At the end of the day I think Robert Mueller III will not pursue Donald Trump on obstruction of justice if he decides there’s no provable case of collusion with Russians (conspiracy is the more apt legal term).
In other words, if there is not enough evidence showing that an underlying crime was committed, obstructing an investigation of an unprovable crime is just not.
Mueller needs it all to get this done: Collusion and Obstruction.
Woo Hoo
HAPPY NEW YEAR! May the progress we made in 2017 continue in 2018! And all the best to all of you!
Hi Ping Pong,
Glad you are well & all the best. Good to hear from you.
Hiya Ping!
Any chance that the investigation could find all sorts of other no-nos, other than collusion with the russkies, that could take down trump-co?
nbc news:
Initial talks underway about Trump interview in Mueller Russia probe
WASHINGTON — Anticipating that Special Counsel Robert Mueller will ask to interview President Donald Trump, the president’s legal team is discussing a range of potential options for the format, including written responses to questions in lieu of a formal sit-down, according to three people familiar with the matter.
Lawyers for Trump have been discussing with FBI investigators a possible interview by the special counsel with the president as part of the inquiry into whether Trump’s campaign colluded with Russia during the 2016 election.
The discussions were described by one person with direct knowledge as preliminary and ongoing. Trump’s legal team is seeking clarification on whether the president would be interviewed directly by Mueller, as well as the legal standard for when a president can be interviewed, the location of a possible interview, the topics and the duration. But the president’s team is also seeking potential compromises that could avoid an interview altogether, two of those interviewed told NBC News.
With the possibility now looming that the president himself could be subject to an interview by the FBI or Mueller’s investigators, Trump’s legal team has been debating whether it would be possible to simply avoid it. One individual familiar with the strategy said those internal discussions within Trump’s legal team began shortly after the president’s former campaign manager, Paul Manafort, was indicted in late October for money laundering in connection with his business dealings with Ukraine.
Trump’s legal team sat down with representatives from the special counsel’s office in late December. Two of Trump’s lawyers, Ty Cobb and John Dowd, declined comment. A third lawyer, Jay Sekulow, did not respond to a request for comment. Peter Carr, spokesperson for the special counsel’s office, declined to comment.
In addition to the possibility of suggesting the president submit written responses in place of an interview, a second person familiar with the president’s legal strategy said another possibility being contemplated was an affidavit signed by the president affirming he was innocent of any wrongdoing and denying any collusion. It was not clear what such an affidavit might state regarding the president’s firing of former FBI Director James Comey in May 2017 at a time when Comey was leading the Russia probe.
[….continues….]
and a very happy new year to you too, mr pong. good to hear from you. how likely is it that scott will be elected senator in your opinion? anyone else (goper or dembat) a more viable candidate?
Good morning Ping. Anybody catch Oprah’s 2020 announcement speech last night? Can’t wait to see Donald’s nickname for her.
“Can’t wait to see Donald’s nickname for her.”
craig, bet one of the adjectives begins with “f”…. his favorite slams usually contain words like “failing, fake” and in the nork’s case “fat”
but privately, probably tosses around the f-word a lot.
here they both are in 1988. wow, look what 3o years hath wrought.
for those who haven’t seen the entire speech…. or as fearless leader noted, the 2020 announcement
hmmm, wonder what’s going thru the minds of gillibrand, warren, harris, biden and Bernie this morning reading stuff like this from
the guardian:
Oprah Winfrey’s stirring Golden Globes speech prompts talk of White House run
After Winfrey gave a powerful speech about sexual harassment, racial injustice and press freedom, celebrities on Twitter urged her to run for office
Oprah Winfrey brought the Golden Globes audience to their feet with a powerful speech as she accepted the Cecil B DeMille Lifetime Achievement Award on Sunday night, prompting speculation about a run for the White House.
The notion of the talk show host and entrepreneur running for president against Donald Trump in 2020 was raised by the awards’ host, Seth Meyers, in his opening monologue.
“In 2011, I told some jokes about our current president at the White House correspondents dinner, jokes about how he was unqualified to be president,” Meyers said. “And some have said that night convinced him to run. And if that’s true, I would just like to say, ‘Oprah you will never be president.’”
After Winfrey’s speech her partner, Stedman Graham, told the Los Angeles Times: “It’s up to the people. She would absolutely do it.”
