This Weekend in Politics, Bulletin 216

… WaPo reports that Trump will now attend the unprecedented meeting with hundreds of the most senior US generals and admirals from around the world who have been ordered to a briefing which was supposed to be a lecture from Pete Hegseth about the “warrior ethos.” It sure is sounding more and more like this meeting is really about demanding personal loyalty to Hegseth and Trump.

… On August 2, 1934, Adolf Hitler demanded that all members of the German armed forces swear a new oath of personal allegiance to him rather than the German nation. This was part of his effort to consolidate power and make the military personally and unconditionally loyal to him as the head of state and supreme commander.

… After right-wing Blaze media mischaracterized an FBI report with a story claiming that 274 plainclothes FBI agents were “embedded in the crowd” on J6 to instigate the riot went viral on social media, Trump chimed in to spread the lie: “It was just revealed that the FBI had secretly placed, against all Rules, Regulations, Protocols, and Standards, 274 FBI Agents into the Crowd just prior to, and during, the January 6th Hoax.

… “That’s right, as it now turns out, FBI Agents were at, and in, the January 6th Protest, probably acting as Agitators and Insurrectionists, but certainly not as ‘Law Enforcement Officials.’ I want to know who each and every one of these so-called “Agents” are, and what they were up to on that now “Historic” Day. Many Great American Patriots were made to pay a very big price only for the love of their Country. I owe this investigation of “Dirty Cops and Crooked Politicians” to them! Christopher Wray, the then Director of the FBI, has some major explaining to do.”

… Except the whole thing was a lie. Even FBI Director Kash Patel was forced to respond to an inquiry from Fox by pointing out that the story, and Trump’s reaction to it, was a lie. Except Patel referred to his statement as a “clarification”: “Agents were sent into a crowd control mission after the riot was declared by Metro Police.”

… Fox: “While the agents were on hand, they were sent in after the riot had begun to try to control the unruly crowd.”

… But well after Patel issued his statement and Fox put out there report, Speaker Mike Johnson went on CNN to continue to lie about it: “Apparently there were 274 FBI agents in the crowd.”

… Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) on CBS: “I just find it appalling that the president would say the FBI was somehow part of this. Kash Patel did clarify that in fact they were brought in after the fact, but they were brought in because we needed help.”

… Former Trump lawyer Ty Cobb on CBS: “The simple theme is rewriting history. Trump wants to rewrite history so the next generation may not know that he incited a violent insurrection and refused to peacefully transfer power after losing an election. America needs to learn from the mistakes that we’ve had. And one of the biggest mistakes that America ever had was reelecting President Trump.”

… CBS’s Scott Macfarlane: “Amid an ongoing wave of conspiracy theories and bogus claims about Jan 6, I’ll note this from our reporting: Rioters made all kinds of claims and defenses in court - and jurors convicted 100% of the defendants who went to trial. 100%.”

… Trump spent his 3rd consecutive day on the golf course with a govt shutdown looming in 3 days. But he did change his mind and agreed to meet with Chuck Schumer and Hakeem Jeffries tomorrow afternoon.

… Schumer on NBC: “I called John Thune Friday afternoon, I said, come on, the only way we’re going to get this done is a serious negotiation. Sat evening, we got a call from the WH, they would do it, Monday at 2pm. It’s a good first step. They felt the heat. And they now want to sit down. The fundamental question hasn’t been answered yet. Are they serious about negotiating with us in a real way?”

… On CNN this morning, Speaker Mike Johnson said the meeting is pointless: Q - “Just to be clear, there’s not going be any negotiation at this meeting? This is just gonna be you, Thune, and Trump telling Jeffries and Schumer ‘we’re not giving you anything’? Johnson: I’m telling you where the president’s head is.”

… JD Vance on Fox: “We don’t want to shut down the govt, but if Democrats refuse to just pass this clean continuing resolution, that’s exactly what’s going to happen.”

… Schumer: “My hope is it will be a serious negotiation. If they’re serious, I’m hopeful.”

… Senate Majority Leader John Thune on NBC: “Well, the deal is not ready to be done. The govt is going to close on Tues night at midnight. Let’s keep the govt open, then let’s go to work on that issue. The program wouldn’t end until the end of the year, and it’s a program that is fraught with waste, fraud, and abuse. There are so many people who don’t even know they have coverage, because the payments are made directly to the insurance company.”

… “They auto-enroll people. They go out and sign them up so they can get paid. You have a lot of people who don’t even know they have coverage, so more than half of the people that have insurance through this program never filed a claim last year. This is a program where they took the lids off. There’s no income limits now, and you can make $600,000 a year and qualify for this. So it’s a program in desperate need of reform.”

