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Read the rules in the OP before posting, please.In order to ensure that this thread continues to meet TL standards and follows the proper guidelines, we will be enforcing the rules in the OP more strictly. Be sure to give them a re-read to refresh your memory! The vast majority of you are contributing in a healthy way, keep it up! NOTE: When providing a source, explain why you feel it is relevant and what purpose it adds to the discussion if it's not obvious. Also take note that unsubstantiated tweets/posts meant only to rekindle old arguments can result in a mod action. |
On December 15 2016 05:03 Introvert wrote:Show nested quote +As President-elect Donald Trump considered Mitt Romney for secretary of state, Trump wanted one thing Romney wouldn't give him: an apology.
Trump was willing to move past Romney's bitter campaign-trail criticism of him. And incoming chief of staff Reince Priebus, who chaired the Republican National Committee during both men's presidential campaigns, convinced Trump there was value in showing he was big enough to bring Romney into the fold.
But top aides, including Kellyanne Conway and Steve Bannon, saw Romney's attacks as unforgivable, according to three sources close to Romney, two of whom are familiar with Trump's transition process.
CNN has learned that Vice President-elect Mike Pence and Priebus also wanted Romney to apologize as a way to smooth over the tension.
After Conway and others attacked Romney publicly -- lobbying against his selection in television interviews -- and more than a week after the two had begun talking, Trump raised the possibility of a public apology with Romney as a way of mollifying those critics, the sources said. He asked Romney to say publicly he was "wrong" about Trump.
Trump personally saw it in business deal terms: He would get the mea culpa he sought from Romney; Romney would get the job he covets.
But Romney -- who titled his own book "No Apology" -- declined.
He offered forward-looking praise for Trump -- starting with the President-elect's election-night speech. But he wouldn't go backward and retract his words from the campaign.
Eventually, Romney's critics persuaded Trump to look elsewhere, and on Monday he tapped ExxonMobil CEO Rex Tillerson as his nominee for secretary of state.
It was the culmination of a selection process that looked like an episode of "Celebrity Apprentice" -- with Romney, Tillerson, former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani, former Gen. David Petraeus and Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Bob Corker being paraded in and out of Trump Tower as the President-elect narrowed his list.
The conversations between Trump and Romney began after the former Massachusetts governor called Trump to offer his congratulations.
Trump missed the call. Pence called back -- and then Trump did, as well. Trump said Romney should come in to discuss a position in the Cabinet, a source said. In Romney's conversation with Pence he said the only position he was interested in was the top diplomat job.
Some Republicans saw the conversations as Trump forcing a former foe to grovel -- a move that would also undercut Romney as a future critic.
But Romney "never felt he was being played," a source said.
He had told friends for years that he wanted to serve again, and the only job he was interested in was secretary of state.
He felt he was under "serious" consideration from Trump as the two met twice in person and spoke several times by phone.
"I have a hard time believing that Trump expended all this energy and time to simply tweak Mitt, and that Pence, Reince and others in the President-elect's inner circle would play along," said Dan Senor, a 2012 Romney adviser who remains in close contact with him. "The press was distracted by the theater of the public process, but behind the scenes there were substantive conversations and meetings, which reflected a serious hands-on process by the President-elect and his team; it was impressive."
Trump -- who has a history of striking business deals with one-time opponents -- was "pleasantly surprised at how well the two men got along; was willing to let bygones be bygones," a source said. He told others he was fond of Romney.
"Mitt made it hard on him because when they talked he really liked him," one source said. Trump thought Romney was smart and "looked the part" of America's top diplomat.
One source close to Romney said it was clear Trump was serious about considering him. Even when the selection process was dragging, the source said, Trump would call Romney to check in.
"The idea that there was some grand design to humiliate him is ludicrous," the source said. Read the rest at CNNEven if he didn't go with Romney, his willingness to consider it might at least be a good sign.
I'm just curious how Romney ended up with the only thing remotely resembling a spine in the entire establishment GOP.
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On December 15 2016 05:48 LegalLord wrote:
Tillerson looks like a lolwut pick at first, but after reading up a bit on him he actually looks like a pretty good choice. Even John Rambo McCain has softened his opposition to the guy into a conditional opposition.
He's qualified, I'll give him that.
On December 15 2016 05:53 Logo wrote:Show nested quote +On December 15 2016 05:03 Introvert wrote:As President-elect Donald Trump considered Mitt Romney for secretary of state, Trump wanted one thing Romney wouldn't give him: an apology.
Trump was willing to move past Romney's bitter campaign-trail criticism of him. And incoming chief of staff Reince Priebus, who chaired the Republican National Committee during both men's presidential campaigns, convinced Trump there was value in showing he was big enough to bring Romney into the fold.
But top aides, including Kellyanne Conway and Steve Bannon, saw Romney's attacks as unforgivable, according to three sources close to Romney, two of whom are familiar with Trump's transition process.
CNN has learned that Vice President-elect Mike Pence and Priebus also wanted Romney to apologize as a way to smooth over the tension.
After Conway and others attacked Romney publicly -- lobbying against his selection in television interviews -- and more than a week after the two had begun talking, Trump raised the possibility of a public apology with Romney as a way of mollifying those critics, the sources said. He asked Romney to say publicly he was "wrong" about Trump.
