palmerreport--2020-01-04--Everything is coming out at once now

Everything is coming out at once now

Thursday started out as a quiet , slow news day , but it ended – quite literally – with a loud bang .
The first bit of noteworthy news that broke was the publication of a cache of freshly unredacted Trump administration emails obtained by Just Security .
Here is the upshot of the national security experts ’ analysis of the electronic missives that were exchanged between the Department of Defense and the Office of Management and Budget over the summer of 2019 on the subject of the military aid to Ukraine that was being held back : “ What @ @ @ @ @ @ @ down to the president and what he wanted ; no one else appears to have supported his position.
” If you don ’ t want to rely on second-hand interpretation , you can now go straight to the words of Michael Duffey , associate director of national security programs at the OMB : “ Clear direction from POTUS to continue to hold , ” he wrote in one of the newly released emails .
However , what you will not find in those emails – or anywhere else – is any kind of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to determine whether Ukraine fulfilled the conditions necessary to receive the aid .
In fact , the emails show a sense of bafflement on the part of the Pentagon , due to the fact that no clear rationale was ever given for the hold and that no one was taking any steps to inform Congress that the funding was under revision .
These findings go to the core of the current impeachment process and they completely dismantle the narrative pushed by Trump and his loyal supporters to legitimize the president ’ s actions @ @ @ @ @ @ @ remarkable note , Thursday also saw the release of the third installment of documents from the Mueller probe that had been triggered by a BuzzFeed lawsuit under the Freedom of Information Act last year .
BuzzFeed journalist Jason Leopold tweeted on this occasion : “ The FBI and Justice Department withheld information from this latest batch of # MuellerMemos claiming disclosure would threaten national security and interfere with ongoing investigations # FOIA ” .
The fight over access to unredacted documents – both concerning the Mueller Report and the Ukraine investigation – has @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Trump camp is now losing it bit by bit .
Donald Trump and the congressional Republicans must have been aware that there was a flood of documents coming , the release of which they could no longer suppress , try as they may .
In this light , it is no wonder Trump wanted the Senate trial to come and go quickly , and Nancy Pelosi has him extremely rattled by delaying the transfer of the articles of impeachment from the House to the upper chamber as the level of damning evidence keeps @ @ @ @ @ @ @ dismissal of the Ukraine issue as “ nothing to see here ” becomes ever more ridiculously implausible .
So , this is what else was going on when the biggest and loudest news of the day broke late on Thursday – the U.S. drone strike which killed Iranian commander Qasem Soleimani near Baghdad airport .
Commenters on TV and on the internet are careful ( to varying degrees ) not to say the quiet part out loud , but the questions they raise concerning the timing and the necessity of the assassination of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ them think that the proverbial dog is being wagged something fierce right now .
In the current climate , created by three years of Trumpian gaslighting and diversions , no serious voice is inclined to speak up and declare loudly and confidently that the president of the United States is completely above escalating a smoldering conflict in the Middle East that might put American military personnel all over the world at risk in order to distract from his personal scandals and wrongdoings .
Let that sink in .

Important note: Palmer Report has led the way in political analysis. Now we're gearing up to cover the 2024 election, up and down the ballot. Help support Palmer Report's 2024 efforts by donating now.
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Thursday started out as a quiet, slow news day, but it ended – quite literally – with a loud bang. The first bit of noteworthy news that broke was the publication of a cache of freshly unredacted Trump administration emails obtained by Just Security. Here is the upshot of the national security experts’ analysis of the electronic missives that were exchanged between the Department of Defense and the Office of Management and Budget over the summer of 2019 on the subject of the military aid to Ukraine that was being held back: “What is clear is that it all came down to the president and what he wanted; no one else appears to have supported his position.”
If you don’t want to rely on second-hand interpretation, you can now go straight to the words of Michael Duffey, associate director of national security programs at the OMB: “Clear direction from POTUS to continue to hold,” he wrote in one of the newly released emails. However, what you will not find in those emails – or anywhere else – is any kind of evidence that there was an effort ongoing to determine whether Ukraine fulfilled the conditions necessary to receive the aid. In fact, the emails show a sense of bafflement on the part of the Pentagon, due to the fact that no clear rationale was ever given for the hold and that no one was taking any steps to inform Congress that the funding was under revision. These findings go to the core of the current impeachment process and they completely dismantle the narrative pushed by Trump and his loyal supporters to legitimize the president’s actions.
On a slightly quieter but still remarkable note, Thursday also saw the release of the third installment of documents from the Mueller probe that had been triggered by a BuzzFeed lawsuit under the Freedom of Information Act last year. BuzzFeed journalist Jason Leopold tweeted on this occasion: “The FBI and Justice Department withheld information from this latest batch of #MuellerMemos claiming disclosure would threaten national security and interfere with ongoing investigations #FOIA”. The fight over access to unredacted documents – both concerning the Mueller Report and the Ukraine investigation – has been a fierce one, but the Trump camp is now losing it bit by bit. Donald Trump and the congressional Republicans must have been aware that there was a flood of documents coming, the release of which they could no longer suppress, try as they may. In this light, it is no wonder Trump wanted the Senate trial to come and go quickly, and Nancy Pelosi has him extremely rattled by delaying the transfer of the articles of impeachment from the House to the upper chamber as the level of damning evidence keeps rising, and a quick and simple dismissal of the Ukraine issue as “nothing to see here” becomes ever more ridiculously implausible.
So, this is what else was going on when the biggest and loudest news of the day broke late on Thursday – the U.S. drone strike which killed Iranian commander Qasem Soleimani near Baghdad airport. Commenters on TV and on the internet are careful (to varying degrees) not to say the quiet part out loud, but the questions they raise concerning the timing and the necessity of the assassination of Soleimani suggest that at least some of them think that the proverbial dog is being wagged something fierce right now. In the current climate, created by three years of Trumpian gaslighting and diversions, no serious voice is inclined to speak up and declare loudly and confidently that the president of the United States is completely above escalating a smoldering conflict in the Middle East that might put American military personnel all over the world at risk in order to distract from his personal scandals and wrongdoings. Let that sink in.
Important note: Palmer Report has led the way in political analysis. Now we're gearing up to cover the 2024 election, up and down the ballot. Help support our 2024 efforts by donating now or sign up for our free mailing list.


palmerreport--2020-01-04--Donald Trump’s Plan D

Donald Trump’s Plan D

Donald Trump is about five minutes into his latest half-baked scheme , and the fatalists out there are already out in force , insisting that Trump is going to magically win reelection because of it .
What the fatalists don ’ t get is that Trump ’ s schemes to get reelected have all failed – and at this point he ’ s resorting to trying the bad ideas he previously rejected .
For instance , Donald Trump ’ s Plan A for reelection was to conspire with Ukraine to smear Joe Biden .
It ’ s not clear that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ vote even if he had pulled it off , but the whole thing blew up in his face , to the point that he got impeached over it .
Trump then resorted to Plan B , which was to somehow magically use impeachment to make his poll numbers go up , which didn ’ t work at all .
At that point Trump had to fall back to Plan C , which was to force the DOJ Inspector General to falsely announce that the FBI tried to frame his 2016 campaign .
This @ @ @ @ @ @ @ going to be able to pull off , and even if he had , it wouldn ’ t have gained him a single vote .
Now that Donald Trump has struck out with all of these progressively dumber schemes , he ’ s resorting to Plan D : blow up some things in Iran , and use the threat of war to paralyze the Resistance into inaction .
Trump understands full well that while a popular president can use war to extend his popularity , war will only serve to make an unpopular @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s counting on you not understanding that .
In any case , the notion that war with Iran is somehow going to improve Donald Trump ’ s odds of reelection is absolutely laughable .
It is , simply put , not how anything works .
There is the danger that Trump ’ s big bluff with Iran could accidentally lead to war – and that would be devastating for the United States .
But it would also mark the absolute end of Trump ’ s 2020 chances , and he knows it .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ , low-reward scheme because he ’ s all out of better options .

Important note: Palmer Report has led the way in political analysis. Now we're gearing up to cover the 2024 election, up and down the ballot. Help support Palmer Report's 2024 efforts by donating now.
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Donald Trump is about five minutes into his latest half-baked scheme, and the fatalists out there are already out in force, insisting that Trump is going to magically win reelection because of it. What the fatalists don’t get is that Trump’s schemes to get reelected have all failed – and at this point he’s resorting to trying the bad ideas he previously rejected.
For instance, Donald Trump’s Plan A for reelection was to conspire with Ukraine to smear Joe Biden. It’s not clear that this would have gained Trump a single vote even if he had pulled it off, but the whole thing blew up in his face, to the point that he got impeached over it. Trump then resorted to Plan B, which was to somehow magically use impeachment to make his poll numbers go up, which didn’t work at all.
At that point Trump had to fall back to Plan C, which was to force the DOJ Inspector General to falsely announce that the FBI tried to frame his 2016 campaign. This was definitely not something that Trump was going to be able to pull off, and even if he had, it wouldn’t have gained him a single vote.
Now that Donald Trump has struck out with all of these progressively dumber schemes, he’s resorting to Plan D: blow up some things in Iran, and use the threat of war to paralyze the Resistance into inaction. Trump understands full well that while a popular president can use war to extend his popularity, war will only serve to make an unpopular president even more unpopular. He’s counting on you not understanding that.
In any case, the notion that war with Iran is somehow going to improve Donald Trump’s odds of reelection is absolutely laughable. It is, simply put, not how anything works. There is the danger that Trump’s big bluff with Iran could accidentally lead to war – and that would be devastating for the United States. But it would also mark the absolute end of Trump’s 2020 chances, and he knows it. He’s trying out this high-risk, low-reward scheme because he’s all out of better options.
Important note: Palmer Report has led the way in political analysis. Now we're gearing up to cover the 2024 election, up and down the ballot. Help support our 2024 efforts by donating now or sign up for our free mailing list.


