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billvon

Russiagate

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Gowdy is desperately trying to make this about leaks and not the actual information

It's a valid topic, it really is. It's not the only one, he was grandstanding just as much as someone else I heard a couple of hours later (I was not listening for awhile) who was grandstanding about Tillerson and his Russia connections. I turned the radio to music then; I can read enough in the newspaper.

Why is leaking a valid point? Because it is illegal, and the end doesn't justify the means without some formal analysis. Jury nullification or judicial override are the criminal court equivalent. It might have been worth it, but if we just say "it's OK because we found out about Russia" without considering the action of leaking seriously, then the next time it'll be about something even more partisan, and downhill from there.

I used to have a clearance too (although I heard on the radio that "secret" doesn't count for much :D), and took it seriously, too.

Wendy P.
There is nothing more dangerous than breaking a basic safety rule and getting away with it. It removes fear of the consequences and builds false confidence. (tbrown)

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Except they weren't concerned when the FBI letter regarding Clinton was leaked.

Or when emails where published through wikiLEAKS.

Leaking can be a valid point indeed. But when the FBI confirms it has an ongoing investigation against the President, the leak angle really isn't that important anymore.

On top of that the Trump accusation of Obama tapping his wires would have to be based on leaked information too...

Edited to add: The fact that Spicer is now trying to say that a former Trump Campaign Manager really only played a very small role in the campaign is evidence enough they are extremely worried.

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So much for Trump's denials.
===============
It's Official: The FBI Is Investigating Trump's Links to Russia

Director James Comey told Congress on Monday that the 2016 probe includes possible contacts between the campaign and the Kremlin.

Russell Berman Mar 20, 2017 Politics
Reuters

Updated on March 20 at 5:46 p.m. ET

With just two sentences on Monday, FBI Director James Comey cast a long, dark shadow over the presidency of Donald Trump and the campaign that resulted in his election.

“I’ve been authorized by the Department of Justice to confirm that the FBI, as part of our counterintelligence mission, is investigating the Russian government's efforts to interfere in the 2016 presidential election,” Comey said in testimony before the House Intelligence Committee. “That includes investigating the nature of any links between individuals associated with the Trump campaign and the Russian government, and whether there was any coordination between the campaign and Russia’s efforts.”
================

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There are some republicans who may need new underwear tonight:
============================
US officials: Info suggests Trump associates may have coordinated with Russians

Pamela Brown, Evan Perez and Shimon Prokupecz, CNN

Updated 1:31 AM ET, Thu March 23, 2017

Washington (CNN) - The FBI has information that indicates associates of President Donald Trump communicated with suspected Russian operatives to possibly coordinate the release of information damaging to Hillary Clinton's campaign, US officials told CNN.

This is partly what FBI Director James Comey was referring to when he made a bombshell announcement Monday before Congress that the FBI is investigating the Trump campaign's ties to Russia, according to one source.

The FBI is now reviewing that information, which includes human intelligence, travel, business and phone records and accounts of in-person meetings, according to those U.S. officials. The information is raising the suspicions of FBI counterintelligence investigators that the coordination may have taken place, though officials cautioned that the information was not conclusive and that the investigation is ongoing.

In his statement on Monday Comey said the FBI began looking into possible coordination between Trump campaign associates and suspected Russian operatives because the bureau had gathered "a credible allegation of wrongdoing or reasonable basis to believe an American may be acting as an agent of a foreign power."
==============================

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SkyDekker


Edited to add: The fact that Spicer is now trying to say that a former Trump Campaign Manager really only played a very small role in the campaign is evidence enough they are extremely worried.



Or, in cover-up mode:

http://www.msnbc.com/all-in/watch/john-dean-white-house-is-in-a-cover-up-mode-902528067630

Also reported on Newsmax:
http://www.newsmax.com/Politics/investigation-investigation-cover-up-John-Dean/2017/03/21/id/780058/

"Interesting."

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billvon

GWB White House Chief Ethics Counsel Richard Painter had this to say today:

"FBI uncovering evidence of treason. There is no other word for it."



So if the presidential election was stolen by fraud. Should trump reimburse the costs? i.e. about $2.6 billion.

Which according to Forbes would still leave him with a $1 billion left over. Or should there be punitive damages of $1-2 billion added as well, for the damage to the US reputation. For disruption to government.
https://www.opensecrets.org/overview/cost.php
http://www.newsweek.com/donald-trump-net-worth-billion-2017-forbes-571508

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And the latest connection - RNC paid Russian spy to find dirt on Clinton.
===========================
RNC paid intel firm for Clinton dirt

By Kenneth P. Vogel and Eli Stokols
Politico
03/23/17

As the general election was taking shape last summer, the Republican National Committee initiated a series of payments to a low-profile firm started by retired CIA officers that worked closely with an ex-Russian spy.