Trump personally saw it in business deal terms: He would get the mea culpa he sought from Romney; Romney would get the job he covets.
But Romney -- who titled his own book "No Apology" -- declined.
He offered forward-looking praise for Trump -- starting with the President-elect's election-night speech. But he wouldn't go backward and retract his words from the campaign.
Eventually, Romney's critics persuaded Trump to look elsewhere, and on Monday he tapped ExxonMobil CEO Rex Tillerson as his nominee for secretary of state.
It was the culmination of a selection process that looked like an episode of "Celebrity Apprentice" -- with Romney, Tillerson, former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani, former Gen. David Petraeus and Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Bob Corker being paraded in and out of Trump Tower as the President-elect narrowed his list.
The conversations between Trump and Romney began after the former Massachusetts governor called Trump to offer his congratulations.
Trump missed the call. Pence called back -- and then Trump did, as well. Trump said Romney should come in to discuss a position in the Cabinet, a source said. In Romney's conversation with Pence he said the only position he was interested in was the top diplomat job.
Some Republicans saw the conversations as Trump forcing a former foe to grovel -- a move that would also undercut Romney as a future critic.
But Romney "never felt he was being played," a source said.
He had told friends for years that he wanted to serve again, and the only job he was interested in was secretary of state.
He felt he was under "serious" consideration from Trump as the two met twice in person and spoke several times by phone.
"I have a hard time believing that Trump expended all this energy and time to simply tweak Mitt, and that Pence, Reince and others in the President-elect's inner circle would play along," said Dan Senor, a 2012 Romney adviser who remains in close contact with him. "The press was distracted by the theater of the public process, but behind the scenes there were substantive conversations and meetings, which reflected a serious hands-on process by the President-elect and his team; it was impressive."
Trump -- who has a history of striking business deals with one-time opponents -- was "pleasantly surprised at how well the two men got along; was willing to let bygones be bygones," a source said. He told others he was fond of Romney.
"Mitt made it hard on him because when they talked he really liked him," one source said. Trump thought Romney was smart and "looked the part" of America's top diplomat.
One source close to Romney said it was clear Trump was serious about considering him. Even when the selection process was dragging, the source said, Trump would call Romney to check in.
"The idea that there was some grand design to humiliate him is ludicrous," the source said. Read the rest at CNNEven if he didn't go with Romney, his willingness to consider it might at least be a good sign. I'm just curious how Romney ended up with the only thing remotely resembling a spine in the entire establishment GOP.
And Jeb!
These are people who don't really have anything to lose. Pretty much everyone who had a future in mind went along with Trump, though not to the same degree.
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On December 15 2016 06:00 Introvert wrote:Show nested quote +On December 15 2016 05:48 LegalLord wrote:
Tillerson looks like a lolwut pick at first, but after reading up a bit on him he actually looks like a pretty good choice. Even John Rambo McCain has softened his opposition to the guy into a conditional opposition. He's qualified, I'll give him that. Show nested quote +On December 15 2016 05:53 Logo wrote:On December 15 2016 05:03 Introvert wrote:As President-elect Donald Trump considered Mitt Romney for secretary of state, Trump wanted one thing Romney wouldn't give him: an apology.
Trump was willing to move past Romney's bitter campaign-trail criticism of him. And incoming chief of staff Reince Priebus, who chaired the Republican National Committee during both men's presidential campaigns, convinced Trump there was value in showing he was big enough to bring Romney into the fold.
But top aides, including Kellyanne Conway and Steve Bannon, saw Romney's attacks as unforgivable, according to three sources close to Romney, two of whom are familiar with Trump's transition process.
CNN has learned that Vice President-elect Mike Pence and Priebus also wanted Romney to apologize as a way to smooth over the tension.
After Conway and others attacked Romney publicly -- lobbying against his selection in television interviews -- and more than a week after the two had begun talking, Trump raised the possibility of a public apology with Romney as a way of mollifying those critics, the sources said. He asked Romney to say publicly he was "wrong" about Trump.
Trump personally saw it in business deal terms: He would get the mea culpa he sought from Romney; Romney would get the job he covets.
But Romney -- who titled his own book "No Apology" -- declined.
He offered forward-looking praise for Trump -- starting with the President-elect's election-night speech. But he wouldn't go backward and retract his words from the campaign.
Eventually, Romney's critics persuaded Trump to look elsewhere, and on Monday he tapped ExxonMobil CEO Rex Tillerson as his nominee for secretary of state.
It was the culmination of a selection process that looked like an episode of "Celebrity Apprentice" -- with Romney, Tillerson, former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani, former Gen. David Petraeus and Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Bob Corker being paraded in and out of Trump Tower as the President-elect narrowed his list.
The conversations between Trump and Romney began after the former Massachusetts governor called Trump to offer his congratulations.
Trump missed the call. Pence called back -- and then Trump did, as well. Trump said Romney should come in to discuss a position in the Cabinet, a source said. In Romney's conversation with Pence he said the only position he was interested in was the top diplomat job.
Some Republicans saw the conversations as Trump forcing a former foe to grovel -- a move that would also undercut Romney as a future critic.
