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Post by Old Badger on May 16, 2018 9:24:13 GMT -5
As could have (and was) predicted, yesterday Paul Manafort lost his bid to have charges against him dropped by a federal judge in DC. Manafort had argued that "Mueller exceeded his authority in charging him with felonies including conspiracy, bank and tax fraud, money laundering and failing to register as a lobbyist in his work before 2014 on behalf of Ukraine’s pro-Russian president at the time, Viktor Yanukovych," on the grounds that this all happened before Manafort became part of Trump's campaign team. But the judge made the obvious point: "Manafort, she wrote, 'was, at one time, not merely "associated with," but the chairman of, the Presidential campaign, and his work on behalf of the Russia-backed Ukrainian political party and connections to other Russian figures are matters of public record.' Jackson called it 'logical and appropriate' for investigators tasked with probing for links between the Russian government and campaign associates 'to direct their attention to him.' She wrote that 'given the combination of his prominence within the campaign and his ties to Ukrainian officials supported by and operating out of Russia, as well as to Russian oligarchs, Manafort was an obvious person of interest.'” linkManafort is trying to do the same thing in the Virginia federal court, with about the same prospects for success. It's only a matter of time before his lawyers tell him to cooperate or face the rest of this life in a federal pen.
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Post by Old Badger on May 16, 2018 14:02:44 GMT -5
"The Senate Intelligence Committee has determined that the U.S. intelligence community was correct in assessing that Russia interfered in the 2016 presidential election with the aim of helping then-candidate Donald Trump, contradicting findings House Republicans reached last month...The Senate committee’s findings clash with the House GOP’s determination that the intelligence community did not follow its own best practices in concluding the Kremlin favored Trump in the election. The dispute — and the questions it now raises about which record of events is most accurate — could complicate the Republican Party’s messaging heading into the 2018 election season. Asked Wednesday about the discrepancy between the two panels’ conclusions, Rep. Devin P. Nunes (R-Calif.), the House Intelligence Committee’s chairman said: 'That’s nice.' He declined to elaborate." linkThat last part summarizes the seriousness with which Nunes carried out his "investigation" over the past year. The report itself corroborates the findings of the intelligence community, which Nunes and Trump have tried to deny. Worse, they've tried to sabotage the work of the nation's intelligence agencies by casting aspersions on their own officials and, at least in Nunes's case, trying to out a US agent of long standing. But deep down everyone knows what's really up, and what's a cover-up.
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Post by Old Badger on May 16, 2018 21:35:18 GMT -5
"Within hours of opening an investigation into the Trump campaign’s ties to Russia in the summer of 2016, the F.B.I. dispatched a pair of agents to London on a mission so secretive that all but a handful of officials were kept in the dark. Their assignment, which has not been previously reported, was to meet the Australian ambassador, who had evidence that one of Donald J. Trump’s advisers knew in advance about Russian election meddling. After tense deliberations between Washington and Canberra, top Australian officials broke with diplomatic protocol and allowed the ambassador, Alexander Downer, to sit for an F.B.I. interview to describe his meeting with the campaign adviser, George Papadopoulos. The agents summarized their highly unusual interview and sent word to Washington on Aug. 2, 2016, two days after the investigation was opened. Their report helped provide the foundation for a case that, a year ago Thursday, became the special counsel investigation. But at the time, a small group of F.B.I. officials knew it by its code name: Crossfire Hurricane." Who knew FBI agents knew enough Rolling Stones lyrics to use them as code for operations? This is the opening to a pretty fascinating article on the start of the Trump-Russia investigation. It pretty clearly refutes the Trump-Hannity Bromance storyline that goes like this: "Mr. Trump says he is the victim of a politicized F.B.I. He says senior agents tried to rig the election by declining to prosecute Mrs. Clinton, then drummed up the Russia investigation to undermine his presidency. He has declared that a deeply rooted cabal — including his own appointees — is working against him." The reality is quite different: "Agents considered, then rejected, interviewing key Trump associates, which might have sped up the investigation but risked revealing the existence of the case. Top officials quickly became convinced that they would not solve the case before Election Day, which made them only more hesitant to act. When agents did take bold investigative steps, like interviewing the ambassador, they were shrouded in secrecy. Fearful of leaks, they kept details from political appointees across the street at the Justice Department. Peter Strzok, a senior F.B.I. agent, explained in a text that Justice Department officials would find it too 'tasty' to resist sharing. 'I’m not worried about our side,' he wrote. Only about five Justice Department officials knew the full scope of the case, officials said, not the dozen or more who might normally be briefed on a major national security case." In short, they were extremely careful not to do anything that would make this investigation public, knowing that it would be seen as harming Trump's campaign. By contrast, "This month, the Justice Department inspector general is expected to release the findings of its lengthy review of the F.B.I.’s conduct in the Clinton case. The results are certain to renew debate over decisions by the F.B.I. director at the time, James B. Comey, to publicly chastise Mrs. Clinton in a news conference, and then announce the reopening of the investigation days before Election Day. Mrs. Clinton has said those actions buried her presidential hopes." Yeah, they helped Trump on both scores--for which their reward is to be accused of criminal conspiracy by Trump and his acolytes.
