The Truth About Trump
One thing the Mueller Report has demonstrated beyond any doubt is that Donald Trump lies through his teeth so often that he has a real problem telling the truth - or right from wrong.
Liar. https://t.co/Sgyi2uQHfz— George Conway (@gtconway3d) April 23, 2019
The Mueller report said this tweet was false. Volume II, page 44. https://t.co/QUQ3uATOUA— Marshall Cohen (@MarshallCohen) April 22, 2019
"Utterly Untruthful President" (25/10/17)
So now even people on Donald Trump's own side agree that the President has great difficulty with the truth as senior Republican Senator Bob Corker concedes that:
"He is purposely breaking down relationships we have around the world that had been useful to our nation."
Quite an admission if you ask me, though I prefer to call a spade a spade by speaking more plainly by describing Trump for what he really is - an incorrigible liar.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-41729586
Bob Corker says Trump 'utterly untruthful president'
BBC US & Canada
Media caption - Corker: The governing model of the White House is to divide
Tennessee Senator Bob Corker has unleashed a blistering attack on US President Donald Trump, calling the president "utterly untruthful".
In a series of television interviews, Mr Corker accused the president of lying, adding that he debased the US and weakened its global standing.
Mr Trump fired back on Twitter, calling the top Senator a "lightweight" who "couldn't get re-elected".
The pair are due to meet at a Senate lunch to discuss tax reform on Tuesday.
"He is purposely breaking down relationships we have around the world that had been useful to our nation," Mr Corker said on CNN after Mr Trump criticised him on Twitter.
"I think the debasement of our nation is what he'll be remembered most for," he said.
The Foreign Relations Committee head, who was an early supporter of Mr Trump, added that the president has "great difficulty with truth".
Raising the voltage - Anthony Zurcher, BBC News, Washington
The good news for Donald Trump is he's managed to push his feud with a grieving war widow out of the headlines. The bad news is he's done it by pushing a stake through Republican unity at a time when the party needs to come together to pass big-ticket tax reform through Congress.
The latest blistering exchange between Republican Senator Bob Corker and the president has all the hallmarks of one of Mr Trump's classic intra-party campaign spats.
There's the quick Twitter trigger finger, the derogatory nicknames ("liddle" Bob Corker), the over-the-top hyperbole ("he couldn't get elected dog catcher").
Republicans - including those who bore the brunt of Mr Trump's vitriolic attacks - largely shrugged off those earlier rows as primary-season posturing and unified behind their unlikely standard-bearer in the autumn general election.
Mr Corker, on the verge of Senate retirement, isn't backing down, however. And the president is once again raising the voltage.
The party is learning the hard way that there's only one Donald Trump - whether he's a real-estate mogul, a reality TV star, a candidate or a president.
If you question his leadership, his views or his attitude, he'll unleash the whirlwind, no matter the consequences.
When asked if he regretted supporting Mr Trump during the 2016 election, the Tennessee senator said: "Let's just put it this way, I would not do that again."
His comments came after Mr Trump lashed out at the Republican in a series of tweets.
End of Twitter post by @realDonaldTrump
Last month Mr Corker announced that he would not seek re-election at next year's mid-term elections.
Mr Corker had voted against the 2015 agreement to curb Iran's development of nuclear weapons, calling it "flawed", but later said Mr Trump should not "tear up" the agreement.
The tweets appeared to be in response to Mr Corker's comments on ABC News' Good Morning America, in which he suggested the president should stop interfering in the debate on tax legislation.
Four ways Bob Corker skewered Donald Trump
What's in the Iran nuclear deal?
How does the US tax plan compare to other countries?
Mr Trump is planned to head to Capitol Hill on Tuesday to rally Senate Republicans on a White House-backed tax reform plan.
Mr Corker's support for the plan could be crucial as Republicans seek to pass the legislation in the divided upper chamber.
The Tennessee lawmaker also raised concern with the president's behaviour toward North Korea, saying Mr Trump "continues to kneecap his diplomatic representative, the secretary of state".
Media caption - How one phone call has sparked uproar
He added that when it comes to diplomacy with Pyongyang, Mr Trump should "leave it to the professionals for a while".
Following Mr Trump's attack, Mr Corker fired back on Twitter.
End of Twitter post by @SenBobCorker
The spat reignites an ongoing feud between the two men, which blew up earlier this month when Mr Corker responded to an attack from Mr Trump saying: "It's a shame the White House has become an adult day care center.
