A.M. Links: Trump 'Looking Forward' to Testifying in Mueller Investigation, Sixth Woman Accuses Russell Simmons of Sexual Misconduct, Michigan State University President Resigns Over School's Larry Nassar Connection

• 

  Gage Skidmore / Flickr.com

  President Donald Trump says he is "looking forward" to testifying in Special Counsel Robert Mueller's investigation.

• Speaking to reporters yesterday, President Trump said he is open to a path to citizenship for some "dreamers" as part of an immigration deal.
• "President Trump urged Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Wednesday to scale back his country's assault on Kurdish positions in Syria, signaling mounting American anxiety that Ankara's latest military foray will jeopardize the U.S. campaign against the Islamic State and undermine hopes for peace talks aimed at ending the war in Syria."
• A sixth woman has accused hip-hop mogul Russell Simmons of sexual misconduct.
• The president of Michigan State University has resigned over the school's connections to Larry Nassar, the former American gymnastics team doctor accused of sexually abusing hundreds of young athletes.
• Scientists in China have cloned monkeys.

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Comments

[Fist of Etiquette]

President Donald Trump says he is "looking forward" to testifying in Special Counsel Robert Mueller's investigation.

It's not perjury if the president believes it.

[Rufus The Monocled]

Hello.

"Scientists in China have cloned monkeys."

Racist?

[Bacon-Magic glib reasonoid]

You're racist for thinking that's racist.
*hybrid cross clones Monkey with a Moose*

[Rufus The Monocled]

Ooo, that's one ugly motherfucker.

[Chipper Morning Baculum]

A monkey with ten moose knuckles?

[Eek Barba Durkle]

A monkey bit my sister once.

[Cyto]

If he really is looking forward to testifying to a special prosecutor for the FBI, he's bonkers.

I suppose we will find out if they really are a cabal intent on "getting Trump". Because even a careful lawyer would have a very difficult time getting through one of their interviews without falling into some trap - should they want to get him.

And Trump is nothing approaching careful. They've got many months of wiretaps, financial records, the testimony of dozens of other witnesses..... There's no chance in hell that they don't have questions to ask that he cannot answer in a way that leaves him safe from prosecution - for lying to a federal officer if nothing else.

Only an idiot would be talking to these guys. I can't believe an Attorney General went to testify. He has to know that there are politically motivated folks on the team. And he has to remember what happens to people in his position... people like Scooter Libby. With over a year to build a set of facts as a background, they could get the Pope on a perjury trap.

[Fist of Etiquette]

...President Trump said he is open to a path to citizenship for some "dreamers" as part of an immigration deal.

MAGA is a big tent.

[Conchfritters]

Only the best ones allowed.

[Domestic Dissident]

The FBI is trying to play a sad little game of "hide the ball".

It's not going to work. The truth always comes out eventually.

[Palin's Buttplug]

URANIUM ONE! BENGHAZZI!! PHILADELPHIA VOTER SUPPRESION!!! BIRTH CERTIFICATE!!! BLOOP!!! DERP!!!! KENYAN ANTI COLONIAL!!!!! BENGGHHHAAAZZZIIII!!!!!!!!!

[Don't look at me.]

Good to know you are keeping track.

[Palin's Buttplug]

Always wary of nutjobs.

[Philadelphia Collins]

Hillary and Obama violating the Espionage Act is not going away.

[$park? leftist poser]

The best joke is that you both consider yourselves Libertarians.

[Chinny Chin Chin]

We're a big tent.

[Palin's Buttplug]

There are no "true" libertarians.

The "holier than thou" libertarians here don't even consider the Reason writers/editors to be "true".

[loveconstitution1789]

You are sure good at deflecting us from your superior Libertarian intellect.

[Domestic Dissident]

You and Dipshit Dave are ideological soul mates. You should be taking turns wearing your Chocolate Nixon mask backwards while you take turns going all Brokeback Mountain on each other.

[Chipper Morning Baculum]

Mikey, just come out of the closet already.

