More winning, I for one am getting sick of it now

[perrykneeham]

They are a bit sh*t these days.

[Marshall]

Total nothingburger. Like most of the wild conspiracy theories the right wingnuts come up with.

Nunes should be tossed out on his fat ass.

[voice]

not gonna happen, the only one heading for the door is the deputy AG, snowflakes main target in all this

[Marshall]

The FBI and CIA are finding out that "the party of law and order" will side with Putin over them.

The GOP is really imploding, thanks to the likes of Faux News and Alex Jones. Shame, they used to stand up for the right things back in Eisenhower's day.

[voice]

I can't help but be a little sad when the rule of law, anywhere, is eroded by the people tasked to support it.

[Marshall]

The Nunes memo: "It is a tale told by an idiot. Full of sound a fury, signifying nothing."

[voice]

oh dear, apparently even Faux news are saying 'its all a bit of dud and lets move on'

[Marshall]

And lot of people will be sorely disappointed.

There are more batsh!t crazy places than Faux News though.

www.frontpagemag.com/fpm/269211/memo-reveals-coup-against-america-daniel-greenfield

Sometimes I wonder if people who write this crap are really that stupid or just pandering to their readership of dumbfcuks.

[flatandy]

It's just amazing how totally nothing the whole story is.

Well, it should be amazing.

Except that we knew all along that it would be a total nothing, because if there was any "there" there, every single Republican would have leaked like sieves. But instead they had to create the impression of conspiracy when there was no conspiracy, so all the drama was about how this memo was not allowed to be released. Despite the fact that it was written by a f**k**g conspiranoid Republican. "I can't release my own memo! Waaah!"

In fact what is amazing about it is just how amazingly pathetic it all is.

[voice]

Stormy weather indeed

www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-43055995

Though not as bitter and frigid as Melania's face the other week at the SotU

[voice]

Snowflakes handlers are feeling the heat now.

Thirteen Russians have been charged with interfering in the US 2016 election, in a major development in the FBI investigation.

Three of those named have been accused of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and five have been accused of aggravated identity theft.

The announcement was made by Special Counsel Robert Mueller who is investigating alleged Russian meddling in the election.

www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-43092085

and what with Mueller flipping Gates the noose is tightening.

Mueller Flips Gates – One More Cooperating Witness in the Trump-Russia Probe: Report

www.thenewcivilrightsmovement.com/davidbadash/mueller_flips_gates_one_more_cooperating_witness_in_the_trump_russia_probe

[flatandy]

Interesting. Depending on who the people charged are, I'm not sure this is bad for Trump at all.

If he could just go back to calling the Mueller investigation what it is, it would look fine.

In theory the Mueller investigation could have nothing to do with Trump at all - it's an investigation into Russian meddling in the election. Which is something we all know happened. That could be fiddling with Facebook algorithms, and attempting to hack voting machines, or releasing HRC's hacked emails. The point, of course, is to undermine US democracy, and the confidence of the public in it. Which - of course - makes it a success.

The trouble for Trump only comes on two fronts.

1 - Either he actually colluded with the Russians - which I thought at the outset was very unlikely, beyond them funding a bunch of his hotels when he couldn't get credit elsewhere. Now it's a bit more likely, given what we know about a lot of people who were on Team Trump early (Manafort, Flynn, Trump Jr, Gates, etc). But even then, I wouldn't be surprised if Trump himself was isolated from it all. It's not like he's famously competent. So I still have strong doubts on that front

2 - (and this is what I think is likely) Trump has a massively, but desperately fragile ego. When he heard reports saying that the "Russians interfered", he actually heard
"Russians fiddled the result", and "Trump's win wasn't a real win". So - much like photoshopping his inauguration pics - he decided that he had to prove there was no interference; which meant that he, and all his team, had to perjure themselves repeatedly by saying that there were no Russians anywhere near Trump tower.

If he'd just said, at the outset, "Yes, the Russians tried to interfere with the election; in fact a bunch of them tried to meet with my team; but nothing came of it", he'd be in a much stronger position now. It looks like, if anything, he's getting screwed for hubris and ego, not for actually colluding.

[voice]

There is just so much dodgy stuff around Trump and Russia, he's met or called Putin and his spy chiefs something like 8 times in secret since taking over, the only reason we know about these contacts is through press releases from the Kremlin ffs, not one was mentioned by the WH.

Thought this was a 'bear shits in the wood' story, but funny still. We all know Assange is a terrible human being (appart from OH who's had a wide on for him years cos he 'gave it to the man')

theintercept.com/2018/02/14/julian-assange-wikileaks-election-clinton-trump/

IN LEAKED CHATS, WIKILEAKS DISCUSSES PREFERENCE FOR GOP OVER CLINTON, RUSSIA, TROLLING, AND FEMINISTS THEY DON’T LIKE

[auldhippy]

Feb 16, 2018 18:43:32 GMT voice said:

There is just so much dodgy stuff around Trump and Russia, he's met or called Putin and his spy chiefs something like 8 times in secret since taking over, the only reason we know about these contacts is through press releases from the Kremlin ffs, not one was mentioned by the WH.

Thought this was a 'bear shits in the wood' story, but funny still. We all know Assange is a terrible human being (appart from OH who's had a wide on for him years cos he 'gave it to the man')

theintercept.com/2018/02/14/julian-assange-wikileaks-election-clinton-trump/

IN LEAKED CHATS, WIKILEAKS DISCUSSES PREFERENCE FOR GOP OVER CLINTON, RUSSIA, TROLLING, AND FEMINISTS THEY DON’T LIKE

Are Assange or Wiki Staff not allowed personal views expressed in private?

