Trump rejects the White House and Republican position on a national security matter

This morning the Republican-led House was set to vote on controversial legislation renewing the National Security Agency’s warrantless surveillance program.

The White House was actively whipping up votes on the bill, which would extend a program that senior officials say is critical to keeping America safe from terror plots. Getting the program renewed with as few changes as possible had been the intelligence community’s No. 1 legislative priority for the past year.

Trump's appointee to the FBI supported the measure. Trump's appointees to the CIA and NSA supported the measure.

For months the administration had been lobbying for a renewal of the surveillance program. "The Administration strongly opposes the 'USA Rights' amendment to the FISA Amendments Reauthorization Act, which the House will consider tomorrow," White House press secretary Sarah Sanders said in a statement sent to reporters just after 9 p.m. ET Wednesday. "The Administration urges the House to reject this amendment and preserve the useful role FISA's Section 702 authority plays in protecting American lives."

Then Trump stepped in. He had been watching "Fox and Friends." He tweeted, "Disproven and paid for by Democrats 'Dossier used to spy on Trump Campaign. Did FBI use Intel tool to influence the Election?' @foxandfriends Did Dems or Clinton also pay Russians? Where are hidden and smashed DNC servers? Where are Crooked Hillary Emails? What a mess!"

Moments later came the bombshell from the President. "House votes on controversial FISA ACT today." This is the act that may have been used, with the help of the discredited and phony Dossier, to so badly surveil and abuse the Trump Campaign by the previous administration and others?"

This is incomprehensible. The tweet resembles that of a fourth grader who is sympathetic to liberal causes. It contradicts the Trump White House. It contradicts Trump's Republican colleagues on the Hill. It contradicts the position of his appointees, including members of his cabinet. He rehashes the unsubstantiated charge that Obama had his campaign wiretapped, and the whole tweet consists of outright lies.

Confusion reigned on Capitol Hill. What was the President doing? It appeared that the President himself was throwing his weight behind an amendment to impose new privacy limitations on the government.

White House chief of staff John Kelly rushed to the Hill to rally support. Somebody told Trump what his position should be. An hour later, he tweeted, "With that being said, I have personally directed the fix to the unmasking process since taking office and today's vote is about foreign surveillance of foreign bad guys on foreign land. We need it! Get smart!"

No thanks to the President, the House passed the bill.

"I have personally directed the fix to the unmasking process since taking office." Trump's vain attempt at grace will pass without comment. No reason to kick a dead horse.

 

This is yet another story of abject incompetence and profound ignorance of the fundamental tenets of our national security by this man with no interest in learning what he needs to know to carry out his duties. It would be front page news for days during a normal admin. It's the kind of thing that should receive bi-partisan condemnation. But it will be quickly forgotten. The victim of a news cycle so full of outrageous buffoonery few stories last for more than a couple of days, and the bizarre, reflexive reaction by Repubs to cover up for his clownish behavior no matter how egregious.

 

FISA is a serious matter and it relates to our national security. The Act was amended in 2001 by the USA PATRIOT Act, primarily to include terrorism on behalf of groups that are not specifically backed by a foreign government. The Patriot Act was in response to 9/11.

The FISA Amendments Act of 2008 was passed by the United States Congress on July 9, 2008.

It is strongly suggested that when it comes to matters of our national security, Trump should stop watching television, specifically, Judge Napolitano on "Fox and Friends," and listen to his national security advisors.

I don't think Trump wants to be President anymore.

 

The White House is becoming the House of Lies, led by the chief resident. Trump thinks lying is a talent. He calls it "truthful hyperbole" and he is proud of his ability to tell tall ones. Trump's first tweet was completely filled with lies, and there is a distinct pattern in the White House. It is lying.

"We don't think that there was a conflict at all," Sanders said of Trump's tweets.

Trump senior counselor Kellyanne Conway insisting to CNN's Chris Cuomo on Wednesday night that "we don't care about (Hillary Clinton). Nobody here talks about her."

That assertion came just hours after Trump brought up Clinton -- without being asked -- in a press conference with the Norwegian prime minister. "Hillary was not for a strong military and Hillary -- my opponent -- was for windmills," Trump said.

And it came just hours before Trump -- as noted above -- mentioned Clinton AGAIN; "Did Dems or Clinton also pay Russians? Where are hidden and smashed DNC servers? Where are Crooked Hillary Emails?"

I saved the best for last.

“I probably have a very good relationship with Kim Jong Un, ” Trump told the Journal in a 45-minute sit-down at the White House. “I have relationships with people. I think you people are surprised.”

When asked if he had spoken to Kim, Trump replied, ”I don’t want to comment on it. I’m not saying I have or haven’t. I just don’t want to comment.”

This is just in a 24-hour period.

 

It's humiliating as an American to realize the FISA program was temporarily put in jeopardy because a talking head on Faux got in Don's head.

