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From The Reporter’s Notebook
Department of #TBT: TPM’s Katherine Krueger reports that Jerry DeLemus, a Donald Trump campaign official in New Hampshire, has accepted a plea agreement for his role as an organizer of the 2014 armed militia standoff at Bundy ranch in Nevada. DeLemus also lent his credibility as a rag-tag militia hero to Ammon Bundy’s armed Oregon wildlife refuge takeover earlier this year.
Agree or Disagree?
Josh Marshall: “Whether or not Donald Trump supports Vladimir Putin, there’s no question that Putin supports Donald Trump. What seems to be the nearly proven Russian role in hacking the DNC and then turning the cache of emails over to a pliant Wikileaks to mount a disruption operation on the eve of the Democratic convention is just one example. There are now numerous examples of Russia backing, either openly or covertly, rightist nationalist political parties in Europe as well. But most of these operations lack such straightforward or direct goals. They are more like classic disinformation or disruption campaigns, operations not intended to generate a particular outcome so much as disruption, confusion, uncertainty and a pervasive lack of trust in targeted communities. They support hard right groups, except when they’re hard left groups. The underlying aim is neither right nor left but putting political establishments off balance.”
Say What?!
“He actually operates now almost like a president.”
– A foreign policy advisor to Trump claims that he listens to his advisors, proving that “there is a strategy” behind his candidacy.
BUZZING: Today in the Hive
From a TPM Prime member: “I think this summarizes the problem so thoroughly. I think Republicans and the RNC are in a lose/lose situation. If they stick with Trump, it’s a losing brand, and so clearly the wrong side of history. If they abandon Trump, they get hurt by his part of the Party, and seen as traitors. Some like Toomey, Kirk, and Rubio are trying to split the difference, but they’re still getting dragged down by Trump. All three have distanced themselves from Trump to various degrees, but have also said negative things about Clinton, who is leading in all three of their states, and should win those states clearly. I don’t see how they survive this election. I think since they’re in a lose/lose situation, Republicans should pick their values, whatever those might be, so that when/if they lose, they can at least say they have their integrity. That should mean dumping Trump, as an existential threat to our democracy.”
Related: More than 100 Republicans signed the final draft of a letter urging Reince Priebus to shift resources away from Trump.
Have something to add? Become a Prime member and join the discussion here.
What We’re Reading
Out-Trumping Trump to prepare Clinton for the debates. (Politico)
Scenes from the JFK shooting-that-wasn’t. (New York Magazine)
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