But Romney "never felt he was being played," a source said.
He had told friends for years that he wanted to serve again, and the only job he was interested in was secretary of state.
He felt he was under "serious" consideration from Trump as the two met twice in person and spoke several times by phone.
"I have a hard time believing that Trump expended all this energy and time to simply tweak Mitt, and that Pence, Reince and others in the President-elect's inner circle would play along," said Dan Senor, a 2012 Romney adviser who remains in close contact with him. "The press was distracted by the theater of the public process, but behind the scenes there were substantive conversations and meetings, which reflected a serious hands-on process by the President-elect and his team; it was impressive."
Trump -- who has a history of striking business deals with one-time opponents -- was "pleasantly surprised at how well the two men got along; was willing to let bygones be bygones," a source said. He told others he was fond of Romney.
"Mitt made it hard on him because when they talked he really liked him," one source said. Trump thought Romney was smart and "looked the part" of America's top diplomat.
One source close to Romney said it was clear Trump was serious about considering him. Even when the selection process was dragging, the source said, Trump would call Romney to check in.
"The idea that there was some grand design to humiliate him is ludicrous," the source said. Read the rest at CNNEven if he didn't go with Romney, his willingness to consider it might at least be a good sign. I'm just curious how Romney ended up with the only thing remotely resembling a spine in the entire establishment GOP. And Jeb! These are people who don't really have anything to lose. Pretty much everyone who had a future in mind went along with Trump, though to different degrees.
Well the quoted story implies Romney had something to lose by not apologizing.
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On December 15 2016 06:02 Logo wrote:Show nested quote +On December 15 2016 06:00 Introvert wrote:On December 15 2016 05:48 LegalLord wrote:
Tillerson looks like a lolwut pick at first, but after reading up a bit on him he actually looks like a pretty good choice. Even John Rambo McCain has softened his opposition to the guy into a conditional opposition. He's qualified, I'll give him that. On December 15 2016 05:53 Logo wrote:On December 15 2016 05:03 Introvert wrote:As President-elect Donald Trump considered Mitt Romney for secretary of state, Trump wanted one thing Romney wouldn't give him: an apology.
Trump was willing to move past Romney's bitter campaign-trail criticism of him. And incoming chief of staff Reince Priebus, who chaired the Republican National Committee during both men's presidential campaigns, convinced Trump there was value in showing he was big enough to bring Romney into the fold.
But top aides, including Kellyanne Conway and Steve Bannon, saw Romney's attacks as unforgivable, according to three sources close to Romney, two of whom are familiar with Trump's transition process.
CNN has learned that Vice President-elect Mike Pence and Priebus also wanted Romney to apologize as a way to smooth over the tension.
After Conway and others attacked Romney publicly -- lobbying against his selection in television interviews -- and more than a week after the two had begun talking, Trump raised the possibility of a public apology with Romney as a way of mollifying those critics, the sources said. He asked Romney to say publicly he was "wrong" about Trump.
Trump personally saw it in business deal terms: He would get the mea culpa he sought from Romney; Romney would get the job he covets.
But Romney -- who titled his own book "No Apology" -- declined.
He offered forward-looking praise for Trump -- starting with the President-elect's election-night speech. But he wouldn't go backward and retract his words from the campaign.
Eventually, Romney's critics persuaded Trump to look elsewhere, and on Monday he tapped ExxonMobil CEO Rex Tillerson as his nominee for secretary of state.
It was the culmination of a selection process that looked like an episode of "Celebrity Apprentice" -- with Romney, Tillerson, former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani, former Gen. David Petraeus and Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Bob Corker being paraded in and out of Trump Tower as the President-elect narrowed his list.
The conversations between Trump and Romney began after the former Massachusetts governor called Trump to offer his congratulations.
Trump missed the call. Pence called back -- and then Trump did, as well. Trump said Romney should come in to discuss a position in the Cabinet, a source said. In Romney's conversation with Pence he said the only position he was interested in was the top diplomat job.
Some Republicans saw the conversations as Trump forcing a former foe to grovel -- a move that would also undercut Romney as a future critic.
But Romney "never felt he was being played," a source said.
He had told friends for years that he wanted to serve again, and the only job he was interested in was secretary of state.
He felt he was under "serious" consideration from Trump as the two met twice in person and spoke several times by phone.
"I have a hard time believing that Trump expended all this energy and time to simply tweak Mitt, and that Pence, Reince and others in the President-elect's inner circle would play along," said Dan Senor, a 2012 Romney adviser who remains in close contact with him. "The press was distracted by the theater of the public process, but behind the scenes there were substantive conversations and meetings, which reflected a serious hands-on process by the President-elect and his team; it was impressive."
Trump -- who has a history of striking business deals with one-time opponents -- was "pleasantly surprised at how well the two men got along; was willing to let bygones be bygones," a source said. He told others he was fond of Romney.
"Mitt made it hard on him because when they talked he really liked him," one source said. Trump thought Romney was smart and "looked the part" of America's top diplomat.
One source close to Romney said it was clear Trump was serious about considering him. Even when the selection process was dragging, the source said, Trump would call Romney to check in.
