Four — No, FIVE — Wrestlers Accuse Rep. Jim Jordan Of Ignoring Molestations

Ken AshfordCongress, Republicans, Sex Scandals, Sex/Morality/Family Values, Tea PartyLeave a Comment

TPM: Two more former Ohio State wrestlers came forward Thursday to claim that Rep. Jim Jordan (R-OH) knew about allegations of rampant sexual abuse carried out by the team doctor while Jordan was the assistant coach, despite his denials. This brings the total up to five of Jordan’s former wrestlers accusing him of lying. Two more former Ohio State wrestlers … Read More

They Called Obama An Inexperienced, Self-Serving Celebrity. Then Their Party Chose Trump.

Ken AshfordRepublicans, Trump & AdministrationLeave a Comment

Boy I wish I wrote this: Remember when Republicans feared the bungling diplomacy of a vain, inexperienced president and vowed to stop him before he destroyed our security? In 2014, Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell (Ky.) warned that President Barack Obama was “inflexibly clinging to campaign promises.” If the novice president expected Congress to “stand idly by and do nothing … Read More

Nunes Is Not Interested In Oversight; He Is Interested In Leaking

Ken AshfordL'Affaire Russe, Republicans, Trump & AdministrationLeave a Comment

Rep. Devin Nunes has lately taken to demanding that the Justice Department turn over records of the Mueller investigation. For obvious reasons, records of active investigations are normally confidential since the FBI doesn’t want to (a) hurt innocent people who may get caught in their net and (b) doesn’t want to alert the guilty to what they’re doing. Nunes, of … Read More

Document Dump: The Terrible Horrible Self-Serving GOP House Intel Committee Report

Ken AshfordElection 2016, L'Affaire Russe, Republicans, Trump & AdministrationLeave a Comment

Guess what, Devin Nunes and company didn’t find collusion! This allows the President to tweet… Just Out: House Intelligence Committee Report released. “No evidence” that the Trump Campaign “colluded, coordinated or conspired with Russia.” Clinton Campaign paid for Opposition Research obtained from Russia- Wow! A total Witch Hunt! MUST END NOW! — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) April 27, 2018 The … Read More

Paul Ryan To “Retire”

Ken AshfordCongress, RepublicansLeave a Comment

I’m not the first to say it. Paul Ryan got into politics for one reason and one reason only. To give huge tax cuts to the wealthiest of people. He’s wanted to do that since he read Atlas Shrugged. And he did it. He had to endure kissing HARD on Trump’s ass to do it, but he did it. He got … Read More

Devin Nunes, GOP Head of House Intel Committee, Is Subject Of Leak Complaint By Senate Intel Committee

Ken AshfordCongress, Political Scandals, Republicans, Trump & Administration, White House SecrecyLeave a Comment

The Senate Intelligence Committee has concluded that Republicans on the House Intelligence Committee were behind the leak of private text messages between the Senate panel’s top Democrat and a Russian-connected lawyer, according to two congressional officials briefed on the matter. Senator Richard M. Burr of North Carolina, the committee’s Republican chairman, and Senator Mark Warner of Virginia, the top Democrat, … Read More

The Wild West Of The West Wing

Ken AshfordBreaking News, Corporate Greed, Crime, L'Affaire Russe, Occupy Wall Street, Republicans, Trump & AdministrationLeave a Comment

It is the first day of March 2018. I wrote a lot of posts yesterday, and I didn’t even it HALF of the things going on. The breaking news that would be major scandals in any other White House. It was insane. Here’s what happened JUST YESTERDAY: Hope Hicks — without question, the aide (family aside) with whom Trump is closest … Read More

Republican Support Of Failed Nunes Memo Shows Their Cowardice

Ken AshfordL'Affaire Russe, Republicans, Trump & AdministrationLeave a Comment

Sure, Nunes loved his memo.  And Trump loved it because Nunes was doing his bidding. But where were the principled Republicans?  Nowhere.  Michael Gersen: With the blessing of Republican leaders, the lickspittle wing of the GOP is now firmly in charge. The existence of reckless partisans such as Nunes is hardly surprising. The nearly uniform cowardice among elected Republicans is … Read More

PA State Legislature Gets Ballsy

Ken AshfordCourts/Law, Republicans, Voter Suppression & Voter SecurityLeave a Comment

Think Progress: In an audacious move by a political leader who could potentially be held in contempt of court, Pennsylvania Senate President pro tempore Joseph Scarnati (R) informed the state supreme court on Wednesday that he will openly defy one of the court’s recent orders in a gerrymandering case. On January 22, the state supreme court struck down the state’s gerrymandered congressional maps — … Read More

Running For The Hills?

Ken AshfordElection 2018, Election 2020, RepublicansLeave a Comment

It’s a stampede for the exits. The Hill reports: Rep. Trey Gowdy (R-S.C.), chairman of the House Oversight Committee, announced Wednesday that he will not run for reelection. “There is a time to come and a time to go. This is the right time, for me, to leave politics and return to the justice system,” he said in a statement on Twitter. … Read More

The Nunes Memo Likely To Be Released Soon – Massive Fail Expected

Ken AshfordL'Affaire Russe, Republicans, Trump & AdministrationLeave a Comment

In an incredibly transparent display of partisanship, the House Intelligence Committee voted on Monday to: (1) Release the Nunes memo (2) Ignore requests from the FBI and the DOJ to vet the Nunes memo before any release; and (3) NOT release the Democratic memo explaining why the Nunes memo is bullshit Although the White House has five days to review … Read More

The Chess Pieces Are Moving

Ken AshfordL'Affaire Russe, Republicans, Trump & AdministrationLeave a Comment

New York Times: A secret, highly contentious Republican memo reveals that Deputy Attorney General Rod J. Rosenstein approved an application to extend surveillance of a former Trump campaign associate shortly after taking office last spring, according to three people familiar with it. The renewal shows that the Justice Department under President Trump saw reason to believe that the associate, Carter … Read More

Speaking Of Sex Scandals…

Ken AshfordCorporate Greed, Godstuff, Republicans, Sex Scandals, Sex/Morality/Family ValuesLeave a Comment

While we wait for the doors to blow wide open on the Trump-Daniels sex scandal (IF they blow open, that is), let’s chew on this: Casino mogul and Republican National Committee (RNC) finance chair Steve Wynn is facing accusations of sexual misconduct, including that he forced a woman to have sex with him in 2005, The Wall Street Journal reported Friday. Wynn, … Read More

Fox News And Many In The GOP Go Full-on Tin Foil Hat

Ken AshfordL'Affaire Russe, Republicans, Right Wing and Inept Media, Right Wing Punditry/Idiocy, Tea Party, Trump & AdministrationLeave a Comment

Work and other life things has prevented me from posting for eight days, which is equivalent to eight months in these manic-news-cycling days of the Trump era.  What did I not even comment on? Well, the government shutdown over the weekend, and arguments about DACA. Oh, and Stormy Weather. But that was ages ago it seems. Let’s start with this week, … Read More

Congress Makes First Criminal Referral To DOJ In Trump-Russia Scandal — And It Is Steele!

Ken AshfordL'Affaire Russe, Republicans, Trump & AdministrationLeave a Comment

This is, uh, bullshit. Senator Charles E. Grassley of Iowa, chairman of the Judiciary Committee, and Senator Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, a senior committee member, told the Justice Department they had reason to believe that a former British spy, Christopher Steele, lied to federal authorities about his contacts with reporters regarding information in the dossier, and they urged the … Read More