"Someone obviously missed their shift this morning."
Donald Trump has a real ugly turns of phrase when he's boasting or 'bigging' himself up and often turns to sexual innuendo to belittle his opponents or perceived enemies, as he did when he said that Mitt Romney would have "dropped to his knees" in return for Trump's endorsement.
The latest target of Trump's bad tempter is Kirsten Gillibrand, a woman senator who called on the President to resign over sexual misconduct allegations.
In his Twitter response, Trump claimed that Senator Gillibrand would 'do anything' for campaign contributions but taken together with his Mitt Romney tweet it doesn't take a genius to work out what kind of 'anything' that Trump had in mind.
# MeToo and Trump (12/12/17)
Associated Press reports that Donald Trump is coming under increasing scrutiny for his predatory sexual behaviour as the #MeToo campaign encourages women victims to come forward and tell their stories.
https://apnews.com/e3b50b28fa73426799e6ac63839057fb
#MeToo spotlight increasingly pointed at past Trump conduct
By JONATHAN LEMIRE - Associated Press
NEW YORK (AP) — Donald Trump sailed past a raft of allegations of sexual misconduct in last year’s presidential election.
Now the national #MeToo spotlight is turning back to Trump and his past conduct. Several of his accusers are urging Congress to investigate his behavior, and a number of Democratic lawmakers are demanding his resignation.
With each day seeming to bring new headlines that force men from positions of power, the movement to expose sexual harassment has forced an unwelcome conversation on the White House. In a heated exchange with reporters in the White House briefing room on Monday, press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders steadfastly dismissed accusations against the Republican president and suggested the issue had already been litigated in Trump’s favor on Election Day.
But to Trump’s accusers, the rising #MeToo movement is an occasion to ensure he is at last held accountable.
“It was heartbreaking last year. We’re private citizens and for us to put ourselves out there to try and show America who this man is and how he views women, and for them to say, ‘Eh, we don’t care,’ it hurt,” Samantha Holvey said Monday. The former beauty queen claimed that Trump ogled her and other Miss USA pageant contestants in their dressing room in 2006.
White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders argues with reporters during the White House briefing Monday over what she described as honest media mistakes versus “purposefully misleading the American people.” (Dec. 11)
“Let’s try round two,” she said. “The environment’s different. Let’s try again.”
Holvey was one of four women to make her case against Trump on Monday, both in an NBC interview and then in a news conference. Rachel Crooks, a former Trump Tower receptionist who said the celebrity businessman kissed her on the mouth in 2006 without consent, called for Congress to “put aside party affiliations and investigate Trump’s history of sexual misconduct.”
“If they were willing to investigate Sen. Franken, it’s only fair that they do the same for Trump,” Crooks said.
Franken, the Democratic senator from Minnesota, announced last week that he would resign amid an ethics probe into accusations that he sexually harassed several women. Reps. John Conyers, D-Mich., and Trent Franks, R-Ariz., also resigned after misconduct accusations.
But a Capitol Hill investigation into Trump’s conduct appears unlikely. The Senate and House Ethics Committees investigate members of Congress, not presidents, and Republican-led committees are not apt to investigate Trump on sexual misconduct unless there is some sort of connection to the ongoing Russia probe.
Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., said Congress shouldn’t investigate the allegations against Trump.
“I don’t think there’s any forum for us to do that,” he said. “Just think about how that could be abused.”
Nonetheless, several Democratic senators have seized the moment and called for Trump to step down.
“President Trump should resign,” New York Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand told CNN on Monday. “These allegations are credible; they are numerous. I’ve heard these women’s testimony, and many of them are heartbreaking.”
New Jersey Sen. Cory Booker and Oregon Sen. Jeff Merkley have also called on Trump to resign.
White House aides have warily watched the movement sweep Capitol Hill, opting to repeat rote denials about allegations against the president. The president’s advisers were stunned Sunday when one of the highest-ranking women in the Trump administration broke with the White House line and said the accusers’ voices “should be heard.”
“They should be heard, and they should be dealt with,” Nikki Haley, the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, said in a CBS interview. “And I think we heard from them before the election. And I think any woman who has felt violated or felt mistreated in any way, they have every right to speak up.”