"The idea that there was some grand design to humiliate him is ludicrous," the source said. Read the rest at CNNEven if he didn't go with Romney, his willingness to consider it might at least be a good sign. I'm just curious how Romney ended up with the only thing remotely resembling a spine in the entire establishment GOP. And Jeb! These are people who don't really have anything to lose. Pretty much everyone who had a future in mind went along with Trump, though to different degrees. Well the quoted story implies Romney had something to lose by not apologizing.
Sorry, I meant during the election.
You probably don't want to be SoS if most of Trump's inner circle hates your guts. I think Romney just decided to give it a shot. And the article also cites the difference between Romney and Trump's view of Russia, which I think matters a lot. He looks like a fool if goes out there and renounces his own words, especially if he doesn't get the job.
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On December 15 2016 06:06 Introvert wrote:Show nested quote +On December 15 2016 06:02 Logo wrote:On December 15 2016 06:00 Introvert wrote:On December 15 2016 05:48 LegalLord wrote:
Tillerson looks like a lolwut pick at first, but after reading up a bit on him he actually looks like a pretty good choice. Even John Rambo McCain has softened his opposition to the guy into a conditional opposition. He's qualified, I'll give him that. On December 15 2016 05:53 Logo wrote:On December 15 2016 05:03 Introvert wrote:As President-elect Donald Trump considered Mitt Romney for secretary of state, Trump wanted one thing Romney wouldn't give him: an apology.
Trump was willing to move past Romney's bitter campaign-trail criticism of him. And incoming chief of staff Reince Priebus, who chaired the Republican National Committee during both men's presidential campaigns, convinced Trump there was value in showing he was big enough to bring Romney into the fold.
But top aides, including Kellyanne Conway and Steve Bannon, saw Romney's attacks as unforgivable, according to three sources close to Romney, two of whom are familiar with Trump's transition process.
CNN has learned that Vice President-elect Mike Pence and Priebus also wanted Romney to apologize as a way to smooth over the tension.
After Conway and others attacked Romney publicly -- lobbying against his selection in television interviews -- and more than a week after the two had begun talking, Trump raised the possibility of a public apology with Romney as a way of mollifying those critics, the sources said. He asked Romney to say publicly he was "wrong" about Trump.
Trump personally saw it in business deal terms: He would get the mea culpa he sought from Romney; Romney would get the job he covets.
But Romney -- who titled his own book "No Apology" -- declined.
He offered forward-looking praise for Trump -- starting with the President-elect's election-night speech. But he wouldn't go backward and retract his words from the campaign.
Eventually, Romney's critics persuaded Trump to look elsewhere, and on Monday he tapped ExxonMobil CEO Rex Tillerson as his nominee for secretary of state.
It was the culmination of a selection process that looked like an episode of "Celebrity Apprentice" -- with Romney, Tillerson, former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani, former Gen. David Petraeus and Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Bob Corker being paraded in and out of Trump Tower as the President-elect narrowed his list.
The conversations between Trump and Romney began after the former Massachusetts governor called Trump to offer his congratulations.
Trump missed the call. Pence called back -- and then Trump did, as well. Trump said Romney should come in to discuss a position in the Cabinet, a source said. In Romney's conversation with Pence he said the only position he was interested in was the top diplomat job.
Some Republicans saw the conversations as Trump forcing a former foe to grovel -- a move that would also undercut Romney as a future critic.
But Romney "never felt he was being played," a source said.
He had told friends for years that he wanted to serve again, and the only job he was interested in was secretary of state.
He felt he was under "serious" consideration from Trump as the two met twice in person and spoke several times by phone.
"I have a hard time believing that Trump expended all this energy and time to simply tweak Mitt, and that Pence, Reince and others in the President-elect's inner circle would play along," said Dan Senor, a 2012 Romney adviser who remains in close contact with him. "The press was distracted by the theater of the public process, but behind the scenes there were substantive conversations and meetings, which reflected a serious hands-on process by the President-elect and his team; it was impressive."
Trump -- who has a history of striking business deals with one-time opponents -- was "pleasantly surprised at how well the two men got along; was willing to let bygones be bygones," a source said. He told others he was fond of Romney.
"Mitt made it hard on him because when they talked he really liked him," one source said. Trump thought Romney was smart and "looked the part" of America's top diplomat.
One source close to Romney said it was clear Trump was serious about considering him. Even when the selection process was dragging, the source said, Trump would call Romney to check in.
"The idea that there was some grand design to humiliate him is ludicrous," the source said. Read the rest at CNNEven if he didn't go with Romney, his willingness to consider it might at least be a good sign. I'm just curious how Romney ended up with the only thing remotely resembling a spine in the entire establishment GOP. And Jeb! These are people who don't really have anything to lose. Pretty much everyone who had a future in mind went along with Trump, though to different degrees. Well the quoted story implies Romney had something to lose by not apologizing. Sorry, I meant during the election. You probably don't want to be SoS if most of Trump's inner circle hates your guts. I think Ronmeny just decided to give it a shot. And the article also cites the difference between Romney and Trump's view of Russia, which I think matters a lot.
Yeah both are fair points.