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Post by goldenbucky on May 16, 2018 21:56:32 GMT -5
...and now we have an obviously compromised (on multiple dimensions) president. I appreciate the desire to not insert the FBI into politics but does that mean we must automatically accept a Russian asset (Mueller will eventually give clarity as to whether he was witting or unwitting) as president because calling it out would be too controversial?
What a mess.
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Post by Old Badger on May 17, 2018 9:37:27 GMT -5
"The special counsel, Robert S. Mueller III, will not indict President Trump if he finds wrongdoing in his investigation of Trump campaign links to Russia, according to the president’s lawyers. They said Wednesday that Mr. Mueller’s investigators told them that he would adhere to the Justice Department’s view that the Constitution bars prosecuting sitting presidents." linkFurther evidence that Mueller is following the rule of law, something that cannot be said of Trump. At some point, congressional Republicans are going to be faced with the stark choice that confronted their predecessors in 1974: Are you with the President or the Constitution?
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Post by buckybasser on May 18, 2018 5:40:46 GMT -5
Actually, a Mueller indictment or a Congressional impeachment would cause a Constitutional Crisis now that the real source of this mess has been disclosed... www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/‘bigger-than-watergate’-trump-joins-push-by-allies-to-expose-role-of-an-fbi-source/ar-AAxrPgq?li=BBnb7KzIt appears that radical extremist chairman Barack Obama's regime was spying on the Trump Campaign with an FBI mole. Russia scandal 100x uglier & bigger than Watergate? Yeah - for the Democrats - a party that must cheat because their ideology is such an absolute failure. The sore loser investigation is now over and if the Democrat Party does not think it is over then they will be over. Out the source now and it is high time to start putting some liberals in jail for the destruction they have done to this country. And remember - this reporting is from the most liberally biased news source in the country - The Washington Post. It is done. Mueller is done. People in our government (not Trump) might be going to jail. If Trump is impeached there will be a revolt of the citizenry - hopefully just political & not violent - but anything is possible. >O
PS Talk radio (always ridiculed by the Professor) has been on this story for months as the radical mainstream media (cited as authority in 99% of the posts here) covered the whole thing up... Now The New York Times is now confirming spying & wiretapping on the Trump Campaign. There also appears to be deep Clinton involvement in starting the entire mess with campaign materials that had no basis in fact - no surprise to thinking people. Disgusting. www.washingtontimes.com/news/2018/may/17/so-we-can-all-admit-trump-was-right-about-obama-sp/
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Post by Old Badger on May 18, 2018 11:29:41 GMT -5
It appears that radical extremist chairman Barack Obama's regime was spying on the Trump Campaign with an FBI mole. This is, as you know, complete BS, ginned up by the right-wing media being run by Steve Bannon. Today, Giuliani admitted what's obvious to the rest of the world: “First of all, I don't know for sure, nor does the president, if there really was one. We're told that." linkLet's add that this is totally reckless: "The dispute pits Trump and the Republican chairman of the House Intelligence Committee against the Justice Department and intelligence agencies, whose leaders warn that publicly identifying the confidential source would put lives in danger and imperil other operations. The stakes are so high that the FBI has been working over the past two weeks to mitigate the potential damage if the source’s identity is revealed, according to several people familiar with the matter . The bureau is taking steps to protect other live investigations that the person has worked on and is trying to lessen any danger to associates if the informant’s identity becomes known, said these people, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive intelligence operations." linkSo, let's be clear: To protect himself, Trump has joined forces with radical crazies to WAGE WAR ON HIS OWN NATIONAL SECURITY AND CRIMINAL JUSTICE APPOINTEES. I'm shouting because you seem not to understand that this isn't just some game being played here, Real national security interests, and potentially people's lives, are being endangered just to protect this POS "President" from a legitimate investigation. Honestly, quit denying you're a Trumpist, already. You are up to your eyeballs in this treasonous mess.
