This Weekend in Politics, Bulletin 179

… OK’s MAGA schools’ chief Ryan Walters is under fire after porn images were playing on the screen in his office during a board meeting. Walters has mandated Bible study in classrooms and even purchased Trump Bibles with taxpayer funds for schools. Since he was elected in 2022 he has been a culture warrior crusader investigating “woke” teachers and scouring libraries for books that offend him.

… Board members Ryan Deatherage and Becky Carson told The Oklahoman they were stunned by what they saw in the closed door meeting. Carson: “I was like - those are naked women. I saw them just walking across the screen, and I’m like, ‘no.’ I’m sorry I even have to use this language, but I’m like, ‘Those are her nipples.’ Then I’m like, ‘That’s pubic hair.’ What in the world am I watching? I didn’t watch a second longer. I was so disturbed by it, I was like, ‘What is on your TV?’ I was very stern, like I’d been a mother or a classroom teacher. I said, ‘What am I watching? Turn it off now!’”

… Quinton Hitchcock, spokesman for Walters, served up this lame statement: "Any number of people have access to these offices. You have a hostile board who will say and do anything except tell the truth, and now, the Woklahoman is reporting on an alleged random TV cable image."

… Deatherage and Carson said Walters immediately rose from the table and turned the screen off. Deatherage: “When he came back to the table, there was no discussion, there was no apology. We moved on with our meeting.”

… Board member Chris Van Denhende: "I did not see what was described on the TV. I can only confirm that Walters was shook up."

… Board member Michael Tinney: "He was obviously a little flustered or embarrassed."

… Van Denhende: “I suppose the state legislature could start impeachment proceedings. Personally, right now forgetting this and putting this to the side, I think just being 50th in education is an impeachable offense.”

… OK’s Republican House Speaker Kyle Hilbert: "I urge the State Superintendent to unlock and turn over all relevant devices and fully cooperate with an investigation. If no wrongdoing occurred, a prompt and transparent review should quickly clear his name."

… Gov. Kevin Stitt, who endorsed Walters: “Should the allegation be true, all I can say is that I am profoundly disappointed.”

… Walters first issued this brief statement: “These board members are blatantly dishonest. It is disappointing that they are more interested in creating distractions than getting work done for Oklahoma families.”

… Then he posted this on X tonight: “As I lead the charge for a bold overhaul of education in OK, putting parents back in control, rejecting radical agendas, and demanding excellence: it’s no surprise to face politically motivated attacks. Any suggestion that a device of mine was used to stream inappropriate content on the TV set is categorically false.”

… “I have no knowledge of what was on the TV screen during the alleged incident, and there is absolutely no truth to any implication of wrongdoing. These falsehoods are the desperate tactics of a broken establishment afraid of real change. They aren’t just attacking me, they’re attacking the values of the Oklahomans who elected me to challenge the status quo.”

… Trust me, bro.

Crazed lunatic and alleged pervert Ryan Walters

… WPFB: Florida Republican city commissioner James Taylor of Fort Pierce was arrested on 24 felony counts for sending nude photos of himself and sexually explicit SnapChat messages to 12-year-old girl in multi-state child exploitation investigation. St. Lucie Sheriff Richard Del Toro: “He could be identified in these photos. They were explicit. Inappropriate is not even the word. He admitted his role in this and was very remorseful.”

… Protesters turned out in several cities and towns across Scotland to protest Trump’s visit to play golf and open one of his new courses. He was also caught cheating by people recording him from a distance as balls continue to magically pop out of his caddie’s pocket in favorable positions whenever Trump hit a terrible shot into deep rough or water. We have the clip with a brief story here if you wanted to watch Trump cheating at golf again.

… I posted my favorite protest signs made by the Scots here if you wanted to check them out.

… After his round, Trump was asked if he had a message for Europeans: “Stop the windmills. You're ruining your countries. You're killing your birds and ruining the oceans. On immigration, stop the invasion. You better get your act together. You're not gonna have Europe anymore.”

… Trump’s hatred of “windmills” (turbines) began over a decade ago when he sued the Scottish government when they installed some in the ocean near his golf course in Aberdeen. He testified before the Scottish parliament and complained that it was ruining his view. Lost. Sued them in court. Lost. Appealed it to the UK Supreme Court. Lost. That is the origin story of his obsession with windmills.

… Trump was whining about it again today: “I’m playing the best golf course in the world, and I own it. And I look up and see windmills. Windmills should not be allowed.”

