Our associate solitary reporters here at AP are always on the ground following whatever Donald Trump and his lackeys and henchmen — of whom he has a multitude -- are doing.

When he ran his always intemperate campaign in 2016, Trump said he would “drain the swamp” in Washington.

Then, after whatever happened on January 20, 2017, he promptly embraced conspiracy theories, such as the “Deep State” conspiracy theory, under which civil servants and presidential appointees would, in the Trumpistic view — often communicated to his base at his mega-rallies -- where he would stoke the flames of hate, and yell about the “Deep State” within the executive branch — in other words, everybody he didn’t trust was out to get him.

One of the men he attacked endlessly was Andrew McCabe, the Deputy Director of the FBI; and when Trump precipitately fired James Comey for lack of loyalty, McCabe was Acting FBI Director for a few months.

Then Attorney General Jeff Sessions fired McCabe, moments before he was scheduled to retire, and that was the end of McCabe’s long-deserved pension.

It is a truth universally acknowledged that anybody who annoys or criticizes Trump fears being dumped into quicksand  — in Trump’s Swamp — if they don’t suck up to him 24/7.

Then Trump sent Sessions back to Alabama, and his next Attorney General, William Barr, got the job because of his well-known and inappropriate views on the wide range of executive power, and Barr has acted more like Trump’s personal attorney than as the chief law enforcement officer of these here United States, as we have said here many times.

And let’s not forget what Trump’s Impeachment Attorney-in-Chief, Alan Dershowitz, said, about the scope of presidential power — namely, Trump can do anything he wants without fear of being removed from office.

We already reported on Barr’s kowtowing to Trump on the sweetheart deal for Roger Stone, Trump’s longtime confidant (https://www.apocryphalpress.com/2020/02/13/why-all-ninety-three-united-states-attorneys-across-the-us-have-resigned-in-protest).

But now, Barr says Trump shouldn’t repeatedly tweet about what Barr is doing.

So it caught us by surprise when the Barr-Trump Justice Department decided not to prosecute McCabe, who felt personally threatened by Trump during the good old Mueller days (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andrew_McCabe); see https://www.cnn.com/2020/02/14/politics/andrew-mccabe-justice-department-investigation/index.html.

And when Trump found out about McCabe being non-prosecuted, he erupted in fury, as reported this evening by CNN’s Evan Perez.

McCabe has already sued Trump et al. for wrongful discharge based on politics.

Look for a swift victory by McCabe.

We here at AP have always regarded Donald Trump’s close personal friend, Roger Stone, as one who deserves many years in Hades.

Stone is a no-holds barred political operative who is a self-proclaimed dirty trickster.

He’s also been described as a mendacious windbag, and he cofounded a political consulting firm with Paul Manafort, who ran Trump’s campaign, and who is now incarcerated.

Stone is a longtime friend of Donald Trump.

During Trump’s campaign, Stone promoted many falsehoods of conspiracy theories.

A man of great integrity, Robert Mueller III, investigated Stone’s role in that campaign.

Stone lied to Congress, and he was convicted on seven counts in federal court in the District of Columbia.

The U S Attorney at the time was Jessie Liu, and she oversaw the prosecution of Stone, and then Trump nominated her for a high-level position in Steven Mnuchin’s Treasury Department.

But Trump has pulled that nomination because Liu went after Stone (https://www.cnn.com/2020/02/13/politics/jessie-liu-trump-administration/index.html).

The team of four prosecutors who got the conviction of Stone have all left their posts after William Barr, Trump’s (seemingly) personal attorney, in his capacity as the chief law enforcement officer of the United States, abruptly changed the sentencing recommendatioan for Stone.

All that directly contradicts the longstanding policy of preserving the Independence of the Justice Department.

And many in Washington are shocked (https://www.politico.com/news/2020/02/12/trump-roger-stone-justice-department-114684).

But it’s up to Judge Amy Berman Jackson to decide on what sentence should be imposed on Stone.

