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the-edge-of-great · 4 years ago

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part two of my @jatpdaily secret santa for @agentsofoakenshiield !! :)

you can find part one here!

FRIDAY

ALEX

There are four hours until the party. Five until he and Julie sign a new treaty. Six until they confront their parents and his world changes. Oh, is it hot in here?

Alex slips through the greenhouse door quietly—the conversation doesn’t even lull—and follows a narrow dirt path further into the forest. Soft leaves brush past, tickling the tips of his fingers. Seneca is known for its forests—vast, plentiful, and always in bloom no matter the season.

“Alex!” Willie’s voice echoes like the world isn’t already buzzing with wildlife. A bee zips past his face, so there must be other noises, but he can’t hear anything. Blood rushes through his ears—badum, badum, badum—and his head throbs.

“Alex, hey—” Willie reaches for him, fingers curling under his forearms, pulling him close. “Hey, look at me. Look at me, baby. You’re okay.”

Weakly, Alex shoves at him.

“There’s no room for emotions in this castle,” Gladys’ voice reminds sternly in his head. “Emotion is vulnerability; a weakness. And you can’t be weak. Understand, Alexander?”

Willie doesn’t budge. Instead, he tugs Alex closer, taking his hands between his own.

“I’m scared,” Alex admits quietly.

“I know,” Willie whispers.

“This has to work. It has to. Julie deserves her choice. She deserves a happily ever after.”

“And so do you.” Despite the obvious—albeit weak—resistance, Willie pulls Alex into a tight hug. “Listen to me: You guys are making the right choice here. You are.”

“My parents are gonna—” Alex takes a breath. Really, he doesn’t know what his parents will do. He doesn’t want to know, either.

“Shh… Don’t worry about them. Focus on the now. You can do this, Alex.” Willie brushes a hand through Alex’s hair, smiling.

“Wish you could be there with me.”

Raising an eyebrow, Willie hums thoughtfully. “Yeah…”

“So, Julie and I are going to sneak away to the chapel during the dance,” Alex says, mostly as a reminder to himself, but Willie nods along anyway. “It has to be approved by both the Grand Priest of Seneca and the High Priest of Koray. After, we—Should we wait until after the party? Or during it?”

Willie chuckles. “Sounds like a question for the group discussion.”

Alex breathes a laugh, shaking his head. “Right. Right.”

“After everything, though, we all meet out here to celebrate,” Willie finishes.

“Or, um…” Alex’s teeth catch the corner of his lip. “They could meet out here. We could… find something to do elsewhere.”

Willie smirks. “Ah. I don’t suppose you’ve had a tour of the castle yet?”

“Nope.”

“Well lucky for you, I know all the best spots.”

Alex laughs. He dips his head, kissing him softly. “Can’t wait,” he whispers, lips hovering just far enough to speak. A beat passes between them, staring into each other’s eyes, before Willie pushes forward, pinning Alex to a tree trunk, lips on his. Alex’s hands are everywhere: his hair, his neck, his sides, fingers pressing into the curve of Willie’s spine, holding him as close as possible and even more so.

A branch snaps. Immediately, Willie pulls away. Alex’s fingers catch the collar of his shirt; he’s not ready to let go yet. A few more minutes with him, please.

Alex searches for whoever interrupted. Willie nods to the left, toward a girl who's facing away from them. It’s Flynn; she’s trying to hide behind a tree.

“Sorry,” she calls sheepish. “Was just gonna tell Willie his dad is calling for him.”

Willie licks his lips. “Thanks, Flynn.”

Her footsteps trail off as she returns to the greenhouse. Alex takes a breath, running a hand through his hair. Willie looks over.

“You’d better go,” Alex says. “Before anyone gets suspicious.”

“Right.”

Their interlocked hands swing between them. Alex gives him a small smile. “I love you.”

Willie smirks. He stands on his tiptoes and presses a soft, lingering kiss to Alex’s cheek. “Love you, too. I’ll see you after, okay?”

“Okay.”

Alex doesn’t let go until their hands are stretched as far as they can reach. Finally, they break away, and his arm falls to his side. He watches Willie disappear into the forest and hopes, with everything in him, that wasn’t their last moment together.

~**~**~**~

WILLIE

By the time nine o’clock rolls around and the party is in full swing, Willie has a plan. It’s not as important or high stakes as The Plan, but it requires Flynn and some convincing acting skills.

“Where are we going?” she demands as he guides her through the hectic maze of the kitchen. They duck under a tray full of sparkling dishes and maneuver around a pot of boiling hot vegetable soup. At the back of the chaos is a small closet stocked with spare uniforms for the staff. Willie tugs her inside and shuts the door behind them.

“So, Alex said earlier that he wishes I could be there when they confront their parents, and I got to thinking.” Willie pushes a rickety step stool in front of a cabinet and climbs on top. “We’re the only ones in the group who miss events like this.

“Well yeah, that’s because we befriended a bunch of noblemen for some reason,” Flynn says dryly.

“True, but we’ve been missing an important opportunity every time.” Willie grabs some hangers and steps down. He shows off the black pants and white button ups with a grin. “Being the son of the royal chef has its perks.”

“And one of them is… being able to pose as servants?” Flynn raises an eyebrow. “Have you seen how those people treat the working class? Hard pass, Willie.”

“Oh, come on. We’ll stick together and just try to stay near Julie and Alex.” Willie sighs. “Look, if this was any other night, you know I’d be upstairs with you watching movies like usual. But what they’re doing tonight could change everything. Even things like this!” He gestures between them. “Now more than ever, I want to be out there with them. Don’t you?”

Flynn groans. “Fine! But I’m leaving at the first royal to try throwing a drink at me.”

Willie laughs and tosses her a uniform.

~**~**~**~

JULIE

Turns out, writing a treaty isn’t the hard part. Having it witnessed and approved isn’t all that difficult, either—it helps when the Priests of each land are young and open minded to change. Also, Alex’s younger sister Lainey was apparently on board from the very beginning. Julie really likes her, too. She hopes that, when this is all over, she, Lainey, and Flynn can have a Girls’ Day.

Sneaking back into the castle is accompanied by almost no obstacles. They were counting on Luke and Reggie still being at the door when they returned, but one look from the back gate tells them the shifts changed. When they swept past the new Korayn guards, they ignored the oh-so-knowing glances the men gave each other. Julie wants to roll her eyes; she doesn’t want to imagine what they’ll tell their buddies later.

The hard part, she realizes quickly, is stepping back into the commotion with the weight of knowing you’ve just rebelled against your own country and its laws and created something that changes hundreds of years of tradition. The cherry on top is the three most powerful people in the building—her dad and Alex’s parents—congregating in a balcony overlooking the ballroom. Her breath catches in her throat.

“Alex?” she calls, looking over, searching for his hand blindly. She needs someone to hold onto, and knowing he’s just as anxious as she is makes her feel the tiniest bit better.

Alex nods, like he can see what she’s thinking. “There they are,” he mutters to her, pulling at his sleeves.

“There they are,” Julie repeats numbly.

He turns to her. “We can’t back out now, right? We’ve already done it… technically.”

“Right. You’re right. Now we just have to… to make it official. With them.”

Alex squeezes her hand. She squeezes back.

Two servers just happen to arrive at the same time when they reach the top of the stairs. Julie and Alex freeze.

“What are they doing?” Julie whispers.

“I don’t know, but…” Alex frowns. “Why are they kind of good at it?”

“They’re just walking around handing out food. Can’t be that hard.”

Just as she says that, someone bumps into Willie, who’s balancing six wine glasses on one hand. He stumbles, the drinks wobble, but just when Julie is holding her breath and preparing for the worst, Willie regains his balance and carries on like nothing happened.

“Okay,” she admits reluctantly, “that was kind of impressive.

“Oh!” Flynn stops in front of them. “Good evening, Your Majesties. Tiny sandwich?”

Alex snickers. “Servants don’t talk, Flynn.”

“What’re you guys doing here?” Julie asks, looking over as Willie nears. “You guys know my dad will recognize you.”

Willie shrugs. “My dad works in the kitchen. It’s not that weird.”

“It is ‘cause you’ve never done this before.”

“Yeah, I think that changes tonight.” Willie jabs a thumb over his shoulder. “Someone tipped me $200 earlier just for giving them an extra glass of wine.” He shakes his head. “Drunk rich people. Why didn’t I think of this before?”

“Have you guys seen Luke and Reggie?” Alex asks. “They weren’t at the gate when we came back.”

“Came back from… Oh!” Flynn’s eyes nearly pop out of her head. “Did you guys do it? The new treaty? Is it approved and everything?” Julie pats the purse on her hip. “It’s in here, Priest approved, royal family member witnessed. Now we just have to…” She nods toward their parents.

“Oh,” Willie realizes, looking between them. “Right. You guys got this, okay?”

Alex takes a long, deep breath. “We need to do this before I chicken out.”

Julie nods. “Let’s go.” Out of the corner of her eye, she sees Willie reach for Alex before his hand falls to his side. Looking back, Willie’s already moved on to the next guest. Alex’s hurries to her side, face unreadable. She reaches for his hand again.

“Mother, Father,” he greets stiffly.

“Dad,” Julie adds, smiling softly. “We need to talk to you guys.”

Dad raises an eyebrow. “Uh, can it wait? We’re having a party, mija!”

“Not this time, papa. It’s important.”

Alex adds, hesitantly, “It’s about the marriage agreement.”

His mother rolls her eyes. “This again, Alexander? We’ve told you—”

The king interrupts, “—nothing you say or do will change things. Arranged marriage is a tradition dating back centuries. You think you’re the first prince to dislike their bride?” He scoffs. “This isn't about your feelings. It’s about what’s good for your country.”

