By Robert A. Vella
Trump’s mental state
Over the weekend, President Trump unleashed another wide-ranging Twitter storm in which he railed against anyone and anything that popped into his disturbed mind. Outside observers wondered what had triggered this latest outburst, and several issues were pinpointed as the possible cause. But, this weekend ‘s rage may just be the result of an accumulation of many legal and political troubles weighing down upon him. See:
‘Be Weak & Die!’ Seeking Clues Behind Trump’s Weekend Twitter Barrage
It was apparent, however, that one of Trump’s targets stood above the rest. George Conway, husband of White House counsel Kellyanne Conway, again questioned the President’s mental health and fitness for office.
From: Donald Trump slams Kellyanne Conway’s husband as ‘total loser’
It was the latest salvo from George Conway, who last week posted a thread that began when he called out Trump for claiming that Judge Amy Berman Jackson’s sentencing of former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort earlier in the day had exonerated the president from the Russian collusion narrative.
“Have we ever seen this degree of brazen, pathological mendacity in American public life?” Conway asked in a tweet. “One day he makes a harmless slip of the tongue, something any mentally balanced person would laugh off. But instead he lies about it. He denies what the world can see on videotape. Even his donors and supporters wonder, what is wrong with him? Why would he feel compelled to tell such an absurd lie?”
From: Kellyanne Conway disagrees with husband on Trump’s mental state
George Conway, who frequently criticizes the president over Twitter, over the weekend began questioning Trump’s mental state.
He tweeted out a cover of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, as well the pages that describe narcissistic personality disorder and antisocial personality disorder.
[…]
“*All* Americans should be thinking seriously *now* about Trump’s mental condition and psychological state, including and especially the media, Congress—and the Vice President and Cabinet,” Conway tweeted.
Feds raided Trump fundraiser
From: Federal Authorities Raided Trump Fundraiser’s Office in Money Laundering Probe
Federal authorities raided the office of Republican fundraiser Elliott Broidy last summer, seeking records related to his dealings with foreign officials and Trump administration associates, according to a sealed search warrant obtained by ProPublica.
Agents were authorized to use the megadonor’s hands and face to unlock any phones that required fingerprint or facial scans.
The Washington Post reported in August that the Justice Department was investigating Broidy. The sealed warrant offers new details of federal authorities’ investigation of allegations that Broidy had attempted to cash in on his Trump White House connections in dealings with foreign officials. It also shows that the government took a more aggressive approach with the Trump ally than was previously known, entering his office and removing records — just as it did with Trump’s personal lawyer Michael Cohen.
Brits examine Cambridge Analytica
From: Cambridge Analytica Secrets Allegedly ‘Covered Up’ by Trump Campaign Veterans
LONDON—British political consultants that worked for Donald Trump’s presidential campaign liked to boast that they could deploy dirty tricks and twist democracies all over the world without the risk of detection.
The High Court in London heard on Monday that Cambridge Analytica was up to its old tricks from beyond the grave—by surreptitiously trying to halt investigations that could expose allegedly nefarious tactics before the company was shut down for good.
The company filed for the British equivalent of chapter 11 bankruptcy last year after secret recordings of its boss Alexander Nix emerged in which he claimed that Trump’s data gurus had carried out illicit election campaigns all over the world. The company was also accused of using up to 87 million clandestinely harvested Facebook profiles to create a state of the art voter database that helped Trump win election in 2016.
Deportation ruling
From: U.S. Supreme Court gives Trump victory on immigration detention
The conservative-majority court ruled 5-4 that federal authorities could pick up such immigrants and place them into indefinite detention at any time, not just immediately after they finish their prison sentences.
The Secular Jurist 
The greatest damage done by Trump, which will affect us for decades to come, is what he’s done to the Supreme Court and federal courts in general. Right wing justices will rule in favor of right-wing bullshit for generations now, no matter the makeup of congress or who is president. Elections matter, and votes count. Sadly, not enough people believe/believed that over the years. Once Roe v Wade is reversed and women begin being arrested and jailed for having abortions, maybe, just maybe the reality of what our complacent, “my vote doesn’t matter” culture has done to America will set in. Maybe, but, sadly, even if it does, it’s far too late to fix the Supreme Court issue. This is bad. Very bad, and it’s only going to worsen as time passes. I’ll be long dead and cremated and Trump’s effect on America will still be shining brightly in the quagmire of shit he’s dumped on us in just 2 and a half short years. I’m saddened, angered, and embarrassed for what America has become. It is shameful. Maybe I’m wrong and all will heal and work itself out. I hope so, but today, today, I just ain’t seeing that happening any time soon.
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Well said. And I agree.
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Sadly, I agree completely.
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Reblogged this on sdbast.
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Got this in part from The Atlantic Magazine…
It doesn’t take a person with an advanced degree in psychology to see Trump’s narcissism and lack of empathy, his vindictiveness and pathological lying, his impulsivity and callousness, his inability to be guided by norms, or his shamelessness and dehumanization of those who do not abide his wishes. His condition is getting worse, not better—and there are now fewer people in the administration able to contain the president and act as a check on his worst impulses.
This constellation of characteristics would be worrisome in a banker or a high-school teacher, in a nurse or a commercial pilot, in an aircraft machinist or a warehouse manager, in a gas-station attendant or a truck driver. To have them reflect the personality of this American president would be downright alarming.
Whether the worst scenarios come to pass or not is right now unknowable. But what we do know is that the president is a person who seems to draw energy and purpose from maliciousness and transgressive acts, from creating enmity among people of different races, religions, and backgrounds, and from attacking the weak, the honorable, and even the dead.
Donald Trump is not well, and as long as he is president, our nation is not safe.
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Wow, that’s elegant and astute commentary. Thanks, Mary. It’s true, our nation is not safe. The point about Trump attacking the dead (i.e. John McCain) says a lot and it reminds me of a family member who tried to slander my deceased father. How low can some people go?
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We haven’t seen “low” yet, I’m afraid.
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Yep, it’ll get worse alright.
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