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Post by Old Badger on May 18, 2018 15:47:52 GMT -5
Jennifer Rubin explains Trump's legitimacy problem and his own obsession with it: President Trump won in the electoral college in 2016, but lost the popular vote by about 3 million ballots. (California, take a bow.) He is the president and cannot be removed against his will, except by impeachment or at the ballot box in 2020. But moral legitimacy is another matter. The sinking sense that he really didn’t win fair and square — that he and a foreign power tipped the scales — has now been fortified by a raft of information unknown to voters when they cast their ballots. Consider all the things he concealed which, if known at the time, could possibly have swung about 80,000 votes in three states. Thanks to the special counsel, the media and the Senate Intelligence Committee we know: • Russian President Vladimir Putin, the leader of America’s most formidable international foe, hatched a multipronged, sophisticated plan to help Trump get elected. Trump got illegal foreign help. (Though it’s not like we’re going to indict Putin.) • While Trump claimed he had no deals in Russia, his lawyer, Michael Cohen, pursued a Trump Tower deal as late as May 2016. Going back to 2013, Trump has made numerous efforts to strike deals in Russia — quite apart from the investment in his businesses from Russians. • Russian figures allegedly used the National Rifle Association to support the Trump campaign. (Again, foreigners funneling money to a presidential campaign through another entity is illegal.) • Donald Trump Jr., as well as foreign-policy adviser George Papadopoulos, responded to and pursued offers from Russian-linked officials to help Trump get elected (by obtaining “dirt” on Hillary Clinton). • Part of Putin’s plot apparently involved hacking into the email accounts of the Democratic National Committee and Clinton campaign chairman John Podesta, and then leaking the messages at the most propitious times during the campaign. • At least one woman with whom Trump had an adulterous affair was paid hush money to keep quiet, a payment which was not disclosed as required by law. • An extraordinary number of Trump campaign figures had an unprecedented number of contacts with Russian figures. (To the best of our knowledge, every other presidential campaign had exactly none). The question is not only whether the Russian campaign (i.e., using social media; the well-timed release of hacked emails by WikiLeaks; staged campaign events) on behalf of Trump swayed enough voters to make up the gap in three critical states. We have to now consider that, but for the concealment of Trump’s connections, he would not have been elected. We know Trump thought the facts listed above were devastating, because why would he have gone to the trouble of concealing all these things if they were not potential deal-breakers for a large number of voters? When you cheat or lie, you see, you never know if you really won. It is Trump’s own conduct that robs him of the certainty that he would have won, absent help from Russia and his scheme to conceal a host of Russia connections. We will never know — and he will never know — whether he is the first and only president to receive decisive help from a hostile foreign power. We’ve already seen more than 100 charges, with indictments distributed among 19 people or entities, meaning a whole lot of witches have been hunted down. More importantly, the investigation by special counsel Robert S. Mueller III is helping to pull the curtain back on the great deception of 2016, a breathtaking defilement of our democracy. www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/right-turn/wp/2018/05/18/trump-has-destroyed-his-own-moral-legitimacy/?utm_term=.9a3c7ac2505c
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Post by Old Badger on May 18, 2018 15:58:03 GMT -5
We don’t know how the showdown over this informant is going to end. But one way or another, whether his or her identity is revealed or not, we’re going to learn what that person learned about the Trump campaign. And if Trump and his defenders thought there was nothing damaging to be revealed, they wouldn’t be trying so hard to preemptively discredit this informant, in the same way they’re doing to the whole investigation. In other words, just as they have been all along, they’re acting as though Trump and others around him are guilty as sin. I wonder why? Paul Waldman, WP, May 18, 2018
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Post by buckybasser on May 19, 2018 13:35:21 GMT -5
The Daily Caller believes they have found the mole. They say it is Cambridge University Professor Stefan Halper. We will know for certain soon enough as the Justice Department is likely to be held in contempt of Congress for their slimy leftist cover-up. I suspect the federal courts will get involved and people will be fired. Some might go to jail. The Mueller Investigation is effectively over and was a hoax from the start... Much, much, much worse than Watergate were the practices of the radical Obama regime. dailycaller.com/2018/05/19/trump-papadopoulos-page-halper/>O