Haley’s comments infuriated the president, according to two people who are familiar with his views but who spoke on condition of anonymity because they aren’t authorized to speak publicly about private conversations. Trump has grown increasingly angry in recent days that the accusations against him have resurfaced, telling associates that the charges are false and drawing parallels to the accusations facing Republican Alabama Senate candidate Roy Moore.
Sixteen women have come forward with a range of accusations against Trump, many after the release of the “Access Hollywood” tape last October in which Trump was caught on an open microphone bragging about groping women. One woman, Summer Zevos, a contestant on Trump’s reality show, “The Apprentice,” sued, contending that Trump’s denials of her accusations amount to false and defamatory statements.
Jessica Leeds, who appeared at Monday’s news conference, recalled sitting on an airplane next to Trump in the 1970s when he began to fondle her.
“All of a sudden, he’s all over me. Kissing and groping, groping and kissing,” she said. “Nothing was said. It was just this silent groping going on.”
Trump denied the allegations during the campaign, and Sanders did the same Monday.
“Look, as the president said himself, he thinks it’s a good thing that women are coming forward, but he also feels strongly that a mere allegation shouldn’t determine the course,” Sanders said. “And again, the American people knew this and voted for the president. And we feel like we’re ready to move forward in that process.”
Sanders declined to say whether she believed the accusers or if she herself had been the victim of harassment. She grew impatient with the repeated questions and pledged to provide a list of eyewitnesses whose accounts exonerated the president.
The White House did not provide the list by late Monday.
Associated Press writers Zeke Miller and Richard Lardner contributed to this report from Washington.
Powerful Men and Sexual Predators (21/10/17)
The Week magazine raises the issue of powerful men as sexual predators with a front cover featuring Harvey Weinstein, Bill O'Reilly (formerly of Fox News) and last but not least Donald Trump.
Makes you think, or ought to a least.
Speaking at a press conference in the Kremlin the other day, Russian President Vladimir Putin had this to say about the incoming American President Donald Trump:
"This is an adult (Donald Trump) and, moreover, a man who for many years has organised beauty contests. He socialised with the most beautiful women in the world. I can hardly imagine he rushed to the hotel to meet our girls of lower social responsibility - even though they are the best in the world, of course."
"Grab them by the pussy" is locker-room banter according to Donald Trump, but it's not the kind of foul language or ugly mindset that you'd expect from a professional person never mind someone aspiring to become President of the United States.
So the race for the White House has been dragged into the world of sexual predators by the unguarded comments of the Republican nominee while his 'partner in crime', a TV presenter named Billy Bush, has been suspended by the NBC Today programme.
NBC has said there is "simply no excuse for Billy's behaviour and language on that tape", yet Trump carries on after issuing a perfunctory apology which completely ingress the fact that he was in a professional setting at the time and nowhere near a locker-room.
To their credit most of the Bush family have said they will not be voting for this buffoon and while Trump's poll ratings are taking a well-deserved hit, especially among women voters, I suspect there's much more to come in the days ahead.
http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-37605883
Billy Bush suspended by NBC after Trump tape emerges
BBC - Entertainment & Arts
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-41729586
Bob Corker says Trump 'utterly untruthful president'
BBC US & Canada
Media caption - Corker: The governing model of the White House is to divide
Tennessee Senator Bob Corker has unleashed a blistering attack on US President Donald Trump, calling the president "utterly untruthful".
In a series of television interviews, Mr Corker accused the president of lying, adding that he debased the US and weakened its global standing.
Mr Trump fired back on Twitter, calling the top Senator a "lightweight" who "couldn't get re-elected".
The pair are due to meet at a Senate lunch to discuss tax reform on Tuesday.
"He is purposely breaking down relationships we have around the world that had been useful to our nation," Mr Corker said on CNN after Mr Trump criticised him on Twitter.
"I think the debasement of our nation is what he'll be remembered most for," he said.
The Foreign Relations Committee head, who was an early supporter of Mr Trump, added that the president has "great difficulty with truth".
Raising the voltage - Anthony Zurcher, BBC News, Washington
The good news for Donald Trump is he's managed to push his feud with a grieving war widow out of the headlines. The bad news is he's done it by pushing a stake through Republican unity at a time when the party needs to come together to pass big-ticket tax reform through Congress.
The latest blistering exchange between Republican Senator Bob Corker and the president has all the hallmarks of one of Mr Trump's classic intra-party campaign spats.
