Trump Tower meeting with Russians 'treasonous', Steve Bannon says in explosive book

[Norm dePlume]

Trump Tower meeting with Russians 'treasonous', Steve Bannon says in explosive book

Donald Trump’s former chief strategist Steve Bannon has described the Trump Tower meeting between the president’s son and a group of Russians during the 2016 election campaign as “treasonous” and “unpatriotic”, according to an explosive new book seen by the Guardian.

Bannon, speaking to author Michael Wolff, warned that the investigation into alleged collusion with the Kremlin will focus on money laundering and predicted: “They’re going to crack Don Junior like an egg on national TV.”

You think Bannon is settling some old scores, here, or is Junior being thrown to the wolves to save the sleigh?

[Norm dePlume]

Now this is really getting juicy.

Trump Says Bannon Has ‘Lost His Mind’ After Bannon Insults Donald Trump Jr.

WASHINGTON — President Trump essentially excommunicated his onetime chief strategist Stephen K. Bannon on Wednesday, dismissing him as an aide who had “very little to do with our historic victory” and has now “lost his mind.”

In a written statement, Mr. Trump fired back at Mr. Bannon, who had made caustic comments about the president and his family to the author of a new tell-all book about the Trump White House. While Mr. Bannon had been pushed out of the White House last summer, he had remained in touch with Mr. Trump, but the two now appear to have reached a breaking point.

“Steve Bannon has nothing to do with me or my Presidency,” Mr. Trump said in the statement. “When he was fired, he not only lost his job, he lost his mind.”

Mr. Trump berated Mr. Bannon for the loss of a Senate seat in Alabama and said the former adviser did not represent him but is “only in it for himself.”

“Steve pretends to be at war with the media, which he calls the opposition party, yet he spent his time at the White House leaking false information to the media to make himself seem far more important than he was,” Mr. Trump added. “It is the only thing he does well. Steve was rarely in a one-on-one meeting with me and only pretends to have had influence to fool a few people with no access and no clue, whom he helped write phony books.”

That's the great thing about Trump. He surrounds himself with quality people. The best people.

[Norm dePlume]

All of the spokespeople in the White House are trying to discredit the book and the author (Michael Wolff). But Trump, he goes after Bannon. Interesting.

[Billy Jingo]

Another coffee boy?

[Norm dePlume]

Having read part way through a book excerpt, I think they should probably include a packet of salt with every book. But it's a wild read so far, and I'm pretty sure some of it is true.

[Norm dePlume]

Another coffee boy?

This one's a covfefe boy.

It actually makes more sense to me now that Trump went after Bannon, because this same story is apparently a front page headline at Breitbart today, and doesn't include any denial from Bannon himself.

breitbart.jpg

[Norm dePlume]

On today's episode of "What Would a Tyrant Do?"

Trump seeks to block publication of book on White House dysfunction

A lawyer representing President Donald Trump sought Thursday to stop the publication of a new behind-the-scenes book about the White House that has already led Trump to angrily decry his former chief strategist Stephen Bannon.

The legal notice - addressed to author Michael Wolff and the president of the book's publisher - said Trump's lawyers were pursuing possible charges including libel in connection with the forthcoming book, "Fire and Fury: Inside the Trump White House."

Didn't someone promise to "open up the libel laws"?

[Tom Servo]

Interesting that there has not been the stock rebukes from any of the Trump fanboys on this board. Considering the salacious and wild nature of the accusations, it ought to be easy cannon fodder. It certainly has not stopped the Sucktrumpers in comment threads on legitimate news sites from continuing their slavish worship of all the idiocy that's gold-plated.

This is one of those stories where the truth is somewhere in the middle. Bannon HAS lost his mind, and Trump Jr. HAS committed treason.

[80zephyr]

Interesting that there has not been the stock rebukes from any of the Trump fanboys on this board. Considering the salacious and wild nature of the accusations, it ought to be easy cannon fodder. It certainly has not stopped the Sucktrumpers in comment threads on legitimate news sites from continuing their slavish worship of all the idiocy that's gold-plated.

This is one of those stories where the truth is somewhere in the middle. Bannon HAS lost his mind, and Trump Jr. HAS committed treason.

Explain. How does one commit treason by simply meeting with a foreign government?

Mark

[Michele]

Explain. How does one commit treason by simply meeting with a foreign government?

Mark

Thanks for interrupting the circle jerk, 80z.

[Adam]

Explain. How does one commit treason by simply meeting with a foreign government?

Mark

He didn't even actually meet with a foreign government in any genuine sense. He met with someone who claimed to have dirt on Hillary. The Leftists are attempting to claim that Hillary would never have met with anyone who had dirt on Trump, even though she actually paid a huge sum of money to a foreign government to manufacture dirt on Trump. But that's different, somehow. It just is.

[Norm dePlume]

The foreign government did like Bannon said and sent a lawyer as a proxy. Trumps should be so smart.

[Billy Jingo]

He didn't even actually meet with a foreign government in any genuine sense. He met with someone who claimed to have dirt on Hillary. The Leftists are attempting to claim that Hillary would never have met with anyone who had dirt on Trump, even though she actually paid a huge sum of money to a foreign government to manufacture dirt on Trump. But that's different, somehow. It just is.

In one post you lay your legendary situational credulity out for display.

[Adam]

In one post you lay your legendary situational credulity facts out for display.

Corrected to reflect actual reality.

[Norm dePlume]

So the administration has taken the line that Michael Wolff is discredited and the book is all made up - except for Trump who decided to attack "Sloppy Steve" for his presumably made up quotes in the book. And now Bannon is apologizing for his presumably made up comments:

"Donald Trump, Jr. is both a patriot and a good man. He has been relentless in his advocacy for his father and the agenda that has helped turn our country around," Bannon said in a statement. "I regret that my delay in responding to the inaccurate reporting regarding Don Jr has diverted attention from the president's historical accomplishments in the first year of his presidency."

...

"My comments were aimed at Paul Manafort, a seasoned campaign professional with experience and knowledge of how the Russians operate. He should have known they are duplicitous, cunning and not our friends. To reiterate, those comments were not aimed at Don Jr.," he said.

So, Junior set up the meeting, but that's okay because he didn't know any better, but Manafort is guilty because he accepted the invite. There ya go.