McConnell has nothing to lose by fucking Trump over now
The lifers got their Tax Plan, Ryan's stepping down to try to dodge his ties to the whole Russia thing, Pence is a dolt and may wind up in prison, and Hatch and (probably) Cochran are stepping down.
Turning on Trump isn't going to make their 2018 hopes worse, but it might save their own jobs, and if something happens to the Admin this year, noted non-fan of Trump Chuck Grassely is on-deck for succession.
Seriously. McConnell could go around drawing dicks on Trump's face and not be any worse off than he is right now.
I'm very skeptical of a lot of claims in the excerpt (especially so since a lot of it is stuff that I want to be true).
How would Wolff be able to get what Murdoch was saying after he'd hung up, for instance?
I totally agree, but it's also hilarious in that this is what you get when you call everything fake news and make no distinction between well sourced news and gossip and heresay. It bites you in the ass. Trump attacked the Bannon quotes as if they were really said, and so now everything is fair game in that book no matter how dubious.
I'm hoping beyond hope that this "fake news, only believe what I validate bs" is finally going to bite this whole wretched administration in its ass by fracturing the base irrevocably so that no supporter knows who the true Scotsman is
I have noticed in the press-o-sphere that certain very pro-Trump types (eg Queen Bee of access journalism, Maggie Haberman) have been quick to attack Wolff's credibility while saying that the stories and quotes sure sound enough like things people said and did that they'll have a hard time denying them. Haberman in particular is already spinning this as "Wolff was jealous of my access, so he's making up that he had EVEN MORE access." There sure are a fuckload of direct quotes I've been seeing though, and not a whole lot of denial from the supposed sources. Breitbart/Bannon seem to be treating it as valid instead of adding "alleged" to comments, and that Walsh supposed correction from the last page about calling Trump a barely literate baby still has yet to come.
Attacking Wolff's credibility isn't a new thing, people have been doing it since the 90s, and he is a kind of true-fiction writer. Here are pieces from 1998 and 2004 I picked up from Splinter news.
Wolff exploits the human tendency to confuse frankness and cruelty with truth-telling. And by repeatedly reminding the reader of what a dishonest, scheming little shit he is, he seeks to inflate his credibility.
Much to the annoyance of Wolff's critics, the scenes in his columns aren't recreated so much as created--springing from Wolff's imagination rather than from actual knowledge of events. Even Wolff acknowledges that conventional reporting isn't his bag. Rather, he absorbs the atmosphere and gossip swirling around him at cocktail parties, on the street, and especially during those long lunches at Michael's. "He's around town enough to have those insights, to spot people, to come across [pieces of information]," says a friend. He also has a talent for making the most of even the briefest encounters. "His great gift is the appearance of intimate access," says an editor who has worked with Wolff. "He is adroit at making the reader think that he has spent hours and days with his subject, when in fact he may have spent no time at all." More than one chapter of Wolff's 2003 book, Autumn of the Moguls, spotlights anecdotes about random mogul sightings in his neighborhood. In contrast to The New Yorker's Ken Auletta, whose sympathetic portrayals of media moguls have allowed him to enter their inner sanctums, Wolff does not confer with the titans he covers. He channels them.
I'm sure some of the quotes are real, but it's Wolff, so it's basically "believe it if you want to believe it" territory. Most of it is entirely plausible because the president is Trump, and that it's mostly made up is plausible because the writer is Wolff.
Given Bannon hasn't even bothered to come out and say "Yo, I didn't say that shit!" even as a lie, I'm gonna assume it's true.
Yeah the Bannon quotes seem real, especially with the cease and desist being sent out. I'm just not gonna take the rest of the excerpts from the book at face value because the Bannon interview wasn't fabricated.
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AegeriTiny wee bacteriumsPlateau of LengRegistered Userregular
Given Bannon hasn't even bothered to come out and say "Yo, I didn't say that shit!" even as a lie, I'm gonna assume it's true.
Yeah the Bannon quotes seem real, especially with the cease and desist being sent out. I'm just not gonna take the rest of the excerpts from the book at face value because the Bannon interview wasn't fabricated.