… AP: Trump’s late mother, Mary Anne MacLeod, was born on the Isle of Lewis in Scotland and the president has suggested he feels at home in the country. But the protesters did their best to change that. Amy White of Edinburgh: “I don’t think I could just stand by and not do anything. So many people here loathe him. We’re not divided. We’re not divided by religion, or race or political allegiance, we’re just here together because we hate him.”

… Mark Gorman of Edinburgh: “The vast majority of Scots have this sort of feeling about Trump that, even though he has Scottish roots, he’s a disgrace. I have deep disdain for Donald Trump and everything that he stands for.”

… Sky News posted video of Trump’s convoy of golf carts blasting music on the course to drown out reporters yelling questions to him about Epstein between holes.

… Trump also announced another amazing trade deal. This time with the EU. Economist Justin Wolfers gave a brief summary: “American President raises taxes on Americans across a wide range of goods; European Union President announces tax cuts for Europeans across a narrow range of goods.”

… Variety: “South Park creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone hit the Comic-Con stage a day after the Season 27 premiere of their smash Comedy Central series. The duo were asked whether they got any notes from the network over the episode, and Parker and Stone said most of the debate revolved around the episode’s animated tiny Trump penis.”

… Parker on what network execs told him: “‘So we love the episode. But but we’re gonna blur the penis.’ And I’m like, ‘No, you’re not gonna blur the penis.' That was a whole conversation for about four fucking days.”

… Stone said they made sure that Trump’s tiny penis wasn’t edited out by the suits: “We put eyes on the penis.”

… NYT reported that $934 million was transferred from funds being used to modernize the aging US ground-based nuclear stockpile to an account used to refurbish Trump’s new ‘Palace in the Sky’ jet that was a “gift” from Qatar. But even after that money is spent, Trump will use it as Air Force One for only one year before it reverts to become property of his ‘Presidential Library’.

… Lauren Boebert’s son continued his one-man crime spree in Colorado this weekend. Westword: “Tyler Boebert faces a misdemeanor charge of child abuse.
According to a court summons, the child-abuse charge Tyler faces is criminal negligence where no death or injury occurred. Congresswoman Boebert characterized the incident as ‘a miscommunication on monitoring my young grandson that recently led to him getting out of our house.’”

… “It's the latest in a string of law enforcement encounters for the 20-year-old over the past few years. In September 2022, Tyler flipped his father's SUV into a creek bed, resulting in his passenger suffering multiple concussions and a severely lacerated hand. In January 2024, Tyler called the police and reported that his father, Jayson, was assaulting him at their home in Garfield County, resulting in the elder Boebert's arrest.”

… “In 2024, Tyler was hit with felony charges for a series of thefts from vehicles and for using stolen credit cards at local gas stations. He was hit with more than a dozen charges, eventually pleading guilty last Oct to a single charge of attempting to commit identity theft. It's unclear whether Tyler's citation constitutes a breach of his probationary term, which still has over one year left.”

… WaPo: “Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s use of polygraph tests to search for people leaking info to the media was stopped at the direction of the WH after a senior adviser to Hegseth raised alarm to senior officials there about being targeted. Patrick Weaver, complained to WH officials this spring with concerns that he could soon be directed by Hegseth or another member of his team to submit to a polygraph test. The possibility angered Weaver, an immigration hawk seen within the admin as a loyal foot soldier to Trump and associate of Stephen Miller.”

… “Before they were stopped, multiple tests were carried out over several weeks with approval by Hegseth and advice from Tim Parlatore, who has served as both Hegseth’s private attorney and a part-time military aide on his staff. Tests also had been threatened by Hegseth against others, including Navy Adm. Christopher Grady, the vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and Army Lt. Gen. Douglas A. Sims, the director of the Joint Staff.”

… “Hegseth later decided to bypass promoting Sims to a 4-star general, despite an earlier plan to do so and intervention from Gen. Dan Caine, who is the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and other senior Pentagon officials. That decision has irked a number of senior officers who thought Sims had acted in an apolitical manner and deserved better.”

… Hegseth spokesman Sean Parnell: “The Department will not comment on an ongoing investigation. The Fake News Media’s obsession with months old workplace gossip is a reflection of the sad and pathetic state of ‘journalism’ in Washington.”

… NYT: “Hegseth decided not to promote a senior Army officer who had led troops over 5 tours in Afghanistan and Iraq because Hegseth suspected, without evidence, that the officer had leaked sensitive info to the media. When Lt. Gen. Sims was cleared of the allegations, Hegseth briefly agreed to promote him, only to change course again early this month. This time, Hegseth maintained that Sims was too close to Gen. Mark Milley, a former chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff whom Trump has accused of disloyalty.”

