For Treasons Which Are Well Known To Them (The Mueller Investigation Part 11)

Link to previous thread.

Already???

I liked Joe Kennedy but wish someone would have told him to go easy on the chap stick.

Does Young Kennedy wear a jockstrap?

OP - Best Thread Title so Far!!! It just rings all the DL bells!!

What do you think will happen if Mueller subpoenas Trump and Trump, as I think he will, ignores it? Anyone else would get the U.S. Marshals hauling his ass to court, but Trump is protected by the Secret Service, so who defers to who?

All I know is, back in mid-December 2016, when Trump promised in one of his speeches that he'd put all his businesses/conflicts of interest in a trust - (promised as in "lied"!!) - I asked on a DL Thread, "...and who's gonna be standing in front of the doors of the White House on Jan 20 to refuse him entry when he hasn't???"

Of course, the answer was and still is - NOBODY!

So glad you went with this title!

Joe III is just what the party needs right now.

Biden - Kennedy 2020

Nixon was served a subpoena in person and no one stopped it. The Secret Service are there to protect the president's life, not get into a turf war with the marshal's service. Nor to keep him from getting arrested.

R10 Except under Trump, one cannot assume the law will be respected, and that he won't corrupt the whole system. He has again and again flaunted any rules that doesn't fit his agenda. On must remember he is a scoundrel and never a statesman.

R9 there has to be a minority or a woman on the ticket otherwise the D’s will be railed on for not eating there own dog food.

Not that I don't like the title, but why start a new thread when the other one was still on post 560?

R13, I think someone just wanted to be the one to name the thread, so they prematurely enumerated. (I like the new name.)

The people Trump attracts to work for him are immoral people of weak character. They don't know how to spell loyalty. That's good. They will turn on him and abandon him. THey know he is only for himself, so none of them expect him to pardon them even if he could, and right now he can't because it would be done as a tactic to Obstruct. And how much do you want to bet he's getting "informal" legal advice from people like Giuliani Christie and Dershowitz? I'd bet on it. Don't believe for a minute that his buffoons are the only members of the legal team.

IMO, here's what we need to focus on: Trump knows if the Dems win the House he'll definitely be impeached. No doubt about it. So. Put your self in his position. Get in his head. What do you think he's going to do to avoid that? Secondly, step back and look at the bigger picture. What do you think the powers who support the Republican Party will do? What do you think the Elected Republicans will do in every Congressional district where they hold office? In every state where they hold the governors and legislatures? they know we're coming for them. What will they do?

We need to be six chess moves ahead of them. We need to be taking measures to block their moves. Prepare. I sincerely hope the Democratic National Committee gets together with election lawyers and people who are identifying measures in every state to do what is necessary to insure fair elections. That's basic.

And we need voters to be informed. It doesn't matter if turnout is heavy at your little precinct if there aren't enough ballots or machines are broken and there are delays. Or if there are last minute changes in polling places.. Social media makes it easier to stay informed, so we can respond to these shabby tactics more effectively now than we could ten years ago, but we need to know the local rules and be prepared. We need to prepare voters for delays, and we need to make sure the poll workers have an understanding of what they can & can't do. We should also figure out a way to make it fun. So if there's a long line, with people waiting, make it festive.

[quote]Not that I don't like the title, but why start a new thread when the other one was still on post 560?

My guess is that the new thread was started in case the other maxed out in the middle of the night.

Thanks, OP for the new thread!

[quote]What will they do?

They're going to rig the upcoming elections. I have no doubt about that and wonder what, if anything, can be done. Feels hopeless sometimes.

I agree about election rigging. Somehow though Democrats swept the top three races in VA last November, and Doug Jones beat Arch Moore in December. Do VA and MS use electronic or paper ballots?

I don't know what types of ballots they use, R18. I heard that WA has trackable ballots which I think every state should implement.

I've become so jaded re: all of this that I feel like Democrats swept those races because Republicans didn't want to tip their hands and are saving the colossal rigging for November so that Dems won't be prepared for it.

R19, that's my fear too, but we can try really hard to stop some of it. And we can be effective. Remember. All politics is local. So to the extent we can scare the shit out of the people who are in charge of elections and scare them, to the extent we are monitoring a tracking, we can have an effect. Back in the old days, when they used to steal elections, one of the preventive measures was to tell your people to make sure you remember your voter number. So if you went to a precinct and you were voter number 45, you knew that and could challenge to see if your ballot had been altered, counted "lost" or "damaged." Also, since so many people vote absentee, we need to make sure we have a very thorough absentee ballot operation, and we need to know when and how those ballots are counted and have our observers/challengers on site to watch them. It is permissible and we don't take advantage of it nearly enough. Absentee ballots win or lose elections. They're very important.

Media already predicting that after last night's speech, Trump's approval ratings will go up.

Sometimes I really hate the fickleness of people in this country.

[quote]Giuliani Christie

Didn't she work in a few Fellini films?

LOLOL! R22. Sorry I forgot my commas.

Giulietta Masina was Fellini's wife and yes, she did work in a few of his movies. I wish I could remember the name of the one with Anthony Quinn and Richard Bsehart. Great movie. A classic and I can't even remember the name of it. About itinerant circus performers.

LA STRADA, R23. Her other great performance was in NIGHTS OF CABIRIA.

R9 No Biden. Why would we want another president that is too old to understand how to email? I like Kennedy on the ticket as VP. I'd like to see Kamala Harris or one of the democratic representative from California vying as well. Biden will be 77 in 2020 and that's just too old. No more old white men (and I'm one).

To go along with R25, remember back after one of the many deadly shootings, House Dems did a sit in on the House floor? And remember when Paul Ryan turned off the cameras, so they wouldn't get any media attention? Well, it was Joe Kennedy who was the first to use the brand new technology called "wifi" and "streaming" to send out live footage of their sit in to the media.

[quote]And remember when Paul Ryan turned off the cameras, so they wouldn't get any media attention?

I always forget how much of a fucking weasel that guy is. I mean, I don't forget he's a weasel, I just forget how gross of a weasel he is.

Train with GOP lawmakers on their way to a retreat collides with a dumptruck.

Sometimes the symbolism is just a little too much on the nose...

Trump's CDC Director just quit over conflict of interest. Good. That' another notch. Tom Price the HHS Director resigned after causing a scandal about using private jets. Let's keep up the pressure. There are a lot of cabinet officials, judicial appointees members of Congress who cannot stand a spotlight on them. Let's get 'em. Every day, in every way our task is to make their lives harder. I was reading a book about how our Prisoners of War in WW II made life miserable for the Germans who were guarding them. There are all kinds of ways to fight and we should leave no option on the table.

I saw that R29. She was so brazen to buy tobacco stock after she became CDC director that I'm surprised she resigned. We really need to get Zinke out.

Sahil Kapur‏ @sahilkapur

FBI Director Christopher Wray has told the White House he opposes release of the GOP memo because it contains inaccurate information and paints a false narrative

Yay Wray!

Definitely. Glad to see Wray keeps pushing back.

The fact checking website crashed during the SOTU address! It would be hilarious if it weren't so fucking tragic.

Is Jake Sherman a sixties recording artist and is that his album cover on Twitter at r28?

Gowdy also running away. Yep, you run, motherfucker.

Lol @Trey Gowdy. Please take your collection of ratty Korean wigs with you on the way out.

BREAKING: FBI launches pre-emptive strike against Nunes memo...

The FBI said it is gravely concerned about House Republicans’ memo alleging the bureau abused its surveillance powers. The memo is expected to be released publicly soon. In a statement released Wednesday, a bureau spokesperson questioned the memo’s accuracy.

“With regard to the House Intelligence Committee’s memorandum, the FBI was provided a limited opportunity to review this memo the day before the committee voted to release it. As expressed during our initial review, we have grave concerns about material omissions of fact that fundamentally impact the memo’s accuracy,” the spokesperson said.

“The FBI takes seriously its obligations to the FISA Court and its compliance with procedures overseen by career professionals in the Department of Justice and the FBI,” the spokesperson continued. “We are committed to working with the appropriate oversight entities to ensure the continuing integrity of the FISA process.”

Thank you, FBI. And the CIA. I know it’s likely you will never read this, but I want you to know that I love you for trying to keep our republic safe from hostile foreign (and internal) powers.

I am a small-s social democrat and political activist for decades and I have always been sceptical about your institutions, but thank you for trying to keep our country safe from this horrific madman Trump. What you do matters. Keep up the fight. I never thought I’d say it, but we are both on the same side because we love our Constitution.

Thank you.

What a world we are living in where we have been reduced to conspiracy theorists who hope for the FBI and CIA to be the good guys saving us from Trump and the GOP.

R40, believing that Russia and Trump hacked our election is not a conspiracy theory, you utter asshole.

r41, hey douchebag. We ARE in a very real conspiracy. That was the whole fucking point. The USA being reduced to taking part in a conspiracy plot conspiracy theorists were ridiculed for in the past.

Such are the dystopian times under an illegally elected conman, who seems hell-bent in changing our democracy into a totalitarian regime, with his crime family installed as our 'leader's. Everyone who is not an inbred moron knows that fucking Trump dances to Putin's tune. If things don't start to change pretty damn soon, we will be nothing but a protectorate/colony of 'mother Russia's' oligarchs.

Since we're talking conspiracy theories, was the train accident today a warning shot across the bow from Pootin or the IC? Whoever it was, I hope the GOP are fucking pissing their pants right now.

You know, media needs to start hitting back at Devin and his whole dossier bullshit. The Steele dossier was funded in part by Democrats. Ok. So? So he claims the FBI shouldn't have used it because it was partisan and unverified.

However, the book Clinton Cash was the basis for those Hillary-hating agents in the NY Field Office to begin an investigation into the Clinton Foundation. The book was written by a Breitbart editor, was mostly lies, and was funded by Bannon. And part of the money he used was actually routed through offshore accounts belonging to...Robert Mercer.

So Republicans are just fine with unverified, partisan information being used in an FBI investigation as long as that unverified, partisan information is from Republicans.

I hate these people so much.

Someone please tell me that this "memo" now means anyone associated with it can be charged with obstruction of justice.

R45, if anything the Steele dossier was Republican partisan information. It was Republicans who commissioned it.

At the SOTU speech last night were they really chanting “il Duce! Il Duce!”

I think that Wray should hold a kamikaze press conference, and tell reporters ALL the FBI learned about Trump. And that he is willing to go to prison to make sure all citizens know the truth, that the GOP has managed a level of such absolute corruption that he is now forced to make this statement as he’s being prevented from using normal channels.

I've always thought the dossier may be mostly disinformation, but the more Trump and the Republicans try to discredit it, the more I think it's all true.

Also, CNN just reported Trump asked Rosenstein for yet another loyalty pledge.

More breaking news on CNN- the FBI agent Peter Strzok whom Republicans say is a member of a secret society trying to bring down Trump actually pushed to re-open the investigation into Hillary's emails.

And it's not even leak o'clock yet.

The spigots are opened at full force.

[quote]I've always thought the dossier may be mostly disinformation, but the more Trump and the Republicans try to discredit it, the more I think it's all true.

One of the Dem Senators on the Senate Intelligence Committee says that two extremely minor typos were the only errors they've been able to confirm so far - Alfa Bank was misspelled in spots, and another small fact wasn't quite right. Otherwise nothing else has been concretely disproven. Considering it was never intended to be nothing more than raw data, it's held up pretty well.

WHY are the Dems not continually saying, “Every single time a Republicantells you The Russia probe is BS, you better bet they’ve got something to hide. If none of us has seen the evidence, then we cannot say the investigation hasn’t found anything. If the Repubs love America, they will let Mueller finish his JOB.” This needs to be said x1000.

Would Joe Crowley be a good Prez?

....

Amen, r53. Now's the time for them to grow balls. I get that there’s only so much they can do legally and ethically in and through their offices. But every time they’re on TV, they should be shouting this loudly and passionately. You can bet that if the shoe was on the other good, the GOP spin machine would make sure their message was forcefully delivered 24/7.

The Dems MUST win the messaging war.

OK people. Jonathan Chait wrote a really tough piece in NY Magazine about Paul Ryan, ripping the cover off his role in obstructing the Russia investigation, and calling him Trump's shadowy silent partner. According to Chait's investigative article Ryan, as Nunes' boss is encouraging him and allowing him and orchestrating what Nunes does. In fact, I can recall someone saying a few months ago, that Nunes does nothing without Ryan's knowledge and consent. There have been several occasions where people have said stuff like Ryan should reign him in or remove him, but Ryan has obviously never done it. So we need to go on twitter and encourage Chait and thank him, and start making sure that Ryan has constant probing attention. I'm talking unrelenting pressure. The point is there is no daylight between Ryan and Nunes. They are in lockstep.

Also wanted to add that Chait says Ryan has gotten away with this standing in the shadows, because every time he is asked about Trump he dismisses it saying I'm not going to talk about his stuff, let's talk about my stuff, then he segues into discussions about policy stuff in the House. Reporters have gone along with that and Chait said this needs to stop. Reporters need to hold him accountable for his role in the Russia probe's obstruction.

People. Do any of you realize that Nunes got his degree in Agriculture? Third generation farmer, family from Portugal. He now has a Russian business partner, owns vineyards, and is suddenly on the Intelligence Committee ... as chair, and is entitled to Top Secret information.

The Chait piece is awesome. I’ve long maintained that Ryan is the biggest villain in all of this, certainly in regards to the destruction of democratic standards. Not Trump, but Ryan.

Also, in semi-related news, it’s being reported on MSNBC that Nunes may have been working on his memo with Trump and/or the WH. If that’s the case, then he could be tried on obstruction of justice.

Joyous day! Please let this be true.

.....

Ryan's Grey Cardinalling was brought up when Nunes did his midnight run to the WH to get leaked documents which then to "bring to the WH" and hold a presser at the door. Remember the cloak and dagger Uber ride? Then the media did report that Nunes was doing this with Ryan's blessing.

What Chait now argues is that Ryan has been pulling the strings, including of Nunes, from the start. And that he's been consciously involved with saving the WH contrary to all the bs about focusing only on legislation in the House. ,

R64 source pretty please thx

The Chait article is at r61.

It was Congressman Jeff Duncan R-3rd Dist., SC, that asked Trump about the release of the Nunez Memo. And he's a real estate broker at that.

Add him to the list of the enabling.

Paul Ryan is a radical, Ayn Randroid libertarian who wants this country ruled entirely by a small oligarchy of rich corporate bosses. not remotely surprised he's in this shit up to his elbows. He hates every democratic bone in this country's body. And the media is so stupid to pretend he's some kind of wonk genius. Pathetic.

Getting Boehner out and Ryan in was part of the plan.

The R*skes have been at this awhile.

Fuck the traitors, Nunes and Ryan.

I hope the FBI makes those pricks lives miserable. Ryan especially thinks his shit don't stink. Fucking Eddie Munster wannabe.

This was asked before but I'll ask it again...

Nunes, Ryan, etc... do the Russians have something on them or were they operatives from the get go?

and this is the big, big thing: never think this is just about Trump. This is the entire Republican Party in action. Assholes who have been lickspittles for the rich for 100 years. Trump is the symptom. the whole party has to go.

.....

Thanks to all for all the article links.

I think someone is trying to tell the Trump crew that they know exactly who lied to the FBI about that Don Jr/Russians meeting, they know what they lied about and liars should probably not go to war with the FBI.

Ryan believes he's bullet proof because he is kept by the Koch brothers. His appointment as speaker was done at the behest of the Kochs. They own his ass. Right now they feel like it's expedient to keep Trump in place at all costs, while they continue to dismantle government. Do you really believe Trump knows all the cabinet officials he appointed? Do you think he knows who half of the judicial candidates are? No. The Kochs, McConnell and a few other oligarchs and Ryan are handling everything while we a re all distracted by the daily outrages of Trump.

