really doesn’t understand that the Attorney General is loyal to the law, not to him and his party.

The President of the United States criticizing his own Attorney General for obtaining felony indictments against two sitting Republican congressmen—not because the charges aren’t serious or thoroughly substantiated, but because of the potential _electoral_ ramifications.

Yuck… https://t.co/K2x0RSCGEj

— Steve Vladeck (@steve_vladeck) September 3, 2018

The implication being that Justice Dept officials should have delayed or thrown out charges for political reasons, because of the midterms. Notice he does not weigh in on the charges themselves, which are in each case based on long lists of serious allegations. https://t.co/NrsbUi4fut

— Sarah Westwood (@sarahcwestwood) September 3, 2018

The president is now arguing that the Justice Department should make its justice decisions based on what’s best for the Republican Party. pic.twitter.com/RgcUQbRAak

— Daniel Dale (@ddale8) September 3, 2018

The President believes it’s the Attorney General’s job to cover up crimes that are committed by elected Republicans. https://t.co/AeqV9EQAqZ

— Jon Favreau (@jonfavs) September 3, 2018

Authoritarian despots are able to dictate who gets prosecuted and who does not based on political calculations. President Trump is signaling that’s precisely how he wants to run the Department of Justice. This isn’t a drill. It’s an attack on our basic democratic institutions. https://t.co/i8HpCpDjm0

— Brian Klaas (@brianklaas) September 3, 2018

The president complains that the first two congressmen to endorse him were indicted by the third. https://t.co/I2mKiUWapB

— Eric Columbus (@EricColumbus) September 3, 2018

This is the most insightful official statement yet on the current approach to the justice system: Cry foul about politics infecting DOJ and then ponder aloud why DOJ isn’t considering the political ramifications of prosecutorial decisions. https://t.co/PyKvin2b3Y

— Josh Campbell (@joshscampbell) September 3, 2018

Perhaps the leaders and the Judiciary Committee chairs in both Houses should say something to make clear that Trump speaks only for himself and not for the Republican Party? https://t.co/gRuXdEuKBa

— Bill Kristol (@BillKristol) September 3, 2018

Dear @realDonaldTrump: No one is above the law. Not you, not your associates, and not Members of Congress. That's one reason America is great. https://t.co/P68706QU44

— Ted Lieu (@tedlieu) September 3, 2018

There’s been a lot of Twitter invective directed against Bush and some against Obama, but here’s what I’ll say for them: the idea of them acting like this never would have occurred to me. https://t.co/EnR0oJQXIx

— Daniel W. Drezner (@dandrezner) September 3, 2018

This makes no sense. Collins’s insider-trading allegation is from 2017, when he was at *Trump’s* White House event. https://t.co/8KhOO3daKX

— Aaron Blake (@AaronBlake) September 3, 2018

POTUS lays it on the line again: the job of the Justice Department in his view is to protect his friends and punish his enemies. https://t.co/MUH9McUoZe

— Benjamin Wittes (@benjaminwittes) September 3, 2018

When Trump says something like this it is quite apparent that we are already past the rule of law. https://t.co/p97sXra7ML

— John Markoff (@markoff) September 3, 2018

It is not hard to see Trump's argument here – people accused of breaking the law should not get in legal trouble if such trouble would hurt the Republicans – eventually being applied to himself.

— Daniel Dale (@ddale8) September 3, 2018

This is in keeping with what he frequently tells people privately. He alleges Holder “protected” Obama. https://t.co/3FM75Mc4kr

— Maggie Haberman (@maggieNYT) September 3, 2018

Law and Order President, my ass. https://t.co/kAxYMvG0B1

— Rick Wilson (@TheRickWilson) September 3, 2018

LABOR DAY TWEETS: Trump attacks AG Jeff Sessions for indicting two Republicans for corruption, saying it could hurt Trump and the GOP. My story: https://t.co/bZhyGwMk0q

— Josh Dawsey (@jdawsey1) September 3, 2018

In saner times pressuring the attorney general to quash criminal investigations of political allies might have been considered an impeachable offense. How many GOP elected officials will raise an objection to this? https://t.co/RWf8rI1pij

— Ryan Lizza (@RyanLizza) September 3, 2018

The "Obama era" reference in Trump's tweets about Collins' and Hunter's indictments is bizarre. The Collins indictment, from actions taken in summer 2017, was brought by Trump's own handpicked US atty from Manhattan.