… “Hegseth’s sudden reversal prompted a rare intervention from Gen. Dan Caine, the current chairman of the Joint Chiefs. He urged Hegseth to reconsider. Hegseth met with Gen. Sims one final time but refused to budge. Sims is now expected to retire in the coming months after 34 years in the military.”

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… Speaker Mike Johnson was asked on Meet the Press if he would support a pardon or sentence reduction for Ghislane Maxwell if that’s what Trump wanted to do: “That's a decision of the president. That's not my lane.”

… Profiles in courage from Johnson, as always.

… Q - Can Maxwell’s word be trusted? Johnson: “I hope so. I hope she's telling the truth. If she wants to come clean now, that would be a great service to the country.”

… Q - Should all of the Epstein files be released? Johnson: “All credible evidence. The word ‘credible’ is important because you have to protect innocent people’s names and reputations whose names might be intertwined in these files.”

… In other words, Trump’s former criminal defense lawyer now Dep. AG Todd Blanche will decide what evidence in the files is “credible” and put that out. But evidence that is deemed not credible (every time Trump’s name comes up) by Blanche will be redacted.

… Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY) was asked on NBC about Johnson saying Massie wanted to force a vote on Epstein just to inflict political pain on House GOP leadership: "Why should it be politically painful by being transparent? Is the pain he’s talking about that somebody in our party will be embarrassed by those files? Then that's not a good excuse. Why is it painful for Mike Johnson to call a vote on this? The American people deserve this regardless of what the political ramifications are for the Speaker.

… Massie on the DOJ saying they won't release more Epstein info because it could hurt victims: "That's a straw man - they're hiding behind that. It's the president's own AG, FBI director, children, and VP who said these files need to be released. We're just trying to hold their feet to the fire."

… Trump even lost his disgraced and pardoned former NSA Michael Flynn: “Here’s my message to Sen. John Thune and Speaker Johnson along with all the other establishment Republicans inside and outside of government: President Trump, RELEASE THE EPSTEIN FILES IMMEDIATELY!”

… Rep. Eric Burlison (R-MO) to CNN on the Epstein debacle: “Part of the problem is that false expectations were created, and that’s a political mistake. Saying you were going to deliver before you even looked at the files was a misstep. You only fan the flames of conspiracy if you don’t demonstrate that you’re trying to get the information released.”

… “To me, knowing Trump, I would really be surprised if there was any kind of nefarious connection. I’m sure there was some connection - we’ve seen the photos. They were both high in NY scenes so they’re going to know each other. But the question is, was he one of the individuals that Maxwell tried to get a girl to sleep with. He says that was not the case and I believe him.”

… Of course he does. Because Trump has a track record for honesty in these things.

… Burlison was then asked if Maxwell should get a deal for her testimony: “I would be opposed to giving Maxwell any kind of clemency or pardon. I think it would be a mistake. She committed heinous acts and it would be a disservice to the victims.'“

… Rep. Jason Crow (D-CO) was asked on Fox about Trump and Tulsi Gabbard accusing Barack Obama of treason: "Pam Bondi briefed Donald Trump in May on the Epstein files. When did all of this start coming up? In May and June. You want to talk about a coincidence? I don't believe in a coincidence here."

… Sen. Markwayne Mullin (R-OK) was on CNN trying to blame Obama for Epstein: “Remember, there was a sweetheart plea deal that was struck in 2009, way before Trump was even considering to be in office, under the Obama admin. Host: No. It was 2008. The US attorney at the time was a guy named Alex Acosta. He was a Bush appointee. He went on to become Trump's Secretary of Labor. MULLIN: Who was in office at the time? Host: George W. Bush. MULLIN: No. 2009 was when the case came out, and Obama was in office at the time. Host: That’s not true.”

… NBC legal correspondent Tom Winter: “Here’s the timeline: - May 2007, federal prosecutor submits a draft 60 count indictment against Epstein. - Notice of Plea Agreement was signed in September 2007. After exhausting his legal efforts Epstein fulfills NPA obligations in June 2008.”

… All under Bush. Not the Black guy.

… Trump posted a clip from Fox host Mark Levin as the propaganda network continues to try to distract from Epstein 24/7 with Gabbard’s Obama hoax: “What Obama did wasn’t within his official acts. He asked the CIA and these others to do something that was corrupt. Therefore, there is no absolute immunity.”

