I’ve spent the last few days putting together notes and trying to put together all the details of what was clearly the overriding and explicitly top foreign policy goal of the Trump campaign and transition: a rapprochement with Russia.
There’s one small thread of that story I want to note. We’ve previously discussed Tom Barrack, a longtime friend of the President and an extremely successful real estate investor. It is apparently through Barrack that Paul Manafort made his original approach to Donald Trump. The explanation of how that came about has never really added up. There’s clearly more to the story. We’ll come back to that. Read More
Here are a few quick thoughts (Prime subscribers) about why I think this Flynn whistleblower story will end up being a bigger deal than one might think.
With what now seems like Al Franken’s inevitable resignation tomorrow, I wanted to re-up this post from a week ago on who gets forced to resign and who doesn’t. It’s not the press’s fault that Donald Trump is still President and Al Franken is about to be an ex-senator. The same applies to Roy Moore. All of these incidents play out based on the constituency of the accused or the larger organization they represent. That applies whether it’s consumers or voters or comparable category. Most Trump supporters simply don’t care. Same with Roy Moore.
Welcome news. MSNBC had fired Sam Seder from his contributor role on the network after racist provocateur Mike Cernovich dug up and tendentiously misinterpreted a 2009 tweet to gin up a faux outrage campaign. After a significant backlash, MSNBC has now reversed course and offered Seder his gig back.
One of the wildest, weirdest dumpster fires of a year ever to hit Washington, D.C. is coming to an end, and we’re bidding it farewell with TPM’s 11th annual Golden Duke Awards.
As you know, each year TPM celebrates the nation’s top promoters of all that is crazy, corrupt, and shameless in public life by awarding The Dukes, named in honor of Congressman-turned-convicted felon and inmate Randy “Duke” Cunningham. We’re hoping readers can point us to 2017’s worst (best) offenders. Sarcasm encouraged.
Nominations should be submitted no later than Tuesday, December 12. To get a sense of what we’re looking for, check out last year’s winners here.
This year’s categories are:
1. Best Scandal — General Interest
2. Best Scandal — Local Venue
3. Meritorious Achievement in The Crazy
4. Most Heartwarming On-The-Record Quote From A Trump Associate
5. Literary Achievement in 140 Characters (or Instagram) By A Public Official
6. Best Shameless Cartoon Villain Move By An Administration Official
7. Best Moment From A Press Conference
Email talk (at) talkingpointsmemo.com with your nominations, identifying the person you’re recommending and making your case in no more than 250 words for why he or she is worthy of a prestigious Golden Duke. Only real, specific individuals are eligible—no parties, issues, groups, amorphous concepts, etc.
We’ll announce the nominees on Thursday, December 14 and send the list off to our panel of judges. The lucky winners will be named on Saturday, December 30.
Be in touch!
It’s quite astonishing. In the FBI Director’s testimony this morning, GOP Congressman are openly backing the President’s claim that the FBI’s reputation is “in tatters.” In response Director Wray is avoiding the charge but simply not pushing back against it.
GOP Rep Says It's Understandable That the President Says the FBI's Rep is "In Tatters" pic.twitter.com/dVxYXaObag
— Josh Marshall (@joshtpm) December 7, 2017
In recent months, Donald Trump Jr has made a run for the prize of Trump insider with most dogged effort to collude with Russia, even partly sidelining the efforts of Trump lawyer and enforcer Michael Cohen.
But perhaps Cohen has yet to cede the title. Read More
A good run-down of the GOP Senators who were (probably knowingly) hoodwinked into signing on to the GOP tax bill with false promises and other baloney.
From TPM Reader RM …
The one thing I think your piece needs to address is the personal interests or motivations for pushing rapprochement with Russia. We should keep in mind that the GOP’s position on Russia underwent a radical shift from hawkish to fawning. Had any other person won the GOP nomination, the position on Russia would’ve been as skeptical as that of the Obama Administration and maybe even more hawkish (particularly if former Romney advisors had influence on a hypothetical non-Trump nominee).
Yet more. After CNN reported this afternoon about follow-on conversations after the June Trump Tower meeting, The Washington Post has another development. In a contact brokered by over-the-top publicist Rob Goldstone, an executive with VK (Russia’s top social platform, akin to Facebook) repeatedly pitched Trump aide Dan Scavino on setting up a page on VK. Read More