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Post by Old Badger on May 19, 2018 13:39:14 GMT -5
I suspect the federal courts will get involved and people will be fired. Some might go to jail. The Mueller Investigation is effectively over and was a hoax from the start... LOL! You are living in a Trumpist funhouse, aren't you? If they outed this guy and he gets killed someone may be going to jail all right--for reckless homicide. Let's give you a dose of reality in terms you'll understand: wildlife and shooting at people: Survivors on the Union side of the bloody battle of Shiloh reported witnessing a striking phenomenon moments before thousands of Rebels came charging through the Tennessee woods at dawn. Fauna in great abundance — rabbits and deer and squirrels and birds — made a startled dash through the Yankee camps. Thus the soldiers knew something alarming was headed their way, even before they knew what it was. That story came to mind as I noticed a ruckus in the conservative media where President Trump finds reliable support...Trump’s media defenders were buzzing about the possibility that Rep. Devin Nunes (R-Calif.) might turn up proof that the FBI dispatched a confidential informant to seduce Trump campaign officials into playing footsie with the Russians. From his post as chairman of the House Intelligence Committee , Nunes has been instrumental in creating the widespread view on the right that special counsel Robert S. Mueller III’s investigation is deeply illegitimate, and that America has more to fear from the Justice Department than it does from Russian President Vladimir Putin. Maybe Nunes is on the right track, though his record is spotty. He’s the guy who said former national security adviser Michael Flynn “should be thanked” for making undisclosed contact with the Russian ambassador. (Flynn resigned and has been indicted.) And the Senate Intelligence Committee , in a rare show of bipartisanship, has endorsed findings by U.S. intelligence agencies that Russia interfered in the 2016 election — essentially the opposite of the highly partisan conclusion reached by the Nunes-led panel on the same question. Urging him to keep at it, Kimberly A. Strassel of the Wall Street Journal wrote that Nunes might sort out “who was pulling the strings” that appear to tie former Trump advisers Carter Page and George Papadopoulos to Russia, “and what was the goal? . . . Entrapment?” She was echoing Nunes himself, who during an earlier interview with Fox News used the term “setup” rather than Strassel’s fancier word. But the idea was the same, and by week’s end it was everywhere. The influential Townhall website went with “spying.” The website for radio bigfoot Rush Limbaugh referred to “an infuriating story of entrapment.”... As a candidate and in office, Trump has denounced and ridiculed the FBI and CIA, while putting more stock in Putin’s protestations of innocence than he placed in the work of American analysts. But what struck me like the Shiloh field suddenly teeming with startled wildlife was this language of setups and entrapment because, where I come from, only guilty people trot out the I-was-stung defense. Indeed, the most infamous use of this jargon in Washington — the late Marion Barry’s “Bitch set me up!” — followed the mayor’s dismayed realization that his crack-smoking had been caught on hidden camera. How many times have we heard from the president and his defenders that the Mueller investigation is “a witch hunt,” that “there’s nothing there” and it’s time to shut it down? As the inquiry enters its second year, Trump’s forces now appear to be falling back to a new trench. Whatever Team Trump did wrong, the FBI tricked them into doing it. .. So far, what I know with confidence centers on a few key points: Russia hacked the election, which is a problem whether or not the outcome was affected. Candidate Trump was more connected to Putin’s circle during the campaign than he acknowledged. If his son Donald Trump Jr. didn’t collude with Russia, he certainly wanted to. And Donald Trump’s desire to shut down “this Russia thing” led to his ham-handed firing of FBI Director James B. Comey, which in turn gave us the Mueller probe. No deep-state conspiracy, just Trump’s own blundering, according to sometime adviser and confidant Stephen K. Bannon. It has been said many times: For a man protesting his innocence, Trump sure does act guilty. And that, more than anything, creates the air of mystery shrouding this topic. But at least we now know what he’s likely to say if and when we learn what he is hiding. www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/now-we-know-what-trump-will-say-when-we-learn-what-hes-hiding/2018/05/18/e7c5dcd4-5ac5-11e8-858f-12becb4d6067_story.html?utm_term=.82ee40af189fBy adopting the "Bitch set me up" defense Trump is conceding his guilt.
