Robert Draper: Mattis is still holding back - says Trump's behavior is far worse than rpts say

[Dennis Donovan]

Link to tweet

Robert Draper ✔@DraperRobert

Mattis is still holding back, though. He's privately told friends that Trump's behavior is far worse than the reports & that the republic is on shaky footing. He knows so much more than he's currently divulging.

6:48 PM - Jun 3, 2020

[dalton99a]

1. Kick

[fleur-de-lisa]

2. If ever there was a time to be truthful, it is now.

Cough it up, man.

[DENVERPOPS]

30. No shit

We have seen with Mueller "holding back", the grief that descended on America.....

Mueller could have jumped in big time with both feet. He didn't.

I can only conclude that the didn't want to see the Entire Republican Party crash and burn, since he himself was a lifetime Republican. He did enough to rationalize to himself that he did something, but not near the amount dictated in performing the job he was tasked with completing......

If only he had secretly mailed a copy of his report to the Washington Post.......but he didn't, did he.....

WASF

[enough]

3. What is he waiting for? NT

[MontanaMama]

22. THIS.

Time to be a hero General Mattis. Actually it is way past time.

[C_U_L8R]

4. Time's running out, General

Do you let this country get overrun by these traitors?

[mercuryblues]

5. Again

this should have been said over 3 years ago, when something could have been done. Fuck him.

I will support and defend the Constitution and laws of the United States of America against all enemies, foreign and domestic


Mad dog cut and ran when the country needed him most.

[BComplex]

6. My guess is that he has discussed this with some of the active generals, and his contacts in the

alphabet agencies.

[SoonerPride]

9. Let us hope the military loyalty to the Constitution holds.

And they don't swear allegiance to a new emperor.

[Coleman]

13. Mattis can hold the Marines back

But I don't know if the other services have a person that is so beloved that he could stop them. The army has had a few (MacArthur, Patton) but they are all dead. The navy is the same, but McRaven(?)

[Mike 03]

11. It seemed to me like maybe Esper had advance knowledge that Mattis had

something coming; thus, his race to "set the record straight." Same for the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and also the statement released by the head of the National Guard.

[obamanut2012]

51. Good catch!

[CrispyQ]

7. We are in as dire a situation as we've ever been in.

This will be the ugliest and most chaotic election in our history. 2000 will pale in comparison. They have five months. Five months of the Con lying and distracting while Barr uses the DOJ to work against the People and McConnell stacks the courts with young right wing ideologues. I give our republic about a 20% chance of surviving Trump/Barr/McConnell. It's a bummer being a pessimist.

[genxlib]

8. This is how he wants to treat American Citizens

You can only imagine the kind of vile shit he has asked about doing to other Countries.

I have no doubt he has asked military leaders about all manner of illegal and evil options in foreign Countries like Syria and Iran.

[Polly Hennessey]

10. If the Republic is on shaky ground

then do something, you coward.

[SammyWinstonJack]

41. This!

[uponit7771]

54. +1

[Jarqui]

12. Mattis does not appear to be alone

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/EZpJzNIUYAEBdGu?format=jpg

[Baked Potato]

14. I'm sure he's been deposed regarding Trump.

[wishstar]

15. Mattis hasn't told us enough yet about Putin's puppet's actions to weaken US and help Russia

Considering how Trump has been dismantling all of our Democratic alliances while cozying up to the dictators, Mattis should come out now and throw some cold water on the Senate Repubs and Barr's attempts to discredit the Russia investigation.

Mattis of all people should surely be able to explain that Obama Admin was correct to be concerned and FBI had justification to investigate Trump & Co's relationships with Russia in light of the Trump Admin attempts to remove sanctions, weakeness our alliances and carry out Putin's objectives.

[OMGWTF]

16. x 1,000

[oldsoftie]

31. Trump just admires Putin; wishes he had the same power.

Thats the hold Putin has. I really dont think theres any blackmail stuff. He's just jealous that HE cant quiet ANY dissent the way Putin does.

[SammyWinstonJack]

42. tRump does loves dictators. Envy bigly.

[oldsoftie]

43. Really, he DOES!! Look how he acts around them!

[Lonestarblue]

17. We need every former high-level agency head to come forward and tell what they know about Trump.

Mattis, Kelly, Coats—anyone who had direct contact with Trump and knows what an evil SOB he is. They owe it to the country and to voters. They all know that we cannot survive four more years of Trump. Now is not the time to stay silent.

[DallasNE]

18. Outlaw Non-Disclosure Agreements

He can't speak out without breaking the law. These things should be banned. Transparency is not possible because of them. Same with dark money. Drain the swamp

[oldsoftie]

32. Where is it written that former Administration members have NDAs?

I've only heard of that in private businesses

[DallasNE]

48. The NDA Does Not Expire When You Leave Office

My guess is the higher up you are the longer the duration of the NDA.

