Trump lost an effort to conceal his tax returns from Congress today in federal court.  U.S. District Judge Amit Mehta refused to issue an injunction to delay the order for Steve Mnuchin to release the returns, so Trump’s lawyers ran across the street to appeal that decision to the DC Circuit which hears these kinds of appeals.  I’ll give you one guess who is in charge of the DC Circuit.  It is…wait for it…Merrick Garland, the judge that Turtleneck McConnell unconstitutionally denied a hearing or vote on his nomination to the Supreme Court.

Karma is a bitch.

OK, this one is rich.  Trump’s latest excuse about not releasing his tax returns?  He’s being audited.  That’s right, that’s not new; his new reason is that he’s being audited because of his strong Christian faith and that the IRS is biased against Christians.  That’s right – he’s being audited because he’s Mr. Super Duper Christian now.

Jesus.  Literally.

Say what you will about Nancy Pelosi, but she is seldom wrong.  Yesterday, the Noise Machine went nuts when she said that Trump was trying to goad the Dems into impeaching him.  The Noise Machine went nuts for one reason, and one reason only:  she’s 100% correct.  Think about it:  The latest ABC News/WaPo poll found that 55% of voters definitely will not vote for Trump; further, 85% said they were going to vote in 2020.  High turnout is death for all politicians Republican.  Trump’s approval is hovering at 39% to 41%.  All these numbers are terrible for him. Terrible.  I would say that Trump’s chances of getting re-elected now are low, unless the Dems are stupid and run HRC again in 2016, which is not going to happen.  Biden, if he maintains his current intensity, will slaughter Trump, especially with a vibrant younger VP like Harris or Hickenlooper.

In short, the shine is off the fake gold plating, and Trump’s record as a fraudster and criminal is finally beginning to catch up with him, especially with those not in his drooling, Confederate flag wearing base.  Indictments on a number of state and federal charges once he leaves office are a virtual certainty; he will be legally and financially destroyed once he comes out from under his rock in the WH.  His only hope to fight off the wolves at the door is to stay in office as long as possible, and a new term will protect him until he’s too old to throw in jail for the rest of his life.

Because of these facts, Trump’s only chance of survival is to gain sympathy and support from low information voters by fighting off a huge threat.  That huge threat is impeachment by the Big, Bad, Democrats in the House.  So let’s consider what would happen if articles of impeachment were drawn up in the House. First, it takes a majority vote in the House on Articles of Impeachment, and that is not a certainty, especially if Pelosi continues to oppose.  If Trump is charged by a majority of the House, he must undergo trial in the Senate, which requires a 2/3 supermajority to convict.  With current Senate membership and leaders, Trump’s conviction has a zero chance of happening.  Zero.

So, impeachment is exactly what Trump wants.  He wants to play victim on Twitter and national television over a “witch hunt” and “coup attempt”.  That’s why he’s begging for impeachment by blocking disclosure of the unredacted Mueller report, claiming executive privilege.  That’s why he’s preventing Barr and McGhan from testifying.  That’s why he’s ignoring every single subpoena and request for information.  Since beating an impeachment charge is his only chance of winning another term, expect him to continue escalating his attacks on the House, Dems, and all things that are considered good and decent.

Though no other president has deserved impeachment more than Trump, the Dems must not take the bait.  They need to continue bombarding him and his cronies with subpoenas, demands,  requests for information and admonishments, but Pelosi is right.  Impeaching this son of a bitch is the last thing the Dems should do.

ProPublica is on the case, digging in on Trump’s personal self enrichment using his own resorts to reap millions in government money and stuff in his own pockets full of American taxpayer cash.   One textbook example of how he does it is described in detail, and it goes like this:  Trump and his merry band of criminals descend on Mara Lago for the visit of Chinese President Xi Jinping in April 2017.  Late in the evening of the state dinner (profits to Donald Trump), Steve Bannon and unknown number of his cronies take over the posh Library Bar in the resort, order the bartender out and post the Secret Service at the door.  In the ensuing hours, they consume 54 premium cocktails (self served) while the agents block the door from entry, including the bartender himself.  The bill, totaling over $1,000 (with the service charge) was later toted up and sent to the State Department which it refused to pay.  It was forwarded to the White House, which, of course approved the bill without question, writing the check, taxpayers paying the bill.

The article goes on the describe how the Trump administration has lifted the caps on hotel bills at Trump resorts, allowing trump to profit, selling rooms to the government for $500 dollars a night and more.

Trump is nothing more than a mobster, stealing money from Americans while 42% of them cheer him on in his criminality.  The corruption is jaw dropping, while his sycophants look wide-eyed saying “What?  You were serious about that?”

Today, Christopher Wray, Trump’s own appointee as FBI Director, warned that the Russians were continuing their efforts to interfere in the 2020 presidential election, even announcing that he’s transferred other agents from their normal duties to counter intelligence to stop the effort to meddle.  Wray said in a statement,

“We recognize that our adversaries are going to keep adapting and upping their game. So we are very much viewing 2018 as just kind of a dress rehearsal for the big show in 2020.”

Trump has stubbornly and continuously ignored the problem, fearing that acknowledging it would make it obvious that his election in 2016 was illegitimate.  He’s even cut budgets to stop the Russians from interfering.  If anyone has any doubts about Trump’s allegiance to the Russians, one only need listen to and read his words.  He’s not going to do a damn thing to stop the Russians, because he knows that their interference is the only way he has a prayer of winning again in 2020.

It’s hard for me to believe that I’m even typing these words that the Fucking President of the United States is conspiring with a hostile foreign power to cement his own victory to maintain power.  The damage that he has done to our nation (especially our judiciary) will take decades to repair, if we even can.  In the meantime, I have a bottle of champagne set aside that we’re going to crack open when we see this treasonous son of a bitch walked out of the White House, hopefully in handcuffs.

In true form, Trump made an ass of himself (again) today by pushing his border wall bullshit;  he pushed said bullshit in front of children who just wanted to find Easter eggs and frolic on the South Lawn of the White House.  The Easter Grinch showed up, and his name is Donald.

Sheesh.