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Post by buckybasser on May 19, 2018 17:27:35 GMT -5
There are two bricks that form the entire foundation of the Trump / Russia Investigation as it pertains to the President's campaign - not Russia in the entirety.
First is the fictional Steele dossier that was used to illegally obtain FISA Court Warrants. It was simply uncorroborated HRC campaign material & nothing more.
Second is the more troublesome brick, because hurt feelings when your ideas are utterly rejected are tougher to overcome and now drive the entire Mueller probe.
Most thinking people would also agree that the Mos Eisley Cantina band should have been playing on the stage for this gathering!
>O
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Post by Old Badger on May 19, 2018 21:22:35 GMT -5
First is the fictional Steele dossier that was used to illegally obtain FISA Court Warrants. It was simply uncorroborated HRC campaign material & nothing more. Second is the more troublesome brick, because hurt feelings when your ideas are utterly rejected are tougher to overcome and now drive the entire Mueller probe. The first is factually incorrect. The second is stupid propaganda. Well, actually, so's the first. Your Trumpicization now is complete, however.
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Post by buckybasser on May 20, 2018 0:25:14 GMT -5
I am not sure what you fail to grasp about this... Me & Trumpism...
I can never be a Trumpist, or for that matter any _____ist, unless that person wants to eliminate most of the federal government.
Clearly Trump is mostly fine with the size & scope of our federal government.
As GB noted, I am an issue-based reluctant supporter at best - mostly because of the regulatory state reforms the man has pursued.
My dudes, for example, are true Trumpists. They rock Trump stickers on their trucks & boats & trailers. One even has the 18 wheeler trucker-style mesh hat.
I do believe all thinking Americans see that Trump has become a true beacon of light & hope on the environment.
Look at the incredible progress the President has made on Global Warming & Endangered Species in such a short time.
It is undeniable.
>O
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Post by Old Badger on May 20, 2018 13:49:53 GMT -5
I can never be a Trumpist You can keep telling yourself that, but the rest of your post screams you're either lying or self-delusional. It's not the bumper stickers that count; it's the enthusiasm of the support.
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Post by buckybasser on May 20, 2018 18:45:34 GMT -5
Whatever - you know that things like Global Warming & Endangered Species are extremely important personal & political issues to The Basser...
When a President makes massive progress on critical issues like these - the likes of which I have never seen in my lifetime - I give him credit.
There is plenty I do not like about the man, but at least I can step back & take notice when incredible & visionary advancements are being made.
Your hatred of the man not only prevents you from doing so, but also forces you to label anyone with anything positive to say as a Trumpist.
>O
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Post by Old Badger on May 20, 2018 22:09:19 GMT -5
but at least I can step back & take notice when incredible & visionary advancements are being made. Yeah, one more step back and you're gonna drown in Trump's Swamp.
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Post by buckybasser on May 20, 2018 23:52:16 GMT -5
A great read in The Hill from former Clinton Crime Family Consigliere, Mark Penn, on DOJ corruption & ending the Mueller Investigation. thehill.com/opinion/judiciary/388549-stopping-robert-mueller-to-protect-us-allIt seems that many leftists (outside of the lunatic fringe that now represents much of modern liberalism) realize this could take down their Party for good. As one who seeks the end of liberalism as an option for federal governance, the path that does the most damage to this corrupt ideology is the one I seek. If that is Democrats taking the house & drafting impeachment articles, then let the liberal Speaker of the House (who can no longer even speak!) have at it... You go girl. >O
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Post by Old Badger on May 21, 2018 13:56:22 GMT -5
A great read in The Hill from former Clinton Crime Family Consigliere, Mark Penn, on DOJ corruption & ending the Mueller Investigation. Mark Penn? He's still alive? LOL, when you're quoting Mark Penn you are in pure desperation mode. Geezus, I must have been giving you more credit for common sense than you deserve. Hold on...I literally cannot stop laughing. I mean, the guy's a pollster, but he's telling us how the national security system should work? And...it's MARK PENN, LOL! Here's a nice critique of Penn from last July. He's a complete idiot. Hillary pointedly kept him away from her 2016 campaign after he screwed the pooch as chief strategist in 2008.