“I think there are other options that could be better for the country.”

“Besides,” Julie interrupts, sounding much braver than she feels, “it’s already done.”

Their group falls silent. Below, the party carries on. Dresses shimmer under the chandeliers as women dance across the ballroom with their partners leading the way. Glasses clink in toast somewhere. A group of women laugh near the grand piano. Julie can see Willie and Flynn, weaving around people like they’re racing to get back to the kitchen. Everyone on the ground is blissfully unaware, carefree and unbothered.

And the most powerful people in the room are silent, suffocating in stiffening air.

“What’s already done?” the King of Koray demands sharply.

Julie’s hands are shaking. She curses at herself as she digs the treaty out of her purse. The paper slips from her grasp and falls on the table. To hide her tremble, she slams a hand down on top.

“This is a new treaty created by Alex and I, approved and witnessed by both priests of our countries and, following Koray’s rules, a member of the royal family, Alex’s sister Lainey Mercer.” She stands upright; deep breath, straighten your shoulders! “In this, we agree to keep the peace while abolishing the arranged marriage law. I have full confidence in our ability to maintain a good relationship between our countries without restricting our freedoms and promising ourselves to each other when, really, that’s not something either of us want. Alex is family to me.” She shoots him a quick smile. “We’d work better running things on equal ground, from an understanding of brother and sister.”

Alex nods. “Arranged marriage is a thing of the past. It may have worked when you all were our age, but it won’t for us. We both want to lead our countries into a new era, and this is the first step.”

There’s more silence, but Julie feels she can breathe easier. At least, she thinks so—she’s suddenly aware of the death grip she’s had around Alex’s hand during the whole speech.

Dad rises from his chair, grinning. “Well, you two make a compelling argument.”

Julie beams. “Really?”

Alex’s dad bellows a laugh that would definitely swallow the aimless chatter downstairs if not for the music. There’s a menacing tone laced in that sends chills down Julie’s spine. Her smile falters. Chin up.

“You think you can just waltz in here,” he teases, walking around his chair, “show off your pathetic little stunt, and things would be different? Just like that? Ha! You have a lot to learn, kid.” He stops in front of her, inches away because that’s as far as Dad will allow. “First of all, I can spin this to make it seem like you got inside my son’s head and filled it with nonsense. For all we know, this is an act of war.”

“Funny you bring up war,” Dad says nonchalantly.

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“Well, you both know who would win that. And so do I.” Dad shrugs. “That’s why the peace treaty was created in the first place, wasn’t it?”

Julie knows little about Koray’s forces regarding the military. According to stories from Luke, they have plenty of manpower. But, her dad always told her great armies aren’t made up of only muscle.

Alex’s father is positively seething, if his reddening face is any indication. “I will not be made a fool,” he spits. Dark eyes shift to Alex. “Especially by my own son.”

Julie looks at Alex fearfully. He’s locked in a staring match with his father.

“Whether you like it or not,” he says with a shake in his words, “I’m going to take your place one day. And if this doesn’t work now, it’ll work later. You’re just postponing the inevitable.”

They relapse into another chilling silence. Julie doesn’t realize she’s been holding her breath until Alex’s father finally storms off. She hears the heavy thuds of his boots for two steps until he stops abruptly. Frowning, she turns to see what happened.

Their friends are there: Luke and Reggie standing at attention just inside the doorway with Willie and Flynn watching from behind. They’re trying their hardest not to smile, Julie can tell, which almost crumbles her resolve immediately.

“This won’t work, you know,” Alex’s father hisses, turning back to them. “You can’t build a kingdom on friendship.”

Alex and Julie share a look. Julie hums. Alex shrugs.

“Watch us,” he says simply.

Flynn smacks Willie’s arm eagerly.

Behind them, Dad clears his throat. “Well, I guess there’s just one thing left to do,” he says, reaching into his inner jacket pocket. He catches the queen’s eye across the room. “Madam?”

The queen sighs. She rounds the chair she was previously sitting in and takes the pen from Dad’s hand. “Although I’m not entirely sold on the idea,” she mutters, signing her name across the bottom of the treaty. She returns the pen and speaks to Julie and Alex. “I have high hopes for you, Alexander. You’re far more courageous than I originally thought. And you, young lady.” Julie raises her chin, smiling. His mother sighs, a hint of something warm and familiar playing on her lips. “I have a feeling you two are going to do something great together.”

“In other words,” Dad says as she leaves the room, “good job, you two.” He kisses Julie’s hair.

Julie smiles. “Thanks, Dad.”

Reggie throws an arm out to stop Flynn from lunging at Julie while Dad heads for the door. Her friends watch, waiting for their cue. Julie shares a look with Alex. Alex steps to the edge of the balcony and peers over the side. A moment later, he spins on his heel.

“We did it!” he cries.

Reggie and Luke step aside before Flynn can shove into them. She tosses her tray of sandwiches to the side and leaps for Julie and Alex, who are in the middle of an embrace. Seconds later, three other people join the huddle. When they pull away, everyone starts talking at once.

“I can’t believe you guys just did that.”

“That was fucking bad-ass, what the hell!”

“When he said ‘You can’t build a kingdom on friendship’ and you said ‘Watch us’, oh my gosh, dude!”

“I’m so proud of you guys!”

Flynn catches the first tear that slips down Julie’s cheek. Shaking her head, she reaches out to wipe it away. “No crying, girl! You just won your freedom, basically.”

“And it’s a good eyeliner night,” Julie jokes.

Flynn smiles, wrapping an arm around her shoulders. “Exactly, girl. You look too good to be crying.” She steps away as Luke approaches.

He hugs her close against his armored chest and presses a kiss to her forehead. She smiles, leaning into the embrace even if it’s not as comfortable as his normal hugs.

“Off topic, but um,” Alex says, eyebrows furrowing as he looks over Willie. “Why are you guys posing as servants?”

“It’s servers, Alex,” Flynn corrects.

“Yeah. Get woke,” Willie teases.

Alex chuckles. “I don’t—What?”

“Hey, let’s get out of here,” Julie suggests. “I know a greenhouse party would be way better.”

“I bet I can steal some ice cream from the kitchen,” Flynn offers. “I am an employee.”

Willie snickers. “Yeah, you guys go ahead. I promised His Highness a tour of the castle tonight.”

Julie shares a smirk with Luke. Humming, she tugs him toward the door. “Okay. We’ll catch up tomorrow then.”

Tomorrow, when she can wake up to Luke by her side without worrying about being caught. Tomorrow, when Alex can hold Willie’s hand in public and nobody can say anything because he’s the prince and no longer engaged.

Tomorrow, when they can actually feel like themselves somewhere other than the greenhouse.

Finally.

#jatpdailysecretsanta2020 #julie and the phantoms #jatp #royalty au #modern royalty au #julie molina #luke patterson #alex mercer #reggie peters #flynn jatp #willie jatp #juke #willex

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hellstobetsy · 5 years ago

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Some Major Trump Departures

Because sometimes you just need to stop and take a look back. Source for all of these here.

Reince Preibus - Chief of Staff

Reason: Anthony Scaramucci took down the Chief of Staff and also his freind Press Secretary/Dancer With the Stars Sean Spicer (collectively known as Reince Priebus and the Funky Fetus) with him in his two-week blaze of glory

John Kelly - Chief of Staff

Reason: Kept trying to get Trump to pay attention in meetings

Steve Bannon - Chief Strategist

Reason: Everyone has a different story as to why he left, but he was living on borrowed time once his Muslim Ban failed

Michael Flynn - National Security Advisor

Reason: Various Crimes

Anthony Scaramucci - White House Director of Communications

Reason: Fired almost immediately due to ~*SPECTACULAR*~ incompetence re: cock sucking

Hope Hicks - White House Director of Communications

Reason: Fired for telling Congress that she regular lied on Trump’s behalf

Omarosa From The Apprentice - Director of Communications for the Office of Public Liaison

Reason: Fired by John Kelly for being Omarosa from The Apprentice.

Ronny Jackson - Physician to the President

Reason: Trump nominated him to be in charge of Veteran’s affairs, causing people to bring up his history of showing up to work drunk and handing out Ambien to anyone who looked tired.

James Mattis - Secretary of Defense

Reason: Quit in protest of Trump pulling troops out of Syria, which Trump never really got around to doing anyway

Patrick M. Shanahan - Secretary of Defense

Reason: Allegations of corruption, domestic abuse, and just generally being kind of a prick

Tom Price - Secretary of Health and Human Services

Reason: Constantly used taxpayer-funded private jets for everything\

Kirstjen Nielsen - Secretary of Homeland Security

Reason: Didn’t do a good job of making the concentration camps for children on the border popular, due to them being fucking concentration camps for children.

Ryan Zinke - Secretary of the Interior

Reason: Just absolute shitloads of corruption, including using taxpayer money to ride private jets and helicopters and spending $139,000 in taxpayer money on some really nice doors for his office.

Jeff Sessions - Attorney General

Reason: Despite being racist, didn’t wanna do crimes, which is just not how the Trump administration works

Alexander Acosta - Secretary of Labor

Reason: People started asking why he let Jeffrey Epstein off the hook as a prosecutor in 2008 and he made a peace sign and disappeared like in the meme

Rex Tillerson - Secretary of State

Reason: Called Trump a “fucking moron” and got fired over Twitter as a result five months later

Mina Chang - Deputy Assistant Secretary of State, Bureau of Conflict and Stabilization Operations

Reason: Her job application said she was a keynote speaker for the Republican National Convention, a Keynote Speaker for the Democratic National Convention, A Harvard Graduate, a member of the United Nations, and a Time Magazine Woman of the Year. Fired after a reporter actually looked into this and it turned out she was actually a K-pop singer.