Kyle Griffin @kylegriffin1

NYT confirms parts of CNN reporting: Rosenstein was asked by Trump last month whether he was “on my team,” according to an official briefed on the exchange. Rosenstein appeared surprised but responded affirmatively, according to CNN

BFD, we now know no one is going to do a god damn mother fucking thing. He can basically have them write a loyalty pledge in his blood after a Satanic orgy, the Repubs just smile and nod.

Maddow just highlighted something interesting. The FISA documents behind the memo were viewed only by Nunes's staff, Schiff and Trey Gowdy.

And Gowdy just announced he'll not be seeking reelection.

Shoe drop?

R 78, I wouldn't be surprised. Something about the FISA documents scared the shit out of Nunes the night of the clandestine Uber ride to Pennsylvania Avenue. He wasn't worrying one bit about the privacy of random Americans, he was worrying about his own ass and being served a polonium cocktail. That was a terrified man.

Re the NYT article at R73:

Jonathan Swan ‏ Verified account

@jonathanvswan

According to the report, there were three people on the conference call: Corallo, Hicks, and Trump. Will be his word against theirs, unless he has a recording.

I think Gowdy is smart enough, as a former prosecutor to know where all this is headed and he wants out. Good for him. He was clearly uncomfortable a few times recently with trying to say something that would make Nunes and Ryan's attacks seem rational. I saw an article today that sort of says it all: "Why are the Republicans Gaslighting Americans? "

We have a real opportunity here. We can start raising hell and reaching out to various media and insisting they take a closer look at Ryan. Start asking questions. Start pressuring other House members. It's obvious to me that very few of them are completely on board with what Ryan is up to, and as the noose tightens a lot of Gop will cut and run. Announcing they won't seek reelection frees them up to not be worried about Koch money or Ryan's superpacs. You get all the Dems together all you need is 24 GOP and you have IMPEACHMENT. Trump is going along with whatever the House wants because he knows they're his fire wall. We can help dismantle that wall by embarrassing and pressuring and exposing these guys. They hate attention. They hate scrutiny. Let's fuck with them.

LOL Maddow is updating the list of people who left the administration so far. More than three dozen.

Will Ben Carson follow suit?

[quote]‘Using his position for private gain’: Ben Carson was warned he might run afoul of ethics rules by enlisting his son

Why doesn't someone take Putin out? Then let's see what happens with the AmeriRusskies in Congress.

So Trump asks Rosenstein "Are you on my team?" and Roentein smiles and says, "Sure Mr. President!" and changes the subject. That's not exactly a loyalty oath and the Supreme Court has ruled that it is perfectly OK for an law enforcement officer to lie when confronting a suspect. LOLOLOLOL!

So Hope Hicks said Don Jr.'s Trump Tower meeting emails will never get out?

Did someone said EMAILZ conspiracy to obstruct justice?

Tick tick mother fuckers.......SOMETHING needs to shock us out of this holding pattern!

Nunes and Trump trying to pull a fast one re the "memo." Adam Schiff just tweeted about it.

[quote] I've always thought the dossier may be mostly disinformation, but the more Trump and the Republicans try to discredit it, the more I think it's all true.

Why in the world would you think this? The Brits are second to none in their Russian intel. Ever since they were bamboozled by the Cambridge Spies they have made sure they were on top of all things Russia. Steele was their top man for Russian intel. Steele kmows what he's talking about.

Miss Lindsey has been sort of quiet recently on the Mueller investigation. She's focused on tryng to get parties to agree on an immigration proposal.

Yes - I always thought that every thing that has come out in regard to the memo has supported --minus some insignificant errors. I have always though the deplorable whining that the Russian issue was moot because the memo was discredited not based on fact by simply the parroting a Fox News talking point. Like how they would say the Russian investigation was a failure and it would be a day or two after an indictment or some new revelation about another undisclosed Russian connection or meeting. It is like they live in opposite world. Don Jr. met with a Russian lawyer - that means Trump is innocent!

President Donald Trump’s reelection campaign paid private investigators more than $5,000 in December to conduct “research consulting,” according to a new financial filing. The payment went to Confidential Global Investigations, a sleek corporate investigations company that reportedly employs former agents of intelligence services around the world, including Russia’s KGB and Israel’s Mossad.

R87 Welp the fuck does the GOP do now? So fucking stupid these Repugs are.

R92, my guess is the GOP will give a collective shrug in response to Schiff's letter. They are so completely under Trump's and Russia's thumbs that they don't dare challenge Nunes' memos shell game.

The GOP won't give two shits about Schiff's exposing them. They know they'll get away with it.

The object is to get the info out to the propaganda machine....i.e. Fox.....then the conservative media can spin the truth and they will have a document to back it up.

So Ben Carson is corrupt. I thought he was just sleepy. Normally, wouldn't a story like that be huge and get it's own DL thread?

Let's remember the government is going to shut down again in 10 days. There are only 3 working days left for congress to come up with a solution to fund the government and also protect the Dreamers. Now, I'm hearing that Mueller protection may be attached to funding as well. Good luck. Trump doesn't seem to care but rather is solely focus on Russia.

R96 as a general rule Republican's are. Never assume they are decent. Look at Colling and the Murkowski chick from Alaska. They saved Obamacare when it was purely an Obamacare repeal,but when the tax bill (which harms Obamacare) was voted on they voted for that bill. Murkowski for oil drilling and Collins for w/e fucking Rethuglican reason probably Donar$$$ .

Ryan is in the way. If he were removed from the Speaker's chair, a new speaker could be coerced into allowing the House to move towards impeachment. Yes. Even now. You'd have vocal opposition, but you'd still have the votes. it ought to be bi-partisan and at the rate the GOP House members are announcing retirements, I think we can find the 24 we need.

We sit here worried, but the fact of the matter is things are unraveling very quickly for Donald J Trump. I think the more he attempts to smear the FBI & pressures Mueller, the worse it gets for him. And everyone's leaking strategically now. I'd bet House staffers, House members of both parties, White House staff are all leaking like crazy. And the FBi is strategically leaking too.

The FBI is going to make sure they mute the effects of Nunes and Trump by making sure the storyline for the public through the media is that Nunes and Trump conspired on that Memo and the FBI is now on record as saying that memo is a threat to national security. That's more than criminal conspiracy & obstruction. That's fucking treason. Paul Ryan, Devin Nunes and Donald Trump.

r99. god I hope you're right.

Yeah, I hope you're right too R99 but they've gotten away with so much shit and their fucking base continually turns a blind's eye. So do the media.

Well, I'm probably fantasizing just a little about the impeachment part, but I believe the rest of it to be true.

I am convinced the Russians laundered money to Trump AND senior Republicans.

Ryan resisted becoming Speaker after Boehner, in part, because he didn’t want the Spealer’s massive fundraising duties. Russia “solved” that problem. Possibly, in part, via a link between Nunes and Carter Page. Ryan was informed but asked to be kept out of the day-to-day loop for plausible

Nunes has been acting bat shit crazy ever since he learned his (and Ryan’s) cover was blown by FISA.

/ “plausible deniability .”

Ryan is a fanatic, r103. I don't think he is actually compromised. just a fanatic, who believe oligarchs deserve to be in charge. could be wrong, of course.

Shouldn’t the FBI be holding a press conference already? I understand the no comment route but I don’t know if that’s gonna cut it this day in age.

I agree, r39. Thank you for posting!

r14 is correct. OP is an attention whore. She wanted her title to be used, so she forced her way in there. Her shameless ass was not gonna be ignored!

So Miss Hicks is in hot water. What do we know?

r48, they were chanting "il Douche! il Douche!"

Going after the "daughter" Hicks will surely make Daddy squirm.

OP's young porn model is called Rhett and has done videos for Straight College Men and Austin Zane (the SCM models who started their own site).

Let’s try to keep it g rated in here for our legitimate company.

You must be new, R113. There’s always some post like that on the political threads.

I think some people post them because they feel anxious and it breaks the tension. The one above might be a mistake, judging from the comment. It happens here sometimes. Some glitch causes cross-posting occasionally.

R113 It's a gay gossip site. Are you afraid of a dick pict or is it that you don't want to offend the straight Russian bots who are frequenting the board.

R115 If only some gay dick porn could drive the Russian bots away!

Oooops, r112 here. My sincere apologies. Obviously the comment was intended for another thread.

R105, I agree about Ryan. Especially about his Ayn Rand fanaticism. His relationship to the Kochs is established, and doing their bidding is his main priority. IMO his feigned reluctance to take on the Speaker's job was to leverage the chaos of Boehner's departure to gain "financial stability" from the Kochs, so he could "spend more time with his family" and not worry about fundraising.

He has two superpacs and was happy to accept Russian money for them, but he is not as devoted to the Russians as Trump is. I just think it serves his interests, and the interests of the Kochs for him to cooperate with the Trump presidency. Apparently that mainly consists of not doing anything to damage Trump, or to thwart Nunes, who is clearly Trump's point man in the House, and for Ryan to keep his people in line to get legislation passed.

Ryan is a coward. He doesn't want to pick a fight with the Trump WH, or Trump's people. LAst thing he wants is the Alt Right media coming after him, which is what Bannon tried to do. He won't risk chaos within his own caucus, nor does he want to have Nunes wielding more power within the GOP Caucus because of his relationship with Trump. So he lets Nunes be Nunes, backs his plays and helps keep things "on track."

Chait calls him Trump's partner and he obviously is the firewall stopping the House from acting against Trump. He's also the one responsible for the Koch's recent announcement that they'll spend at least $400 million in this year's midterms. When you think about how much the media benefits from all this money fooding in from all sources, I'm surprised there is any negative coverage.

Anyway that's my analysis of Ryan. I haven't read the Chait piece yet and I may amend my opinions based on his reporting. He does good work. All I know is that it's about time the media focused on Ryan. His Golden Boy status with the Kochs will lead to more negative scrutiny of the Kochs too, and that;s a good thing all around.

Since Nunes latest clown show, Ryan has been getting a lot more scrutiny from the media. Hopefully that won't let up

I also agree with R103 that the Russians laundered money through not only Trump but senior Republicans in the House and the Senate, but especially the House.

Gowdy's departure deserves a lot more media attention, discussion and scrutiny than it's getting. One reporter remarked that he had a very safe seat so that couldn't be the reason. My guess is he is in line for a federal judgeship, or he is leaving politics altogether from what his own statement indicates, because he can't justify the corruption and filth he is part of. He's made several public statements that while carefully worded were an indication he doesn't agree with what's going on in Ryan's House. Gowdy is a mean, hardcore Conservative Republican, and he won't go against them in public, but I think he's had it.

Trump was not the Kochs first choice during the primaries. But, legislation, cabinet picks, judges, and executive orders are all going the Kochs way.

Dismantling environmental regulations, the tax cut bill, immigration stances, banking deregulations, favoring corporate-ism over true capitalism, gutting the ACA, keep workers wages low, Koch Industries interests per oil and gas (Tillerson) with Russia, drilling off the east, etc., are are all going the Koch way.

The media runs the Koch Industries commercials (propaganda) showing happy workers making products consumers desire and need. Networks love the ad money so their criticism of the Koch tactics are muted.

Yes, Ryan is the Kochs top footman.

Citizens United Supreme Court decision opened the floodgates for this.

Trump is too stupid to realize that by wanting to release Nunes/Trump memo, he is allowing the House of Representatives to overreach into the DOJ and fuck with personnel, which is definitely something the Executive Branch would be outraged by if another person were PResident.

Marry me, R121!

Nunes ties with Carter Page and the extreme efforts to protect. Umm....

You don't suppose.......

"My guess is he is in line for a federal judgeship..."

Someone in another thread mentioned that a judgeship in SC is open, so I'm sure he wants it. His statement did mention getting back into the legal arena.

[quote]Ryan has constant probing attention

[quote]Ryan is the Kochs top footman

Pics please.

An interesting comment by Malcom Nance (Ex FBI and MSNBC Analyst) on TV this morning regarding DL fave Carter Page. Malcom wonders if he isn't actually a double agent and working for the FBI? Otherwise he couldn't figure out what Carter's angle was. This may be the info that the FBI is trying to protect in THE MEMO

r127......If that were the case, there would be no more Carter Page. There is no way that they (Trump/Putin) know Page is a double agent and not take action against him.....and it would have leaked already.

I doubt Carter Page is a double agent. I think he was flattered by being so close to real power and then being famous on TV. If he was a double he would have been a lot more low profile. There are some guys getting indicted that we never heard of. That's how Carter Page SHOULD have acted. Papadopoulis and Gates come to mind. Who ever heard of either one before the indictments.

Maybe not a double agent, but the FBI may have "turned him" after confronting him with their evidence, perhaps?

r130....that makes sense.....and it explains his denials of involvement, but then admitting to some allegations when in front of the committee.

R130 I agree that very well could have happened. But he really seems to have got the message bcz he' not on TV anymore. LOL!

The think that upsets me is there seems to be no sense of urgency in Congress. The members of Congress ought to be running around as if their hair were on fire. Both Dems and GOP. There needs to be maneuvering and fighting. I know. Maybe I miss the theater of Watergate. But I want SOMETHING to happen that rebuts the Trump actions. All we're getting is " Trump said," or " Trump did, " and then a bunch of pundits "explaining." Schiff dos a good job, but he puts me to sleep. I want someone to aggressively oppose Trump without Maxine Waters' stridency. Someone with clout. I want the Media to stop portraying this as partisan bickering as far as the memo goes. If the FBI weighs in and says don't do it, grave consequences" then the Media needs to support that right now. Because it is obvious we are in a cyberwar with Russia so this is not some bullshit.

THe White House will release a "scrubbed" memo. It will "revise" and then release a memo which is a hit job on Rosenstein and the FBI. That's all they want to do. They want to impugn the FBI and impeach Rosenstein's impartiality. The memo we get from Trump will not be the memo the committee was worried about. It's all about PR and gaslighting the American people. The Trump WH is loving all the controversy and attention this is getting for something they will dilute and use to smear Rosenstein. That's it. Period.

And then what, goodbye Mueller?

Trump admits he's releasing the memo to discredit the Russia investigation.

In recent phone calls, Trump has told friends he believes the memo would expose bias within the agency's top ranks and make it easier for him to argue the Russia investigations are prejudiced against him, according to two sources.

As the debate rages about whether the GOP memo is inaccurate and misleading -- and whether it's appropriate to reveal such classified intelligence at all -- Trump appears to be more preoccupied with the political calculus. He views the memo as proof the intelligence community was unfairly targeting him and fodder for his ultimate goal of bringing an end to the Russia investigation that he has dubbed a "witch hunt," sources said.

R133 This "Memo" will end up nothing more than a list of talking points for Fox News. It will go over like the Uranium conspiracy flow chart. That is, it will be ridiculed by anyone with critical thinking and it will convince no one outside the Trump cult.

No, R134, they are playing to the Alt Right Conspiracy media and to their base. Attacking Rosenstein is not going to force him out. They will start a pissing contest hoping that they can create enough public pressure to impeach the integrity of Rosenstein and by extension Mueller's investigation, but I can't see any legal standing for any thing. It's all political. Whther or not they succeed depends on how vigorously the other side fight back, both in Congress in the media and at the FBI. And believe me I wouldn't want to be Devin Nunes for all the money in the world. Long term? He is fucked.

If he discussed that that was why he was releasing the memo... isn't that just another charge in Obstruction of Justice?

This was in another thread but I didn't see it posted in this one:

The transcript of the House Intelligence Committee’s meeting where they voted to declassify the memo is up:

The biggest eyebrow-raiser was that they said Russia hacked 36 states election websites. Previously we'd only heard of 21 states.

yes.

This all done so the GOP owned senate can refuse to believe Mueller and his findings and refuse to impeach Trump "with probable cause", since Rosenthal and Mueller are totally biased against Trump.

This is all about controlling the narrative WHY the senate will not impeach Trump no matter what.

It was brought out by one of Andrea Mitchell's guests that if Nunes had any standing at all with these allegations he'd be seeking legal remedies. The hype about thid memo is playing right into Trump's handsIt's political and PR driven. No credibility after US Intel agencie finish scrubbing it .

