November 10, 2024

"Trump’s initial calls with world leaders are not being conducted with the support of the State Department and U.S. government interpreters."

"The Trump transition team has yet to sign an agreement with the General Services Administration, a standard procedure for presidential transitions. Trump and his aides are distrustful of career government officials following the leaked transcripts of presidential calls during his first term. 'They are just calling him [Trump] directly,' one of the people familiar with the calls said...."

"Moscow initially responded coolly to Trump’s win, with Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov telling reporters that Putin had no plans to call the incoming president.... Earlier Sunday, a journalist with the Russian state TV channel Rossiya, Pavel Zarubin, published an interview with Peskov in which the Kremlin spokesman said the signs for an improvement in relations under a Trump presidency were 'positive.' 'Trump talked during his campaign about how he sees everything through deals, that he can make a deal that will lead everyone to peace. At least he talks about peace, not about confrontation and the desire to inflict a strategic defeat on Russia,' Peskov said. While Biden and Harris’s strategy in relation to Ukraine was predictable, Peskov added, 'Trump is less predictable, and also [it] is less predictable to what extent Trump will stick to the statements he made during the election campaign. Let’s wait and see.'"

84 comments:

Democrats Love Waste Fraud Abuse/ Rachel Maddow = Lying Psycho said...

Sadly - No one trusts the Soviet-D hack press anymore. You did this to yourselves - D-hacks.

Levi Starks said...

Experience from his first term confirms that he will not be treated as a “normal”
President. Therefore in order for him to be effective and not spend an inordinate amount of time covering his backside he cannot behave as a normal president.

Paul said...

I don't blame Trump... I would not trust them either.. bunch of backstabbers.

gilbar said...

Trump and his aides are distrustful of career government officials..

now, WHY would That Be?
last time, some General Smiley decided that HE was in charge of the US military,
and phone to chinese, and told THEM that he (and thus the US Military) would be taking their orders from the chinese, instead of the President of the United States.
Oh, AND the FBI spied on the President of the United States, for his Entire term.. releasing the information gathered to the DNC, the CCP, and the Ukrainian Nazi party..

so WHY wouldn't Trump TOTALLY trust them.. This time?

The Middle Coast said...

State Dept. and other agencies were the ones acting abnormally during the first term.

Original Mike said...

"Trump and his aides are distrustful of career government officials following the leaked transcripts of presidential calls during his first term."

And rightly so. "Career government officials" destroyed the trust that must exist between them and the President. Banish them to the wilderness.

One thing we learned in Trump I is that "career government officials" had no reservations about lying. So, more than not letting them in on the actual contents of conversations, they can not even be in a position where it appears they were privy to the conversation.

mccullough said...

Fire the Career Government Officials

mccullough said...

Fire the Career Government Officials

Leland said...

I suspect his phone is wiretapped anyway and he is testing to see who leaks. Also, he is still out of the office, so these calls do not have to be preserved.

Original Mike said...

"At least he talks about peace, not about confrontation and the desire to inflict a strategic defeat on Russia,' Peskov said. "

Something that democrats, and perhaps all politicians, can not get through their thick skulls, is you don't negotiate with somebody while calling him Hitler.

'Oh my God! Trump said something nice about Kim Jong Un! Doesn't he know that Kim Jong Un is a butcher?!?' ---- He's negotiating with him, you twit. How far do you think he'll get while calling him a butcher?

John henry said...

What about the Logan Act? Does that not apply?

I

Quaestor said...

Musk should be made aware of this. GSA's managers should be re-assigned to duties more fitting to their intellect.

The GS-13s, fourteens, and fifteens working for the General Services Administration will soon find themselves the highest paid litter abatement specialists to ever comb the shoulders of I-395.

doctrev said...

Mmhmm. It begins. The people who suggested President Trump would be easily subverted and bring Haley/ Pompeo on board have been discredited before the ink dried on his election win. Doomcuck blackpillers are going to have a lot to be depressed about... I can't wait.

Wilbur said...

"The Trump transition team has yet to sign an agreement with the General Services Administration, a standard procedure for presidential transitions"...

I don't understand this; does an incoming President have to negotiate the terms of an agreement with the GSA? And what is the substance of such an agreement?

traditionalguy said...

Truth in Leadership is a many splendored thing. But it will take time to get reacquainted with it.

Big Mike said...

Or perhaps hunting pythons in the Everglades in the summer and counting ptarmigans in central Alaska in the winter.

Original Mike said...

"Trump and his aides are distrustful of career government officials following the leaked transcripts of presidential calls during his first term."

You know who else has cause to be distrustful of "career government officials" leaking the contents of their conversations with Trump? The other foreign leaders. The "career government officials" fouled their own nest.

Original Mike said...

"And what is the substance of such an agreement?"