The payments attracted attention in political and intelligence circles, largely because the Virginia-based firm, Hamilton Trading Group, had particular expertise in Russia, which was emerging as a major campaign issue at the time.

RNC officials and the president and co-founder of Hamilton Trading Group, an ex-CIA officer named Ben Wickham, insisted the payments, which eventually totaled $41,500, had nothing to do with Russia.

Instead, they initially claimed the payments were entirely for an assessment by Hamilton Trading Group of building security concerns at the RNC’s Capitol Hill headquarters.

But RNC officials now acknowledge that most of the cash — $34,100 — went toward intelligence-style reports that sought to prove conflicts of interest between Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton’s tenure as secretary of state and her family’s foundation. . . .

Wickham and the RNC denied that the firm did any work related to Russia for the RNC, and Wickham brushed off as coincidence the timing of the payments. They were made between May and August 2016, as Russia was emerging as a liability for the GOP nominee Donald Trump and his presidential campaign, including its then-chairman Paul Manafort.
===========================

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White House now admits that Trump's son-in-law met with Russian officials.
=============================
WH now acknowledges previously unreported meetings between Russian officials & Jared Kushner, President Trump's son-in-law and a top adviser.
David Wright @DavidWright_CNN 4:45 AM - 27 Mar 2017

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Hey, it worked for Nixon:
============================
Donald Trump's team 'wiping their electronic devices' in case they have to give evidence

Allegations come just weeks after government lawyers ordered president’s aides to preserve materials that could be connected to Russian interference in 2016 election.

The Independent US
23 Mar 2017

White House officials and members of Donald Trump’s transition team are reportedly “purging” their electronic devices to avoid being compromised by subpoenas, it has been claimed.

The accusation comes just weeks after government lawyers ordered the President’s aides to preserve any materials that could be connected to Russian interference in the 2016 election.

One legal expert told MSNBC - the channel that first reported the allegations based on testimony from an inside source - there could be “legal ramifications” for staff who destroyed crucial evidence relating to ongoing investigations.

The Trump administration is currently under FBI investigation for possible collusion between Russian operatives and presidential aides.

The House Intelligence Committee is also investigating alleged ties between the Trump campaign and Russia based on a series of allegations that pre-date the election, including Mr Trump publicly urging Russia to hack Democratic rival Hillary Clinton's emails.

Mr Trump’s former election campaign manager Paul Manafort, who was accused of once working to further the interests of Russian President Vladimir Putin, is now a leading focus of the investigation by American intelligence.

Mr Manafort volunteered to testify as part of the investigation and he is expected to be interviewed by the House Intelligence Committee, the panel’s chairman has said.

It came as a former National Security Agency (NSA) analyst warned the President could be forced to leave office over the investigations.

John Schindler, a security expert and former counterintelligence officer, said that if the US President was to face an indictment over allegations his campaign team colluded with Russia to disrupt the presidential election, it could put an end to his presidency.
==========================

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Don't worry, it will come out.

There is more evidence of this than there is of Obama being Kenyan. Something you happily agreed with a followed.

Nunes cancelling all hearings.

Trying to gag Yates.

Clapper indicating his testimony would contradict official White House statements.

Rumours Trump and son-in-law are on tape talking to a Russian spy.

It will all unravel. The most positive thing of that will be your exit from dropzone.com since you would rather do that than having to admit you were wrong and got conned into voting for a Russian puppet.

Kushner meets with VEB. Russia says: only business was discussed. White House says: Kushner was acting as transition team official and absolutely no business was discussed.

Let me help you with your response:

Quote

uoy ar so stupid.

:D:D:ph34r::ph34r::D:D

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>Still no evidence of any kind

"WH now acknowledges previously unreported meetings between Russian officials & Jared Kushner, President Trump's son-in-law and a top adviser."

Look for more admissions in the weeks to come. They are already panicking over the first hearing of the investigation.

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billvon

>Still no evidence of any kind

"WH now acknowledges previously unreported meetings between Russian officials & Jared Kushner, President Trump's son-in-law and a top adviser."

Look for more admissions in the weeks to come. They are already panicking over the first hearing of the investigation.



You are drooling all over yourself

:D
"America will never be destroyed from the outside,
if we falter and lose our freedoms,
it will be because we destroyed ourselves."
Abraham Lincoln

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I am beginning to understand why those like you belive the stuff you post.

