Do you believe Trump and, if you do, why do you?

[the other bob wilson]

I see Donald Trump has denied claims that Russian intelligence agencies have obtained personally compromising material related to him.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-38579126

In doing so, he is only doing what any politician would do when such claims are unsubstantiated - the way the world is these days, you would expect someone to say much the same sort of thing at such an early stage of the story even if the allegations were true.

It's for this reason that I tend to take the denials of any politician in a situation like this with a pinch of salt - that's not fair, but it's what decades of watching political careers being slowly ruined by denied allegations that simply wouldn't go away has done to me.

So, this is not just me having a go at Trump again, my attitude would be much the same, no matter who the politician was that the allegations were aimed at.

However, there is something different about Trump, people seem to be more forgiving of the numerous examples there are of him being economical with the truth than they are with other politicians.

Maybe, it's the word "politician" which explains this - in my opinion, Trump has benefited an awful lot from the fact that, even now, there are plenty out there who don't think of him as a politician.

Is this why, attitudes are different towards him? Is this why when he says things that aren't true or promises things that do not happen, his supporters say "well, it was only banter, you didn't really expect him to do that did you?" and so many accept this in a way that they would never do with most other politicians?

My thinking on this is that this is a man who is going to be running the country that was, and arguably still is, the most powerful in the world in nine days time, of course he's a politician and so I treat stories like the one I've linked to with the same cynicism as I would if they had been about any other politician.

[Wales-Bales]

https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump

https://www.theatlantic.com/politics...-trump/512762/

http://www.lifezette.com/polizette/b...-russia-claim/

https://www.buzzfeed.com/kenbensinge...ties-to-russia

https://www.documentcloud.org/docume...legations.html

[Dr Lecter]

I see Donald Trump has denied claims that Russian intelligence agencies have obtained personally compromising material related to him.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-38579126

In doing so, he is only doing what any politician would do when such claims are unsubstantiated - the way the world is these days, you would expect someone to say much the same sort of thing at such an early stage of the story even if the allegations were true.

It's for this reason that I tend to take the denials of any politician in a situation like this with a pinch of salt - that's not fair, but it's what decades of watching political careers being slowly ruined by denied allegations that simply wouldn't go away has done to me.

So, this is not just me having a go at Trump again, my attitude would be much the same, no matter who the politician was that the allegations were aimed at.

However, there is something different about Trump, people seem to be more forgiving of the numerous examples there are of him being economical with the truth than they are with other politicians.

Maybe, it's the word "politician" which explains this - in my opinion, Trump has benefited an awful lot from the fact that, even now, there are plenty out there who don't think of him as a politician.

Is this why, attitudes are different towards him? Is this why when he says things that aren't true or promises things that do not happen, his supporters say "well, it was only banter, you didn't really expect him to do that did you?" and so many accept this in a way that they would never do with most other politicians?

My thinking on this is that this is a man who is going to be running the country that was, and arguably still is, the most powerful in the world in nine days time, of course he's a politician and so I treat stories like the one I've linked to with the same cynicism as I would if they had been about any other politician.

The guy's a bullshitting idiot.

The fact that that he's about to become president tells you all you need to know about the level of people involved in politics.

He won't last long in the hot seat. Once his supporters realise that he's backtracked on all his policies, he'll be dodging bullets from all sides.

[TH63]

#watersportsgate trending on twitter

[Vimana.]

He's p1$$ed on his chips ..

[Wales-Bales]

#watersportsgate trending on twitter

Is Trump dumb enough to fall for a bog standard Brownstone operation? I would imagine everybody in public life knows that your hotel is going to be bugged, so the last thing you would want to do is phone up a bunch of random hookers and ask them to engage in some watersports ... just because you hated Obama and his wife! The latest strategy is to use a high profile 3rd party to form a close and trusting friendship with the target, and only then try to compromise them in a depraved situation.

[Vimana.]

Is Trump dumb enough to fall for a bog standard Brownstone operation? I would imagine everybody in public life knows that your hotel is going to be bugged, so the last thing you would want to do is phone up a bunch of random hookers and ask them to engage in some watersports ... just because you hated Obama and his wife! The latest strategy is to use a high profile 3rd party to form a close and trusting friendship with the target, and only then try to compromise them in a depraved situation.