palmerreport--2020-01-04--Buckle up, it’ll only get stupider from here

We hope everyone buckled up for 2020 because here we go .
We now have Trump making independent calls on who the military should neutralize .
Qasem Soleimani was America ’ s enemy , no doubt , and many are celebrating his demise .
But now we ’ re in a rabbit hole of distrust .
The Gang of Eight in Congress wasn ’ t notified of Trump ’ s actions ; furthermore , it ’ s impossible not to believe Trump didn ’ t pick this time to distract from his impeachment .
Innocents will now be killed , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ retaliation , and , thanks to Trump removing us from the Iran deal , we now have no leverage in that country .
Utter chaos will be our prize for this action .
But to Trump , all this is irrelevant .
Trump & Co. doesn ’ t care .
What they do care about is impeachment .
So , Iran aside , we are now going to plow ahead and remain focused on the Mueller Report and the current impeachable offenses made obvious by Trump ’ s behavior .
The dots are @ @ @ @ @ @ @ funds to be withheld even as the Pentagon stated that Trump ’ s action was illegal .
The Grand Jury testimony from Mueller ’ s investigation is being fought over in the Court of Appeals .
It ’ s also being revealed that Trump ’ s Deutsche Bank loans were underwritten by Russian state-owned and sanctioned VTB bank .
Pelosi , Schiff and Nadler know Trump is owned by Russia .
They know all the Trump distractions .
They also know he ’ s a traitor and has to be brought to heel @ @ @ @ @ @ @ be the American people who vote this monster out of office and , afterward , it will be the Department of Justice who prosecute him for his crimes .
In the meantime , it ’ s vital to ignore the inevitable Iranian threats and stay focused on the impeachment .
Make sure your Republican Senator knows he/she will be voted out of office if they don ’ t hold Trump to account .
We can ’ t control the world , but one way to make it safer and more peaceful is to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ t at the helm .

Important note: Palmer Report has led the way in political analysis. Now we're gearing up to cover the 2024 election, up and down the ballot. Help support Palmer Report's 2024 efforts by donating now.
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We hope everyone buckled up for 2020 because here we go. We now have Trump making independent calls on who the military should neutralize. Qasem Soleimani was America’s enemy, no doubt, and many are celebrating his demise. But now we’re in a rabbit hole of distrust. The Gang of Eight in Congress wasn’t notified of Trump’s actions; furthermore, it’s impossible not to believe Trump didn’t pick this time to distract from his impeachment.
Innocents will now be killed, Iran has now nothing to lose in retaliation, and, thanks to Trump removing us from the Iran deal, we now have no leverage in that country. Utter chaos will be our prize for this action. But to Trump, all this is irrelevant. Trump & Co. doesn’t care. What they do care about is impeachment.
So, Iran aside, we are now going to plow ahead and remain focused on the Mueller Report and the current impeachable offenses made obvious by Trump’s behavior. The dots are connected that Trump personally ordered the Ukrainian funds to be withheld even as the Pentagon stated that Trump’s action was illegal. The Grand Jury testimony from Mueller’s investigation is being fought over in the Court of Appeals. It’s also being revealed that Trump’s Deutsche Bank loans were underwritten by Russian state-owned and sanctioned VTB bank.
Pelosi, Schiff and Nadler know Trump is owned by Russia. They know all the Trump distractions. They also know he’s a traitor and has to be brought to heel. But, ultimately, it will be the American people who vote this monster out of office and, afterward, it will be the Department of Justice who prosecute him for his crimes. In the meantime, it’s vital to ignore the inevitable Iranian threats and stay focused on the impeachment. Make sure your Republican Senator knows he/she will be voted out of office if they don’t hold Trump to account. We can’t control the world, but one way to make it safer and more peaceful is to make sure a malignant narcissist isn’t at the helm.
Important note: Palmer Report has led the way in political analysis. Now we're gearing up to cover the 2024 election, up and down the ballot. Help support our 2024 efforts by donating now or sign up for our free mailing list.


DAMAGE CONTROL

If Donald Trump had any political savvy at all , he ’ d have notified the Gang of Eight ahead of his Iran strike , if only moments beforehand .
By not notifying the Gang of Eight at all , but appearing to have notified Lindsey Graham and Eric Trump days beforehand , he handed an easy talking point to the Democrats .
And by carrying the whole thing out from his private Florida resort in between rounds of golf , he handed the media an easy avenue for criticizing him , when the media is usually hesitant to criticize @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is involved .
Sure enough , CNN ended up running this headline today : “ President Trump dined on ice cream as news of the airstrike broke.
” This prompted a response from Trump ’ s Press Secretary Stephanie Grisham : “ This should be a story about Soleimani planning imminent attacks on diplomats & how American lives were saved because of [ Donald Trump ’ s ] decisive actions.
” Nevermind that there ’ s no evidence that there were any imminent attacks , or that any lives were saved .
We @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Trump regime .
The real upshot here is that if you ’ re publicly whining that the headlines are against you , it means you ’ re losing .
Trump ’ s Press Secretary is clearly frustrated because she and the Trump regime have failed to control the narrative .
If Donald Trump thought that taking out Soleimani was going to make the media afraid to criticize him , and thus somehow make him more popular , he guessed wrong .
Now he and his people are stuck trying to do damage control @ @ @ @ @ @ @ deal with a pissed off Iran , and the reality that war can only make an unpopular president even more unpopular .

Important note: Palmer Report has led the way in political analysis. Now we're gearing up to cover the 2024 election, up and down the ballot. Help support Palmer Report's 2024 efforts by donating now.
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If Donald Trump had any political savvy at all, he’d have notified the Gang of Eight ahead of his Iran strike, if only moments beforehand. By not notifying the Gang of Eight at all, but appearing to have notified Lindsey Graham and Eric Trump days beforehand, he handed an easy talking point to the Democrats. And by carrying the whole thing out from his private Florida resort in between rounds of golf, he handed the media an easy avenue for criticizing him, when the media is usually hesitant to criticize the president when the potential for war is involved.
Sure enough, CNN ended up running this headline today: “President Trump dined on ice cream as news of the airstrike broke.” This prompted a response from Trump’s Press Secretary Stephanie Grisham: “This should be a story about Soleimani planning imminent attacks on diplomats & how American lives were saved because of [Donald Trump’s] decisive actions.”
Nevermind that there’s no evidence that there were any imminent attacks, or that any lives were saved. We expect that kind of lying from the Trump regime. The real upshot here is that if you’re publicly whining that the headlines are against you, it means you’re losing. Trump’s Press Secretary is clearly frustrated because she and the Trump regime have failed to control the narrative.
If Donald Trump thought that taking out Soleimani was going to make the media afraid to criticize him, and thus somehow make him more popular, he guessed wrong. Now he and his people are stuck trying to do damage control, even as Trump now has to deal with a pissed off Iran, and the reality that war can only make an unpopular president even more unpopular.
Important note: Palmer Report has led the way in political analysis. Now we're gearing up to cover the 2024 election, up and down the ballot. Help support our 2024 efforts by donating now or sign up for our free mailing list.


palmerreport--2020-01-04--We told you not to doubt Nancy Pelosi

We told you not to doubt Nancy Pelosi

If anyone doubts Nancy Pelosi ’ s smarts , he or she should stop doubting .
Multiple outlets have been speculating that by holding onto the articles of impeachment , Pelosi is effectively giving more time for additional information to come out to the American public .
Either Pelosi is the smartest woman in Washington or she simply knew something the rest of us didn ’ t know .
Just Security , a national security blog , has released unredacted versions of previously released emails .
These emails show not only the lengths to which “ president ” Trump went @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Department tried to cover his tracks .
Elaine McCusker , acting Pentagon comptroller , repeatedly tried to get to the bottom of the “ hold ” on the Ukraine aid .
Who was in the midst of the cover-up ?
Trump , Pompeo , and Pence .
McCusker was ready to move forward with impoundment paperwork because she knew that these funds would be lost if not timely disbursed .
In response to McCusker ’ s inquiries , Michael Duffey of OMB tried to place the blame on the Department of Defense , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ can ’ t be serious .
I ’ m speechless.
” Talk about throwing someone under the bus .
The “ blame game ” had begun .
Even after McCusker ’ s repeated warnings and everything that had transpired to date , on December 11 , OMG General Counsel Paoletta drafted a letter to the GAO that stated in part , “ at no point during the pause in obligations did DOD [ Office of General Counsel ] indicate to OMB that , as a matter of law , the apportionments would prevent @ @ @ @ @ @ @ funds before the end of the fiscal year.
” Bullshit !
McCusker continuously pointed out that the administration ’ s activities were illegal , and it ’ s documented .
Not only are these people criminals , but they ’ re stupid criminals .
Following the timeline of events is quite mind-blowing .
These funds would have been withheld past the deadline but for one of the defense contractors , L3 Harris Technologies , inquiring about the release of funds on August 27 .
That company somehow learned of the “ hold ” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the same day , the Pentagon drafted a letter to the acting director of OMB once again outlining the folly of withholding Ukraine ’ s military aid past the September deadline .
Word of the hold then reached Capitol Hill , U.S. defense contractors , and Ukraine officials , and Politico brought everything into the open on August 28 .
Stubbornly continuing to try to get Trump ’ s investigation into Joe Biden , Pence traveled to Ukraine on September 1 .
Let ’ s call this what it is : Clear criminal @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , his lackey Mike Pence , and stooge Mike Pompeo .
Enter William Barr to try to cover everything up .
Every one of these criminals needs to be in jail .
Not only was this NOT their money to withhold , but the purpose for which it was being withheld was criminal .
In light of this release , is the Senate still planning to let Trump go scot free ?
They will do so at their own peril .
As Esquire said , “ the President is guilty as hell .
@