There's the quick Twitter trigger finger, the derogatory nicknames ("liddle" Bob Corker), the over-the-top hyperbole ("he couldn't get elected dog catcher").
Republicans - including those who bore the brunt of Mr Trump's vitriolic attacks - largely shrugged off those earlier rows as primary-season posturing and unified behind their unlikely standard-bearer in the autumn general election.
Mr Corker, on the verge of Senate retirement, isn't backing down, however. And the president is once again raising the voltage.
The party is learning the hard way that there's only one Donald Trump - whether he's a real-estate mogul, a reality TV star, a candidate or a president.
If you question his leadership, his views or his attitude, he'll unleash the whirlwind, no matter the consequences.
When asked if he regretted supporting Mr Trump during the 2016 election, the Tennessee senator said: "Let's just put it this way, I would not do that again."
His comments came after Mr Trump lashed out at the Republican in a series of tweets.
Bob Corker, who helped President O give us the bad Iran Deal & couldn't get elected dog catcher in Tennessee, is now fighting Tax Cuts....
End of Twitter post by @realDonaldTrump
Last month Mr Corker announced that he would not seek re-election at next year's mid-term elections.
Mr Corker had voted against the 2015 agreement to curb Iran's development of nuclear weapons, calling it "flawed", but later said Mr Trump should not "tear up" the agreement.
The tweets appeared to be in response to Mr Corker's comments on ABC News' Good Morning America, in which he suggested the president should stop interfering in the debate on tax legislation.
Four ways Bob Corker skewered Donald Trump
What's in the Iran nuclear deal?
How does the US tax plan compare to other countries?
Mr Trump is planned to head to Capitol Hill on Tuesday to rally Senate Republicans on a White House-backed tax reform plan.
Mr Corker's support for the plan could be crucial as Republicans seek to pass the legislation in the divided upper chamber.
The Tennessee lawmaker also raised concern with the president's behaviour toward North Korea, saying Mr Trump "continues to kneecap his diplomatic representative, the secretary of state".
Media caption - How one phone call has sparked uproar
He added that when it comes to diplomacy with Pyongyang, Mr Trump should "leave it to the professionals for a while".
Following Mr Trump's attack, Mr Corker fired back on Twitter.
Same untruths from an utterly untruthful president. #AlertTheDaycareStaff
End of Twitter post by @SenBobCorker
The spat reignites an ongoing feud between the two men, which blew up earlier this month when Mr Corker responded to an attack from Mr Trump saying: "It's a shame the White House has become an adult day care center.
"Someone obviously missed their shift this morning."
Trump's Ugly Sexual 'Banter' (15/12/17)
Donald Trump has a real ugly turns of phrase when he's boasting or 'bigging' himself up and often turns to sexual innuendo to belittle his opponents or perceived enemies, as he did when he said that Mitt Romney would have "dropped to his knees" in return for Trump's endorsement.
The latest target of Trump's bad tempter is Kirsten Gillibrand, a woman senator who called on the President to resign over sexual misconduct allegations.
In his Twitter response, Trump claimed that Senator Gillibrand would 'do anything' for campaign contributions but taken together with his Mitt Romney tweet it doesn't take a genius to work out what kind of 'anything' that Trump had in mind.
Lightweight Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, a total flunky for Chuck Schumer and someone who would come to my office “begging” for campaign contributions not so long ago (and would do anything for them), is now in the ring fighting against Trump. Very disloyal to Bill & Crooked-USED!
But Trump has form in this area, of course, for example in the infamous Access Holyrood tape when he is heard making disparaging remarks about women to Billy Bush (the programme presenter, before they were joined by the actress, Arianne Zucker.
Trump went on to dismiss the conversation as 'locker-room banter', but if you ask me there is something seriously wrong with the man - because he speaks this way all the time.
Donald J. Trump: You know and ...
Unknown: She used to be great. She’s still very beautiful.
Trump: I moved on her, actually. You know, she was down on Palm Beach. I moved on her, and I failed. I’ll admit it.
Unknown: Whoa.
Trump: I did try and fuck her. She was married.
Unknown: That’s huge news.
Trump: No, no, Nancy. No, this was [unintelligible] — and I moved on her very heavily. In fact, I took her out furniture shopping.
She wanted to get some furniture. I said, “I’ll show you where they have some nice furniture.” I took her out furniture —
I moved on her like a bitch. But I couldn’t get there. And she was married. Then all of a sudden I see her, she’s now got the big phony tits and everything. She’s totally changed her look.