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I don't know if this has already been posted, but it's a pretty in-depth article about how the Russian hackers managed to enter the Democratic systems (spoiler alert: human errors helped them):
The Perfect Weapon: How Russian Cyberpower Invaded the U.S
When Special Agent Adrian Hawkins of the Federal Bureau of Investigation called the Democratic National Committee in September 2015 to pass along some troubling news about its computer network, he was transferred, naturally, to the help desk.
His message was brief, if alarming. At least one computer system belonging to the D.N.C. had been compromised by hackers federal investigators had named “the Dukes,” a cyberespionage team linked to the Russian government.
The F.B.I. knew it well: The bureau had spent the last few years trying to kick the Dukes out of the unclassified email systems of the White House, the State Department and even the Joint Chiefs of Staff, one of the government’s best-protected networks.
Yared Tamene, the tech-support contractor at the D.N.C. who fielded the call, was no expert in cyberattacks. His first moves were to check Google for “the Dukes” and conduct a cursory search of the D.N.C. computer system logs to look for hints of such a cyberintrusion. By his own account, he did not look too hard even after Special Agent Hawkins called back repeatedly over the next several weeks — in part because he wasn’t certain the caller was a real F.B.I. agent and not an impostor.
“I had no way of differentiating the call I just received from a prank call,” Mr. Tamene wrote in an internal memo, obtained by The New York Times, that detailed his contact with the F.B.I.
It was the cryptic first sign of a cyberespionage and information-warfare campaign devised to disrupt the 2016 presidential election, the first such attempt by a foreign power in American history. What started as an information-gathering operation, intelligence officials believe, ultimately morphed into an effort to harm one candidate, Hillary Clinton, and tip the election to her opponent, Donald J. Trump.
Like another famous American election scandal, it started with a break-in at the D.N.C. The first time, 44 years ago at the committee’s old offices in the Watergate complex, the burglars planted listening devices and jimmied a filing cabinet. This time, the burglary was conducted from afar, directed by the Kremlin, with spear-phishing emails and zeros and ones.
An examination by The Times of the Russian operation — based on interviews with dozens of players targeted in the attack, intelligence officials who investigated it and Obama administration officials who deliberated over the best response — reveals a series of missed signals, slow responses and a continuing underestimation of the seriousness of the cyberattack.
Source
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Putin has not shown any willingness to negotiate with us on acceptable terms, and is engaging in hostile acts toward us, but is getting this weird benefit from US politics where Republicans have gone more favorable to him and Russia, due to it serving the interests of their candidate.
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Gov't needs better cybersecurity; a real long-standing problem.
Are they doing enough probes to check for vulnerabilities?
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While some Russian hacks and cyber war capabilities are very impressive... this was little more than phishing. Well-executed and widespread, but it's a very simple (yet effective) technique. The Russians didn't make those employees untrained enough to know not to get phished.
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There are continuing education requirements for licensure in a number of fields. I wonder if there's any particular useful continuing ed requirement for Congress that could be used? or other standard educational offerings for congressfolk?
is there good enough orientation and teaching systems for new congresspeople, especially ones with non-gov't backgrounds?
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Tillerson is a lock for SoS. Republicans will most likely get over their qualms, if not, Democrats like Joe Manchin (D-WV) will be there to pick up the slack.
At least there will be no more pretense about what America is, it's a corporatocracy with a garnish of democracy.
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President-elect Donald Trump’s insistence on perpetuating egregious conflicts of interest and retaining ownership of businesses that receive money from foreign governments suggests that he will, on Day One in office, be in violation of the Emoluments Clause as soon as he enters office and, in the words of ethics expert Norman Eisen, be “courting disaster.”
...
In a letter to Sen. Tom Carper (D-Del.), the director of the Office of Government Ethics (OGE) took issue with Trump’s notion of letting his kids run his businesses. “Transferring operational control of a company to one’s children would not constitute the establishment of a qualified blind trust, nor would it eliminate conflicts of interest under 18 U.S.C. § 208 if applicable,” the director wrote. He acknowledges that this provision does not specifically cover the president. However, he writes that “it has been the consistent policy of the executive branch that a President should conduct himself ‘as if” he were bound by this financial conflict of interest law. Given the unique circumstances of the Presidency, OGE’s view is that a President should comply with this law by divesting conflicting assets, establishing a qualified blind trust, or both.”
Adding yet another twist, the director tells Carper that the 2012 STOCK ACT bars the president from in essence using inside information to benefit himself. (“The STOCK Act bars the President from: using nonpublic information for private profit; engaging in insider trading; participating in an initial public offering; intentionally influencing an employment decision or practice of a private entity solely on the basis of partisan political affiliation; and participating in a particular matter directly and predictably affecting the financial interests of any person with whom he has, or is negotiating for, an agreement of future employment or compensation.”)
...
The extent of Trump’s constitutional problem is only now becoming clear. Newsweek reports:
The Trump family has an enormous financial interest in keeping [Rodrigo] Duterte happy. Trump Tower at Century City in Makati, Philippines, is on the verge of completion, with potential buyers having placed deposits on at least 94 percent of the condominiums, according to Century Properties, the Trump Organization’s business partner there. During the U.S. presidential campaign, Trump’s sons Donald Jr. and Eric traveled to Makati to shovel some dirt in a ceremony to celebrate the structural completion of the building; a photograph of the two men shoveling alongside top Century Properties executives was posted on the building’s website. … The man writing millions of dollars’ worth of checks to the Trump family is the Duterte government’s special representative to the United States. To argue that these payments will be constitutional if they are paid to the Trump children, and not to Trump personally, is absurd. This conflict demands congressional hearings, and could be an impeachable offense.