David Shulkin - Secretary of Energy

Reason: Used taxpayer money to go on vacations to Europe, which is way less funny than Mina Chang, but please realize this is the third cabinet secretary on this list to leave due to blowing taxpayer money on personal trips

Richard Cordray - Director of the Consumer Finance Protection Bureau

Reason: Hired to that position by Obama and tried to stop banks from committing crimes, replaced by Mick Mulvaney who instituted pro-crime policies

#Trump #Politics #History #Also Sally Yates #Who was the Obama-appointed Attorney General who refused to defend the Muslim Ban

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somethingusefulfromflorida · 4 years ago

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Now begins the lame duck pardon party.

Every outgoing president issues tons of pardons in their final weeks in office to tie up any loose threads and appease their supporters. I for one think the president shouldn’t have the power to unilaterally overrule a duly adjudicated criminal conviction, as it spits in the face of the rule of law. Especially under an administration as corrupt as this one, the pardon is a blank check for the president’s allies to commit any federal crime they want for any reason with no fear of prosecution.

Trump pardoned Flynn who admitted he lied to the FBI, he already pardoned Roger Stone, he’s probably going to pardon Paul Manafort, possibly Michael Cohen (Cohen jumped off the Trump Train and became a registered Democrat, but he’s a bloodsucking lawyer first and foremost, so he’ll jump right back on it if the gettin’s good enough). There have been too many names, big and small, that have been charged for breaking the law to protect Trump, and like good little mobsters the ones who didn’t squeal will be hailed as heroes by conservatives everywhere. “Congratulations, you got away with it scot free!”

The most telling thing will be when Trump begins pardoning people who haven’ yet been convicted of anything. When Richard Nixon resigned, Ford pardoned him before he could face justice; his pardon was purposefully broad, covering any and all crimes that Nixon may or may not have committed or witnessed throughout his entire tenure in office. It was a pre-emptive pardon, meant to stop the judicial process before it even started, and Trump will almost certainly reward his biggest cronies with these sweeping pardons; he might do it now, or he might wait until January 19th so they can go carte blanche for two months. He is printing literal “Get Out of Jail Free” cards. How far back will the pardons go? Nixon’s covered just his presidency from January 20, 1969 to August 9, 1974, so will Trump’s pardons range from January 2017? A lot of crimes were committed by his campaign, so 2016? 2015? He and his goons have been grifting for decades, and the only limit to his pardon power is that he can’t undo impeachment, but considering he was acquitted it is irrelevant anyway. I expect some of his closest advisors, attorneys, and cabinet members will be pardoned for crimes going back well into the 1970s an 80s, crimes the media doesn’t even know about, many crimes for which the statue of limitations had already expired, but Trump will want to cover his bases anyway.

And the big question is whether or not Trump will try to pardon himself. The constitution doesn’t say he can’t, but it’s never been tested before. I have no idea what the Supreme Court would have to say about a self-pardon; it is an open secret in politics that the president is effectively above the law, but it’s not on any books so everyone can still pretend like laws matter and crimes will be punished. But if Trump pardons himself, and it is allowed, it will establish this as lasting legal precedent, meaning that every future President will be handed a blank check to commit any crimes he wants with ZERO repercussion. Their popularity would probably tank if they did something egregious, or it might fuel their base and make them more popular than ever, but however the public responds, they will be sitting pretty knowing that they’re untouchable. They can lie and cheat and steal and do things much worse than Trump already has, free in the knowledge that no prosecution can ever be laid against them. If there was ever even a question of the legality of a president’s actions, they could pardon themselves and make it disappear. They could assassinate political opponents, they could throw dissidents in prison without trial, they could cancel elections and throw away the constitution entirely because they can pardon themselves faster than the House could impeach and the Senate could convict.

Trump absolutely will try to pardon himself, though I don’t think he expects it to be successful. No, I think his endgame is just to drag out the process so long that the statue of limitations will expire while his self pardon is still being appealed. Say he committed a crime in 2016 and it has a 5 year statute; if he pardons himself and fights in the courts until 2022, the statue will expire and the pardon will be irrelevant, whether the court upholds it or not. He just wants to obstruct, to slow things down, cause as much gridlock as humanly possible so that he can coast to freedom on a raft of bloated bureaucracy. He expects the self pardon to fail, but he expects it to take so long to decide that it won’t matter.

The only saving grace is that he will still be culpable for state crimes. Of course, any red state governors will pardon him at his request, but he made the mistake of doing all his business in Deep Blue New York. Cuomo is gonna fry his ass. Trump and McConnell have been pushing through literal hundreds of Trump-friendly judges to stack the courts in his favor, so the Biden administration will have its work cut out for them, but there are enough prosecutors in enough independent jurisdictions without conflicted judges to see the entire Trump Crime Family face decades of jail time. Now, I don’t expect them to serve any considerable length, maybe a few months in minimum security before being released to house arrest and then paroled for “good behavior,” and I know that no matter what happens Trump will claim victory (he’ll either be found not guilty, or he’ll cry foul and appeal to a higher court he helped staff to get himself off), but Thank God for the 10th Amendment. States ave considerable power over the feds, a right which conservatives have been fighting for for centuries, and now it’ll come back to bite them in the ass when the other side decides to start using it. “Wait, we thought only we were allowed to do whatever we wanted... You can’t do that yourself, that’s not fair to us!”

Trump may try to call Double Jeopardy; pardon himself for federal crimes then claim that he can no longer be charged for state crimes, but I don’t think it will hold up in New York. SCOTUS is another matter; with 6-3, I’m sure they’ll find a way to protect their Golden Goose.

The entire system needs to be burned to the ground. The constitution is broken, we need a frame-off restoration, a whole new document from the ground up. It’ll never happen, but a Constitutional Convention would do wonders for this country; other countries rewrite their constitutions all the time, but America’s amendment process is completely nonfunctional by design. We need big change, and that’s gonna require some very reluctant old Liberals to shift further left and actually balance the out of control right.

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mwolf0epsilon · 4 years ago

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Norman finds out Joey abuses Sammy. How? And what does he do ?

Warning for Joey Drew being a verbally and physically abusive dickhead, Norman being a little voyeuristic, and canon typical violence.

Summary: Despite his imposing size and general weirdness, Norman Polk had a very soft heart...

---

Growing up with a militaristic family had shaped Norman Polk into one of the most capable people to ever work at Joey Drew Studios. He had a variety of skill sets that could cover a lot of general tasks in the studio itself, from handyman to mechanic work, to a bit of plumbing and a lot of heavy lifting. On days he didn't have anything to record, Norman would either find himself organizing the projector storage area, or carrying boxes full of reels, as well as lugging around those damn soup vending machines Drew had splurged large sums of money on (what a waste, he'd seen Grant's notes, he felt for the poor accountant).

In the earlier days of the studio, when Henry was still around, he'd been akin to a godsend in Joey's eyes. Cheap labour and little to no care about the workload.

Now that he had a more set position he helped where he could when asked. Yet, for all his usefulness, everyone in the studio considered him to be a bit of a creep.

Granted, he had done that to himself. His dear ma had always told him he had a bad habit of sticking his nose where he shouldn't, and his older sister had flicked his ears whenever he'd snuck up on her to eevesdrop on her conversations with that boy from across the street she clearly fancied.

"Quiet as a hunting jaguar and twice as observant", his pop would say with pride. His sisters all used to scoff and say he was just a snoop trying to get them in trouble.

Of course he never told on any of them, because that wasn't his intention. No, he simply had an insatiable curiosity that lead to him creeping about in the dark places, where none could see him.

It was something that followed him into adulthood and into the studio.

Quiet as a mouse he got around and saw things. Things no one could even dream he knew about them. Like the contents of Grant's locked filing cabinets, the bottle of whiskey Lacie hid in her toolbox, Thomas Connor's favourite sandwich (peanut butter and jelly, cut in triangle shapes), the conversations Susie had with herself in different voices to warm up for recordings, the rather interesting discussions between Jack and Sammy, Wally's frustration with his memory issues, even the few times he'd caught sight of Bertrum Piedmont being less than appropriate in a workplace bathroom (for his age, Norman had to say the man had restraint and stamina to be able to fiddle with himself for so long unnoticed). Info he could easily use to humiliate or even bribe a few people. But he wouldn't of course... Despite his imposing size and general weirdness, Norman Polk had a very soft heart. One that could fit all these misfits.

Which is why it physically hurt him when he noticed things changing. And not for the better either.

The studio was a mess from day one due to Joey clearly having poor management skills. Things tended to go a little haywire at times, and throwing money at something until it worked didn't solve anything in the end. When the war propaganda started popping up, stuff got way worse. More than half the staff enlisted, leaving Joey to hire women to cover for his losses. And god did Joey Drew hate women.

Norman had been repulsed by all the things he caught his boss saying and doing in the presence of the female staff. The looks of discomfort and masked anger left a bitter taste in his mouth and he cursed his own sneakiness for leaving him without a reasonable way to tell him off for it. How could he know if he wasn't in the room to witness it? How could he just come out and say he was in the walls watching his peers like some creep?

The few who caught on to him observing them often looked at him in disgust. An entire studio of angry women turned against him wouldn't do his sanity no good.

Conflicted mind aside, the new hires weren't the only changes. The few who remained weren't doing any better. If anything there was a decline in behavioral patterns due to an influx of work.

Grant became quieter, more anxious. He saw less of the man on lunch breaks and found him chugging coffee in his office just mumbling numbers to himself like his life depended on it.

Wally's hostility towards Thomas was escalating to the point he'd dragged Shawn Flynn into the mess. A stolen tool belt, a match of the blame game, and an irate Irishman were not good things.

Susie had been replaced, and her subsequent upset at losing a spot she'd adored was affecting her side character voice work. She also acted outright hostile towards the replacement and to Sammy of all people.