The memo is a dog whistle Trump, the GOP, the conservative owned media (including FOX News, Drudge Report and Breitbart), the alt-right / Deplorables, etc. will use to control the narrative of why they will not believe a single thing from this Russia investigation.

Outside of that nobody will take this memo serious, but since the senate is run by the Republican Party and they decide whether to impeach their beloved Donald Trump or not ...

Pelosi calls for Nunes' removal.

R144 - what took her so long?

Major Garrett‏Verified account @MajorCBS Follow Follow @MajorCBS More Administration officials tell me #GOPMemo will be sent back to House Intelligence Committee on Friday with redactions from the #WH based on internal consultations w @FBI & other agencies. WH will not "release" memo but send it back to committee for it to release on its timetable

8:03 AM - 1 Feb 2018

]quote]WH will not "release" memo but send it back to committee for it to release on its timetable

So WH is sending the memo back and forth to itself -- since Nunes and the Intel C'tee GOPs have become the WH in not so hidden disguise.

Clearly a ploy to give the illusion that the WH and the committee don't work / collude with each other.

R121 lays it all out. Everything else is a circus.

I think that McConnel is number one and Ryan is number 2.

Personally r149, I think they are both number 2.

Anybody watching CNN atm? Plump's oddly calm - is he on dope or something?

Or is he secretly cheering because he knows he's going to fire Mueller etc soon?

:-/

The HOUSE impeaches. The SENATE convicts/votes on removal (or not).

Some posters appear confused on this.

Conclusion: Dems need to flip both houses.

appallageeez (apologies)

purpls (purpose)

Guess something's wrong with Plump's teeth again.

There's not a chance of a big enough flip in the Senate, alas, since it requires more than a simple majority. That said, yes, they do need to flip both, if only to put a halt to the stacking of the judiciary with incompetent, right-wing ideologues.

Dont be so sure.....Eric Cantor anyone ?

[quote]Eric Cantor anyone ?

No thank you.

[quote]Maddow just highlighted something interesting. The FISA documents behind the memo were viewed only by Nunes's staff, Schiff and Trey Gowdy.

[quote]And Gowdy just announced he'll not be seeking reelection. Shoe drop?

I would love it if that is true, but there is a position as federal judge just became available in South Carolina, so it may be that Gowdy expects Trump to appoint him.

r158....stop.....Gowdy is going anywhere until January when the new congress is sworn in.....that bench will be filled long before then.

^^^^^isnt^^^^^

Well, we'll find out soon enough, R159.

The war agains the FBI moves to the Senate: Senate Homeland Security Chair Ron Johnson wrote Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein Wednesday night, requesting additional texts and emails from 16 FBI officials, including James Comey and Andrew McCabe.

Johnson's letter also requests emails between Hillary Clinton and former president Barack Obama that were exchanged while she was in the "territory of a sophisticated adversary."

Hunny, the WH returning the memo to the Nunes group (I refuse to refer to them as the House committee bc the Nunes groups is not the entire committee. ) tells me one thing. The blowback in terms of pressure on Trump having his hands on that thing and releasing it, was huge.

No matter how it's handled from this point on, it's like a deflating balloon farting it's way down the toilet. So. Nunes & Trump's people contrive to develop a memo shitting on Rosenstein for invented "irregularities and violations" of the FISA application and illegally spying on people.

They intend to use these false accusations which are easily proven to be false, to fire Rosenstein or at least weaken the investigation, impeach Mueller's credibility, and use it to propagandize "the corrupt FBI that has been politicized and needs to be cleaned up. "

So the memo gets written by Nunes staff with help from the WH. But it is promoted as having come from "the intel committee." Except then Schiff and the Dems call bullshit. They strenuously object ot the memo and insist it is a fabrication and they have their own version they want released to clarify the falsehoods and misleading info in the Nunues memo.

Nunes and his guys block the Dems and say hell no, only one report and it's the Nunes report. (The Dems should have scrubbed their report so it didn't violate the FBI concerns, then released it anyway a la Feinstein.)

But because there is such blowback now, and because the FBI uncharacteristically announces that this memo is a bad idea and will prove to be a national security risk and they have "grave concerns." Nunes decides to take it to the WH for the POTUS to review and decide whether it should be released.

Now the President is openly in the loop, officially. He has the memo. He reads the memo. He has his advisors read the memo and the entire Intel community reads the memo. It gets "revised." In the fucking WH. They revise it. Their hands are now all over this. Another clusterfukc Nunes special. With help from the Trump braintrust.

Then the WH sends it back to Nunes, tells him to take another look and decide when (and if) the memo should be released. Because by now, clearly several someones pressured Nunes to back the fuck off. The final straw is the WH not releasing it, but instead, sending the memo back to Nunes. All the public outcry clearly shifting away from Rosenstein and Mueller and focusing instead on Nunes and Ryan and Trump LOLOLOL!

The Chair of the Senate intel committee tells Nunes he's wrong, and so do a number of other members of Congress. Ryan is getting heavy pressure. The Dem leadership and probably several important GOP members are calling for Nunes to be stripped of his committee assignment.

I suspect Nunes Ryan and Trump will caucus with the appropriate staffers and discuss this debacle t the West Virginia meeting today. I don't think Trump appreciates his SOTU address being co-opted by a fucking memo that drew so many flies to this stinking pile of Nunes shit that it overshadowed everything else.

So is that an accurate summary of the news as it stands so far? I bet Rosenstein and Wray are laughing so hard they're ppissing themselves. But Ryan is going to pay a cost and I hope the spotlight shines on him. The TV pundits are screaming about Paul Ryan right now and it ain't pretty. I love this. Everyone's predicting he resigns the speakership this year and may even retire from Congress. Whether he decides to or not I want him charged with criminal conspiracy to obstruct justice and serve some fucking time. He can share a cell with his asshole buddy Devin.

Of course the FBI has it in for the dotard. He's a goddam TRAITOR, FFS!

Anyone who took an oath to the Constitution and takes it seriously has it in for these traitorous cowards!

Ron Johnson has overreached his mission as chair of homeland security. He has no standing to request anything on this matter. Hopefully cooler heads in the senate will prevail and he can fucking back the fuck off. There are Republicans such as the chair of the Senate Intel committee and a few others who will tell him to sit the fuck down. At least that is my hope. And BTW. I am so fucking sick and tired of them using Hillary I could scream. YOu do know that in the 2018 midterms they will be demonizing Nancy Pelosi in essentially the same way.

[quote] Everyone's predicting he resigns the speakership this year and may even retire from Congress.

Hopefully he will then have time for an emergency lip installation.

You will find the former lips of Paul Ryan inside of the Koch Brothers's collective anus's.

With this whole faked document business, this situation has taken a turn from Watergate to The Dreyfus Affair.

Hope Hicks is going down. And this time, it’s not on Carter Page.

I’m sure Carter would be disgusted by that image R169

Can we get a massive hashtag going? Like #whataretheyhiding or# what are they afraid of?

Which makes the image that much more enjoyable r170!

Apparently Nunes Trump & Ryan all caucused at their retreat in West Virginia, bca now Ryan is backing the release of the memo insisting it will not jeopardize national security and...get this... it is not critical of the FBI which I guess would technically be true since all the want is DOJ,Deputy Attorney General Rosenstein. Ryan ought to be charged with Obstruction. Period. And he ought to feel mounting pressure in Congress. 24/7/365. The media ought to camp out at Ryan's house and we need demonstrators at his house screaming at him all night to remove Nunes. YOu want a hashtag try using something that says Ryan is a traitor.

If it can be proven that Trump & Nunes communicated during the development of that memo designed to discredit the investigation, then Trump has hit the Obstruction and Conspiracy to Obstruct button about twenty times so far. I hope when they finally charge him they say how many counts of obstruction he is guilty of. What will Kelly do when he is summoned before Mueller and the grand jury. Because if I was Mueller I would certainly subpoena him. That arrogant piece of shit needs to know more than any other staff, that he is not above the law. If he is forced to go to the Grand Jury maybe he will realize how far he has fallen from the distinguished career he could have ended with. Haldeman and Erlichmann went to prison.

Carter Page comes off very gay to me. Like, a poppers bottom gay.

My favorite part of Weasel Ryan's press conference today was him saying that Pelosi calling for Nune's removal was "politics"

And he said the changes Nunes made were done before the vote to release by the committee....total lie

Another Trump staffer is preparing to audition for the Mueller choir.

You gotta wonder about people who would do something dishonest, illegal or unethical for their boss. I wouldn't.

Is your boss 6'3" tall and 239lbs of pure unadulterated American Beef?

#popperbottom

#americanbeef239

#lockthemup!

This could go either way. Pretty scary.

Trump Transition Team wants their emails back from Robert Mueller.

No, seriously.

[quote]Trump Transition Team wants their emails back from Robert Mueller.

LOL, good luck with that.

THEIR EMAILS!!!

R169 I think you meant Cory Lewindowski. Hope Hicks was having an affair with the very married-with-children Cory Lewindowski. I, too, believe Carter Page would run kicking and screaming at the sight of Hope Hick's pussy. I think maybe he is the gay that dressed Kellyanne Conway in her toy soldier outfit on inauguration day.

Another Trump traitor in his jaunty hat.

Steve Miller & Carter Page? Are they tight?

R175, have you seen him perform on All In with Chris Hayes? it's amazing to watch.

R187, she looks like The Penguin!

Within the last 5 min......

Kyle Griffin‏Verified account @kylegriffin1 Follow Follow @kylegriffin1 More Kyle Griffin Retweeted Donald Trump Jr. Is Don Jr. really saying that McCabe was fired and didn't resign? Or is he just misstating facts? This seems potentially significant.Kyle Griffin added, Donald Trump Jr. Verified account

@DonaldJTrumpJr It was good enough to fire McCabe, no one argues its factually inaccurate, but now days later they want to protect the names of those involved in a scandal that was big enough to fire a senior official a month before retirement? They don’t deserve a pass on that!

FUCKING IDIOT

BREAKING: Rick Gates' lawyers just filed a motion to quit.

Claiming their reasons for quitting are under court seal.

Hmmmm...

^^^That's a BFD

Two theories floating on legal Twitter regarding Gates: a. he's got a new lawyer who's helping him prepare to flip; b. he stiffed his attorneys for his legal bills.

My guess is he flipped

Gates will flip and give Mueller whatever goods he's got on Manafort.

[quote]Steve Miller & Carter Page? Are they tight?

Surely you jest.

Isn't this memo highlighting the obtaining of the FISA warrant from an actual FISA court using actual evidence that someone in Trump's campaign was more likely than not a Russian agent, oh, I don't know, bad for Trump? They are so stupid. It's highlighting the use of the courts as they are meant to be used in order to take down a traitor. Little did they know at the time what a cornucopia of traitorous fucks they were uncovering.

Chris Hayes and Ari Melber just said that if they REALLY want to get you the bottom of this, they should unseal the warrant itself. Wouldn’t that be fun?

BTW, Page was under a FISA warrant when Trump was still on The Apprentice.

GAtes didn't have a lawyer when he was charged did he? If I recall wasn't there some thing mentioned in the media announcement about his indictment about him not having a lawyer or not hiring one? I think Gates may be broke...or hiding his assets and will have to get court appointed counsel. As absurd as that seems it's probably true. I also think Manafort probably owes hi money but Manafort is hiding his assets too so financially he's strapped. Of course it doesn't mean he won't flip. He could still flip.

haha No, R108. The title was not my idea. Some other clever DL'er came up with it and that seemed to be the favorite.

New thread was in fact started in case the other maxed out in the middle of the night.

I seem to remember that too, r200.

Gates didnt have an attorney at the time of his arraignment......he hired one a few days later.

Remember Gates was the Deputy Campaign manager all the way through the transition. He was with the Trump campaign longer than Manafort. My thought has always been the Manafort publicly resigned to take Russian pressure off Trump but actually continued to work with the campaign all throughout - most likely using Gates as his conduit. He is rumored to have told Trump to get to Michigan, Wisconsin and Minnesota (three states that were pretty clearly in the Clinton column) in the last days - most likely because he knew the Russians were doing some dirty election tampering in those states. Gates make know more about Trump than we suspect. He wasn't just Manafort's business partner in shady Ukrainian deals.

I hope you bitches are right and Gates has flipped.

That would certainly explain the hysteria over the last week from Nunes and the WH.

Everyone, please call AND write your reps and demand that Ryan remove Nunes. This is, quite literally, the least we can do. Drag that idiot through the mud.

R206 will that do any good? I feel like Ryan could give two shits and wouldn't bother even if Jesus himself came down and told him to.

Would you rather we just sit by and grind our teeth into dust? These assholes need to be publicly shamed. And I mean, specifically, Ryan. People in WI should be camped out on his lawn. We should be clogging the halls of Congress. They’re counting on us shrugging and not doing anything. Fuck them.

Obviously not. But I'm saying... they don't give a shit. How do we force them to do anything when they just won't.

But there's always tomorrow where he'll do an about face.

People need to be calling Koch industries, not congress. You should just cut out the middle man.

Maybe they will make an arrest tomorrow. If it is Hicks, that will get the public interested.

[quote]Little did they know at the time what a cornucopia of traitorous fucks they were uncovering.

As the guy from Fusion GPS said in his Congressional testimony, "We threw out a fishing line and Moby Dick came back. We didn't know first how to react."

R212: I hope so! It has been too quiet on the Mueller front. Also, when is he going to question Bannon? It was supposed to happen by 1/31, but as of 2/1 yesterday it didn't happen yet.

Paul Ryan = obstruction

follow the money

Chain of succession:

Pence, Ryan, Hatch, and Tillerson...

Ryan has proven to be just as disturbing, perhaps moreso, than Pence.

They are puppets that make you wonder which is creepier: The puppet or the puppet master holding the strings?

Ryan is even more [italic] compromised [/italic] ]than Pence.

Trump really, really wants to be dictator and have everyone obey him and do his bidding:

Donald J. Trump‏Verified account @realDonaldTrump

The top Leadership and Investigators of the FBI and the Justice Department have politicized the sacred investigative process in favor of Democrats and against Republicans - something which would have been unthinkable just a short time ago. Rank & File are great people!

R219 Which translates to Republicans are way more compromised than Democrats.

Mike Levine‏ @MLevineReports

Three lawyers representing Trump associate Rick Gates in money-laundering case against him have asked to be dropped from the case. Meanwhile, Tom Green, a lawyer known for hammering out plea deals, stays on as counsel for Gates.

Y'all really need to read the Franklin Foer article in the Atlantic about Manafort. It gives context to everything.

I agree we need to publicly pressure Paul Ryan to get rid of Nunes, but I would also add that in addition to pressuring Ryan on Twitter, Facebook, etc. e-mailing his office sending faxes and crushing him at his home town offices in Wisconsin, please also contact the media on Twitter and facebook. That's what Ryan responds to as much as he responds to the Kochs. If he is under crushing media pressure that is embarrassing and affects his "image" he can tell the Kochs he has to turn on NUnes and dump him. Ryan is such an expert liar he will be able to justify turning on Nunes and get all his GOP caucus members to agree to it.

R117

Kochs = puppetmasters

[quote]If he is under crushing media pressure that is embarrassing and affects his "image" he can tell the Kochs he has to turn on NUnes and dump him.

Yes. Yes.

The Kochs benefit from a united front in the Republican Party more than from it fighting each other even when it's for the sake of the general public to make them believe that this means the end of the Republican Party's power.

I hope Ryan and Nunes will be tried on obstruction charges, they are guilty and perhaps they are guilty of more than obstruction.

Something that got little coverage recently was the Ruskees, using social media and other methods, spurred certain demonstrations and clashes by inflaming emotions, including using false information. Charlottesville was an example, targeting groups that ended up protesting and urging other groups to go counter-protest. The motive is to further divisiveness and polarization. Apparently, the Ruskees were into giving time and place details.

Now, they may be involved in suppressing any organized effort among the public to peacefully protest the 'collusion' and consequencies..

For the 2018, they will be up to the same old tactics of targeting voter supression, delivering misinformation, etc.

