'It's Blackmail': Joe and Mika Reveal How White House Threatened Them With National Enquirer

[highplainsdem]

Source: Mediaite

One of the more fascinating revelations that has come as a result of President Trump‘s vulgar tweets toward Morning Joe co-host Mika Brzezinski yesterday, was the allegation that the White House threatened Mika and her co-host Joe Scarborough with a negative story planned by National Enquirer.

This stunning claim was first revealed in a Washington Post opinion piece published this morning — that was co-written by the morning show hosts– and strongly suggests that, under President Trump’s direction, the Morning Joe co-hosts felt pressure to somehow do right by the White House, and in exchange the story would be spiked.

On today’s riveting “interview” with the co-hosts — who delayed a planned vacation so that they could address this story — Joe and Mika went into great detail about this remarkably unsettling episode, which if true, raises remarkably significant questions about the White House’s relationship with a free press.

The National Enquirer is the premier title of American Media, Inc., which is based in Boca Raton, fairly close Trump’s Mar-a-lago estate, and is owned by David Pecker, who is a close ally to the president.

-snip-

Read more: http://www.mediaite.com/tv/its-blackmail-joe-and-mika-reveal-how-white-house-threatened-them-with-national-enquirer/

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Video at the link.

[Stuart G]

1. Threat of blackmail....???

Trump is a low life scum...but that is what he does..blackmail..!!!

[mahatmakanejeeves]

2. Mika Brzezinski on Trump's Twitter attack: 'It does worry me about the country'

Mika Brzezinski on Trump’s Twitter attack: ‘It does worry me about the country’
By J. Freedom du Lac and Jenna Johnson June 30 at 8:09 AM

The morning after being viciously attacked by President Trump on Twitter, MSNBC host Mika Brzezinski said she wasn’t exactly reeling as a result of the president’s deeply personal and vulgar social-media assault.

But, she said Friday on “Morning Joe,” she is concerned about what Trump’s tweets reveal. ... “I’m fine,” Brzezinski said. “My family brought me up really tough. This is absolutely nothing for me personally. But I’m very concerned about what this once again reveals about the president of the United States.” ... She added: “It does worry me about the country.” ... Said her co-host, Joe Scarborough: “We’re okay. The country is not.”

Brzezinski and Scarborough were scheduled to start a vacation Thursday afternoon, but delayed it to address the president’s attack.

They also authored an op-ed for The Washington Post about Trump’s tweets, writing: “President Trump launched personal attacks against us Thursday, but our concerns about his unmoored behavior go far beyond the personal. America’s leaders and allies are asking themselves yet again whether this man is fit to be president. We have our doubts, but we are both certain that the man is not mentally equipped to continue watching our show, ‘Morning Joe.’”
....

J. Freedom du Lac is the editor of The Post's general assignment news desk. He was previously a Local enterprise reporter and, before that, the paper’s pop music critic. Follow @jfdulac

Jenna Johnson is a political reporter who covers the White House. She spent more than a year writing about Donald Trump's presidential campaign, traveling to 35 states to attend more than 170 political rallies and interview hundreds of Trump supporters. Follow @wpjenna

[NRaleighLiberal]

3. Resist. Lock them all up. trump, his cabal, the gop criminals.

[sharedvalues]

9. Reagan's dead, sorry.

But some of Reagan's staff that covered up his Iran contra (collusion with Iran to influence the 1980 election) are still around. Statute of limitations expired?
GOP putting power before country goes back at least to Reagan/Nixon.

[Moostache]

14. Waaaay further back than that....there were attempts to overthrow FDR's government!

The GOP and right wing are antithetical to our democratic republic, period. They are guilty of TREASON and they should swing for it. I will gladly pull the lever to drop them one by one...

[oberliner]

4. This isn't a "stunning claim"

It's SOP for Trump.

[videohead5]

5. Anyone That Would Do This

Would also collude to win.

[sharedvalues]

7. Good point. What dirty tricks are beyond him? Power before country.

[sharedvalues]

6. Shocker. DJT trying to manipulate the media like an autocrat.

How surprising. I'm totally shocked that the same president that tweets daily about the press would try to manipulate the media.

And pay attention to what Masha Gessen says about how autocrats like Putin attack the press to increase their power.