Speaking of which, both Sammy and Jack looked tired and had constant migraines from working with the band all day. While he saw little of Jack, he noted that Sammy was behaving in a rather aggressive manner to anyone who so much as inconvenienced him (Buddy had only been trying to be nice and immediately he'd gotten Sammy's full fury on day one of knowing him).

Lacie was murmuring paranoid mambo jumbo about that one creepy bendy robot thing moving and watching her (he'd never seen it do such a thing, and he'd spent a good part of a morning staring at it).

Bertrum's mood had darkened after an argument with Joey, and even the damn dancer they'd hired a month or so ago was going about hiding stuff behind toilets. If that wasn't disgusting Norman didn't know what was... Some of these people lacked the decency to clean after themselves so there was no way he'd take a peek himself.

The studio was, for a lack of better words, becoming a bit of a circus act.

So really, it shouldn't have surprised him when he'd stumbled upon an alarming sight in Drew's office.

There was a particular vent that lead to a nice and big crawlspace between the ceiling of Joey's office and the floor of the room above. Norman liked to eat lunch there, nice and quiet and with a vantage point to look down at Joey's desk, where he'd be writing the most pitiful letters to his investors.

It was fun to watch the bastard degrade himself when he often degraded those around them instead. That day Norman had expected to find just that, not Joey holding Sammy by the neck and squeezing it tight while the poor music director squirmed uselessly in his grasp.

Naturally de'd frozen in shock, staring through the crack he used to observe his less than favourite protagonist, watching the scene unfolding like something out of them novels his wife liked to read. Murder mystery stuff.

Joey Drew was choking the life out of one of his first employees, while hissing the most cruel and deplorable things imaginable. Once in a while he'd release his grasp when Sammy's face would start turning a horrid shade of blue, then continue to choke him and verbally assault him once the guy reinflated his lungs. The process carried on for at least five minutes before Norman could take no more.

Food abandoned to the mice, he crawled all the way back out and made his way to Drew's office. He slammed his fist on the door before opening it, refusing to wait for an answer.

Joey had released Sammy in the time it took for Norman to get out and back. The blond just barely composing himself while Joey played the part of a saintly boss, sitting behind his desk with a calm and peacefully look on his face.

"Is everything alright, Mr. Polk?" The devil of a man asked, with that false sweet tone he used when addressing his more naive employees. Sammy refused to look at anyone, instead fixing the creases on his shirt and pinning his loosened hair into a messy ponytail.

Caught red-handed, Norman didn't know what to say. Thankfully Wally was a saving grace in that respect.

"FIRE IN THE BAND ROOM! THE DANG PROJECTOR EXPLODED!"

"The music sheets!" Sammy practically shoved past them both to run to the aid of the few pieces that had survived any encounters with the faulty ink pipes. Wally followed, leaving Norman to stare at Joey.

The look in Drew's eyes told him he knew perfectly well why Norman had come here.

"Best be less obvious about your hobbies Mr. Polk..."

"Why Mr. Drew, I haven't a faintest clue what yous is on about... Just comin' ta tell ya the projector was no good no more."

"Right... The projector. Hopefully the projectionist doesn't end up the same. There's only so much a soft heart can take, hm?" The implications of his words were a little unsettling, but thus far Drew was more bark than talk.

"Resortin' to threats now, are we? Can ya really afford ta lose anyone else?" Not to mention it'd be odd to just let him go after years of working at the studio. People would ask questions.

"If I could afford to lose the best damn artist this studio ever saw, I can definitely afford to lose a nosy projectionist." He meant those words. He really did. Norman could sense the malice behind them. So he hit back harder.

"Henry did the right thing leavin' your sorry ass behind."

He got out as soon as the paperweight flew his way. He'd definitely pay for that later, but it felt good to at least spare Sammy from Joey's wrath.

Soft heart and all that...

A soft heart that would inevitable have an axe buried in it, brandished by the very same person he'd been trying to help.

Life didn't much care for soft people, it seemed.

#Eps Writes:#Fanfic #Bendy and the Ink Machine #BATIM #Norman Polk #Sammy Lawrence #Joey Drew

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dreaminginthedeepsouth · 4 years ago

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LETTERS FROM AN AMERICAN

December 19, 2020

Heather Cox Richardson

“The old world is dying, and the new world struggles to be born: now is the time of monsters,” wrote Italian philosopher Antonio Gramsci. Trump and the Republicans are fighting tooth and nail to retain their hold on power, while President-Elect Joe Biden and Vice President-Elect Kamala Harris are quietly trying to move forward.

There are monsters, indeed. Today, New York Times journalists Maggie Haberman and Zolan Kanno-Youngs reported that Trump held a long meeting at the White House yesterday with his lawyer Rudy Giuliani; disgraced former National Security Adviser Michael Flynn, whom Trump recently pardoned for lying to the FBI; and Flynn’s lawyer Sidney Powell. These four are the heart of those insisting—without evidence—that Trump won the 2020 election. They have talked of Trump declaring martial law and holding new elections. In the meeting, Trump apparently asked about appointing Powell as special counsel to investigate voter fraud in the 2020 election.

White House advisers in the room, including White House counsel Pat A. Cipollone and White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows, pushed back strongly, noting that Powell has yet to prove any of her accusations. Axios journalist Jonathan Swan reported that senior Trump officials think Trump is spending too much time with crackpots who are egging him on to seize power. One told Swan: when Trump is "retweeting threats of putting politicians in jail, and spends his time talking to conspiracy nuts who openly say declaring martial law is no big deal, it’s impossible not to start getting anxious about how this ends."

The country is increasingly ravaged by the pandemic. Friday saw more than 250,000 new infections in a single day. More than 315,000 have died, including 3,611 on Wednesday. More than 128,000 Americans have received the vaccine.

The economy is in recession, but yesterday, Senator Ron Johnson (R-WI) objected to one-time federal payments of $1200 because he says he’s worried about the deficit. Democrats noted that the Trump administration’s tax cuts for the wealthy and military spending added a projected $4 trillion to the deficit by 2026. Then, just as it seemed both sides had come to an agreement over a coronavirus relief bill, the Republicans scuttled it with a new demand that would rein in the ability of the Federal Reserve to combat the recession. This would take from Biden a key tool. The Republicans seem to be doing their best to undercut the Biden administration so they can regain power in 2022 and 2024.

(Just before midnight tonight, the Senate appears to have reached a compromise. Details are not yet available).

This week, the United States learned of a massive hack on our government and business sector. Intelligence agents as well as Trump's Secretary of State, Mike Pompeo, say Russia is behind the attack. Once again, though, Trump refuses to criticize Russian President Vladimir Putin. He claimed that the attack wasn't as bad as the "Fake News Media" says it is, and he suggested the culprit could have been China, rather than Russia. Then, once again, he insisted he won the election.

And yet, if the Trump administration models an assault on our country by a group of oligarchs determined to seize power, the incoming Biden administration is signaling that it takes seriously our future as a true multicultural democracy.

Nothing signals that more than the nomination of Representative Deb Haaland (D-NM) as Secretary of the Interior Department. Haaland is a member of the Laguna Pueblo people who have lived in the land that is now New Mexico for 35 generations. She is the daughter of two military veterans. A single mother who earned a law degree with a young daughter in tow, she was a tribal leader focused on environmentally responsible economic development for the Lagunas before she became a Democratic leader.

Her nomination for Interior carries with it deep symbolism. If confirmed, Haaland will be the first Native American Cabinet secretary and will head the department that, in the nineteenth century, destroyed Indigenous peoples for political leverage.

The United States government initially put management of Indian affairs into the War Department but, in 1849, transferred the Bureau of Indian Affairs to the newly created Department of the Interior. Reformers hoped that putting Indian relations under the control of civilians, rather than military, would lead to fewer wars. But the move opened the way for indigenous people to be swept up in a political system over which they had no control.

In the nineteenth century, as settlers pushed into Indigenous territory, the government took control of that land through treaties that promised the tribes food, clothing, shelter, education, health care, and usually the tools and seeds to become farmers. As well, tribal members usually received a yearly payment of cash. These distributions of goods and money were not payment for the land. They were the terms of the deal. If tribes were to give up the lands on which they depended to survive, their people needed a replacement for their livelihoods.

But here’s where politics came in. Tribes moved onto the reservations, either willingly or by force. In the nineteenth century, those reservations were often large tracts of land. To pick up their food and so on, the Indigenous people would go once or twice a month to the agency, essentially a town on the reservation, usually with a school, a doctor, warehouses, and stores. The agency grew up around the man in charge of the agency: the agent.

With Indian Affairs in the Department of the Interior, the agents were political appointees. The U.S. senators of the state in which the reservation was located made their choices and told the president, who then made the appointment. While some of the agents actually tried to do their job, most were put into office to advance the interests of the political party in power. So, they took the money Congress appropriated for the tribe they oversaw, then gave the contracts for the beef, flour, clothing, blankets, and so on, to cronies, who would fulfill the contracts with moldy food and rags, if they bothered to fulfill them at all. They would pocket the rest of the money, using it to help keep their political party in power and themselves in the position of agent.

When tribal leaders complained, lawmakers pointed out—usually quite correctly—that they had appropriated the money required under the treaties. But the system had essentially become a slush fund, and the tribes had no recourse against the corrupt agents except, when they were starving, to go to war. Then the agents called in the troops. Democrat Grover Cleveland tried to clean up the system (not least because it was feeding the Republicans so much money) in 1885-1889, but as soon as Republican Benjamin Harrison took the White House back, he jump-started the old system again.