R198, you forget Republicans are shameless liars who are never held accountable for their lies. Nunes will omit and/or straight up lie about whatever is necessary to spin the narrative he wants. They do it all the time. Issa refused to schedule witnesses who would not say what he wanted during the Fast and Furious hearings. Then when one of his own witnesses went rogue and starting talking about toothless gun laws being the root of the problem, Issa had a hissy fit, cut him off and whined about going off on tangets. Gowdy was basically left with his pants down after the ridiculous BENGHAZI!!111! hearings, McCarthy ADMITTED it was a straight-up political hit job, and they still screamed lock her up. And then there was Ryan's typical GOP move--misrepresent and omit key data from a slew of economic research to justify his boner for fucking over poor people.

I don't need to see Nunes' memo to know is more of the same.

The fact that trump will not enforce sanctions against Russia should be well publicized because both houses of congress voted for these sanctions.

r228.....dont forget the most critical piece......they have their own propaganda network (Fox/Limbaugh/Breitbart,etc) who promote a false agenda relentlessly on a public who are too stupid to see otherwise. The GOP uses it to their advantage.....see Hannity, Piro, etc.

Yes, R230, Nunes et all can all safely count on their wingnut media allies to NOT do any fact checking of this memo, and for the mainstream media outlets to at best fall back on some kind of "both sides" analysis.

At least two attorneys representing figures involved in special counsel Robert Mueller’s probe say they believe it’s possible that Mueller could indict President Trump, Politico reported Friday.

The lawyers — one of whom represents a senior Trump administration official — told Politico that while they don’t know of any specific plans to bring charges against Trump, their experience with the law leads them to believe the president could be indicted for obstruction of justice.

One of the attorneys partly based his prediction based off his contacts with Mueller’s team.

“If I were a betting man, I’d bet against the president,” one of the lawyers told the publication.

I am hoping for some major leak tonight, as the memo seems to be falling flat, and Wikileaks just released more of Hill's emails. Those buttery males are getting a workout today! Feels like something big is brewing and republicans are panicking.

Has any reporter asked the Koch brothers what they think of the russia scandal and subsequent actions by congress?

I don’t even want to hear from the pawns anymore, let’s go live to the source.

omg the Koch brothers have Twitter. One of them is private but send him some tweets anyway! Ask them what they plan to do with us all...

here is the business official one. Most journalist are cowards these days. It’s up to the people.

don’t even bother calling congress anymore. They’ve been bought and paid for.

Certainly one if not both of the Koch brothers has sexually harassed or assaulted someone? Can't we get someone to make the claim?

Come on bitches, step up.

Can anyone help me out? I’m moving from NYC to the Midwest to help take care of my parents. It’s killing me to do this, but the one ray of sunshine is that I’ll be in a state where political activism can actually make a difference.

How does one get involved? What websites can I go to to find out how to get involved locally? What organizations? Many thanks.

As to obstruction of justice, if Nunes is not included, something will be terribly wrong. Ryan is looking less and less clean as he is allowing/facilitating the undermining of the legitimate work of the DOJ and FBI. There are questionable others in Congress.

It is one thing to be pro-Trump and advocate for him based on politics and policies; it is another for people in the legislative branch to deliberately create barriers to delegitimize a criminal investigation. That is not oversight; it is intrusion to derail the investigation to protect an individual (s) from facing justice.

Isn't the fact that Nunes is trying to release a memo that is full of lies, which Dump has admitted to friends that it is being done to help undermine the investigation.... well isnt that enough to nail him on obstruction of justice too?

R239 check out ‘indivisible’ in your area. Also learn the basics of your districts when you know where you’re going. Look up the candidates and get familiar.

Don’t forget to resister to vote ASAP so you’ll be set for the primaries.

Good luck. Resist!

the next time people tell you to call the congressional switchboard, give them this number instead.

This is the direct hotline to Koch industries which should be much more productive.

+1.316.828.5500

What businesses do the Koch brothers own? Would it be worth it to boycott their products?

I see that these are some of their products.

Angel Soft toilet paper

Brawny paper towels

Dixie plates, bowls, napkins and cups

Mardi Gras napkins and towels

Quilted Northern toilet paper

Soft ‘n Gentle toilet paper

Sparkle napkins

Vanity fair napkins

Zee napkins

In what way would that be more productive R243? The Kochs literally do not care. They make some paper products, but most of their other products are industry products, not something the average person uses.

Actually calling your Congressman -- no email, no twitter, no facebook -- does make a difference. They do keep tallies of who calls and for what purpose. My Congressman is Adam Schiff so I just make a phone call of support.

Also, the things is, most Congresspeople are used to getting very little pushback from constituents or the opposition. There's a reason so many Republican Committee chairs aren't running in 2018, for the first time they are not running unopposed or due to pushback, they've decided it's not worth the trouble to run again.

If you are in a district (or know family or friends who do) with a Republican (especially an old one), and they haven't decided to run for re-election yet, then I would call /get family and friends to call his or her DC and local offices continuously to pester him or her about every crappy thing Republicans do.

I just don’t see the harm in calling congress bosses. The brothers call the shots. They write the laws. They decide who stays and who goes.

I say go to the source. Call both congress and congress’ boss.

Georgia Pacific is the paper products subsidiary. Anywhere you see that name, know where the money is going.

I think the American people deserve some answers from these two. Why don’t we ever see them on the news?

Are they mortal? Do they have extra limbs or two heads?

They’re just people who have gotten away with so much destruction.

People waste their time fighting congress. It’s like yelling at the check out girl when you really need to speak to her manager.

Congress can’t do a thing as long as the Kochs have them by the neck.

Koch Industries involve oil and gas, timber/pulp & paper, plastics, iron and steel, fibers, ranching, international investment, finance, other energy, chemicals, minerals, asphalt, fertilizer, commodities trading, etc. It is a massive conglomerate and monopolizes much.

>Angel Soft toilet paper

That was the only one I had to drop and switch brands.

R249, is there a full list of their brands anywhere? I'd like to avoid what Koch shit I can.

DONT FORGET THE TOXIC COAL ASH!!!

Last one because I’m afraid we are getting a tad off topic. Although a koch bros thread would be in order if someone can get them on camera.

Maybe we should call that number and tell the employees we are with them and even though they are most likely subjected to threats, harrasment and abuse, they don’t deserve it.

Can you imagine what it’s like to work for these guys?

You can always ask your republican congressmen.

If you buy a car, buy gas, buy a house, furniture, anything plastic, consume agriculture, fertilize your garden, purchase many consumer products with chemicals; etc. the Koch are being financially rewarded. Not everything is labeled with their name. They sell to other corporations and subsideraries. One buys stock and mutual funds, the Koch get rewarded directly or indirectly.

[quote]"We threw out a fishing line and Moby Dick came back. We didn't know first how to react."

A great line, which surely speaks also to daunted Democratic speechlessness. There isn't quite the language yet to start to apprehend this phenomenon. A blubbering mass flails and squirts in the Oval Office, insisting it's not out of its depth. It falls to Mueller to be the forensic Melville.

Memo released per DL with no link.

Link

[quote]something which would have been unthinkable just a short time ago

Trumpy can't or won't grasp that it takes the unthinkable to deal with the unthinkable. So much was unthinkable 'just a short time ago.'

[quote]have politicized the sacred investigative process

No way in hell did DJT type those words.

Shimon Prokupecz‏ @ShimonPro

Sen. Orrin Hatch says he has confidence in Deputy AG Rod Rosenstein but said Trump may have to get rid of him if he becomes too controversial and can’t oversee the investigation.

Hmmm.

You mean Orrin Hatch who apparently told Dump that he was the best President in the history of the United States... even better than Lincoln and Washington?

R254, of course there's no hope of escaping the Koch's completely, but that doesn't mean we can't do anything at all. And, if I can knowingly avoid giving a penny to Koch Asshole Industries I'll be happier for it.

WaPo link to the memo

[quote] You mean Orrin Hatch who apparently told Dump that he was the best President in the history of the United States... even better than Lincoln and Washington?

That is not true, get your facts straight. Hatch said he would be willing to help Trump become the best president. Not the same thing.

WRONG, R266!

The Democratic response

[bold]Rachel Maddow[/bold] MSNBC @maddow 47 minutes ago

LOL

A year attacking the Steele dossier.

A month hyping that the dossier started the whole FBI investigation.

Weeks hyping that they have a memo (a memo!) that will finally prove it!

So... is there some other memo?

Because this one says it was Papadopoulos, not the dossier.

The worst part is not even that there is NOTHING in this memo that discredits Trump or the investigation into the Trump/Rusher collusion, but that Nunes had to lie aka “mischaracterize” the points brought up in the memo.

Imagine how much effort Nunes put into hanging himself with this memo. Someone should give Nunes the number to the suicide hotline. He might need it.

It isnt just Nunes....how many committee members and congressman have made the rounds claiming they read the memo and how damning it is.

Thank you, r242!

You don't really think that Deplorables read do you? They have been told by Fax that the memo is damning. That is all they need to hear. No need for verification.

I haven't read the memo. What do they say about the dossier? Or is the dossier not mentioned at all?

It didnt say much of anything actually.....

The release of the memo proves that it was never about the memo's content it was about the PR drama of the release of the memo. The Deplorables made up their minds based on the week-long drama before it was released.

exactly r276, distraction and optics for the base

Mueller is investigating the Dump transition team, right? Nunes was part of that transition team, right?

How is his memo then not obstruction of justice?

Please please please let an indictment come out on him.

Yes, thank goodness for all the talk about the memo!

[bold]Trey Gowdy[/bold] @TGowdySC 1 hour ago

While this memo raises serious concerns with the FISA process, I have been and remain confident in the overwhelming majority of the men and women serving at the FBI and DOJ.

As I have said repeatedly, I also remain 100 percent confident in Special Counsel Robert Mueller. The contents of this memo do not - in any way - discredit his investigation.

Frog-marching with hair askew and cheeseburgers entrails smeared all over his face.

Fuck you Devin Nunes for making agree with Trey Gowdy on even one occasion.

Trump will fires Rosenstien on Sunday so the Super Bowl coverage will push it out of the news.

HAHAHAA! Even Trey BENGHAZI!!!1111! Gowdy has turned on Nunes.

I think we're done.

I was just listening to Tom Hartman who basically said if Rosenstein leaves, either by quitting or being fired, the entire investigation is done.

[quote]HAHAHAA! Even Trey BENGHAZI!!!1111! Gowdy has turned on Nunes.

Interesting how Congressmen get their modicum of sanity back when they aren't running for reelection.

As I stated before.....This is to discredit any evidence they have obtained against Trump via Page......do it now, taint the investigation and sway public opinion. Nunes knows what Page provided.....he admitted to the committee that yes, he was meeting with Russians while denying it publicly.

Wasn't Page's warrant done back in 2013?

the memo is pure theater

I do hope that Nunes and Trump shot themselves in the foot with this and Mueller and the Democratic Party will start their own wikileaks releasing all the findings of the investigation for transparency reasons.

Reporters asked Trump if he is going to fire Rosenstein and his response was "You figure that one out".

[quote]Reporters asked Trump if he is going to fire Rosenstein and his response was "You figure that one out".

Stay tuned after the break!

R291 is that what the reporter asked? I thought the reporter asked if he thought the report showed that Rosenstein was biased.

I think the reporter asked if the president still had confidence in Rod Rosenstein. Also, interesting to note that Jeff Sessions was at some conference today with Rosenstein and Rachel Brandt (next in line after Rosenstein). He was singing both their praises. Some are indicating that Trump might actually have to fire Sessions to get to Rosenstein. Wish we had some idea what kind of a patriot Rachel Brandt is. Would she fire Mueller?

I think it's a travesty that any president can fire people who are investigating them. They are not immune from prosecution.

oh that surveillance you are bitching about that you OVERWHELMINGLY voted to continue??????????

FUCK YOU

IN THE ASS

WITH OUR TORCHES AND PITCHFORKS

Mhm...The Memo?

I can't tell you how many times during this whole shit-show that I've thought of this scene from "The West Wing," and how if Trump really *was* innocent, he would be saying, "Bring it on."

But he isn't, because he's not.

The only thing the memo proves is that Carter Page, whom Trump himself trumpeted during the campaign, was a fucking Russian spy for YEARS and everyone knew it from the Obama Administration, to the FBI, to the CIA, to foreign governments, to Manafort and Gates, to the Congressional Repugs, to the Trump transition team, to the Trump campaign, to Trump Jr., and, finally, Trump himself.

Fucking idiots just DeepThroated themselves.

R299 and rhebTrump campaign willing hired a Russia agent. That should be the ducking headline!,

Been watching MSNBC and CNN all afternoon. Consensus among everyone except wingnut GOP shills is that the memo is a complete bust for Republicans.

So why is Nunes so set on covering Trump's ass? Is he himself compromised and figuring he'll need a Trump pardon? He was an early Trump campaign supporter and on the transition team.

[quote]Consensus among everyone except wingnut GOP shills is that the memo is a complete bust for Republicans.

It’s more than just a bust. It’s more than just a nothingburger.

.....

Mueller needs to hurry up, or someone needs to seriously intervene, Trump wants US nuclear testing within 6 months even though DoE won't be prepared. I'm convinced he wants to kill us all to gain admiration from Putin.

Nuclear testing? Where and what for?

r307 in Nevada, for Trump's own ego, to "prove" he's got the biggest button.

This whole fucking memo fiasco is confusing in how it is being reported! Journalists are saying this is a big nothing and all it does is proves Page was an Russian asset since 2013 - before the dossier. Yet, in the next breath, they say Trump will use this memo to try to fire Rosenstein. How can he do that (given the 2nd sentence above)?

R309, because it's Trump. There really is no logic involved.

Because the memo could say that Arlene Francis was the Queen of Whats my Line and our Dear Cheeto would say that this is proof that Rod Rosenstein needs to go. In other words it doesn't matter what it says, cheeto will claim otherwise. That don't mean he'll get away with it, but this is his reasoning

Trump will claim it shows bias......his GOP henchmen will trumpet the message.....then the investigation gets railroaded.....

Trump will use this memo as cover to justify his action so it doesnt look like obstruction.

R309 You're trying to apply logic to Trump. You can't argue with Crazy.

Until this Trump fucker is reined-in, US democracy is dead and we are under the control of a dictator.

We need to shine a huge spotlight on Paul Ryan and put massive PUBLIC pressure on him >Do whatever you can. Question his manhood, call him a traitor and suggest he is getting Russian money for his spuerpacs...because he is... tell him he is a coward, but pressure him. He can't handle pressure. Ryan likes to operate behind the scenes and only make speeches filled with lies and platitudes. But if you confront him and push him relentlessly, repeatedly, he will fall apart.

Are Ryan's constituents doing anything? Even though the election is in November, can they start a recall campaign now just in case?

What I don't understand is that none of them look like wrecks. I'd be a mess if I was in the middle of this shitfest and, most likely, indictable for things up to and including treason. Are they actually sociopaths? They seem too sure that they are going to get away with everything. Even Trump, himself, and Ivanka and Jared look like they're tripping through the damn daisies all the time. Are they delusional or are we all just that fucked?

When you read the reasons for the issuances of the FISA court you have to understand that TRUMP HIRED A RUSSIAN OPERATIVE!!!

I can't take too much of this double standard by the media. The Memo was a publicity stunt, and as someone pointed out so well up thread, it was the Publicity about a memo that was hyped, not the actual memo which is nothing.

One thing you can be assured of is that anything that starts with Devin Nunes is always going to be a shit show. Trump knows this. Trump knows they aren't getting the kind of traction they wanted.

But if the Media, like CNN and the rest, start with the false equivalences, and raising "questions," casting doubts, etc. on the basis of this memo, and by extension the FBI investigation, and cast this as a he says/they say argument instead of what it was, an attempt to obstruct justice and derail this investigation, Trump wins.

It's all in how the Media portray it. I do not want to see a single GOP shill on TV tonight trying to justify this. Imo it is Treason for Trump to release a classified document against the strongest public urging of his own Justice department and the FBI. Fucking treason; and portraying it as anything less, let alone partisan bickering, misses the point and gives Trump exactly what he wants.

