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BY: Charles Fain Lehman June 15, 2017 12:03 pm

Failed Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton on Tuesday night comparedherself favorably to comic and movie heroine Wonder Womanduring a videoappearance at a glitzyBeverly Hills awards show.

Clinton appeared in a 95-second video on behalf of actress Elizabeth Banks, a friend and supporter of Clinton who was being honored at theWomen in Film Los Angeles' Crystal + Lucy Awards. Banks was set to receive theCrystal Award for Excellence in Film, according to the Hollywood Reporter.

"On and off the screen, your commitment to lifting up women directors, producers, writers, composers, and executives has made such a difference," Clinton said of Banks.

Clinton also name dropped the recently released movie Wonder Woman, which has garnered praise for its positive depiction of a female lead.

"Now I haven't seen WonderWoman yet, but I'm going to!" Clinton said in her message. "In part because it's directed by the fabulous Patty Jenkins."

"But something tells me that a movie about a strong, powerful woman fighting to savethe world from a massive international disaster is right up my alley," the two-time failed presidential candidate added, comparing her battle against Donald Trump to the Wonder Woman character.

Watch Clinton's full remarks below.

Continue reading here:
Hillary Clinton Compares Herself to Wonder Woman - Washington Free Beacon

In a video earlier this week, Hillary Clinton seemed to compare herself, or at the very least her values, to Wonder Woman and Im just not sure what in the fresh hell she could possibly be talking about.

Something tells me that a movie about a strong, powerful woman fighting to save the world from a massive international disaster is right up my alley, Hillary Clinton said in the 95-second video message at the Women in Film Los Angeles Crystal + Lucy Awards on Tuesday night in Beverly Hills.

Now, Hillary Clinton certainly did have a pretty high opinion of herself and her abilities during her presidential campaign Why arent I 50 points ahead?! but I guess Im just shocked to see that shes maintained it after such a humiliating defeat.

In all fairness, Clinton very well may not have written this herself, but even her bold delivery of it displays just such a substantial lack of self awareness. How is she a strong, powerful woman? And just what on earth is she fighting for? Who is she saving? Hell, Ill even take it a step further: Who or what is she even trying to save, except for maybe her own face by blaming everyone but herself for her humiliating defeat?

Hillary Clinton lost an electionand now spends half her time trying to take down other people including the DNC, which tried so hard to nurse her ailing campaign that it wound up catching some of the sickness itself by blaming them for it, and the other half just hangin out in the damn woods. Is she planting a bunch of trees in the woods? Is that what this is about? Shes fighting for trees? I dont understand.

When I think about a hero, I generally think of someone who, at the very least, has a suggestion or two for how to make things better, and not someone who sits around whining about how unfair the past was. I mean, Im no self-help expert, but I do follow enough Millennial women on Instagram to know that theres not a single inspirational meme out there that suggests the way for a winning future is to moan and groan about your current circumstances.

Sorry, but strong women dont blame everyone but themselves for their failures. No, thats a sign of weakness needing a cop-out because you just cant bear to face the pain that might come with critical self-examination, even though that critical self-examination is the only way you can learn how to do a better job of fighting for what you claim to care about in the future.

Katherine Timpf is a reporter for National Review Online.

Continued here:
Why Is Hillary Clinton Comparing Herself to Wonder Woman? - National Review

When Hillary Clinton joined Instagram in June of 2015, her first post was a rack of suit jackets in a hopeful array of cardinal red, bright white and cobalt blue. Given everything that has happened to the poor gal since, the caption, which read, Hard choices, conveys more than your ordinary sartorial dilemma. Instead, it trumpets something both patriotic and revolutionary though bottomless. Therein lies the rub: She forgot to put on her pants. By cutting herself off at the waist, Ms. Clinton confused (or delighted) a body politic still accustomed to the patriarchal synecdoche of skirts for girls. This costume fail basically kickstarted the trajectory from her choice to wear the pants to the colossus that became Pantsuit Nation. The only problem okay, one of the problems was that it didnt work.

The question of how do you dress if you want to play the leader of the free world and you also happen to have genitals on the inside of yourbody is one that Kemal Harris happens to consider as often as Hillary Clinton does. (Note: some spoilers may follow.) The more Harris became known for designing Claire Underwoods (Robin Wright) stunning wardrobe on House of Cards,the more often she was asked about Hillary Clintons signature costume. Though Harris was understandably baffled by the the fashion worlds obsession with Clintons pantsuits, asking Vanity Fair, Cant we just wear whatever we want, what she may or may not have recognized with that question was that Clintons ensemble was more than a deliberate choice. It was as made up as Clintonherself. Whats more, at that point, Hillary Clinton might as well have been an adversary to Frank Underwood.