 

What is humiliating is that this is the clearest example yet of the idea that Trump does not read and does not listen to others just like Wolff said in his book. He did not know the White House position on FISA. Instead, he used the advice of Judge Napolitano on "Fox and Friends."

It is also a clear indication that he has no core beliefs. Others, like John Kelly, James Mattis, and Rex Tillerson, along with Republican leaders in Congress have to tell him what his position is. His vacillating behavior during the bipartisan meeting Tuesday illustrates that fact.

This is so humiliating that Trump supporters want nothing to do with this thread. I don't blame them. What can they say? Trump was an idiot, plain and simple.

 

Still another example of Trump being oblivious to his surroundings.

About nine P.M. Thursday, he announced he was not going to Britain in a tweet that followed his usual format -- filled with lies.

Donald J. Trump ✔ @realDonaldTrump

Reason I canceled my trip to London is that I am not a big fan of the Obama Administration having sold perhaps the best located and finest embassy in London for “peanuts,” only to build a new one in an off location for 1.2 billion dollars. Bad deal. Wanted me to cut ribbon-NO!

8:57 PM - Jan 11, 2018

He did not cancel the trip because of the embassy's change of address. The New York Times reports, "The decision averted the risk of public protests that had threatened to embarrass both Mr. Trump and Britain’s prime minister, Theresa May, who has recently squirmed to distance herself from statements made by an American president seen by many Britons as deeply divisive." He backed away from the idea due to fears he won't be welcome in the country, and the possibility of mass protests. There is cheering in Britain today where Trump's unpopularity hovers around 75%.

Trump blamed Obama for the sale of the embassy. It was a Bush decision. The United States announced plans to move from its current embassy building in Mayfair in 2008. That is before Obama became President.

Trump's own ambassador to Britain, businessman and New York Jets owner Robert “Woody” Johnson, took an entirely different approach to the embassy's relocation and construction. “The new embassy is not just bigger, it is better and capable of meeting the complex challenges of the 21st century and beyond. It is the most secure, hi-tech and environmentally friendly embassy that the United States has ever built.”

The Washington Post reported, "Yet its “off location” Trump described is by design. The sprawling 450-acre compound south of the Thames River, fixed on a hill and surrounded by a moat and other security measures, fulfills security requirements that embassies be isolated from other buildings and 100 feet away from roads to avoid car bombs and other attacks following the al-Qaeda embassy bombings in Tanzania and Kenya in 1998. The old embassy is located in a bustling area of central London flanked by buildings and has struggled to keep pace with rising staff levels there."

The Post continued, "The ambassador's breakdown of the cost also is at odds with the president. Trump called it a “bad deal” after Johnson described the cost, the most expensive embassy ever, as a bargain. The money was raised by selling other U.S. government property in London, Johnson wrote, and “the new embassy did not cost the U.S. taxpayer a cent. Yet is one of the most advanced embassies we have ever built.”"

It's been a tough week. He is back at Mar-a-Lago.

 

What can be expected from a man who calls Fact-Check "fake media"???

 

The problem with Trump is he follows one disaster with a greater disaster. Often times that is caused by a psyche that requires Trump to double down on a mistake in judgment.

However, that was not the case Thursday when an egregious error in judgment was followed by an even greater egregious error in judgment. The first error is described in the OP. Trump forgot what his position was on FISA, and he seemed to be siding with the liberals in an early morning tweet. He had to be told what his position was by chief of staff, John Kelly, and the Speaker of the House, Paul Ryan.

The greater error came later in the day, and the first monstrous error was quickly forgotten. In a meeting with Senators Trump used an expletive deleted racial slur followed by other racial remarks. For example, saying that he preferred immigrants from Nordic white Norway to the brown-skinned immigrants from Haiti. He later denied he said anything discriminatory or naughty, but no one believes him anymore. He simply lies too much.

The uproar was immediate, expected, and long in duration. Even Republicans are joining in or avoiding the issue, and certainly not defending Trump for his inexcusable remarks. The Hill reports, "A number of Republicans are distancing themselves from President Trump’s remarks describing Haiti and other poor countries as “shitholes” as coverage of the incendiary comments for a second day dominates news coverage."

The Hill continued, "GOP lawmakers in swing districts and Republicans who represent populations of emigrants from the countries insulted by Trump were the quickest to separate themselves from the president’s comments as they sought to insulate themselves from blow back."

The fact that still later in the day Trump wrote a tweet filled with lies that announced he was cancelling a trip to Britain was largely overlooked. Instead of blaming the expected raucous protests because of his 75% unpopularity, Trump blamed Obama for a Bush decision.

The only question remaining is, how much longer are Republican leaders in Congress going to put up with Trump's antics. Clearly, he is an impediment to their agenda. Republicans should be celebrating. They passed tax reform, a huge hurdle. Border security has been tightened. The economy is booming and has been ever since Republicans won victories in the Oval Office, Senate, and House. The stock market is setting records every day.