Important note: Palmer Report has led the way in political analysis. Now we're gearing up to cover the 2024 election, up and down the ballot. Help support Palmer Report's 2024 efforts by donating now.
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If anyone doubts Nancy Pelosi’s smarts, he or she should stop doubting. Multiple outlets have been speculating that by holding onto the articles of impeachment, Pelosi is effectively giving more time for additional information to come out to the American public. Either Pelosi is the smartest woman in Washington or she simply knew something the rest of us didn’t know.
Just Security, a national security blog, has released unredacted versions of previously released emails. These emails show not only the lengths to which “president” Trump went to blackmail Ukraine but how the Justice Department tried to cover his tracks. Elaine McCusker, acting Pentagon comptroller, repeatedly tried to get to the bottom of the “hold” on the Ukraine aid. Who was in the midst of the cover-up? Trump, Pompeo, and Pence. McCusker was ready to move forward with impoundment paperwork because she knew that these funds would be lost if not timely disbursed. In response to McCusker’s inquiries, Michael Duffey of OMB tried to place the blame on the Department of Defense, to which McCusker responded, “You can’t be serious. I’m speechless.” Talk about throwing someone under the bus. The “blame game” had begun.
Even after McCusker’s repeated warnings and everything that had transpired to date, on December 11, OMG General Counsel Paoletta drafted a letter to the GAO that stated in part, “at no point during the pause in obligations did DOD [Office of General Counsel] indicate to OMB that, as a matter of law, the apportionments would prevent DOD from being able to obligate the funds before the end of the fiscal year.” Bullshit! McCusker continuously pointed out that the administration’s activities were illegal, and it’s documented. Not only are these people criminals, but they’re stupid criminals.
Following the timeline of events is quite mind-blowing. These funds would have been withheld past the deadline but for one of the defense contractors, L3 Harris Technologies, inquiring about the release of funds on August 27. That company somehow learned of the “hold” and was demanding an explanation. On the same day, the Pentagon drafted a letter to the acting director of OMB once again outlining the folly of withholding Ukraine’s military aid past the September deadline. Word of the hold then reached Capitol Hill, U.S. defense contractors, and Ukraine officials, and Politico brought everything into the open on August 28. Stubbornly continuing to try to get Trump’s investigation into Joe Biden, Pence traveled to Ukraine on September 1.
Let’s call this what it is: Clear criminal activity by “president” Donald Trump, his lackey Mike Pence, and stooge Mike Pompeo. Enter William Barr to try to cover everything up. Every one of these criminals needs to be in jail. Not only was this NOT their money to withhold, but the purpose for which it was being withheld was criminal. In light of this release, is the Senate still planning to let Trump go scot free? They will do so at their own peril. As Esquire said, “the President is guilty as hell.”
Important note: Palmer Report has led the way in political analysis. Now we're gearing up to cover the 2024 election, up and down the ballot. Help support our 2024 efforts by donating now or sign up for our free mailing list.


palmerreport--2020-01-04--Donald Trump has a whole new Lev Parnas problem

The thing about using inept henchmen is that they ’ re likely to get caught – and once they do , they ’ re likely to flip on you .
Because most of Donald Trump ’ s original inept henchmen are already in prison for their roles in conspiring with Russia to rig the 2016 election , Trump was forced to use even more inept henchmen in his plot to rig the 2020 election .
Lev Parnas and Igor Fruman got caught in the act while trying to leave the country , and now Lev seems intent on singing a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
On New Year ’ s Eve we brought you the story of how Lev was about to get his personal electronic devices back from prosecutors , and how he was asking the judge for permission to turn over that evidence to the House : If the evidence that Lev Parnas previously gave to the House wasn ’ t particularly usable , it was probably because the Feds were still sitting on Parnas ’ communications devices .
Now the House is about to gets its hands on more substantive evidence against Donald Trump @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that Nancy Pelosi still has yet to send the articles of impeachment to the Senate .
She has the option to hold more hearings and even bring additional articles of impeachment .
Sure enough , the judge ruled today that Lev Parnas is indeed allowed to turn over this evidence to the House .
We ’ ll see what comes of it , but Trump has a problem here – and it isn ’ t going away .

Important note: Palmer Report has led the way in political analysis. Now we're gearing up to cover the 2024 election, up and down the ballot. Help support Palmer Report's 2024 efforts by donating now.
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The thing about using inept henchmen is that they’re likely to get caught – and once they do, they’re likely to flip on you. Because most of Donald Trump’s original inept henchmen are already in prison for their roles in conspiring with Russia to rig the 2016 election, Trump was forced to use even more inept henchmen in his plot to rig the 2020 election.
Lev Parnas and Igor Fruman got caught in the act while trying to leave the country, and now Lev seems intent on singing a song about Donald Trump’s crimes. On New Year’s Eve we brought you the story of how Lev was about to get his personal electronic devices back from prosecutors, and how he was asking the judge for permission to turn over that evidence to the House:
If the evidence that Lev Parnas previously gave to the House wasn’t particularly usable, it was probably because the Feds were still sitting on Parnas’ communications devices. Now the House is about to gets its hands on more substantive evidence against Donald Trump and Rudy Giuliani. Keep in mind that Nancy Pelosi still has yet to send the articles of impeachment to the Senate. She has the option to hold more hearings and even bring additional articles of impeachment.
Sure enough, the judge ruled today that Lev Parnas is indeed allowed to turn over this evidence to the House. We’ll see what comes of it, but Trump has a problem here – and it isn’t going away.
Important note: Palmer Report has led the way in political analysis. Now we're gearing up to cover the 2024 election, up and down the ballot. Help support our 2024 efforts by donating now or sign up for our free mailing list.


palmerreport--2020-01-03--Sorry, Donald Trump, that’s not how any of this works

Donald J. Trump , IMPOTUS the Third , is back after the New Year .
New decade , but nothing has changed .
Here ’ s what he tweeted : A lot of very good people were taken down by a small group of Dirty ( Filthy ) Cops , politicians , government officials , and an investigation that was illegally started & that SPIED on my campaign .
The Witch Hunt is sputtering badly , but still going on ( Ukraine Hoax ! )
.
If this had happened to a Presidential candidate , or President , who was @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ago be in jail for treason ( and more ) , and it would be considered the CRIME OF THE CENTURY , far bigger and more sinister than Watergate !
Not sure who the “ very good people ” were , but several people in his immediate orbit have been convicted of various felonies .
And once again , perhaps playing to Cult 45 , he is repeating the tripe about how an investigation that was “ illegally started ” and that someone “ SPIED on ” his campaign .
Sorry , but @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” here .
Far from it .
Just Security has released its analysis of unredacted documents involving Ukraine .
There are no “ Dirty ( Filthy ) Cops ” involved , but instead real criminal behavior by IMPOTUS .
The bombshell report states : The documents reveal growing concern from Pentagon officials that the hold would violate the Impoundment Control Act , which requires the executive branch to spend money as appropriated by Congress , and that the necessary steps to avoid this result weren ’ t being taken .
Those steps would @ @ @ @ @ @ @ being held or shifted elsewhere , a step that was never taken .
The emails also show that no rationale was ever given for why the hold was put in place or why it was eventually lifted .
What is clear is that it all came down to the president and what he wanted ; no one else appears to have supported his position .
Although the pretext for the hold was that some sort of policy review was taking place , the emails make no mention of that actually happening .
Instead @ @ @ @ @ @ @ president to be convinced that the hold was a bad idea .
Trump , you are going down .
Keep tweeting , but things are going to get very bumpy for not-good people such as you .

Important note: Palmer Report has led the way in political analysis. Now we're gearing up to cover the 2024 election, up and down the ballot. Help support Palmer Report's 2024 efforts by donating now.
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Donald J. Trump, IMPOTUS the Third, is back after the New Year. New decade, but nothing has changed. Here’s what he tweeted:
A lot of very good people were taken down by a small group of Dirty (Filthy) Cops, politicians, government officials, and an investigation that was illegally started & that SPIED on my campaign. The Witch Hunt is sputtering badly, but still going on (Ukraine Hoax!). If this had happened to a Presidential candidate, or President, who was a Democrat, everybody involved would long ago be in jail for treason (and more), and it would be considered the CRIME OF THE CENTURY, far bigger and more sinister than Watergate!
Not sure who the “very good people” were, but several people in his immediate orbit have been convicted of various felonies. And once again, perhaps playing to Cult 45, he is repeating the tripe about how an investigation that was “illegally started” and that someone “SPIED on” his campaign. Sorry, but there’s no “Witch Hunt” here. Far from it. Just Security has released its analysis of unredacted documents involving Ukraine. There are no “Dirty (Filthy) Cops” involved, but instead real criminal behavior by IMPOTUS. The bombshell report states:
The documents reveal growing concern from Pentagon officials that the hold would violate the Impoundment Control Act, which requires the executive branch to spend money as appropriated by Congress, and that the necessary steps to avoid this result weren’t being taken. Those steps would include notifying Congress that the funding was being held or shifted elsewhere, a step that was never taken. The emails also show that no rationale was ever given for why the hold was put in place or why it was eventually lifted. What is clear is that it all came down to the president and what he wanted; no one else appears to have supported his position. Although the pretext for the hold was that some sort of policy review was taking place, the emails make no mention of that actually happening. Instead, officials were anxiously waiting for the president to be convinced that the hold was a bad idea.
Trump, you are going down. Keep tweeting, but things are going to get very bumpy for not-good people such as you.
Important note: Palmer Report has led the way in political analysis. Now we're gearing up to cover the 2024 election, up and down the ballot. Help support our 2024 efforts by donating now or sign up for our free mailing list.


palmerreport--2020-01-03--Is Donald Trump’s Iran mess all about John Bolton’s testimony?

