I have a theory about what's happening here...

[Wounded Bear]

and I don't think it bodes well for Trump and his ilk.

Trump and his lawyer are fighting a civil suit. Their strategy is to intimidate, obfuscate, and basically outlast their opponent. In a typical civil suit, that will usually lead to a settlement, and usually won't include admission of guilt.

Comey is a witness in a criminal/intelligence investigation. The FBI is not some plumber or painter in Brooklynn or South Florida trying to run a contractor business and getting stiffed by Trump. The longer this goes on, the worse it is for Trump.

[unblock]

1. i can see that after fighting over 4,000 civil suits it might be hard to shift gears

[Madam45for2923]

33. WoW! Really?

[unblock]

35. wiki says 3,500 as of june 2016.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Legal_affairs_of_Donald_Trump

so he might not be quite up to 4,000 yet but certainly close....

[Madam45for2923]

36. Bullies get sued and like to sue.

[unblock]

37. so do liars and cheats and scofflaws.

[Madam45for2923]

41. yes, all manner of assholes!

[Iplayoneontv]

49. He's been sued a lot

Yes and they are calling settlements legal consulting fees.

[Kber]

2. I think you're dead on right.

It's like when he thought he could intimidate the ACLU by tweeting "See you in Court!" regarding the Muslim travel ban and the ACLU was like, "Um, yeah, that's what just happened and you lost."

He (Trump) has a lifetime of habits that are not serving him well in his current situation and his lawyer isn't helping.

[Wounded Bear]

3. Yeah, that old dog probably ain't learning no new tricks...

[iluvtennis]

54. +++ agree

[Binkie The Clown]

4. His problem is he only knows how to run a shady business by exploiting others.

In this case the others are the FBI and the American people. He has always relied on two ways out: Intimidation, and when that fails, bankruptcy. Neither is an option here.

[bdamomma]

39. well he will bankrupt this country

he is such a jerk.

[calimary]

55. Indeed. I think we're seeing a display of How-Donald-Does-Business in the private sector world

where he's used to wheeling 'n' dealing and cutting corners and bullying and intimidating people he promised to pay and then stiffed, all the tricks. The "my lawyer's bigger/meaner/sneakier/nastier than your lawyer" and its corollary "I can afford to fight this out - as LOOOOOONNNNNNNNNGGG as it takes. Whadda you got?"

And that can work in the business world, especially the murky one of the privately-owned business where you don't have to bother with stockholders or boards of directors, and all those annoying obligations that are involved therein. The public sector is VERY DIFFERENT. Government doesn't work that way. You're accountable to a "board of directors" of 100 (the Senate) and at least 435 "stockholders" (the House of Reps), PLUS all the governors and other state/regional/local/provincial offices and other assorted folks that you also have to deal with and accommodate - because YOU work for all of THEM. You're not their king or their master and they don't work for you. It's the other way around. YOU work for THEM. You're actually the highest-ranking public SERVANT in the country, but you're still a Public SERVANT.

And he'll gladly tell you he's eager to serve you, and he knows it sounds REEEEEALLY good. He just won't bother finishing that sentence. He's gonna serve you, alright - ON A PLATE.

[barbtries]

5. i think you may be on to something.

trump is still too stupid to understand that being president of the united states is not the same as being the boss on apprentice. for him he's still the star of a reality show where he plays god.

so far he seems to be right. he's doing immense damage every fucking hour it seems. getting rid of him is imperative and cannot happen fast enough. never should have been president that's clear.

[jmg257]

6. Discrediting witnesses is nothing new. And trump seems to thrive on it for...well ever.

I am surprised he didn't preface it with "There is no bigger Comey fan than me, but..."

[leftstreet]

7. DURec

Excellent theory

[dhill926]

8. agree...

his choice of lawyer shows this.

[enid602]

31. Lawyers

He has no choice. Various sources including Raw Story report that prestigious law firms have been courted by tRump, but they refuse to work for him.

[Wounded Bear]

42. Yeah, something about "won't pay" and "won't listen"...

Two pretty big strikes against him for any firm protective of their reputation.

[nocalflea]

9. Same here -wear down /overwhelm opponent + intimidation

[smirkymonkey]

10. This is going to be a contest of stamina.

I think we have seen how well he holds up in that department. We just have to keep at it, just like the republicans did with the Clintons. Eventually he will crack.

[kimbutgar]

13. It took a the rethugs 6 years to wear down Clinton

It's only 5 months and we have weakened chump even more and he's 71 and not young like Clinton was in the 90's. I am waiting for the epic meltdown he's going to have. Everyday I wake up hoping he has lost it on live tv and can't wait for the breakdown.

[enid602]

32. Assets

Wait until they start seizing assets at the state level.

[mchill]

11. After all, he is new to this government stuff

Give him a break.