[Citizen X - #6]

Like R. Kelly, Simple Mikey is trapped in the closet.

Unlike R. Kelly, Mikey only pees on people on accident.

[Citizen X - #6]

Real Talk, though - Simple Mikey's clumsy gay jokes are such an ineffective weapon against libertarians that it's actually pretty sad.

[Unlabelable MJGreen]

At least Brokeback Mountain is a reference from this century.

[Unlabelable MJGreen]

Poor Mikey, forever being taken for a ride.

[Bee Tagger]

Speaking to reporters yesterday, President Trump said he is open to a path to citizenship for some "dreamers" as part of an immigration deal.

He said he'd build a wall, he didn't say how many keys he would get copied.

[Fist of Etiquette]

President Trump urged Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Wednesday to scale back his country's assault on Kurdish positions in Syria...

Our foreign policy needs those Kurds for utilitarian purposes.

[Ecoli]

It's the best whey to placate the Turks.

[Fist of Etiquette]

No.

[Fist of Etiquette]

A sixth woman has accused hip-hop mogul Russell Simmons of sexual misconduct.

Only six is the real revelation here.

[Sometimes a Great Notion]

Our mangers crazy,
He always smokes dust.
He's got his own room at the back of the bus.

[Don't look at me.]

Am I the only guy who isn't tapping every woman he meets?

[Chipper Morning Baculum]

Depends on how many women you meet.

[Don't look at me.]

Maybe I should get out more.

[Jordan]

President Donald Trump says he is "looking forward" to testifying in Special Counsel Robert Mueller's investigation.

Trump is utterly fucked if he does this. The man can't help but lie, imbellish, and spout random nonsense.

[SIV]

Trump's testifying via twitter?

[Jordan]

wat

[I am the 0.000000013%]

"Trump is utterly fucked if he does this"...

I am completely enthralled wondering if this is ever going to happen. Every negative assertion about Trump failing fails to materialize, and after all this time I don't have a clue if there is a method to the madness or it's just madness.

[Don't look at me.]

5D chess.

[Cyto]

I wonder what happens if they try a perjury trap on him? Does the country finally come to grips with what our federal law enforcement has become? Or do we cheer the good guys for "getting Trump"?

I'd like to think that an attempt to get someone as important as the President on the "making false statements" gambit would finally pull the scales off of the eyes of the public.

But Trump is such a doofus, I'm sure he would make some real whoppers that removes the ambiguity for most people. Even a case like Scooter Libby, where they already knew the source (not Libby) before they even talked to him failed to rouse the public interest. Most people outside of a few partisans and even fewer civil rights wonks still believe he's a crook and a rat who tried to subvert justice and undermine the CIA. Trump would have to outperform all expectations to merely get trapped on a technicality. Hell, a decent examiner might be able to get him to brag that he owns the Kremlin.

[Unlabelable MJGreen]

Nothing different happens. It's up to Congress, and Republicans are in too deep and Democrats have plenty of reasons to avoid crossing the line into impeachment should they gain control next year. Just more wailing, division, and fundraising.

[Cyto]

Really? I get the impression that 80% of the Democrat caucus would vote to impeach right now, based on rude tweets and maybe the "grab 'em by the" tape. I also get the impression that in most of Clinton country, that would get you more support, not less.

There seem to be very few "protect the institution" people in Washington these days.

[Unlabelable MJGreen]

Then they have to deal with Pence, who is likely nowhere near as toxic as Trump. Maybe they would go straight for impeachment if they have clear cut evidence of perjury, but I'd think they would rather bog down Trump's last two years with investigations and hearings and all that. They hand out scraps to the base and make it look like they're really trying to hold Trump accountable, they just need more time and support. The way you exploit any divisive issue.

[Fist of Etiquette]

The president of Michigan State University has resigned over the school's connections to Larry Nassar...

It's almost like it doesn't pay for universities to try to manage public information about abusers in their ranks.

[Cyto]

Also, the death knell yesterday - some board of Trustees guy publicly stating that she wasn't going anywhere because she had done wonderful things for the university and one rogue employee wasn't going to derail that relationship.