This morning Palmer Report explained how Donald Trump has actually decreased his odds of reelection by risking war with Iran at a time when he ’ s already so unpopular , war would only make him even more unpopular .
The question is why he did something as stupid as taking out Qasem Soleimani , when a mere proportional response would have worked out far better for him .
My premise this morning was that Trump mistakenly thought taking out a big fish like Soleimani would make him more popular , just as he mistakenly thought that taking out a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ more popular .
But then I came across this New Year ’ s Eve tweet from Republican strategist Rick Wilson : In my darkest imagination , I just envisioned a Trump call to Bolton .
“ Keep quiet and I ’ ll give you a war with Iran… ” Lurid ?
Crazy ?
Remember , Trump ’ s great gift as a con man is that he seeing into the deepest needs of his marks… What if he ’ s right ?
Various bombshells over the past week have at least incrementally increased @ @ @ @ @ @ @ up having to call people like John Bolton to testify in the impeachment trial .
And now suddenly Donald Trump is giving Bolton a taste of the war with Iran that Bolton wants more than anything in the whole world .
This would be an incredibly stupid strategy on Trump ’ s part .
But then again , these days every strategy that Trump tries is stupid .

Important note: Palmer Report has led the way in political analysis. Now we're gearing up to cover the 2024 election, up and down the ballot. Help support Palmer Report's 2024 efforts by donating now.
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This morning Palmer Report explained how Donald Trump has actually decreased his odds of reelection by risking war with Iran at a time when he’s already so unpopular, war would only make him even more unpopular. The question is why he did something as stupid as taking out Qasem Soleimani, when a mere proportional response would have worked out far better for him.
My premise this morning was that Trump mistakenly thought taking out a big fish like Soleimani would make him more popular, just as he mistakenly thought that taking out a big fish like al-Baghdadi would make him more popular. But then I came across this New Year’s Eve tweet from Republican strategist Rick Wilson:
In my darkest imagination, I just envisioned a Trump call to Bolton. “Keep quiet and I’ll give you a war with Iran…” Lurid? Crazy? Remember, Trump’s great gift as a con man is that he seeing into the deepest needs of his marks…
What if he’s right? Various bombshells over the past week have at least incrementally increased the odds that the Senate will end up having to call people like John Bolton to testify in the impeachment trial. And now suddenly Donald Trump is giving Bolton a taste of the war with Iran that Bolton wants more than anything in the whole world. This would be an incredibly stupid strategy on Trump’s part. But then again, these days every strategy that Trump tries is stupid.
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palmerreport--2020-01-03--Stunning new report about Donald Trump, Deutsche Bank, and Russia

Donald J. Trump , IMPOTUS the Third , should be in trouble .
But knows he has the feckless GOP , folks like Senator Josh Hawley , who will carry his toxic water buckets and clean up his messes .
On Thursday night , the Trump administration took out Soleimani , likely leading to increased tensions with Iran .
Earlier in the week , emails that were unredacted were obtained and , based on reports from several sources , they directly implicate IMPOTUS in directing the withholding of aid to Ukraine .
Now , a Deutsche Bank whistleblower has come @ @ @ @ @ @ @ loans that nobody ( except perhaps Anthony Kennedy ’ s son ) could figure out why Deutsche would loan money to “ Donnie Don ’ t Pay ” Trump .
According to the report : Those loans have always been the subject of head-scratching over just what Deutsche Bank could have been thinking .
But if Forensic News is right , what Deutsche Bank was thinking was that it wasn ’ t risking a damn thing , because the Russian government was actually vouching for Trump through VTB Bank .
If Trump didn @ @ @ @ @ @ @ was offering to make it good .
The documents supposedly originated with the son of a former Deutsche Bank official who committed suicide , which is very much the kind of connection that raises concerns about the authenticity of the information .
Daily Kos wrote about the report and the fight that will be heard before the Supreme Court this spring .
But if the report is correct and true , as Daily Kos closed , “ It would mean that he was completely beholden to Putin for his real estate , for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ everything.
” We appear to have a president in need of distraction , propped up by his codependents , the GOP , in what more and more appears to be a matter of “ wag the GOP .
”

Important note: Palmer Report has led the way in political analysis. Now we're gearing up to cover the 2024 election, up and down the ballot. Help support Palmer Report's 2024 efforts by donating now.
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Donald J. Trump, IMPOTUS the Third, should be in trouble. But knows he has the feckless GOP, folks like Senator Josh Hawley, who will carry his toxic water buckets and clean up his messes. On Thursday night, the Trump administration took out Soleimani, likely leading to increased tensions with Iran.
Earlier in the week, emails that were unredacted were obtained and, based on reports from several sources, they directly implicate IMPOTUS in directing the withholding of aid to Ukraine. Now, a Deutsche Bank whistleblower has come forward with explosive details about those Trump loans that nobody (except perhaps Anthony Kennedy’s son) could figure out why Deutsche would loan money to “Donnie Don’t Pay” Trump. According to the report:
Those loans have always been the subject of head-scratching over just what Deutsche Bank could have been thinking. But if Forensic News is right, what Deutsche Bank was thinking was that it wasn’t risking a damn thing, because the Russian government was actually vouching for Trump through VTB Bank. If Trump didn’t come through, Vladimir Putin was offering to make it good. The documents supposedly originated with the son of a former Deutsche Bank official who committed suicide, which is very much the kind of connection that raises concerns about the authenticity of the information.
Daily Kos wrote about the report and the fight that will be heard before the Supreme Court this spring. But if the report is correct and true, as Daily Kos closed, “It would mean that he was completely beholden to Putin for his real estate, for his golf courses, for his candidacy—for everything.” We appear to have a president in need of distraction, propped up by his codependents, the GOP, in what more and more appears to be a matter of “wag the GOP.”
Important note: Palmer Report has led the way in political analysis. Now we're gearing up to cover the 2024 election, up and down the ballot. Help support our 2024 efforts by donating now or sign up for our free mailing list.


palmerreport--2020-01-07--God damn you to hell, Donald Trump, for what just happened with Iran tonight

Multiple major news outlets are reporting right now that Iran has fired several missiles into a U.S. military base in Iraq .
It ’ s not clear yet if there are any casualties .
It ’ s entirely possible for a military to intentionally aim its missiles at open or empty areas of a base , in order to avoid hitting anyone or anything of value , essentially as a symbolic show .
One can only hope no one has died .
But the bottom line is that Iran just attacked the United States – and it ’ s entirely @ @ @ @ @ @ @ deranged psychotic idiot who has no idea what he ’ s doing .
He wanted to be a big strong man by taking out Iranian leader Qasem Soleimani in a ridiculously non-proportional attack , and now Iran is blowing up a U.S. military base in response .
If anyone dies , it ’ s on Trump ’ s head .
God damn Donald Trump to hell for this .
God damn anyone who still supports him .
Trump absolutely must spend the rest of his life in prison – and he must be @ @ @ @ @ @ @ troops have died in this attack .

Important note: Palmer Report has led the way in political analysis. Now we're gearing up to cover the 2024 election, up and down the ballot. Help support Palmer Report's 2024 efforts by donating now.
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Multiple major news outlets are reporting right now that Iran has fired several missiles into a U.S. military base in Iraq. It’s not clear yet if there are any casualties. It’s entirely possible for a military to intentionally aim its missiles at open or empty areas of a base, in order to avoid hitting anyone or anything of value, essentially as a symbolic show. One can only hope no one has died.
But the bottom line is that Iran just attacked the United States – and it’s entirely 100% because Donald Trump is a deranged psychotic idiot who has no idea what he’s doing. He wanted to be a big strong man by taking out Iranian leader Qasem Soleimani in a ridiculously non-proportional attack, and now Iran is blowing up a U.S. military base in response. If anyone dies, it’s on Trump’s head.
God damn Donald Trump to hell for this. God damn anyone who still supports him. Trump absolutely must spend the rest of his life in prison – and he must be charged with murder if any of our troops have died in this attack.
Important note: Palmer Report has led the way in political analysis. Now we're gearing up to cover the 2024 election, up and down the ballot. Help support our 2024 efforts by donating now or sign up for our free mailing list.


palmerreport--2020-01-07--Donald Trump’s close GOP ally resigns from the House

Way back when Republican Congressman Duncan Hunter was first criminally indicted , it was inevitable that he would be convicted .
He was facing cut-and-dry charges , and the evidence was solid .
Once Hunter ’ s wife cut a plea deal against him , it was clear that Hunter would also end up having to cut a plea deal and plead guilty .
That all played out as expected .
The question was whether the guy would ever get around to resigning .
Duncan Hunter already lost his voting privileges in late 2019 , and was eventually a lame @ @ @ @ @ @ @ he was trying to wait as long as possible before resigning so he could collect a few more paychecks first .
Or maybe he just couldn ’ t face the inevitable .
Either way , Hunter has officially announced his resignation today , and he ’ ll be out the door by next week .
So now what ?
There are two things at play here .
First , this represents yet another ugly blow for Donald Trump .
Duncan Hunter was one of the very first members of Congress to endorse Trump @ @ @ @ @ @ @ like so many others in Trump ’ s political fold – has been ruined and is now on his way to prison .
Second , his seat is now up for grabs .
Duncan Hunter just barely won reelection in 2018 , despite having already been indicted .
It was an absurd outcome , but it also showed that the Democrats can compete in his district .
We ’ ll likely see a special election to replace Hunter in early 2020 , quickly followed by the usual November 2020 election , meaning the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ at flipping Hunter ’ s seat .

