https://www.realclearpolitics....n_el_paso_texas.html

Full Replay: President Trump Holds 2020 Campaign Rally in El Paso, Texas

Trump Undecided On Tentative Border Deal With Minimal Wall Funding

President Trump has not yet decided if he'll support a bipartisan congressional border security deal which provides just $1.375 billion for 55 new miles of border fencing in Texas's Rio Grande Valley area - far short of the $5.7 billion Trump has demanded for his signature campaign promise, reports Bloomberg, citing an administration official.

As of Tuesday morning, the White House official said they are waiting to review the full language of the deal.

While the agreement falls short of Trump's requested figure, the new deal also eliminates caps that Democrats sought on how many border crossers could be detained after being apprehended in the US.

In order to avert another partial government shutdown, the new proposal still has to be written into legislation, pass both chambers of Congress, and Trump has to agree to it before Friday night.

On Monday night, around an hour after the compromise was announced, President Trump took to the stage in the border city of El Paso, Texas for a political rally - telling his audience that he had heard a deal was reached but didn't know the details. He did not indicate whether he would sign the legislation, however he touted the need for a border wall.

"Just so you know, we’re building the wall anyway," said Trump. "We’re setting the table, we’re doing whatever we have to do. The wall’s being built."

https://www.zerohedge.com/news...l-minimal-wall-funds

quote:

Originally posted by sigmonkey:
True! She’s a beauty, ya know.

One in a million...

I so hope Trump shuts down the government if he doesn’t get the $5+ billion for a wall. A bill with anything less shouldn’t make it thru the Senate though anyway.

“President Trump's former lawyer, John Dowd, says he doesn't expect the special counsel to release a report on his findings in the Russia probe.

He told ABC News in a podcast that he would be 'shocked' if any of Robert Mueller's conclusions about the president became public.

'I don't think there'll be a report,' he offered. 'I will be shocked if anything regarding the president is made public, other than "We're done." ' 

Dowd characterized the entire probe of alleged collusion as 'a terrible waste of time' for everyone and 'one of the greatest frauds this country's ever seen.' …”

https://mol.im/a/6695653

This deal is treachery from Mitch McConnell but I expect PDJT to take it. It gives him tremendous ammo for 2020 and he has the balls to use it.

They don't expect him to sign and hope he burns up twitter. My take is that he signs and publicly shames those that structured the budget bill. He has big mo going bigtime and a shutdown will disrupt that. Call it a Win and MAGA!

I wonder with this weak showing of compromise is just the some of the R's trying to test him on his resolve?

He won't allow the government to shutdown again. President Trump will sign this embarrassment of a spending bill and move towards declaring an Emergency and build the wall with other funds.

Could anything be more clearly a national emergency than thousands of illegals a week pouring over our border and a Congress unwilling to stop them?

I may be missing something but I thought it was revealed that there was a legal path he could take to get funds and build the wall WITHOUT declaring a national emergency. Help: Right? Wrong?

I doubt DJT ever bought a building for the asking price, understanding the whole concept of negotiation. And I bet he never set an initial asking price for a property expecting that somebody would meet that price as a first offer.

Government budgeting works the same way. Over-ask.

I'm confident that he has a plan.

Don't sign it Trump. I don't give two shits if the Federal Government shuts down again. I live in the heart of the government/contractors, my wife works for a company that does nothing but projects for the federal government. Effect on her, or anyone I've talked to was zilch, nada, nothing. A bunch of people got free vacations. The only thing the shutdown resulted in was a bunch of projects getting done, rooms painted, choirs caught up on, and time with family.

Close the whole damn thing down for all I care.

I hate Democrats, but the pussy Republican party is almost as bad. At least the Dems can stand together and fight for what they believe in, even when it's 100% wrong. Grow a fucking spine.

He'll sign it and that's fine IMO. The Dems drew an absurd line in the sand of calling it immoral and saying $0 for it ever. They caved, now it is just about price.

If he has enough $ to build without interruption to the end of the fiscal year (Sep 30th), then the actual amount doesn't matter and there will be a big budget fight then anyway. If it isn't enough for continuous construction, then he has some time to consider other options for more funds or to declare an emergency.

I like Ted Cruz's idea, use El Chapo's $14 Billion to make up the difference for the whole wall.


Republican Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas floated the possibility Tuesday of using the seized assets of convicted drug cartel kingpin Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzmán to help build a wall at the southern border.

“America’s justice system prevailed today in convicting Joaquín Guzmán Loera, aka El Chapo, on all 10 counts,” Cruz told his Twitter followers. “U.S. prosecutors are seeking $14 billion in drug profits & other assets from El Chapo which should go towards funding our wall to #SecureTheBorder.”

Cruz’s tweet came moments after Guzmán was convicted of drug-trafficking charges Tuesday morning at a trial in New York. Witnesses detailed assassinations and political payoffs during the nearly three-month long trial. He was found guilty of trafficking over 440,000 pounds of cocaine and will likely have $14 billion in assets seized by U.S. officials.

Cruz reintroduced the Ensuring Lawful Collection of Hidden Assets to Provide Order Act, or EL CHAPO Act, to Congress in January. The bill would designate any money and assets seized from the gangster and allocate them for the construction of a border wall.