The corruption was so bad by then that military leaders tried to take the management of Indian Affairs away from the politicians at the Interior Department, furious that politicians caused trouble with the tribes and then soldiers and unoffending Indians died. It looked briefly as if they might manage to do so until the Wounded Knee Massacre of 1890 ended any illusions that military management would be a better deal for Native Americans than political management.

The Interior Department today manages our natural resources as well as the government’s relationship with Indigenous tribes. Placing Haaland at the head of it is more than simply promoting diversity in government. It is a recognition of 170 years of American history and the perversion of our principles by men who lusted for power. It is a sign that we are finally trying to use the government for the good of everyone.

“A voice like mine has never been a Cabinet secretary or at the head of the Department of Interior,” Haaland tweeted after the announcement. “I’ll be fierce for all of us, our planet, and all of our protected land.”

A new world struggles to be born.

—-

LETTERS FROM AN AMERICAN

HEATHER COX RICHARDSON

#Letters From An American #Heather Cox Richardson #political #election 2020 #corrupt GOP #criminal GOP #Native American History

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airbornegrim · 4 years ago

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Trump just declassified all the Washington scandals. He is hiding at a military base. The attack at the capitol was antifa and BLM, mostly.

This is not in any of the news or social media.

BREAKING‼️

This is why they are censoring everyone. They just DECLASSIFIED everything! Share it far & wide.

Here we go!

Wikileaks just dumped all of their files online. Everything from Hillary Clinton's emails, McCain's being guilty, Vegas shooting, Steve Jobs HIV letter, PedoPodesta, Afghanistan, Syria, Iran, Bilderberg, CIA agents arrested for rape, WHO pandemic. Happy Digging!

Here you go, please read and pass it on..... 📷[https://file.wikileaks.org/file/.](https://file.wikileaks.org/file/)..

These are Clinton’s emails: 📷[https://file.wikileaks.org/file/clinton-emails/](https://file.wikileaks.org/file/clinton-emails/)

Index file! 📷[https://file.wikileaks.org/file/?fbclid=IwAR2U_Evqah_Qy2wxNY12FMqFC5dAFUcZL5Kl4FIfQuMFMp8ssbM46oHXWMI](https://file.wikileaks.org/file/?fbclid=IwAR2U_Evqah_Qy2wxNY12FMqFC5dAFUcZL5Kl4FIfQuMFMp8ssbM46oHXWMI)

Send to everyone you can as fast as you can! 😎

Forward

“IT'S HAPPENING!

Military takedowns and arrests begin this wknd and will continue forward for the next 13 days/nights. Some international raids have already started. Italy has also been found complicit in our election fraud.

Everyone will be getting emergency 🆘 alerts on their phones, tv's, radios & internet. It will override all other broadcasts and could last for several hours at a time. Do not to be scared of what's coming as it is for the safety of our nation for this to unfold.

DO NOT travel to any large cities (especially Philadelphia) for the rest of the month. Military operations will be taking place in many of the major corrupt cities. People will start rioting once this intel breaks thinking Trump is a military dictator. He only has 13 days to put this dog down.

The implementation of the Insurrection Act began after the raid on the Capitol and was marked by Trump's broadcast to the people to disband and return home. This broadcast wound up being blocked, for the most part, by the media. Nevertheless, his address fulfilled the requirements to initiate the Act.

Marines and National Guard troops are being moved as needed for the riots that will start after the national release of the intel. The intel will be dropped for everyone to see and hear in loops that will be several hours long. The system was just checked by the FCC a few days ago alerting ALL media that they cannot block the flow of intel under federal regs.

Trump will be moved continuously like a chess piece from now until the 20th in order to avoid any retaliation against him and family.

Trump had to exhaust ALL other means legally before this operation could commence. He gave everyone a fair chance to come clean and they refused.

His press release of a "smooth transition" did not include the word, "concede" as he has no plans to do so. Rather, there will be a smooth transition of power to his new cabinet, staff and Vice President, General Flynn.

The rally in DC was an awesome event

For what it's worth

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feelingbluepolitics · 4 years ago

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"For those who thought Barr might be an institutionalist, protecting the department from the predations of a *resident with little respect for it, consider: He backed installing a prosecutor in the flagship office with no — zero — prosecutorial experience.

..."For those who thought Barr would be competent, consider: He ousted Berman, a registered Republican and Trump donor, and wound up with Audrey Strauss, a registered Democrat who has contributed to Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama and Joe Biden in the job. Well played.

..."The underlying question is why Barr felt compelled to remove Berman — and, here, there is every reason, given past performance, to suspect foul motives. After all, the Southern District is an office that has prosecuted and investigated any number of [t]rump allies and [trump’s] own inaugural committee.

..."It’s now past time for the lawmakers to hear from Timothy Shea, the former interim U.S. attorney for the District of Columbia, who oversaw the about-face in the Stone sentencing and the guilty plea of former national security adviser Michael Flynn.

"Let’s hear from Berman and Jessie Liu, the former U.S. attorney for the District of Columbia, who, among other things, declined to bring charges against former FBI deputy director Andrew McCabe. (Liu left her post for a position at the Treasury Department, only to have that nomination summarily yanked by [t]rump.) Let’s hear from Makan Delrahim, the assistant attorney general in charge of the Antitrust Division.

..."And let’s hear, most important, from the attorney general himself. Barr had been scheduled to appear before the committee for the first time as attorney general on March 31, an appearance that was canceled because of the pandemic. Since then, the White House has decreed that no Cabinet officials are permitted to testify without approval from the White House chief of staff, asserting that 'the administration must continue to maintain its highest operational status to stop the spread and to reopen our economy.'

..."Justice cited that guidance in asserting Barr’s unavailability until, with the threat of subpoenas in the air, spokeswoman Kerri Kupec tweeted that Barr 'has accepted an invitation to appear' before the committee — but not until July 28, weeks later than the committee had requested."

Bad faith. Barr will cite some spurious cause not to appear, and fight a subpoena. Or he'll show up and lie. He should be subpoenaed now. In fact, he can be formally investigated for impeachment now, and show up to defend himself if he wants.

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robertreich · 5 years ago

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Trump’s “Deep State” is Trump’s Corrupt State

Trump has been ramping up his “Deep State” rhetoric again. He’s back to blaming a cabal of bureaucrats, FBI and CIA agents, Democrats, and “enemies of the people” in the mainstream media, for conspiring to remove him from office in order to allow the denizens of foreign shi*tholes to overrun America.

But with each passing day it’s becoming clearer that the real threat to America isn’t Trump’s Deep State. It’s Trump’s Corrupt State.

Not since Warren G. Harding’s sordid administration have as many grifters, crooks and cronies occupied high positions in Washington.

Trump has installed a Star Wars Cantina of former lobbyists and con artists, including several whose exploits have already forced them to resign, such as Scott Pruitt, Ryan Zinke, Tom Price, and Michael Flynn. Many others remain.

When he was in Congress, the current White House acting Chief of Staff Mick Mulvaney pocketed tens of thousands of dollars in campaign contributions from payday lenders, then proposed loosening regulations on them. Trump appointed Mulvaney acting head of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, of all things.

When he was Trump’s special adviser on regulatory reform, Wall Street billionaire Carl Icahn sought to gut EPA’s rule on ethanol credits which was harming his oil refinery investments.

Last week it was reported that a real estate company partly owned by Trump son-in-law and foreign policy advisor, Jared Kushner, has raked in $90 million from foreign investors since Kushner entered the White House, through a secret tax haven run by Goldman Sachs in the Cayman Islands. Kushner’s stake is some $50 million.

All this takes conflict-of-interest to a new level of shamelessness.

What are Republicans doing about it? Participating in it.

Secretary of Transportation Elaine Chao, who also happens to be the wife of Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, has approved $78 million in grants for her husband's home state of Kentucky, including a highway-improvement project that had been twice rejected in the past. Chao has even appointed a special liaison to coordinate grants with McConnell's office.

Oh, did I say, McConnell is up for reelection next year?

News that a Cabinet secretary is streamlining federal funding for her husband's pet projects would be a giant scandal under normal circumstances. But in the age of Trump, ethics are out the window.

Congressman Greg Pence, who just happens to be the brother of Vice President Mike Pence, has spent more than $7,600 of his campaign funds on lodging at the Trump International Hotel in Washington since he was elected in November, although federal election law forbids politicians from using campaigns dollars to cover housing costs.

The Corrupt State starts with Trump himself, giving new meaning to the old adage about a fish rotting from the head down.

When foreign governments aren’t currying favor with Trump by staying at his Washington hotel, they’re using state-owned companies to finance projects that will line Trump’s pocket, like China’s $500 million entertainment complex in Indonesia that includes a Trump-branded hotel.

Trump claims the Deep State allows foreigners to take advantage of America. The reality is Trump’s Corrupt State allows Vladimir Putin and his goon squad to continue undermining American democracy.

“I’d take it” if Russia again offered campaign help, Trump crowed last week, adding that he wouldn’t necessarily tell the FBI about it. Just days before, Trump acknowledged “Russia helping me get elected” the first time.

Despite evidence that Russia is back hacking and trolling its way toward the 2020 election, Republican defenders of Trump’s Corrupt State won’t lift a finger.

Mitch McConnell refuses to consider any legislation on election security. He and Senate Republicans even killed a bill requiring campaigns to report offers of foreign assistance to the FBI and federal authorities.

The charitable interpretation is McConnell and his ilk don’t want to offend Trump by doing anything that might appear to question the legitimacy of his 2016 win.

The less charitable view is Republicans oppose more secure elections because they’d be less likely to win them.

Trump and his Republican enablers are playing magicians who distract us by shouting “look here!” at the paranoid fantasy of a Deep State, while creating a Corrupt State under our noses.

But it’s not a party trick. It’s the dirtiest trick of our time, enabled by the most corrupt party in living memory.