Important note: Palmer Report has led the way in political analysis. Now we're gearing up to cover the 2024 election, up and down the ballot. Help support Palmer Report's 2024 efforts by donating now.
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Way back when Republican Congressman Duncan Hunter was first criminally indicted, it was inevitable that he would be convicted. He was facing cut-and-dry charges, and the evidence was solid. Once Hunter’s wife cut a plea deal against him, it was clear that Hunter would also end up having to cut a plea deal and plead guilty. That all played out as expected. The question was whether the guy would ever get around to resigning.
Duncan Hunter already lost his voting privileges in late 2019, and was eventually a lame duck. Some observers suggested that perhaps he was trying to wait as long as possible before resigning so he could collect a few more paychecks first. Or maybe he just couldn’t face the inevitable. Either way, Hunter has officially announced his resignation today, and he’ll be out the door by next week. So now what?
There are two things at play here. First, this represents yet another ugly blow for Donald Trump. Duncan Hunter was one of the very first members of Congress to endorse Trump in 2016, and now Hunter – like so many others in Trump’s political fold – has been ruined and is now on his way to prison. Second, his seat is now up for grabs.
Duncan Hunter just barely won reelection in 2018, despite having already been indicted. It was an absurd outcome, but it also showed that the Democrats can compete in his district. We’ll likely see a special election to replace Hunter in early 2020, quickly followed by the usual November 2020 election, meaning the Democrats will have two shots this year at flipping Hunter’s seat.
Important note: Palmer Report has led the way in political analysis. Now we're gearing up to cover the 2024 election, up and down the ballot. Help support our 2024 efforts by donating now or sign up for our free mailing list.


palmerreport--2020-01-07--Told you not to fall for that one

Told you not to fall for that one

Over the weekend , Donald Trump tweeted highly specific plans for how he was going to bomb Iran .
He was going hit fifty-two sites all at once , including cultural centers .
Palmer Report pointed out that even Trump isn ’ t stupid enough to tweet military plans this specific , because he ’ d be handing Iran the ability to better defend itself against such an attack .
Whatever Trump ’ s real plan is for Iran – if he even has one – it certainly wasn ’ t what he had tweeted .
Sure enough , Donald @ @ @ @ @ @ @ he ’ s not going to bomb Iranian cultural sites after all .
In other words , duh .
Also , the sky is blue and water is wet .
This was never , ever going to be a thing .
He was throwing it out there to try to look tough .
He was hoping that maybe Iran would be naive enough to fall for it .
And he was hoping to use the insane threat to paralyze the Resistance with fear , so it would stop resisting him on other matters @ @ @ @ @ @ @ at least not with any effectiveness .
So now Donald Trump is admitting that his laughably empty threat is indeed a laughably empty threat .
We can ’ t let ourselves get rattled by Trump ’ s empty , impossible threats .
He says this stuff to try to distract us from the other corrupt things that he really is quietly doing .

Important note: Palmer Report has led the way in political analysis. Now we're gearing up to cover the 2024 election, up and down the ballot. Help support Palmer Report's 2024 efforts by donating now.
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Over the weekend, Donald Trump tweeted highly specific plans for how he was going to bomb Iran. He was going hit fifty-two sites all at once, including cultural centers. Palmer Report pointed out that even Trump isn’t stupid enough to tweet military plans this specific, because he’d be handing Iran the ability to better defend itself against such an attack. Whatever Trump’s real plan is for Iran – if he even has one – it certainly wasn’t what he had tweeted.
Sure enough, Donald Trump announced to the media today that he’s not going to bomb Iranian cultural sites after all. In other words, duh. Also, the sky is blue and water is wet. This was never, ever going to be a thing. He was throwing it out there to try to look tough. He was hoping that maybe Iran would be naive enough to fall for it. And he was hoping to use the insane threat to paralyze the Resistance with fear, so it would stop resisting him on other matters.
None of that really happened, at least not with any effectiveness. So now Donald Trump is admitting that his laughably empty threat is indeed a laughably empty threat. We can’t let ourselves get rattled by Trump’s empty, impossible threats. He says this stuff to try to distract us from the other corrupt things that he really is quietly doing.
Important note: Palmer Report has led the way in political analysis. Now we're gearing up to cover the 2024 election, up and down the ballot. Help support our 2024 efforts by donating now or sign up for our free mailing list.


palmerreport--2020-01-07--The real reason Michael Flynn is getting the prison sentence he’s getting

After a very long cooperation plea deal , and more recent trouble with that cooperation deal , Michael Flynn is finally being sentenced to prison .
The government had originally recommended no prison time at all , due to Flynn ’ s extensive cooperation .
Now it ’ s changing its mind – but it ’ s not the result that some were rooting for .
The government says it ’ s now recommending that Michael Flynn get zero to six months in prison , as opposed to the zero months it originally recommended .
This has led many in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ end up with such a lenient sentence , considering the nature of what he did to his country .
After all , he conspired with the Russian Ambassador against the United States .
But here ’ s the thing : this is simply how plea deals work .
Flynn was the very first to cut a cooperating plea deal in the Trump-Russia scandal .
The first person out of the gate in a massive criminal conspiracy generally gets a sweetheart deal .
In Flynn ’ s case , prosecutors agreed not to charge @ @ @ @ @ @ @ He only had to plead guilty to lying to the FBI , and the sentencing recommendation for that is six months .
Flynn did cooperate for a long time , regardless of Mueller ’ s inability to use that information to take Trump down .
The only reason Michael Flynn is no longer getting off scot free is that at the end of his deal , he went berserk and screwed up the trial of his business partner Bijan Khan .
Prosecutors consider that to be egregious enough to recommend the high end @ @ @ @ @ @ @ he pleaded guilty to , but not egregious enough to void his entire plea deal and bring additional criminal charges against him , which would require a new trial , and would take forever .
You ’ re not supposed to like how plea deals work .
Guilty people get sentences far more lenient than they should , simply because they gave up information on other guilty people who were more important .
If Michael Flynn ’ s plea deal had taken Donald Trump down , no one would care how much or @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that didn ’ t happen , it just feels weird that Flynn still gets a short sentence for his role in Trump ’ s treason plot .
But if you want to be frustrated at someone , you should look at Robert Mueller , or whoever sabotaged Robert Mueller , as Flynn ’ s cooperation should have been enough to take Trump down .
We ’ ll just have to vote Trump out in 2020 , after which Trump will go to prison – and for a while lot longer than six months @

Important note: Palmer Report has led the way in political analysis. Now we're gearing up to cover the 2024 election, up and down the ballot. Help support Palmer Report's 2024 efforts by donating now.
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After a very long cooperation plea deal, and more recent trouble with that cooperation deal, Michael Flynn is finally being sentenced to prison. The government had originally recommended no prison time at all, due to Flynn’s extensive cooperation. Now it’s changing its mind – but it’s not the result that some were rooting for.
The government says it’s now recommending that Michael Flynn get zero to six months in prison, as opposed to the zero months it originally recommended. This has led many in the resistance to ask how Flynn can end up with such a lenient sentence, considering the nature of what he did to his country. After all, he conspired with the Russian Ambassador against the United States. But here’s the thing: this is simply how plea deals work.
Flynn was the very first to cut a cooperating plea deal in the Trump-Russia scandal. The first person out of the gate in a massive criminal conspiracy generally gets a sweetheart deal. In Flynn’s case, prosecutors agreed not to charge Flynn for his more serious crimes. He only had to plead guilty to lying to the FBI, and the sentencing recommendation for that is six months. Flynn did cooperate for a long time, regardless of Mueller’s inability to use that information to take Trump down.
The only reason Michael Flynn is no longer getting off scot free is that at the end of his deal, he went berserk and screwed up the trial of his business partner Bijan Khan. Prosecutors consider that to be egregious enough to recommend the high end of the sentencing for the one charge he pleaded guilty to, but not egregious enough to void his entire plea deal and bring additional criminal charges against him, which would require a new trial, and would take forever.
You’re not supposed to like how plea deals work. Guilty people get sentences far more lenient than they should, simply because they gave up information on other guilty people who were more important. If Michael Flynn’s plea deal had taken Donald Trump down, no one would care how much or little prison time Flynn got. Because that didn’t happen, it just feels weird that Flynn still gets a short sentence for his role in Trump’s treason plot. But if you want to be frustrated at someone, you should look at Robert Mueller, or whoever sabotaged Robert Mueller, as Flynn’s cooperation should have been enough to take Trump down. We’ll just have to vote Trump out in 2020, after which Trump will go to prison – and for a while lot longer than six months.
Important note: Palmer Report has led the way in political analysis. Now we're gearing up to cover the 2024 election, up and down the ballot. Help support our 2024 efforts by donating now or sign up for our free mailing list.


palmerreport--2020-01-07--This fiasco just keeps getting worse

This fiasco just keeps getting worse

Imagine for a moment that you are “ president ” Donald Trump .
You are one of the most inept presidents in U.S. history .
You try to commit crimes for your own purposes , but you ’ re too stupid to pull them off , so you get impeached .
To distract from that , you fire a missile at the second in command in Iran , and all international hell breaks loose .
At this point , shouldn ’ t you try to smooth this over before it becomes international war ?
Wouldn ’ t you explain the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of his own murderous crimes ?
Not if you ’ re “ president ” Donald Trump .
Trump doesn ’ t understand why Iranians are so angry , so he hits them with even more threats .
That ’ s the way to cool things down .
Not .
Then , you threaten their cultural heritage .
Sure , that should bring everyone to the peace table .
Showing just how clueless he is , once again , Donald Trump doesn ’ t realize that what he proposes is a war crime .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ would just be one more crime in his criminal repertoire .
Clueless doesn ’ t even begin to describe Donald Trump .
CNN shared that Nicholas Burns , former undersecretary of state for political affairs and ambassador to NATO , mentioned that in 2017 the Trump administration supported the UN resolution against destroying cultural sites .
Today , however , things are different , as Trump has openly declared that he would do just that .
Burns calls Trump ’ s threat “ immoral and un-American.
” Well , Trump is certainly immoral @ @ @ @ @ @ @ way he bows to Vladimir Putin .
Trump is merely doing what he does best , being a bully .
He lied about bone spurs to avoid combat , but he certainly doesn ’ t mind sending our sons and daughters to the front line .
Hossein Dehghan , military advisor to Ayatollah Khamenei , told CNN that Trump ’ s tweets are “ ridiculous and absurd.
” Who conducts foreign policy via Twitter ?
Trump is a complete disaster , and he continues to alienate our true allies .
Our European allies @ @ @ @ @ @ @ missile launch according to CNN .
This poorly planned action has the Trump administration flopping around like a fish out of water .
When CNN asked Mike Pompeo the reason behind the attack , Pompeo said “ it was not relevant for him to reveal ” Trump ’ s belief that Soleimani was planning something .
Really ?
Trump , who is barely literate , somehow infiltrated a secret mission that Soleimani was planning ?
That is almost impossible to believe , but what is more unbelievable is his lackeys jumping off the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ word .
This entire fiasco merely emphasizes once again that we have a madman whose finger is too close to the button .
When you consider that Trump consults no one , and everyone else just falls in line , who is going to stop him from doing something far worse than he has already done ?
CNN points out that , once again , Trump ’ s “ leadership ” is nonexistent , and they believe he likely didn ’ t even consider the consequences of his actions .
Bullies rarely do @ @ @ @ @ @ @ weak kid fights back and gets the best of him that a bully takes notice .
It is unknown what it ’ s going to take for the supreme bully in the White House , but just thinking about it is frightening .