But, instead of celebrating, they are leading the President around by the nose because of his incompetence and cursing him for his brainless remarks which dominate the news cycle nearly every day.

 

I can take that from Trump. Most people, including his own state department, his chief of staff, and his SecDef, are no longer paying any attention to what he says.

The state department is trying to soothe things over by telling their counterparts in Haiti and Africa to ignore what Trump said. Grant Harris, who ran Africa policy at the White House under former President Barack Obama offered this. “So you say the U.S. government is committed to being a strong partner and that actions speak louder than words."

The problem is the people who voted for the idiot also feel the same way. All reports concerning Trump's statements, tweets, and decisions are regarded as fake news. They bury their heads in the sand, and refuse to admit their mistake.

 

I still expect the GOP to "dump Trump" well before the midterms. . . . If he does not resign first. I think he's ready to hit the eject button.

Though deluded by his own narcissism, the hints are getting stronger.

http://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/wolff-says-white-house-spoke-of-replacing-trump-with-25th-amendment-‘all-the-time’/ar-BBI0pCE?li=BBnb7Kz
http://www.msn.com/en-us/news/polit...reposterous-to-possible/ar-AAuDF3x?li=BBnb7Kz

 

I agree. I have long said that Trump hates his job. He spends one-third of his time on vacation.

Trump is an alpha male, a take charge kind of guy. He used to having people jump when he says something. He has found out he is not in charge, and he must have missed out on his civic lessons. The legislative and judicial branches are equal partners in governance, not subservient to the executive branch. Worse, for him, the news media has a larger impact than he does. Boy, does he hate that, and it is the reason why he is in a sustained battle with the media.

Worse, still, he is actually afraid on the White House press corps. He has not held a full-fledged press conference with the White House press corps since February, the kind Sarah holds routinely every week. Instead, he holds brief news conferences on the White House lawn with Marine One churning away in the background and he walks away whenever there is a question he doesn't like.

Yeah, he hates his job, almost as much as Trumpians hate this thread. They aren't touching it. Far too much reality for them.

Trump is literally begging to be removed.

 

This thread says a lot about Trump. His supporters want nothing to do with it. They can't even begin to defend him. No doubt they are embarrassed.

 

It is is not just FISA Trump seems confused about. At one point he threatened North Korea with "fire and fury." In his entirely forgettable U.N. speech he used other provocative terms and called Kim Jung Un "little rocket man." He later told his SecState, Rex, not to waste time on diplomacy. He would take care of it.

Now he says, "I [or I'd] probably have a good relationship with Kim."

This was followed by his stock phrase. “We’ll see what happens,” Trump told reporters in Florida on Sunday when asked what he would do to resolve the North Korea standoff.

“Hopefully it’s all gonna work out,” Trump added. “We have great talks going on, the Olympics you know about, a lot of things can happen.”

The mixed messages coming from the President is confusing everyone, from Trump's own state department to Kim to Russian and Chinese leaders to allied leaders. Which Trump will speak tomorrow?

Or would it be best just to ignore Trump and deal with SecDef Mattis and SecState Tillerson? At least they are sane.

 

Trump not only is confused about FISA, what a wall is, his position on the Dreamers, and why he turned down a perfectly good bipartisan deal to keep the lights on, he simply cannot make up his mind on North Korea.

He has moved from "fire and fury" and "little rocket man" to "I [or I'd] probably have a very good relationship with Kim Jong Un,” Today it is "We’re playing a very, very hard game of poker and you don’t want to reveal your hand," Trump said from the Oval Office when asked if he was considering a military strike against the rogue state.

Then he threw in this new wrinkle. "Russia is not helping us at all with North Korea," Trump said. "What China is helping us with, Russia is denting. In other words, Russia is making up for some of what China is doing."

Where did that come from? Well, Mueller is closing in on him with the Russian probe. Two of his closest associates have been indicted. Two others -- one his former NSA -- is turning states evidence. On the Trump-friendly House Intelligence Committee, Republicans and Democrats joined forces to issue Steve Bannon a subpoena on the spot to compel his testimony. Bannon has also made a deal with the special prosecutor. He will cooperate with Mueller in an interview to avoid appearing before a grand jury.

In short, Trump is forced to get tough on Russia. He probably called his good buddy, Vlad Putin, to let him know what his situation is. Putin is a pretty savvy guy. No doubt he understood.

Trump's position is further confused by the fact that North and South Korea are shutting him out. They are practicing Olympics diplomacy and it is working well. The problem for Trump is, negotiations between the two Korea's hamstrings him. He can hardly unleash a preemptive strike against North Korea as long as the two sides are talking. Nor can he unleash such a strike without South Korea's permission, not likely while they are talking.