Celebrities used Twitter to urge Winfrey to run. The comedian Sarah Silverman tweeted “Oprah/Michelle 2020” while the actor Leslie Odom Jr wrote: “She’s running. A new day is on the way.”
[….continues…]
Pass the popcorn
Seems Trump brown noser Steven Miller got so mad at Jake Tapper they had to call security to escort him out of the building.
Jack
Ping I hope not, if Trump makes any more progress the wife is going to put me on a diet. Too much popcorn.
Keep the faith, after all it is all those deep state liberals’ fault
Jack
In 1999, trump said —
In 1999, Trump was publicly toying with running for president as a member of the Reform Party, the political party founded by Ross Perot five years earlier. In an interview on Larry King Live, he announced he would be forming an exploratory committee. “Do you have a vice presidential candidate in mind?” King asked.
“Well, I really haven’t gotten there quite yet—I guess Oprah,” Trump said, smirking. “I love Oprah. Oprah would always be my first choice.”
newsmax: Trump Jr. Lashes Out at NBC Over Oprah-President Tweet
Donald Trump Jr. on Monday lashed out at NBC for its tweet Sunday night calling Oprah Winfrey “our next president,” saying it further proves the media’s bias against his father.
@DonaldJTrumpJr
In case anyone had any doubts about where the media stands this should take care of it. The bias against @realDonaldTrump is now so obvious they have simply given up hiding it.
Can you trust anything they say at this point?
Americans see the truth in job #s & in their wallets!
After Winfrey accepted a lifetime achievement award during the Golden Globes, broadcast on NBC, the network followed up with a support tweet that rankled Trump Jr.
@nbc
Nothing but respect for OUR future president. #GoldenGlobes
8:09 PM – Jan 7, 2018
Winfrey’s acceptance speech, calling for a “new day,” is widely being inferred as the unofficial launch to a run for the presidency in 2020.
[…continues….]
Oprah? really? I would have thought we all learned our lesson with current screw up, It is the Michael Jordan baseball school of presidential elections. Just because you are really good at one thing doesn’t mean it transfers to anything else.
Jack
I don’t want to hear any Oprah for president stuff
and while it is nice to hear from Ping I hope he comes around when a consumer dies because his company no longer had to follow higher standards medical devices should have standards
thanks bw for finding this quote:
“Do you have a vice presidential candidate in mind?” King asked.
“Well, I really haven’t gotten there quite yet—I guess Oprah,” Trump said, smirking. “I love Oprah. Oprah would always be my first choice.”
it’s gonna take a lotta shoveling for twit & co to squirm out of that one
Jack, good move by cnn.
Craig, the data, digital heist portion of the investigation will lead to many indictments in the trumpence junta and rnc.
ping, you betcha! From 2017 — Two indictments with house arrest, two guilty pleas. Business council disbands as members flee trump. Many deaths including an American woman murdered by a nazi in Virginia. price departures HHS over scandal. Huge firings and departures costing taxpayers a bundle. $1.5 trillion added to the debt!! Phony voter fraud commission disbanded. 2018! Bring it on!
Oprah?… as president?… really?
Although I think she’s a smart gutsy woman… I’m not voting for her in any primary. As Jack has already pointed out… politics does tend to eat up anyone who’s an amateur.
Although it’d be nice to see another president with an actual reading list.
ps… I want to be associated with the last paragraph of BlondeW’s 10:36 post.
“I don’t want to hear any Oprah for president stuff”
kgc, better buy some good earmuffs or turn-off all media for awhile. this story glitters like the next sparkly distraction…. media are already bored with the “book of moron” and with help from the trumpsters & bff Russia will make sure to play it til it too becomes old hat.
Oprah? She sure is taking the headline off of trump. He has an ego building rally and football game to attend to today before the big day…his med exam on the 11th.
“I would have thought we all learned our lesson with current screw up…”
jack,
“Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.” (George Santayana)
I’ve got news for Mr. Santayana: we’re doomed to repeat the past no matter what. That’s what it is to be alive.”
― Kurt Vonnegut
Book of Moron… I am so using that whenever I can
The early morning Sunday shows have become job interviews for the audience of one, trump. halley (her face even looking more angular, her nose has become hawkish), pompeo (lackluster director in trump’s ear everyday) and graham (sessions replacement) all vying for big jobs with trump. miller, singing for his job on cnn? He was sessions’ boy and now he is showing his loyalty. It all about loyalty and keeping quiet. Waiting for the next zapato to drop.
