Liberal Forum

China Finally Gives World The Trump-Branded Massage Parlors And Escort Services We Were Waiting For

President Trump, that ol’ conflict-of-interest scamp, has just had another whole slew of trademark applications approved in China, not that there’s anything wrong with a smart businessman making money off his name while in office.

OK, technically there are plenty of things wrong with it, including maybe violating the Constitution’s emoluments clause and any number of ethics rules, but it’s pretty clear Congress has no real interest in whether Trump’s international businesses are a problem, because he’s not Barack Obama or Hillary Clinton, and so why do we even care that Trump’s trademark applications seem to be getting approved remarkably quickly anyway?

Like his taxes, it’s really none of our business, because Trump loves America and hates China, which is why he appears to be gearing up to do a lot of business there — to teach the bastards a lesson about how rich he can get off them.

No conflict of interest, though, since Donald Trump himself has turned over the operations to his sons, and he wouldn’t actively be involved in the businesses, just get a share of the profits.

Thank goodness he’s so ethical, or we’d be worried.

According to the Associated Press, the possible new business ventures for the president and his family in China include branded spas, massage parlors, golf clubs, hotels, insurance, finance and real estate companies, restaurants, bars, and bodyguard and a class of trademarks called “social escort and concierge services.”

But the AP is careful to point out that Trump has pinkie-sworn not to start any new foreign deals in office, and that “many companies register trademarks in China only to prevent others from using their name inappropriately,” so despite our very unfair headline, don’t get your heart set on dating any any Trump-branded pee hookers just yet.

We feel simply awful about spreading such fake news.

Still, a lot of nervous nellies think there’s something unseemly about the President even getting a load of trademarks approved, in his own name, in a country he spent much of the campaign accusing of being terribly, terribly unfair to American workers:
Well, that’s, like, just your opinion, man.

Why all the McCarthyism against our friends the Chinese, huh?

It’d be nice to see an American making some money off them for a change, wouldn’t it? (There, Mr. Spicer, all ready for your afternoon press briefing.)

A couple of ethics lawyers, Normen Eisen and Richard Painter, who served as chief ethics attorneys for presidents Obama and G.W. Bush, respectively, and show up on cable TV like a government-ethics version of the old balcony guys from the Muppet Show, warn Trump’s foreign business ties could be trouble for the country.

Eisen told the AP:
Painter added,
The two attorneys are taking part in a lawsuit accusing the Trump administration of violating the Constitution, so Trump dismisses their concerns as so much hooey.

Trump’s own White House ethics advisor, a discarded gym sock, could not be reached for comment.

We should note the AP did find an attorney who sort of defended the Trump branding efforts in China; Spring Chang, who has represented the Trump Organization in the past, wouldn’t comment specifically on Trump’s trademarks, but said she advises her clients to pursue defensive trademarks to keep other companies from using their names unfairly in China.

If anyone’s selling Trump Escort Service tee shirts, it should be the Trump organization and not some pretenders.
Well, then. Since she wasn’t talking about Trump specifically, that’s terribly reassuring: Trump’s Chinese lawyer says she’s certain the Chinese government, with which she has to stay on good terms, is scrupulously fair and equal.

Sounds credible to us!

Also, at the risk of needing your tinfoil hat, let’s also point out this note from the Twitter machine, reminding us of one detail from the infamous “Steele Dossier,” which is still unverified but becoming more credible as some of its details have been checked out:



Mind you, those specific claims haven’t been verified, so let’s not go wild with speculation just yet.

It would be premature and a disservice to assume the Trump campaign colluded with Russian intelligence to draw attention away from his business deals elsewhere, like maybe China, or “other emerging countries” — like maybe Azerbaijan — so let’s not fly off the handle and start assuming he’s guilty.

Very unfair indeed! It’s probably nothing.

The only way to know whether we need to be concerned would be if Trump releases his taxes (never) or if he suddenly starts tweeting out of nowhere about Hillary Clinton and uranium.

Termin8tor » 07 Mar 2017 11:18 pm » wrote:'You mean like claiming that Trump conspired with the Russians to win the election, psycho?
For which there is NO EVIDENCE?

#ShePersisted » 07 Mar 2017 1:16 pm » wrote:I have more than once said that I don't know if there was collusion between the Trump campaign and the Russians to influence the election.
Nobody knows if that has occurred.
So far it has not been proven.
But keep lying about my position.

#ShePersisted » 08 Mar 2017 12:50 pm » wrote:

President Trump Will Not Correct False Tweet About Obama’s Guantanamo Detainees

Huey » 08 Mar 2017 1:20 pm » wrote:
I am looking at the importance and gravity of the lie compared to the what you have posted on trump. I am also LMMFAO at those bitching about Trump Lies when they were silent on this forum for the 5 years or so I have posted here.

I forgot. If you like your plan you can keep it!

This lie you are complaining about with trump pales in comparison to the effect those Obama lies had on millions of Americans who lost their plan, their doctor, and had an increase of $2400.

#ShePersisted » 08 Mar 2017 1:37 pm » wrote:When you care enough to pee on the very best.