Well, one thing is an obligation of confidentiality, yet the GSA turned over the Trump I administration correspondence that they held in their possession to the FBI in furtherance of Russia! Russia! Russia!

Original Mike said...

"I suspect his phone is wiretapped anyway and he is testing to see who leaks."

Yes, keep the suspect pool as small as possible.

rhhardin said...

What's unpredictable is what Trump will add to deals to make it attractive to both sides at once. The only reason for wars is bargaining friction.

Original Mike said...

"From "Trump talked to Putin, told Russian leader not to escalate in Ukraine/President-elect Donald Trump spoke with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday and discussed the war in Ukraine, according to people familiar with the call" (WaPo)." (emphasis added)

And who are these people this time?

Original Mike said...

Spam foldered. I guess I'm over my Google-sanctioned limit.

Drago said...

The russkis know Trump is going to drive the price of the russian's most valuable revenue creating commodities into the ditch.

Original Mike said...

Spam foldered. I guess I'm over my Google-sanctioned limit.

Drago said...

If a campaign accepts the loads of cash and "support" for their transiton , that puts GSA personnel in every single room and duscussion as the incoming administration prepares to take office...and affords the establishment deep staters to sabotage plans, policies, personnel selections, create negative media narratives, etc.

This is why the GSA is freaking out that Trump told them to screw off.

gspencer said...

"Trump and his aides are distrustful of career government officials"

And why should he? Most are members of the Council on Foreign Relations aka NWO Central who most definitely do NOT want to MAGA.

Democrats Love Waste Fraud Abuse/ Rachel Maddow = Lying Psycho said...

I read it. Not laced with standard 'This is a felony' BS.

narciso said...

Those two reporters have lièd consistently over the years

Quaestor said...

jhhardin writes, "The only reason for wars is bargaining friction."

I've read more ill-considered lessons from history than this one. But not many.

Big Mike said...

They tried that 4 years ago. Trump and his advisors are prepared this time. Chris Wray is a goner anyway but there’s degrees of goner-dom.

Did you see how fast Merrick Garland and Jack Smith dropped the prosecution of Trump on November 6th?

David53 said...
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Freder Frederson said...

And he is going to do that, how?

Original Mike said...

Perhaps Musk could set Trump up with an encrypted Starlink system.

Big Mike said...

And let’s not forget that John Kerry and other top Democrats would be vulnerable to Logan Act prosecutions from a DoJ staffed by Trump supporters. Just sayin’

Original Mike said...

Perhaps Musk can set Trump up with an encrypted Starlink system.

Original Mike said...

Perhaps Musk can set Trump up with an encrypted Starlink system.

Original Mike said...

Perhaps Musk can set Trump up with an encrypted Starlink system.

Bruce Hayden said...

Drill, Baby, Drill!!!

Greg The Class Traitor said...

Very wise of him

I blame JD

BG said...

Well look at what those fascists are doing: "Nominees for the People: RFK Jr. wants your help nominating people of integrity and courage for the more than 4,000 appointments for government agencies in ​a future Trump administration" https://nominees.mahanow.org. There is also https://www.policiesforpeople.com. Lefty heads are exploding.

Jim at said...

Trump and his aides are distrustful of career government officials following the leaked transcripts of presidential calls during his first term.

He's learning.

Breezy said...

I recommend Tucker’s recent podcast with Vivek. Contains good amount of detail wrt how the govt can be downsized. They discussed several agencies, including State. SCOTUS opened the door to large workforce reduction by declaring bulk of regulations as unconstitutional (re Chevron et al). A large reduction is needed because we have lots of people in jobs that they shouldn’t be in, and they cause disruption, trouble, bad decisions, etc. So rightsizing and moving departments out of DC is very important. Thinks many fed employees will quit when you tell them they have to come into work 5 days a week. Gives me hope.

Drago said...

Field Marshall Freder: "And he is going to do that, how?"

LOL

Incredible.

I would look for a massive unleashing of American energy production along with agreements with the Saudi's, amongst others, to turn on the spigots. This will have the added benefit of harming the New Soviet Democraticals bestest buddies in Tehran as well.

Meanwhile, Freders commie amigos in the deep state have slowed SpaceX down so much to aid their ChiCom allies that the boys in Beijing, democratical paymasters, are already moving rapidly to build a chopsticks Launch and Catch tower.

Heckuva job there New Soviet Democraticals.

Earnest Prole said...

Trump and his aides are distrustful of career government officials following the leaked transcripts of presidential calls during his first term.

Like the same people don’t already have transcripts of calls just made. If Deep State operatives lack the capacity to eavesdrop on calls from Putin to the United States they really belong in another line of work.

David53 said...
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RCOCEAN II said...

Trump trusted these goobers in 2016. Once burned... Had they treated Trump with the same respect they had treated almost every other POTUS things would be different in 2024.

Sorry MSM, and Globalists, we and Trump are on you.