… “We acknowledge that hopefully there’ll be some steps taken that can address the concerns the Democrats have. But you can’t do this by Tues, and you can’t do it while you’re holding the American people hostage with a govt shutdown.”

… I thought Trump, Miller and Johnson said this was just about Democrats wanting free health care for migrants and trans people.

… CNN fact-checker Daniel Dale: “Last night, the president posted a fictional Fox News report in which an AI version of himself announced a new (nonexistent) policy of giving every American ‘a free medbed card’ to give them ‘guaranteed access’ to (imaginary) hospitals in which they can be returned ‘to full health’ by (imaginary) magical ‘medbeds,’ a conspiracy theory that circulates in an an obscure fraction of the online far right.”

… “The conspiracy theory is that society’s elite/the deep state already has secret access to medbeds, or that famously dead people like JFK are actually alive on medbeds. So the imaginary Fox report has Trump supposedly giving Real Americans access to the elites’ magic product.”

… Journalist Arieh Kovler: “It’s not funny; the MedBed stuff is terribly sad. So many people who are dying or watching a loved one fade away, excited that Trump will finally release all the hidden cures and save them in time. Hang around QAnon-type spaces and you’ll see them posting. It’s heartbreaking.”

… Gavin Newsom: “Trump is about to shut down the govt and rip health care from 20 million Americans. What’s he doing? Posting AI-generated slop about ‘miracle hospital beds’ that cure all illness. DONALD TRUMP HAS LOST IT.”

… After the post was up for 24 hours and several media outlets reported on it, Trump finally deleted his deranged post on Sunday.

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I have a feeling this could be an especially crazy week, Trump’s meeting with Schumer and Jeffries, the meeting with the generals, Portland, indictments - it seems like there is so much already teed up and that doesn’t include things that are going to happen that we don’t even know about. I will do my best to keep up!

… Trump announced on Truth Social he is now sending federal troops into Portland, OR: “At the request of Secretary of Homeland Security, Kristi Noem, I am directing Secretary of War, Pete Hegseth, to provide all necessary Troops to protect War ravaged Portland, and any of our ICE Facilities under siege from attack by Antifa, and other domestic terrorists. I am also authorizing Full Force, if necessary.”

… Rep. Darrell Issa (R-CA): “Enough is enough. I’m drafting legislation to establish an Antifa Most Wanted List. It’s time for zero tolerance of this domestic terrorism.”

… Oregon Gov. Tina Kotek: “There is no insurrection, there is no threat to national security and there is no need for military troops in our major city.”

… Portland Mayor Keith Wilson: “The number of necessary troops is zero, in Portland and any other American city. Our nation has a long memory for acts of oppression, and the president won’t find lawlessness or violence here unless he plans to perpetrate it.”

… Rep. Maxine Dexter (D-OR): “Trump wants to tell a story of Portland that doesn’t reflect who we are. The Portland we love didn’t ask for federal agents, and doesn’t want federal agents.”

… Sen. Patty Murray (D-WA): “Portland is a beautiful and vibrant city - it is not a war zone. The President needs to keep the military out of the Pacific Northwest. This is yet another abuse of power. Leaders across America - in govt, business, everywhere -need to push back.”

… Schumer: “I would hope that some of our Republican colleagues would join us in legislation to prevent this from happening.”

… ICE agents walking around downtown Chicago today:

… Elon Musk was not happy with this headline by Sky News after the latest Epstein documents were released by Democrats on House Oversight on Friday: “Elon Musk and Prince Andrew named in latest Epstein files release.”

… Musk responded: “Shame on Sky News for this utterly misleading headline. Anyone pushing this false narrative deserves complete contempt. Epstein tried to get me to go to his island and I REFUSED, yet they name me even before Prince Andrew, who did visit.”

… Rep. Marge Greene (R-GA) posted that she will never back off calling for the Epstein files to be released despite pressure from Trump: “I am not suicidal and one of the happiest healthiest people you will meet. If something happens to me, I ask you all to find out which foreign govt or powerful people would take heinous actions to stop the info from coming out.”

… NBC: “US military officials are drawing up options to target drug traffickers inside Venezuela, and strikes within that country’s borders could potentially begin in a matter of weeks. Striking inside Venezuela would be another escalation in the Trump admin’s military campaign against alleged drug targets and its stance toward Venezuela’s govt.”

… Justice Clarence Thomas is signaling that more legal precedents which have stood for decades on things like separation of church and state and gay marriage may end with their upcoming term: “I don’t think that any of these cases that have been decided are the gospel. And I do give perspective to the precedent. But the precedent should be respectful of our legal tradition, and our country and our laws, and be based on something – not just something somebody dreamt up and others went along with.”

