Last week was quite a busy one for news, much of it bad for Trump. By then end of the week not only had damning reporting from the New York Times’ Maggie Haberman and Jonathan Swan been confirmed (the WH didn’t even try to deny the accuracy) but multiple outlets were reporting serious panic and paranoia permeating the WH. The gist of the panic stories was twofold. First, more was to come and second, the Times’ reporters hadn’t just heard the tapes (and the WH doesn’t know how many) but had actual copies! Today the same reporters followed up on the tapes with devastating (to Trump) reporting on leaked MEMOs!
When former FBI Director James Comey said ‘Lordy, I hope there are tapes’ he didn’t mention the possibility of memos. However it looks like the Trumptanic is leaking like a sieve. With the torpedoes being fired into it from Haberman and Swan with I suspect more to come it’s easy to see why Team Trump is in panic mode. You’d expect they’d be doing the ‘FAKE NEWS’ response but they haven’t, which is confirmation the quotes in the NYT stories are accurate. Haberman and Swan are releasing this to promote the upcoming release of their book Regime Change: Inside the Imperial Presidency of Donald Trump and again, I think we’ll see another bombshell or two before advance copies go out and other journalists and outlets can step on their scoop.
To recap the two journalists quoted multiple comments from multiple recordings made by political staffers – in the freaking WH Situation Room! Given it’s purpose and it being the most secure SCIFF (or supposed to be) in the United States most of them had NO authorization to be in the place. Unless Trump, or Chief of Staff Susie Wiles specifically authorized it on his behalf. That part hasn’t been talked about and from where I sit it damn well should be! Much as I’d like to link to the original NYT reporting most of their work quickly gets hidden behind their paywall so mea cupla for citing other outlets.
In a story about the panic that erupted at the WH last week Axios reported that not only was everyone freaking out about what were supposed to be secret discussions (again, in the Situation Room) being leaked but that more will be reported:
“Top White House officials believe New York Times reporters Maggie Haberman and Jonathan Swan obtained audio recordings of Situation Room meetings for their forthcoming book, ‘Regime Change,’” reported Axios on Sunday. Because independent recording devices are not allowed in the Situation Room, the potential leak would be a major breach from protocol that would place many of Trump’s top officials under immediate suspicion.
“We’re afraid some of our most sensitive conversations were being recorded,” an administration source told Axios. “And we have no idea which ones.”
If you don’t want to check the linked article I’ll add that the conversations included the Epstein Files and Rubio trashing Israeli PM Netanyahu. All of it was bad for Trump. But I’d like to call your attention again to the fact the WH hasn’t denied the accuracy of the reporting (although at some point they’ll decide they have to try) but especially to the last sentence of the blocked out passage above where an administration source admits not only the overall fear some of their most sensitive chats were recorded (and leaked), but that ‘and we have no idea which ones’ part. Add in the fear Haberman and Swan have copies of the recordings and can ‘produce receipts’ of any attempted denial and it’s safe to say FEAR is the prevailing emotion with Team Trump. Starting with Trump himself. To see why you really should take a minute and check out the link to Axios.
Bad as all that was, Haberman and Swann fired another torpedo into the Trumptanic today only this time they cited not recordings but written memos. Team Trump no doubt assumed the reporters would tease one or two more stories using the leaked audiotapes but I doubt they had time to consider the reporters had gotten their hands on equally damning memos. Yet as you can see The Business Times reports that yes, that’s the case:
The documents, written by White House staff secretary Will Scharf in 2025, reveal that senior administration officials debated whether the president could suspend habeas corpus protections for certain immigrants and invoke the Insurrection Act to respond to protests against immigration enforcement operations. While neither proposal was ultimately implemented, the records provide a rare look into internal discussions surrounding the administration’s immigration agenda.
I can’t help but wonder if tonight the walls of the White House are running red, not with ketchup alone but the blood of staffers suspected of leaking! There has been plenty of reporting about the desire of Trump to find an excuse to invoke the Insurrection Act. He was afraid even the virtual lapdog Republicans would balk at that one. Now, with him pissing off GOPers on Capitol Hill by mucking with the midterms and making it harder for them to retain control I don’t see them going along. Some will of course but the GOP doesn’t have decisive majorities in either chamber and more than enough Republicans will stand up to Trump on this. Especially since as I wrote here on PZ earlier today yesterday a belief is settling in that Trump won’t live to see the end of his second term.
MAGA, even if it shows up in force (and again, you can read here on PZ yesterday why that’s not at all certain to happen) Republicans know there are far too many Senate and House races where that won’t be enough. Personally I think ‘survival mode’ might finally be kicking in, albeit too late for many of them. Hell, realizing they are toast because of Trump might get them to extract some payback. Stranger things have happened.
Well, this has already gotten longer and more complicated than I’d hoped. I do after all have a (admittedly deserved) reputation for long, tedious ‘in the weeds’ articles so I’ll suggest that even though it will take a couple of minutes you also read the linked BT article. It’s informative and sobering.
I’ll try to wrap this up. It’s safe to say that for all the fear Haberman and Swann have copies of tapes and will use them to blow more holes in the not good ship Trumptanic, there are sharks (Trump’s biggest nightmare) in the form of memos in their hands as well. AND that the WH has no idea just what is in the hands of two outstanding journalists that will come out. Instead of drip drip it could well be a steady run of firefighting helicopters doing gigantic water dumps!
Friends, I know everyone begs you for money. I promise, among all those asking for spare change, we are the smallest and the hardest working. We’re a group of old, disabled people, except for one writer in his mid-50s. The rest of us are in our sixties and seventies, and this is a labor of love. All we’re asking for is the chance to keep telling the truth about Trump and help ensure democracy survives. If you can help, please do. Thank you. Ursula
Sounds like it’s sharks and batteries! 47’s worst nightmares combined!