Important note: Palmer Report has led the way in political analysis. Now we're gearing up to cover the 2024 election, up and down the ballot. Help support Palmer Report's 2024 efforts by donating now.
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Imagine for a moment that you are “president” Donald Trump. You are one of the most inept presidents in U.S. history. You try to commit crimes for your own purposes, but you’re too stupid to pull them off, so you get impeached. To distract from that, you fire a missile at the second in command in Iran, and all international hell breaks loose. At this point, shouldn’t you try to smooth this over before it becomes international war? Wouldn’t you explain the reasoning, including that Soleimani was accused of his own murderous crimes? Not if you’re “president” Donald Trump.
Trump doesn’t understand why Iranians are so angry, so he hits them with even more threats. That’s the way to cool things down. Not. Then, you threaten their cultural heritage. Sure, that should bring everyone to the peace table. Showing just how clueless he is, once again, Donald Trump doesn’t realize that what he proposes is a war crime. Of course, for Trump, that would just be one more crime in his criminal repertoire. Clueless doesn’t even begin to describe Donald Trump.
CNN shared that Nicholas Burns, former undersecretary of state for political affairs and ambassador to NATO, mentioned that in 2017 the Trump administration supported the UN resolution against destroying cultural sites. Today, however, things are different, as Trump has openly declared that he would do just that. Burns calls Trump’s threat “immoral and un-American.” Well, Trump is certainly immoral and many believe him un-American given the way he bows to Vladimir Putin. Trump is merely doing what he does best, being a bully. He lied about bone spurs to avoid combat, but he certainly doesn’t mind sending our sons and daughters to the front line. Hossein Dehghan, military advisor to Ayatollah Khamenei, told CNN that Trump’s tweets are “ridiculous and absurd.” Who conducts foreign policy via Twitter? Trump is a complete disaster, and he continues to alienate our true allies.
Our European allies have distanced themselves from Trump’s missile launch according to CNN. This poorly planned action has the Trump administration flopping around like a fish out of water. When CNN asked Mike Pompeo the reason behind the attack, Pompeo said “it was not relevant for him to reveal” Trump’s belief that Soleimani was planning something. Really? Trump, who is barely literate, somehow infiltrated a secret mission that Soleimani was planning? That is almost impossible to believe, but what is more unbelievable is his lackeys jumping off the cliff behind him, simply on his word.
This entire fiasco merely emphasizes once again that we have a madman whose finger is too close to the button. When you consider that Trump consults no one, and everyone else just falls in line, who is going to stop him from doing something far worse than he has already done? CNN points out that, once again, Trump’s “leadership” is nonexistent, and they believe he likely didn’t even consider the consequences of his actions. Bullies rarely do. It’s only when the weak kid fights back and gets the best of him that a bully takes notice. It is unknown what it’s going to take for the supreme bully in the White House, but just thinking about it is frightening.
Important note: Palmer Report has led the way in political analysis. Now we're gearing up to cover the 2024 election, up and down the ballot. Help support our 2024 efforts by donating now or sign up for our free mailing list.


palmerreport--2020-01-07--Donald Trump’s new American caliphate

Donald Trump’s new American caliphate

Political strategist Alistair Campbell , the man who coined the sobriquet “ the people ’ s princess ” for the recently deceased Lady Diana for the use of his boss Tony Blair , also once interrupted a reporter ’ s question about Blair ’ s Christian faith .
“ We don ’ t do God , ” Campbell famously said .
It is an irony that leaves me more bemused than amused – that I moved from a country where religion plays no de jure role in government but very much a de facto one , to a country where @ @ @ @ @ @ @ After all , in Britain the Church of England is home to the national religion , Anglicanism , and the Queen is not only the head of state but the “ protector and defender of the faith.
” And , after all , in Britain a politician ’ s faith ( or lack thereof ) is very much his own affair and nobody ’ s bloody business .
Not so in the US of A .
Indeed , in America , atheism is still political suicide , whether it is of the outspoken @ @ @ @ @ @ @ run for any public office worthy of the name without first nailing your colors to the mast , and they ’ d better be the right colors too .
Not to worry , though , there ’ s still hope for atheists like Donald Trump , just to pick one out of thin air , so to speak .
If you don ’ t actually believe in God , it ’ s good enough for the faithful if you declare yourself to be God in his place .
For the evangelical , it @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , so long as it isn ’ t no God .
That ’ s the unforgivable sin .
Of course , Trump pretends to be a Christian with a cynicism that is palpable .
Trump has never read a book in his life , but if he did , the Bible would be the last one he would ever read , notwithstanding his declaration that it is his “ favorite book.
” When once asked about his favorite biblical verse , Trump demurred .
He didn ’ t “ want to get into @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” In other words , he didn ’ t know , didn ’ t care and was using religion as a cynical springboard to his presidential ambitions .
He was and remains so lazy about those ambitions that he can ’ t even be bothered to learn a single verse in order to pull off a tincture of verisimilitude .
All this is fine with the evangelicals , who are stupidly comfortable with Donald Trump ’ s inane declarations of religious faith .
They ’ re more interested in worshipping him than they @ @ @ @ @ @ @ which is clearly also him .
So when Donald Trump appeared before a bunch of loonies Friday night at Miami ’ s Ministerio Internacional El Rey Jesú ( the International Ministry of King Jesus ) and told them “ God is on our side , ” those loonies believed him .
Not one of them will ever question what kind of a God is it , anyway , that is so impotent as to require the help of this raving and quasi-literate madman .
Clearly , for all of God ’ s many @ @ @ @ @ @ @ isn ’ t one of them .
Trump spent the evening attacking Democrats , promising to restore prayer in schools , justifying his actions against Iran and promising the faithful he would rescue them from non-interference in their reproductive rights .
To the chant of “ four more years !
” Trump capitalized on his cult of personality which , according to Frank Schaeffer , was just one statement away ( i.e .
“ God is great !
” ) from looking and sounding exactly like any mullah speaking any fanaticism from any @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Trump ’ s new American caliphate .

Important note: Palmer Report has led the way in political analysis. Now we're gearing up to cover the 2024 election, up and down the ballot. Help support Palmer Report's 2024 efforts by donating now.
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Political strategist Alistair Campbell, the man who coined the sobriquet “the people’s princess” for the recently deceased Lady Diana for the use of his boss Tony Blair, also once interrupted a reporter’s question about Blair’s Christian faith. “We don’t do God,” Campbell famously said. It is an irony that leaves me more bemused than amused – that I moved from a country where religion plays no de jure role in government but very much a de facto one, to a country where the exact opposite is the case. After all, in Britain the Church of England is home to the national religion, Anglicanism, and the Queen is not only the head of state but the “protector and defender of the faith.” And, after all, in Britain a politician’s faith (or lack thereof) is very much his own affair and nobody’s bloody business.
Not so in the US of A. Indeed, in America, atheism is still political suicide, whether it is of the outspoken variety or not. You cannot run for any public office worthy of the name without first nailing your colors to the mast, and they’d better be the right colors too. Not to worry, though, there’s still hope for atheists like Donald Trump, just to pick one out of thin air, so to speak. If you don’t actually believe in God, it’s good enough for the faithful if you declare yourself to be God in his place. For the evangelical, it would seem, any God will do, so long as it isn’t no God. That’s the unforgivable sin.
Of course, Trump pretends to be a Christian with a cynicism that is palpable. Trump has never read a book in his life, but if he did, the Bible would be the last one he would ever read, notwithstanding his declaration that it is his “favorite book.” When once asked about his favorite biblical verse, Trump demurred. He didn’t “want to get into it” because it was “personal.” In other words, he didn’t know, didn’t care and was using religion as a cynical springboard to his presidential ambitions. He was and remains so lazy about those ambitions that he can’t even be bothered to learn a single verse in order to pull off a tincture of verisimilitude.
All this is fine with the evangelicals, who are stupidly comfortable with Donald Trump’s inane declarations of religious faith. They’re more interested in worshipping him than they are interested in what he worships, which is clearly also him. So when Donald Trump appeared before a bunch of loonies Friday night at Miami’s Ministerio Internacional El Rey Jesú (the International Ministry of King Jesus) and told them “God is on our side,” those loonies believed him. Not one of them will ever question what kind of a God is it, anyway, that is so impotent as to require the help of this raving and quasi-literate madman. Clearly, for all of God’s many fine attributes, picking the best people isn’t one of them.
Trump spent the evening attacking Democrats, promising to restore prayer in schools, justifying his actions against Iran and promising the faithful he would rescue them from non-interference in their reproductive rights. To the chant of “four more years!” Trump capitalized on his cult of personality which, according to Frank Schaeffer, was just one statement away (i.e. “God is great!”) from looking and sounding exactly like any mullah speaking any fanaticism from any pulpit in Iran. Welcome to Donald Trump’s new American caliphate.
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palmerreport--2020-01-08--The Iran mess is going poorly for Donald Trump on every possible front

