Friday TOON Roundup 1 - The Collusionist

Phobos Orbiting Mars

Toon - The Truth Is Out There

Warren: 'I'd be very glad' for Sessions to quit

Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) said Thursday she would be "very glad" if Attorney General Jeff Sessions resigned, following President Trump's criticism of the Justice Department chief.

“I'd be very glad for Jeff Sessions to quit and get somebody else in as attorney general of the United States,” Warren told host Stephanie Ruhle on “MSNBC Live."

Trump told The New York Times on Wednesday that he would not have tapped Sessions to serve as attorney general if he had known the former Alabama senator would recuse himself from the ongoing probes into Russia's election interference.

Warren, who fiercely opposed Sessions's nomination for attorney general, defended his recusal decision saying he "followed the rules."

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http://thehill.com/homenews/senate/342948-warren-id-be-very-glad-for-sessions-to-quit

Donald Trumps Oldest Sons Are Reportedly Jealous of Jared Kushner

Charles P Pierce - There Is No One Trump Won't Throw Under the Bus

He will fire Robert Mueller—it's clear from what he said to The New York Times.



BY CHARLES P. PIERCE

The latest from the head man at Camp Runamuck leaves us with two basic conclusions: 1) that maybe it's time for him to treat The New York Times like he actually hates it and like he really thinks it's fake news, and for him to stop granting the newspaper interviews in which he comes off sounding like a vengeful gnome who flunked sixth-grade history; and 2) that it's time to take the car keys away from Dad.

If you're keeping score at home, just in the past week, a lawyer for El Caudillo del Mar-a-Lago has insulted the Secret Service while The Man himself has threatened Republican senators, his own attorney general, the assistant attorney general, the former director of the FBI whom he fired under dubious circumstances, and the special counsel who's been empowered to rummage through his entire life. And, also, there's this:

Christie's last big move could be filling Menendez's seat

Gov. Chris Christie is the most unpopular governor in the country, but in his last days in office he may get to exercise enormous influence nationally: Choosing a successor to embattled U.S. Sen. Robert Menendez, which could result in a Republican senator, at least temporarily, from deep-blue New Jersey.

Menendez, a Democrat and New Jersey's senior senator, goes on trial for corruption in September, and there are two scenarios that could see him leave Washington before Christie is term-limited out of office in January: If Menendez is convicted and the Senate acts quickly to expel him, or if he cuts a plea deal and leaves office even earlier.

The stakes are high, as the battle over replacing the Affordable Care Act has made abundantly clear. Republicans' slim two-vote majority in the Senate — and the fact some GOP incumbents up for reelection in 2018 reside in swing states — means every vote is crucial for passing parts of the Trump agenda.

“I think it’s urgent,” said Democratic state Sen. Loretta Weinberg, one of Christie’s most outspoken critics.

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http://www.politico.com/states/new-jersey/story/2017/07/20/christies-last-big-move-could-be-filling-menendezs-seat-113458

Several Democrats and political observers didn’t even discount the possibility that Christie could put himself in the seat.

GOP Rep (Duncan Hunter) under FBI investigation has spent $336,664 on law firms

Rep. Duncan Hunter (R-Calif.), under FBI investigation for potentially misusing campaign funds, has spent $336,664 on seven law firms this year, The Los Angeles Times reported Thursday.

Hunter has spent $152,859 in capital and $114,412 in debt to seven law firms in the San Diego and Washington, D.C., areas since March, according to his latest campaign finance report.

The lawmaker raised about $155,625 in the same time frame.

Hunter can use campaign funds to pay for legal defense of himself, family or staff if the alleged crimes are related to the campaign or his job as an elected official, the L.A. Times notes.


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http://thehill.com/policy/defense/342930-gop-rep-under-fbi-investigation-has-spent-336664-on-law-firms-report

Considering Trumps Legal Position (and Problems) After the New York Times Interview

By Bob Bauer Thursday, July 20, 2017, 11:30 AM

This morning, Benjamin Wittes wrote in strong terms about the extraordinary interview the President gave the New York Times and what it reveals about Trump’s understanding of legal institutions and the rule of law. The main theme playing through Trump’s comments is that, as President, he has a clear call on the loyalties and responsiveness of Department of Justice and the FBI. In this case, as in others, the President displays an ethical posture defined by a narrow and intense concern with his own interests. This is an ethics that may have served him well in business. However, it will have disastrous consequences when carried over into the exercise of his public responsibility as President—a duty to act on behalf of others. Ben suggests the DOJ officials should resign in protest; Jack Goldsmith answers that this would be counterproductive and that the most appropriate strongest response would be for all concerned in senior law enforcement to just do their jobs.

There is also another set of questions that the president’s comments raise—about the nature and structure of his legal defense, and about the further harm Trump may have done to his legal position.

Did his lawyers know of this interview, approve of it, or prepare him for it? It is hard to believe that they did any of this. Normally, lawyers would suggest that the client stop commenting on a pending case, but maybe this president’s lawyers do what they can and just fail time and again. But there are comments and then there are these kinds of comments: whatever the lawyers, perhaps in desperation, give the president latitude to say, it seems impossible they would have advised him to offer up what he did, with gusto, to the Times.


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https://lawfareblog.com/considering-trumps-legal-position-and-problems-after-new-york-times-interview

The Japanese First Lady might have pretended not to speak English to avoid chatting with Trump

In a recently published interview with the New York Times, Donald Trump remarked that he had a rather awkward few hours with the First Lady of Japan Akie Abe.

Speaking to the Times' White House correspondent Maggie Haberman, Trump recounted a dinner at this year's G20 summit in Hamburg where he was seated next to Mrs Abe.