My question is if he would have any need to fabricate this stuff.
The Breitbart front page, and relevant comment pages, are absolutely fascinating right now, if you can filter out the screeching of chimps flinging poo at each other.
ALRIGHT FINE I GOT AN AVATAR
Steam: adamjnet
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HerrCronIt that wickedly supports taxationRegistered Userregular
The Breitbart front page, and relevant comment pages, are absolutely fascinating right now, if you can filter out the screeching of chimps flinging poo at each other.
Which, if true, sort of blows the whole Wolff-is-a-known-liar argument out of the water.
In some cases, the officials thought they were talking off the record. But what are they going to do now?
Those officials are either lying or don't know how off the record works. Talking off the record is something that has to be agreed to. Either you know it was off the record because they agreed to go off the record or it wasn't.
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FencingsaxIt is difficult to get a man to understand, when his salary depends upon his not understandingGNU Terry PratchettRegistered Userregular
Which, if true, sort of blows the whole Wolff-is-a-known-liar argument out of the water.
In some cases, the officials thought they were talking off the record. But what are they going to do now?
Those officials are either lying or don't know how off the record works. Talking off the record is something that has to be agreed to. Either you know it was off the record because they agreed to go off the record or it wasn't.
Or Wolff is kinda super fucked. Unless there is no paperwork, in which case they are as deeply stupid as they've previously demonstrated
Which, if true, sort of blows the whole Wolff-is-a-known-liar argument out of the water.
In some cases, the officials thought they were talking off the record. But what are they going to do now?
Those officials are either lying or don't know how off the record works. Talking off the record is something that has to be agreed to. Either you know it was off the record because they agreed to go off the record or it wasn't.
Or Wolff is kinda super fucked. Unless there is no paperwork, in which case they are as deeply stupid as they've previously demonstrated
Wolff is sorta beyond the point of being fucked by not honoring off the record. That's just convention and he's already got a dodgy reputation as a reporter. It isn't like he will be thrown in reporter (or regular) jail for not honoring it.
In a earlier time he might have trouble getting published but that's not really a thing nowadays.
Which, if true, sort of blows the whole Wolff-is-a-known-liar argument out of the water.
In some cases, the officials thought they were talking off the record. But what are they going to do now?
Those officials are either lying or don't know how off the record works. Talking off the record is something that has to be agreed to. Either you know it was off the record because they agreed to go off the record or it wasn't.
Or Wolff is kinda super fucked. Unless there is no paperwork, in which case they are as deeply stupid as they've previously demonstrated
If Wolff lied, I think they would be saying it was off the record but he reneged on the agreement.
The response was a marked departure from mid-October, when Trump called Bannon “a friend of mine” and said he understood his perspective.
But the much anticipated account of life in Trump’s White House caught the president and his West Wing team off-guard, with the president huddling with White House communications director Hope Hicks, one of his most trusted advisers, and Sanders to craft the fiery statement, after calling friends for much of the morning. Aides thought they had more time to prepare for the book’s formal release.
Trump spent much of the day raging about the book to top aides, officials and advisers said, and Sanders described the president as “furious” and “disgusted.” As he fumed, some aides were still frantically searching for a copy of the book, and even senior aides such as Hicks had not seen it by the afternoon, officials said.
“He’s out of control,” one person with knowledge of Trump’s comments said. This person added that the president had been in an upbeat mood for much of Tuesday, continuing to brag about last month’s passage of the Republican tax bill even as he fired off combative tweets.
Trump also blasted others in the White House for talking to Wolff, who was frequently spotted wandering the West Wing with no escort or ensconced in Bannon’s office, especially during the early months of the administration.
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FencingsaxIt is difficult to get a man to understand, when his salary depends upon his not understandingGNU Terry PratchettRegistered Userregular
Which, if true, sort of blows the whole Wolff-is-a-known-liar argument out of the water.
In some cases, the officials thought they were talking off the record. But what are they going to do now?
Those officials are either lying or don't know how off the record works. Talking off the record is something that has to be agreed to. Either you know it was off the record because they agreed to go off the record or it wasn't.