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meetnategreen · 5 years ago

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Here are some senior figures who have been fired, quit or otherwise changed roles in the administration.

2019

Randolph "Tex" Alles -- the head of the U.S. Secret Service -- left in May as part of a broader shake-up of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). The White House tapped James Murray, a career Secret Service agent, to take over.

Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen. She resigned in April amid Trump's rising anger at a surge in migrants crossing the U.S.-Mexico border. Kevin McAleenan, who had led the U.S. Customs and Border Protection commissioner, was chosen as acting DHS secretary.

Linda McMahon - The Republican fundraiser was one of Trump's first Cabinet picks. She served as director of the Small Business Administration until March, when she resigned to join Trump's re-election campaign. Trump nominated U.S. Treasurer Jovita Carranza to the position in April.

Clete Willems - A key figure in trade talks with China and a deputy to Trump's top economic adviser, Larry Kudlow, Willems said in March he wanted to spend more time with his family.

Heather Wilson - The U.S. Air Force secretary, once considered a top candidate to become defense secretary, decided to return to academia.

Bill Shine - Eight months after being hired as the White House communications director, he resigned to work on Trump's re-election campaign. A source close to Trump said the president had lost confidence in the former Fox News executive.

2018

Jim Mattis - In a candid resignation letter that laid bare his growing divide with Trump over Syria and Afghanistan policies, the defense secretary abruptly quit, shocking allies and Congress. Trump named Mattis' deputy, Patrick Shanahan, a former Boeing executive, to the role in an acting capacity soon afterward.

Ryan Zinke - Trump's first interior secretary left at the end of 2018 amid investigations into his use of security details, chartered flights and a real estate deal.

John Kelly - A retired Marine Corps general, Kelly was hired as White House chief of staff to bring order to the chaotic Trump White House, but ultimately fell out with his boss. Trump named his budget director, Mick Mulvaney, to the job on an acting basis on Dec. 14.

Jeff Sessions - The Republican former U.S. senator from Alabama was finally forced out as attorney general on Nov. 7 after months of being attacked and ridiculed by the president for recusing himself from a special counsel probe into Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election. He was replaced briefly by Matthew Whitaker until William Barr was confirmed to the job.

Nikki Haley - The former South Carolina governor stepped down at the end of 2018 as U.S. ambassador to the United Nations. Trump first put forward State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert as her successor, but she later withdrew. Trump has since nominated Republican donor and U.S. Ambassador to Canada Kelly Craft for the position.

Don McGahn - Trump said in August the White House counsel would leave, amid strains between the two over the Russia probe.

Scott Pruitt - The Environmental Protection Agency chief quit in July under fire over a series of ethics controversies.

David Shulkin - White House officials said in March that the Veterans Affairs secretary would resign.

H.R. McMaster - The national security adviser was replaced in March by John Bolton.

Rex Tillerson - The secretary of state was fired by Trump in March after long-standing tension between them.

Gary Cohn - The National Economic Council director and former Goldman Sachs president said in March he would resign. Trump picked Larry Kudlow to replace him.

Hope Hicks - The White House communications director, a long-serving and trusted Trump aide, resigned on Feb. 28.

Rob Porter - The White House staff secretary resigned in February after accusations of domestic abuse from former wives.

2017

Omarosa Manigault Newman - The former reality TV star was fired as assistant to the president in December.

Tom Price - The Health and Human Services secretary quit under pressure from Trump on Sept. 29 over travel practices.

Stephen Bannon - Trump's chief strategist was fired by Trump in mid-August after clashing with White House moderates.

Anthony Scaramucci - The White House communications director was fired by Trump in July after 10 days on the job.

Reince Priebus - Replaced as chief of staff by Kelly, Priebus lost Trump's confidence after setbacks in Congress.

Sean Spicer - Resigned as White House press secretary in July, ending a turbulent tenure.

Michael Dubke - Resigned as White House communications director in May.

James Comey - The FBI director, who led the Russia probe before the special counsel was appointed, was fired by Trump in May.

Michael Flynn - Resigned in February as Trump's national security adviser. Flynn later pleaded guilty to lying to the FBI.

Sally Yates - Fired in January by Trump as acting attorney general.

(Reporting by Washington Newsroom; Editing by Kevin Drawbaugh, and Alistair Bell)

All of the appointees of President Putin’s Apprentice share certain things in common; They’re either Corrupt, Incompetent or BOTH.

They may think they’re the smart ones for jumping of his sinking garbage barge, but all of them will be tainted with his foul stink for the rest of their wasted and unredeemable lives.

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dickinsonstate · 6 years ago

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Hawk's Perch - January 2019

To address this need, along with the informational conduits mentioned above, DSU will begin instituting “work groups” to aid in project planning and information gathering. These groups will be constituted to help with particular projects, disbanding when the project is complete. In this fashion, we can ensure that the campus and larger community is involved in planning, but that no one person is obligated to remain on a “committee” in perpetuity. To begin this process we have reached out to establish work groups in areas such as event space needs, implementation of esports, campus traffic and parking lots, and the centennial plaza. We will add groups as needed.

Another initiative is underway with Dual Mission education. A Dual Mission Committee, which has been given the purview of identifying potential programs that will help ensure we at DSU are helping educate our students and the community to help fill workforce needs. I am grateful to all participants in each work group and look forward to hearing their recommendations in the coming months. With respect to the Dual Mission committee and planning, the university is surveying the manufacturing field, medical field, and energy field to help determine needs among their businesses. Already, the Dual Mission Committee has brought forward strong ideas for consideration including a communication bootcamp and a Certified Nurses Assistant program. These programs are non-credit bearing but will earn the participant a distinction and will prepare that person to either enter the workforce, or progress within his or her field in the workforce.

Helen Keller is noted to have once said, “Alone we can do so little; together we can do so much.” Coming together as a true community will ensure we are able to continue offering a high level of education for our students while creating a welcoming and outreaching atmosphere on the DSU campus and in western North Dakota.

The Dickinson State University family was officially welcomed back to campus January 7, 2019 where the State of the University was presented in our newly renovated dining facility, The Perch. If you have yet to visit this space, please feel free to stop by, chat with the employees, and try a meal, as the space is also open to the public. I am sure you will enjoy the experience.

One of the major highlights of the State of the University address was the first-year to second year retention rate. Three years ago, student retention hovered around 54 percent. This past year, 71 percent of our students were retained from year one to year two. I wish to thank DSU’s Dr. Carmen Wilson, Provost and Vice President for Academic and Student Affairs for working tirelessly in this area, and introducing programs that give students the extra support required to ensure their success at DSU.

We are also working to engage students at a greater level. On Saturday, Jan. 19, the DSU admissions team, working with faculty and staff groups, hosted the first basketball tailgate for prospective students, parents, the campus community, and larger Dickinson area. This event was held just before the women’s basketball game Saturday, January 19th and was a wonderful success. The faculty and staff set up booths for prospective students to get information about the university while visiting with their future faculty members and mentors. The tailgate culminated in two exciting basketball matchups in Scott Gymnasium! I eagerly await the next gathering and hope you will join us for the festivities as we support our students through their education.

I want to welcome Ms. Laura Nelson to the DSU President’s Cabinet team as the Interim Vice President of Finance and Administration. Laura brings much experience to this position. She began her career in higher education in North Dakota in 2011. She has served as DSU’s controller since June 1 of 2017. Before this position, Laura worked as a budget specialist for the Department of Human Services and spent time as a senior accountant for both Eide Bailly, and Flynn and Associates. Laura earned her MBA from the University of Mary and her Bachelor of Science in business from Mayville State University. Please stop in and congratulate Laura when you have the opportunity.

The University and community has realized a strong coming together over the past three years. I am grateful to everyone who has been a part of this process and look forward to continuing these relationships.

Sincerely,

Thomas Mitzel, President

Dickinson State University

Twitter: @mitzel_pres

Email: [email protected]

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awesomecooperlove · 3 years ago

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Marie, [Aug 15, 2021 at 2:12 AM] We have permission to post and share August 9, 2021 8:41 PM Subject: WOW WOW: BLOCKBUSTER NEWS FROM A FRIEND WHO HEARD IT FROM A FRIEND - MAYBE CREDIBLE, MAYBE NOT, BUT TIMELY AND VERY, VERY INTERESTING Trump just declassified all the Washington scandals. He is hiding at a military base. The attack at the capitol was antifa and BLM, mostly. This is not in any of the news or social media. BREAKING This is why they are censoring everyone. They just DECLASSIFIED everything! Share it far & wide. Here we go! Wikileaks just dumped all of their files online. Everything from Hillary Clinton's emails, McCain's being guilty, Vegas shooting, Steve Jobs HIV letter, PedoPodesta, Afghanistan, Syria, Iran, Bilderberg, CIA agents arrested for rape, WHO pandemic. Happy Digging! Here you go, please read and pass it on..... https://file.wikileaks.org/file/... These are Clinton’s emails: https://file.wikileaks.org/file/clinton-emails/ Index file! https://file.wikileaks.org/file/?fbclid=IwAR2U_Evqah_Qy2wxNY12FMqFC5dAFUcZL5Kl4FIfQuMFMp8ssbM46oHXWMI Send to everyone you can as fast as you can! Forward “IT'S HAPPENING! Military takedowns and arrests begin this wknd and will continue forward for the next 13 days/nights. Some international raids have already started. Italy has also been found complicit in our election fraud. Everyone will be getting emergency alerts on their phones, tv's, radios & internet. It will override all other broadcasts and could last for several hours at a time. Do not to be afraid of what's coming as it is for the safety of our nation for this to unfold. DO NOT travel to any large cities (especially Philadelphia) for the rest of the month. Military operations will be taking place in many of the major corrupt cities. People will start rioting once this intel breaks thinking Trump is a military dictator. He only has 13 days to put this dog down. The implementation of the Insurrection Act began after the raid on the Capitol and was marked by Trump's broadcast to the people to disband and return home. This broadcast wound up being blocked, for the most part, by the media. Nevertheless, his address fulfilled the requirements to initiate the Act. Marines and National Guard troops are being moved as needed for the riots that will start after the national release of the intel. The intel will be dropped for everyone to see and hear in loops that will be several hours long. The system was just checked by the FCC a few days ago alerting ALL media that they cannot block the flow of intel under federal regs. Trump will be moved continuously like a chess piece from now until the 20th in order to avoid any retaliation against him and family. Trump had to exhaust ALL other means legally before this operation could commence. He gave everyone a fair chance to come clean and they refused. His press release of a "smooth transition" did not include the word, "concede" as he has no plans to do so. Rather, there will be a smooth transition of power to his new cabinet, staff and Vice President, General Flynn. The rally in DC was an awesome event For what it's worth @TakeTheOath 🦅

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duckybeth99 · 7 years ago

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A Town of Change and Progress (Western AU)

hey uh I fuckin hate how tumblr breaks my formatting on fics it takes me an extra few minutes to edit this shit and a lot of my old fics at least on mobile r broken now thx tungle dot com. anyway welcome to western au reboot choo choo choooooooo

——

Some would think the town was founded years and years ago. But in reality, it was actually only a short time ago.