[pangaia]

8. Owned by DAVID PECKER a close friend of dumpster. LOLOLOLOLO

In all truthfulness, when I was in college I worked one summer for a landscaping company. We mowed the lawn for a guy named Pope, I believe, who was then the owner of THE NATIONAL INQUIRER.

As long as I am confessing, we also mowed the lawn for Pat Boone.


But on the upside, we mowed the lawn of Howard fast and I briefly, VERY briefly dated his daughter, Rachael.

[videohead5]

10. My Uncle

Almost got into a fight with Pat Boone in school.his cousin which was the same age stopped it. unfortunately my uncle had a bad temper.

[pangaia]

11. Oh, wow. Small world..

[Bernardo de La Paz]

12. Add it to the list of grounds for impeachment. Republicans, you better get serious about this.

Republican Trump is making the Republican brand more and more toxic every day. The longer Republicons are in denial, the longer-lasting will be the brand damage. Gerrymandering, voter suppression and dirty tricks will not be enough for them to maintain power (artificially).

Weld those two brands together.

[Nitram]

13. Enough. Arrest Trump and everyone on the White House staff.

[Achilleaze]

15. republican values swirling down the drain

no honor

[GulfCoast66]

19. No. republicans values

On full display.

[MountCleaners]

16. He complains about fake news

...and his biggest ally is the National Enquirer!

[George II]

17. My jaw dropped when I heard that this morning. This is a criminal enterprise.

[C_U_L8R]

18. So... why did they stay quiet about this for so long?

Glad they mentioned it today... but what are they gonna do about it !!??

[eissa]

24. And if they have texts

why not just reveal them? What do they have to lose at this point?

[bucolic_frolic]

20. Criminal

Lock him up.

[Wednesdays]

21. That's a very nice career you have there.

It'd be a shame if something happened to it.

[titaniumsalute]

22. Should be called Pecker Media Group LOL

[Bayard]

23. Just curious

Was Mika and Joe indeed at Mar-a-logo in the timeframe in question, and did they ask to join Rump's table? Or is this all a complete lie?

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

26. Here's what happened according to Mika & Joe:

"The president-elect invited us both to dinner on Dec. 30. Joe attended because Mika did not want to go. After listening to the president-elect talk about his foreign policy plans, Joe was asked by a disappointed Mr. Trump the next day if Mika could also visit Mar-a-Lago that night. She reluctantly agreed to go. After we arrived, the president-elect pulled us into his family’s living quarters with his wife, Melania, where we had a pleasant conversation. We politely declined his repeated invitations to attend a New Year’s Eve party, and we were back in our car within 15 minutes.

Mr. Trump also claims that Mika was “bleeding badly from a face-lift.” That is also a lie."

https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/donald-trump-is-not-well/2017/06/30/97759ee0-5d0f-11e7-9b7d-14576dc0f39d_story.html?utm_term=.af427231a05e

[Bayard]

28. Wow.

Well that's different then.

[Hekate]

35. Cross Red Don in any way (e.g. politely declining a repeated invite) and you are toast...

He waits, he waits. Then he spins the lie that you came to him begging for an audience, three nights running, but he said No! because the woman was in a disgusting condition.

The Mad King used to have his own empire where not a soul dared to say no to him and he had the power of life and death over people's careers, and he really thought the US Presidency was going to be like that, only with nukes.

[FakeNoose]

25. How was Trump trying to blackmail Joe & Mika?

They've already announced they're a couple and they plan to marry. There's no secret romance between them, at least not now. How does Cheeto think he can blackmail them by preventing this news from coming out?

If this happened 6 months ago, then maybe I can see why he tried to do it. If that were the case then Joe and Mika were smart to make the announcement and tell everyone that they were a couple. So Trump had no secret power over them, and no way to blackmail them.

I still think this is a tempest in a teapot. Cheeto's grievances are so great and extensive for the last couple of years, I can't see how this latest bad behavior deserves any more of our attention.

Trump hates women and displays his hatred every day. Kelly O'Donnell, Hillary Clinton, Carly Fiorino, Megyn Kelly, Mika Brzezinski, the list goes on and on. I know that there are many more but there's no point in listing names. This man has been elected to lead and serve the American people, and yet HE HATES HALF OF US!

[B2G]

32. I don't get that part either.

What was there to use as blackmail in January? The fact that they were together was old news.