… Trump’s former NSA John Bolton on Gabbard’s claims: “She’s strung together a series of things that aren’t necessarily related, she’s exaggerated what actual congressional reports have said, she’s imagined evidence that doesn’t exist. So, if anybody really gets into it, it collapses pretty quickly. But as a campaign to save her job, I think it actually worked out pretty successfully for her.”

… Bolton: “Whether it succeeded in distracting from the Jeffrey Epstein affair, I don’t know. But there is, in substance, nothing to it and certainly no justification for the Justice Department to launch a criminal investigation.”

… Trump posted a meme on Truth Social of himself and JD Vance in a police car chasing Obama, who was depicted driving the white Ford Bronco involved in the OJ chase.

… Lara Trump asked Marco Rubio on her Fox show if he is going to run for president in 2028: “I think JD Vance would be a great nominee if he decides he wants to do that.”

… Rubio is unquestionably angling to be Vance’s running mate in 2028. Good chance that happens too.

… Trump continues to rant about going after networks who criticize him: “Networks aren’t allowed to be political pawns for the Democrat Party. It has become so outrageous that, in my opinion, their licenses could, and should, be revoked!”

… Another: “Wow, ‘Concast’s’ NBC is down in viewership almost 28% this year. Their programming is terrible, their management even worse. They are an arm of the Democrat Party, and should be held accountable for that. Likewise, Fake News ABC!!!”

… Then he called for a bunch of Black people to be arrested: “The fact that they admit to paying, probably illegally, 11 Million Dollars to singer Beyoncé for an ENDORSEMENT (she never sang, not one note, and left the stage to a booing and angry audience!), 3 Million Dollars for ‘expenses,’ to Oprah, $600,000 to very low rated TV ‘anchor,’ Al Sharpton (a total lightweight!), and others to be named for doing, absolutely NOTHING! YOU ARE NOT ALLOWED TO PAY FOR AN ENDORSEMENT. IT IS TOTALLY ILLEGAL TO DO SO. Kamala, and all of those that received Endorsement money, BROKE THE LAW. They should all be prosecuted! Thank you for your attention to this matter.”

… None of that is true by the way.

… Drama Queen Dan Bongino continues to post unhinged lunacy: “During my tenure here as the Dep Director of the FBI, I have repeatedly relayed to you that things are happening that might not be immediately visible, but they are happening. The Director and I are committed to stamping out public corruption and the political weaponization of both law enforcement and intelligence operations. What I have learned in the course of our properly predicated and necessary investigations into these aforementioned matters, has shocked me down to my core. We cannot run a Republic like this. I’ll never be the same after learning what I’ve learned.”

… “We are going to conduct these righteous and proper investigations by the book and in accordance with the law. We are going to get the answers WE ALL DESERVE. As with any investigation, I cannot predict where it will land, but I can promise you an honest and dignified effort at truth. Not ‘my truth,’ or ‘your truth,’ but THE TRUTH. God bless America, and all those who defend Her.”

… The Japanese continue to dispute Trump and Lutnick’s claims that they are handing over $550 billion to him to invest in US projects as he sees fit. The Japan Times cites government officials that all of this is aspirational and the govt is giving nothing to the US: “Investment in the US is ultimately a decision for Japanese companies to make, and the $550 billion figure is merely a government target.”

… Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick vowed on Fox that Trump’s TACOing days are over when it comes to tariffs: "No extensions. No more grace periods. August 1, the tariffs are set. They'll go into place."

… But the South China Morning Post reports that Lutnick is not being honest: “Beijing and Washington are expected to extend their tariff truce by another 3 months at trade talks in Stockholm beginning on Monday. China and the US agreed in May to remove most of the heavy tariffs levied on each other’s goods for 90 days while continuing trade negotiations. That suspension is set to expire on August 12. During the expected 90-day extension, the two nations will commit to not impose additional tariffs on each other, nor escalate the trade war by other means.”

… The lawsuit filed by French First Lady Brigitte Macron against right-wing podcaster Candace Owens notes that Owens didn’t just falsely accuse her of being trans: “Owens alleged the Macrons were part of a very small group of elite oligarchs who routinely practice homosexuality and pedophilia and worship a transgender deity that controls the world.”

… Trump’s Budget Director Russ Vought was asked on CNN if his impoundment of funding for NIH is undermining critical research: “NIH is a program that if they were a company, their stock prices would in shambles. They in some respects caused the pandemic by their gain of function research. You have an entire institute that does nothing more than DEI research at NIH.”