#ShePersisted » 08 Mar 2017 1:17 pm » wrote:Oh. Silly me.
I thought it would mean that Trump was lying his *** off when he accused Obama and by implication the FBI/DOJ of conspiring to commit a Watergate level felony.

#ShePersisted » 08 Mar 2017 1:07 pm » wrote: People who try to draw a moral equivalence between the amount of lies told by any previous POTUS and this one are either being dishonest or they are willfully ignorant.

Termin8tor » 08 Mar 2017 2:25 pm » wrote: You're severely mentally ill, psycho.

Termin8tor » 08 Mar 2017 2:30 pm » wrote: Every major promise about his health care plan was an intentional lie.

Termin8tor » 08 Mar 2017 2:26 pm » wrote: On what legal grounds were Trump and associates wiretapped and/or investigated by five federal agencies?

House Intel Committee asks why Donald Trump surrogate Sheriff David Clarke met with Russia

Palmer Report has previously reported that Milwaukee County Sheriff David A. Clarke, a prominent Donald Trump campaign surrogate, had curiously turned up in Moscow in December 2015.

Clarke made no real effort to hide the trip, even tweeting a photo of himself with a Russian guard.

Trump adviser Michael Flynn and third party presidential candidate Jill Stein were also simultaneously in Moscow.

And now the House Intelligence Committee has begun asking why.

Officially, Sheriff Clarke went to Moscow on behalf of a group called The Right to Bear Arms.

He ended up meeting with Russian Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Rogozin.

But that doesn’t add up, because Rogozin was on a U.S. sanctions list and couldn’t have legally done business with the gun group.

This means that yet another Donald Trump campaign figure met with a Russian government representative for reasons can’t easily be explained away.

House Intelligence Committee member Mike Quigley is now referring to David Clarke’s meeting with Rogozin as “disconcerting.”

The committee begins its Trump-Russia hearings on March 20th with an initial witness roster which includes FBI Director James Comey and former acting Attorney General Sally Yates.

Paul Ryan brags about gutting Planned Parenthood on International Women’s Day

On Wednesday, House Speaker Paul Ryan held a press conference to defend Republicans’ health care plan, which was widely panned across the political spectrum after its rollout Monday night.

Despite criticism that the plan would deprive millions of Americans of coverage, destabilize insurance markets and unfairly burden states, Ryan praised the legislation as “monumental, exciting conservative reform.”

“This is what we’ve been dreaming about doing,” the House Speaker told reporters.

It’s a “conservative wish list,” the speaker said.

Ryan then ticked off parts of the legislation that should thrill conservatives, before concluding that it gets “Washington out of the business of being a nanny state.”

Unsurprisingly, Ryan’s pledge to stop nannying the American people stopped short of women’s health care choices.

“It ends funding to Planned Parenthood and sends money to community centers,” Ryan boasted.

What the bill actually does is stop federal Medicaid reimbursements to Planned Parenthood—that means stripping the organization of millions in federal funds.

As Vox pointed out, that would hit poor women the hardest but impact anyone that relies on Planned Parenthood’s services if clinics are forced to close as a result.

The idea that medical services offered by Planned Parenthood could be unloaded onto community centers is a popular conservative talking point.

But in reality there are many problems with this plan, including the fact that community clinics don’t necessarily specialize in reproductive health services and are already burdened with more patients than they can handle.

Ryan’s pledge to defund Planned Parenthood comes on the same day as “A Day Without a Woman,” a nationwide protest highlighting the importance of women’s work.

As reproductive justice advocates have long argued, women’s productivity is inextricably bound to having the freedom to decide when to start a family.

Meanwhile, studies show that investing in women’s health has clear economic benefits.

#ShePersisted » 08 Mar 2017 3:02 pm » wrote:
Russia, Russia, Russia!

Cannonpointer » 08 Mar 2017 2:55 pm » wrote: The world changed on 9-11.

Termin8tor » 08 Mar 2017 4:01 pm » wrote:
No, Dim, you still need a warrant to actually listen or read a conversation of Americans.

Termin8tor » 08 Mar 2017 4:00 pm » wrote: Given that there is still zero evidence of any wrongdoing by Trump or his officials, you are obviously demented and dishonest.

Termin8tor » 08 Mar 2017 4:01 pm » wrote:No, Dim, you still need a warrant to actually listen or read a conversation of Americans.

#ShePersisted » 08 Mar 2017 12:50 pm » wrote:

President Trump Will Not Correct False Tweet About Obama’s Guantanamo Detainees

#ShePersisted » 08 Mar 2017 4:19 pm » wrote: And you need probable cause to obtain such a warrant.
So if indeed Trump and his associates' calls were monitored, that means that a court found probable cause.

Trump opened a can of worms with his stupid Tweet.
If there was no warrant issued, then he's a liar.
If there was, then a court found that there was enough probable cause to issue such a warrant, which doesn't make him look very good.

Once again he stepped on his own dick with one of his crazy early morning Twitter rants.
The guy can't seem to stay out of his own way.

Termin8tor » 08 Mar 2017 4:01 pm » wrote: No, Dim, you still need a warrant to actually listen or read a conversation of Americans.