Mr Wibble said...

Until he's President, he's a private citizen and there are probably limitations regarding what the GSA can do or what activities government money can be spent on. So, there might be an agreement regarding the logistics such as office space, who gets paid from what pot of money, how many GSA personnel will be required, how many incoming personnel need to be vetted, etc.

J Scott said...

Didn't sign an agreement with the GSA beforehand? Impeachment charge number 1!

narciso said...

Like the way they represemted the general flynn phone call like that

Jupiter said...

""The Trump transition team has yet to sign an agreement with the General Services Administration ...".
They haven't driven seven-inch nails into their own foreheads yet, either.

Michael said...

You can learn most of what you need to know about "career government officials" from old episodes of "Yes, Minister." Sir Humphrey Appleby was not a fictional character.

paulr said...

Sounds like he doesn’t want the content of his calls to leak. This could be for good reasons. Or bad reasons. Or both!

In general, transparency and oversight are not bad things, and kept his first administration “on the rails.”

Goldenpause said...

The bureaucracy is about to find out what “Karma” really means.

Goldenpause said...

The bureaucracy is about to find out what “Karma” really means.

Aught Severn said...

The agreement here is likely referring to a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) which provides the formal documentation for duties and responsibilities between the signatory groups. It is a very common type of document, basically required any time two government organizations are working together.

In this case, it just means that the transition team won't be using GSA resources unless/ until that gets signed. I assume this was a deliberate decision and it does not indicate anything nefarious.

Dixcus said...

They want him back in the bugged White House where they can selectively spin and leak everything he says; everybody he meets with, every policy he discusses even trying maybe to implement ... and always, always, looking for a way to murder him in the press since they so far haven't been able to murder him on the battlefield (not for lack of trying.)

Trump is wise to not trust the United States Government. Neither should any other Americans. That's the problem we have in our country now.

Dixcus said...

Ya'll really need to let this sink in: The President-Elect of the United States does not trust the United States federal government and with good reason.

An entire housecleaning is going to be required and good Americans are going to have to step up and do some nasty work.

Dixcus said...

Don't think for a SECOND they don't have Trump's every communication method bugged. They do.

Mikey NTH said...

Assign them a desk in a warehouse and the task of copying, in longhand, the entire OED. (Inspired by The Adventure of the Red Headed League.)

Dixcus said...

The CIA, the NSA and the FBI have all wiretapped Donald Trump. They are all currently conducting covert national security investigations of him and as soon as they are able to plant the evidence he will be arrested.

Dixcus said...

John Kerry has left the conversation.

The Godfather said...

I spent most of my legal career in DC, but I don't have any great insight into the "permanent government" -- that is, the civil service. In a "ideal world" perhaps we'd go back to the "spoils system", where the incoming President or his Party would fire all or almost all government employees, and replace them with loyal Party men (and now "Party women"). The current system of job security for beaurucrats developed in the "progressive era", when we were supposed to be believe that a large part of the role of the Federal government required technical expertise. Even today, I suppose there's some truth to that, although recent Supreme Court rulings begin to undermine it.
Today, senior level bureuacrats are comfortable that (a) they can't be fired) and (b) if they leave federal service they will be welcomed into the industries that they regulated. With (narrow) majorities in both House and Senate, and a big popular vote majority, this may be the last chance to dislodge the "permanent government". If Trump can't do that, who could?

Dixcus said...

Musk should supply Trump with communications that he doesn't allow the US government to bug.

Lee Moore said...

One reason why Trump may be wary of the GSA is that they shafted him last time. I forget the details, but my recollection is that when Mueller came hunting for transition documents, the Trump team thought their info could not be handed over by GSA without their consent ( or a warrant.) But the GSA handed it all over without even telling the Trump team. Not a big basis for trust there.

Lee Moore said...

Trump during his transition and during his Presidency needs to conduct his business OUTSIDE DC. Likewise with meetings with the members of the Deep State bureaucracy. Need to have a non DC venue for any legal proceedings. West Texas would be good.

effinayright said...

AFAIK the newly-elected POTUS isn't * required* by the Constitution or statute to negotiate an "agreement" with the GSA, which will legally soon work for him, as a condition of taking the oath of office.

It may be a courtesy, an informality that's part of the "peaceful transfer of power", but the GSA and Congress sure as shit doesn't have the authority to "make" the POTUS-elect agree to do/not do anything.

And woe betide the GSA official who tries to thwart or mess with Trump's inauguration.

@Aught Severn: Trump's transition team isn't a government organization.

effinayright said...

