Thread: Trump demands Barr lock up his foes

‘Where are all of the arrests?’: Trump demands Barr lock up his foes

The day-long run of tweets and retweets marked the most frantic stretch of Trump’s public activity since he left Walter Reed.



Attorney General William Barr listens as President Donald Trump speaks during a meeting at the White House on Sept. 23, 2020. | Evan Vucci/AP Photo

By KYLE CHENEY
10/07/2020 04:00 PM EDT

Donald Trump mounted an overnight Twitter blitz demanding to jail his political enemies and call out allies he says are failing to arrest his rivals swiftly enough.

Trump twice amplified supporters’ criticisms of Attorney General William Barr, including one featuring a meme calling on him to “arrest somebody!” He wondered aloud why his rivals, like President Barack Obama, Democratic nominee Joe Biden and former Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton hadn’t been imprisoned for launching a “coup” against his administration.

“Where are all of the arrests?” Trump said, after several dozen tweets on the subject over the past 24 hours. “Can you imagine if the roles were reversed? Long term sentences would have started two years ago. Shameful!”

By early afternoon, Trump was letting loose his frustrations in an all-caps missive that seemed aimed at nobody in particular.

“DO SOMETHING ABOUT THIS, THE BIGGEST OF ALL POLITICAL SCANDALS (IN HISTORY)!!! BIDEN, OBAMA AND CROOKED HILLARY LED THIS TREASONOUS PLOT!!! BIDEN SHOULDN’T BE ALLOWED TO RUN - GOT CAUGHT!!!”

Trump tweeted.

The day-long run of tweets and retweets marked the most frantic stretch of Trump’s public activity since he left the presidential suite at Walter Reed Medical Center and returned to treatment at the White House. They also underscored the degree to which Trump remains fixated on his grievances over the Russia probe, and often on obscure aspects of that investigation that are unintelligible to all but its most careful followers.

Since late Tuesday, Trump has vowed to declassify all documents he claims will show improper activity by Obama and his intelligence advisers — before quickly reversing himself and suggesting he had already done so “long ago” — and repeatedly cited Russian intelligence services’ claims that Clinton “stirred up” the Trump-Russia collusion scandal that has dogged his presidency.

The Trump administration has never held a firm position on whether the president’s tweets constitute direct orders; various tell-all books have described how top officials learned which of his instructions — lawful or otherwise — to ignore and which to accommodate. Courts have at times treated Trump’s tweets at official statements. But on other occasions they’ve been brushed off as political banter that lacks the force of law.

Trump’s Twitter feed tends to be a realtime barometer of his offline moods and whims, however — and themes he hits on repeatedly over 280 characters tend to surface in conversations he holds in private.

A Justice Department spokeswoman did not respond to a request for comment about whether Trump had ever directly asked Barr to order the arrest of his rivals or if his tweet suggesting as much had veered into territory that Barr once said made his job “impossible.”

In past interviews, Barr has signaled that he has no intention of prosecuting senior Obama administration officials, though he has cast doubt on the motives behind the Russia probe and launched an investigation into its origins.

The review Barr ordered has disappointed Trump in recent weeks as the U.S. attorney tapped to lead it, John Durham, has signaled he might not pursue the kinds of high-profile prosecutions the president and his allies are demanding.

Durham’s deputy in the review, veteran Justice Department prosecutor Nora Dennehy, recently quit the faltering effort and returned to the private sector.

“NOW THAT THE RADICAL LEFT DEMOCRATS GOT COUGHT [sic] COLD IN THE (NON) FRIENDLY TRANSFER OF GOVERNMENT, IN FACT, THEY SPIED ON MY CAMPAIGN AND WENT FOR A COUP, WE ARE ENTITLED TO ASK THE VOTERS FOR FOUR MORE YEARS,” Trump declared late Wednesday morning. “PLEASE REMEMBER THIS WHEN YOU VOTE!”

Trump’s tweet barrage was particularly jarring when set against the political backdrop. Biden has widened his lead over Trump in recent polls, as the president’s support has eroded among women, seniors and other voting blocs that helps him scratch out a victory in 2016. Trump flummoxed his allies Tuesday by summarily shutting down — also via Twitter — negotiations over a coronavirus stimulus bill, only to backtrack hours later by calling on Congress to pass more targeted measures.

