Day: September 5, 2018

Here is an interesting speculation that the “I Am Part of the Resistance” essayist was Mike Pence

I can’t say that I’m persuaded, but it’s a pretty strong case. It’s also interesting that Trump can’t fire Pence even if he wants to. He can fire Sessions, Rosenstein or Mueller, for example, although those decisions might have repercussions, but Pence does not work for him, and can’t be removed by any means other than impeachment.

My suspect:

Kevin Hassett (Chairman of the Council of Economic Advisers) was a college professor, has a Ph.D., and like the author of the op-ed, worshiped John McCain. He is also, again like the author, a staunch free trade advocate. He’s also an experienced op-ed writer. Furthermore, he heard the word “lodestar” at McCain’s funeral (spoken by Kissinger).

As for motive? He could be mighty pissed off at Trump’s disrespect for McCain or his foolish tariff wars.

Hassett is also smart enough to use “lodestar” to shift suspicion on Pence, although I think he’s more likely to be writing in his own voice. (That would make “lodestar” a red herring, placed in somebody’s head by the McCain funeral.)

The Times made an introduction to the essay and specifically referred to the essayist as “he,” but the paper later, perhaps disingenuously, said that was a mistake.

White House actively discussing replacements for Defense Secretary James Mattis

Rumor is that Trump somehow discovered that Mattis is honest and competent – thus ruining his perfect record of selecting inept or corrupt cabinet members. That guy has to go!

“I Am Part of the Resistance Inside the Trump Administration”

Trump denies saying Sessions ‘mentally retarded’

UPDATED:

That may or may not be true. I have no way of knowing, but I suspect it is not, because he followed up that denial with a flagrant lie, claiming that he “never used those terms on anyone.”

He got in trouble before he became President for using the very same language to describe the deaf actress Marlee Matlin, back in his Apprentice days.

And, almost needless to say, he has used the r-word on tape.

Continue reading “Trump denies saying Sessions ‘mentally retarded’” →

Mike Pence seems suddenly to have realized that Trump can’t fire him

Although the President can name a new Veep to fill a vacancy (with majority approval of both houses of Congress), the President can’t remove the VP from office. To do so requires the same impeachment/conviction process as removing the President himself.

In fact, it’s actually easier to remove a President than a VP. Although either can be impeached, the President can also be removed through the 25th amendment, while there is no similar process covering the Veep.