[furtheradu]

12. Yes! & why I enCourage PATIENCE..

"the longer this goes on, the worse it is for trump."

We need in depth, thorough investigations and SOLID evidence,
to root out the trump-rusky-republikers.
The process takes time.
I want 'em out & punished, ASAP..& know it will take time.. WE can fill that time with contacting our "elected employees", & RESIST as we can.
Stay Active, keep the Faith, TRUST in KARMA & Divine Timing, Y'all!

Thanks for this post!

[Louis1895]

22. Patience but...

In the meantime, we need to work to protect the vote in 2018.

AS FAR AS I CAN TELL RIGHT NOW, there is not a major movement to protect:
•Voting rights and equal access to the polls
•Voting processes (we need new machines and paper copies that can be counted by hand, if necessary)

[furtheradu]

23. I know! It's infuriating to me!

& SO many goood Dems in DC won't even discuss this.
What is the DANG DEAL?

[PoindexterOglethorpe]

14. He thinks everything is a business deal

that he can manipulate to his benefit, mainly by bluster, bullying, or not paying the contractors. He still doesn't understand that the world of government does not operate that way. Possibly his staff have tried to coach him on this, by they clearly haven't made any progress.

He's also completely set in his ways that works against him. He thinks he already knows it all, doesn't need to learn anything new. He can't read anything put in front of him either because he's functionally illiterate, or because at his age he almost certainly needs reading glasses which he'd be far too vain to wear.

Unfortunately, the GOP Congress likes him just the way he is. Other than their eagerness to deprive millions of Americans of adequate health care, they don't really give a rat's ass if they pass any legislation. Oh, wait, they'll be pleased as punch to lower taxes on the wealthy, raise them on the middle class, and gut every single program that actually helps someone. So they're happy as can be with a President Trump. The main reason, I expect, they're not eager for a President Pence, is that Pence would actually know what he's doing.

[GopherGal]

47. Bluster and PR may work for him

Impeachment is a political process, not a purely judicial one. It's possible that a more "PR"-based approach may work for him, as long as he's got a rethuglican majority that will grasp any excuse not to find anything against him.

[orangecrush]

15. K&R

Good call,, Wounded Bear.

[Kleveland]

16. Good theory!

And, I would like to think that the good guys here are doing their best to create air-tight cases against himself.

Nothing would be more wonderful than to hear:

"Charged on 63 counts of XXXX......" You catch my drift, even if my legalese is infantile....

I am sure that is actually low number, knowing this grifting asshole's history.

One thing for sure about lies, they are high maintenance , and these clowns are not even good at keeping track of their lies.

Eventually lies come to light.

Truth is immutable.

[Texin]

17. Maybe Reality Winner can use this ploy to fight her treason charges!

Using his personal lawyer to file a laughable civil suit to fight back against FBI and intelligence probes into possible Russia collusion is straight up ludicrous. #SAD

[Stuart G]

18. Trump can play any game or "civil suit" that he wants to play..

It really won't matter..Why? This is much bigger than a "game" or "civil suit".. Comey and Mueller are leaders of a very sophisticated team of investigators. Who now have a real stake in going after Trump, because a leader of the FBI has been accused of lying by the President of the United States...

This is no game, no civil suit. All the chips are on the table. .."The longer this goes on, the worse it is for Trump"........and the more info comes out...The more info that comes out, more exposure, then the more we will discover of Trump/Russian connection..We will see...and hopefully we will all get to know the truth.....Keep in this in mind, FBI and Mueller are not a second class group. When it comes to investigations and bringing out the facts/truth...they have quite a bit more experience than...Trump/Sessions/etc.

[tikka]

19. trump's lawyer does civil litigation like Trump U

As reported, law firms didn't want trump as a client.

[Stuart G]

20. This one is not like....."Trump U"..it is more like "Watergate"..or.."great depression"

multi faceted , so many odd takes and views....Russian involvement, lies, illegal activity..etc...and..as stated in OP...it will not end well for Trump. It already looks quite bad, and will get worse.

[TomSlick]

52. That's a standard line.

When a lawyers doesn't want a case s/he is too busy. If there is a paying client who will cooperate, there are plenty of lawyers.

[Nitram]

21. I think that's part of it, Bear, but I believe they are out of their depth in

numerous ways. That's what happens when you believe your own anti-government propaganda.

[moondust]

24. One advantage of having tons of money.

You can afford to pay armies of lawyers to use every trick in the book to drag out legal cases until the poor bastards on the other side can no longer afford to play their legal fees and have to give up.

Of course that won't work when the other side is the federal gov't.

[HipChick]

25. Exactly...

[mainstreetonce]

26. Attacking a witness in this case

Can be obstruction of justice.