Or Wolff is kinda super fucked. Unless there is no paperwork, in which case they are as deeply stupid as they've previously demonstrated
Wolff is sorta beyond the point of being fucked by not honoring off the record. That's just convention and he's already got a dodgy reputation as a reporter. It isn't like he will be thrown in reporter (or regular) jail for not honoring it.
In a earlier time he might have trouble getting published but that's not really a thing nowadays.
I meant superfucked more in the sense of "recording people in the White House without permission will not go well for you", rather than any sort of integrity thing.
Also, he is going to make so much fucking money from this, and if he has recordings, there is probably also a movie deal.
Which, if true, sort of blows the whole Wolff-is-a-known-liar argument out of the water.
In some cases, the officials thought they were talking off the record. But what are they going to do now?
Those officials are either lying or don't know how off the record works. Talking off the record is something that has to be agreed to. Either you know it was off the record because they agreed to go off the record or it wasn't.
Or Wolff is kinda super fucked. Unless there is no paperwork, in which case they are as deeply stupid as they've previously demonstrated
Wolff is sorta beyond the point of being fucked by not honoring off the record. That's just convention and he's already got a dodgy reputation as a reporter. It isn't like he will be thrown in reporter (or regular) jail for not honoring it.
In a earlier time he might have trouble getting published but that's not really a thing nowadays.
I meant superfucked more in the sense of "recording people in the White House without permission will not go well for you", rather than any sort of integrity thing.
Also, he is going to make so much fucking money from this, and if he has recordings, there is probably also a movie deal.
I imagine something like The Big Short.
Not sure on that first part. DC is a one party consent state for recording and barring national security information I don't think the WH is different legally. Also if random Joe Reporter is hearing national security conversations they're pretty much the last one on the culpable list.
Wolff wrote an article back when Trump won: Trumps Win Exposes Medias Smug Failures. Its standard the mainstream media was blindsided by their arrogance etc etc think piece.
The interesting thing is it is seems this is all it takes to get access to these people, say the right words about lamestream media etc and they think you're on their team.
I'm skeptical about Wolffs credibility but the trump admin getting played by this guy so hard is hilarious.
The interesting thing is it is seems this is all it takes to get access to these people, say the right words about lamestream media etc and they think you're on their team.
I'm skeptical about Wolffs credibility but teh trump admin getting played by this guy so hard is hilarious.
Given Bannon hasn't even bothered to come out and say "Yo, I didn't say that shit!" even as a lie, I'm gonna assume it's true.
Yeah the Bannon quotes seem real, especially with the cease and desist being sent out. I'm just not gonna take the rest of the excerpts from the book at face value because the Bannon interview wasn't fabricated.
Given both bannon and trump's reaction to it makes me think it is probably more true than not but it does need to be taken with many grains of salt.
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ShadowfireVermont, in the middle of nowhereRegistered Userregular
The Breitbart front page, and relevant comment pages, are absolutely fascinating right now, if you can filter out the screeching of chimps flinging poo at each other.
I do want to look into the abyss, but...
Apparently Donald Trump is a druggie pedophile that secretly loves illegals
The Breitbart front page, and relevant comment pages, are absolutely fascinating right now, if you can filter out the screeching of chimps flinging poo at each other.
I do want to look into the abyss, but...
Apparently Donald Trump is a druggie pedophile that secretly loves illegals
I learned new things today
We definitely don't need to hear about insane comments on Brietbart in this thread.
...What. It's hard to decipher what he was even TRYING to say. He was also gloating at the same conference about how Bannon changed his tune last night (as soon as Trump called him names).
Wolff releasing tapes of Bannon tearing into Trump and kin would be pretty hilarious right about now.
ArcTangent on
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HenroidMexican kicked from Immigration ThreadCentrism is Racism :3Registered Userregular
"That's just a misnomer"? What? Saying you talk to him is a misnomer? Okay, so do you... yell at him? Talk AT him?
Posts
Paul Ryan is stepping down? When did that happen?
Democrats Abroad! || Vote From Abroad
No one involved should be let off by one side tearing into another. Unless they've testified mightily to Mueller and then... maybe.
