This is not the way Abbot needs his name in the paper. He's been accused of helping get Trump U off the hook in the face of a lawsuit in Texas.
"Texas Gov. Greg Abbott is living every Republican’s worst nightmare these days: being tied to a controversy surrounding Donald Trump."
"For that, he has John Owens to thank."
"In an interview with TPM on Friday, the morning after outlets in Texas published stories with the retired career government lawyer's allegations, Owens said he had been so busy with press inquiries that he barely had time to finish breakfast."
“I am praying it’s just the 24 hour news cycle,” Owens said.
http://talkingpointsmemo.com/muckraker/greg-abbott-trump-texas-ag
Tom Brown is going to like what I'm about to say. Sometimes the power of prayer doesn't work. I think the news cycle will be 24/7/365 for a long time to come.
"Texas Gov. Greg Abbott is living every Republican’s worst nightmare these days: being tied to a controversy surrounding Donald Trump."
"For that, he has John Owens to thank."
"In an interview with TPM on Friday, the morning after outlets in Texas published stories with the retired career government lawyer's allegations, Owens said he had been so busy with press inquiries that he barely had time to finish breakfast."
“I am praying it’s just the 24 hour news cycle,” Owens said.
http://talkingpointsmemo.com/muckraker/greg-abbott-trump-texas-ag
Tom Brown is going to like what I'm about to say. Sometimes the power of prayer doesn't work. I think the news cycle will be 24/7/365 for a long time to come.
"Owens served as the deputy director of Texas' Consumer Protection Division under Abbott when he was the state attorney general. After the Associated Press reported Thursday that an investigation into Trump U a few years back was "quietly dropped" under Abbott and that three years later Trump donated to Abbott's gubernatorial campaign, Owens spoke about how he remembered the office handling the case."
"What started as a Facebook comment on Thursday became by the end of the day Friday a cease and desist letter from the Texas Attorney General's office warning his disclosures violated the law."
"In Owens' retelling, Abbott dropped the investigation for political reasons, and if it was any business other than Trump’s, legal action would have been taken. (Abbott's office is denying the claims)."
http://talkingpointsmemo.com/muckraker/greg-abbott-trump-texas-ag
And this is what was happening before Trump was President, or even running for President. What makes anyone think he'd abuse his power or that other GOPers would help him?
"As internal AG documents posted by the Dallas Morning News reveal, the Houston division of the Consumer Protection Division sought to investigate Trump U in October 2009, a request that was approved by deputy attorney general for civil litigation David Morales, according to Owens."
“It didn’t take much to open an investigation. I don’t think anybody really thought much about it,” Owens said. “We go in. Get an injunction. Sometimes we freeze their assets. We fight for Texas consumers. Get their money back."
"The investigation found the university was advertising "free" seminars that falsely promised credits for continuing education credits in Texas real estate. The programs were never officially credentialed by the state real estate commission, the docs said, and the seminars were actually just used to convince potential customers to pay for more programming."
"By May 2010, the division was ready to move forward with legal action. On May 6, it filed a request to ready a legal complaint against Trump personally as well as Trump University, and on May 11, it outlined the settlement it would propose to Trump’s lawyers."
“We wanted to have a settlement conference on May 19, where we handed them the petition, we handed them our demands, we sat down with the lawyers, and we were going to say, 'Give us X-million dollars or we are going to file this lawsuit, we’re going to see you in court,'” Owens said. “And we were denied that opportunity.”
Denied the opportunity. That's actually what's happening to the litigants in the Trump U case now. While Trump is taking potshots at the judge as unfair-because he's Mexican according to Trump-the judge has actually dealt a tough blow to the plaintiffs.
There chance of success now depends on Hillary Clinton's victory too. After all, after what has happened in Texas and elsewhere does anybody honestly believe any judge will have the guts to find a President Trump guilty?
"What started as a Facebook comment on Thursday became by the end of the day Friday a cease and desist letter from the Texas Attorney General's office warning his disclosures violated the law."
"In Owens' retelling, Abbott dropped the investigation for political reasons, and if it was any business other than Trump’s, legal action would have been taken. (Abbott's office is denying the claims)."
http://talkingpointsmemo.com/muckraker/greg-abbott-trump-texas-ag
And this is what was happening before Trump was President, or even running for President. What makes anyone think he'd abuse his power or that other GOPers would help him?
"As internal AG documents posted by the Dallas Morning News reveal, the Houston division of the Consumer Protection Division sought to investigate Trump U in October 2009, a request that was approved by deputy attorney general for civil litigation David Morales, according to Owens."
“It didn’t take much to open an investigation. I don’t think anybody really thought much about it,” Owens said. “We go in. Get an injunction. Sometimes we freeze their assets. We fight for Texas consumers. Get their money back."