Unknown: Whoa.
Trump: I did try and fuck her. She was married.
Unknown: That’s huge news.
Trump: No, no, Nancy. No, this was [unintelligible] — and I moved on her very heavily. In fact, I took her out furniture shopping.
She wanted to get some furniture. I said, “I’ll show you where they have some nice furniture.” I took her out furniture —
I moved on her like a bitch. But I couldn’t get there. And she was married. Then all of a sudden I see her, she’s now got the big phony tits and everything. She’s totally changed her look.
Billy Bush: Sheesh, your girl’s hot as shit. In the purple.
Trump: Whoa! Whoa!
Bush: Yes! The Donald has scored. Whoa, my man!
[Crosstalk]
Trump: Look at you, you are a pussy.
[Crosstalk]
Trump: All right, you and I will walk out.
[Silence]
Trump: Maybe it’s a different one.
Bush: It better not be the publicist. No, it’s, it’s her, it’s —
Trump: Yeah, that’s her. With the gold. I better use some Tic Tacs just in case I start kissing her. You know, I’m automatically attracted to beautiful — I just start kissing them. It’s like a magnet. Just kiss. I don’t even wait. And when you’re a star, they let you do it. You can do anything.
Bush: Whatever you want.
Trump: Grab ’em by the pussy. You can do anything.
Bush: Uh, yeah, those legs, all I can see is the legs.
Trump: Oh, it looks good.
Bush: Come on shorty.
Trump: Ooh, nice legs, huh?
Bush: Oof, get out of the way, honey. Oh, that’s good legs. Go ahead.
Trump: It’s always good if you don’t fall out of the bus. Like Ford, Gerald Ford, remember?
Bush: Down below, pull the handle.
Trump: Hello, how are you? Hi!
Arianne Zucker: Hi, Mr. Trump. How are you? Pleasure to meet you.
Trump: Nice seeing you. Terrific, terrific. You know Billy Bush?
Bush: Hello, nice to see you. How you doing, Arianne?
Zucker: Doing very well, thank you. Are you ready to be a soap star?
Trump: We’re ready, let’s go. Make me a soap star.
Bush: How about a little hug for the Donald? He just got off the bus.
Zucker: Would you like a little hug, darling?
Trump: O.K., absolutely. Melania said this was O.K.
Bush: How about a little hug for the Bushy? I just got off the bus.
Zucker: Bushy, Bushy.
Bush: Here we go. Excellent. Well, you’ve got a nice co-star here.
Zucker: Yes, absolutely.
Trump: Good. After you.
[Break in video]
Trump: Come on, Billy, don’t be shy.
Bush: Soon as a beautiful woman shows up, he just, he takes off. This always happens.
Trump: Get over here, Billy.
Zucker: I’m sorry, come here.
Bush: Let the little guy in here, come on.
Zucker: Yeah, let the little guy in. How you feel now? Better? I should actually be in the middle.
Bush: It’s hard to walk next to a guy like this.
Zucker: Here, wait, hold on.
Bush: Yeah, you get in the middle, there we go.
Trump: Good, that’s better.
Trump: Whoa! Whoa!
Bush: Yes! The Donald has scored. Whoa, my man!
[Crosstalk]
Trump: Look at you, you are a pussy.
[Crosstalk]
Trump: All right, you and I will walk out.
[Silence]
Trump: Maybe it’s a different one.
Bush: It better not be the publicist. No, it’s, it’s her, it’s —
Trump: Yeah, that’s her. With the gold. I better use some Tic Tacs just in case I start kissing her. You know, I’m automatically attracted to beautiful — I just start kissing them. It’s like a magnet. Just kiss. I don’t even wait. And when you’re a star, they let you do it. You can do anything.
Bush: Whatever you want.
Trump: Grab ’em by the pussy. You can do anything.
Bush: Uh, yeah, those legs, all I can see is the legs.
Trump: Oh, it looks good.
Bush: Come on shorty.
Trump: Ooh, nice legs, huh?
Bush: Oof, get out of the way, honey. Oh, that’s good legs. Go ahead.
Trump: It’s always good if you don’t fall out of the bus. Like Ford, Gerald Ford, remember?
Bush: Down below, pull the handle.
Trump: Hello, how are you? Hi!