There are also conflicts brewing in Turkey: Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who recently beat back a coup, is intent on getting the United States to turn over Fethullah Gulen, a 77-year-old Muslim cleric who lives in Pennsylvania and whom Erdogan blames for the coup. In a phone call with Erdogan, the conflicts of interest played out, as Newsweek reports:
Trump passed on compliments to the Turkish president from a senior official with his company’s business partner on the Istanbul project, whom the president-elect was reported to have called “a close friend.” The official, Mehmet Ali Yalcindag, is the son-in-law of Dogan Holding owner Aydin Dogan and was instrumental in the development of the Trump complex in Turkey.
The Washington Post
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On December 15 2016 08:08 Doodsmack wrote:Show nested quote +President-elect Donald Trump’s insistence on perpetuating egregious conflicts of interest and retaining ownership of businesses that receive money from foreign governments suggests that he will, on Day One in office, be in violation of the Emoluments Clause as soon as he enters office and, in the words of ethics expert Norman Eisen, be “courting disaster.”
...
In a letter to Sen. Tom Carper (D-Del.), the director of the Office of Government Ethics (OGE) took issue with Trump’s notion of letting his kids run his businesses. “Transferring operational control of a company to one’s children would not constitute the establishment of a qualified blind trust, nor would it eliminate conflicts of interest under 18 U.S.C. § 208 if applicable,” the director wrote. He acknowledges that this provision does not specifically cover the president. However, he writes that “it has been the consistent policy of the executive branch that a President should conduct himself ‘as if” he were bound by this financial conflict of interest law. Given the unique circumstances of the Presidency, OGE’s view is that a President should comply with this law by divesting conflicting assets, establishing a qualified blind trust, or both.”
Adding yet another twist, the director tells Carper that the 2012 STOCK ACT bars the president from in essence using inside information to benefit himself. (“The STOCK Act bars the President from: using nonpublic information for private profit; engaging in insider trading; participating in an initial public offering; intentionally influencing an employment decision or practice of a private entity solely on the basis of partisan political affiliation; and participating in a particular matter directly and predictably affecting the financial interests of any person with whom he has, or is negotiating for, an agreement of future employment or compensation.”)
...
The extent of Trump’s constitutional problem is only now becoming clear. Newsweek reports:
The Trump family has an enormous financial interest in keeping [Rodrigo] Duterte happy. Trump Tower at Century City in Makati, Philippines, is on the verge of completion, with potential buyers having placed deposits on at least 94 percent of the condominiums, according to Century Properties, the Trump Organization’s business partner there. During the U.S. presidential campaign, Trump’s sons Donald Jr. and Eric traveled to Makati to shovel some dirt in a ceremony to celebrate the structural completion of the building; a photograph of the two men shoveling alongside top Century Properties executives was posted on the building’s website. … The man writing millions of dollars’ worth of checks to the Trump family is the Duterte government’s special representative to the United States. To argue that these payments will be constitutional if they are paid to the Trump children, and not to Trump personally, is absurd. This conflict demands congressional hearings, and could be an impeachable offense.
There are also conflicts brewing in Turkey: Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who recently beat back a coup, is intent on getting the United States to turn over Fethullah Gulen, a 77-year-old Muslim cleric who lives in Pennsylvania and whom Erdogan blames for the coup. In a phone call with Erdogan, the conflicts of interest played out, as Newsweek reports:
Trump passed on compliments to the Turkish president from a senior official with his company’s business partner on the Istanbul project, whom the president-elect was reported to have called “a close friend.” The official, Mehmet Ali Yalcindag, is the son-in-law of Dogan Holding owner Aydin Dogan and was instrumental in the development of the Trump complex in Turkey. The Washington Post
This is what we call fake news. Trump isn't in violation of anything yet, and still has more than a month to get into compliance with whatever laws that he needs to comply with. The purpose of this article is merely to rile people up for no good reason.
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On December 15 2016 08:15 xDaunt wrote:Show nested quote +On December 15 2016 08:08 Doodsmack wrote:President-elect Donald Trump’s insistence on perpetuating egregious conflicts of interest and retaining ownership of businesses that receive money from foreign governments suggests that he will, on Day One in office, be in violation of the Emoluments Clause as soon as he enters office and, in the words of ethics expert Norman Eisen, be “courting disaster.”
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In a letter to Sen. Tom Carper (D-Del.), the director of the Office of Government Ethics (OGE) took issue with Trump’s notion of letting his kids run his businesses. “Transferring operational control of a company to one’s children would not constitute the establishment of a qualified blind trust, nor would it eliminate conflicts of interest under 18 U.S.C. § 208 if applicable,” the director wrote. He acknowledges that this provision does not specifically cover the president. However, he writes that “it has been the consistent policy of the executive branch that a President should conduct himself ‘as if” he were bound by this financial conflict of interest law. Given the unique circumstances of the Presidency, OGE’s view is that a President should comply with this law by divesting conflicting assets, establishing a qualified blind trust, or both.”