… John Thune on NBC: “We’ve got a big harvest coming in here in South Dakota, corn and soybeans, and no place to go with it. We are looking at potential solutions to make sure we can help support farmers until some of those markets come back. I think a lot of our farmers support Trump’s tariff policy, but our farmers are going to need some financial assistance this year.”

… Michigan US Senate candidate Mallory McMorrow to Meidas: “Farmers are being told, ‘You’ll be okay because we’re going to bail you out.’ I’ve been all over the state, in some of the reddest and most rural counties. Michiganders do not want a handout. Farmers want to be able to sell their crops, buy farm equipment, and have customers. Having pennies put back in your pocket while Trump is building ballrooms or filling the Oval Office with gold décor from Home Depot just feels insulting. It is beyond insulting.”

… Former Canadian MP Charlie Angus to Meidas: “I was just in Western Canada, where our farmers are having a great year because we’re exporting into what used to be American markets. Your former allies are walking away, leaving your farmers, who voted for you, in what they’re calling Farmageddon. We’re now talking with Mexico, with Europe, with countries around the world. Donald - we’re moving on.”

… WSJ: “Having set the stage for a year of high-level engagement with the Trump administration, Xi Jinping is now chasing his ultimate prize: a change in US policy that Beijing hopes could isolate Taiwan. As Trump has shown interest in striking an economic accord with China in the coming year, the Chinese leader is planning to press his American counterpart to formally state that the U.S. ‘opposes’ Taiwan’s independence.”

… “Since coming to power in late 2012, Xi has made bringing Taiwan under Beijing’s control a key tenet of his ‘China Dream’ of national revival. Now, well into an unprecedented third term, he has repeatedly emphasized that ‘reunification’ is inevitable and can’t be stopped by outside forces—a reference to Washington’s political and military support to Taipei.”

… Marge Greene has been on a bit of a rampage after Trump reported refused to back her potential run for Senate: “I told them, ‘You didn’t get me elected. I do not work for you; I work for my district.’ We aren’t supposed to just be whipped on our votes because they’re telling us what to do with this scary threat, or saying ‘We’ll primary you,’ or that we won’t get invited to the WH events. Me personally? I don’t care. I’m like, ‘Fuck you.’”

… Laura Loomer: “There’s nothing more cringe than when elected officials say ‘I’m not suicidal’ as a cry for help on social media. If you feel compelled to post something so attention seeking, maybe you shouldn’t be in office. How does this attention seeking make our life better? We have so many issues in our country because elected officials want to be celebrities instead of actually working for the American people.”

… Fox legal analyst Andy McCarthy on the Comey case: “The indictment almost fails as an indictment in that it doesn’t give you notice of what Comey has actually done. But factually there’s nothing there. So this smacks of wanting to put Comey through the process, which is what lawfare is. Those lawyers at the DOJ, when they sign off on those pleadings, they have an ethical responsibility to at least bring a case that has a reasonable chance of prevailing, and this is not that case.”

… Former Dep Director of the FBI Andrew McCabe on CNN: “When Trump started having his first interactions with Comey, we were almost naive in thinking, ‘Is this president actually trying to influence our investigative decision making?’ We didn’t want to believe it. Fast forward to today - those requests are happening on social media. His intention is vengeance.”

… McCabe: “I’m not aware of Jim Comey ever authorizing some other person to leak information. That’s not something I experienced personally, it’s not something I saw in all the time I spent working around Jim Comey.”

… McCabe also said that even though he would be perhaps the most important witness in the Comey case, DOJ never contacted him for an interview before the indictment: “If my interactions with Jim Comey 9 years ago was going to be the basis of this entire prosecution, it’s unbelievable to think that prosecutors wouldn’t at least want to sit down and hear what I have to say about it.”

… McCabe: “His intention is vengeance. That is what he’s going after. I don’t think there’s anything that will stop him.” He was then asked if he is worried he will be the next target: “Of course. Who wouldn’t be, right?”

… Mike Johnson was asked about it on CNN: Q - “As a constitutional attorney and the Speaker, do you believe it’s acceptable for any president to publicly or privately instruct their AG to prosecute their political opponent and go as far as firing a US attorney if they don’t bring charges? Johnson: A grand jury voted to indict Comey. That’s how our system works.”

… So when grand juries indict Trump, that is Joe Biden weaponizing the justice system despite the fact that he had nothing to do with it and said nothing. But when Trump demands an indictment in writing and appoints his personal attorney to get one, that is “how our system works.”

… Former Trump lawyer Ty Cobb to CBS: “I think there’s a good chance because of the wholly unconstitutional, authoritarian way that this was done, that the case may get tossed well before trial.” Q - That’s quite a description. You used to work for President Trump. Cobb: “I don’t have reasons to say anything other than balls and strikes.”