We just received a text from our Chief Investigative Reporter, associate solitary reporter Susanna Sherman, who told us that all ninety-three United States Attorneys have resigned in protest.

Sherman also told us that she had just met with Judge Berman Jackson, who told her, “Don’t worry, Susanna, Stone won’t be going anywhere for quite a while."

February 12, 2020

Bernie Sanders is very popular in New Hampshire, and much of that is because he represents Vermont, which, when you look at a map, is immediately to the Left of New Hampshire.

Bernie’s by far the Leftiest of the seven who showed up at the February 7 debate in New Hampshire.

And if he somehow manages to secure the nomination which eluded him four years ago, the Republican candidate — you know, the guy whose chief lackey is Mike Pence —  is likely to whip him real good.

On Friday, February 7, while beleaguered Iowa Democrats were still trying to clean up the mess they caused in the Hawkeye State, seven presidential candidates held a debate in New Hampshire ahead of the Granite State’s First in the Nation Presidential Primary.

On of them is not a Democrat; he’s an Independent, and his

name is — you guessed it — Bernie — and the inclusive Dems are letting him run in their primary, just as they did in 2016.

That Friday, before yesterday’s First in the Nation Presidential Primary in the Granite State, megabilionaire Mike Bloomberg was not on the debate stage because he has a different idea in mind; rather than campaign in Iowa, which is mostly white, and New Hampshire, which is mostly white, or  Nevada or South Carolina, he’s waiting for Super Tuesday — March 3.

And, in the meantime, Bloomberg’s outspending all the others, saturating the airwaves and clogging everybody’s mailboxes, much to the benefit of the USPS.

We diligently reported on Friday's debate, via MailChimp: “Why Amy Klobuchar Should Win the Silly ‘First in the Nation’ Presidential Primary.”

There, we told our vast subscriber base that the debate did not take place at St. Anselm College, in Manchester, but, rather, in ABC’s studios in Center Pequawket, in Northern New Hampshire, which is a mile north of your solitary reporter’s summer home, Stonybrook Manor, which sits in splendor at the foot of iconic Mount Chocorua.

Our IT Department never quite managed to get that one into our blogsite, so here’s our take on what happened yesterday:  https://www.apocryphalpress.com/2020/02/12/seven-presidential-candidates-debate-in-new-hampshire-and-then-what/.

But we redacted that one to tell you that as soon as feisty, smart, energetic Minnesota Senator Amy Klobuchar won the debate, she immediately repaired to Stonybrook Manor, where your solitary reporter served her and her lucky husband, John Bessler, and their daugher, Abigail, a lavish dinner, followed by an all-night conversation devoted to Klobuchar’s strategy for winning in November.

Bright and early on Saturday, the trio had a sumptuous breakfast, and then headed directly to the summit of Mount Chocorua, a moderate four-mile hike, with a significant challenge at the summit — and Klobuchar is nothing if not a Sensible Moderate in the presidential race.

Meanwhile, after Donald Trump once again eviscerated his own Justice Department by calling for, essentially, no sentence for his close personal friend, convicted felon Roger Stone, associate solitary reporter Johanna Jones has just texted us with news that Trump has pardoned Stone, Paul Manaford, and Michael Flynn.

Seven good Democrats debated each other in the Granite State (also inappropriately known as the “Live Free or Die” State) on February 7.

As only associate solitary reporters Priscilla Janeway and Dan Manwell know, the debate did not take place at St. Anselm College, a Benedictine College in Goffstown, near New Hampshire’s largest city — instead, it took place in ABC’s studios in Center Pequawket, in Carroll County, in Northern New Hampshire, where your solitary reporter has a summer home.

California is our third-largest state, geographically, and 39,747,267 people live there.

New Hampshire is a very small state, with only two Members of the U.S. House of Representatives. Some one million six hundred thousand souls live there.

There are only a few people of color living in the Live Free or Die State.