It started when the posh Jackson Morrison came into town and founded a little place called Riverview Ravine, in the wild and free expanding landscapes further out from the loud and congested cities. He founded and financed it from his line of banks and businesses; he chose people to lead the town’s development and he would be sent information on his new little town frequently. He was too busy with his businesses to move there, but he did want the bragging rights of being a town founder and use it as a sign of his power that even his other business associates didn’t have yet.

So, he picked a few simple people to start businesses, care for basic needs in the town. He employed a mayor, a doctor, a school teacher, a barber, a dress shop owner, people to run a farm for the local area, people to run a local train station, people to run a jail and one of his banks, so on and so forth. Carefully chosen was each person to be sent to settle this new little town.

Of course, he knew more people would move in over time. He expected this place to thrive. And in just a few years, it began to.

———

“It’s only a minor headache,” John chuckled and looked back to Moirin. “Flynn’s gonna be just fine. Keep him well hydrated, let him rest for a while. Probably was just working too much lately.”

“I don’t know what I would do without you, John,” Moirin smiled at her friend gladly. Flynn kept rubbing and almost pawing at his forehead. Moirin gave a sympathetic look to her eldest boy. “Well, I’m sure we have enough staff to handle missing one waiter.”

“But I wanted to see the show!” Flynn frowned. Moirin tsked at him.

“No buts, young man,” she said. “The minute we get home, you’re heading straight to bed.”

John smiled kindly at his friends when he heard something downstairs. He looked back to Moirin, “‘Scuse me. You know your way out, right? I’m sure that’s Junior downstairs.”

The doctor headed down from his upstairs medical room down to the back porch. There, he saw Johnny, sweaty and dirty, splashing his face with water from the faucet.

“No need to make such a racket,” John teased. “You know how your father likes to sleep in.”

“Yeah? Well, some of us have to get up early for work if we like it or not,” Johnny rolled his eyes. He snatched up a broom from the side and hit it against the ceiling, “Here that, Dad?! Wake up! I bet Alice has had the shop open for hours already before you!”

Muffled from upstairs, the two men heard the other man shout back down, “I need my beauty sleep! Stuff it!!”

“Well, now you’ve got him started,” Makoto packed her school books. “I hope you’re happy, boys.”

“Would it kill him to be useful?”

“No, but it could kill him to wake up before a certain hour. I’m convinced that’s why he sleeps so much.” Makoto offered a teasing smile to her son before crossing to John and kissing his cheek.

“Go and educate the youth,” he smiled.

“You make it sound so noble,” Makoto rolled her eyes, but her smile persisted. “Has Beth left already? I didn’t even catch her this morning.”

“She insisted on walking by herself to school,” Johnny finally had his face completely washed. “Pops and I said no, so she walked with the other kids. They’re all waiting for you, I’m sure, Ma.” Makoto made her way over to her son and kissed his cheek.

“I’ll be off,” she waved to her family, and John heard the thundering of Adam from down the stairs.

“Damn it, Johnny, let me get a good night’s sleep for once,” he scoffed as he adjusted his coat. John laughed.

“Now, now, don’t fight,” he smiled, placing his hands on both their shoulders. “Junior, go ahead and get your rest. I promise I won’t disturb you. Adam, eat up some breakfast before you go to the shop.”

“Only if it’s edible,” Adam raised his head high and strode to the kitchen. Johnny dusted off his hands on his work clothes.

“Well I brought in fresh—“

“Stop wiping your hands on your clothes!” Adam scolded over his shoulder.

Johnny scoffed under his breath, “Neat freak.”

As much as his family clashed, Johnathan Bosteau, Sr. loved his odd family.

———

As Alice tried to hop up and down to dust the top of one of the tall cabinets, Adam rolled his eyes, gently shooed her away, and took the feather duster and cleaned with ease.

“You’re too short for any good housework here,” he waved his hand. Alice scratched the back of her head with a timid shrug.

“But I do everything else alright!” she smiled. Adam crossed to the front door and flipped the open sign to closed. “I’m your best employee!”

“Yes, it’s a very big achievement,” Adam smirked over his shoulder. “Very hard with you being my only employee. Go on upstairs and get some rest. We have a lot of fancy shipments to tailor tomorrow. Some grand party coming up in a town not too far.” Alice nodded eagerly and headed to the upstairs apartment of the the shop.

Adam kept that place from before he married John and Makoto, when he lived alone and secluded. True, it was easy to care for himself in such a situation, but he had to admit it was rather lonely. He was glad to have the family he did now.

He started to rent it out to the McEllen family when they first came into town, after he was married. To a Molly and Melissa McEllen. Soon, Molly herself moved out to live with the old bakery, Jeremiah Schwartz, her new husband. Though, Adam had to admit, the addition of Alice seemed to pop up quickly after their union. Too quickly. Before they even met.

He didn’t care. It was their business. So he let Melissa rent the apartment, cut the price to minuscule when she started to help him in his shop. When Schwartz died, Molly handed off the bakery to another man, some timid man who barely ever came out of the damn place. She went back to the apartment, worked for Adam again, and he saw the little baby become a teenager who worked for him now, with her mother and grandmother now passed.

As Adam locked up his supplies and front door, he thought he heard something. Keen as he was in his senses, he brushed it off casually as some kind of animal skirting about.

But still, as he was about to leave through the backdoor, he wasn’t too sure.

So he sat in the dark and waited.

———

Alex waited until the entire town was asleep. The train station and jail were the only places with lanterns still on outside the home. But it didn’t look like anyway was awake. The saloon was shut, houses dead quiet.

The young man adjusted his hat and kept his eyes peeled as he slowly, quietly guided his horse towards the back of one of the shops. In his time in this line of work, he knew people rarely locked up the back doors.

“Sh,” Alex pressed a finger to his lips as he climbed off his horse. He pet his snout and gestured for him to lie below the window. The horse bowed its neck the best it could. Alex smirked at the effort and gave his friend an apple.

He slipped to the backdoor and slowly twisted the knob. Unlocked. Perfect.

Slipping through the shadows, weapon resting against him, Alex snuck inside the shop. Some food was available. He opened up his satchel and tossed in the few fruits. Snuck up to one of the shelves and pulled out clothes, as much as he could shove in. This was enough.

As Alex turned to leave without any conflict, his grey eyes glanced at it.

He spotted a gorgeous sculpture, elegantly crafted. It had to be worth a lot.

He glanced at the backdoor. This would be enough for the orphans and himself, what he already grabbed. But this could get him everything else he needed, too.

The young boy slunk towards it, carefully picking up the sculpture.

A lamp clicked on behind him.

“I knew I heard something,” Adam sat, legs crossed and head held high, shadows crossing his face. “Put it back. Everything you took.”

Alex looked at the sculpture in his hands.

He bolted to the backdoor.

Surprisingly quickly, Adam stood and grabbed Alex by his satchel, pulling him back. The old bag tore. Slipping over everything that spilled, Alex lost hold of the sculpture.

It shattered right in front of the door.

With a surprising strength, Adam pulled Alex back towards him with a furious look in his eyes.

“You little—“

“Adam, what’s going—“ Alice rushed down the stairs, then shrieked at seeing Alex. “Thief!! Thief!!”

“Alice, go get help!” Adam barked. She shuffled anxiously on the tips of her toes before she ran out of the shop.

“Let go of me!” Alex tried to tug himself away. Adam scoffed.

“Oh, no you don’t,” he growled. “Thieves like you have to pay.”

“Let go!” Alex stomped on Adam’s foot, then fought out of his hold. The thief ran to his broken satchel, picked it up, and grabbed all the food and clothes he could carry.

Packing everything quickly onto his horse’s pouches, he held tight to his hat and the reigns of his horse. The horse whinnied loudly, standing high briefly before the two charged out of the town. Alerted by the sound of the horse and Alice getting help, most of the townsfolk rushed out of their homes to see the commotion.

Alex tugged the reins, twisting his horse away from the people who tried to stop him. He hasn’t been caught yet, and he wasn’t going to get caught now, in this place, by these people. Almost close to escaping the town, Alex grinned and patted his horse to go faster.

He was stopped by another man on a horse, one much larger and older than him. His badge was what made Alex sweat as opposed to the size difference. In his panic, the young thief froze, allowing more of the townspeople to circle him. Several women and men held up their own ideas of weapons, ranging from a frying pan, a cane, and an actual shotgun.