"Assange’s thinking appeared to be rooted not in ideological agreement with the right wing in the U.S., but in the tactical idea that a Republican president would face more resistance to an aggressive military posture than an interventionist President Hillary Clinton would."

It's not an unreasonable view if you didn't really believe, like so many did, Trump would win the nomination. I'm still of the opinion Clinton would have started the next war but I'm also certain Trump will start the last. Likely the whole tone of the Wiki private Tweets would have been different had Sanders won the nomination, as the article says Assange;s problems with Clinton came early in her Sec of State era. She is the very definition of a hawk.

It is a good critical article by the Intercept though, Assange's recent & ongoing tribulations are negatively impacting a fragile ego. He's cut himself off from Intercept & Democracy Now, his last two free press support, they did good work together on Snowdon.

[auldhippy]

Feb 16, 2018 18:34:48 GMT flatandy said:

Interesting. Depending on who the people charged are, I'm not sure this is bad for Trump at all.

If he could just go back to calling the Mueller investigation what it is, it would look fine.

In theory the Mueller investigation could have nothing to do with Trump at all - it's an investigation into Russian meddling in the election. Which is something we all know happened. That could be fiddling with Facebook algorithms, and attempting to hack voting machines, or releasing HRC's hacked emails. The point, of course, is to undermine US democracy, and the confidence of the public in it. Which - of course - makes it a success.

The trouble for Trump only comes on two fronts.

1 - Either he actually colluded with the Russians - which I thought at the outset was very unlikely, beyond them funding a bunch of his hotels when he couldn't get credit elsewhere. Now it's a bit more likely, given what we know about a lot of people who were on Team Trump early (Manafort, Flynn, Trump Jr, Gates, etc). But even then, I wouldn't be surprised if Trump himself was isolated from it all. It's not like he's famously competent. So I still have strong doubts on that front

2 - (and this is what I think is likely) Trump has a massively, but desperately fragile ego. When he heard reports saying that the "Russians interfered", he actually heard
"Russians fiddled the result", and "Trump's win wasn't a real win". So - much like photoshopping his inauguration pics - he decided that he had to prove there was no interference; which meant that he, and all his team, had to perjure themselves repeatedly by saying that there were no Russians anywhere near Trump tower.

If he'd just said, at the outset, "Yes, the Russians tried to interfere with the election; in fact a bunch of them tried to meet with my team; but nothing came of it", he'd be in a much stronger position now. It looks like, if anything, he's getting screwed for hubris and ego, not for actually colluding.

He only has to be found blackmailable (sic) from any of his dealings with Russians which I think likely will include some lazy, on his part, money laundering. I've thought this at the refusal to release his tax returns. However Mueller doesn't need the press to publish them.

[clarity]

Cui bono? Russia? Trump? Kushner?


I agree with AH on this. I've long maintained that Russia has something on Trump, possibly concerning money.

[voice]

another bigly win, Gates is gona plead guilty to get a plea deal

A former aide to Donald Trump's presidential campaign is expected to plead guilty in a deal with the special counsel investigating ties to Russia.

Rick Gates was charged with conspiracy to launder money in October, along with his colleague and former Trump adviser Paul Manafort.

The LA Times and CBS News report that Mr Gates has now struck a plea deal with special counsel Robert Mueller.

Such a deal could see him agree to testify against Mr Manafort.

www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-43117650

[voice]

Oh dear, I think I've run out of descriptive to describe how big a win this or how sick we all must be as a result.

www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-43216602

President Donald Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner has had his White House security clearance downgraded, US media are reporting.

Mr Kushner, a senior adviser to the president, had been receiving top-level security briefings.

However, background checks into Mr Kushner had still not been completed, so he had interim clearance only.


Apparently he ran his businesses as bad if not worse than snowflake himself and is in hock to numerous foreign powers who have been seeking to leverage the billions he owns to them to get influence, though I'm under no illusions the 'Don' will continue to keep his main capo in the know.

[clarity]

Of course he will it is hard to believe that old blabbermouth won't tell his SIL everything. I've said all along that money is at the centre of this debacle. I suspect Kushner is a chip off the old block and has borrowed from questionable sources to keep his businesses afloat. Those who he, and possibly his FIL, owe money are now able to call in the favours. Hardly democratic is it if foreign money lenders start putting the squeeze on somebody so close to Trump. I can hardly wait to see this house of cards collapse.

Incidentally, I loved all the sarcasm around Trump saying he would have charged into the school unarmed. Nobody believes that for a minute. He has no shame when he makes these outrageous statements because in his mind he is the great American hero. Even when his claims are investigated and proved incorrect, he just keeps on doing it.

[flatandy]

The Kushner thing is just astonishing. It includes the fact that his business was so susceptible that 4 different countries - including Israel and China - were known to be looking at how to exploit his weaknesses.

The fact that he was so powerful in the Whitehouse and the fact of the nepotism, means that basically everyone in the Administration could have had Jared's weakness used as leverage. If you were a Whitehouse underling and someone said "I'm going to take down the President's son-in-law", there's a strong chance that you'd go along with whatever the foreign actors were after. The US state has been massively compromised by this.