— Paul Kane (@pkcapitol) September 3, 2018

Most Trump voters don’t mind the n-word

From this article:

“Few Trump voters think that using the n-word makes whites racist, just 42 percent find the slur offensive, and only a quarter wouldn’t vote for a candidate who said it. By contrast, more than three-quarters of people who voted for Hillary Clinton think the n-word is offensive, racist and should disqualify political candidates who have said it.”

New poll shows 60% disapproval of Trump

We’ll have to see if this a trend or outlier.

60% disapprove of Pres. Trump, numerically the highest of his presidency; 53% disapprove strongly, the first time more than half have said so in an @ABC News/WaPo poll. https://t.co/uoninVOCVD pic.twitter.com/SBqz6Z9tXg

— ABC News (@ABC) August 31, 2018

The poll

New ABC/WaPo poll:
-60% disapprove of Trump, 36% approve
-45% say corruption in Washington has increased since Trump took office, 13% say decreased
-63% support Mueller probe
-53% say Trump obstructed justice
-64% say Trump should not fire Sessions
-66% oppose Manafort pardon

— Jim Sciutto (@jimsciutto) August 31, 2018

Disapproval of Pres. Trump is at a new high, support for the Mueller probe is broad, and half of Americans favor Congress initiating impeachment proceedings against the president, new @ABC News/WaPo poll finds. https://t.co/HZMl5cy2Iy pic.twitter.com/vOisDBNtnJ

— ABC News Politics (@ABCPolitics) September 3, 2018

Trump’s response:

The ABC/Washington Post Poll was by far the least accurate one 2 weeks out from the 2016 Election. I call it a suppression poll – but by Election Day they brought us, out of shame, to about even. They will never learn!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 1, 2018

Trump administration rolls back worker safety protection

The Trump administration has rolled back worker safety protections affecting underground mine safety inspections, offshore oil rigs and line speeds in meat processing plants, among others https://t.co/GGinRmUcFU

— POLITICO (@politico) September 3, 2018

AP Fact Check of Trump – 9/3/18

AP Fact Check

Denaturalization

Another Trump tactic to attack immigrants

How the Trump administration is bringing back denaturalization https://t.co/xsJfnJwqev pic.twitter.com/3K1DROkHFj

— CBS News (@CBSNews) August 16, 2018

Denaturalization — a complex process once primarily reserved for Nazi war criminals and human rights violators — is on the rise under the Trump administration https://t.co/LLEuQXF8fg

— Los Angeles Times (@latimes) August 12, 2018

A recent uptick in denaturalization cases has deeply unsettled many immigrants who had long believed that a U.S. passport warded off a lifetime of anxiety over possible deportation https://t.co/EPvdBy66wY

— The New York Times (@nytimes) July 23, 2018

US citizens are being denied passports

Trump isn’t just going after illegal immigrants. He’s going after some people who became citizens and even people who were born here. Nothing will stop this as long as Republicans control both houses of Congress.

Here is an issue that is crying out for congressional inquiry. Americans, overwhelmingly Latinos and including veterans, are having their citizenship questioned, and being denied passports. Outrageous and unacceptable.

GOP response: Hear no evil, see no evil, do no oversight. https://t.co/nAJcHWZuKW

— Adam Schiff (@RepAdamSchiff) August 30, 2018

If history is a guide, stripping passports/citizenship is another step in the authoritarian playbook. Americans are tired of this bigotry. https://t.co/arSlANxZZr

— Richard Blumenthal (@SenBlumenthal) August 31, 2018

Birtherism is now federal policy. Anyone who is not white is suspected of not being a real American. https://t.co/cAByZAL4ps

— Max Boot (@MaxBoot) August 29, 2018

Hear me out: kids in cages and Latino Americans being denied passports are not a separate story from Trump’s move to fire Mueller.

He is trying to rally and consolidate his hard base to force Republicans’ silence when he shuts it all down.

Democracy hanging in the balance.

— Chris Murphy (@ChrisMurphyCT) August 30, 2018

I don't shock easily these days, but this is shocking (but also predictable). And if you think it can't happen to you because you're not Latino, you're a fool: if these people prevail, everyone will be at risk https://t.co/Ts8LEjEmai

— Paul Krugman (@paulkrugman) August 30, 2018

Jews (unfortunately) have quite a bit of experience being denaturalized. . . which is why we should be sounding the alarm as the Trump administration starts stripping passports both from naturalized citizens and even some born in the US.https://t.co/FTX1GYFBAB

— Jill Jacobs (@rabbijilljacobs) August 30, 2018

The US government is denying passports to Hispanic Americans along the border.