As tensions between the United States and Iran threaten to spiral out of control , Europeans struggle to formulate their response to the crisis .
On Monday night , British Prime Minister Johnson , French President Macron and German Chancellor Merkel issued a joint statement on the current situation which is getting decidedly mixed reviews .
The statement starts out with a condemnation of Iran ’ s actions in the region and then moves on to call on everyone involved to de-escalate the conflict : “ There is now an urgent need for de-escalation .
We call on all parties @ @ @ @ @ @ @ The current cycle of violence in Iraq must be stopped.
” The words of the three European leaders have already drawn criticism online – particularly on the German side of Twitter – for failing to call the U.S. by name while mentioning Iran and Soleimani and seemingly directing their criticism exclusively at the country that was on the receiving end of the most recent escalatory step .
U.S .
Ambassador to Germany , Richard Grenell – Trump ’ s punishment inflicted on the German people for making good cars and household appliances – @ @ @ @ @ @ @ few smaller Trump-friendly outlets to spin the lack of outspoken criticism of the United States ’ unilateral and unannounced action as a sign of agreement or even approval on the part of America ’ s European allies .
This interpretation could hardly be further from the truth , though .
Merkel , Macron and Johnson very clearly address their admonition to end the cycle of violence to “ all parties ” involved , but they couch their rebuke in carefully phrased diplomatic language , and they have good reasons for doing so .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ all , is well aware that he can not afford to become too confrontational and risk the ire of his volatile American counterpart because this could jeopardize the prospective U.K./U.S .
trade deal that the economic future of his country might end up depending on , post-Brexit .
But the mere fact that “ Mr .
Brexit ” worked closely with the German Chancellor and the French President to respond to the killing of Qasem Soleimani , and the trio released a joint statement after conferring for just a few hours , says @ @ @ @ @ @ @ international alliances .
In contrast to Richard Grenell , Secretary of State Mike Pompeo understands diplomatic language well enough .
Pompeo was quick to detect and criticize the palpable lack of European support for the drone strike that killed a high-ranking Iranian on Iraqi soil : “ Frankly , the Europeans haven ’ t been as helpful as I wish that they could be , ” he told Sean Hannity during an interview on Friday .
“ The Brits , the French , the Germans all need to understand that what we did @ @ @ @ @ @ @ lives in Europe as well.
” However , the Europeans have chosen not to buy into Pompeo ’ s narrative and are in fact deeply concerned about the long-term consequences of what some have termed an unlawful assassination and a disproportionate response .
These consequences have already become manifest in the form of a vote in the Iraqi parliament to expel all foreign troops from the country and the Iranian government ’ s declaration that it will no longer honor its obligations under the JCPOA .
It is anybody ’ s guess what @ @ @ @ @ @ @ if – Iran decides to retaliate .
The simple truth is that the issue of Iran has been a bone of contention between the Trump administration and the other co-signers of the Iran Nuclear Deal since day one .
Last week ’ s escalation of the American strategy of maximum pressure and violent retaliation has thrown the existing fault lines into even stronger relief and the picture that is emerging is one of the United States becoming increasingly isolated as a result of Donald Trump ’ s policies .

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As tensions between the United States and Iran threaten to spiral out of control, Europeans struggle to formulate their response to the crisis. On Monday night, British Prime Minister Johnson, French President Macron and German Chancellor Merkel issued a joint statement on the current situation which is getting decidedly mixed reviews.
The statement starts out with a condemnation of Iran’s actions in the region and then moves on to call on everyone involved to de-escalate the conflict: “There is now an urgent need for de-escalation. We call on all parties to exercise utmost restraint and responsibility. The current cycle of violence in Iraq must be stopped.” The words of the three European leaders have already drawn criticism online – particularly on the German side of Twitter – for failing to call the U.S. by name while mentioning Iran and Soleimani and seemingly directing their criticism exclusively at the country that was on the receiving end of the most recent escalatory step.
U.S. Ambassador to Germany, Richard Grenell – Trump’s punishment inflicted on the German people for making good cars and household appliances – promptly went on Fox News and a few smaller Trump-friendly outlets to spin the lack of outspoken criticism of the United States’ unilateral and unannounced action as a sign of agreement or even approval on the part of America’s European allies. This interpretation could hardly be further from the truth, though. Merkel, Macron and Johnson very clearly address their admonition to end the cycle of violence to “all parties” involved, but they couch their rebuke in carefully phrased diplomatic language, and they have good reasons for doing so. British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, above all, is well aware that he cannot afford to become too confrontational and risk the ire of his volatile American counterpart because this could jeopardize the prospective U.K./U.S. trade deal that the economic future of his country might end up depending on, post-Brexit. But the mere fact that “Mr. Brexit” worked closely with the German Chancellor and the French President to respond to the killing of Qasem Soleimani, and the trio released a joint statement after conferring for just a few hours, says a lot about the current state of international alliances.
In contrast to Richard Grenell, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo understands diplomatic language well enough. Pompeo was quick to detect and criticize the palpable lack of European support for the drone strike that killed a high-ranking Iranian on Iraqi soil: “Frankly, the Europeans haven’t been as helpful as I wish that they could be,” he told Sean Hannity during an interview on Friday. “The Brits, the French, the Germans all need to understand that what we did, what the Americans did, saved lives in Europe as well.” However, the Europeans have chosen not to buy into Pompeo’s narrative and are in fact deeply concerned about the long-term consequences of what some have termed an unlawful assassination and a disproportionate response. These consequences have already become manifest in the form of a vote in the Iraqi parliament to expel all foreign troops from the country and the Iranian government’s declaration that it will no longer honor its obligations under the JCPOA. It is anybody’s guess what is going to happen when – not if – Iran decides to retaliate.
The simple truth is that the issue of Iran has been a bone of contention between the Trump administration and the other co-signers of the Iran Nuclear Deal since day one. Last week’s escalation of the American strategy of maximum pressure and violent retaliation has thrown the existing fault lines into even stronger relief and the picture that is emerging is one of the United States becoming increasingly isolated as a result of Donald Trump’s policies.
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palmerreport--2020-01-08--Donald Trump just revealed how far gone he is

First the Trump White House told the media that Donald Trump was going to address the nation on television tonight .
Then the Trump White House told the media that , no , that wasn ’ t going to happen .
Then Trump ’ s Twitter account announced that he ’ ll be making a statement tomorrow , while inexplicably declaring in that tweet that “ All is well !
” Forget , for a moment , the sheer ineptitude of all of this .
What stands out here even more is the sheer impotence of all this .
By @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Trump is sacrificing the opportunity to try to take control of the narrative .
He ’ s also showing no leadership .
He ’ s looking weak .
This lack of a televised response is terrible for him .
All that Donald Trump had to do tonight was to sit at his desk for three minutes and read a brief statement off a teleprompter that had been written by his handlers .
Either he ’ s so far gone that he decided he wasn ’ t up for that , or his handlers @ @ @ @ @ @ @ they don ’ t trust him to read off a screen for three minutes without accidentally setting his desk on fire .
The Trump regime had already announced that Mike Pence , and not Donald Trump , was going to address the nation in the coming days about the Iran situation .
That alone was a big clue that the Trump regime indeed doesn ’ t think Trump can even so much as deliver a brief prepared address .
Now we ’ ve got Trump taking a pass on a night when it @ @ @ @ @ @ @ him to go on television .
Something isn ’ t right with this guy – to say the least .

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First the Trump White House told the media that Donald Trump was going to address the nation on television tonight. Then the Trump White House told the media that, no, that wasn’t going to happen. Then Trump’s Twitter account announced that he’ll be making a statement tomorrow, while inexplicably declaring in that tweet that “All is well!”
Forget, for a moment, the sheer ineptitude of all of this. What stands out here even more is the sheer impotence of all this. By not addressing the nation tonight, Donald Trump is sacrificing the opportunity to try to take control of the narrative. He’s also showing no leadership. He’s looking weak. This lack of a televised response is terrible for him.
All that Donald Trump had to do tonight was to sit at his desk for three minutes and read a brief statement off a teleprompter that had been written by his handlers. Either he’s so far gone that he decided he wasn’t up for that, or his handlers think he’s so far gone they don’t trust him to read off a screen for three minutes without accidentally setting his desk on fire.
The Trump regime had already announced that Mike Pence, and not Donald Trump, was going to address the nation in the coming days about the Iran situation. That alone was a big clue that the Trump regime indeed doesn’t think Trump can even so much as deliver a brief prepared address. Now we’ve got Trump taking a pass on a night when it would have been the perfect opportunity for him to go on television. Something isn’t right with this guy – to say the least.
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palmerreport--2020-01-08--Deranged assclown Donald Trump inexplicably declares “All is well!” in middle of military conflict w

Deranged assclown Donald Trump inexplicably declares “All is well!” in middle of military conflict with Iran

Just how far gone is Donald Trump ?
Iran fired missiles at an Iraqi military base that houses U.S. troops tonight , and Trump isn ’ t even giving a televised address .
His handlers are clearly afraid to let him read prepared remarks off a teleprompter , without screwing it up or going off the rails .
Instead , Donald Trump has decided to address the nation by tweet .
That ’ s not necessarily surprising , considering his nature .
But it ’ s still absurd .
For that matter , the tweet itself is even more bizarre @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s what Trump decided to tell the nation on Twitter tonight : All is well !
Missiles launched from Iran at two military bases located in Iraq .
Assessment of casualties & damages taking place now .
So far , so good !
We have the most powerful and well equipped military anywhere in the world , by far !
I will be making a statement tomorrow morning .
No , all is not well , you deranged assclown .
Iran is running roughshod over the United States right now .
Iraqi @ @ @ @ @ @ @ attack .
Also , if Trump is still assessing casualties , it ’ s incredibly inappropriate to say something like “ so far , so good.
” There are almost no words for how messed up this tweet is .
His statement in the morning should be his resignation .