Sure fire sign that you are on your way out.

[Fist of Etiquette]

Scientists in China have cloned monkeys.

But only male ones.

[Anomalous]

I'm worried that they'll start breeding supermonkeys that will have the ability to fling their feces a very long distance.

[I am the 0.000000013%]

ICBM

[Bacon-Magic glib reasonoid]

Call the first one Caesar.

[Rhywun]

Or G?nter.

[Juice]

How many asses does it have?

[Rebel Scum]

President Donald Trump says he is "looking forward" to testifying in Special Counsel Robert Mueller's investigation.

This is either smart because it could demonstrate transparency and help end this farce of an investigation. Or it is really dumb because they could catch him lying about something not related to the "crime" being investigated.

Either way, I'm sure it will be the best testimony. Big League.

[Jordan]

It is dumb beyond belief. Federal investigators can twist any statement into a lie and make someone a felon. And when the subject being interviewed is an insane narcissist like Trump, they don't have to do any work at all.

[Rufus The Monocled]

Insane narcissist?

You're a disciple of Bandy Lee are ya?

Is this your medical opinion?

[Rufus The Monocled]

But you're right....ill-advised.

[Rebel Scum]

Federal investigators can twist any statement into a lie and make someone a felon.

Unless your name is Clinton. But yea I generally agree with you. I can only assume that his lawyers will be present and on their toes during this.

[Sometimes a Great Notion]

But will he listen to them? He is someone who likes a good fight and backing down doesn't seem to be his mo.

[Rebel Scum]

Perhaps someone will stress the seriousness of the situation and that it is sometimes best to be quiet. These things are basically private right? He'll get to say he testified directly with Mueller but doesn't have to actually answer any questions. Idk. Time will tell, I suppose.

[Conchfritters]

He'll bring a team of the best lawyers with him who he'll pay thousands of dollars to tell him repeatedly "don't say a fucking word."

[Anomalous]

^^THIS^^

[Chipper Morning Baculum]

And yet he will not be able to help himself.

[Cyto]

I'm with you. I can't see him not getting baited into saying something stupid. In fact, were I conducting the interview, I'd try as hard as I could to just get him talking - long form rambling answers.

But he's been deposed many times before. So maybe he is better at it than his public persona would suggest.

[Rebel Scum]

But he's been deposed many times before. So maybe he is better at it than his public persona would suggest.

This is a possibility. The outward persona could largely be an act that disappears when it needs to.

[I am the 0.000000013%]

He's going to come out of the interview and spout incredible things on Twitter which will be picked up everywhere and spun in infinite variations.

Whatever happens in the interview will be so diluted it won't ever come to anything.

Or not...

[Cyto]

What we will learn is if this is really an honest investigation, or if it is a politically motivated hit squad.

We already have evidence to the dark side, as people are getting indicted for things that are completely unrelated to an investigation into "Russian interference in the US Presidential election".

Remember, that was the mandate. Look into Russian interference. See how they did it. See if the Trump campaign was involved.

Not "go find some way to indict Trump so we can impeach him".

Time will tell which it is.

We saw in 2016 that the bar for a candidate with a (D) after her name was "there's only a lot of evidence for federal felonies, not overwhelming evidence." And you could conceivably spin it as only a few misdemeanors and a few violations of departmental policy. And at that level it was in everyone's best interest to just let it slide, apparently.

So we'll see. If they come out with "misleading statements to a federal agent" after declining to recommend charges for Clinton, we might have a civil war on our hands.

[Sometimes a Great Notion]

Scientists in China have cloned monkeys.

I think we should look at this from the military point of view. I think it would be extremely naive of us to imagine that these new developments are going to cause any change in China expansionist policy. Mr. President, we must not allow... a monkey clone gap!

[Rebel Scum]

Speaking to reporters yesterday, President Trump said he is open to a path to citizenship for some "dreamers" as part of an immigration deal.

I hear the distinct sound of talking points being shattered.

[Citizen X - #6]

Sure, but there's no way to know whose.