The revelation that 1993 also saw its first-ever woman in pants on the senate floor, Carol Moseley Braun the first African-American woman elected to the Senate also helped Harris to understand, if not the impetus behind this choice, then the bold statement it made for a female in a position of political power. As Claires character evolved, Harris reconsidered the pencil-skirts-and-dresses policy that she had honed to perfection in seasons 3 and 4. Enter the misunderstood, man-repelling trouser, only somewhat redux.

We never did a full Hillary, Harris admits. To have success in a mans world you dont have to dress like a man. Claire will never fully lose the pencil skirt, but it was great to bring in a lot more trousers.

Harris began designing Robin Wrights costumes for House of Cards in season 3 she favors Ralph Lauren, Michael Kors, Derek Lam, Altuzarra, Burberry, Armani and Equipment. (Who wouldnt?) A third of the clothes she uses come courtesy of Barneys and Bergdorfs; the others from the designers themselves. If Harris cant find the exact look, she sketches, designs and custom-produces the jacket, blouse or suit herself, using a dressform with Wrights exact dimensions that watches over Harriss New York studio like a talisman. This mannequin is also used to tailor everything to Wrights exact proportions, or to make subtle changes to the clothes, such as adding belts or buttons or shortening sleeves.

Since Harris had been working with Wright as her red-carpet stylist (she also styles Zosia Mamet, Kate McKinnon and Alexis Bledel), the move from combing some very high-end racks and thinking, this is so Claire, to being Claire Underwoods sole designer was a no-brainer. As a New Yorker, Harris also understood David Finchers muted aesthetic no bright light, no primary colors. She immediately caught on to the practical constraints of designing costumes versus the one-and-done of everyday styling, carefully reading scripts to familiarize herself with the storyline as well as the tone of a scene, or, famously, if Claire is going to be playing beer pong in an evening gown. (They borrowed three silver evening gowns from Ralph Lauren for the state dinner and subsequent beer pong scene in season 3).

In season 3, Claire was the first lady, so she and Frank were the total power-hungry couple, Harris tells me. I hate to use the term arm candy, but she stepped into that role. I used a lot of forties-inspired apparel. Season 4 is a shedding of the skin. She reconnects with her mom and sheds tears for the first time ever. She wears tweed and boots. Also this was the first time I put her in pants. It was after her moms passing, which was meaningful because her mom was this Southern belle.

The New York Times recently drew a comparison between Claire Underwood and Melania Trump, asserting that the latter drew some of her style cues from the first lady of Netflix. This assertion seems somewhat specious. At first glance, both wardrobes originate from the couture floor at Bergdorfs, yet one is meant to convey power where the other is about publicly evolving toward propriety. Its tantamount to comparing Michelle Obama to Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis. Okay, both Michelle and Jackie are prominent women married to young presidents and both wear clothes, but, lets face it, the similarities end there. Jackie favored Dior, Givenchy and Chanel until the country got on her case for lavish spending and she hired Oleg Cassini. Meanwhile, Michelle Obama wore J. Crew cardigans, gave conservatives tsuris with her bare arms and put Canadian designer Jason Wu on the map. In other words, leave Melania out of this. Shes a mannequin.

The correlation between Claire and Hilz has more to do with calculated costumery and the opportune donning of the power pants. For Hillaryit seemed to be about second-wave feminism and appearing sexless. She even wore pants to Bills inauguration. Though, so did Ivanka to her dads (Oscar de la Renta), so who knows? How does one intimidate yet still be accessible? Since we cant exhume Eva Pern to ask her advice we can only watch Madonna as Evita singing, I came from the people, they need to adore me, so Christian Dior me from my head to my toes the next best thing is to hire an expert stylist who understands the importance of the ensemble as conveyor of character, AKA brand. Each look is honed for intense public scrutiny, including running gear. To lose this influence, even for a moment, is to drop character. To overdo it is death.

In season 5, Claires intent is bloody, bold and resolute. She might as well be the Cersei Lannister of Washington, minus the poopy shame walk. To convey this rapaciousness and single-pointed focus, Harris chose a lot of militaristic details, such as an array of buttons endlessly marching up the front of Wrights toned, tight tummy like so many foot soldiers. The Harris-designed navy and light-blue dress with the buttons in episode 5 is an absolute show-stopper. The high crewneck suggests a dont-fuck-with-me capability that also somehow manages to beckon. Harris also puts Claire in a fair amount of trousers, yet she pairs them with either a Ralph Lauren blouse or a Derek Lam turtleneck to lend the overall look a more feminine feel. Unlike what Kate McKinnon called Hillarys hard, tan business shoe on SNL, Claires Christian Louboutin, Manolo Blahnik and Christian Dior heels are still impossibly high.