The attached Google search looks at all the reports of the 60 Minutes Story this weekend that explain college educated liberals fall for fake news the most.

Makes a lot of sense reading some the threads here.

https://www.google.com/?gws_rd=ssl#safe=active&q=college+educated+liberals+fall+for+fake+news&*&spf=737

Including this thread.....
"America will never be destroyed from the outside,
if we falter and lose our freedoms,
it will be because we destroyed ourselves."
Abraham Lincoln

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So Sally Yates was the acting Attorney General at Trump's request. She warned Trump about Flynn, that he had been lying to the administration. However, Flynn remained onboard for about another month before the Washington Post found out; Flynn then resigned.

Yates then said her department would not defend Trump's immigration executive order. Trump promptly fired her.

Now the Russiagate hearings have started. Since she knew very early that Flynn had lied, the Intelligence Committee wanted to talk to her at their public hearing. The administration then said she couldn't. From a letter from the DOJ:

"Such communications are likely covered by presidential communications privilege. . . . The president owns these privileges. Therefore, Mrs. Yates . . . needs to consult with the White House."

So they cancelled the hearing.

Then the White House made this statement:

"The White House has taken no action to prevent Sally Yates from testifying and the Department of Justice specifically told her it would not stop her and to suggest otherwise is completely irresponsible."

Why are they lying? What are they trying to hide? It's not even a good lie; it's dumb to make such an easily debunked claim. It's like lying is a reflex that kicks in before any real planning for deception can happen.

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Then the White House made this statement:

"The White House has taken no action to prevent Sally Yates from testifying and the Department of Justice specifically told her it would not stop her and to suggest otherwise is completely irresponsible."

Why are they lying? What are they trying to hide? It's not even a good lie; it's dumb to make such an easily debunked claim. It's like lying is a reflex that kicks in before any real planning for deception can happen



I don't think that comment is incorrect on the face of it. I think the White House has had a hand in forcing Nunes to cancel the hearings and in that sense they have stopped her for now.

But, based on the documents that WaPo has published here:

http://apps.washingtonpost.com/g/documents/national/read-the-letters-detailing-how-sally-yates-was-blocked-from-testifying-on-russia/2390/

They did not overtly stop here.

DOJ said they had to talk to White House and nothing further was required from DOJ.

Yates's lawyer sent letter to WH with a deadline for response. Letter indicates (paraphrasing) if no response is received by the deadline Yates would proceed.

No response was sent by the deadline.

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>Look for more admissions in the weeks to come.

Well, that didn't take long. The latest interesting tidbit - the White House claimed Kushner's meetings with the Russians were official diplomatic meetings, but the Russians say they were meetings that were focused on Kushner's real estate business. (Of course, with the Trump administration there's no real difference between the two.)
=================
Senate Committee to Question Jared Kushner Over Meetings With Russians

By JO BECKER, MATTHEW ROSENBERG and MAGGIE HABERMAN
MARCH 27, 2017
NYT

Senate investigators plan to question Jared Kushner, President Trump’s son-in-law and a close adviser, as part of their broad inquiry into ties between Trump associates and Russian officials or others linked to the Kremlin, according to administration and congressional officials.

The White House Counsel’s Office was informed this month that the Senate Intelligence Committee, which is investigating Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election, wanted to question Mr. Kushner about meetings he arranged with the Russian ambassador, Sergey I. Kislyak, according to the government officials. The meetings, which took place during the transition, included a previously unreported sit-down with the head of Russia’s state-owned development bank.

Until now, the White House had acknowledged only an early December meeting between Mr. Kislyak and Mr. Kushner, which occurred at Trump Tower and was also attended by Michael T. Flynn, who would briefly serve as the national security adviser.

Later that month, though, Mr. Kislyak requested a second meeting, which Mr. Kushner asked a deputy to attend in his stead, officials said. At Mr. Kislyak’s request, Mr. Kushner later met with Sergey N. Gorkov, the chief of Vnesheconombank, which the United States placed on its sanctions list after President Vladimir V. Putin of

A White House spokeswoman, Hope Hicks, confirmed those meetings, saying in an interview that nothing of consequence occurred and portraying them as routine diplomatic encounters that went nowhere. But Mr. Gorkov, who previously served as deputy chairman of the board at Sberbank, Russia’s largest state-owned bank, said in a statement issued by his bank that he met with Mr. Kushner in his capacity as the then-chief executive of Kushner Companies, his family’s sprawling real estate empire.
================

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