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Post by badgerjon66 on May 28, 2018 8:57:05 GMT -5
Well, we are now about two years into ruling class spying on, lying about, using govt. agencies to harass & intimidate Trump & his supporters. The ¨justification¨ for most of this abuse of power by deep state & political rulers has been some fiction of Trump:Russia ¨collusion¨ (meaning of ¨is¨?). The issue of Russian involvement arose ~two years ago with the Clinton/DNC/DOJ/media (& others?) created dossier. It was fairly quickly exposed as fake at best and likely criminal. Of course Obama ridiculed the notion of Russian influence-----until the day Hillary lost. since then we have seem ~1 1/2 years of unlimited resources devoted to promoting the hoax that somehow Russia helped Trump----despite overwhelming evidence that the only real involvement with Russian entities was by the Hillary campaign. Perhaps someone could perform a useful service by explaining a couple of things: 1. If Russia somehow influenced our election during a period in which Obama & his intel services had been in place for 7+ years, why would that not be Obama's fault? did he lie about it just prior to the election or was he embarrassingly ignorant? and, 2. After all this ¨investigation¨ why is there absolutely no evidence of Trump:Russia collusion? A supposedly masterful investigator with a solid ( with well documented ethical lapses) dem team and unlimited resources has manage several phony charges completely unrelated to to his announced responsibility. He is, so far, unwilling to go into open court before an honest judge, with even his petty & irrelevant charges. A very strong case has been made that the entire hoax was begun illegally and several judges have wiped the floor with his cases.
This is beginning to look like the ¨grassy knoll¨ theory of the Kennedy assassination, except this one has total support of media & dem party. Does OB have any rational support for his convictions, or is it nothing more than hatred for anyone who disagrees with him?
A few are beginning to stubbornly repeat the obvious---Obama ( or at least V. Jarrett) was in charge of a coup to first prevent Trump from winning, then prevent him from taking office, and finally prevent him from remaining in his dully elected office and implimenting the agenda on which he ran. A few are also beginning to make the point: despite the obvious personal hatred for Trump the rioters express, for the ruling class this is all about intimidating anyone who might in the future challenge their power. If the roles of Obama & his personally selected minions: comey, Clapper, Brennan, Rice, Yates, Kerry, et al----including Mueller!---are exposed the American people may well seize the power promised them by our Constitution. Of course exposure of Clinton crimes would do all that and more.
Lots of cracks appearing in their dam, but too early to know how much they will expand. Level of hysterical fear being shown by some in the swamp suggests they are very frightened of truth being exposed. Who gets thrown under the bus to save the real leaders of the coup?
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Post by Old Badger on May 29, 2018 9:58:23 GMT -5
Well, we are now about two years into ruling class spying on, lying about, using govt. agencies to harass & intimidate Trump & his supporters. ? LOL! Another Looney-Tunes rant from the guy holed up with his arsenal somewhere in Appalachia. None of this is true, as any sane person understands, jon. The fact is that you supported a conspiracy-theorist crank and bona fide crook to lead the country, and now you are too immersed to admit you made a serious mistake. I understand doubling-down. It's just too bad that you're doing it with the country's security at risk. When did you stop being an American Patriot?
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Post by Old Badger on May 29, 2018 20:09:26 GMT -5
Because I was traveling this past week I diid not have time to comment on the aftermath of DOJ's briefing of Members of Congress on the investigation. It's noteworthy that after those briefings McConnell said that Mueller should be allowed to continue his work, and Gowdy re-confirmed that the FBI had acted according to its professional standards. Nunes, by contrast, has been nearly silent.
On a side note: It's clear that the main reason Nunes demanded that briefing was to allow the "surprise" presence of White House lawyers. That was proof-positive that this never was about congressional oversight, as Nunes had claimed. So what was it? An opportunity to let Trump's lawyers see the direction(s) the investigation is taking. Basically, it was the equivalent of inviting the defense counsel into the prosecution's evidence review while the case is still under investigation. This can most generously be described as "inappropriate."
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Post by goldenbucky on May 29, 2018 23:07:00 GMT -5
Speculation on my part but it looks like Nunes is guilty of something and has been working feverishly to help Trump in the hope that he'll find protection under Trump's wing.
If so, that's a pretty optimistic view of Trump.