And, yes, Trump does require them on senior level positions.

https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2018/03/trumps-nondisclosure-agreements-for-federal-employees-are-authoritarian-and-unenforceable.html

[obamanut2012]

53. And, as your link shows, they are illegal and cannot be enforced

[obamanut2012]

52. They do not have NDAs

IF they were made to sign one by Trump, it literally holds no water. Public officials cannot be made to sign NDAs, but if forced to, it literally holds no water. It is not a legal document.

There is no NDA to break.

[oldsoftie]

56. Thats what I thought

[Firestorm49]

19. And who's doing anything about it?

Are we going to accept watching ourselves go down in flames? I personally believe, with no insider information, that Trump is much worse than we know. We have a lunatic in the Oval Office who has appointed opportunists like Barr to fulfill his wet dream of being more corrupt and wealthy than Putin. Everything that he has done has been a anti-American. Why can’t we invoke the 25th amendment before it’s too late?

This coming election is our future. We need every vote, every devious back door plan - just as our counterparts do every day, every scheme, every voter drive, every piece of advertising to get this dictator and his bunch of ass kissers out of office.

This is it folks. America is on the line. Let’s hope we can make it to November without a military take over Of our cities, or some such BS that the traitor Republican Party can conjure up.

[matt819]

20. And here I thought Mattis was rising to the moment

His comments are appreciated, but if there is still information that he hasn't revealed, that's despicable.

If there's an R after anyone's name, you can pretty much count on the absence of honor, regardless of one's career and general regard. In fact, it calls into question actions over the course of one's career. I suspect a deep dive will not be pretty.

[Hortensis]

21. I feel sure Mattis IS doing what he believes he can.

And that his judgement on this is incredibly better and better informed than all ours put together.

Speaking out at the wrong time could actually be disastrous if it gave the enemy opportunity and target to attack. They're very good at burying the nation in lies so that even those who believe they're dangerous don't know what to think. They're constantly creating new citadels on top of revelations of evil deeds to launch further attacks from.

Anyway, let's not imagine that most Americans would change current behaviors and attitudes in any way if he revealed depth of knowledge and strategy by speaking to us. If Trump invaded San Francisco and declared it a possession of the federal government without voting rights, that would change attitudes. If they announced black people and liberals were a violent threat to the nation and started rounding leaders up to ship to concentration camps (not a completely unimaginable thought given the extremism of the white power attitudes influencing Trump), it would change behaviors. But not just more words about possible misuse of power.

[DanieRains]

23. This Is Why Trump Is Holding Back Because Mattis Is Holding Back

They know.....

[GusBob]

26. Good point. Trump always punches back

maybe Fox hasn't reported what Mattis said yet so Trump doesn't know?

[oldsoftie]

33. trump HAS punched back. Even claims to have given him the "Mad Dog" name

He cant think fast enough to insult two in a row I'm sure more will come the more press Mattis gets

[GusBob]

24. Ok, wait: How could his behavior be far worse than reports?

That would be in the supreme danger zone in my mind

[SpankMe]

25. Every protester should scream "25th amendment" at the top of their lungs, over and over again. n/t

[orangecrush]

27. KICK

[CanonRay]

28. Some fucking patriot

[obamanut2012]

29. Someone needs to call and pressure him to spill it

It is literally his duty -- he swore an oath.

In laymen's terms, he is a mandatory reporter.

[tblue37]

34. WHY is he holding back? nt

[KY_EnviroGuy]

35. Is this his Susan Collins moment?

Reserved and concerned while we drift into being a fascist plutocracy?..........

[zentrum]

38. Yes. He's done just

…enough to soothe his own conscience. And no more.

[Wounded Bear]

36. I don't doubt that for a moment...

Trump survives on his crimes being kept out of public view.

[zentrum]

37. 7 Days in May, General Mousetis.

Effing cowardly.

[AlexSFCA]

39. only words so far. Let's pay attention to actions not words.

[wnylib]

40. Oh really?? Where is the documentation

that Mattis is holding back? This sounds like the kind of rumor-mongering that starts with, "The sister of a friend of my cousin dates a guy who used to know the brother-in-law of a friend of Mattis, and she says....."

Also sounds to me like somebody's deliberate attempt to discredit Mattis for speaking out. I am not buying .what looks like an attempt to stir up the waters by muddying them.

Please don't be so quick to accept everything you read or hear without verification.

[Dennis Donovan]

44. That's a tweet from Robert Draper's verified account

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Draper

Take it up with him, skippy.

[wnylib]

46. So the account is verified as belonging to

a known journalist, but Draper mentions, in a gossipy tone, without verification, that he has heard that Mattis has told some people that the situation with Trump is much worse than reported.

I have respect for some journalists. Like Bob Woodward and Rachel Maddow, for example. But I don't think either of them would make a comment like that without further info on the source of their info to validate what they say.

I've no idea what your Skippy reference is. Care to explain?

[Dennis Donovan]

47. Not the kind of guy that would stake his rep on "gossip"

...Skippy.

[Cha]

45. Retweeted!

[flying-skeleton]

49. Then ... Mattias is STILL a Coward !!

[uponit7771]

55. +1

[Mike Niendorff]

50. Tick tock.

Time to step up.

History will remember who spoke up, and when.


MDN