“Don’t bully Trump on the decision — It could backfire and make things even worse.” - Paul Ryan to fellow GOP members of Congress

Will Agent Orange pick up Paul Manafort’s $19 million Russian marker with the aluminum tariff, thereby buying Manafort’s cooperation in #TrumpRussia.

This is not the first instance where Manafort’s involvement with Trump has been seen primarily as a means to pay off his creditors. The reality is that it’s not Mango Mussolini but the US economy that’s doing the payoff.

The charge of Chinese steel dumping is perhaps tinged with sinophobia as well as a Lord Dampnut thinking that his purchases of Chinese steel for his buildings had nothing to do with buying and hiring American (First). This is even with the steel and aluminum tariffs more about Mexico, Canada, and the E.U.. And that doesn’t even touch the ignorance that Agent Orange has shown about pipeline steel production.

But there is no aluminum dumping, per se and getting US beer drinkers and aerospace/auto workers to pay for Manafort’s bills should be more than a bit concerning. And then there’s the whole kleptocratic aspect of scoring extra cash off imports at the port of entry as well as the increased, migrating costs along the value chain.