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Post by Old Badger on May 31, 2018 17:16:55 GMT -5
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Post by goldenbucky on Jun 4, 2018 20:15:23 GMT -5
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Post by Old Badger on Jun 4, 2018 22:20:10 GMT -5
More details coming out now: "Prosecutors accused Manafort and a longtime associate they linked to Russian intelligence of repeatedly contacting two members of a public-relations firm and asking them to falsely testify about secret lobbying they did at Manafort’s behest. The firm of former senior European officials, informally called the 'Hapsburg group,' was secretly retained in 2012 by Manafort to advocate for Ukraine, where Manafort had clients, prosecutors charged.In court documents, prosecutors with special counsel Robert S. Mueller III allege that Manafort and his associate — referred to only as Person A — tried to contact the two witnesses by phone and through an encrypted messaging program. The description of Person A matches his longtime business colleague in Ukraine, Konstantin Kilimnik…FBI agent Brock W. Domin said that one of the public relations firm’s executives identified as Person D1 told the government he 'understood Manafort’s outreach to be an effort to "suborn perjury"’ by encouraging others to lie to federal investigators by concealing the firm’s work in the United States." linkSuborning perjury normally gets prosecutors really ticked off. How did he imagine this would not get back to them? This guy is not as smart as we've been led to believe.
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Post by Old Badger on Jun 5, 2018 14:48:04 GMT -5
Cohen's "lawyer-client privilege" ruse is coming to an end: "A former federal judge tasked with sifting through records seized from President Donald Trump’s personal lawyer is recommending federal prosecutors can see all but a fraction of the items. In a two-page status report submitted Monday, court-appointed special master Barbara Jones said she found just 14 out of 639 items — containing 12,543 pages of 'hard copy materials' taken from Michael Cohen’s home, office and hotel room — should be held back from federal prosecutors because of attorney-client privilege. Separately, Jones ruled that 148 out of 291,770 total items on two phones and an iPad taken from Cohen by the FBI fell into privileged or partially privileged categories. Another seven items, Jones added, were deemed 'Highly Personal.' "Jones’s report covers only a small part of the materials seized in April from Cohen, which includes more than a dozen mobile devices and 19 other digital-media devices. Todd Harrison, a lawyer for Cohen, told the court last week that his firm had received about 3.7 million files, with about 1.3 million already turned over to Jones for her review. In a report filed last week, Jones said the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York had received its first batch of the information, including nearly '300,000 'items.' Her report did not specify what an 'item' was – though it’s likely to include a photo, video file or email message." linkAs expected, it appears the vast bulk of this material is going to be in the hands of either Mueller, the NY federal prosecutor, or both. How long until Cohen flips?
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Post by Old Badger on Jun 9, 2018 10:59:37 GMT -5
So, Mueller files two more indictments of Manafort and his Russian pal for jury tampering...just as Manafort's lawyers are about to ask the court to release him from house arrest. Because those charges are a violation of Manafort's current agreement, Mueller is instead asking the court to revoke bail and put Manafort in jail until his trial is over. There's no doubt that the filing was made explicitly to thwart Manafort's attempt to get out of house arrest by showing bad behavior. As a former federal prosecutor has said, “A defendant in a drug case would have his release revoked and be sent to jail pending trial for violating the terms of his release like this.” Exactly! If all the charges against him and his various collaborators seem confusing, the WP has developed a handy chart: here.
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Post by goldenbucky on Jun 9, 2018 13:17:47 GMT -5
So, Mueller files two more indictments of Manafort and his Russian pal for jury tampering...
As a reminder, Paul Manafort was Trump's campaign chair whose influence extended to successfully pushing Pence as veep.
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Post by goldenbucky on Jun 12, 2018 16:42:22 GMT -5
Don't know whether this belongs here or along with the voter suppression thread but since it involves Mueller, I'll put it here:
Interesting detail in the court filing:
"The Russians are accused of producing propaganda, posing as U.S. activists and posting political content on social media as so-called trolls to encourage strife in the U.S. The evidence includes between 1.5 and 2 terabytes of data and involves U.S. residents not charged with crimes who the government says were unwittingly recruited by Russians to engage in political activity, prosecutors wrote."
Make of that what you will.
Hard to avoid the irony of a narrow supreme court ruling that will effectively denying voting out of a unsubstantiated concerns of voter fraud while, at the same time, the executive branch avoids doing anything about protecting the elections themselves. That's a pretty selective concern for election integrity there...
At least Mueller is doing something.
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