I’ll bet halley is thinking about Oprah. It has been said trump is grooming her for 2020 instead of the white shadow pence. A troll attack on Oprah might be in the works.
Wolff is a gossip and a great one. He exposed the hicks/lewandowski affair and the fbi took two days to interview her. She had her tumble in the barrel. trump is supposed to be interviewed by the fbi this year.
Hi Ping. Good to see you again.
I doubt Oprah actually wants the job, but loves being a power behind the throne.
There is not way Trump could face an hour of in person questioning (much less 11 like Hillary). He can’t coherently answer any question without falling back on memorized memes, insults, and nicknames. At least written questions would allow the staff to write them without his input.
Wolf is a gossip but look who he was gossiping with and what a chatty bunch. We all want to be a fly on the wall, well Wolf got do it. Lucky us, we get to set with him. Are there factual errors? You bet. After all he was dealing with high placed gossip. But I do believe everything in the book was actually said by some one in the Trump admin. What a bunch of idiots.
Jack
A troll attack on Oprah might be in the works. BW
Oy
business insider: Oprah is ‘actively’ thinking about running for president after her rousing Golden Globes speech
Two of the billionaire businesswoman Oprah Winfrey’s closest friends told CNN on Monday that she was “actively thinking” about running for the Democratic Party’s presidential nomination in 2020.
One source told the network that conversations about a possible presidential bid dated back months, but they emphasized that Winfrey had not yet made up her mind about it.
[….]
During a March conversation on Bloomberg TV with David Rubenstein, the CEO of the private-equity giant Carlyle Group, Winfrey said Trump’s election had caused her to consider the idea of a bid.
“I actually never thought that that was — I never considered the question even a possibility,” Winfrey said. “I just thought, ‘Oh. Oh.'”
She added: “I thought, ‘Oh gee, I don’t have the experience — I don’t know enough.’ And now I’m thinking, ‘Oh! Oh!'”
That month, the left-leaning polling firm Public Policy Polling surveyed voters and found that Winfrey would lead Trump in a hypothetical 2020 matchup 47% to 40%.
[…continues…]
newsweek: Oprah Winfrey’s Net Worth Would Make Her The Second Richest President After Trump… If Elected in 2020
…
While nothing is confirmed yet, it’s looking more and more likely “Oprah 2020” is coming, whether democrats like it or not. A rich media mogul celeb for president sounds mighty familiar, no? Indeed, despite their opposite political stances and clashing personalities, Winfrey shares one undeniable quality with Donald Trump: wealth.
According to Forbes’ estimate as of January 2018, Winfrey is worth $2.8 billion dollars. Her self-named Oprah Winfrey Network, of which Winfrey is Chief Executive Officer, continues to bring in high ratings. She also bought 10 percent of Weight Watchers in 2015, and the dieting company’s shares recently jumped 10.2 percent on Monday. And Winfrey’s career as an actress is as successful as ever—2017 saw her in the critically-acclaimed TV film The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks, and in 2018 she’s star in the sci-fi blockbuster, A Wrinkle in Time.
But most of Winfrey’s money still comes from her hugely successful talk show, The Oprah Winfrey Show, which aired from 1986 to 2011.
In comparison, Forbes’ estimate of Trump’s net worth puts him at $3.1 billion, making him richer than Winfrey by just $3 million. (“Just” being a relative term, of course.) According to the Forbes’ report, nearly half of the president’s wealth is thanks to his New York City real estate. The next largest chunk comes from his golf clubs and resorts.
Trump was the first-ever billionaire president, and if Winfrey does manage to nab both the nomination and the 2020 election, she would be the second. (That’s a lot of “ifs,” admittedly.)
Right now, the second-richest president after Trump is George Washington, who, when adjusted for inflation, was worth approximately $525 million. This wealth was largely thanks to the first president’s land—he started his career as a land surveyor of the the new world. Washington’s famous Virginia plantation, Mount Vernon, stretched over 8,000 acres of private farmland.
When Trump became president, he more than doubled the wealth line of the job. If Winfrey is next line, perhaps a pattern is developing. Just how rich does one have to be to become president of the United States?
since Bernie dumped on Hillary for accepting $$ from the 1 percent, will he really really pour it on oprah for actually being a 1 percenter?
check please
Oprah? I doubt it.It’s fine for talking about, but I doubt it will happen. Oprah did do well in the most admired polling – came in 3rd – about where she ends up normally – although she did have a couple years at No. 2.