Whats more, theres something about Robin Wrights figure and expressionless face thats disarming. Her whole mien feels more unattainable than the $51,500 Dolce & Gabbana jacket Melania wore in Sicily. In contrast, Hilary looks like a schlepper, but maybe thats the point. Unlike Nancy Reagans red Adolfo suit or Jackie Kennedys infamous pink Chanel suit, or Kellyanne Conways red-white-and-blue showstopper, Hillarys pantsuits were supposed to be the ultimate accoutrement for the nations hard-hitting grandma, a part she has been playing since her glory days at Wellesley.

Claire Underwood is aspirational, Harris says. A huge part of her identity is untouchable. Its used to intimidate and disarm and its very effective, but shes also a fictional character. She has a full staff thats tailoring and dry cleaning her clothes. You cant run around the city in those heels!

Of course, Claire Underwood never wears a pantsuit in which the jacket and trousers match. They tried for a hot minute but it didnt work. While Claires seduction beguiles, Hillarys hits you over the head with all the subtlety of a cast-iron skillet. The semiotics are at once obvious while the message is mixed: Whatever mishegas went on in that there Oval, Hillary sat in the residence like Penelope, weaving her skirts into pants as she waited for the exact moment to slap those suckers on and clomp her way into the presidency. Meanwhile, Claire Underwoods elegantly tailored slacks portend dark victory. Both women are fictional characters in costumes; only one fiction continues to work.

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Who wears the pants? Claire Underwood, Hillary Clinton and the fiction of being a fashionable first lady - Salon

WASHINGTON With the Russia probe moving closer to Donald Trump himself, the president appears to long for the simpler times of last years presidential campaign, when he didnt have to shoulder the nation's scrutiny on his own.

Why is that Hillary Clintons family and Dems dealings with Russia are not looked at, but my non-dealings are? President Trump tweeted Thursday, after the Washington Post and later NBC News reported that Special Counsel Robert Mueller is now investigating whether the president attempted to obstruct justice in the FBI's investigation.

Crooked H destroyed phones w/ hammer, 'bleached' emails, & had husband meet w/AG days before she was cleared- & they talk about obstruction? Trump added.

Furthering the sense of 2016 dj vu, a Clinton campaign Twitter account dedicated to "setting the facts straight," responded to one of the president's tweets with a "Ferris Bueller's Day Off" GIF and a series of question marks.

The account had not tweeted since November 7.

In response to reports that Trump is facing a criminal investigation, Mark Corallo, spokesman for Trump's personal lawyer, Marc Kasowitz, said in a statement, "The FBI leak of information regarding the president is outrageous, inexcusable, and illegal."

On Friday morning, Trump tweeted that there's no proof he has done anything wrong, despite months of hearings and investigations.

Meanwhile, Trump has revived attacks on his general election opponent multiple times since taking office.

In late March, as the House Intelligence Committee was thrown into turmoil after it was revealed that chairman Devin Nunes appeared to have coordinated with the White House he was supposed to be overseeing, Trump asked a similar question about Clinton.

Why isn't the House Intelligence Committee looking into the Bill & Hillary deal that allowed big Uranium to go to Russia, he tweeted in March, adding in a second message, Trump Russia story is a hoax.

Related: Trump Decries Witch Hunt After Report That Mueller Is Investigating Him

And in February, three days after former National Security Advisor Michael Flynn resigned and two days after The New York Times ran a blockbuster story about Trump campaign aides reported ties to Russia, the president used a news conference to try to divert attention to his old foe.

We had Hillary Clinton try and do a reset. We had Hillary Clinton give Russia 20 percent of the uranium in our country, he said, repeating a statement Politifact rated mostly false. "Nobody talks about that."

"By the way, it would be great if we could get along with Russia, just so you understand that. Now tomorrow, youll say Donald Trump wants to get along with Russia, this is terrible. Its not terrible; its good, Trump added.

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Trump Lashes Out at Hillary Clinton as Russia Probe Turns to Him - NBCNews.com

On Friday, June 16, President Trump started a mini tweetstorm about the Russia investigation yet again. (Yahoo)

In between tweets about typical presidential fare jobs, the Army, the state of Wisconsin President Donald Trump has been ranting in 140-character spurts about the Russia investigation and his former opponent Hillary Clinton.

"You are witnessing the single greatest WITCH HUNT in American political history - led by some very bad and conflicted people! #MAGA," he tweeted June 15.