… Sen. Tim Kaine (D-VA) on CBS: “I found it very odd when the AG put a press release saying ‘We will follow the facts in this case.’ What? Prosecutors follow the facts before they indict. They don’t indict and then say, ‘Well, let’s see what the facts are.’”

… Unhinged Stephen Miller made it clear on Fox that more indictments are coming: “Comey, Clapper, Brennan, Obama, Monaco, all conspired together to try to sabotage the democratic institutions of this country. I cannot find words harsh enough to condemn the conduct of these conspirators - these insurrectionists.”

… There was a full hysterical MAGA meltdown after Gavin Newsom posted that Stephen Miller is a fascist. Miller suggested that Newsom was trying to incite people to violence against him. I responded by posting 4 screen shots of Miller calling Democrats fascists, including this one on March 18, 2024:

… Trump’s Director of Counterterrorism Sebastian Gorka to Newsom: “That’s what you all called Charlie Kirk. Then one of you assassinated him. Why are you inciting murder?”

… Gorka posted this about Newsom on July 28, 2024: “You really are a humorless fascist.”

… Rep. Derrick Van Orden (R-WI): “At this point, this reaches the threshold of domestic terrorism. This is no longer ‘inflammatory’, it is criminal. No one is above the law.”

… Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick says you can’t count the 2025 economy against Trump: “I think the 2026 economy is Donald Trump’s economy. The 2025 is a mixture of Biden and Trump’s economy.”

… Does that mean the mess Biden inherited from Trump and all the bad numbers from 2021 counts towards Trump’s record? And the 2017 numbers that Trump likes to brag about are really Obama’s?

… More Nutlick: “The President cares about America. Anyone who suggests he cares about his own economics is making it up. Sometimes he’ll speak like ‘give it to me’. He doesn’t actually mean ‘me’. He means ‘me’ for America. I’ve watched and never once has he given a hoot about himself, his family, his economics.”

… Despite covering Trump every day for many years, I am unfamiliar with this Lutnick version of Trump.

… Gregg Nunziata, former GOP staffer for Marco Rubio and John Thune: “I knew JD Vance a bit, not well, 10 years ago. I thought well of him. I’ll never understand how he became who he has become. Of course, the ideology changed, but the dishonesty and pettiness, that’s the worst of it.”

… Former GOP strategist and campaign consultant Mark Murphy: “Same here. He called me and we had a good conversation about his running for US Senate in Ohio in 2018 as a Never Trump Republican. We discussed our mutual contempt for Trump. I told him it was a worthy task but his odds of a primary win were slim. Apparently, he recalculated.”

… Energy Secretary Lee Zeldin was on Newsmax explaining why the US is abandoning the development of clean, renewable energy for fossil fuels: “Those battery storage sites cost a whole lot of money, and they then catch on fire and these local municipalities, fire departments, they aren’t prepared for those massive fires that end up resulting and those environmental impacts.”

… Good thing fossil fuels aren’t flammable.

… Rep Seth Moulton (D-MA) told CNN’s Manu Raju that he is thinking about challenging 79 year old Sen. Ed Markey in the Democratic primary next year. “Democrats are not satisfied with the status quo. Everyone knows we are opposed to Trump. But what are we going do differently?”

… Eric Adams announced he was dropping out of the NYC Mayor’s race: “It’s been an honor to be your mayor. I know I cannot continue my campaign. I strongly encourage who ever takes over City Hall to continue what we’ve done. I want to be clear, although this is the end of my campaign, this will not be the end of my public service.”

… Trump has repeatedly called for Adams to drop out of the race to give Andrew Cuomo a better chance against Mamdani. After Adams flew to south FL for a secret meeting, it was reported weeks ago that he was pitched a deal that if he dropped out Trump would appoint him to an ambassadorship.

… Statement from Hakeem Jeffries: “Eric Adams has served courageously and authentically for decades as a Member of the NYPD, the NY State Senate, in Brooklyn Borough Hall and as our 110th Mayor. Thank you for your service to our City. Over the next few days, my entire focus will be on addressing the Republican healthcare crisis and funding the govt. I will publicly weigh in with respect to the remaining candidates in the Mayor’s race well before the start of early voting.”

… Trump posted on Truth Social that foreign leaders are all amazed at the majesty and splendor of his new golden palace: “Some of the highest quality 24 Karat Gold used in the Oval Office and Cabinet Room of the WH. Foreign Leaders, and everyone else, ‘freak out’ when the see the quality and beauty. Best Oval Office ever, in terms of success and look!!!”