Here's ChatGPT's take regarding the GSA's role in the transition:

"The U.S. General Services Administration (GSA) plays a legally defined role in facilitating the transition to a new presidential administration under the Presidential Transition Act of 1963. The law mandates the GSA to provide office space, equipment, services, and funding to support the incoming administration’s transition. Here’s a closer look at the GSA's obligations:

Ascertainment of the President-Elect: The GSA administrator has the duty to "ascertain" the "apparent successful candidates" after an election. This step is critical because it officially unlocks federal transition funds and resources, enabling the new administration to receive classified briefings, access federal agencies, and establish operational plans.

Resources and Funding: Once the GSA makes this ascertainment, it must provide resources for office space, equipment, and communications to the transition team, along with millions of dollars in federal funds for transition operations. This includes setting up infrastructure for the new administration to access federal resources and coordinate with existing agencies.

Coordination with Outgoing Administration: The GSA also coordinates with the outgoing administration to ensure a smooth transfer of duties, providing necessary logistical support so the new administration can effectively govern from day one."

So...the new POTUS doesn't need to sign an agreement with the GSA. The latter has its marching orders from Congress and the 1963 Act.

Rusty said...

You do that, Freder, by driving down the price of crude. How do you drive down the price of crude? You produce more crude . Basic supply and demand.

JIM said...

Trump 2.0 will be a much more difficult entity to derail.

Drago said...

The McConnell-ites in the Senate are currently working to ensure Trump gets NONE of his people in place for 2 years then the GOPe-ers in the House will pull another 2018 and bail out to throw the House to the Dems.

That is how they plan to stop Trump.

Again.

The Middle Coast said...

There is a fighting-the-last-war vibe to this. I wonder what’s being cooked up.

wildswan said...

4 years of the resistance; 4 years of lawfare. I think Trump knows. And so do people around him, potentially in his administration. And his supporters. I like the idea of moving the more vicious and useless departments like Education and Transportation to Iowa and Oklahoma. And then tell them they have to come in to work at the office. And then have them monitored by DEI people known for bringing cases against everybody in their departments. Three strikes and you're Tulsa.

Marcus Bressler said...

Congress gave the GSA power to do certain things and spend funds for the transition. But if you take the money, tell them to eff off, there is no obligation, legal or otherwise, to get them involved. The bunch of traitors, they were

Lance said...

"basically required any time two government organizations are working together."

Required by whom? Or by what statute?

Marcus Bressler said...

I meant "if you DON'T take the money, then tell them..."

Jerry said...

They couldn't, because if they had they would have admitted that HE was as good as THEM. THEY are special folks, an 'elite', our nation's 'natural aristocrats'. Or at least, that's how they think of themselves.

To allow some jumped-up businessman, some 'peasant' that was just lucky and got rich (because they've got a lock on all the business talent, lol) into their exclusive club inside the Beltway was simply unacceptable. Didn't he see just how unprepared he was for the job?

And then he actually went around solving things! That's just not done! You 'manage' the problem, throwing money at it through the right people for decades.

That was his one unforgivable act - he showed just how ineffective our political class was. And instead of trying to be more effective, they doubled down with the least effective President and VP they could find...

Rusty said...

What? No come back, Freder?

Cappy said...

Ha ha ha, fuck 'em.

Freder Frederson said...

There is not going to be a "massive unleashing" of American energy production, we are already producing more oil and gas than we ever have. Trump cannot force companies to drill for more oil. The oil companies are pretty happy with current prices, why on earth would they flood the market with more oil (even if increased production is sufficient to actually affect the world market price) just to make Trump happy?

Also, there is an absolute floor in what we can charge for oil, and that price point is a hell of a lot higher than what the Saudis or Kuwaitis can produce oil for. Oil is an international market, and any president has very little control over other producers. What's he going to do, risk his son-in-law having his $2 billion yanked by the Saudi Sovereign Wealth Fund? Threaten MBS with murder charges that Trump didn't bother to pursue when MBS had Khashoggi killed?

Freder Frederson said...

Your pseudonym is perfect. You are describing turning the Federal Government into an organized crime syndicate.

I thought you all hated patronage systems, which is what you are describing as an "ideal world".

You want to turn this country into a organized crime run state, kind of like pre-Revolution Cuba (which was owned by Luciano and Meyer Lansky).

Pillage Idiot said...

Trump should literally be calling these people from a burner phone.

He just needs some method of establishing his bona fides so that they will take the call.

Rabel said...

Russia says the call didn't happen.

I see no advantage to Trump or Putin in lying about this.

A call would be normal and completely legitimate.

JAORE said...

" Threaten MBS with murder charges that Trump didn't bother to pursue when MBS had Khashoggi killed?" I guess you could explain why Biden was too busy pursuing Trump to follow the Khashoggi killing, right?

Robert Cook said...

"You do that, Freder, by driving down the price of crude. How do you drive down the price of crude? You produce more crude . Basic supply and demand."

The US IS and HAS been producing more crude oil than we or any other countries have ever produced for the past six years. Where are the miraculous $1.00/gallon gas prices.