But Trump has made clear that he remains focused on punishing perceived enemies regardless of the political cost. While recovering at Walter Reed Monday morning, his chief of staff Mark Meadows told Fox News that Trump had kept busy that morning in part by directing the declassification of documents related to the Russia probe — a set of files he claimed were conclusive proof that Clinton had concocted the notion that his campaign team had ties to Russia even though the Senate Intelligence Committee and the special counsel’s team had rejected the allegations as unverified.

In releasing them, Trump’s own hand-picked intel chief, John Ratcliffe, acknowledged the documents, sourced to Russian intelligence, might have been “exaggerated” or even “fabricated” to deflect from their culpability in the election interference effort.

https://www.politico.com/news/2020/1...st-foes-427389

Trump's tweets are now making people question his mental health — here's what seems to be going on

Cody Fenwick
,Salon•October 7, 2020

Donald TrumpGetty/Wikimedia/Salon


As President Donald Trump continues the struggle to recover from his case of COVID-19, he sent entirely mixed messages on Tuesday that left some questioning whether he retained full control of his faculties.

First, as I reported earlier, Trump torpedoed negotiations with congressional Democrats over a potential stimulus bill on Tuesday afternoon, saying that he would wait until after the election until trying again. This was, as I argued, a major blow to his own hopes for re-election, but the move itself could be coherently explained on ideological or tactical grounds, even if they're not compelling or persuasive.

But just a few hours later, he seemed to completely reverse himself in a one-word tweet:

https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/1313615182535499779
Here's the big problem with this tweet: Trump had just rejected Congress's efforts to provide help to the economy that Fed Chair Jerome Powell is advocating in the tweet that he is calling "True!" Not only that, he's rejecting the congressional help for precisely the reasons Powell said — in that very tweet — that we shouldn't be concerned with. Trump blasted House Speaker Nancy Pelosi for asking for too much money. But that's exactly what Powell says shouldn't matter — "there's a low risk of 'overdoing it,'" as the tweet said.

https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/1313551794623127552

People responded to the one-word Trump tweet with bafflement and dismay about the president's mental condition.

https://twitter.com/JRubinBlogger/st...20712666656768

https://twitter.com/JStein_WaPo/stat...21749267927045

https://twitter.com/chrislhayes/stat...19189496713218

https://twitter.com/ashleyfeinberg/s...18365337001995

https://twitter.com/SethHanlon/statu...18510657052676

It's easy to make jokes about, but it's actually not funny at all and is genuinely concerning. The president is still battling COVID-19, a brutal infection that can take a serious toll on the mind and body. This along has led to some to suggest he cede power to Vice President Mike Pence until he is out of the woods. On top of that, the president is taking a group of drugs to treat his disease, including a steroid that has potential effects mood. Again, we don't want to be glib about this. It's very serious, and the president shouldn't be accused of mental instability easily or out of pure partisan sniping. But it was hard to make sense of the president's incongruous opinions on the highly significant matter before him: potentially trillions of dollars of economic recovery funds.

Hayes Brown of BuzzFeed suggested that Trump's point could make sense if you "remember that Trump was always pushing the GOP to spend more. It wasn't about the bill being too big, it was that he didn't want money spent anywhere that it might help Democrats, like in big cities or blue states." And that interpretation was bolstered by a subsequent tweet, sent about forty minutes later:

https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/...24267842560000

Even so, the explanation still doesn't make much sense. Even on this reading, Trump clearly didn't get Powell's point, which is that we should be willing to spend a lot of money to support the economy and that the costs of delay or insufficient spending are worse than the possibility of waste. And this interpretation doesn't completely erase concerns about his mental condition, because he genuinely seems unable or unwilling to grasp Powell's point. But this may just reflect Trump's more typical, if still deeply concerning, way of processing and conveying information.

Brandon Wall, also of BuzzFeed news, agreed with Brown's reading, saying: "Yes, I reckon this is the answer to everyone's confusion. I'm not saying it makes sense to so publicly nuke stimulus talks right before an election, but this is the thought process, erratic as it may be."