If he fires Mueller or Rosenstein or Sessions, the media will have blood on their hands. Now we need to get out there and start going on social media and insisting the media do their job. Tell them what you think. Raise Hell. Go after Ryan big time.

Right now according to insider reports Chris Wray the FBI director has no plans to resign. he isn't quitting. rosenstein is fine. THe memo is bullshit and the FBI used to cleverest language I've ever seen to say Nunes is a fucking liar and the Memo is worthless. Most pundits are saying similar and John McCain, in a wheelchair shoved a bg hot iron crowbar up Ryan and Nunes' asses today. But then you have Chris Matthews and other hyping a "slow motion Saturday Night massacre" because they believe they can hype the news to create the crisis that doesn't exist. They are literally goading Trump into acting. I think they need to back off and top this shit.

Ruth Marcus is saying the goal is to make sure his base is with him and just discredit the team investigating him. He wants the people of America to not trust the DOJ team when they indict him. I agree. I think he isn't going to fire anyone. I cannot believe anyone would have advised him to do that. Chris Christie, Giuliani, his top close friends would all tell him to not go there. What he has done is bad enough. He has impeached the credibility of the investigation. That's what he can get away with. If he goes farther he is fucked.

R320: He didn't accomplish anything favorable with this memo. His same fucking base is with him regardless and everybody else still see him for the crooked - obstructionist fucker that he is. All he did was piss off the FBI more than ever, give Mueller more obstructionist fuel, and hand secrets over to Putin.

Uh oh, Miss Nunes? You in Danger Gurl!

We needto start tweeting to the FBI on twitter and telling them We stand with Wray & Rosenstein. and thank them. That's something that will have an impact if enough people do it. Spread the word.

House Republicans are complaining about being called traitors. That really gets under their skin. Tying them to R*ssia really upsets them.

Geraldo Rivera called and wants his empty tomb back.

R324 Since their (R) stands for Russia instead of Republican, they are traitors.

Honestly, I’ve had it up to here with the Republicans and their political theater.

We are being sold down the river. This administration is putting in place all kinds of policies that will affect us in possibilly devastating ways financially and in regards to climate change, and meanwhile, bullshit like this memo is being used as yet another distraction, in order to rob us blind.

r327.....Thats why theyre doing it......they know the minute the shit hits the fan, its over.

^^^^ so they will do anything to prevent that from happening, even obstruct justice. Its a gamble that theyll lose.

I haven't been watching news coverage in over a year... I turned on CNN and was introduced to Boris Sanchez. Hello!

Nunes stated that Democrats lie so much it's hard to keep track of...

uh. Ok.

Nunes is clearly projecting, like all Republicans.

Especially the fuck tard in the White House.

Jim Jordan, Mark Meadows, and other Republican Committee members have been all over the TV networks today with their talking points. When a good anchor points out their contradictions and highly partisan, weak, and fallacious arguments, they just repeat over and over the same talking points.

Chuck Todd appeared to be an enabler with his softball questions and comments to them. I can't stand that MTP segment and switch.

Chuck Todd is pretty much useless. I saw him laughing with Jim Jordan today and turned the station as quickly as I could in disgust.

Someone just made an interesting point re: the memo. They said that Dump runs in to a problem if he wants to fire Rosenstein. They were saying that if he wanted to fire Rosenstein his best shot at doing it was to do it along with the release of the memo and he could cite that there were questions about his impartiality/ability to do his job.

The fact that the memo was released without a firing is going to make it more difficult for Dump to justify a firing (not that he would care).

Ha! Rachel Maddow showed a clip of Carter Page on his unrequited love Chris Hayes's show - with Page saying something like (paraphrasing) Paul Ryan is looking into "the FISA.... the shady dossier". Rachel was jumping up and down that Page knew months (whenever he was on Hayes) that the GOP / Ryan were planning to do this, and now we have the FISA warrant thing out in the open.

Unbelievable. Paul Ryan is a fucking traitor and I hope he gets to visit Mueller's office.

Rep. Chris Stewart is a lying liar. He's on CNN right now maintaining that McCabe stated the FISA warrant was only issued because of the Steele Dossier.... although everyone has pointed out that the memo and none of the Republicans are quoting McCabe's testimony even though they could have directly used it.

I like that John Berman isn't letting him get away with it.

What bugs me though is that they (Repugs including Stewart) keep harping on how no one presented to the FISA court that Hillary Clinton paid for the Dossier.

Berman kept on the point that it might not be required that they do so.

Why doesn't anyone call them out on the fact that the Dossier was originally funded by a Republicunt?

Did somebody let Todd out of the electrical room again?

Did the fat orange fuck retreat to Mar-a-lago this weekend to get away from it all?

The Dossier. Chris Steele produced the dossier for GPS Fusion. He had NO IDEA who was paying GPS. That's part of the deal, so it's not like Hilz was handing over cash payments to Chris Steel. Chris Steel was hired by GPS to do Russian research, NOT because the evil Hilz told them to go after Trump on Russia. GPS hired Steel because their initial research said that they needed to follow up on the Russia stuff. This is all from GPS's testimony to Congress

Good, R324! let's all get on social media and start calling the House GOP members Traitors with Ryan being the #1 traitor because he could have stopped or avoided this entire 3 ring circus. he will never recover from this if the public has anything to do with it. I want to shred him so bad he won't even get lobbying contracts. I want to make Paul Ryan a pariah. That's what that fucking traitor deserves.

Chuck Todd is a POS. MSNBC should get rid of him like Greta van sucksher

There should be demonstrations at the offices of GOP House members people with signs saying GOP are traitors and "R" is for Russia.

I asked about Carter Page stating on Chris Hates that this was going to happen and Paul Ryan would see to it.......and Rachel covered it tonight. Paul Ryan is a traitor.

A good point was just made on CNN. Republicunts bitching that this whole investigation is being done because the FBI has a bias and is trying to destroy Trump doesn't hold water because the investigation started in June 2016 and we didn't hear about it until after the election. Meanwhile we certainly heard about Hillary's email - - - to which Comey is still probably feeling, "mildly nauseous" about.

It was a pro-Marco Rubio group that initiated what ultimately became the Steele dossier.

None of it makes sense, it is baseless. 4 judges granted extensions of the FISA warrant. Page was tagged in 2013 before the Steele dossier anyway. The judges were told that the Steele dossier was arranged via opposition research, that’s all they need to know. It doesn’t detract from the evidence anyway, doesn’t matter. And don’t forget the Papadopoulus dude, who was also sited as the engine for the Russian investigation. Trump hired a known Russian agent for his foreign policy team! WTF!

Saw where Hannity was raging about pee pee girls. He's weird anyway.

Someone on Progressive Radio made a point about how the Feds had stuff on Papadopoulus prior to the election and questioned whether or not he could have been wearing a wire for over a year.

[quote] Now we need to get out there and start going on social media and insisting the media do their job. Tell them what you think. Raise Hell. Go after Ryan big time.

Come on twitter users make it trend #RecallRyan

Il Duce and Il Douche

Trump has an ace in the hole:

[quote]Indeed, White House National Security Council senior director for Asian affairs Matthew Pottinger was reported as saying in a recent closed-door meeting with US experts on Korean Peninsula issues that a limited strike on the North “might help in the midterm elections.”

Note that there is only one outlet reporting this, a supposedly "left-wing" South Korean paper, so be skeptical of this, but still...

The investigative team has information the public and Congress do not know. Some major stuff may be leaked soon in a drip, drip, drip, way. And only pieces they want leaked will get out there. One would expect the FBI had one or more informants in the WH early on. Such individual could still be around there.

[quote]Nunes is clearly projecting, like all Republicans.

Trump's entire rant today about how it's disgusting what is happening to this country and what certain people are doing to this country is a great example of this. He was talking about himself the entire time.

OMG R352, I hope enough reporters see this, just to start asking around, and pestering the WH for comment. Hopefully, it also can turn out to be true, that'll be a firestorm.

It was tweeted by the Tokyo Bureau Chief for the Washington Post, R355. I guarantee there will be a lot of people sniffing around. Again, only one outlet and I have no idea of its reputation, so who knows whether this is true or not.

[quote]House Republicans are complaining about being called traitors. That really gets under their skin. Tying them to R*ssia really upsets them.

But ya ARE, Republicans ... ya ARE traitors!

[quote]House Republicans are complaining about being called traitors. That really gets under their skin. Tying them to R*ssia really upsets them.

Proof Republicunts really do hate the truth.

#MemoDay was trending all day yesterday, mostly tweets from deporables. The Russian bots are at it again.

Conservatives love to call themselves victims and being opressed by those militant, socialist Liberal Nazis.

[post redacted because linking to dailymail.co.uk clearly indicates that the poster is either a troll or an idiot (probably both, honestly.) Our advice is that you just ignore this poster but whatever you do, don't click on any link to this putrid rag.]

[post redacted because linking to dailymail.co.uk clearly indicates that the poster is either a troll or an idiot (probably both, honestly.) Our advice is that you just ignore this poster but whatever you do, don't click on any link to this putrid rag.]

Could we change #recallryan to #recallrussianryan?

You can't recall members of Congress. You're better talking up Randy Bryce, the guy running against him.

I like #TraitorRyan. In fact, #TraitorRyan or #RussianRyan & #RemoveNunes are my favorites. We need to keep calling the GOP Congress traitors publicly. I think it's important to use that word as often and as openly as possible. IMO, Trump committed an act of treason by opposing his own Justice Department and allowing classified information to be released. That was an act of treason, and yes, it was shameful. He got that right. He is in a bad place right now. I hope they pile it on. #TraitorTrump needs to trend. because he is. No point in soft peddling it. Time to start using the "T" word

I'm loving Congressman Jim Hines, especially when he has his Clark Kent glasses on.

^^^ Himes, that is. Always "on point."

#traitoryan

#HopeHo

Question- based upon that October 2017 clip of Page’s October interview it sure seems that Ryan/Nunes/Gowdy were discussing classified information with a known Russian asset who was the target of that intelligence. That’s also when the fourth FISA warrant expired. Does anyone else think there might have been a fifth FISA warrant that the House wasn’t informed of because House members became part of the FISA warrant application?

Good point, R370, and not beyond the realm of possibility. I'm thinking that Nnes is being watched, but I don't know about FISA waarrant for him. He is probaly pissed off because there's a real possibility he was caught on tape talking to others who are under surveillance.

I'm watching A.M.Joy and she's getting ready to kick Ryan's ass. Interesting that Carter Page was talking about releasing memos back in October and layinig it at ryan's doorstep. As if Ryan would exonerate him with a memo. Clearly Ryan has been part of the obctruction or conspiracy to obstruct for several months at least. I wonder how much he sold out for? He's pretty cheap. I mean the Kochs gave him a gratuity of only 4500,000 for his work in passing their tax cuts.

Joy Reid & Co. have been talking about the CIA meeting with Sanctioned heads of Russian Intel this week. Pompeo. The point being those Russians were under sanction and the meeting itself could not have happened without Trump's knowledge and approval. So that definitely puts Kelly in the loop. Not nearly enough publicity about that meeting we need to get on twitter and push for more coverage of the Russian/CIA meeting with Pompeo.

r371....and dont forget, as mentioned upthread, last year Trump was trumpeting a joint US/Russian intelligence operation to share info. Congress put the brakes on it, but you know Trump....he does what he wants anyway and hopes nobody finds out.

#BananaRepublicans

They are aware of where their loyalties should be... they just don't care.

I think reporters and other "experts" and "political analysts" and pundits who dismiss the GOP Congressional support for Trump as all about politics are being lazy. I think for some that's true. I think that in their large group meetings they frame it that way. But. I believe in my bones more than a few have been compromised by Russian $$$ and are part of the Conspiracy to obstruct for larger reasons than partisan politics.

And since some of them seem blissfully unconcerned about the Mid Terms, especially when there is every indication that under normal circumstances they're going to get their asses handed to them, I have to ask what are they up to. I think the reporters need to investigate what the GOP is planning for the Mid terms.

When they have these retreats as they did a couple of days ago, they're planning and discussing Mid terms and the issues and the strategy they will need to win. Why has no one talked about what they're up to.

OK obviously they will tout the tax cuts since this year it will put a few extra dollars in their pockets. They will celebrate the extension of CHIP, and they will talk about how Trump defeated ISIS. THey can claim no other legislative "victories." so they need to do something with DACA in a way that appeals to their constituents.

My guess is that there will be some kind of incident that will justify a tough stance on immigration and help Trump get his wall funded. If the Dems support the Wall in exchange for DACA, they are going to hurt themselves so let's hope they don't fall for it.

But my original point is that they must have something up their sleeves that will assure them of keeping the House. This is an urgent matter for them because without the House, impeachment is a certainty, and most of them will be out on their asses.

Pompeo' meeting with the heads of the three Russian Intelligence agencies at CIA headquarters this past week is concerning to say the least. Especially when you consider two of those Russians were under sanction. Malcolm Nance on Joy Reid's show asserted that there was no way such a top level meeting would have taken place without Trump & Putin's offices approving it. Pompeo didn't just do it on his own.

Nance said that it is customary for Intel services to share information around specific issues like counterterrorism, but those meetings are held in a neutral country never at the CIA headquarters. Nance also said that Russian Intel and counter terrorism operations were total bullshit and damned near useless, while ours were damned good. So the advantage would go to Russia in this scenario, once again gaining access to something they can exploit to our detriment.

This needs to be a leading headline on a major news story that will not go away.

At the risk of sounding like some kind of crazy conspiracy nut that we all are so fond of making fun of here on DL, how EXACTLY did Carter Page know about plans to release a memo critical of FISA way back in October as he stated on Chris Hayes' show? Did Gowdy share classified info. with him regarding the FISA? Wasn't Gowdy the only one of the traitorous trio (Ryan, Nunes, Gowdy) that had access to the classified FISA reports? Is this why Gowdy has suddenly and unexpectedly decided to step down after this year in an election where he most certainly would be re-elected? Is he fearful that Mueller now knows how complicit he is in all this? This is ALL starting to smell bigly and far "flungly". What is going on with our country??

Not crazy at all, r375. I’d say that makes sense.

Trump tweets about Russian Witch Hunt.

He's going to trans and be Baba Yaga to escape the mess.

Perhaps the GOP Congressmen know that, now they've pulled off the election scam for POTUS, they no longer need to worry about being re-elected: there will be no fair election until if or when the peep begin an armed revolt and overthrow them.

I believe these guys believe in some sort of end of the world as we know it prophecy where something terrible will happen and they just make sure that things are in place to save them (screw everybody else).

Yes Boris Sanchez of CNN is hawt and deserves his own thread. Perfect eyebrows.

People will see what they want to see. She comes across as very protective of her son. I believe she is a good mother.

I also believe she is very unhappy with the marriage and feels trapped. She does not want to do the First Lady role.

I think Tray Gowdy was given the memo and documentation to read recently before the release, not back in October. In October Page leaked Ryan's complicity as a stage manager.

More on Carter Page, and this undercuts the Republican campaign to pretend that everything was hunky-dory and he shouldn't have been watched.

[quote]Former Trump campaign adviser Carter Page bragged that he was an adviser to the Kremlin in a letter obtained by TIME that raises new questions about the extent of Page’s contacts with the Russian government over the years.

[quote]The letter, dated Aug. 25, 2013, was sent by Page to an academic press during a dispute over edits to an unpublished manuscript he had submitted for publication, according to an editor who worked with Page.

[quote]“Over the past half year, I have had the privilege to serve as an informal advisor to the staff of the Kremlin in preparation for their Presidency of the G-20 Summit next month, where energy issues will be a prominent point on the agenda,” the letter reads.

More at the link. He really is a moron.

In that letter, did he also confess to spanking it to Chris Hayes every night?

Yes, he is a moron. Now, what level of idiocy do we give to those who hired him, put him front and center on their foreign relations committee, and THEN hyped a memo for weeks confessing exactly that! It's astonishing.