"The investigation found the university was advertising "free" seminars that falsely promised credits for continuing education credits in Texas real estate. The programs were never officially credentialed by the state real estate commission, the docs said, and the seminars were actually just used to convince potential customers to pay for more programming."
"By May 2010, the division was ready to move forward with legal action. On May 6, it filed a request to ready a legal complaint against Trump personally as well as Trump University, and on May 11, it outlined the settlement it would propose to Trump’s lawyers."
“We wanted to have a settlement conference on May 19, where we handed them the petition, we handed them our demands, we sat down with the lawyers, and we were going to say, 'Give us X-million dollars or we are going to file this lawsuit, we’re going to see you in court,'” Owens said. “And we were denied that opportunity.”
Denied the opportunity. That's actually what's happening to the litigants in the Trump U case now. While Trump is taking potshots at the judge as unfair-because he's Mexican according to Trump-the judge has actually dealt a tough blow to the plaintiffs.
There chance of success now depends on Hillary Clinton's victory too. After all, after what has happened in Texas and elsewhere does anybody honestly believe any judge will have the guts to find a President Trump guilty?
RedState had an article on this the other day that you might want to check out... it claims that the Trump U / Abbot Scandal might be bunk (though it allowed that the one with the Florida official does look pretty bad). Let me see if I can find it:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.redstate.com/brandon_morse/2016/06/04/mainstream-medias-tale-greg-abbott-trump-u-likely-bogus/
Worth a read I think.
But now that I'm digging back a day or two, here's one you may have missed that's kind of amusing:
http://www.redstate.com/streiff/2016/06/04/fake.-donald-trump-campaign-tweets-fake-image-black-supporters/
I notice that fake black family article is by streiff. He does hit Trump, it's true, but I've noticed that of all the writers over there he's the one with the worst case of Hillary derangement syndrome. He never misses an opportunity to bash her, and some of what he bashes her with is borderline nuts... even going to the extent of agreeing with crazy Susan Sarandon speculations (while simultaneously calling Sarandon nuts). Most of the other writers have stopped bashing Hillary like that so frequently, but not streiff! I think he's in his own little world of pain over there. (He's hyping some accusation today that she's a "dangerous psychopath")
RedState has another funny one that they frame as the incompetence of the Trump team... Mr. Stone denied that Donald was gay on Alex Jones' show without even being asked a question about it. Now I tend to agree this is probably just pure incompetence on Mr. Stone's part. I would have a hard time imagining Donald is gay, but still, that's a funny one!
http://www.redstate.com/streiff/2016/06/06/trump-henchman-roger-stone-denies-donald-trump-homosexual/
But the judge Curiel story is not dying down soon over at TheResurgent. Erickson nearly pukes in his mouth after watching McConnell try to avoid saying "racist":
http://theresurgent.com/what-good-does-it-profit-a-party/
And Berman makes a good point about who's "unfit" for office:
http://theresurgent.com/if-curiel-is-unfit-to-judge-trump-is-unfit-to-serve/
To tell you the truth, I'm just a little surprised myself at the reaction among #NeverTrump on Curiel. I figured they would have moved on by now, but the fact they feel it still has legs makes me wonder if the anti-Trump forces are purposely hyping this as much as possible to somehow bring into question what will happen at their convention. You know, build a case that the rule should be changed in an emergency like this. Just idle speculation on my part.
.... Now to check out what juicy tidbits Rubin has:
https://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/right-turn/
I'll just give you the top view: so far all Trump all the time and all bad! =)
Mike, as Samantha Bee pointed out (if we can believe her little humorous mini doc) there was a time when evangelical America lay politically dormant (between the scopes trial and the fuss over Bob Jones U being segregationist)... and they actively promoted the idea that good Christians don't get involved in the dirty business of politics.
ReplyDeleteI'm hearing an echo of that here in Erickson's piece (where's he's fending off pleas for him to choose a side each and every Sunday at his (highly political) church):
http://theresurgent.com/christians-have-no-duty-to-vote-for-donald-trump-or-hillary-clinton/
He quotes scripture about there being no evidence Paul voted (Lol) and says for himself that he's "just passing through this world on his way to eternity" (a sentiment I'd LOVE all evangelicals to adopt... keep away from the dirty sinful Satanic practice of voting!... if you care for your eternal soul that is!)
Mike, maybe you can get one of the twitter hashtags to trend:
Delete#JesusHatesVoters
#SatanLovesYouToVote
#BibleSaysVotersRoastInHell
Something like that. =)
That dovetails with my plans to start a rumor that the NSA has dusted ballots with mind control micro chips to keep the conspiracy theorists away: if those two blocks stay home the GOP will lose half its base.
Delete