Adding yet another twist, the director tells Carper that the 2012 STOCK ACT bars the president from in essence using inside information to benefit himself. (“The STOCK Act bars the President from: using nonpublic information for private profit; engaging in insider trading; participating in an initial public offering; intentionally influencing an employment decision or practice of a private entity solely on the basis of partisan political affiliation; and participating in a particular matter directly and predictably affecting the financial interests of any person with whom he has, or is negotiating for, an agreement of future employment or compensation.”)
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The extent of Trump’s constitutional problem is only now becoming clear. Newsweek reports:
The Trump family has an enormous financial interest in keeping [Rodrigo] Duterte happy. Trump Tower at Century City in Makati, Philippines, is on the verge of completion, with potential buyers having placed deposits on at least 94 percent of the condominiums, according to Century Properties, the Trump Organization’s business partner there. During the U.S. presidential campaign, Trump’s sons Donald Jr. and Eric traveled to Makati to shovel some dirt in a ceremony to celebrate the structural completion of the building; a photograph of the two men shoveling alongside top Century Properties executives was posted on the building’s website. … The man writing millions of dollars’ worth of checks to the Trump family is the Duterte government’s special representative to the United States. To argue that these payments will be constitutional if they are paid to the Trump children, and not to Trump personally, is absurd. This conflict demands congressional hearings, and could be an impeachable offense.
There are also conflicts brewing in Turkey: Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who recently beat back a coup, is intent on getting the United States to turn over Fethullah Gulen, a 77-year-old Muslim cleric who lives in Pennsylvania and whom Erdogan blames for the coup. In a phone call with Erdogan, the conflicts of interest played out, as Newsweek reports:
Trump passed on compliments to the Turkish president from a senior official with his company’s business partner on the Istanbul project, whom the president-elect was reported to have called “a close friend.” The official, Mehmet Ali Yalcindag, is the son-in-law of Dogan Holding owner Aydin Dogan and was instrumental in the development of the Trump complex in Turkey. The Washington Post This is what we call fake news. Trump isn't in violation of anything yet, and still has more than a month to get into compliance with whatever laws that he needs to comply with. The purpose of this article is merely to rile people up for no good reason.
No, that is not what we call fake news.
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On December 15 2016 08:15 xDaunt wrote:Show nested quote +On December 15 2016 08:08 Doodsmack wrote:President-elect Donald Trump’s insistence on perpetuating egregious conflicts of interest and retaining ownership of businesses that receive money from foreign governments suggests that he will, on Day One in office, be in violation of the Emoluments Clause as soon as he enters office and, in the words of ethics expert Norman Eisen, be “courting disaster.”
...
In a letter to Sen. Tom Carper (D-Del.), the director of the Office of Government Ethics (OGE) took issue with Trump’s notion of letting his kids run his businesses. “Transferring operational control of a company to one’s children would not constitute the establishment of a qualified blind trust, nor would it eliminate conflicts of interest under 18 U.S.C. § 208 if applicable,” the director wrote. He acknowledges that this provision does not specifically cover the president. However, he writes that “it has been the consistent policy of the executive branch that a President should conduct himself ‘as if” he were bound by this financial conflict of interest law. Given the unique circumstances of the Presidency, OGE’s view is that a President should comply with this law by divesting conflicting assets, establishing a qualified blind trust, or both.”
Adding yet another twist, the director tells Carper that the 2012 STOCK ACT bars the president from in essence using inside information to benefit himself. (“The STOCK Act bars the President from: using nonpublic information for private profit; engaging in insider trading; participating in an initial public offering; intentionally influencing an employment decision or practice of a private entity solely on the basis of partisan political affiliation; and participating in a particular matter directly and predictably affecting the financial interests of any person with whom he has, or is negotiating for, an agreement of future employment or compensation.”)
...
The extent of Trump’s constitutional problem is only now becoming clear. Newsweek reports:
The Trump family has an enormous financial interest in keeping [Rodrigo] Duterte happy. Trump Tower at Century City in Makati, Philippines, is on the verge of completion, with potential buyers having placed deposits on at least 94 percent of the condominiums, according to Century Properties, the Trump Organization’s business partner there. During the U.S. presidential campaign, Trump’s sons Donald Jr. and Eric traveled to Makati to shovel some dirt in a ceremony to celebrate the structural completion of the building; a photograph of the two men shoveling alongside top Century Properties executives was posted on the building’s website. … The man writing millions of dollars’ worth of checks to the Trump family is the Duterte government’s special representative to the United States. To argue that these payments will be constitutional if they are paid to the Trump children, and not to Trump personally, is absurd. This conflict demands congressional hearings, and could be an impeachable offense.