Kim will never give up his nukes or his missiles. To him, it is a matter of survival. As I said nine months ago, Americans may have to get used to the idea of a nuclear capable North Korea.

It is possible Kim might have just put one over on Trump.

 

Yesterday, chief of staff, John Kelly, was interviewed by Bret Baier on Fox News. Kelly put on quite a show explaining how governing was much different than campaigning, attempting to explain away Trump's outrageous campaign statements. He also went to great deal of trouble explaining how Trump is evolving and willing to change his mind. This, of course, explains why Trump can have five divergent opinions before lunch.

There were two major problems with Kelly's presentation. First, he fails to point out that Trump's outrageous statements were the reasons his base voted for him. They liked his unpolished style, and they argue today they voted for him because he was not a politician. Second, Trump is now evolving away from all the reasons his supporters voted for him. Ironically, they don't care. They stick with him anyway. Imagine that. It is almost as if his base has forgotten the reasons they voted for him. In any case, they don't care.

What are some of those outrageous campaign statements and promises that are now forgotten?











Trump announced throughout his candidacy the promise "to build a great, great wall on our southern border and have Mexico pay for that wall," That is largely forgotten, and Trump seems to be confused as to exactly what the wall is.

"I have no problem," Trump said. "I think a lot of people would like to see that." Trump's response to Senator Diane Feinstein's proposal for a clean DACA bill.

"I think my positions are going to be what the people in this room come up with," he said. He added: "I'm not going to say, 'Oh, gee, I want this,' or 'I want that.' I will be signing it." Trump's reasonable attitude on full display during a made-for-television reality show on Jan. 9.

"Why do we want all these people from 'shithole countries' coming here?" Trump's response to a bipartisan deal that would keep the lights on in Washington after Friday.

"Trump's campaign promises on immigration were not fully informed and that the U.S. would not construct a wall on the border with Mexico "from sea to shining sea." He said the promises of the campaign and governance are two different things. You guys are all elected officials, you know that," John Kelly.

Yup, sure.

 

This is so typical of a Trump Presidency.

On his first year anniversary, his government is shut down. There will be a celebration at Mar-a-Lago, but Trump will not be attending because of the shutdown.

Senators are at each others' throats, and there is gridlock in the Senate. Compromise is a nasty word.

Trump is the least popular first year President in the history of the United States. His popularity abroad is even worse.

With countless statements that began while he was a candidate, Trump has proven himself to be a racist President. Many of his followers are also racist. This has created extremely deep divisions within our country.

More and more it is beginning to look like Trump was involved in money laundry schemes that included Russians. If so, Putin knows about it, and he is extorting Trump. Allegedly, this is why Trump was forced to collaborate with the Russians during the election. If our President is being extorted, that is an extremely serious national security threat.

With two indictments of Trump's close associates and two others -- one his former NSA -- cooperating with prosecutors, Mueller is closing in on Trump and it appears Mueller will be questioning him.

Foreign leaders, including May, Macron, Merkel, Kim, Xi, and Putin have virtually no respect for him and regard him as a buffoon. Trump encourages the view with moronic, bellicose, and often contradictory tweets.

No one in his right mind considers Trump a diplomat. His language is crude, often vulgar, and frequently consists of falsehoods. Consequently, his foreign policy is in shambles. Truth be told, he has no foreign policy. He lacks the experience for a consistent foreign policy.

He claims to have turned the armed forces over to his generals. That is simply a pathetic excuse for his complete lack of military experience. In truth, he has turned civilian control of the military over to General Jim Mattis, his SecDef, General H.R. McMasters, his NSA, General John Kelly, his chief of staff, and Rex Tillerson, his SecState. The U.S. Constitution requires civilian control of the armed forces.

The one plus Trump had as a candidate, perhaps the only plus, was, supposedly, his talent for making deals. He has not made one trade deal. Catastrophically, he pulled the U.S. out of the TPP, turning dominance of Asian trade over to China. He has threatened to withdraw from NAFTA, a lucrative trade agreement between the U.S., Mexico, and Canada. Withdrawal from NAFTA would severely affect several segments of our economy and would cause a huge jump in consumer prices.

That's our President. You either love or hate him. There is no in-between.

 

Hmm ironically, the one thing I agree with Trump on is also something that proves how stupid and ignorant he is.

The BUSH administration is the one who established the NSA's warrantless surveilence program, not Democrats. It had been around since the early 00's along side he Patriot Act

But, to Trump, his followers, and of course, their propaganda machine, Fox "News", the game plan is to blame anything that is controversial on Obama and/or the Democrats.

 

The point is, someone in the White House or on the Hill has to tell him what his position is.

On the other hand his plan for dealing with DACA, immigration, and the wall has everyone pissed, liberals and conservatives.

His chief of staff will probably be looking for a job soon.