Since Bilbo Bigot is apparently running late, I'm going to watch the #TrumpNuclear hearing until he shows up
Bilbo Bigot has arrived. I'll have to check up on our impending nuclear annihilation later #SessionsHearing
Rep Conyers is doing a perjury recap of Sessions' prior testimonies about Russia, in which he denied contacts that were later confirmed #SessionsHearing
Rep Conyers notes both Trump and Sessions are abusing positions. Trump fires Comey, Yates, and others and threatened to fire Sessions in order to derail investigation; Sessions lies and plans witchhunt of Trump enemies
Rep Conyers: "Trump believes that on a whim he can bring pressure on his enemies, insulate his allies, protect his family from consequences...this is a threat to the republic" #SessionsHearing
Sessions: Trump has decided we should *decrease* crime, not increase it! 🤔 #SessionsHearing
Sessions: I don't recall anything about this Papadopoulos fellow and his meetings [Sessions was Papadopoulos's supervisor on Trump's foreign policy campaign team] #SessionsHearing
Sessions is now committing meta-perjury by lying that he's "never lied" #SessionsHearing
The degradation of democracy and dignity in one image, as Trump's tweets are introduced as evidence #SessionsHearing
Conyers asks Sessions if a POTUS should derail an investigation; Sessions won't say he shouldn't.
Sessions is now claiming he "pushed back" against Papadopoulos regarding events which he just said he can't recall 🤔 #SessionsHearing
Sessions hearing has three main lines of inquiry:
1) Did Sessions collude with Russia or abet others colluding? 2) Did he cover up collusion and lie about it? 3) Is he going to abuse his position to target Trump's enemies?
Lofgren: Did you know Flynn was working for the Turkish govt after the election?
Sessions: No.
[This was widely reported after the election] #SessionsHearing
Rep Lee: These women have accused Roy Moore of child sexual activity. Do you believe them?
Sessions: No reason to doubt them.
Lee: Would you investigate Moore if he's elected?
Sessions: Ethics officials said I shouldn't get involved #SessionsHearing
This massive Trump sign was briefly held up behind Rep Jackson Lee #SessionsHearing
Rep Lee is interrogating Sessions hard and he's tongue-tied and trying hard to avoid her questions. Someone should post video of this later. #SessionsHearing
Rep Cohen: Since voter ID laws disenfranchise black Americans, will you stop defending them?
Sessions: No. #SessionsHearing
Ironically, the only subject Sessions seems to have perfect recollection of is marijuana use #SessionsHearing
Sessions has tremendous recollection of all topics not related to criminal allegations against Trump admin.
Deutch: Does Trump have power to pardon Papadopoulos?
Sessions: Too premature to comment
Deutch: How about pardoning Manafort, Flynn or Trump Jr before they're charged?
Sessions: I can't answer that #SessionsHearing
Sessions on "black identity extremists": There are groups that have an extraordinary commitment to their racial identity
Bass: Oh, like white extremists? Let's name some!
Sessions: [stammers something about skinheads; forgets KKK exists] #SessionsHearing
Have we proven conclusively that Trey Gowdy and Ernest from the Ernest movies are not the same person? #SessionsHearing
Richmond: How many African-Americans are on your senior staff?
Sessions: None
Richmond: How many nominated or confirmed?
Sessions: One
Richmond: Here's the gist: are we going backwards? #SessionsHearing
This just happened:
"You said you 'don't recall' 36 times, is that correct?"
Jeffries: You voted for Clinton's impeachment on perjury, right?
Sessions: Yes
[Jeffries notes that Sessions also prosecuted a cop who changed testimony, and that Sessions has done the same thing]
Jeffries: "The AG should not be held to a different standard on perjury"
Sessions is melting down after Jeffries' tough questions and is now contradicting his earlier testimonies *again* #SessionsHearing
Sessions' racism is blatantly displayed when he faces tough questions from black reps. He can't contain his outrage. Similar to Trump when Trump faces questions from black reporters, esp women #SessionsHearing
Swalwell: Did anyone on the campaign say they were going to Russia or meeting with Russians?
Sessions: I met with Kislyak...
Swalwell: How about Carter Page?
Sessions: Well, I didn't tell him *not* to go to Russia. Was I supposed to stop him?
Lieu: If Trump asked you for a loyalty oath would you do it?
Sessions: People are expected to be loyal to the exec branch head... #SessionsHearing
Lieu: Were you lying when you didn't list your foreign government contacts on your security clearance form? Or are you lying now?
Sessions: [long and incoherent answer about not understanding the form]
Thread with an important reminder that we still haven't seen the majority of federal documents on Kavanaugh.
Not only the Senate, but the public has the right to know what's in those documents. If appointed, he will be making decisions for generations. We deserve the full truth.
In August 2016, Harry Reid wrote in a public letter to Comey that "the public has the right to know" Trump's relationship with Russia.
Imagine if the FBI or the media had done their job and told the truth. Because that *is* their job: to serve the public, to inform the public.
Somehow the idea that the public has the *right* to know information about the people their tax dollars fund has been lost -- whether due to officials blithely censoring it or journalists sitting on stories until they get maximum financial gain.
Kavanaugh's unhinged, entitled rage is making it easy to imagine him grabbing a teenage girl, throwing her on a bed, and forcing himself on her while muffling her screams
Kavanaugh's horrific behavior, clearly not a relic of the past or limited to drunkenness, may be why his backers rolled out such an excessive advanced PR blitz. Thread:
I'm using this tool to get my chronological timeline back and I'm horrified by how many people I follow who I haven't seen in weeks. Twitter instituted this change gradually enough so that I didn't notice the full effect until today. Really awful, even dangerous algorithm change.
Now that I have my chronological timeline back, it's disconcerting to see what Twitter omitted.
They cut nearly everyone I followed from Missouri off my feed. I was seeing constant "likes" related to NY elections and other NYC stuff. I don't know why; my location is St Louis.
I'm worried about how this non-chronological algorithm will effect disaster coverage, and I guess we'll see with Florence.
But why do it at all? No more live-tweeting sports or awards shows? No more breaking news? How is this in any way advantageous to Twitter or its users?