Alex swallowed.

———

“Now there’s no need to argue about him,” Drefan burst inside the saloon, hands resting on his belt and holster. Early that morning, the adults of the town gathered to discuss about the thief who strode into town late the prior night. “He’s in the jail. He’ll rot in there.”

“We’ve never had to use that jail since this town opened!” Vincent fussed. Smaller than the rest of the adults, he had to emphasize himself often. “Now we actually... have to care for it! Have upkeep!”

“Is that something for us to be genuinely concerned about?” Drefan sat down amongst all the others. “What an odd trifle.”

“I have a right to be concerned—“

“Don’t start another fight,” Mabuz rubber his forehead in an annoyed manner. “Please.”

“What if he breaks out?” Valerie swung her feet anxiously.

Violet gasped, “And comes after the girls in the show?!” The twins held hands and threatened to cry.

“I didn’t even think of that!” Alice panicked.

“He had the look of a killer! He’ll get us in our sleep when he has the chance!”

“Now you’re being ridiculous—“

“—Everyone, please—!!”

As the table turned into chaos, Adam kept his arms and legs crossed, leaning back with a cool glare.

“Is no one remembering—“ he spoke firmly, loudly, above all the other panic, “—that he’s the one who robbed me and also broke an original sculpture famed at more money than any one here can comprehend?”

“Now a vase is a real trifle,” Vincent grumbled. Elliot chuckled beside him.

“Laugh it up,” Adam raised his head high.

Drefan rolled his eyes, “We’ve returned all your stolen goods, Adam.”

“Damaged goods,” Adam growled. “And you know what? I’ve had enough of this going around and around! I’m shutting this down now.” The man stood from his seat, looking down at everyone else. “You’re so concerned about caring for a jail and him being an inconvenience and criminal, then why don’t we fix that?”

“And how, Adam,” Virginica steepled her hands, resting her chin on the backs with a callous and judgement gaze, “do you expect to do that?”

“Simple,” Adam crossed his arms, standing tall over everyone else. “I’m going to make him work for me. He’ll work on a debt that he’s accumulated from the damaged goods and sculpture. I’ll keep an eye on him, every good deed and work day will take off money from his debt; every bad deed adds more money to his debt.”

John looked with wide eyes at his husband. “You can’t be serious.”

“I had the worst crime done to me,” Adam placed his hands on his hips, “so I’ll dish out the punishment as I see fit.” As Drefan stood to protest, Adam moved to him and stood toe to toe. “What’s he going to learn in jail? Nothing. He’s going to die as rotten as he acted last night. Or, as a town that likes to call itself a place for change and progress, we decide to apply that change and progress to him?” Adam shrugged. Drefan looked to the mayors.

Vincent anxiously drummed his fingers on the table. Mabuz rubbed his chin in thought.

He glanced his teal eyes up at Adam.

“I’ll allow it,” he slowly nodded his head.

“What?!” the rest of the town members practically shrieked in unison. Mabuz nodded his head again.

“Adam is right,” he said. “As much as saying that leaves a bad taste in my mouth. We can’t claim to be a town founded on change and progress and not offer the same chances to him.”

“He’s a criminal!” John spoke up. Mabuz glanced his eyes at him.

“Yes, and so were several people at this table once before,” he said. Almost everyone glanced off or fidgeted, heads down or looking away from each other. “We offer the same thing to all these other people here in this room, in this town. We’ll do the same. It’s what’s right. Adam will be in charge of all of this. Punishment as he sees fit, reformation as he sees fit... but we will check up on it. And if anything goes wrong, we will either give him to someone else, or put him back in jail.”

Adam grinned proudly. Drefan’s face flushed with an anger he forced himself not to express. Mabuz cleared his throat, stood up and adjusted his bolo tie.

“Meeting adjourned,” he said. As everyone slowly and anxiously stood back up to leave, Mabuz picked up his cane with Vincent trailing after him and babbling on concerns everyone clearly had but wouldn’t voice. Adam watched everyone leave, people avoiding looking at him. Makoto stepped up to him and locked her arm with his.

“You lie perfectly on the line of being a genius and being a complete idiot,” she teased. Adam shrugged with a proud grin.

“And yet, everyone will see that this will be my greatest achievement yet,” he said, pressing a kiss to Makoto’s cheek. John stepped up beside his lovers and sighed.

“Adam, you sometimes frustrate and confuse me to no end,” the old doctor murmured. Adam chuckled.

“I like to think it’s part of my charm, dear.”

#Beth writing #welcome to Riverview #ask bloge #Riverview ravine #western au

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opedguy · 4 years ago

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Scaramucci Tells Trump Go Back to Business

LOS ANGELES (OnlineColumnist.com), Jan. 23, 2021.--President Donald Trump’s former 57-year-old Communication Director Anthony Scaramucci, who lasted from July 21, 2017 to July 31, 2017, epitomizes the kind of personnel failures that destroyed the Trump presidency. From his days on NBC’s “The Apprentice,” Trump prided himself on picking winners, famously telling the contestants that didn’t work out, “You’re Fired.” Well Trump fired a lot of folks in his Cabinet and administration for not working out. Scarmucci was the perfect example of a multimillionaire imposter, who made a lot of cash at Goldman Sachs then his own private equity fund SkyBridge Capital, but knew nothing about strategic communications. Like many of Trump’s White House employees, they were all hungry for the lights-and-cameras but they knew next-to-nothing about the jobs assigned. When you pick people like Scaramucci, you know Trump was in trouble.

Once Scarmucci was bounced out of theWhite House in record time, he became of favorite of the Trump resistance in all the Trump-hating media, appearing regularly to opine about Trump, as if he had any insights. What Scramucci had was all the money in the world to get in front of cameras bashing Trump, showing zero class for someone who once enjoyed Trump’s confidence. Trump’s former White House employees all turned against him, seduced by the attention given to them by the Trump-hating media outlets. “I personally would like to see him get out politics and back to business,” Scaramucci told Yahoo Finance Live. Of all the Internet news sites, none was against Trump more than Yahoo, running 24/7, non-stop content slamming his presidency, much like the HuffPost. Scaramucci would like to see Trump back to his business, a fitting way to keep getting his revenge.

When it came to Trump’s early Cabinet, it went from bad to worse in short order, picking Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn as his National Security Director. Flynn lasted from Jan. 22, 2017 to Feb. 13, 2004, embarrassing Trump with his doofus interview with the FBI at the White House Jan. 24, 2017, only four days after Trump took office. While Flynn was set up by former FBI Director James Comey, he should have known better, but showed he was a real novice. Trump’s next big mistake was picking 68-year-old former Exxon-Mobil CEO Rex Tillerson as Secretary of State, someone known for oil-and-gas deals but nothing else. Tillerson did better than Flynn, lasting from Feb. 1, 2017 to March 31, 2018, when Trump finally got it right picking 56-year-old Mike Pompeo to replace him. But when you look at Trump’s coup de grace, the worst pick of all, he picked 74-year-old Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-Al.) as Attorney General.

Session’s Senate confirmation went poorly, forcing him to recuse himself from Trump’s allege Russian collusion investigation. Sessions failed to admit he has spoke with former Russian Amb. Sergey Kislyak during the transition period, much the same as Flynn. But Sessions’ recusal proved disastrous for Trump, allowing his Deputy Atty. Gen. Rod Rosenstein to appoint former FBI Director Robert Mueller as Special Counsel. Had Sessions refused to recuse himself, he could have stopped the Russian hoax investigation, something that dogged Trump for at least three years. Trump’s bad decision was his undoing, not to mention picking 70-year-old four star Gen. Jim Mattis and Defense Secretary [Jan. 20, 2017 – Jan. 1, 2019]. Mattis and Trump butted heads, especially when it came past Obama-era Mideast policy. Trump promised to end former President Barack Obama’s proxy war in Syria.

Things went from bad to worse with Mattis, ending badly with Mattis, after his departure Jan. 1, 2019, when Mattis, like Scaramucci, joined the anti-Trump forces, ripping Trump at every possible chance. Trump thought he made the right move picking 70-year-old Gen. John Kelly as Chief of Staff, serving from July 31, 2017 to Jan. 2, 2019. Like other Cabinet picks, Kelly turned on Trump, especially after he was dumped, more related to Kelly’s inability to accept Trump’s brusque management style. Kelly couldn’t play a subordinate role, often butting heads, like others, with Trump. Personnel problems plagued the Trump presidency, picking the most incompetent group subordinates imaginable in the run up to the 2020 election. Scaramucci’s 32-year-old replacement as Communication Director Hope Hicks [Aug. 15, 2017 to March 28, 2018] then Counselor to the President, proved Trump’s undoing.

Hicks couldn’t deal with the avalanche of bad publicity mounting because of the Covid-19 crisis, exploited by Democrats because Hicks did little or nothing to defend Trump. Democrats succeeded in painting Trump as an incompetent boob when it came to managing the Covid-19 crisis, then watching the economy eventually crash. One of the great foils to Trump’s reelection was 80-year-old Dr. Anthony Fauci, the grandfatherly head of the National Institute of Health’s Allergy and Infectious Disease. Trump couldn’t stop Democrats from exploiting Fauci to make Trump look like an idiot managing the Covid-19 crisis. Fauci hid behind his “scientist” cloak to assail Trump politically through the 2020 campaign. All the president’s men and women, one way or another, stabbed Trump in the back. Scaramucci has zero insights into Trump, only an insatiable thirst for media attention.

About the Author

John M. Curtis writes politically neutral commentary analyzing spin in national and global news. He’s editor of OnlineColumnist.com and author of Dodging The Bullet and Operation Charisma. Reply Reply All Forward

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