[AntiFascist]

27. The media should focus on the fact that the attorney is proving to be as idiotic as the defendant nt

[RKP5637]

30. The guys investigating Trump and this whole thing are a hell of a lot smarter than those two thugs.

[malaise]

34. Good spot

The good news is that he's really clueless in this sphere

[bresue]

38. Honestly...I believe Comey has had years of playing chest...

And I agree that it will not bode well for Dump...Comey will make his head spin if Dump tries to engage him...after all that is what the FBI do....

[Heron5]

40. There will be no settlement.

What makes the president's choice of an out-of-his-element attorney so encouraging to me is that it shows Trump is yet again opting to discount the advice of those who know how Washington works and instead go with his tried and true practice of shooting himself in the foot. The Washington Post's Philip Rucker and Robert Costa story from this morning included this: "Kasowitz was able to persuade the president that he would not give a Washington-style, tepid defense,” said a top Republican figure who is close to the White House. “Trump’s big charge with his staff is that they don’t defend him aggressively. And Kasowitz convinced him that not only will I defend you, but I will attack Comey where there’s room to.”

That's always worked well for both attorney and client, but as the OP observed, it is a strategy of little use here (beyond "Look at me fight" PR aimed at a dwindling base) when neither side will be throwing in the towel, and a final report will be issued based upon facts. Kasowitz, whose firm blundered its way through representing Bill O'Reilly during his recent controversy and ultimate Fox News departure by mistakenly forwarding a strategy email to a reporter, will not be outlasting Mueller. Nor will his current client, unlike Mr. O'Reilly, walk away with a $25 million severance package.

[BarbD]

48. You're right.

There is no settling out of court. Bullying will not work. We are fighting for our democracy. There is no compromise.

[peggysue2]

43. Listened to Michael Steele last night . . .

say the Trumpster is making a huge mistake using a NYC civil lawyer, the same one who has gotten DT out of personal jams/suits before. He needs someone well-versed in the workings of the Federal Government, unlike Trumpy.

But hey, if the man wants to hire an over-priced chiropractor rather than a neurologist, that's on him.

We can sit back and savor the popcorn.

OT: Just listened to Chuck Todd say that DT is basically declaring war on all things related to the Russian probe. Apparently, Trumpy just mumbled something about his willingness to testify under oath to counter Comey's testimony.

Oh, bring it on!

[Wounded Bear]

44. That's kind of the point I was saying...

I don't claim it as an original thought, though.

But the high profile lawyers in the DC area who do know government and would probably do him some good won't work for him because he would be such a lousy client. The word is out about Trump, and all he has left is his favorite guy who does all of his civil suits. Different playground, different rules, but their actions so far look a lot like his civil cases, whether he was the plaintiff or the defendent. Probably won't work on this one.

[peggysue2]

45. Wasn't trying to step on the thread

Just thought it was interesting that Michael Steele went there. Despite the silly defenses Trump supporters are throwing out there, there's rumbling beneath the surface, the growing fear that the Trumpster will not survive the coming storm. Karl Rove wrote a scathing article in the Wall St. Times. Erik Erickson followed with another critical piece. Republicans are looking around for the lifeboats because Trump seems determined to capsize the ship.

Incredible!

[Wounded Bear]

46. No worries, it's all good...

I actually respect Michael Steele for the most part. He's one of the "good" Repubs, usually. Not always, and he's still a conservative, but he's smart enough to know that Trump is a disaster in the making for Repubs across the country. Or at least I hope so.

[Iplayoneontv]

50. I wouldn't want him as a client

He doesn't pay his legal bills, won't shut his fucking mouth, and would drive off other clients.

[Stuart G]

51. Special counsel Robert Muellar has a very high power criminal lawyer...see link below

https://www.democraticunderground.com/10141795018

Who do you suppose Mueller is after???

from the above link:

Source: National Law Journal

Special counsel Robert Mueller has recruited the Justice Department’s top criminal law expert to help with his investigation of ties between the Trump presidential campaign and Russian officials.

Deputy solicitor general Michael Dreeben, who has argued more than 100 cases before the U.S. Supreme Court and oversees the Justice Department’s criminal appellate docket, will be assisting Mueller on a part-time basis, according to sources familiar with the arrangement.

[Puzzler]

53. I agree, and I think the "death-blow" will ...

... likely be inflicted by Trump himself. Based on his past behaviour/habits, the chances of him incriminating himself, either in one of his typical Tweetstorms, or any of his other actions/statements, are pretty high.

The only thing that makes me NOT breakout the popcorn (just yet), is the fact he still has the nuclear codes (and the military). We don't want to see him pull a "Colonel Jack Ripper" a la "Dr. Strangelove&quot .


(Oh yeah: favourite line from that movie: "Gentleman, Gentleman, I'll have no fighting on the War Room&quot

-Puzzer

[C Moon]

56. Ryan's already given a clue as to what plan the GOP has for these traitors.

Sitting on their hands.