Center Pequawket is where the Battle of Pequawket occured in 1725  just below iconic Mount Chocorua — when George II was King of England.

ASRs Janeway and Manwell were right there in ABC’s studio in Center Pequawket, seated in the front row, and keenly observing the debate.

Associate solitary reporter Franklin Derby, also a proud New Hampshire voter, and a stalwart resident of Tamworth, was seated next to them, as well; and right next to Derby sat associate solitary reporter Sally Woodworth, a very sensible voter who also lives in Tamworth.

Minnesota’s senior Senator, Amy Klobuchar, the grandaughter of a miner in cold Minnesota’s Iron Range, was the most sensible person on the stage, and she also showed that she has a good sense of humor.

78-year old Bernie Sanders said he used to be the only Congressman from Vermont, and that Vermont is south of Quebec; but he didn’t say if he speaks French.

Joe Biden, 76, said he did a good job as President Obama’s

Number Two — and he sure is right about that.

Elizabeth Warren said she’s from Oklahoma and that she started her career as a special education teacher, in 1970. But she didn’t talk about being a Professor at Harvard Law School, and elsewhere.

Pete Buttigieg, looking far younger than his 38 years, said he did a good job as Mayor of a city in Indiana (the same state Mike Pence is from).

Schenectady-born Andrew Yang showed everybody that he’s very smart.

Tom Steyer said he’s from California and that he wants to repair as much of the damage that Donald Trump has done to the world and to our exceptional country, as possible.

As soon as the debate was concluded, Klobuchar repaired for the night to Stonybrook Manor, a mile south of Center Pequawket, where your solitary reporter served her and her husband, John Bessler, a lavish dinner, and the following day the trio hiked up Mount Chocorua, a moderate four mile walk, with appropriate challenges at the treeless top; and Klobuchar is always at the top of her game in the Moderate Lane of the Democratic Party, and not in the leftish Medicare for All Lane of Sanders and Warren.

When they arrived at the summit of Mount Chocorua, it was a very clear day, so they could easily look into Maine, represented by Maine’s senior senator, Susan Collins, who had the bad judgment to acquit Donald Trump in the United States Senate.

Ahd that's how Klobuchar finished a very strong third in the First in the Nation Primary, easily surpassing Warren and Biden, who decamped for South Carolina without even holding a Defeat Party in Nashua.

Donald Trump’s close personal friend Kim Jongun is very angry, and he would be nowhere without his nukes.

That’s because South Korea’s brilliant film director, 봉준호 (Bong Joon-ho) received not one, not two, but THREE Oscars this evening, for the dark comedy thriller, 기생충 (Parasite). 

Parasite won an Oscar for Best International Feature Film.

AND Best Director.

AND Best Picture.

It is a truth universally acknowledged that North Korea is the most brutal, repressive regime anywhere on earth — where the features of ordinary people are — well — featureless, because they all live in perpetual fear.

Our Seoul-based associate solitary reporter, Ko Il-sun, somehow managed (though we have no idea how — maybe with lotsa help from South Korea’s National Intelligence Service) to infiltrate himself into the Ryongsong Residence in Pyongyang, where Kim Jongun lives with his wife, Ri Sol-ju, and his many bodyguards.

So ASR Ko confronted Kim to ask him how he feels about how a fellow Korean, living in freedom, could achieve such international stardom (and show up in Los Angeles with a great deal of hair, a hair style never allowed in North Korea).

As Ko watched with increasing trepidation, Kim pushed a button and launched his most powerful nuke, his KN-23, which has a range of 700 kilometers, at Seoul, which is only thirty miles south of Kim’s DMZ.

When Trump’s most recent National Security Advisor, Robert O’Brien, told Trump that Kim had ordered the incineration of Seoul, a city of 9,733,509 souls (including many Americans), Trump said, “I have no problem with that, ‘cause South Korea doesn’t pay enough for all the protection we’ve been giving them all these years.”