President Donald Trump and Republicans have struggled during the past two months to secure funding for a wall as Democrats continue to blanch at such an offer. There are some signs of hope. Congressional negotiators announced a tentative deal Monday night that includes $1.375 billion in funding for a barrier.

“It’s time to pass the El Chapo Act, legislation that Sen. Cruz has introduced, which would use El Chapo’s massive $14 billion fortune subject to criminal asset forfeiture to secure the border and build the wall,” a spokesman in Cruz’s office said in a statement to The Daily Caller News Foundation.

“Stopping narcotics traffickers like El Chapo from crossing the border using El Chapo’s illicitly obtained fortune – and not American taxpayer dollars – would be an act of poetic justice and a common-sense solution to securing the border,” he added.



https://dailycaller.com/2019/0...wall-trump-el-chapo/

I'm not actually worried about what President Trump will do about this issue. I am only interested in what he actually does about building the Wall. He has said he will get it built and he's been pretty solid about keeping his promises so far, so I have confidence he'll get it done--one way or another.

We lucked out in 2016 and trashed Hillary. Trump has been mostly good for us as a country and I'm solidly behind him.

flashguy

quote:

Originally posted by Strambo:
He'll sign it and that's fine IMO. The Dems drew an absurd line in the sand of calling it immoral and saying $0 for it ever. They caved, now it is just about price.

If he has enough $ to build without interruption to the end of the fiscal year (Sep 30th), then the actual amount doesn't matter and there will be a big budget fight then anyway. If it isn't enough for continuous construction, then he has some time to consider other options for more funds or to declare an emergency.

I like your prospective, but I still reserve the right to bitch about not getting the $5.7B which in itself wasn't enough to build it to begin with. I also reserve the right to bitch about the un-unified pussy Republican party. Plus I'd like to see a counteroffer if that's even possible with two days to go.

quote:

Originally posted by Skins2881:

I like your prospective, but I still reserve the right to bitch about not getting the $5.7B which in itself wasn't enough to build it to begin with. I also reserve the right to bitch about the un-unified pussy Republican party. Plus I'd like to see a counteroffer if that's even possible with two days to go.

Heh, yeah. I feel the same way, so long as nothing gets de-railed over it and we keep making progress.

We are in this mess because Libs have been content for over 100 years to take tiny steps forward whilst conservatives always make the "perfect" the enemy of the "good."

Here is why Trump wins big even if he doesn't counter. The libs said the wall was immoral, now they have compromised their deeply held moral value system...or it was it sham (Of course it was and they are exposed). Either way, the wall is moving forward and they can't really go back to a 100% no-wall position so easy.

Trump just agreed to a lower number...he never compromised his moral values on the issue.

I think Trump will be clever with anything that at least establishes a budget bucket for border wall construction. The man understands development. Surveying, he'll use the corp of engineers; surveys aren't wall, different budget. Land acquisition, use national parks; Land ain't wall. Excavation, army corp of engineers again; holes ain't wall either. Etc., Etc. You get the idea.

Ken

quote:

Originally posted by Pipe Smoker:
“President Trump's former lawyer, John Dowd, says he doesn't expect the special counsel to release a report on his findings in the Russia probe.

He told ABC News in a podcast that he would be 'shocked' if any of Robert Mueller's conclusions about the president became public.

'I don't think there'll be a report,' he offered. 'I will be shocked if anything regarding the president is made public, other than "We're done." ' 

Dowd characterized the entire probe of alleged collusion as 'a terrible waste of time' for everyone and 'one of the greatest frauds this country's ever seen.' …”

https://mol.im/a/6695653

As I understand it, regulations require that the Special Counsel report his finding to the Attorney General and only the Attorney General. He then decides what is made public and what is not.

The Senate voted on Tuesday to break a Democratic filibuster of the nomination of William Barr to be the next US attorney general.

The 55-to-44 vote split on partisan lines with only three Democrats voting to advance Trump's nominee.

Sens. Joe Manchin of West Virginia, Doug Jones of Alabama and Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona joined Republicans to support Barr's nomination.

Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky was the only Republican to vote no.

Nearly all the Democrats running or considering running for president voted against advancing the nomination, though Sen. Cory Booker of New Jersey did not vote.

A final vote is expected later this week.

https://www.cnn.com/2019/02/12...nate-vote/index.html

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

I think Barr will do a good job as AG. Sure hope so.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

from the transcript of John Dowd's interview w ABC:

Early on, we wrote a letter to Mueller, saying, "Look. Comey's the accuser in this phony investigation. We think there are other issues in-- regarding his conduct, as to the origin of this whole business."

Turns out, not only was I right, but Comey admitted there were no facts to investigate the president at all.

There was no collusion. So—I, and then, so-- Bob said he wasn't looking' at it. So I wrote to Rosenstein. He blew me off. That's not leadership. That's not accountability. This is a very serious-- I mean, we were very serious. And we did it in writing. We did it politely. We did it confidentially. And he just blew us off. So I lost all respect for Rob Rosenstein"

xxxxxxxxxxxxxx

So Mueller said he wasn't even looking at Comey's conduct in the origin of the FBI counterintel operation against Russia and the Trump administration.