Arianne Zucker: Hi, Mr. Trump. How are you? Pleasure to meet you.
Trump: Nice seeing you. Terrific, terrific. You know Billy Bush?
Bush: Hello, nice to see you. How you doing, Arianne?
Zucker: Doing very well, thank you. Are you ready to be a soap star?
Trump: We’re ready, let’s go. Make me a soap star.
Bush: How about a little hug for the Donald? He just got off the bus.
Zucker: Would you like a little hug, darling?
Trump: O.K., absolutely. Melania said this was O.K.
Bush: How about a little hug for the Bushy? I just got off the bus.
Zucker: Bushy, Bushy.
Bush: Here we go. Excellent. Well, you’ve got a nice co-star here.
Zucker: Yes, absolutely.
Trump: Good. After you.
[Break in video]
Trump: Come on, Billy, don’t be shy.
Bush: Soon as a beautiful woman shows up, he just, he takes off. This always happens.
Trump: Get over here, Billy.
Zucker: I’m sorry, come here.
Bush: Let the little guy in here, come on.
Zucker: Yeah, let the little guy in. How you feel now? Better? I should actually be in the middle.
Bush: It’s hard to walk next to a guy like this.
Zucker: Here, wait, hold on.
Bush: Yeah, you get in the middle, there we go.
Trump: Good, that’s better.
Zucker: This is much better. This is —
Trump: That’s better.
Zucker: [Sighs]
Bush: Now, if you had to choose honestly between one of us. Me or the Donald?
Trump: I don’t know, that’s tough competition.
Zucker: That’s some pressure right there.
Bush: Seriously, if you had — if you had to take one of us as a date.
Zucker: I have to take the Fifth on that one.
Bush: Really?
Zucker: Yup — I’ll take both.
Trump: Which way?
Zucker: Make a right. Here we go. [inaudible]
Bush: Here he goes. I’m gonna leave you here.
Trump: O.K.
Bush: Give me my microphone.
Trump: O.K. Oh, you’re finished?
Bush: You’re my man, yeah.
Trump: Oh, good.
Bush: I’m gonna go do our show.
Zucker: Oh, you wanna reset? O.K.
Trump: That’s better.
Zucker: [Sighs]
Bush: Now, if you had to choose honestly between one of us. Me or the Donald?
Trump: I don’t know, that’s tough competition.
Zucker: That’s some pressure right there.
Bush: Seriously, if you had — if you had to take one of us as a date.
Zucker: I have to take the Fifth on that one.
Bush: Really?
Zucker: Yup — I’ll take both.
Trump: Which way?
Zucker: Make a right. Here we go. [inaudible]
Bush: Here he goes. I’m gonna leave you here.
Trump: O.K.
Bush: Give me my microphone.
Trump: O.K. Oh, you’re finished?
Bush: You’re my man, yeah.
Trump: Oh, good.
Bush: I’m gonna go do our show.
Zucker: Oh, you wanna reset? O.K.
# MeToo and Trump (12/12/17)
Associated Press reports that Donald Trump is coming under increasing scrutiny for his predatory sexual behaviour as the #MeToo campaign encourages women victims to come forward and tell their stories.
https://apnews.com/e3b50b28fa73426799e6ac63839057fb
#MeToo spotlight increasingly pointed at past Trump conduct
By JONATHAN LEMIRE - Associated Press
NEW YORK (AP) — Donald Trump sailed past a raft of allegations of sexual misconduct in last year’s presidential election.
Now the national #MeToo spotlight is turning back to Trump and his past conduct. Several of his accusers are urging Congress to investigate his behavior, and a number of Democratic lawmakers are demanding his resignation.
With each day seeming to bring new headlines that force men from positions of power, the movement to expose sexual harassment has forced an unwelcome conversation on the White House. In a heated exchange with reporters in the White House briefing room on Monday, press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders steadfastly dismissed accusations against the Republican president and suggested the issue had already been litigated in Trump’s favor on Election Day.
But to Trump’s accusers, the rising #MeToo movement is an occasion to ensure he is at last held accountable.
“It was heartbreaking last year. We’re private citizens and for us to put ourselves out there to try and show America who this man is and how he views women, and for them to say, ‘Eh, we don’t care,’ it hurt,” Samantha Holvey said Monday. The former beauty queen claimed that Trump ogled her and other Miss USA pageant contestants in their dressing room in 2006.