Another possibility, suggested by Chris Hayes, is that Trump may not be sending these tweets. Or perhaps he sent the "True!" tweet but not the other. That may be possible, and may explain the apparently disordered thinking, but it raises yet another terrifying possibility:

Why are conflicting messages coming from the president's tweets? Foreign leaders read these tweets, and sometime the president issues military commands from Twitter. There should be no ambiguity about who is speaking from his account.

https://news.yahoo.com/trumps-tweets...093651451.html

Trump returns to Oval Office and says coronavirus diagnosis was 'blessing from God'

CNN 19 minutes ago

When is BARR going to prosecute and arrest the Mayors and Governors of sanctuary cities and states?

That would be a good start!

Sean Davis: If Nobody Goes To Prison For Russia Hoax, It Will Happen Again

October 7, 2020

Jordan Davidson


The Federalist Co-Founder Sean Davis called for accountability of U.S. officials involved in the Russian collusion hoax on Fox News’ “Tucker Carlson Tonight” on Tuesday.

Despite the widespread knowledge of a false campaign against Trump among U.S. officials, Davis said many have yet to pay for their actions which could yield extensive consequences for the nation.

“If nobody is made to pay for this, if nobody goes to prison, it’s going to happen again,” Davis said. “And when it happens again, because these people are going to be completely emboldened by the lack of accountability, it will be far worse, even though that may be hard to imagine. Far worse than what they did in 2016, which itself was criminal.”

Davis discussed the recent release of declassified information indicating that the CIA director knew about “Russian knowledge of Hillary Clinton’s anti-Trump collusion smear operation” and that former President Barack Obama was briefed about it, but did nothing.

“It wasn’t just at the FBI. The CIA knew it, the CIA director knew it. The President of the United States was briefed on it in the Oval Office and the Russians knew it,” Davis said. “That’s important because as the FBI was pretending to look into whether Trump was colluding with the Russians, our own intelligence services knew that Russia was aware of Clinton’s plans and therefore able, and possibly likely, to start injecting disinformation of their own into her entire process, which is what actually happened.”

This lack of accountability, according to both Carlson and Davis is “undermining democracy” in the U.S. and should raise significant concerns for the future.

“This wasn’t just some sort of silly game that had no real consequences or implications. These people used this to cast doubt on our election. They talk about the integrity of our democracy. They were the ones crapping all over it,” Davis said. “After Trump was inaugurated, they went and hijacked the presidency, they tried to cripple it. They put in this completely bogus special counsel based on false pretenses to cripple the administration heading right into the 2018 elections.”

“You want to live in a place where the CIA operates indefinitely from the president against the favored party’s political enemies? I can’t imagine anything more third-world,” Carlson added.


https://thefederalist.com/2020/10/07...-happen-again/

President Trump wants to see that the alleged coup plotters, his foes, those spying on him and his campaign are made to account as would be the case if roles were reversed. More news to unfold about the coup participators in days ahead.

DNI Ratcliffe, as DNI Ric Grenell did, is releasing the hidden actions and writings, etc. of the alleged coup plotters. Transparency and sunlight.

I hate to say it, but for Trump to start screaming about this in the 24th hour sort of seems like an act of desperation. Lord I hope he doesn't lose this election, but he certainly isn't instilling a lot confidence here.

Trump says he won't participate in next debate after commission announces it will be virtual

WRAL.com 6 hours ago

Trump has put up with a lot. Took it like a trooper, while doing his utmost best to do this thankless job.

They keep prodding and poking him. No President has ever been through the shit that this Democrat party has done, and the fake news, 24/7, for over 3 years. It is disgusting that the Attorney General has done nothing to stop it, censure these rogue liars, and prosecute them.

I hope he follows through.

Send in swat teams. Lock up Biden, Obama, Pelosi, Hillary, Schiff, Comey. They need to be put in Gitmo and tried for Sedition and Treason.

No one should EVER get away with this. This is not funny, this is not a game. This is a serious PLOT to undermine and overthrow an election by the people of the United States of America.

Now they are cheating with mail-in voting, stuffing ballots, registering illegal aliens to vote and refuse to clean up voter rolls.