For Donald Trump, Information Has Always Been Power

TPM Article Topics
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This article was originally published at ProPublica, a Pulitzer Prize-winning investigative newsroom.

This is a companion discussion topic for the original entry at https://talkingpointsmemo.com/?p=1432248
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In short, “Mine!”

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This is interesting given that DJT can hardly read, form a complete sentence, or posit a logical thought.

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Information Has Always Been Power

Misinformation has also been his strength as in the phone call with Zelenskyy asking for dirt on Hunter. He’d have settled for lies, compromising but irrelevant info or asking Raffensberger to find votes. Mob mentality was drilled into him at an early age, and that’s what we’re seeing now. HRC among others warned us, but we didn’t believe them.

@benthere I always thought it was interesting to see him make a display of tearing up papers as if he were telling us these words don’t matter but everything he was about say was all that mattered.

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“The Saudis will give me a boat load of money for this.” “I can really embarrass Macron with this.”
“Putin will love these!”

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Title should have been “ability to blackmail has always been power.” Trump is only interested in information in a prurient manner,

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Well, some of us believed them. Just not enough of us. :disappointed:

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Who is this “we” you speak of? I knew he was rotten for years, and had concluded he was a Russian asset by mid-2016.

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How is it that Dotard T rumpp still maintains his security clearance?

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And this was all in broad daylight
everyone knew about this guy.

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I still think the apt comparison is Trump as like a Mafia don working the powers that be with such information (and “information”) in order to keep on doing what he (his organization) is doing without interference.

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There is an elastic sense of “knowing” in complex, socioeconomically unequal societies.

I, too, knew what Trump was.

Others also knew and started to be a little more creative in their thinking.

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Also, he lies and uses those lies for his own purposes. He will do just about anything to get what he wants and doesn’t care who or what he hurts.

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TRump goes to blackmail? This is my shocked faceđŸ˜±

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I see Lindsey Graham as subtext throughout this srticle.

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Guy who wants you to know absolutely nothing about himself - except for his own bullshit about his wealth and prowess at golf and sex and deal-making - needs to know everything about everyone else.

Alternatively, guy who claims to be the world’s biggest victim gathers intelligence so that he’s always ready to persecute anyone and everyone who stands in his way.

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I believe Biden has pulled his security clearance.

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There are two other aspects of Trump’s character that are relevant here: First, he has a very well-developed sense of self preservation, which rises to the level of pathological narcissism. He hangs onto things and hides or destroys things that could be in any way harmful to him. Second, he believes that the rules don’t apply to him and that those who abide by the rules are “losers.” He cannot accept being a loser, which is why he still refers to himself as “president.”

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He doesn’t have one, as far as I know. Security clearance for ex-Presidents can be reinstated by the current President, usually for consultation purposes. Biden hasn’t done it for Trump.

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I would like for a reporter to ask Lindsey, on camera, what he thinks about this story, does it have any merit.

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