White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders argues with reporters during the White House briefing Monday over what she described as honest media mistakes versus “purposefully misleading the American people.” (Dec. 11)
“Let’s try round two,” she said. “The environment’s different. Let’s try again.”
Holvey was one of four women to make her case against Trump on Monday, both in an NBC interview and then in a news conference. Rachel Crooks, a former Trump Tower receptionist who said the celebrity businessman kissed her on the mouth in 2006 without consent, called for Congress to “put aside party affiliations and investigate Trump’s history of sexual misconduct.”
“If they were willing to investigate Sen. Franken, it’s only fair that they do the same for Trump,” Crooks said.
Franken, the Democratic senator from Minnesota, announced last week that he would resign amid an ethics probe into accusations that he sexually harassed several women. Reps. John Conyers, D-Mich., and Trent Franks, R-Ariz., also resigned after misconduct accusations.
But a Capitol Hill investigation into Trump’s conduct appears unlikely. The Senate and House Ethics Committees investigate members of Congress, not presidents, and Republican-led committees are not apt to investigate Trump on sexual misconduct unless there is some sort of connection to the ongoing Russia probe.
Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., said Congress shouldn’t investigate the allegations against Trump.
“I don’t think there’s any forum for us to do that,” he said. “Just think about how that could be abused.”
Nonetheless, several Democratic senators have seized the moment and called for Trump to step down.
“President Trump should resign,” New York Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand told CNN on Monday. “These allegations are credible; they are numerous. I’ve heard these women’s testimony, and many of them are heartbreaking.”
New Jersey Sen. Cory Booker and Oregon Sen. Jeff Merkley have also called on Trump to resign.
White House aides have warily watched the movement sweep Capitol Hill, opting to repeat rote denials about allegations against the president. The president’s advisers were stunned Sunday when one of the highest-ranking women in the Trump administration broke with the White House line and said the accusers’ voices “should be heard.”
“They should be heard, and they should be dealt with,” Nikki Haley, the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, said in a CBS interview. “And I think we heard from them before the election. And I think any woman who has felt violated or felt mistreated in any way, they have every right to speak up.”
Haley’s comments infuriated the president, according to two people who are familiar with his views but who spoke on condition of anonymity because they aren’t authorized to speak publicly about private conversations. Trump has grown increasingly angry in recent days that the accusations against him have resurfaced, telling associates that the charges are false and drawing parallels to the accusations facing Republican Alabama Senate candidate Roy Moore.
Sixteen women have come forward with a range of accusations against Trump, many after the release of the “Access Hollywood” tape last October in which Trump was caught on an open microphone bragging about groping women. One woman, Summer Zevos, a contestant on Trump’s reality show, “The Apprentice,” sued, contending that Trump’s denials of her accusations amount to false and defamatory statements.
Jessica Leeds, who appeared at Monday’s news conference, recalled sitting on an airplane next to Trump in the 1970s when he began to fondle her.
“All of a sudden, he’s all over me. Kissing and groping, groping and kissing,” she said. “Nothing was said. It was just this silent groping going on.”
Trump denied the allegations during the campaign, and Sanders did the same Monday.
“Look, as the president said himself, he thinks it’s a good thing that women are coming forward, but he also feels strongly that a mere allegation shouldn’t determine the course,” Sanders said. “And again, the American people knew this and voted for the president. And we feel like we’re ready to move forward in that process.”
Sanders declined to say whether she believed the accusers or if she herself had been the victim of harassment. She grew impatient with the repeated questions and pledged to provide a list of eyewitnesses whose accounts exonerated the president.
The White House did not provide the list by late Monday.
Associated Press writers Zeke Miller and Richard Lardner contributed to this report from Washington.
Powerful Men and Sexual Predators (21/10/17)
The Week magazine raises the issue of powerful men as sexual predators with a front cover featuring Harvey Weinstein, Bill O'Reilly (formerly of Fox News) and last but not least Donald Trump.
Makes you think, or ought to a least.
Locker-Room Banter? (18/01/17)
Speaking at a press conference in the Kremlin the other day, Russian President Vladimir Putin had this to say about the incoming American President Donald Trump:
"This is an adult (Donald Trump) and, moreover, a man who for many years has organised beauty contests. He socialised with the most beautiful women in the world. I can hardly imagine he rushed to the hotel to meet our girls of lower social responsibility - even though they are the best in the world, of course."