In some cases, passport applicants with birth certificates are being jailed in immigration detention centers and entered into deportation proceedings.https://t.co/TIJlNwyRZh

— Texas Tribune (@TexasTribune) September 3, 2018

WATCH: Trump admin. is denying passports to American citizens at the border, asking for obscure documents to prove they were born in the U.S. #mtpdaily @chucktodd: “Is this the burden of proof?”
Immigration attorney Jaime Diez: "Yes. They're asking for things that no one has." pic.twitter.com/Ve7jYrbXpZ

— Meet the Press (@MeetThePress) August 30, 2018

State Department response:

Dishonest reporting by @washingtonpost. The truth is: domestic passport denials for so-called “midwife cases” have actually decreased during the Trump administration. Stop perpetuating inaccurate claims & biased reporting. https://t.co/sSzD8fO9jx

— Heather Nauert (@statedeptspox) August 31, 2018

In sum: ⁦@StateDept⁩ refuses to cooperate before story is published and then ⁦@statedeptspox⁩ issues misleading statement with manipulated data in vain effort to rebut it. Not how the process is supposed to work. pic.twitter.com/CDJbWCK3wI

— Glenn Kessler (@GlennKesslerWP) September 3, 2018

FISA

Republicans who have attacked the FISA warrants on Carter Page have conveniently forgotten the facts.

-Judges who signed C. Page FISA warrant were nominated by GOP Presidents
-Those judges were appointed to FISA court by John Roberts
-Trump DOJ reauthorized the warrant
-GOP Congress passed & Trump signed FISA legislation—w/o changes to warrant process—in January. You voted for it https://t.co/PCOtQ8BLqW

— Ryan Lizza (@RyanLizza) September 3, 2018

Yes, Brit. The idea of having a judicial check is that you have an experienced, independent entity which is going to make this determination. And this is a much better judgment than the argument that the FISA was not well founded and required hearings bc Brit Hume said so. https://t.co/2j9cjEjkZQ

— Asha Rangappa (@AshaRangappa_) September 2, 2018

In case you're confused about how the FISA Court (FISC) really works, when it does and does not hold hearings, and how it handles a normal application, here's the world's leading authority on the subject, @DavidKris, with a simple but detailed explanation. https://t.co/iRg69uYVLd

— Benjamin Wittes (@benjaminwittes) September 3, 2018

This is what got them worked up – usual Trump crap

Report: There were no FISA hearings held over Spy documents.”It is astonishing that the FISA courts couldn’t hold hearings on Spy Warrants targeting Donald Trump. It isn’t about Carter Page, it’s about the Trump Campaign. You’ve got corruption at the DOJ & FBI. The leadership….

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 1, 2018

….of the DOJ & FBI are completely out to lunch in terms of exposing and holding those accountable who are responsible for that corruption.” @TomFitton @JudicialWatch

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 1, 2018

“You have a Fake Dossier, gathered by Steele, paid by the Clinton team to get information on Trump. The Dossier is Fake, nothing in it has been verified. It then filters into our American court system in order to spy on Barrack Obama and Hillary Clinton’s political opponent……

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 1, 2018

….Donald Trump, and now we find out that there wasn’t even a hearing – that Donald Trump’s 4th Amendment right to privacy was signed away…and someone in there is swearing that this stuff is true, when it wasn’t? This is the scandal here – a police state.” Dan Bongino

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 1, 2018

New poll on Canada

New Pew poll finds a substantial partisan gap in how Americans feel about Canada.

Democrats: 63% very warm, 11% somewhat warm, 16% neutral, 10% cold.
Republicans: 39% very warm, 20% somewhat warm, 26% neutral, 15% cold. https://t.co/YZyCRAOTh0

— Daniel Dale (@ddale8) September 3, 2018

In February, Gallup found that 94% of Americans had a favourable view of Canada. The difference with Pew might be methodology or question wording — and/or that Trump started regularly criticizing Canada and Trudeau in June. https://t.co/cGaqLbTh3s

— Daniel Dale (@ddale8) September 3, 2018

Design in Revolution: A 1960s Odyssey

This was a great exhibit at the Philadelphia Museum of Art. It reminded me of my high school days. The photo at the top is of a Wes Wilson poster that is in the exhibit – I have a copy at home. I had the poster originally in the 1960s but didn’t keep it in good shape. A few years ago, I got a new copy at Wolfgang’s online and had it framed.

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