Attacking Wolff's credibility isn't a new thing, people have been doing it since the 90s, and he is a kind of true-fiction writer. Here are pieces from 1998 and 2004 I picked up from Splinter news.
https://splinternews.com/remember-who-michael-wolff-is-1821749209
https://newrepublic.com/article/67746/wolff-trapped
I'm sure some of the quotes are real, but it's Wolff, so it's basically "believe it if you want to believe it" territory. Most of it is entirely plausible because the president is Trump, and that it's mostly made up is plausible because the writer is Wolff.
Yeah the Bannon quotes seem real, especially with the cease and desist being sent out. I'm just not gonna take the rest of the excerpts from the book at face value because the Bannon interview wasn't fabricated.
My question is if he would have any need to fabricate this stuff.
Steam: adamjnet
I do want to look into the abyss, but...
Which, if true, sort of blows the whole Wolff-is-a-known-liar argument out of the water.
The white house is reportedly claiming wolff was cleared for access 'only' 20 times.
Again, its possible Wolff got real interviews with Bannon and the rest is still untrue.
Axios are pretty reliable.
Or Wolff is kinda super fucked. Unless there is no paperwork, in which case they are as deeply stupid as they've previously demonstrated
Wolff is sorta beyond the point of being fucked by not honoring off the record. That's just convention and he's already got a dodgy reputation as a reporter. It isn't like he will be thrown in reporter (or regular) jail for not honoring it.
In a earlier time he might have trouble getting published but that's not really a thing nowadays.
If Wolff lied, I think they would be saying it was off the record but he reneged on the agreement.
Another brouhahaha, another Trump rages story.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/trump-slams-bannon-when-he-was-fired-he-not-only-lost-his-job-he-lost-his-mind/2018/01/03/21fb158a-f0aa-11e7-b3bf-ab90a706e175_story.html
I meant superfucked more in the sense of "recording people in the White House without permission will not go well for you", rather than any sort of integrity thing.
Also, he is going to make so much fucking money from this, and if he has recordings, there is probably also a movie deal.
I imagine something like The Big Short.
Not sure on that first part. DC is a one party consent state for recording and barring national security information I don't think the WH is different legally. Also if random Joe Reporter is hearing national security conversations they're pretty much the last one on the culpable list.
Inquisitor77: Rius, you are Sisyphus and melee Wizard is your boulder
Tube: This must be what it felt like to be an Iraqi when Saddam was killed
Bookish Stickers - Mrs. Rius' Etsy shop with bumper stickers and vinyl decals.
Many of them, like Kushner, don't!
The GOP sure as hell would if the roles were reversed.
I don't recall them having tried to cease-and-desist any other journalism? Some things in this must be really getting to Trump.
Trumps Win Exposes Medias Smug Failures. Its standard the mainstream media was blindsided by their arrogance etc etc think piece.
The interesting thing is it is seems this is all it takes to get access to these people, say the right words about lamestream media etc and they think you're on their team.
I'm skeptical about Wolffs credibility but the trump admin getting played by this guy so hard is hilarious.
There's no way they want to open themselves up to discovery and everyone knows it.
This stuff would be deeply humiliating to anybody. I'm surprised he hasn't gone further.
Wolff is better at making money than Trump.
Given both bannon and trump's reaction to it makes me think it is probably more true than not but it does need to be taken with many grains of salt.
They also make me almost want to buy and read the book, so good for Wolff too.
Apparently Donald Trump is a druggie pedophile that secretly loves illegals
I learned new things today
We definitely don't need to hear about insane comments on Brietbart in this thread.
I'm fully expecting someone to catch Sarah Sanders checking her personal phone as she leaves the Press briefing room, as early as Monday.
This isn't really on topic.
This thread is apparently about Bannon and Trump's relationship or lack thereof. Stick to it.
...What. It's hard to decipher what he was even TRYING to say. He was also gloating at the same conference about how Bannon changed his tune last night (as soon as Trump called him names).
Wolff releasing tapes of Bannon tearing into Trump and kin would be pretty hilarious right about now.