There are also conflicts brewing in Turkey: Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who recently beat back a coup, is intent on getting the United States to turn over Fethullah Gulen, a 77-year-old Muslim cleric who lives in Pennsylvania and whom Erdogan blames for the coup. In a phone call with Erdogan, the conflicts of interest played out, as Newsweek reports:
Trump passed on compliments to the Turkish president from a senior official with his company’s business partner on the Istanbul project, whom the president-elect was reported to have called “a close friend.” The official, Mehmet Ali Yalcindag, is the son-in-law of Dogan Holding owner Aydin Dogan and was instrumental in the development of the Trump complex in Turkey. The Washington Post This is what we call fake news. Trump isn't in violation of anything yet, and still has more than a month to get into compliance with whatever laws that he needs to comply with. The purpose of this article is merely to rile people up for no good reason.
He's not going to clean it up though, the only way he could actually do that is by taking his name off of buildings he doesn't own (maybe not even in his control), and selling off his business interests (think Carter and his peanut farm).
It's probably important to note that the corporate super men who will be arguing on behalf of the American people are the same corporate folks who have been saying for years they would abandon America/Americans in a heartbeat if they had to share too much of their profits with the same American people they are supposed to be acting on the behalf of.
If Trump, Tillerson, and the rest saw the American people as their new boss/shareholders they could be great leaders. But everything we know about humans as a species indicates they will still be loyal to the corporations that helped get them there.
Put more starkly, given a choice between devastating Exxon or devastating the American people one would have to be extraordinarily naive to think someone like Tillerson is going to side with the American people.
Edit: BTW he's not doing something novel, he's just being more brazen (by cutting out the politician middle man) about what's been the status quo for most of American history.
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On December 15 2016 08:15 xDaunt wrote:Show nested quote +On December 15 2016 08:08 Doodsmack wrote:President-elect Donald Trump’s insistence on perpetuating egregious conflicts of interest and retaining ownership of businesses that receive money from foreign governments suggests that he will, on Day One in office, be in violation of the Emoluments Clause as soon as he enters office and, in the words of ethics expert Norman Eisen, be “courting disaster.”
...
In a letter to Sen. Tom Carper (D-Del.), the director of the Office of Government Ethics (OGE) took issue with Trump’s notion of letting his kids run his businesses. “Transferring operational control of a company to one’s children would not constitute the establishment of a qualified blind trust, nor would it eliminate conflicts of interest under 18 U.S.C. § 208 if applicable,” the director wrote. He acknowledges that this provision does not specifically cover the president. However, he writes that “it has been the consistent policy of the executive branch that a President should conduct himself ‘as if” he were bound by this financial conflict of interest law. Given the unique circumstances of the Presidency, OGE’s view is that a President should comply with this law by divesting conflicting assets, establishing a qualified blind trust, or both.”
Adding yet another twist, the director tells Carper that the 2012 STOCK ACT bars the president from in essence using inside information to benefit himself. (“The STOCK Act bars the President from: using nonpublic information for private profit; engaging in insider trading; participating in an initial public offering; intentionally influencing an employment decision or practice of a private entity solely on the basis of partisan political affiliation; and participating in a particular matter directly and predictably affecting the financial interests of any person with whom he has, or is negotiating for, an agreement of future employment or compensation.”)
...
The extent of Trump’s constitutional problem is only now becoming clear. Newsweek reports:
The Trump family has an enormous financial interest in keeping [Rodrigo] Duterte happy. Trump Tower at Century City in Makati, Philippines, is on the verge of completion, with potential buyers having placed deposits on at least 94 percent of the condominiums, according to Century Properties, the Trump Organization’s business partner there. During the U.S. presidential campaign, Trump’s sons Donald Jr. and Eric traveled to Makati to shovel some dirt in a ceremony to celebrate the structural completion of the building; a photograph of the two men shoveling alongside top Century Properties executives was posted on the building’s website. … The man writing millions of dollars’ worth of checks to the Trump family is the Duterte government’s special representative to the United States. To argue that these payments will be constitutional if they are paid to the Trump children, and not to Trump personally, is absurd. This conflict demands congressional hearings, and could be an impeachable offense.
There are also conflicts brewing in Turkey: Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who recently beat back a coup, is intent on getting the United States to turn over Fethullah Gulen, a 77-year-old Muslim cleric who lives in Pennsylvania and whom Erdogan blames for the coup. In a phone call with Erdogan, the conflicts of interest played out, as Newsweek reports:
Trump passed on compliments to the Turkish president from a senior official with his company’s business partner on the Istanbul project, whom the president-elect was reported to have called “a close friend.” The official, Mehmet Ali Yalcindag, is the son-in-law of Dogan Holding owner Aydin Dogan and was instrumental in the development of the Trump complex in Turkey. The Washington Post This is what we call fake news. Trump isn't in violation of anything yet, and still has more than a month to get into compliance with whatever laws that he needs to comply with. The purpose of this article is merely to rile people up for no good reason.
Actually Trump has announced his 2 oldest sons will lead his businesses, which does not remove Trump himself from the potential conflicts. So I'm not sure what future changes you're holding out for in the next month. It would appear you chose to blind yourself to the information in this article. I know the media is largely liberally biased, but there's no need to disregard stories like this.
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didn't Trump schedule tomorrow as the day he'd reveal a plan to address conflict of interest issues?
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He cancelled that a while ago.
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did he reschedule it for some later time, or cancel it altogether?
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Probably figured out no one who can stop him seems to care about the issue.
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EPT