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Just how far gone is Donald Trump? Iran fired missiles at an Iraqi military base that houses U.S. troops tonight, and Trump isn’t even giving a televised address. His handlers are clearly afraid to let him read prepared remarks off a teleprompter, without screwing it up or going off the rails.
Instead, Donald Trump has decided to address the nation by tweet. That’s not necessarily surprising, considering his nature. But it’s still absurd. For that matter, the tweet itself is even more bizarre than one might have expected. Here’s what Trump decided to tell the nation on Twitter tonight:
All is well! Missiles launched from Iran at two military bases located in Iraq. Assessment of casualties & damages taking place now. So far, so good! We have the most powerful and well equipped military anywhere in the world, by far! I will be making a statement tomorrow morning.
No, all is not well, you deranged assclown. Iran is running roughshod over the United States right now. Iraqi soldiers have reportedly been killed in this attack. Also, if Trump is still assessing casualties, it’s incredibly inappropriate to say something like “so far, so good.” There are almost no words for how messed up this tweet is. His statement in the morning should be his resignation.
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palmerreport--2020-01-08--What Iran is really trying to do to Donald Trump tonight

Tonight has been chaotic and disturbing to say the least .
Iran has fired missiles at a military base in Iraq which houses U.S. troops .
The government of Iran has been claiming all evening that it killed thirty U.S. troops in the attack , but there ’ s no way it could know that , and no news outlets are giving any credence to this .
Instead , the U.S. government is stating that no U.S. troops have been killed , while an unknown number of Iraqi troops have been killed .
Iran is also publicly threatening to attack @ @ @ @ @ @ @ United States launches a retaliatory attack from its base in the United Arab Emirates .
So what ’ s going on here ?
It ’ s probably not mere happenstance that none of the deaths at the Iraqi base were U.S. troops .
With ballistic missiles you can be really specific in your targeting .
The missiles hit a housing complex , which is an easy way to make sure you ’ re hitting the specific troops you want to hit .
In other words , Iran was apparently trying to kill Iraqi @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Based on what ’ s transpired so far , it looks like Iran is attacking ( or threatening to attack ) any country in the region that dares to offer any military assistance to the United States .
The attack on the Iraqi soldiers is an attempt at pressuring Iraq into making good on its threat to expel U.S. troops from the country .
The threat against Dubai is an attempt at pressuring UAE into pressuring the U.S. not to carry out retaliatory attacks .
In other words , Iran is trying to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and ultimately force Trump to pull the U.S. out of the region .
This is , of course , all about Donald Trump .
By attacking everyone who stands near the U.S. , but not actually attacking the U.S. , Iran is making it difficult for Trump to come up with an excuse to fire back .
This means Trump has to sit there and look weak , while Iran dictates the terms in the region .
It ’ s actually a pretty smart strategy .
The trouble is , these things can @ @ @ @ @ @ @ do .

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Tonight has been chaotic and disturbing to say the least. Iran has fired missiles at a military base in Iraq which houses U.S. troops. The government of Iran has been claiming all evening that it killed thirty U.S. troops in the attack, but there’s no way it could know that, and no news outlets are giving any credence to this. Instead, the U.S. government is stating that no U.S. troops have been killed, while an unknown number of Iraqi troops have been killed. Iran is also publicly threatening to attack the city of Dubai, if the United States launches a retaliatory attack from its base in the United Arab Emirates.
So what’s going on here? It’s probably not mere happenstance that none of the deaths at the Iraqi base were U.S. troops. With ballistic missiles you can be really specific in your targeting. The missiles hit a housing complex, which is an easy way to make sure you’re hitting the specific troops you want to hit. In other words, Iran was apparently trying to kill Iraqi troops while avoiding killing U.S. troops.
Based on what’s transpired so far, it looks like Iran is attacking (or threatening to attack) any country in the region that dares to offer any military assistance to the United States. The attack on the Iraqi soldiers is an attempt at pressuring Iraq into making good on its threat to expel U.S. troops from the country. The threat against Dubai is an attempt at pressuring UAE into pressuring the U.S. not to carry out retaliatory attacks. In other words, Iran is trying to isolate the U.S. in the region, and ultimately force Trump to pull the U.S. out of the region.
This is, of course, all about Donald Trump. By attacking everyone who stands near the U.S., but not actually attacking the U.S., Iran is making it difficult for Trump to come up with an excuse to fire back. This means Trump has to sit there and look weak, while Iran dictates the terms in the region. It’s actually a pretty smart strategy. The trouble is, these things can always go horribly wrong, and often do.
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palmerreport--2020-01-08--Mitch McConnell is bluffing

Mitch McConnell is bluffing

Senate Majority Leader McConnell has announced today that he has the votes to hold whatever kind of sham impeachment trial he wants .
Despite McConnell ’ s status as a guy who almost literally never tells the truth , a number of observers are still somehow taking this guy at his word .
But back in the real world , McConnell is simply doing what he does best : bluffing , posturing , and trying to control the narrative .
When John Bolton announced yesterday that he ’ s willing to testify under subpoena in the Senate impeachment trial , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Mitt Romney , ever the opportunist , quickly announced that he wants Bolton to testify .
We all know Romney is still looking to acquit Trump .
But Romney is trying to make himself look good by forcing the trial to be a bit more legitimate before voting to acquit Trump .
Accordingly , this week ’ s media narrative was going to be that Mitch McConnell has a real problem .
If Romney is publicly pushing him to have Bolton testify , after Lisa Murkowski already publicly pushed back against McConnell for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , how much more heat would McConnell end up facing going forward ?
That ’ s why Mitch McConnell announced today that he has the votes to magically do whatever he wants with the trial .
He ’ s counting on the media and the pundits to parrot this , as if it were fact .
He ’ s looking to change the narrative .
Does he have the votes ?
It doesn ’ t matter .
He doesn ’ t even have the articles of impeachment .
And even if he did @ @ @ @ @ @ @ he wants with the trial , without consequence .
McConnell is clearly concerned about how the trial will impact his odds of retaining control of the Senate in 2020 .
With a guy like McConnell , you always have to read between the lines of the BS that comes out of his mouth .

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Senate Majority Leader McConnell has announced today that he has the votes to hold whatever kind of sham impeachment trial he wants. Despite McConnell’s status as a guy who almost literally never tells the truth, a number of observers are still somehow taking this guy at his word. But back in the real world, McConnell is simply doing what he does best: bluffing, posturing, and trying to control the narrative.
When John Bolton announced yesterday that he’s willing to testify under subpoena in the Senate impeachment trial, it threw everything for a loop. Mitt Romney, ever the opportunist, quickly announced that he wants Bolton to testify. We all know Romney is still looking to acquit Trump. But Romney is trying to make himself look good by forcing the trial to be a bit more legitimate before voting to acquit Trump.
Accordingly, this week’s media narrative was going to be that Mitch McConnell has a real problem. If Romney is publicly pushing him to have Bolton testify, after Lisa Murkowski already publicly pushed back against McConnell for vowing not to hold a fair trial, how much more heat would McConnell end up facing going forward?
That’s why Mitch McConnell announced today that he has the votes to magically do whatever he wants with the trial. He’s counting on the media and the pundits to parrot this, as if it were fact. He’s looking to change the narrative. Does he have the votes? It doesn’t matter. He doesn’t even have the articles of impeachment. And even if he did, he can’t do whatever he wants with the trial, without consequence. McConnell is clearly concerned about how the trial will impact his odds of retaining control of the Senate in 2020. With a guy like McConnell, you always have to read between the lines of the BS that comes out of his mouth.
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palmerreport--2020-01-09--The real reason GOP Senator Mike Lee went ballistic against Donald Trump today

Republican Senator Mike Lee garnered significant attention today when he walked out of an Iran briefing , and then proceeded to spend several minutes trashing the briefing , while the news cameras rolled .
Lee was directly attacking the Trump regime ’ s unwillingness to tell him anything about why Donald Trump ordered the assassination of Iranian leader Soleimani .
This raised the question of why Mike Lee , usually a Trump ally , suddenly went ballistic against Trump today .
Make no mistake , Lee was genuinely frustrated .
This wasn ’ t some kind of calculated act .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ properly explain to Congress why Donald Trump has given any of his incoherent orders .
Today ’ s briefing debacle wasn ’ t anything new .
So what set Lee off ?
Think about what happened hours before that briefing .
Donald Trump stepped in front of the cameras , and delivered a speech in which he sounded mostly senile and mostly dead .
Something is incredibly wrong with this guy , and whatever it is , it ’ s now getting worse by the hour .
Imagine being a Republican Senator like @ @ @ @ @ @ @ senile Trump on television today , realizing you ’ re supposed to be defending that guy , and then being fed a briefing that was of no help either .
Mike Lee and Rand Paul are now vowing to support Democratic legislation that would curtail Donald Trump ’ s war powers .
Such legislation would only need four Senate Republican votes to pass .
That ’ s how quickly things are falling apart right now .
The Republicans are afraid that a quickly deteriorating Trump is going to take them down with him @ @ @ @ @ @ @ panic over it .

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Republican Senator Mike Lee garnered significant attention today when he walked out of an Iran briefing, and then proceeded to spend several minutes trashing the briefing, while the news cameras rolled. Lee was directly attacking the Trump regime’s unwillingness to tell him anything about why Donald Trump ordered the assassination of Iranian leader Soleimani.
This raised the question of why Mike Lee, usually a Trump ally, suddenly went ballistic against Trump today. Make no mistake, Lee was genuinely frustrated. This wasn’t some kind of calculated act. But briefers have never been able to properly explain to Congress why Donald Trump has given any of his incoherent orders. Today’s briefing debacle wasn’t anything new. So what set Lee off?
Think about what happened hours before that briefing. Donald Trump stepped in front of the cameras, and delivered a speech in which he sounded mostly senile and mostly dead. Something is incredibly wrong with this guy, and whatever it is, it’s now getting worse by the hour. Imagine being a Republican Senator like Mike Lee, and watching a visibly senile Trump on television today, realizing you’re supposed to be defending that guy, and then being fed a briefing that was of no help either.
Mike Lee and Rand Paul are now vowing to support Democratic legislation that would curtail Donald Trump’s war powers. Such legislation would only need four Senate Republican votes to pass. That’s how quickly things are falling apart right now. The Republicans are afraid that a quickly deteriorating Trump is going to take them down with him – and they’re in a panic over it.
Important note: Palmer Report has led the way in political analysis. Now we're gearing up to cover the 2024 election, up and down the ballot. Help support our 2024 efforts by donating now or sign up for our free mailing list.