Here are the facts and necessary context behind some of Trumps most provocative, though not always inaccurate, recent tweets.

"I am being investigated for firing the FBI Director by the man who told me to fire the FBI Director! Witch Hunt"

This tweet is significant because it seems to confirm an anonymously sourced June 14 Washington Post report on that said special counsel Robert Mueller is looking into the possibility that Trump obstructed justice in the Russia investigation.

Trump doesnt seem to be referring here to Mueller, though, but to Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein.

As special counsel, Mueller is in charge of the Russia investigation and any related probes, like obstruction of justice accusations. But Mueller answers to Rosenstein, who did, in fact, write a memo in early May recommending that Trump fire FBI Director James Comey.

Its worth noting that Rosenstein recommended firing Comey over his handling of the Clinton email investigation. Trump, however, said he would have fired Comey regardless of Rosensteins recommendations, and he had the Russia investigation on his mind when he made the decision.

"You have my assurance that we're going to faithfully follow that regulation (that gives Meuller his authority), and Director Mueller is going to have the full degree of independence that he needs to conduct that investigation appropriately," Rosenstein told Congress June 13.

"They made up a phony collusion with the Russians story, found zero proof, so now they go for obstruction of justice on the phony story. Nice"

Trump similarly tweeted a couple days earlier: "After 7 months of investigations & committee hearings about my collusion with the Russians, nobody has been able to show any proof. Sad!"

Trump has a point in that none of the investigations have made public any hard proof that Trump colluded with Russia during the presidential election if there is any hard proof.

But that doesnt mean the Russia story is "phony" overall. The investigations encompass much more than just overt collusion between the Trump campaign and Russia.

They are looking at whether Trump campaign associates may have been unwitting agents on Russias behalf, as well as Russias actions absent any assistance from American political actors. They could also dig into criminal activity unrelated to Russia or the election that they uncover during the course of their investigative work, such as unlawful financial dealings.

They can also explore accusations that someone, such as Trump, tried to inhibit these proceedings.

"Crooked H destroyed phones w/ hammer, 'bleached' emails, & had husband meet w/AG days before she was cleared- & they talk about obstruction?"

This tweet is partially accurate.

In their July 2016 report about the investigation into Clintons email practices, FBI agents said a Clinton aide told them he recalled "two instances where he destroyed Clintons old mobile devices by breaking them in half or hitting them with a hammer."

Separately, Clinton aides asked some IT workers if they would permanently delete emails from the private server Clinton used as secretary of state, using a program called BleachBit.

And in late June 2016, Bill Clinton was spotted meeting secretly with then-Attorney General Loretta Lynch. About a week later, Comey broke Justice Department protocol to go public about the decision not to prosecute Clinton.

But is it obstruction of justice? The FBI didnt develop evidence to support that conclusion.

Comey has said the FBI doesnt have any evidence Clinton intentionally deleted emails in order to conceal them or obstruct justice, though he was concerned at the time about the appearance that Lynch had a conflict of interest.

"Why is that Hillary Clintons family and Dems dealings with Russia are not looked at, but my non-dealings are?"

This tweet misses the point.

Trumps campaign and his associates are under the microscope for their Russia ties as opposed to Clinton and other Democrats unspecified "dealings with Russia" because the investigation is about Russian interference in the election. Numerous intelligence agencies have concluded that Russia interfered in an attempt to help Trump beat Clinton.

We have no way of independently verifying the extent of Trumps ties to Russia. Lawyers for Trump released a letter May 12 saying Trump does not have any income, debt or investments related to Russia, with a couple exceptions.

For example, Trump agreed to host the Miss Universe pageant in Moscow in 2013, a $20 million deal facilitated by Russian real estate mogul and billionaire Aras Agalarov. He also made millions selling a 17-bedroom Florida mansion to a Russian billionaire.

"A.G. Lynch made law enforcement decisions for political purposes...gave Hillary Clinton a free pass and protection. Totally illegal!"

The little we know about Lynchs attempts to shape the Clinton email investigations do not rise to the allegation in this tweet.

The few details we have from Comeys recollections. He said he was concerned because she told him to call the investigation a "matter," and her clandestine meeting with Bill Clinton at least created the appearance of impropriety.

Comey did not say Lynch gave Clinton a "free pass." In fact, Comey has been adamant over the past year that there simply was not enough of a substantive case to prosecute Clinton over her email setup.

Comey did say, however, that this appearance of a conflict of interest is what prompted him to go public with the FBIs findings and harshly criticize Clintons actions, despite the decision not to bring charges.

Read this article:
Fact-checking Trump's tweets about Russia, Hillary Clinton and the 'witch hunt' - PolitiFact