You have to wonder if Donald Trump is beginning to re-evaluate his personnel choices. A new book suggests that Steve Bannon is not acting in Trump's best interests. David Smith reports in The Guardian that the book contains explosive information:
Fire and Fury: Inside the Trump White House, reportedly based on more than 200 interviews with the president, his inner circle and players in and around the administration, is one of the most eagerly awaited political books of the year. In it, Wolff lifts the lid on a White House lurching from crisis to crisis amid internecine warfare, with even some of Trump’s closest allies expressing contempt for him.
Bannon is furious about the meeting at Trump Tower between Trump Jr, Jared Kushner, Paul Manafort and a Russian lawyer:
He is particularly scathing about a June 2016 meeting involving Trump’s son Donald Jr, son-in-law Jared Kushner, then campaign chairman Paul Manafort and Russian lawyer Natalia Veselnitskaya at Trump Tower in New York. A trusted intermediary had promised documents that would “incriminate” rival Hillary Clinton but instead of alerting the FBI to a potential assault on American democracy by a foreign power, Trump Jr replied in an email: “I love it.”
The meeting was revealed by the New York Times in July last year, prompting Trump Jr to say no consequential material was produced. Soon after, Wolff writes, Bannon remarked mockingly: “The three senior guys in the campaign thought it was a good idea to meet with a foreign government inside Trump Tower in the conference room on the 25th floor – with no lawyers. They didn’t have any lawyers.
Bannon has criticised Trump’s decision to fire Comey. In Wolff’s book, obtained by the Guardian ahead of publication from a bookseller in New England, he suggests White House hopes for a quick end to the Mueller investigation are gravely misplaced.
“You realise where this is going,” he is quoted as saying. “This is all about money laundering. Mueller chose [senior prosecutor Andrew] Weissmann first and he is a money-laundering guy. Their path to fucking Trump goes right through Paul Manafort, Don Jr and Jared Kushner … It’s as plain as a hair on your face.”
Trump is notorious for not wanting to hear bad news. Brannon is delivering it. Trump can't be happy.
Image: Digital Dealer
10 comments:
I remain unconvinced anyone is going to be punished for money laundering. Its like arresting someone for murder in Afghanistan.
What is clear is that the MSM has embaressed and destroyed all credibilty when it comes to collusion re emails. Collusion is a word they use instead of saying, leaked the emails that destroyed Hillary. That is what collusion is. They wont say that why? Could be they know its all bs.
We'll see what Mueller uncovers, Steve. My hunch is that he'll have Trump dead to rights on money laundering -- a crime for which many, with Mafia connections, have gone to jail.
Perhaps 2018 will shape up to be a better year after all, Owen.
This probably is not so much about the Trumps and Russians. Steve Bannon always has an ulterior motive. Having been booted by Trump he likely has some resentment and is taking revenge by taking pot shots from the side lines. I suspect he still wants control. What Bannon is really up to we may never know.
Trump repeatedly trips over himself, Lorne. Let's hope that bodes well for the future.
I suspect, Toby, that Bannon will turn out to be one of Trump's worst enemies. He wants to burn everything down.
I suspect Toby is right. A "Night of the Long Knives" coup. Of course Bannon is just one of the sources used in Wolff's book although his conclusions may be the most troublesome for Team Trump.
Since the Mueller investigation began there has been speculation about how far Trump would go to save his presidency including whether he would sacrifice Kushner, even Don Jr., to save himself.
The cat is certainly among the pigeons now.
These folks are cannibals, Mound. When faced with extinction, they'll eat each other.
"Hey, look over there. There's no collusion. I don't see any collusion. Do you see any collusion? What's a 'collusion', anyway?"
It seems to be that Trump and his supporters are most responsible for echoing the "collusion" through-line. They've latched onto it fast and won't let it go. Recall that supporters of Stephen Harper and the man himself were those chiefly responsible for perpetuating the "hidden agenda" theme. Maybe there's a term or word that describes this particular use of the red herring more precisely, but I'll leave it at that.
Trump is a master of distraction, John. Some might call him an Orange Herring.
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