Well the only person Trump seems to listen to is Hannity. Unless there's a ton of push back from the Dems and from the Media independent of the Dems, Trump will continue to function in his bubble and reach for Rosenstein. But really he can't directly fire Rosenstein. He has to go through Sessions to fire Rosenstein. Two days ago, after Trump attempted to smear rosenstein, Sessions made a speech and was effusive in his compliments of Rosenstein. Trey Gowdy is a puzzle. He clearly was uncomfortable with Nunes tactics, and he spoke up for Mueller. But he didn't say anything about the FBI n general or Rosenstein. I wonder. Does Trump want to appoint Gowdy in place of Sessions??

Well, r385, Nunes is in a class by himself. He admits that he hasn't read the source documents. He's said that he's going after the State Department for "some of the involvement they had in this," to "try to get to the bottom of what exactly the State Department was up to in terms of this Russian investigation," when any moron knows that the State Department has zero role in such investigations and such matters.

His pimping for Trump has been blatantly obvious for months and his failure to recuse himself from these matters after promising to do so after his last abject humiliation has been notable and noted. He truly is an embarrassment.

R387, My guess is that Trump wants to fire Rex Tillerson as well, so he asked his personal lapdog to cook up a conspiracy that would involve him as well.

r387....Of course he didnt read the source material....HE HAD HIS SECURITY CLEARANCE REVOKED MONTHS AGO. Why does the media keep omitting that part ? It happened after his last stunt. Thats why Gowdy is privy to it, hes next in line with the necessary clearance.

Seriously R389?

Of course r390.

r390.....

I'm not so certain that Trey Gowdy isn't in line to be Attorney General. After "Benghazi, Benghazi, Benghazi" Trump knows that he will play the role of a partisan hack without any hesitation.

Gowdy isnt that stupid.....he knows exactly where this administration is headed.....that why hes getting out of town before the shit gets deep.

Yes but aside from his recent endorsement of Mueller, Gowdy isn't burning bridges. My guess is that he will get a federal judgeship if he wants it, and he'll leave Congress early if they want to give him the bench. Gowdy may also be a candidate for Sessions' job.He'd love that and he wouldn't be a rubber stamp for Trump. Now Gowdy is a Conservative, Extreme Right bastard. So he wouldn't be a walk in the park, but he wouldn't be a pushover for Trump, because in spite of playing politics, he does believe in the rule of law....or at least his interpretation of it. And since he was a former Prosecutor, he' not going fuck with Mueller. Personally I hope he just goes home and disappears like Eric Kantor did for a while. I definitely do not want a piece of shit like Gowdy to go over to the justice department. He would have no problem going after Hillary again if it's politically expedient. And I certainly don't want him on the ench. But the announcement that he was leaving Congress, was just too good to be true. I'm afraid to be happy about it. I'm waiting for the other shoe to drop.

Gowdy illegally fired a military serviceman. He shouldn’t get anywhere with his party...yet, here we are talking about a promotion.

Gowdy wants to get as far from the Washington spotlight as he can.

I've seen tweets calling Ryan a #PutinHo. I'm going with that.

R381, you know who did not want to be First Lady? Michelle. She served with grace, considering the awful things said about every damn thing she did, though she was rarely out of step. I can't imagine her dealing with her husband's affair with a porn star, and a past with graphic nudes, though.

In 2016 Carter Page was screaming from the rooftops that he was an agent of the Russians and Nunez feels that the FISA court did not have grounds to investigate him?

How stupid are these Republicans?

Nunes is such a dope, claiming that his memo is about protecting the American people, as if the average American is passing documents to Russian spies. Unbelievable.

All of them traitors, r401..

Gowdy may be a ideologically twisted piece of rat shit, but he is not completely stupid. If he did in fact read the source documents behind the memo, and then announces he's leaving Congress, that speaks volumes to me, because he's an ideologically rigid extremist. I'm guessing that he is thinking about his future, and wants to distance himself from the Trump mess because as a former prosecutor he knows a lot of people are going down, and he did not want to be part of a criminal conspiracy to obstruct justice, which is what Ryan and Nunes are facing. Of course that does not eliminate a federal judgeship if it's on offer, but I don't think he'd accept being Trump's attorney general and participate in ousting Sessions. Plus I'm sure he & Sessions agree on a lot of stuff.

Maybe I missed something, but how in the world has Carter Page not yet been arrested or indicted? Certainly Russia knows the jig is up with him and would cease all contact. Everyone knows he's being surveilled.

What's the deal here?

R381, Why don't you start a thread on this topic?

[quote]Maybe I missed something, but how in the world has Carter Page not yet been arrested or indicted? Certainly Russia knows the jig is up with him and would cease all contact. Everyone knows he's being surveilled.

Maybe he already has a deal. Maybe he’s had a deal for a long time, which would explain why the FBI would be so worried about that piece of shit memo getting released.

I thought Page was indicted? Manafort, Flynn, Gates, Papadopoulis, and Page. No?

I bet the next round of indictments is going to be real heavy. I think we'll see maybe one or two high profile people and a bunch of minor players. The strategy has always been to start from the outside and work your way up, but I think the corruption is so obvious and there is such an incredible trail it must be an embarrassment of riches for the FBI. It's like we could charge Trump with twenty different crimes, but which ones should we pick because you could get a conviction on most of them.

I read in the Post an article that claims the FBI worker bees are angry and upset because they lean conservative and can't get over the fact that they're under attack from the Conservative, GOP, "law & order" party. Poor little guys.

It is abundantly clear: Putin has succeeded in sowing mistrust and discord from the highest levels of government down to the every day rank and file American citizen. Why can't the GOP see this?!

Oh yes, most of the FBI (67% white male, politically and culturally conservative) chafed under the Uppity One, and now they got what they wished for. They should have been more careful . . .

NOW a warning?

Paul Ryan is a very sick person who cares nothing for the people, he only cares about greedy corporations and the super rich...why did a man like that involve himself with our government?

Bet Reince Priebus is keeping Paul Ryan posted on everything. But at the same time I'm also thinking Priebus is singing loud and clear to the FBI. I can't believe any of them really think Trump will pardon them. Even if he could. Lewandowski may get indicted.

[quote]Why can't the GOP see this?!

Because it is in their own (selfish and short-term) best interest not to. The minute they acknowledge this, they damage the credibility of the Trump administration and everything that Trump and they themselves have done. It takes someone with integrity, who can put country ahead of party, to handle a situation like this. Sadly, that person does not exist in today's Republican Party.

Any of them who turn against Trump will be on the receiving end of vicious Deplorable threats, and they will be be primaried by even more vile contenders.

[quote]Putin has succeeded in sowing mistrust and discord from the highest levels of government down to the every day rank and file American citizen. Why can't the GOP see this?!

They see it but the Republicans simply do not there.

I'm sure they know when this is all over the party will be irrevocably damaged so they're going to stay on the track they are on all the way until the finish line and make some money along the way.

r414....you give Trump and his acolytes too much credit......

Long term effects don't matter so long as they have enough short term gain.

They're the fucking Ferengi.

Dang it Chris Hayes, give Carter some in exchange for all his info. Be the ultimate patriot!

Has Chris acknowledged the googly eyes made by Carter?

R400. Really, really stupid.

[quote]But at the same time I'm also thinking Priebus is singing loud and clear to the FBI.

Priebus was on Meet the Press this morning, which would seem to indicate he is in no legal danger. He was very careful with his language, though—Chuck Todd pointed out that he framed things in terms of what he "felt" rather than what Trump and others actually did and said. Can't be indicted for perjury that way.

Yeah, R421, but Mueller & his guys are not shiteaters like Chuck Todd. They know how to ask a question and they know how to tell a ratfucker like Priebus that how he "feels" is not an answer. They'd go hard on a Priebus because he is SO slimy.

Priebus has already talked to Mueller and his crew, the fact he's willing to do interviews again means he's in the clear. Whether he implicated other WH personnel is another matter.

r423....bullshit.....until Mueller comes out publicly and says he has nothing to worry about, there is always the threat hanging over his head. The only way it would be true is if he flipped and is cooperating with Mueller.....but even that doesnt mean he wont be charged with something.

[quote]I've seen tweets calling Ryan a #PutinHo. I'm going with that.

Putin Putain.

[quote] he “provides the United States with moral leadership” (80 percent).

Pretty sure all that means to the base is that there's a man in charge, rather than a woman.

Putin's poontang

#BananaRepublicans

The Trump Cult actually thinks Trump has brought morals to the White House. It’s like the devil has these people by the throat.

It's all about tax cuts, gun ownership, profiting without regard to for the environment, stacking the courts with right-wing judges, protecting and taking $$$ from corporations and the 1%, and oppressing women, minorities, and LGBT. If the Repugs can do that, it doesn't matter if they have to break the law, trash the constitution, and defend Satan himself in the White House, they will do it. As we've already seen, they've sold their souls to the devil long ago.

it really shows what they mean by morality: serve the Rich above all and white supremacy. That's what morality means to them. And hate gay people and uppity chicks. everything else, integrity, kindness, charity for the poor, that's all nice, but pretty much unnecessary. Believe them when they tell you who they are.

That 33% to 36% base is not changing. Trump could invite in the Russian army and they will say Trump is protecting them and making America Great again.

I think it's more like 27% to 28%, about the same percentage as die hard Nixon supporters.

I wonder if there is a 27-36% (or whatever) of Democrats who would blindly follow someone like Obama all the way to World War Three.

I have a hard time believing it.

Morality and traditional (family) values are just dog whistles. It's all about the status quo of being able to shit on minorities and feel powerful while the 1% can get away with everything that is legally and morally wrong (and feel like Gods in the process).

Love the fury in this thread. We must never get complacent.

And, fwiw, I like Banana Republicans. Cuz that’s EXACTLY what they are. They are actively trying to turn this country into something akin to a South American autocracy.

R432 that is terrifying.

I think Ryan, Nines, et.al., fully believe (and support) the full transformation of the U.S.into an oligarchy.Since they would be part of the ruling elite, they'd be happy. They are traitors to the very core, and they and their 'dear leader ' richly deserve a traitor's fate!

Which part of the US will be our Crimea?

Texas and Oklahoma for sure.

It’s been nice knowing you guys.

Alaska R439, Putin wants it back.

R440 Yep. They have political figures advocating that.

Trump has a high approval rating among those voters who identify as Republicans. That's not really a lot of people. I get oissed off because the media gives way too much weight and credibility to Trump's "base." I think in the sage words of the late Senator Daniel Patrick Moynihan, "they could do with a little benign neglect." And really, if Trump were a better person, he could have brought them along and changed some of those minds because they "trust" him. I have to shake my head at how easily people are scammed and fooled.

Paul Ryan is the biggest disappointment, though expected, of them all. During the primaries he was not a Trump fan. He totally sold-out to his puppetmaster, David Koch; the party first mantra, the tea party faction, the 1% special interests, and his economic agenda of eventually gutting medicare, social security, etc. But to undermine the DoJ, FBI, enable Nunes sleaziness, support DJT at all costs, is disgusting. He is personally responsible for much of the obstruction.

Dont worry about Paul Ryan......hes going down. He knowingly accepted foreign monies on behalf of the RNC.....its on tape. He did it during the convention. He had to have known the person he was talking to was being recorded. It was the fucking Russian Ambassador. Thats what scares me....why didnt he care ?

R444, because they figured after Trump lost no one was going to be paying any attention to anything that went on in the RNC money-wise during the election. They probably had so much shit planned to throw at Hillary they figured no one would have enough attention left to look into anything criminal they were doing. It's the usual Repug playbook but this time the focus is on them and they have no idea what to do so they are doing everything they can think of to muddy the waters.

I think a lot of the GOP/RNC are realizing they may have been or are currently under surveillance as a result of secret FISA warrants.

Hilarious effect of the Repugs releasing the memo is that every single Repug who has ever met page is now worrying their asses off. Ha.

Kyle Griffin @kylegriffin1

Israeli investigative reporter Ronen Bergman says the Israeli intel Trump revealed to Russia’s Foreign Minister last year goes far beyond reports at the time, is of “the most secretive nature” and “could jeopardize modus operandi of Israeli intelligence.

The asshole chaffetz said as much, r445. He came right out and said he was looking forward to four years of investigations against her.

Once his little fantasy was shot to hell, he up and quit. I'd venture to guess that there are a lot of compromised rethugs who are shitting their pants. Their entire scam is going to have the lid ripped off of it and there isn't a fucking thing they can do about it.

R448, Bergman was interviewed on NPR for his newest book on Israeli intel.That's an area of expertise for him. If he said it I'd believe it.Just like when they first said that while the Russians did hack this & that, they very probably did not hack into the voter rolls, etc. in the various states. And of course we now learned they were able to compromise more then 30 states in the 2016 election. YOu have to expect them to minimize everything, in large part to satisfy the concerns of our allies who almost certainly already know better. That's what gets me. How stupid do you have to be to lie publicly and not realize people all over the fucking world know better.

The Nunes Memo purports to attack the decision to continue surveilling Carter Page; but, as Trey Gowdy says, doesn’t mean the Russian investigation of the WH isn’t justified.

Hmmmmm. Wild Guess Here:

The Banana Republicans know they are guilty as sin (of taking Russian money). They wrote the memo to try to suggest that anything gained from Page might somehow be “tainted,” and the fact that Page’s FISA wartant led the FBI directly to money laundering Ryan and crew really shouldn’t be used by Mueller. (“Not fair!”)

But if Mueller wants to go after the fools in the White House (wink, wink), for which he has lots of other leads . . . Be Our Guest.

/ warrant

The way the way the "lid gets ripped off of it" R449 is people at ground zero - US - staying on this like a terrier on a bone. Plague your congress and local officials and watch regulations change at Fed and local levels. They are trying to dismantle worker safety and environmental regulations that will fuck all of us in the name of corporate steamrolling to produce $$$$$$$$ for the Koch Mercer ilk. Do you want to work in a plant with no respiratory safeguards for your health? Sound off now. That's merely one of many 'minor' regs they are trying to screw with.

The EPA is being gutted. WTF?? 40+ years' effort to clean air, water and preserve species and natural environment that are critical to support these?!

Fear little will stop the emerging Banana Republic(ans), or the Trumputin oligarchy unless massive peaceful protests develop in every city throughout the country in a coordinated way. Waiting for the 2018 elections may be too late, and little to nothing is being done to hiner Putty's intrusion. Koch money and more hanky-panky tactics WILL be in play.

There are Rusko-sabotager collaborators working to undermine such organized protests.

The Democrats may have to step forward and lead, or soon get regulated to yielding to one party rule, permanently.

Don't count on corporate media to be any kind of savior.

^hinder (sp.)

I love that Fox is trying to position Carter Page as a poor, innocent US citizen who the FBI just happened to be surveilling since 2013 and found the need to issue 4 additional FISA warrants. I wanted Eric Swalwell to scream to Tucker Carlson, "FUCK YES, HE'S A RUSSIAN SPY. HOW STUPID DO YOU HAVE TO BELIEVE THAT HE'S NOT" but he couldn't. Swalwell did get Carlson when he said, "If you on the same side as Putin and Wikileaks, then maybe you should really consider what it is that's you're trying to accomplish." Tucker basically lost his shit and had to cut to a commercial. Let's see if Eric is back this week to talk about the democratic response. Swalwell is dreamy!!!

I wonder if it’ll reach the stage - when the sense is that Mueller is getting close to bringing on some more indictments and that the investigation is hitting paydirt - that we’ll see any of the guilty parties suicide rather than have their treachery exposed? Or appear to suicide. Or have convenient ‘accidents’. Or just plain get murdered...

I mean - the stakes here are high. Historically so. If it gets really, really too hot for some of the players - I can’t believe we won’t see this happen. Can’t say I’ll be sorry for many of them either. Traitorous bastards.

I support and would participate in marches and protests, but we need to be careful. Trump and his minders would love an excuse to impose martial law and suspend the Constitution. If they can provoke violence they will. So far we've been smart about how we protest. We need to keep it that way. I'm sure the Alt Right will plan something like Charlottesville for this summer. In fact, they tried to last year and it fizzled. But they'll be back. We have to be smarter and not take the bait. I like the idea of camping out at the home offices of members of Congress, Having the mock town hall meetings. We have to be smarter than them. Fortunately it's not that hard.