But to put it in context, this 'stuff' is gathering momentum and the person/figurehead implicated is the President Elect of the US.
As David Vine used to say on AQoS - 'what happens next' ?!

[TH63]

Is Trump dumb enough to fall for a bog standard Brownstone operation? I would imagine everybody in public life knows that your hotel is going to be bugged, so the last thing you would want to do is phone up a bunch of random hookers and ask them to engage in some watersports ... just because you hated Obama and his wife! The latest strategy is to use a high profile 3rd party to form a close and trusting friendship with the target, and only then try to compromise them in a depraved situation.

Pun intended?

I believe this was reported in the buzzfeed piece that you provided the link to earlier? I'm not sure what your motivation for doing so was.

Do I believe it? Probably not, but nothing much would surprise me about what goes on behind the closed doors of the rich and powerful.

[Wales-Bales]

Pun intended?

I believe this was reported in the buzzfeed piece that you provided the link to earlier? I'm not sure what your motivation for doing so was.

Do I believe it? Probably not, but nothing much would surprise me about what goes on behind the closed doors of the rich and powerful.

No motivation, I just provided the same links that Trump and his attorney were Tweeting, to expand on the original BBC article.

[Wales-Bales]

He's p1$$ed on his chips ..

Why didn't he save some money and just take a dump on the bed

[Vimana.]

Why didn't he save some money and just take a dump on the bed

Weeeeeellll, imagine 'he' 'did' and then triumphantly gave it a name which would cause terrible, terrible offence if the footage ever got out. Or something.
Slowly, slowly, see how everyone gets on with this stuff first eh..

[Wales-Bales]

https://twitter.com/fmanjoo/status/818962809841061888

The tweet further down said he failed in his business attempts, so had to settle for prostitutes?

[lardy]

A couple of weeks ago I said:

Is it his mate, or has Putin just got an extraordinary amount of shit about Trump waiting to be released if he puts a foot wrong? Seems odd that Trump criticises just about every country except the Russians, who he goes out of his way to defend.

so this doesn't surprise me. Things fall into place very quickly with this theory.

[Wales-Bales]

A couple of weeks ago I said:





so this doesn't surprise me. Things fall into place very quickly with this theory.

I've got a feeling this is all a windup, otherwise that ex-spy fella is giving British spies a bad name!

[Wales-Bales]

Wow, this stuff is serious, I thought it was some kind of joke

http://edition.cnn.com/2017/01/10/po...sia/index.html

[Wales-Bales]

[Wales-Bales]

Publish or be damned I think is the expression.

Someone somewhere alleges there is a Trump picture of him doing 'stuff'

I would like to A See it and B. Have empirical proof that it is actually him - and not just a blurred image of some dressed up as him.

There is so much bullsh1t flying around at the moment I'm inclined not to believe anyone until it's been DNA tested.

You can't argue with CNN, FBI, NSA, DNI, CIA.

[Wales-Bales]

Just posted

Donald J. Trump ‏@realDonaldTrump
Intelligence agencies should never have allowed this fake news to "leak" into the public. One last shot at me. Are we living in Nazi Germany?

[lardy]

Trump with the non-denial denial:


Russia just said the unverified report paid for by political opponents is "A COMPLETE AND TOTAL FABRICATION, UTTER NONSENSE." Very unfair!

[Wales-Bales]

Trump with the non-denial denial:


Russia just said the unverified report paid for by political opponents is "A COMPLETE AND TOTAL FABRICATION, UTTER NONSENSE." Very unfair!

The BBC's narrative in Bob's original link seems to be softening too. They've even got proper photos of Trump and Putin now instead of those ridiculous clowny face masks. Are they backtracking?

[Wales-Bales]

Live press conference starting at 4pm. It should be fun, maybe Trump will be handing out some P45's

[lardy]

Trump again on his phone today. Says he has no deals, no loans, no nothing with Russia. And yet..

https://www.washingtonpost.com/polit...7a0_story.html

[Wales-Bales]

Live stream for the press conference

[David Vincent]

The number of posters taken in by this fake anti-Trump story has shocked me. I already knew Vimana was a moron but some of you others should hang your heads in shame.

[Wales-Bales]

The number of posters taken in by this fake anti-Trump story has shocked me. I already knew Vimana was a moron but some of you others should hang your heads in shame.

Name names, don't be shy