[DeminPennswoods]

34. The National Enquirier Makes. Stuff. Up.

They actually track sales based on who is on the cover to decide the next week's cover. I think they test the words they use in their headlines, too.

[wishstar]

36. Mika said National Enquirer was harassing her children and ex-husband, trying to embarrass family

Apparently Nat. Enquirer was trying to dig up something scandalous by attempting to get her family to talk about breakup of her marriage to discredit Mika and hurt her reputation and her family. She mentioned phone calls that were made to her daughters and ex-husband.

[Hekate]

37. Mika has underage teenage daughters. Just imagine the doctored photos & vile made-up stories.

"How much is it worth to you to keep this from getting out? Hmmm?"

Blackmail doesn't have to have any truth in it -- just threats of the right kind.

[Cognitive_Resonance]

27. Mueller should take a hard look at this. Blackmail and abuse of the powers of office to silence

the press...and conspiracy with gov't officials willingly delivering his threats.

[Gothmog]

29. I am pleased that the morning Joe and Mika did not back down and apologize to trump

[riversedge]

30. CNN: Scarborough, Brzezinski say White House used National Enquirer as threat

This story is big legs..........



http://money.cnn.com/2017/06/30/media/national-enquirer-donald-trump-joe-scarborough/index.html


Scarborough, Brzezinski say White House used National Enquirer as threat


by Brian Stelter @brianstelter June 30, 2017: 10:55 AM ET




MSNBC hosts Joe Scarborough and Mika Brzezinski claim President Trump and his White House used the possibility of a hit piece in the National Enquirer to threaten them.

But President Trump has a very different account of what happened. "FAKE NEWS," he tweeted during "Morning Joe" Friday morning.

The editor in charge of the Enquirer, Dylan Howard, said "we have no knowledge of any discussions between the White House and Joe and Mika about our story, and absolutely no involvement in those discussions."

Meanwhile, Scarborough says he has proof of the White House threats -- "I have texts from your top aides and phone records."

Scarborough and Brzezinski are essentially alleging a form of blackmail. ................

[elmac]

31. GOP is a mobster run organization that needs to be charger with RICO violations

and everyone connected needs to go to prison.

[LiberalLovinLug]

33. One wonders what other media personalities Trump has dug up blackmail fodder on

Well, I'm sure the GOP has used this tactic for years already.

[LakeArenal]

38. It would be so amazing if those to former Trump lickers......

Brought him down. The three of them spent so many months licking each other down, you'd think they'd be cabinet members...Maybe that was the promise then.... In any event.. it matters that our president is an extortionist... But the fact that it's Mika and Joe....

[Cognitive_Resonance]

39. Gotta wonder who else they've blackmailed? They seem pretty cavalier for first-timers. n/t

[gopiscrap]

40. Jesus fuck!

that whole family of grifters needs to be locked up

[Skittles]

41. the man who screams FAKE NEWS has no problem creating FAKE NEWS

HOW LONG DO WE HAVE TO PUT UP WITH THIS CRIMINAL / TRAITOR???

[Grammy23]

42. I honestly don't believe this is anything new with tRump.

He has bullied and threatened people for his whole life in order to control people and to get his own way. Once he was inaugurated he obviously felt like he had achieved the highest platform from which he could lord it over people. It is part of his pathology as a person with Narcissistic Personality Disorder. I am no expert but it looks to me like an addict who needs to increase their dose to get the same effect. tRump has to keep upping the ante. He is pushing the limit to see how far he can go---what he can do without going too far. That is part of the thrill for him. If he can "win" it is another boost to his fragile ego. As long as his followers like what they see and hear from him, he is going to keep pushing the envelope.

I am guessing there is a Red Line---a bridge too far--- but have no clue what it might be. He has done or said dozens of things that would have sunk any other person into the sea of "has beens". Just when we think he has gone too far, he rises out of the muck to cheers from his minions. The books that will be written about him and his rise to power are being crafted right now...but no one really knows how this will all play out. We KNOW how we want it to go, but looking where we've been so far, I think all bets are off.

I used to think we had a system in place to protect us from the likes of a tRump. Now I am not so sure. In fact, I am pretty sure the whole mechanism has been corrupted and vandalized. Who or what will save us? You got me.