How many GOP members would we have to flip to get a majority in the House to vote to get rid of Ryan and get a Speaker who won't block a vote on Impeachment? I bet Ryan would change his tune if he suddenly started to realize he was losing control of the House.

The GOP acts like they can't envision a time when they will no longer be in charge. Maybe they think the Koch money and their cunning underhanded methods during the midterms will insure their "permanent" GOP majority. We have to prove them wrong.

But first we have to recognize that a lot of the responsibility for this is at our door step. For too long the majority of Americans were not engaged and did not show up. Our voter turn out among democratically elected governments is among the lowest in the world.

All we have to do is go back eight years to 2010. We had a Democratic majority in the House, thanks to Howard Dean in 2006. And we gave it away. We allowed ourselves to be discouraged by the media hype, and divided by the GOP, and we sat on our asses and didn't show up.

The Kochs have been rich for a long time. They have been buying members of Congress for years. But we had the power to stop them and we didn't. The corporate media is interested in ratings. Period. Right now they're getting those ratings being anti Trump.

But they're also being propelled by reporters who are hungry and ambitious to be the new Woodward or Bernstein. They're on our side for the moment. We need to not only take advantage of that but we need to figure out how to start showing the media and the GOP that all the money in the world is not going to affect us.

We can't afford to allow ourselves to be distracted or mislead. We know the difference between legitimate news and bullshit. While the media reports on the latest tweet from Trump, or hypes the next Nunes memo, knowing what a horse's ass he is, other shit is going on.

We need to pressure the media to be smarter about the way they report this shit. They are even now goading Trump into firing Rosenstein by the questions they ask Trump and by the way they report on it. Push back.

Agreed, R460. we have been complacent. Also, right now there is such a huge leadership vacuum on the Left -- I think people would take action if they knew WHAT to do or how to respond, but there's no leader figure to rally the troops and show the way. Meanwhile, Twitter is full of ominous posts like this one that scare the shit out of everyone, but don't provide any guidance.

(I'm not bashing this Twitter poster, but I'm worn down from living in a constant state of anxiety with no outlet.)

Trump being all Presidential in a tweet this morning:

"Little Adam Schiff, who is desperate to run for higher office, is one of the biggest liars and leakers in Washington, right up there with Comey, Warner, Brennan and Clapper! Adam leaves closed committee hearings to illegally leak confidential information. Must be stopped!"

One wonders how some of his more batshit followers will interpret "Must be stopped!" I hope Schiff has adequate security.

R59. Ryan knows he’s on the road to losing his Speakership. That’s why he’s pulling this crap.

The Republican brand is sinking. So are his chances of remaining on top.

If, at this late point, he admits that TrumpWorld is a sh*thole, the declining Republican base will turn on him. If he sticks with with Nunes, he’ll confirm to everyone else that he really is the mental lightweight he knows himself to be.

Bully.

[quote]Adam leaves closed committee hearings to illegally leak confidential information. Must be stopped!"

Is he getting Adam confused with Nunes?

[quote]The Republican brand is sinking.

I wish I were as sure of this as you.

Nate Silver last week:

The Democratic advantage over Republicans on the generic congressional ballot is down to less than 6 percentage points. A key point of context here is that Democrats could win the House popular vote by 6 points — which is kind of a lot — and still not take the House.

David Frum last week:

I've been predicting this to audiences for a while. Wage increases + tax cuts aimed at Trump constituencies (at expense of Clinton-voting states) => improving numbers for Trump. Meanwhile, congressional GOP is weakening, becoming therefore more dependent on him, emboldening him.

Keep in mind that there were lots of post mortems for Republicans after the 2008 and 2012 elections, claiming they'd never win a national election again because of changing demographics. We see how that worked out.

Never, ever, ever, ever underestimate the stupidity of the American electorate.

My two worst fears, that trump will fire Rosenstein and that Russians will interfear with the 2018 elections. It is very frightening and we have a fool in the White House who is busy kissing Russian ass. He will not enforce sanctions against them even though he knows what they did.

In this time of discourse, I will answer your yearning questions, and cuddle your anxieties next to my warm and inviting bosom.

I enjoyed the Tucker Carlson clip, he knows he’s a toolbox.

Does anyone remember when Jon Stewart called him a Douchbag to his face on The Daily Show?!

Also, I would like the group to reconsider “Celestial Treasonings” for the next thread.

It isn’t mine but I really like it. TIA.

[quote]In this time of discourse, I will answer your yearning questions, and cuddle your anxieties next to my warm and inviting bosom.

[quote]—Sarah

The horrors of gay conversion therapy!

The Republican brand is taking a hit, but not truly sinking. It's the usual see-saw between the two parties.

If there are any major indictments of any member of the Trump family (we can only hope there are), you'll be hearing war cries from the Deplorables as they lock and load their guns.

I'm telling you stop letting these people discourage ad scare you. The Tax cut bill gives merican workers table crumbs. The wealthiest Americans are the ones who are getting a break. We know this but they have to SHOW people im the SIMPLEST terms that it's bullshit and harmful to them. We have to emphasize the cuts to Medicaid and we have to frame the message so people can understand. Here is the fact: Message is Bullshit. We have seen repeatedly how the GOP messaging machine is better and stronger than the Dems because they can take any failure and turn it into an advantage while the Dems takes every single good thing they try to do and allow the GOP to define the terms, frame the debate and turn us into blathering fools. It happens every fucking time. We have to do a better job of messaging. Than means selling what we have, yes, but also attacking them for what they are. We have to learn how to message like the GOP.

[quote]Meanwhile, congressional GOP is weakening, becoming therefore more dependent on him, emboldening him.

This is the most dangerous trend. The client GOP in Congress who will rubberstamp idiocies because he will sign the bills that give them and their donors the $$$$.

Does anyone think the GOP congresspeople announcing they're quitting are doing so as part of a deal to not face charges?

[quote] I wonder if it’ll reach the stage - when the sense is that Mueller is getting close to bringing on some more indictments and that the investigation is hitting paydirt - that we’ll see any of the guilty parties suicide rather than have their treachery exposed? Or appear to suicide. Or have convenient ‘accidents’. Or just plain get murdered...

I'm surprised we haven't seen it yet.

^Can we make requests?

Donald tweets again:

Representative Devin Nunes, a man of tremendous courage and grit, may someday be recognized as a Great American Hero for what he has exposed and what he has had to endure!

[quote] interfear

fortuitous misspelling, r468

OK. So how does it work? Let' say that Mueller has enough RIGHT NOW to indict Trump on several charges of Obstruction, and Conspiracy to Obstruct, and he gets his kids, Jared, Donnie Jr., & Ivanka on some other charges, and a few other people within his orbit and maybe a couple of Congressmen. Does Mueller owe them a courtesy call to say, "Yo, we're indicting you tomorrow morning" ? Or do the Marshals just arrive and arrest them? Also, can Mueller indict without interviewing Trump or making the people he indicts go before a grand jury? Since these people are targets what is or isn't necessary from a legal, procedural point of view?

Paul Ryan really does believe Americans can be bought for the price of a Sam's Club membership. And he's right, when push comes to shove.

someone please answer R480

I have the same questions!

I remember years ago Karl Rove saying he envisioned a permanent Republican government. I found those words chilling at the time, but little did I know what extraordinary criminal lengths the Republicans would use to accomplish that. Now I believe they will fail. Their unethical, illegal tactics are plain to see. The only people duped are the uneducated and disengaged. The rest are complicit, like the billionaires, and bigots. We will stop them, it's just a matter of time.

The attached article from the New York Times shows how clueless the people of Nunes' very tiny district are. Concerned about water (rightly so) and little else. Parts of central California are about as sophisticated as rural Alabama.

As noted in a post above about suicides, I'm pretty sure we'll see at least one before this is all over.

[quote]I remember years ago Karl Rove saying he envisioned a permanent Republican government.

Do these greedy fucks not realize that this country was founded on the idea of checks and balances? You just know Washington, Jefferson, Franklin et al are spinning in their graves.

They sure are R484. The were protecting us against oligarchs, dictators, and monarchies. Now we have the seeds of all three. Treasonous traitors, they should all be locked up.

The strategists, who hide in the shadows, come up with longterm strategies. All that loud screaming of lies and deceit sounds like lies and deceit now, but - if persistent - people start to get used to all that screaming and the lies and deceit that it becomes the status quo and when - on the downlow - all the alternate voices has been shut down the constant lies and deceit is all the people can hear.

And with now, I mean it started decades ago. The dumbing down of Americans (the appaling state of education, Reality TV, chemically processed food, etc.) paved the way for our current state of WTF?

If and when this shitshow is over - new checks and balances must be in place: tax returns are required, checks and balances for a corrupt Congress not doing their job and independent vetting process - to name a few...

This is an excellent article by Wapo's E.J.Dionne, "Nunes paves Trump’s road to autocracy." Scary stuff, clearly shows their playbook. From the article, "Autocrats don’t prevail unless they have allies to give them cover. Thanks to House Republicans, our country has taken another step toward the chaos that autocrats thrive on."

Oops, column, not article.

"Does anyone think the GOP congresspeople announcing they're quitting are doing so as part of a deal to not face charges?"

Doubt it - I think at least some of them know that they have a slim chance of being re-elected and so are avoiding the humiliation.

[quote]Doubt it - I think at least some of them know that they have a slim chance of being re-elected and so are avoiding the humiliation.

Yep. There will be no purge of the Republican Congress via legal prosecution.

[quote]OK. So how does it work? Let' say that Mueller has enough RIGHT NOW to indict Trump on several charges of Obstruction, and Conspiracy to Obstruct, and he gets his kids, Jared, Donnie Jr., & Ivanka on some other charges, and a few other people within his orbit and maybe a couple of Congressmen. Does Mueller owe them a courtesy call to say, "Yo, we're indicting you tomorrow morning" ? Or do the Marshals just arrive and arrest them? Also, can Mueller indict without interviewing Trump or making the people he indicts go before a grand jury? Since these people are targets what is or isn't necessary from a legal, procedural point of view?

Except none of this will happen while he is President.

Not sure if Trump can count on the military if he implements martial law.

R493 It might seen far-fetched but having a lunatic like Trump as "commander-in-chief" is a very dangerous thing. He corrupts people like a swamp monster. He's already turned the Congress into a joke... who can really predict what he can do with the military brass?

r480.....Mueller owes them NOTHING. He will notify the attorneys....out of professional courtesy.....but he doesnt need to. Mueller can indict without the targets cooperation and without them giving an interview or testifying before a grand jury.

Let me put it to you this way, when you or I commit a crime, they make the arrest BEFORE they ask questions.....and we dont get an opportunity to go before the grand jury to defend ourselves.

r480.....Mueller owes them nothing. He doesnt have to give notice, and they do not have to be interviewed or testify before the GJ in order to be indicted.

I fear that we have all put too much faith in Mueller as the white knight swooping in to save America from the evil deeds of overlords.

I agree, but we haven't got anyone else to rally behind. Non-fascist Americans are in desperate need of a figurehead.

I don't think the Mueller investigation is going to turn out to be another disappointing Fitzmas, at least I fucking hell hope not.

If you're worried about Mueller, look at who he has hired and what they have given up to be part of his team. He has almost 30 prosecutors, researchers and subject matter experts from a wide variety of fields and hundreds more FBI and IC agents. Many of his 20 or so prosecutors were attorneys in large firms making well over six-figure salaries. They didn't give up all of that to indict George Papadopolous for lying while speaking to the FBI. They are in this for something much larger - like taking down a traitorous president and his administration. From what we've heard, no one has left his team - which might be an indication that there is nothing of significance happening - but, in fact, his team keeps growing. Also, everyone who has seen the evidence (we've only seen about 10%) has had the same reaction. When I get frustrated, I remember Grassley and Feinstein coming out of the SCIF with Grassley so shaken that he can't even speak. He lets Diane lead the interview. I think they were shown all the evidence they needed that day. It hasn't necessarily stop him from being a enabler but he was visually shaken. I think in that instance they may have seen the alleged tape where Trump is raping an underage girl.

[quote]When I get frustrated, I remember Grassley and Feinstein coming out of the SCIF with Grassley so shaken that he can't even speak. He lets Diane lead the interview. I think they were shown all the evidence they needed that day. It hasn't necessarily stop him from being a enabler but he was visually shaken. I think in that instance they may have seen the alleged tape where Trump is raping an underage girl.

I think it had more to do with learning how beholden to the Russians the US and GOP really are and how deeply the Russians have been able to hack into our systems and influence elections.

Grassley has joined up with Trump though. Maybe he just realized how hopeless it all is.

Maybe they saw the pee pee girls doing their thing on DT?

I don't think a some Russian hookers pissing on a bed would turn those two that shade of ASHEN.

I imagine Grassley was caught off guard either by the findings or that the investigation discovered something it wasn't supposed to discover which he knew about well before the briefing.

This is what I mean when I say Democrats need to grow a pair. Republicans refused to allow the FBI or IC to review their memo because they said, they weren't going to have the people we are under investigation review the memo but yet Democrats will have Trump (who is ultimately the prime suspect in all of this) review their response. If Trump refuses to release their response, the Dems just need to publish it with no apologies. Hopefully, they're playing him. It won't look good if he refuses their response nor will it be good if he approves the release. They've put him in a no-win situation.

Let's see if the Republicans in the house intelligence committee block it's release - thus giving the president cover or if they dump the whole thing back in his lap. Could be telling what exactly they decide to do...

MY TREASONS...ARE MY OWN!

House Intelligence Committee has voted to release the Democratic memo.

We may never find out what Robert Mueller discovers:

Unlike Ken Starr, Mueller doesn't have the authority to submit a report to Congress. Under the regulations now governing the special counsel's activities, Mueller is required to submit a report to the attorney general at the conclusion of his investigation. In this case Mueller's report would go to Rosenstein because Atty. Gen. Jeff Sessions has recused himself. The regulations don't dictate what the report must include. That seems to be entirely up to the special counsel. What the regulations do mandate is that Mueller's report is to be kept "confidential."

OK. Some guy was interviewed on Ari Melber's show just now and he says all Mueller can do is issue a report to the Attorney General. In this case it would be Rod Rosenstein. Rosenstein will have to decide whether it is in the public interest to release Mueller's report. So Mueller, according to this, doesn't get to indict anyone just report the findings of his investigation. But I think this is bullshit. Because you don't convene grand juries or actually charge people if you have no power to prosecute. SO I'm guessing that this was just about whether the entire report will become public. And that is up to Rosenstein.

r510, he has already indicted people and worked plea deals.

You are wrong.

r476, It would not surprise me if America had a nasty bout of Russian flu before this is all over.

Or maybe Vladimir Putin will eat some "tainted" caviar!

Mark my words: If the Dem Memo actually gets released, Trump and the GOP will find a way to turn it against us.

Truth and facts no longer matters. All that matters is spin and perception.

Come on and treason down, treason down the road....

The NYT petitioned the FISA court for Carter Pages file claiming that since the memo referenced the warrant and it was declassified in Nunes memo, it is now public record. If true, this will open up an entire can of worms if the court agrees. Not only will it probably disclose without a doubt that he was a russian agent, but that Trump knew and was working with him. It will be very bad for Trump. It will be very bad for our agencies.....there are certain things that need to remain confidential for security and safety issues.....now, people have been compromised and information will flow that could have greater ramifications.

Schiff needs to release a Memo Rebuttal. Nothing more. And he has don this this weekend on the Sunday shows.

A really good article from Politico about how online propaganda is being used, and it's working.

[quote]The vote marked the culmination of a targeted, 11-day information operation that was amplified by computational propaganda techniques and aimed to change both public perceptions and the behavior of American lawmakers.

[quote]And it worked. By the time the memo got to the president, its release was a forgone conclusion—even before he had read it.