Now you might put this kind of nonsense down as juvenile 'locker-room' banter, as Donald Trump has done himself, of course.
But if you ask me, President Putin's comments about Russian prostitutes being of "lower social responsibility" are hugely demeaning, particularly as he goes on to boast that "our girls......are the best in the world."
By the way it's worth remembering that while Donald Trump claims to be far too smart to be caught out by sophisticated spying equipment during his stay in Moscow, he was exposed for his "Grab 'em by the pussy" comments while wearing a lapel microphone while doing a TV show with the NBC presenter Billy Bush.
Sexual Predator (10/10/16)
"Grab them by the pussy" is locker-room banter according to Donald Trump, but it's not the kind of foul language or ugly mindset that you'd expect from a professional person never mind someone aspiring to become President of the United States.
So the race for the White House has been dragged into the world of sexual predators by the unguarded comments of the Republican nominee while his 'partner in crime', a TV presenter named Billy Bush, has been suspended by the NBC Today programme.
NBC has said there is "simply no excuse for Billy's behaviour and language on that tape", yet Trump carries on after issuing a perfunctory apology which completely ingress the fact that he was in a professional setting at the time and nowhere near a locker-room.
To their credit most of the Bush family have said they will not be voting for this buffoon and while Trump's poll ratings are taking a well-deserved hit, especially among women voters, I suspect there's much more to come in the days ahead.
http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-37605883
Billy Bush suspended by NBC after Trump tape emerges
BBC - Entertainment & Arts
Image copyright AP Image caption - Billy Bush has said that he is "very sorry" for the 2005 remarks
US TV host Billy Bush has been suspended from NBC's Today show after a video tape emerged in which he and Donald Trump made lewd comments.
Today executive Noah Oppenheim wrote in a memo to the morning show's staff that there is "simply no excuse for Billy's language and behaviour on that tape".
Mr Bush has said he was "embarrassed and ashamed" at the remarks.
US presidential candidate Mr Trump has also apologised for the obscene comments made in the 2005 tape.
In the video, Mr Trump was on a bus talking to Mr Bush - then host of NBC's Access Hollywood - ahead of a segment they were about to record.
Mr Trump says "you can do anything" to women "when you're a star" and also brags about trying to grope and kiss women.
Mr Bush tells Mr Trump at one point "the Donald has scored" and also comments on a woman's "good legs".
US TV host Billy Bush has been suspended from NBC's Today show after a video tape emerged in which he and Donald Trump made lewd comments.
Today executive Noah Oppenheim wrote in a memo to the morning show's staff that there is "simply no excuse for Billy's language and behaviour on that tape".
Mr Bush has said he was "embarrassed and ashamed" at the remarks.
US presidential candidate Mr Trump has also apologised for the obscene comments made in the 2005 tape.
In the video, Mr Trump was on a bus talking to Mr Bush - then host of NBC's Access Hollywood - ahead of a segment they were about to record.
Mr Trump says "you can do anything" to women "when you're a star" and also brags about trying to grope and kiss women.
Mr Bush tells Mr Trump at one point "the Donald has scored" and also comments on a woman's "good legs".
Image copyrightAPImage caption - Mr Trump has said the words "don't reflect" who he is
The presenter, who is the first cousin of former President George W Bush, has since said: "It's no excuse, but this happened 11 years ago - I was younger, less mature, and acted foolishly in playing along. I'm very sorry."
Top Republicans have condemned Mr Trump for the comments. His election rival Hillary Clinton called them "horrific".
The Republican party nominee has said "these words don't reflect who I am... I apologise".
Bush joined the Today team in August, having been anchor of Access Hollywood since 2009 and co-host of Access Hollywood Live since 2010.
Mr Oppenheim said that there would be a "further review" of the matter and did not say how long Mr Bush would be suspended for.
The presenter, who is the first cousin of former President George W Bush, has since said: "It's no excuse, but this happened 11 years ago - I was younger, less mature, and acted foolishly in playing along. I'm very sorry."
Top Republicans have condemned Mr Trump for the comments. His election rival Hillary Clinton called them "horrific".
The Republican party nominee has said "these words don't reflect who I am... I apologise".
Bush joined the Today team in August, having been anchor of Access Hollywood since 2009 and co-host of Access Hollywood Live since 2010.
Mr Oppenheim said that there would be a "further review" of the matter and did not say how long Mr Bush would be suspended for.