Ping, don’t be such a stranger. I always welcome the repartee.
WEll, the deep freeze is over here but the snow isn’t. We’re getting spitty mixed crap – just enough to put about an inch of Icee consistency slop on the streets. And Mrs. P gets gripped when there’s anything on the street.
Getting excited about the Bama-GA game tonight. Got the shrimp thawed and the guac ready. Gonna settle in for the battle.
pogo, new cheer for the game “roll the dawgs”
more interesting developments afoot:
Jared Kushner’s company under renewed scrutiny over Chinese and Israeli deals
Family’s real estate company received a subpoena from the SEC, and separately questions have been raised about his business dealings in Israel
pogo, don’t count on the game being just football players smashing heads together
from sporting news: Anti-Donald Trump protests planned for College Football Playoff title game
President Donald Trump announced last week that he plans on attending the College Football Playoff title game between Georgia and Alabama in Atlanta Monday, and now protests are being mapped out.
According to The Associated Press, protests have been planned ahead of the 8 p.m. ET kickoff around the time the president will arrive in Atlanta.
Atlanta’s branch of th NCAAP asked protestors to wear white and wave white towels when Trump enters Mercedes-Benz Stadium, with the white referencing the “snowflake” name-calling Trump supporters have used toward his opposers.
“We’re going to make a snowflake turn into a mighty blizzard inside of Mercedes-Benz stadium when Mr. Trump comes,” Gerald Griggs, vice president of the Atlanta NAACP, said Monday.
The NCAAP in Atlanta also plans on having a Twitter movement begin at 6 p.m. ET, where the hashtag #AllTrumpsLies will be used to broadcast the lies they say Trump has told to the public.
Refuse Facism ATL is also holding a demonstration outside the CNN Center in downtown Atlanta, where demonstrators will “take at knee” at 6:30 p.m. ET. Trump has been highly criticical of NFL players and other athletes who have taken a knee during the national anthem as a movement against police brutality and racism.
patd, I’m sure SFB thinks he will be warmly greeted by RW rednecks from AL & GA. And he might. There are plenty of them down there, but the folks in M-B Stadium ain’t there to pay homage to SFB. They are there to witness a spectacle – not a distraction from a guy from NY. And it will be just below 40 degrees and raining at game time – so outside protesters’s spirtis may be dampened a bit. Those on the inside will have paid $2000 and up to watch the game – I’m guessing they won’t risk being thrown out.
I don’t need another show biz whiz running my country, thank you. I blame Truman for starting this fad with his piano playing. I know, Rex Bell was the first, but it didn’t catch on. With Truman, it caught on.
In the good old days all a pol needed was money to travel the stumps, clean clothes, and a good pair of dentures.
Hi, Mr Pong ! Who are you picking to win the AL/GA game ?
I haven’t seen Mr Flatus since our slight disagreement as to the worst president in US history. He was extraordinarily vehement. I hope I didn’t cause him explode.
I s’pose he’s been too busy reading The Book of Moron to ride with us.
600 sleepless russian smear bots have been loaded and aimed at Oprah, you may be sure.
I’ll be very unhappy if SFB isn’t guilty
XR
If you have a great selling point … SELL IT
Will CBS keep Oprah at “60 Minutes” if she’s running for president?
Doesn’t look like graham is getting the job…walks back Sunday talk on The View.
If Oprah is serious stop your people from talking presidential run, hit the road for Dem congressional candidates and never mention Trump by name.
Elegantly ingenious last night how Oprah eviscerated what Trump symbolizes without once saying his name. Sounds like a plan.
I hope Flatus is ok – he could be out of power due to the storms
If you think there’s a blue wave coming in the Midterms, Oprah could hit the road and make it a freaking tsunami.
(CNN)Before Donald Trump and Steve Bannon were enemies, they were allies. And not long before that, Bannon was part of an effort to sink Trump’s presidential hopes — even if Trump didn’t know it.
A conservative watchdog group led by Bannon tried to discredit Trump in the early stages of the 2016 Republican presidential primary by shopping a document alleging that Trump had ties to mobsters, according to conservative sources and a copy of the document reviewed by CNN.
[…]
In early 2016, at the height of the Republican primary fight, Cruz cited possible mob ties as one reason for Trump to release his taxes. Cruz and his campaign cited published news accounts at the time as the basis for making the charge.