[quote]This bears repeating: Computational propaganda—defined as “the use of information and communication technologies to manipulate perceptions, affect cognition, and influence behavior”—has been used, successfully, to manipulate the perceptions of the American public and the actions of elected officials.

The author notes Russian influence but doesn't unduly dwell on it because it almost doesn't matter.

[quote]But this back and forth masks the real point. Whether it is Republican or Russian or “Macedonian teenagers”—it doesn't really matter. It is computational propaganda—meaning artificially amplified and targeted for a specific purpose—and it dominated political discussions in the United States for days. The #releasethememo campaign came out of nowhere. Its movement from social media to fringe/far-right media to mainstream media so swift that both the speed and the story itself became impossible to ignore. The frenzy of activity spurred lawmakers and the White House to release the Nunes memo, which critics say is a purposeful misrepresentation of classified intelligence meant to discredit the Russia probe and protect the president.

The concluding paragraphs are frightening:

[quote]So what are the lessons of #releasethememo? Regardless of how much of the campaign was American and how much was Russian, it’s clear there was a massive effort to game social media and put the Nunes memo squarely on the national agenda—and it worked to an astonishing degree. The bottom line is that the goals of the two overlapped, so the origin—human, machine or otherwise—doesn’t actually matter. What matters is that someone is trying to manipulate us, tech companies are proving hopelessly unable or unwilling to police the bad actors manipulating their platforms, and politicians are either clueless about what to do about computational propaganda or—in the case of #releasethememo—are using it to achieve their goals. Americans are on their own.

[quote]And, yes, that also reinforces the narrative the Russians have been pushing since 2015: You’re on your own; be angry, and burn things down. Would that a leader would step into this breech, and challenge the advancing victory of the bots and the cynical people behind them.

More at the link on how the online campaign developed.

HAHAHAHA.......Now Trumps lawyers are advising Trump not to allow an interview with Mueller.

Please GOD, let Mueller subpoena him for the Grand Jury.

So, Trump refuses to meet with Mueller. Then, when subpoenaed, refuses to show up. When forced to show up (how?), he refuses to answer any questions by taking the Fifth. They take his claims of Fifth Amendment protection in front of a judge who says the Fifth doesn't apply to this or that question. Then, he says he doesn't recall for every single question. Then what?

Can Trump be found in contempt?

R520 We'll be forced into this dilemma eventually because Trump has always had a contempt for the law, if it doesn't serve him. Trump and his GOP gang are using the "memo" as a warning and a pretext to undermine any enforcement of law against his interests. Under Trump, we will being seeing the battle between fascism and rule of law play out right before our eyes.

So if Dump ignores the subpoena or refuses to answer questions... does Mueller need him to in order to indict him?

r522.....NO

I wonder what happens when you indict a president?

I have a feeling we’re gonna find out.

I think Trump is going to just start ignoring Mueller. He won't testify and won't show up for a grand jury. He will site Executive Privilege and say the Special Prosecutor is a witch hunt and he won't have anything to do with it. I think he will also do the same thing if any of his staff are indicted. We may literally see Jared and Ivanka holed up in the White House escorted to and from their home by Secret Service. The republican congress may let him get away with it until they see that all hope is lost in November and then they may not care.

He will "cite" Executive Privilege" There.I fixed it.

Mueller doesn't need Trump to testify. No prosecutor requires the testimony of the person who is charged with a crime.

Tonight. Rachel MAddow seemed to have some new evidence about Flynn talking to all the members of the Transition team about his meetings with Russians? I'm not sure caught the tail end. Anyway seems like he had discussions he lied about to the FBI. Whatever. My latest theory is that there was some big energy deal pending. Flynn was trying to hook up some big deal, even talking to the Russians on the phone after Trump's swearing in ceremony. And it will all come out as a result of this investigation, but I think Trump himself is in it up to his hairline..

Of course Trump will refuse to speak to Mueller and base his own anti Mueller propaganda as a reason. He will claim that Mueller and his Deep State Masters already made up their minds and no matter what Trump says it will be seen as being guilty (when he insists he isn't). Of course the irony is that Trump manipulated his base to make up their mind about the investigation and dismiss everything that doesn't suit his lies and agenda.

I like Treason....Treason Down The Road for the next thread. This one has my favorite title yet, and will be the shortest lived of the Treason threads, apparently!

I cannot wait for the Treason of the Witch thread. Ivanka's indictment (or jared's) is something nice to imagine.

Fortune Magazine: The Russian lawyer who met Donald Trump Jr. during last year’s election campaign says he offered her a clear quid pro quo at the meeting: dirt on Hillary Clinton in exchange for changes to a U.S. law.

Malcolm Nance: Putin sends a shot across Trumps bow. ‘We can hurt your family directly’, Watch: RU lawyer says Trump jr offered Quid Pro Quo.

If Trump declines to release the Dems memo they send it up for a full house vote.

Republican Rick Wilson:

Trump Monday decided he would be the arbiter of what constitutes treason in America. He's mainstreamed the t-word.

Well, then: If you're looking for someone who is betraying this nation, look for a person who would deliberately and systematically wreck the institutions that guarantee the separation of powers and the accountability of the executive and legislative branches. Look for a person who would suborn the rule of law to protect himself, his family, and his cronies from justice.

For some reason, this President seems determined to demonstrate that he will do anything, at any time to please the Russian authoritarian. He will tear down the United States government around him to hide from accountability. He will wreck alliances, compromise intelligence sources, and endanger our troops to please Putin.

There's a word for that.

Like claiming the election would be fraudulently interfered with; Trump always rushes to accuse others first of whatever it is he’s secretly doing.

I enjoyed Hannity’s comments that President Obama is responsible for the stock market crash. His utter silliness should now invalidate any and all things Trump that pass his lips. Even the deplorables should now question everything he says from now on.

Has anyone else noticed the news getting more "balanced" toward Trump lately? In the past couple of weeks I've noticed the TV news attempting to soften their coverage or to share more GOP points of view...the same way they did in 2016. It bothers me.Maybe they felt like they were piling on Trump and needed to try to be balanced. But I feel like something more sinister is going on .

For instance, I'm expecting a Blue tidal way to engulf the GOP House and Senate this year. And I was thinking the sense of outrage among Dems & Indie voters is so acute they will show up in disproportionate numbers while many GOP voters stay away. But if the Russians intend to block this, with cooperation from the Kochs and others, their strategy would include using the media to "balance out" coverage and show how "both sides" are showing up in record numbers" so they can steal the elections. Maybe the networks believe they will lose a lot of GOP revenue because they've been too hard on Trump. Showing "balance" will attract Koch dollars.

This whole false equivalency/balance thing just seems to be more pronounced. It's an election year so maybe the media thinks they were too "one-sided." but IMO when you're wrong, you're wrong. There's no way you can put a spin on Treason. Nunes and Trump and the rest, then entire GOP are committing Treason. There's no "both sides" to it. And this past week in particular the Memo discussion has been framed as a "he says, they said" issue when it isn't. I hope reporters are pushing back hard against editors and publishers who are trying to be more "balanced." We need to be watchful too, and push back on social media relentlessly.

I was listening to Make it Plain this morning and someone speculated that they know what Nunes' end game is. They were talking about how people never learn from History and that it seems clear that Nunes is trying to position himself for greater power much like Nixon did with the Pumpkin Papers... only Nunes isn't nearly smart enough to pull it off.

That's a clever observation. And remember, R536, he has all the stupid people behind him. Trump himself called Nunes a hero. LOLOLOLOL! THis whole thing is like a Pink Panther movie except the jewel is the United States. This entire country should be outraged. There is no room for debate. What is happening to us with the complicity of the GOP Congress is an absolute outrage. As a country we a re not innocent, we have flaws, but dammit it is the best thing going out here and we are the leader of the world and to thing some fucking Russian mobsters and hackers convinced a twisted piece of shit to bend over while they fuck him, and pay the Congress to watch this porn and applaud it, makes me so angry I want to personally put my foot all the way up Putin's ass until he can taste the shoe leather. The media needs to really understand how genuinely pissed off we are.

That’s kind of massive, r530. Is Putin turning on Trump?

The Pumpkin Papers r536?

That article cited in Nance's tweet at R530 is from November 2017. Why is he tweeting it out now?

Nance used to be hot.

I think we should cast Samuel L. Jackson as Malcom Nance.

R542: Great choice!! Because this shit is going to be a HUGE mini-series AND motion picture (if we survive - that is).

[quote]I think we should cast Samuel L. Jackson as Malcom Nance.

I have HAD it with these motherfuckin' traitors in this motherfuckin' government!

supposedly the memo damage is done and its not good

eh, to be expected R545

R545, that was expected. Of course Trump voters are going to be with him; that goes without saying.

R547 beat me to it. Nobody is buying the shit Trump/Nunes is selling - except his base. They will buy anything he sells. No surprise there.

you are all right-sorry for the silly post

I can't take much more of this, I really can't

I'm on constantly on edge

Please Mueller save us!

R527 Thanks. That looks wrong when I typed it.

If I were Mueller, I might consider indicting Jared, Ivanka and Donald Jr. (and any other member of his family) and then saying to Trump "The only way that you're going to be able to prove your family's innocence is to testify - either before me or before a grand jury." Any decision Trump makes then is not only to save his own skin but that of his family's. There isn't much parent's won't do for their children. If Trump won't testify, he's hanging them out to dry because of work that they did for him. At the very least, will make him look like a real shit to his base.

[quote]There isn't much parent's won't do for their children.

You're really overestimating him.

He could give two shits. He'd throw them all under the bus, including his little sex toy Ivanka, if it would save his own ass.

[quote] Any decision Trump makes then is not only to save his own skin but that of his family's. There isn't much parent's won't do for their children.

Hang em

DJT would pardon family members, and himself if he can get away with it.

Well, I wandered over to ABCNews and Yahoo and the deplorables still think Mueller is uncovering dirt on Hillary and Obama and their Russian collusion. They seem happiest when they think of hanging the bitch and the black guy.

^It's funny, right? Mueller is unreliable and can't do the job, etc. etc. etc..... but he's totally qualified when they believe he's investigating Hillary.

Here's a good one.

[quote]Both Rosenstein and Mueller are knee deep in corruption with the uranium 1 deal. Rosenstein and Mueller are going after Trump when no crime has been identified. You do the math. Sick.

These morons actually believe this crap.

Not sure if this has been discussed here, but...is Carter Page an FBI informant? A Twitter theory.

(apparently Rachel Maddow's pondered on this as well)

Agree with you r535. The cable/corporate media often does the "balance act" after a few days of expressing dismay at Trump and company antics. I believe there are several reasons. 1. Trying to appear even-handed and appeal to the audience that includes Trump supporters. 2. Pressure from advertisers and sponsors. 3. Keeping access to Trump-GOP sources of information. 4. Some anchors on CNN and MSNBC are Republicans, though may not state it directly. 5. Most of all, the media is making huge profits with this Trumputin saga. They want this to last and get as much millage out of it as they can.

Murdoch's Fox and other Right-wing/all pro-Republican media, are all about promoting and saving Trump and minimizing the role of Russia per intrusion.

The Kochs see Trump as meeting their goals with the appointment of pro-corporate judges, rendering anti-environment executive orders, gutting financial regulations, and legislation on taxes, and related,,that they have pushed for years.

[quote]If Russia and Putin are as bad as Obama and Clinton say they are, how did Putin get control of 20% of the US Uranium, under Obama's administration.

What is it with these tards and Uranium 1? Do they not know who to google this whole story and what is their obsession?

Its the "alternative facts" that are spoon fed to them daily by Fox and their ilk........you cant really blame the dim-witted.

R561, I do blame them! They piss me off. They go to these random websites and listen to people who have no fucking credentials, no background, cannot prove a single allegation they throw out there, and just pull shit out of their asses put it on a plate and serve it to these dumbasses convincing them this is just as good if not better than Filet Mignon. At least when Edward Snowden leaked and Chelsea Manning leaked they had credibility. You can't say the same from Jones, who's a fucking lunatic, or Stone or Drudge or Breitbart.

Carter Page, Awesome Double Agent and International Man of Mystery.

The NYT is now filing a request to insist that the FISA Court release to the public, all the source documents related to the Memo. This is unheard of. It violates national security big time and completely compromises us and endangers us. Their saying that since Trump de classified and reeased the memo that establishes their right.

On another note: Why are all these Republicans suddenly on TV scrambling insisting this memo doesn't discredit the FBI and they support Mueller's continuing the investigation? What's up with that? This smells to me.

Well no, R563. The theory is that Page has been taping President Shithole & his administration for the past 18 months.

If Carter Page's vacant gob-smacked stare is an act then he should be headlining on Broadway 'cause he's a damn good actor. I don't know if he can sing and dance though.

Damn. I hope he has been taping them. In fact I hope they have several people taping them. Because that kind of stuff eventually comes out.

I don't trust the NYT anymore. Something about them is off. I think they are mouthpieces for Russian agents. Think about it. Whose interests would it serve if the FISA Court has to divulge classified source documents to the public? Certainly not the United States. And who will argue against it? Trump's lawyers? Think about that.

Who is the NYT to demand anything?

I love how Trump claims he doesnt know Carter Page, Devin Nunes claims Trump never met Page....and now Page claims he never talked to Trump. Are all the photos of them photo shopped ? How does he explain his campaign email ? How does Trump justify naming him (along with Papadopolous) to be on his Foreign Policy team ?

r568....Theyre hoping for the scoop of a lifetime. Im sure in those documents is some pretty damning info regarding Trump and the election. Of course it should NEVER be released until after the investigation, but Trump opened that Pandoras Box himself....and if it happens, then Trump only has himself (along with Nunes,et al) to blame for his downfall.

I'd trust the NYT over anything any Republican ever had to say.

[quote]Who is the NYT to demand anything?

Why wouldn't the media go after government documents because Cheeto, Ryan and Nunes decided to play self-preservation games with national security investigations and arguably declassify top secret documents. The underlying docs are now fair game. Now any media can demand and go to court to get access to them. It's not up to the media to safeguard government secrecy. Pentagon Papers anyone?

[OT: can someone give a recap or the thread titles?]

Seriously, how are you all dealing with the fatigue? I'm trying not to give up hope but damn, everyday it's harder and harder.

That dipshit Page, is no more a double agent than I am, FFS!

He got busted and for some reason the GOP is trying to cover for this traitor which makes me wonder how many of them have fucked him?

Did anyone see that Bill Kristol tweeted about the possibility of indictments in the "next few weeks"? Granted he is a Never Trumper Republican, but he is quite measured so it caught my attention for him to toss that out. We have heard about additional charges for months, mostly to no avail.

Dogs and cats and elephants and donkeys are all bonded now that The Resident has successfully squatted the White House.

Any indication R576 on who those indictments would be for?

[quote][OT: can someone give a recap or the thread titles?]

It's beginning to look a lot like treason

Treason is the reason for the season

[quote] Whose interests would it serve if the FISA Court has to divulge classified source documents to the public

R567, admittedly I am reading in reverse chron today but where did this idea come from? Who is going to make a court reveal anything it has put under seal? Good luck with that.

Give me One Treason to stay here

Treason to believe

It's beginning to look a lot like treason.

I think those are all the titles we have had. Treason is the reason for the season was used twice.

Link to new thread for when this one maxes out.

R580, I haven't read into it very deeply, but I believe the NYT is saying that since Trump, by his actions, declassified the memo it declassified the FISA stuff as well.

R585 I head heard prior to the memo being released that there could be an argument made that because it would be declassified all the information relayed in the document would then be declassified. I don't know how accurate that is.

Thanks for the new thread, R584.

Did we even discuss Dump calling Dems treasonous for not standing and applauding him?

Maybe he doesn't understand what the definition is.

R588 he projects.

Where has KellyAnne been these days?

Come to think of it I haven't seen Jared around either.

Link to new thread:

Closing this thread out.

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R577, Sorry, there were no specifics. The scuttlebutt for months has been that next in line are the various Juniors, but that may be wishful thinking at this stage.

I think we will all be happy just to know this investigation is continuing to move.

Please go to the new thread to continue this.

Thread Closed.