[Rebel Scum]

That's part of the fun!

[Citizen X - #6]

Exactly!

[Palin's Buttplug]

Bratfart.com called him "Amnesty Don". Their butthurt is hilarious.

[Rebel Scum]

As is yours on a daily basis. Now, say something nice about the Donald. Oh wait, you're a partisan hack so you can't.

I'll even say something nice about Barry: I agreed with candidate Obama that the power of legislating resides with the legislature and that exec. overreach via exec. order is a bad thing.

See it's not so hard to hold a principle.

[Palin's Buttplug]

OK. Trump's corporate tax cut is Keynesian juice to the economy. It will result in slightly higher growth (and higher deficits/future tax cuts.

I would have cut spending to offset it but that is just me.

[Rebel Scum]

I would have cut spending to offset it but that is just me.

As would I.

[Palin's Buttplug]

On the converse Obama cut taxes AND spending.

and then proposed more tax cuts and spending cuts (that failed to win in Congress)

[Rebel Scum]

On the converse Obama cut taxes AND spending.

Bald faced lie.

[Rufus The Monocled]

He was doing so well!

[Palin's Buttplug]

Bullshit. He cut payroll taxes in 2009 as part of the stimulus. He cut income taxes later. Spending was cut in the Budget Control Act of 2011.

Those are facts - something you know nothing about.

[Don't look at me.]

Cutting payroll withholding was a cynical joke and a total failure of an idea.

[Rebel Scum]

stimulus.

Fact: Increased spending.

[Palin's Buttplug]

It WAS increased spending for a supplemental budget item.

Team Blue does not lie about being a "small government" party.

[Rebel Scum]

I said that Team Red is ostensibly the small gov't party. But even they will not touch entitlements in any meaningful way (or military spending...). And I said that Team Blue is worse on spending with the suggestion that it is odd that you constantly shill for them even tho you claim to be a small gov't low tax and spend person. So stop sucking Barry's shlong and drop your partisan blinders.

[Rufus The Monocled]

...by extending the Bush tax cuts.

Just saying.

[Cyto]

Spending was cut in the Budget Control Act of 2011.

Limiting the growth of the budget after a "one time bulk increase of a trillion dollars" was magically made permanent by the failure to submit or pass a budget isn't what I would call "cutting spending"

And the Budget Control Act wasn't exactly Obama's doing.

But other than those niggles, yeah. That happened.

[Palin's Buttplug]

Something about "paying your fucking bills" conservatives and Repubs don't get.....

[Rebel Scum]

Conservatives do. Republicans don't have the spine to actually abide by their supposed small gov't principles, by and large. Additionally they do not believe in cutting entitlements and other things not in the purview of the gov't. But Team Blue is hardly better on these things, and is, in fact, far worse.

[Palin's Buttplug]

Team Blue is NOT a bit better. When have I said that?

[Citizen X - #6]

9:40 this morning, for the latest.

Dude, own your partisanship.

[Bacon-Magic glib reasonoid]

"paying your fucking bills"
Did you pay yours yet?

[lap83]

only the hot ones. Libertarian moment?

[Rebel Scum]

Scientists in China have cloned monkeys.

I was wondering where the Wicked Witch of the West got her army.

[I am the 0.000000013%]

Awesome!

[Domestic Dissident]

The NBA openly trying to pull a Jesse Jackass - style shakedown.

I hope Congress, the gaming industry, and everyone tells Adam Silver and the rest of those owners to go fuck themselves. An extra 1% vig to buy those creeps off will make beating the book even harder than it already it now, and it's already really freaking hard.

[Cyto]

That's a pretty strong opening offer!

We'd like a third of your take, please. Look, we are being really generous here, we are allowing you to keep something...

[Incomprehensible Bitching]

After Drumptanistan finally starts lying under oath to Mueller,we can finally be free of his tyrannical rule, and Hilary Clinton can take her rightful place as President.

Lock him up! Lock him up!

[Don't look at me.]

Lolz. Don't Bogart that joint.