[….continues…]
I am going out on a limb here – but, I think the voters that elected SFB will not vote for O. And, due to the continued voter removals the greedy old perverts may achieve parity with the Dems.
Verizon fixed the problems and I am back online. The world has changed too much to not have internet. I experienced the same thing in Florida last September/October, but this time I had a television antenna and could watch a couple of local channels this time.
Oprah and Michael Bloomberg they could use the slogan “real billionaires”
I think Jamie is right. While flattered, Winfrey may prefer to be the power behind the candidate.
Oprah is friends with Maria Shriver, so maybe she’ll back a Kennedy?
Blue Bronc, Dems should use Oprah to gin up midterm turnout, then let 2020 take its course.
BB – Donny’s base won’t move, but Hillary didn’t get even get all Dem women nor did she get the AA turnout that Obama had, so Oprah has a better chance.
If Oprah runs…right now, this is just a distraction that Donny loves…the spambots don’t have a chance. Oprah is too well-known, has her own media outlets; she’ll be fine. But, would she have to extract herself from her magazine and other businesses if she were to run?
But, would she have to extract herself from her magazine and other businesses if she were to run?
did Trump? No and he is even working from the White House
Wow, the local NBC affiliate did a flash poll on Oprah. Should she run?
Yes 28%
No 72%
A broad cross section of Americans like Ms Winfrey, she is a known quantity & I’m pretty sure her trustworthy #s are in the stratosphere. “Traditional” Democratic candidate wannabes exist in fractured camps, with little healing apparent. So …. Why not Ms O? Think outside the box. Having the brightest spotlight shining on your candidate is a good thing especially when that candidate is an experienced pro at such stuff. This is one smart woman: she shouldn’t be dismissed because she is super rich or a celebrity. Ms Winfrey earned her present status with hard work, intelligence & talent. Sounds like the American Success story …. and it is all true.
Winfry should use her power to support candidates at all levels around the country, and create a few PAC’s to support those running.
Her power is in support. And that is massive power, which covers black and white.
kelly and the salvadorans.
From November — White House chief of staff John Kelly pressured Acting Homeland Security Secretary Elaine Duke to cancel the immigration status of nearly 60,000 Hondurans, according to The Washington Post.
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) had a Monday deadline to decide whether to keep TPS for Honduras and Nicaragua.
Duke kept the deadline, but waited until 8 p.m. to make an announcement. She declined to make a decision on Honduras, which automatically triggered a six-month extension of the designation.
According to the report, Duke was angered by what she saw as Kelly and White House homeland security adviser Tom Bossert’s “intrusion” into the decisionmaking process.
Today kelly’s gf runs the shop and Salvadorans must leave plus a last minute plea —
Nearly 200,000 people from El Salvador who have been allowed to live in the United States for more than a decade must leave the country, government officials announced Monday. It is the Trump administration’s latest reversal of years of immigration policies and one of the most consequential to date.
El Salvador’s president, Salvador Sánchez Cerén, spoke by phone with Kirstjen Nielsen, the homeland security secretary, on Friday to make one last plea. After Ms. Nielsen’s decision was announced on Monday, Mr. Sánchez posted on Twitter, calling it an 18-month “extension” of T.P.S. The post prompted a flurry of angry replies accusing him of trying to spin the bad news.
I would donate to the Democratic Party if Ms Winfrey could persuade David Letterman to campaign for her.
The road to the White House runs through Dave –
Remember that, John McCain? 😉
pruitt already dancing on sessions’ grave.
Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Scott Pruitt has told associates he’d be willing to lead the Justice Department should the position become available, according to two people familiar with the matter.
The former Oklahoma attorney general has discussed the matter in recent days amid renewed speculation about the tenure of Attorney General Jeff Sessions, said the people, who asked not to be identified describing internal conversations.
Skinny Denis is running for Gov of Ohio!
Georgia is looking good. Bama, not so much. Damn.
Perhaps Trump should have used some of his “executive time” this morning to learn the words to the national anthem.. https://t.co/xHGjRLHe5w
Ms O should spend from July 4th to election day working non-white districts, purple districts with significant non-white populations, and women’s professional groups. See how she does as a campaigner and organizer. Then maybe we could think of O in the Oval Office. It’s too early to judge her capacity to run the largest organization outside of Asia.
G’night, Champ