… Fiona Hill, Trump’s former advisor on Russia during his first term, told NYT that she sees parallels between Trump and Boris Yeltsin, who brought about the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991: “Trump is deconstructing the United States, just as Yeltsin deconstructed the Soviet Union.”

… Trump was asked today if Israel should be doing more to allow food into Gaza: “We gave $60 million for food and no one acknowledged it. You really at least want to have somebody say thank you. It makes you feel bad.”

… Rep. Randy Fine (R-Tel Aviv) was asked about multiple reports of starvation in Gaza: “There is no starvation. Everything about the Palestinian cause is a lie.”

… A woman caller from TN to CSPAN: “Do you think our Lord wants children starving? Mr. Trump, I'm so disappointed in you. I voted for you and you have just turned us into a bunch of hateful, mean, horrible people. I know we got too many immigrants in this country but good heavens we don’t have to be so mean to them. I will never ever vote Republican again. This country is just going in the wrong direction and it just saddens my heart."

… Politico: “Trump’s team is worried it has a Doug Mastriano problem on its hands. Trump’s advisers privately fear he could cost Republicans the PA governor’s seat and drag down the GOP ticket in the midterms. Republicans blame Mastriano for costing them a Senate contest, multiple House seats and a state legislative chamber in 2022 when he lost by 15 points in PA’s gubernatorial race. Now he’s teasing a comeback bid against Gov. Josh Shapiro. With as many as 4 GOP-held House seats in play in the state, Republicans believe Mastriano’s name atop the ballot would threaten their chances of keeping their slim majority.”

… PA Republican consultant Josh Novotney: “If he’s our nominee, we lose 4 House seats. He’s a nightmare that no one wants.”

… Politico: “Despite perennially alarming Republican leaders, Mastriano, a state senator, still appears to have a grip on MAGA voters. A private Public Policy Polling survey conducted in May shows him leading state Treasurer Stacy Garrity, a likely candidate favored by much of the party establishment, by 21 points.”

… Democratic state party leaders are confident that if Elon Musk is able to get his 3rd party off the ground, it will only hurt Republicans. GA Democratic Party Chair Charlie Bailey to Politico: “I think if something has Musk’s branding on it, you’re not going to attract Democrats, and you’re not going to attract many independents. If it’s got Musk branding, you’re likely to attract the vast majority of right-wing Republicans. I don’t think those voters are probably that gettable for us anyway.”

… NYT profiled RFK’s grandson and former Rep. Joseph Kennedy III’s ‘Groundwork Project’, which has been developing a network of grass roots resistance in deep-red states MS, AL, OK and WV: “Kennedy said those states have become havens for right-wing initiatives, ranging from the evisceration of the Clean Air Act in WV to legislation in MS that banned abortions after 15 weeks. The Project operates on a relatively modest $2.8 million a year, much of it disbursed as $25,000 annual grants to about 40 local groups that have fought uphill battles in areas like environmental justice and reproductive rights.”

… Kennedy: “The only way to change the power structures in those states is to organize people. That’s not a short fix. But what else can you do?”

… Jim Kessler, with the centrist Democratic organization Third Way: “It’s all but certain that RFK Jr. is going to run for president as a Republican in 2028. Maybe part of what the younger Kennedy is doing is reclaiming the family legacy as a way to remind people, ‘This is who we really are.’”

… Kennedy was retracing the steps of his grandfather, RFK, who toured the Delta in 1967 and encountered the kind of hunger and poverty more often associated with the developing world: “I know a bit about my grandfather’s visit to the Delta back in the ’60s, and how it changed and outraged him to see this in the richest country in the world. I’m proud that my family has spent a lot of their years in office advocating for these people.”

… Airmail News: “Tilman Fertitta, the US ambassador to Italy, is yet to move into Villa Taverna. The sumptuous Roman villa—which over the centuries has hosted cardinals, future saints, royal courts, students, and even an army, and since 1933 has served as the residence of the most important diplomat in town—is rumored to have been deemed a dump uninhabitable by the Texas multi-billionaire, who insists it needs major renovation. He has allegedly taken up residence on Boardwalk, his 250’ yacht moored in a port 60 miles north of Rome.”

… Fertitta’s helicopter commute has quickly become the latest buzz in Rome’s power circles. It was the hottest topic at the July 4 reception that marked his official debut before virtually the entire Meloni government, and has earned him the reputation of a Martian in Rome, reminiscent of the figure in Ennio Flaiano’s 1954 satirical short story, in which a gentle alien lands in town, causing a media uproar.”